Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for the faves, alerts and reviews. Shout out to Emi Nicole Jackson12, who guessed it right! And also to Chi no Kitsune, don't worry, I'm actually going to pursue the idea of Remus/Holly after this!

Chapter Six

Routine was what kept her going. She would get up at 6:30AM, shower, dress, eat breakfast at The Three Broomsticks and be off to her classes. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Holly was just grateful that she only had classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays, Thursdays and the weekends were all for her own personal use.

Since McGonagall had specified that there was no need for the returning seventh year students to stay at the castle, she had opted to rent an apartment in Hogsmeade. There was a cozy little cottage not far from Hogsmeade's main street with three bedrooms that Holly, Hermione and Lavender were now officially renting. And, of course, there was also their unofficial fourth flat mate, Draco Malfoy. But he was there only every other day, no doubt he stayed at Malfoy Manor every other day to satisfy his mother.

Holly had struggled to fill the days that were for her own personal use. It was extraordinarily easy for her to sleep those days away. It seemed that on most nights it was easy to escape reality in her dreams, but then there were the dreams that haunted her to no end. There were dreams of waking beside her ex-lover, making love in various positions, various locations and she was so happy. And then she would wake up to an empty bed and feel the cold loneliness deep in the pit of her being, tears falling from her eyes.

But the nightmares were the worst. She theorized that maybe viewing the untouched look of the castle had been the catalyst for her nightmares. They were all the same though, she would be back in the middle of the war, Voldemort still alive, all of her near and dear friends dead all around her. She would wake in cold sweats and then stumble to the toilet before she spewed on the floor. Anyone of her roommates would wake and hold her hair back as she sobbed, hugging the porcelain of the commode. Hell, even Draco had held her hair back. According to Hermione, she had been so hysterical one night that she had cried herself to sleep in his lap, her entire front covered in vomit. Draco had kept his demeanor calm and rubbed her back soothingly. Once she had fallen asleep, he had used a hair tie from Hermione to tie her hair back in a pony tail, charmed her clean and then carried her to bed.

Holly had never been more embarrassed. She had apologized profusely to Draco, who waved her off and then gave her a surprisingly tender kiss to her brow, that brought tears to her eyes just by thinking about it.

"I don't know what's going on with you, Potter," he had told her softly, stooping just low enough to lock his grey eyes with her emerald-green. "But your worrying Hermione, which in turn troubles me. These nightmares are becoming a nightly occurence, and quite frankly I don't blame you for having them. What we have all been through and have seen is enough to bring any man to night terrors. But I would recommend finding something to occupy your thoughts."

Her bottom lip trembled. "What would you recommend exactly?"

"How about volunteer work?" Lavender had suggested, hesitantly. "I actually asked Madame Pomfrey if she needed any help in the hospital wing and she was grateful. I work a couple of hours everyday with her. I'm sure she would love your extra hand, as well. The more the merrier. And this could also be counted on our resumes."

So here she was, volunteering on the days that were supposed to be for her own personal use. She felt a bit irritated about it, but at the same time, she felt a satisfied and accomplished feeling at leaving the hospital wing every evening.

Both Lavender and Holly were in the back storage room where Madame Pomfrey kept all potions. They were logging and taking inventory, determining which potions Professor Slughorn would make first.

"Quidditch is coming up," Holly muttered beside Lavender. "Skele-grow is going to be essential."

"No doubt," Lavender mused, chewing on the end of her quill. "Pepper-up is low. Fall is coming and all the children will probably need them."

"Hell," Holly swore, sitting down on a stool and groaning. "I need one now. I feel like total shit."

Lavender frowned at her. "You've been feeling like that for quite some time, haven't you?"

Holly nodded.

"Hermione and I have been talking about it," said Lavender, softly. "It can't be the flu, otherwise you would have been worse off and over it by now...Maybe it's stress?"

Holly but on her bottom lip and looked down on her hands. "No, it's not stress. I know for certain, it's not stress."

"Oh?" Lavender asked faintly as she squinted at the shelves and back to the clipboard that was in front of her.

"I wanted to wait until I had all of you together to tell you," Holly said, her bottom lip still between her teeth. "Preferably with Ron secured by chains."

Lavender turned and frowned at her for a second time, this time in concern. "Are you alright? It's nothing serious, is it?"

It was Holly's turn to frown and she fisted her hands in anger. Oh, it was serious. Sirius, to be exact! This was something that was going to affect her whole life. Not that she was scared...alright, maybe a little. This was also something she never saw herself doing alone.

"Well," Lavender commented while counting down a few grey colored and sealed draughts. "At least Professor Lupin doesn't have to worry about us running out of Wolf's Bane potion for a couple of months yet. We have plenty."

Holly suddenly stood. Her own clipboard and quill fell to the floor. Remus Lupin was here. He was here and she had absolute no idea for a whole month. The man who had ruined her relationship was here.

And before she knew it, she decided that she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

She walked away from a puzzled Lavender who called to her. Her steps echoed off of the stone walls as she made herself up the moving stair cases. She hopped from one stair case to another quickly, barely missing a few that were just about to disconnect from one landing to another. Her breathing was picking up and she could feel her heart pounding fast in her chest. The blood was rushing faster and faster through her veins and she could vaguely hear the roar of it in her ears.

And there he was, walking out of his classroom. As soon as he saw her his face lit up with a smile and he raised his hand in greeting. It quickly dropped as Holly raised her hand and slapped him right across the face. She raised it again, but Lupin snatched her wrist and dragged her into his classroom. She wrenched her hand away from him and began to beat him with her fists. She hit him anywhere she was able to reach, forgetting the wand in her pocket.

"Stop!" he shouted, grabbed her arms and shaking her, hard. "Stop it! What the bloody hell is the matter with you?!"

"Why?!" Holly shouted back to him. "Why did you do it?!"

Lupin shook her again. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?!"

"You know what I'm talking about, you bastard! You made him do it! You made Sirius break up with me!"

"I made him see reason, you little twit!" he growled in her face. "You're just a girl! And he is a full-grown man nearing forty! He had no business being with you!"

"That was none of your business!" Holly growled back, trying to jerk herself away from him. "It was between me and him! I am an adult! It was my decision and I was the one to pursue him first! I wanted him! I loved him! I love him!..."

She suddenly burst into tears. "I love him so much it's killing me! I can barely sleep without him. He was the reason why I was coping so well after the battle! Now I can barely take a bloody nap without dreaming that Voldemort is still alive and killing my friends! I need him, I want him!

"How could you -?!" she gasped as her knees gave out on her.

Lupin rushed forward to wrap his arms around her and brought her back to her feet before she hit the ground. Her head fell forward on his chest and Lupin allowed her to sob against him. Holly's hands fisted in his worn robes and she on to him tightly as her sobs began to quiet. With one hand, he pet her long and silky black hair.

"I'm sorry," he finally apologized, his eyes wide and filled with alarm. "I-I didn't know this was how you truly felt about him...but I had wanted to -to.."

Holly sniffed and lifted her head. "You wanted to wha -?"

Before she could finish that last word of her question, warm and wet lips suddenly covered her own. Her eyes widened as she realized what exactly was happening. Lupin, no, Remus was kissing her. His tongue dipped into her already parted mouth and ...and..

Her eyes dilated and closed shut as she began to return his advances. She felt his hand run down the small of her back and to her bottom, reaching down low to feel at her moistening sex from behind. Holly gasped into his mouth as he rubbed his fingers against her, feeling her through her robes. She went almost in a frenzy at the feeling.

It had been so long since she had felt this. The heat, the firmness of a man against her. His arms were strong, stronger than her as they held her close. Holly returned his kiss with a fierceness that suddenly blazed inside her like a wildfire. Her hands roamed his body, feeling his firm chest and shoulders desperately.

Both of his hands suddenly found the back of her thighs and lifted. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist and Holly found herself placed down on a hard surface. Remus broke the kiss and reached behind her to sweep everything off of his desk with one strong arm.

Holly watched him, her mouth swollen from their furious kissing, gasping for breath. She watched Remus shrug off his outer robes and begin unbuttoning his vest in a frantic and excited manor. As she watched all of this happening, her senses were slowly coming back to her. This was Remus! He was Sirius' best friend and he was married to Tonks!

This was wrong on so many levels!

As he came toward her Holly slid down off of the desk and placed her hands onto his now bare chest. The heat sent shivers of want down her spine and to her moist womanly center. Remus was leaning down to catch her lips but she shook her head.

"No," she whispered, her eyes squeezing shut. She was afraid if she continued to look upon his bear chest that she would give in. "I'm sorry, but we can't do this!"

Before Remus could object to anything, Holly moved away from him and was out the door in a flash.

Molly Weasley slowly sipped her tea as she waited at a small, two person table in The Leakey Cauldron. She watched the hustle and bustle of all the people coming and going with a content smile.

Everything was different now. It was subtle, but Molly was easy to see the signs. People were more content. They were relaxed and less cautious than when the threat of Voldemort had been prevalent. The worried expressions, the suspicious looks, the general scared expressions; they were all gone for good.

The fireplace roared to life and a young woman in a bottle green cloak slid out. She was able to keep her balance and slide into the pub and inn on her two feet. Her hood was up over her head and her emerald-green eyes looked about the tables, searching. Once they landed on Molly they brightened and the young woman immediately made her way over.

Molly's brightened as well, her smile widening to a pleased grin, and she stood from her seat to embrace the young woman, whom entered her arms without hesitation. Molly's smile left her face as she felt the wetness against her shoulder.

"Oh, my dear," Molly said softly as she gently pushed away the young woman to get a look at her face. "Whatever is the matter?!"

"I'm sorry," Holly apologized as they sat at the small table. "I'm being stupid is all."

Molly patted her hand affectionately. "Tell me what's wrong, dear. I'm sure it's not as stupid as you believe it to be."

Holly sniffed and looked down as the cup and saucer Molly placed before her. The waitress came and conveniently gave them a little time for the girl to gather her senses together. As Molly took a look at the girl, she noticed her wet cheeks and slightly red eyes. No doubt Holly had cried for a short time before she had arrived to meet her for afternoon tea. She watched as the usually bright-eyed girl ordered a hearty chicken soup with a lemonade. Molly ordered the shepard's pie and another pot of tea.

"Please," Holly quietly begged, after take a sip of her tea. "Please, don't judge me too harshly..I-"

Her voice broke and Molly reached forward to hold the girl's hand. The older woman leaned forward with wide eyes and set her tea-cup down onto its matching floral saucer. She watched as the girl tried to wipe her eyes as discreetly as possible.

"-I don't think I would be able to bear it, if it came from you."

Molly squeezed her hand. "I would never judge you! You or any of my other children!"

Holly returned the squeezed and sniffled. She took a couple of breaths before she spoke, holding Molly's hand tightly.

"Something happened earlier this year," she said softly, wiping her eyes with a cloth napkin. "I fell in love."

Molly sighed and offered her an expectant smile."Yes, dear, go on.."

"And then he broke up with me!" A fresh sob bubbled up from within, along with a few tears. "He broke up with me on the same day Hermione and I left for Hogwarts on our own..

"He told me it was for my own good," Holly explained on. "And I was so angry. I didn't understand what he was trying to explain. I thought maybe he didn't love me anymore."

Molly was still looking at her expectantly. "And what was that, dear? What was he trying to explain to you?"

"He wanted me to experience the world. I admit it, I'm young, younger than him certainly. My view of the world is and was extremely limited. I suppose because of who I am. It took me a while to see, but I realize now that Dumbledore and all the other adults in my life had greatly coddled me. I was so naïve. I still am in many ways.. But I think I know how I feel about him. I love him. I still do, no matter how much I dislike what he did to me. And I forgive him."

The older, red-haired woman nodded. "That's wonderful! Will you be pursuing the idea of going after him?"

"I honestly didn't know, at first," Holly admitted quietly as she stared down at her tea-cup.

Molly's face fell. How would she be able to look Sirius in the eye and tell him that Holly was no longer thinking of being with him? Did Sirius really ruin it?

"I was going to listen to him," She sniffled. "After he broke it off with me, I honestly lost all enthusiasm in seeking my healing degree. I'm really just finishing the program to satisfy Hermione, now. Boy, will she be disappointed when she found out I was not looking into going into an internship, but going back-packing in France."

All color left Molly's face and her eyes widened. She reached a trembling hand for her tea-cup. It shook as she took a sip. She could only imagine the look on Sirius' face when he was given the news of Holly planning on going off on her own with only the clothes on her back. And to France of all places. Yes, it took some time to get used to her French daughter in law, whom she found to be quite a pleasant and sweet young woman, but she had also heard many a conversation between Fleur and Ginny. Talk of the beautiful scenery, the incredibly handsome men, and the topless and nude beaches.

"I thought maybe I could endure a fling here or there. Something meaningless."

Sirius would be devastated, Molly was certain.

"But then something happened," Holly sighed and looked down at her lap.

"What?" Molly asked.

"I kissed another man."

"No!" Molly gaped. "Darling, who? Are-are you in love with this other man?"

Holly shook her head."Oh, heavens no! We were arguing and I was just so angry and in the heat of the moment we..we kissed."

The young woman looked to Molly once more, her green eyes shining. "I began a relationship with Sirius at the beginning of the Summer Holidays. He broke up with me the day before school started because Remus talked him into it...Earlier today I kissed Remus."

"Remus?!"

Holly nodded. "He was the reason why Sirius broke up with me in the first place. I confronted him and everything just escalated so fast.."

"Oh, dear," Molly murmered into her hand. "And he's married to Tonks, isn't he? The poor dear will be devastated."

"I feel like scum," Holly admitted, an awful feeling bubbling at the bottom of her stomach. "I mean, he did kiss me first.. But I also kissed him back. A married man! I never thought I would ever be in this kind of position."

She sighed. "I suppose I should thank him, too. It was that kiss that made me realise that I don't want to go on and have other relationship experiences with other men. I mean, the kiss was nice and it had been quite some time since I had experienced that kind of desperate passion.. But I don't want to have it with anyone else but Sirius. Especially since I'm.."

Molly was quiet as she listened to Holly talk. Her eyes widened and she pressed both of her hands palm down on the table, and leaned forward in anticipation.

"I'm pregnant."

A/N: Surprise! Don't worry, this story ain't over yet!