*MINOR EDIT 10/27/15: Minor spelling error, feel free to ignore as nothing important has changed.*

AN: Mentions of OC children of Marauders at the end of the chapter. If you don't like this, or any of the Marauders simply having many kids...well, they're really not much of a part of this story other than the occasional mention. If this still puts you off, I'm sorry and thanks for reading thus far. If it doesn't, then enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 6: The Truth About Love

"The truth about love is it's blood and it's guts

Purebreds and mutts

Sandwiches without the crust

It takes your breath, cause it leaves a scar

But those untouched never got never got very far

It's rage and it's hate

And a sick twist of fate

And that's the truth about love"

-"The Truth About Love" by Pink

October 6, 2001: "I'm sad to say that your mother and I didn't last long as a couple after you were born," said Remus, concluding his tale. "We tried once more, soon after we graduated Hogwarts, but I think that deep down we both knew that it wasn't going to work between us. However, we remained friends even until her death. Beyond, I would say, as I still consider her one of my greatest friends."

"For what it's worth," said Oz quietly, contemplating Remus' story, "I'm glad you decided to give me up. My adopted parents are—were—great and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I got a little cousin out of the deal too, so I'm gonna count that as a win."

"Would you—would you tell me about them?" asked Remus nervously. "Your adopted family?"

"Well, it's been just me and my mom, Nancy, for most of my life," said Oz. "My dad, Kevin Osborne, died when I was eleven. Other than that, I've got my Aunt Maureen and Uncle Greg. I used to babysit their son, my little cousin Jordy. Occasionally Gamma Nellie would come to visit; I found out recently she's actually a witch, though Grandpa George was apparently a muggle—the man died before I was born."

"Did you have a good childhood?"

"Yeah," said Oz. "It was great, despite the location. Sunnydale is no the friendliest place to grow up."

Remus frowned thoughtfully. "Sunnydale—why does that name sound familiar?"

"It's a town in southern California," said Oz. "It's kind of a hotspot for dark magic and demons."

Remus' eyes widened. "La Boca del Infierno," he breathed.

"I take it you're familiar."

"I may have heard of it," said Remus, a smirk on his face.

"Oh?" said Oz, raising a red eyebrow in question.

"I happen to be something of a Dark Arts buff," said Remus. "My specialty is dark creatures, but I am also well versed in spells, counter spells, and magical objects and hotspots."

"How'd you get into something like that?" asked Oz.

"School," said Remus. "We had a different Defense professor every year, even back then, and the subject fascinated me, so I'd spend extra time in the library reading everything I could find on the subject."

"I'm a musician," said Oz. "My dad actually got me into it when I was a kid. He taught me how to play bass guitar."

"That's pretty cool," said Remus smiling. "You know, my friends and I tried to start a band when we were about…sixteen, I think."

"What happened?" asked Oz, intrigued.

"Let's just say a certain pair of someones couldn't stay out of trouble long enough to get anything off the ground; pranking always took priority."

"Fair enough," said Oz. "So, what about you?"

"What about me?" asked Remus.

"Well, I told you about my childhood. What about yours?"

Remus shifted nervously. "There's not much to tell," he said shortly. "My parents died when I was young and my aunt and uncle took me in. They died when I was nineteen."

"Did you ever get married?" asked Oz curiously.

"Ah, no," said Remus. "It's never really been in the cards for me."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"No. You?"

"I'm engaged, actually," said Oz, smiling happily.

"Well, congratulations," said Remus, smiling back. "Do I get to meet the lucky girl?"

"I think that could be arranged."

XXXX

"Boys?"

Fred and George looked up from the block city they were building with Lily. "Yes Miss Willow?" they said.

"I've got to run over to the staff room for a minute," said the redheaded assistant professor. "Can I trust you two to keep a close eye on Lily til I get back?"

The twins exchanged suspiciously innocent looks. "Course, Teach," they said.

Willow sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I totally bought that," she said, sounding resigned. "Just—keep her safe and don't lose her, boys, or you will be spending the rest of your school years as rats."

"We'll keep her safe, Teach," said Fred.

"She'll stay in one piece, promise," said George.

Willow narrowed her eyes at them and pointed her finger sternly. "Rats," she said once more. She glared at them suspiciously as she backed out the door.

To be fair, the twins waited five whole minutes before putting their plan into action. Mindful of Miss Willow's threats of rathood, they made sure that Lily was safely ensconced in her playpen before Fred firecalled Bill in Egypt.

"Hey Bill!" he called out, startling the oldest Weasley brother off of his couch.

"George—Fred—whichever one you are—aren't you supposed to be in school?" sputtered Bill, kneeling down in front of the fireplace.

"We are," said Fred. "Wanna join? We found something we need another Weasley opinion on."

Bill gave a long-suffering sigh. "Fine," he relented. "Step aside; I'll be right through."

On the Hogwarts end, Fred pulled his head out of the fireplace, a wide grin on his freckled face. "He's coming," he told his twin.

"Excellent," said George, an identical grin on his equally freckled face.

Less than a minute later, the fire flashed green and the tall, gangly form of Bill stepped out. "So, I'm here," he said, brushing ash and soot from his dark wash jeans. "What do you need me for?"

"So, we have his new professor," said Fred.

"Assistant professor, actually," added George.

"Right," agreed Fred. "And there's just—"

"Something about her. Something—"

"Familiar. We were wondering if—"

"You would meet her and tell us—"

"What you think."

Bill, quite used to the twins' method of speaking, wasn't fazed in the least. "And where's this professor now?" he asked.

"She ran off to the staff room," said George.

"She should be back soon."

"Threatened to turn us into rats if we lost her kid."

"Bill nodded. "She sounds like a sensible person," he said.

"Hey!" protested the twins.

Just then the door opened. As one the three Weasleys turned to watch Willow enter the room. When she saw the extra redhead her eyes narrowed. "What did I say, boys?" she said, jade eyes narrowing further.

"Rats," they chorused.

"Why is there a third—" She looked closer and her eyes widened. "Hey, I know you," she said. "You're that wizard from Egypt. We met last year; you told me and my fiancé about that Wolfsbane stuff."

Bill's eyes widened in recognition. "I remember," he said. "Willow, right? And your fiancé Oz? You were pregnant then, weren't you?"

"Yeah." Willow walked over to the playpen and picked up her daughter. "Meet Lily."

"Hi," said the little girl shyly.

"Hi," said Bill, smiling widely. "I'm Bill. I'm Fred and George's big brother."

"That explains so much," said Willow dryly.

XXXX

"So did my mom ever get married?" asked Oz curiously.

Remus seemed to brighten as the subject shifted away from his own life. "Yes she did," he said. "His name was James Potter. He was one of my best friends as well as my cousin. He'd had a crush on Lily since he first laid eyes on her when we were all eleven. We all knew this, but Lily hated him back then. Wouldn't give him the time of day to save her life."

"How'd you manage to date then, and keep James as your friend?" asked Oz.

"A few things," Remus answered truthfully. "First off—as I pointed out to James when he first got mad at me—at the time I dated Lily, James was dating her best friend, Luna Dumbledore. Second was Sir—Black, another of our friends, pointing out what a hypocrite that made him, claiming Lily was the only one for him while dating her best friend and shunning me for dating her. Third, James was, before everything else, a loyal friend. Once he realized that my feelings for Lily were genuine, he stopped being such a dick. I'll admit, things were strained between us for a few weeks, but eventually Black talked some sense into him."

"That's good to hear," said Oz. "How'd they end up getting together, then?"

"Something happened in our sixth year that shook James badly and made him grow up," said Remus. "During our seventh year, James and Lily were head boy and girl together, got closer, and eventually began dating. Things weren't perfect, I'll admit. They went through a pretty rough patch our first year after Hogwarts and broke up; they both started seeing other people, even. James met a muggle girl in London and Lily and I decided to give things another shot." Remus chuckled. "Obviously that didn't work out. James and Lily got back together after about six months and eventually they got married."

"Were they happy?"

"Very much so," said Remus. "Despite the war, they managed to carve out a life together and about nine months after they married, Lily had twins. Mary and Harry were happy babies, loved and cared for by all of us."

"And then things fell apart," said Oz knowingly.

Remus sighed. "Don't they always," he said bitterly. "The Halloween after Mary and Harry turned one, Voldemort attacked them. He killed James first, then Lily as she stood over the babies' crib, protecting them. He tried to kill the twins too, but for some reason his curse rebounded and rendered Voldemort nothing more than a spirit. The twins were unharmed but for their scars: Harry's a lightning bolt on his forehead and Mary's a Christmas Star above her heart."

"Wow, that's—wow," said Oz. "So I've got a brother and a sister, huh? How old are they now?"

"Mary and Harry are thirteen," Remus answered. "They're at Hogwarts in their third year. If- if you want to meet them, I could talk to Dumbledore about arranging something."

"Uh, sure, that'd be cool," said Oz. "So they don't know about me?"

"I don't think so," said Remus, nervously fidgeting. "We—all eight of us, really—were rather, um, promiscuous in our youth. Some people joke that Hogwarts was stuck in the sixties right up til the nineties, but it was really mostly true. We all used to say it was the fault of Dumbledore and his mushrooms." Remus chuckled fondly. "But, um, we rather took advantage of that reputation to excuse our reckless, ehm, extracurricular activities."

Oz furrowed his brow. "Are you trying to tell me I have more siblings?"

"Um, yes?" said Remus sheepishly. "Twins run in my family; I've got three sets, plus Finn and Ro. Lily and I conceived one of those sets during our brief time together after Hogwarts. Other than that, Lily had two other sons, both with Black. Are—are you terribly disappointed in me?" he asked timidly.

"No, not disappointed," said Oz slowly. "Overwhelmed with an option on confused, I'd say. Do I at least get a cheat sheet?" Remus' laughter echoed through the restaurant and the tension was officially—finally—broken.

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