"What happened?" Loralei demanded, grabbing the paper and skimming it over.
Death Eaters attacked the streets, destroying shops and by the time Aurors got there it was a mess. Half the aurors were killed in the fight. The numbers of Aurors had been diminished greatly. The death tolls were still rising. The numbers wouldn't be out for a while.
"This arrived with it." Katie handed Loralei a letter from the Auror department. "I'm guessing that your says the same as mine. We're getting called back in...we get to go home." She was trying to hide that she was a little happy by this fact. Obviously she was upset so many people were dead, but she also wanted to go home. Loralei knew the feeling.
"We'll be home in time for Christmas." Loralei's fingers danced over the envelope.
"Before it even hits December." Katie replied. "They want us to go to the offices the moment we get back."
Loralei looked at her. "Have you spoken to Dumbledore?"
She nodded. "He said we can come to his office after our things are packed. He hopes to see us again soon."
"I have a feeling that we're going to be coming back here, Katie. Don't think we're going home for good."
"I hope it's at least for the holidays." Katie looked at her, hope evident in her eyes.
"We could have Christmas together if you like." Loralei told her. "Remus and I will cook, I mean, you guys can even stay over, it's a huge house." She paused. "Were the other recruits in the fight?" Loralei's face dropped.
Katie shook her head. "No. It's in the letter. They didn't want anyone who wasn't completely trained to be there." Katie smiled. "Colin said that Lily and Remus call your house a mansion. I know it is, that's what Colin used to call my old house when I lived with my parents."
"You were able to get him in the door?"
"My parents took vacations without their children." Katie told her. "And let me tell you, that I'm the only one that stayed there."
Loralei smiled. "Come on. Let's go pack and write our letters."
They stood up, and started walking away from the table when a first year Ravenclaw stopped them.
"Do you know who died?" As the dark haired girl. She looked so young.
Loralei and Katie looked at each other. Not knowing how to answer.
"They haven't given us the names yet." Loralei told her.
"My dad's an Auror." She told them.
Loralei frowned. "What's your name?"
"Laura Samson." She told them. "Can you please find out how he is?"
Loralei nodded. "Yes, I will. But I doubt I will find out before they tell your mother."
"My mom died when I was born. It's just me and my dad." The girl looked up at her, standing a little taller, looking a bit defiant.
"I'll send you a letter when I find out." Loralei told her. "I promise."
"Thank you." She girl nodded. Loralei knew that look the girl had. It's what happens when you try not to feel anything. To try to keep distant until the moment it becomes too much to handle. Laura Samson was too young to have to know how this feels.
The girl was the first one to walk passed them, and the aurors went the other way. They didn't know how to deal with the families. They hadn't learned how to deal with the families of people hurt or killed.
"I don't think I could be the one to tell a kid if either of their parents were dead." Katie said as they walked through the halls back to their rooms.
"Hopefully I won't have to." Loralei stated.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You must know why you've been called back here." Moody stated. The moment they got to the Auror Offices they were called to his office.
"No, actually." Loralei stated.
"We're lower than usually on our numbers, and you both seem to be ready to take the test." Moody stated.
"What exactly is the test?" Katie asked. "What should I study for?"
"This isn't a test you can study for." He stated. "You will be given a test no one can prepare you for, it keeps going until you can't go on."
"Do we take it together, or alone?" Loralei asked.
"Alone." Moody stated. "I want to see how you react when no one's around."
"If there's no one around how are you going to see how we react?" Katie asked.
Moody rolled his eyes. "Amazing, you've lived in the wizarding world for your entire life, but you still don't realize what wonders magic can accomplish."
Katie blushed a little as she frowned. "It was just a question."
"That it was, Greene, not the brightest, but I'd heard worse from previous recruits." He told her. "You will both go through the test on Monday. Are there any problems with that?"
They both shook their heads.
"Sounds good to me." Katie said.
"Then you both go back to training." Moody nodded his head to the door.
"One last thing." Loralei said as she stood up.
"Yes, Potter?"
"Do you know how Samson is doing?" Loralei asked. "Is he alive?"
"Yes." Moody stated. "Why?"
"His daughter came up to me this morning." Loralei told him as Katie walked out. "Do you know where I can find him?"
"He's probably in his office if you would like to go talk to him." Moody told her, his rough face softening.
"I would," Loralei nodded. "Thank you, sir." She followed Katie out.
"Are you going to go see him?" Katie asked.
Loralei nodded. "You go start warming up. I'll be there in a minute."
"Okay," Katie nodded. "I'll go get changed then."
Loralei nodded, before she kept walking farther down the hall, reading the names on the doors until she reached Samson's office.
She knocked on the door until it opened. "Come in." The man called.
He had a dark face, with wrinkles around his eyes. He was going through papers on his desk.
"Your daughter came to speak to me this morning." Loralei told him, leaning against the doorframe.
He looked up, his brown eyes looking through her. "Close the door, please."
She stepped inside his office and closed the door as he asked.
"She's worried about you." Loralei told him. "I'm going to ask you to do something, and I don't know if you'll actually do it."
"What is it?" He asked.
"I would like you to go to Hogwarts this afternoon. I asked Dumbledore if it would be all right, and he said if you could come around four when all the classes are out, you could see your daughter." She told him. "Take this from a daughter, she's not going to believe you're alive until she sees you."
He looked at her. "What made you ask the headmaster for that?"
"I know how it feels to lose a father." Loralei told him. "I don't want her to have the same feeling. Please say you'll go."
He nodded, his face blank. "How can I ever thank you?"
Loralei smiled. "You don't have to."
"Thank you." He told her, standing up. "Thank you so much." He held out his hand.
She smiled as she shook his. "You're welcome."
A smile spread across his face. "What's your name?"
"Loralei Potter." She told him.
"You're one of the recruits, aren't you?"
"I'm taking my test next week." Loralei told him. "Hopefully I'll pass."
"No one can pass that test," he told her. "Other than that I can't tell you anything."
"Yeah, that's only making me feel worse." Loralei laughed without humor. "I have a feeling I'm going to have a panic attack right before and never actually take the test."
"I vomited before mine, if that makes you feel better." He told her.
"It does." Loralei told him. "Well, I'll let you go back to work. I have to go prepare for my test."
"See you around, Loralei Potter."
"You too Sam Samson."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Finally a dinner at home." Loralei sighed as they sat down at the table. The boys made her dinner to welcome her home.
"Sorry it's not much." Sirius said.
"No, spaghetti is great." She gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Not while we're eating, please." Remus whined.
"Fine, fine." Loralei scooted her chair away from Sirius. "How long is your shift at St. Mungo's?" She asked Remus.
"Until four. I have the graveyard shift." Remus rolled his eyes. "At least I have it with Tessa, so it's not going to be too bad."
"Oooh, Tessa." Loralei and Sirius sang in unison.
"It's not like that." Remus rolled his eyes again.
"Sure it's not." Loralei nodded. "What does she look like?"
"She has dark brown hair with a little red in it. Not red like Lily's, but reddish. She has blue eyes, like, really blue. Like Ravenclaw blue." Remus smiled. "She has freckles on her cheeks and nose, and she's so tiny. She's shorter than you." He told Loralei.
"Oh my god, Remus Lupin has a crush." Loralei laughed. "You hit that, Remmy!"
"Finally Remus Lupin dates!" Sirius cheered. "You missed out on it in school."
"You both forget about my furry little problem." Remus told them.
"You forget that if they're worth it, they won't let that stop them." Loralei told him. "You'll find that someone worth it one day, and maybe they're that person."
"Should I tell her?" Remus asked.
"You don't need to yet." Loralei told him. "Just ask her out. What's the worst that could happen?"
"She could find out about said furry problem." Remus said. "And hate me for it."
"If she does, I'll take care of it." Loralei told him.
"I'd hate to put her fate up to you." Remus replied. "That's just plain cruel. You'd give the girl a fate worse than death."
"Don't you forget it." Loralei told him. "If you feel like it, you can tell her that. Hurt my friends and you're going to regret it."
"Unless that person is your friend too. Then you would explode out of the inner turmoil." Sirius muttered.
Loralei elbowed him as she took a bite of her pasta. "Shut up."
"Never!" Sirius replied.
"Damnit with your flirting again." Remus would have sounded angry to anyone else, but to them he was just making fun of them.
"And hopefully you'll get the same thing with this Tessa girl." Loralei told him. "I'd have fun watching that. I wanna see what Remus is like when he's in love."
"It's a lot better than Sirius in love, I promise you." Remus replied.
"Hey!" Sirius objected.
"I don't know, he is pretty great." Loralei said, ignoring her fiancé. "He is definitely a hard one to beat."
"We'll see." Remus replied.
"My oh my, is our little Remus in love?" Loralei looked to Sirius.
"Well, it's about time." Sirius said. "Most people it happens when their a teenager. Remus is getting old. He's almost twenty."
"Yeah, but he's a special kid, you know." Loralei said. "He always has been."
"That's true. Still, though." Sirius replied. "It's not normal."
"I hate you both." Remus stated.
"But we love you!" They sang together.
A/N: This chapter is longer than the last because I had time to write this week! I promise that as soon as this semester is over I will write more! It's just getting to finals and such. The final projects are the worst, to be honest.
koryandrs: Okay! I'll look into that! Thank you!
Yeah, I know. I wasn't too happy with it myself.
I hope you got good marks!
BlueLuver5000: Thank you!
C.B. Weasley: Thank you! "Cliffy"...hmm...I like that! I think I'm going to start using that word!
potterfanforever: Hahaha! Here's your mmmoooorrrreeeeeeeeeeee! Haha. Thank you!