A/N: A lighter chapter. WEASLEYS!

sarahmichellegellarfan1, snuffles95, tiffy, Rainbor123, missalex3030: Thank you all for the kind words! Thank you thank you!

misslak: You changed your pen name! It really fucked with my head for a second haha. But anyway, I can't thank you enough for all of the reviews! Seriously, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am for the feedback. I also noticed the lack of dialogue and I think it's been much more internal b/c the brooding nature of this story, but I'm hoping for a little more in that area soon as the action will be picking up. There's definitely more in this and the next chapter, but I'll keep your critiques in mind as I move forward. Thank you again!

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Chapter 23: Of Heroes' Children

Rowan stood in the kitchen of the Order of the Phoenix's Headquarters with Molly Weasley, helping the red-haired woman wash dishes after completing a late night mission. It had gone smoothly, a simple protection mission for a Muggle-born witch's family as she moved them into hiding. They had been receiving more and more requests of the sort recently, as Muggle-borns began fearing more for their non-magical relatives with the increase in violence. Rowan had been relieved that the mission hadn't been for a high-profile figure again, as the memory of Edgar Bones and his family still burned into her memory, but she still felt accomplished for helping put someone else's mind at ease.

Rowan looked up at the clock on the wall – the sun would be rising at any moment. She then glanced over at Molly, who was still scrubbing furiously and wondered how she could stand waiting alone for Arthur night after night, knowing what danger he was in. They had five young adorable sons, all with flaming red hair. The most recent birth had been just the previous year – twins.

Every once in a while, Rowan, Lily, and Mina would help Molly with the boys when her mother Mrs. Prewett or the elder Mrs. Weasley were unavailable. Rowan would laugh at the young Weasley boys' strong affection towards Lily, joking that they saw her red hair and probably assumed she was an aunt or older sister. Mina didn't have any particular fondness for young children, but she came all the same, usually acting as disciplinarian to keep Rowan in line when she riled the boys up too much with her tricks and stories.

In their moments with the rowdy Weasley boys, Rowan saw the maternal instincts and longing looks in Lily's face and wondered if Lily and James would want to have children in the midst of war as well. They were all still so young – Rowan wasn't even twenty yet – but then again, Lily and James had decided to marry anyway. She would watch Lily carefully with her arms full with the twins Fred and George and think fondly that her friend would look quite natural with a baby of her own. Would it also have red hair or a dark messy mop like James? She imagined their children would be quite brilliant, and James would no doubt insist on teaching them how to fly as soon as possible. Julia would also be thrilled to have grandchildren. She suddenly was very eager to see a new addition to the Potter family.

Rowan looked at Molly again. The woman's fortitude awed Rowan – how could she manage to support a fighting husband and raise five children all at the same time in the middle of a war? It seemed ludicrous. Rowan was barely able to maintain her job and volatile relationship with her werewolf almost-boyfriend, let alone even consider taking care of a child. And five? The woman must not sleep!

"Molly, you should go home and get some rest. I can finish this. Arthur might not be back for a while anyway," she said gently.

Molly shook her head and continued scrubbing dishes. "No, it's okay, Winnie. I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I tried. And besides, we're almost done!" she smiled up at Rowan brightly, but the worry in her eyes remained.

"I don't know how you do it," Rowan said honestly. Molly frowned.

"How can you stand by and let your husband fight when you have a family to care for?" she asked with wonder in her voice. "That sort of thing requires real conviction. I can't even imagine how difficult it is."

Molly smiled genuinely. "Thank you," she said softly, "But I imagine that our reasons for fighting are the same as yours. And it's not like you don't have your own problems to deal with on top of it all," she said kindly.

Rowan shook her head. "No, I can't even compare my situation to yours. It must take incredible faith in Arthur and inner strength to do what you do," she said earnestly. "It's amazing, really."

Molly smiled again but didn't say anything and turned back to the dishes. Once they reached the last few, Molly spoke again.

"I've been meaning to apologize to you," she said. Rowan looked over at her, slightly worried. "I had also suspected Remus before we found out about Isaac," Molly confessed quietly. Rowan was startled by the sudden admittance. Molly grimaced slightly.

"After Arthur came home from your meeting with the informant, he told me what you said, and we talked about it," she said quietly, drying off the last plate slowly. "And you were right," she said guiltily.

Rowan stared at the older woman, unsure of what to say. She realized her mouth was slightly open and closed it quickly.

"We did suspect Remus because of his condition, and it was wrong of us. Remus has never done anything to earn that kind of treatment. Even if he was cold or standoffish after you were hurt, we had no reason to start jumping to conclusions. I probably would have been much worse if I had been in his place," she said gravely.

Rowan watched the dark thoughts run across Molly's face before the older woman visibly shook herself and looked back up at Rowan. She smiled genuinely. "Remus is a good man, and he's extremely lucky to have you. I just wanted to say that I'm very sorry for my prejudice, whether it was intentional or not."

Rowan's chest filled with an overwhelming warmth towards Molly. She reached forward and hugged her fiercely. The older woman jumped slightly at the sudden embrace but relaxed and hugged her back. When Rowan pulled away, she looked at her friend warmly and said, "Thank you." She hoped that all of her appreciation was expressed properly, despite her inability to say more.

Molly smiled and was about to say something else when the door slammed open. Both women jumped and pulled out their wands in defense, but it was just James, gripping what looked like The Daily Prophet.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, putting his hands up in defense. "Easy! There's an article here that you have to see, Winnie!" he said excitedly as the women put down their wands. He rushed forward to the table and spread the newspaper out in front of her. They both leaned over, and James read it out loud:

"FOREIGN DEATH EATER DENIED DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY: Mr. Igor Karkaroff, a follower of You-Know-Who, was denied diplomatic immunity early in the morning today by the Ministry of Magic. Karkaroff, a Bulgarian citizen, had been seeking asylum in his home country after being arrested for the murder of renowned Potions Master Damocles Belby and the arson of the latter's apothecary and laboratory in Diagon Alley on the evening of February 5.

"'We are very pleased to announce that Mr. Karkaroff will stand trial to answer for his heinous crimes,' commented Mr. Richard Delacroix, Head of the Department of International Law. 'His offenses are an act of evil not just towards Great Britain, but also towards the international Wizarding community as a whole, and he will not go unpunished. We are working closely with the Department of Magical Defense to ensure that such a terrible tragedy does not occur again.'

"Karkaroff was arrested the evening of February 5 by Ministry Aurors after being found on the scene of the crime. Ministry officials are still searching for his accomplice, a young man described to be thin and about six feet tall, but their investigation is still ongoing.

"Mr. Karkaroff's representatives and the Bulgarian Ministry could not be reached for comment.

"Damocles Belby was a world-renowned Potions Master, known for his ground-breaking research into lycanthropy and the uses of moonstone. He died shortly after being pulled from the fiery attack on his apothecary at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He was widowed and never remarried. He is survived by his younger brother Demetrius Belby and sister-in-law Marcia.

"If you have any information regarding the fire or Karkaroff's missing accomplice, please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Rowan's eyes scanned over the words rapidly as she heard James read the article out loud. There was a moving picture of Igor Karkaroff, glowering defiantly at the camera with cold eyes. He had stringy dark hair that hung limply over a thin, long face. His yellow teeth were bared to the camera, stretching widely from beneath a long graying goatee. Rowan felt her anger boil in her blood as she gazed into the man's face.

"Damn," James breathed. "Your dad is such a bad ass," he said, voice filled with awe.

Rowan's eyes darted back to the quote from her father, and her anger mixed with righteous pride. She was truly the daughter of a great man. She suddenly needed to see him badly. She looked at the clock on the wall again. He would have probably already left for the office. She would have to wait until the evening to see him.

"Yeah," she said proudly. "He really is."