Author's Note:

Wow! Chapter 26 was the second most reviewed chapter in this story so far! Thank you very much!

WARNING: This chapter is a bit graphic!

Reviews and Comments: To AQuickRead91: All very good points. Let's see how many of them are correct. Thank you! To CheesePuffQueen: I'm glad it's "too good." LOL. Sorry if that makes me cruel "as to make you wait for answers" haha. Thank you! To RiverFord: Just a little cliffy. Thank you! To Amber: Thank you for calling me an "amazing writer and so freaking creative." I do try. Thanks for following me for almost four years and sticking with it. Thank you very much! To GABRIELAGPGP1988: Thank you! To BigMackie: Yes, the letter and McG. I know, very sad. Thank you very much! I am proud of it. Crouch one hundred percent needs to keep his nasty tongue to himself. Thank you! To bandhoez9194: Don't let Tonks die after killing Minerva? We will have to see what happens. Yes, Minnie using a mother's love. Thank you! To 19HuffleClaws: Teddy being orphaned or Remus having to live without his mate… both do suck. We will see. Thank you! To Lyreth: Thank you! To kyciona: You did say it would be a mother's sacrifice, yes. Sirius definitely was hinting for Harry to name his first born after him. Sorry that the letters made you cry but thank you for loving them so much. Being worried about the Lupins and Ginny is very fair. Thank you! To Joycefoes3: Yes, I did let McGonagall die. As to what happens to Tonks and Crouch and Bellatrix, we will soon see. Thank you very much!

To marauders_mowopapr: Sorry to make you go from crying to "screaming expletives" but also thank you! As to Remus and Tonks, we will find out more soon. A miracle that gets Crouch knocked out of the way? Hmm. I do play with emotions a lot, this is true. Posting on September first was just coincidental. Thank you very much! To MotherofKatie: Posting on September first was merely a coincidence, but thank you! Yes, Harry went for his A2 exam and poor Chudley, just losing spectacularly lol. You think Teddy will be the new Boy Who Lived after they lose Tonks? Interesting. Thank you! To Arabella_SG: I know, McGonagall is kind of immortal in my mind as well, letting her go was very hard. So much is going on at Hogwarts. Do you think Ginny and the Lupins will die? Bella and Barty definitely needed to be killed ASAP. Thank you! To Kathryn Thomas: I'm sorry to make you cry all day. Thank you! To griffin_d00r1: I'm sorry that I made you hyperventilate, but thank you for being so invested! As to the chapter titles not mentioning couples like Sirius, Zee, Remus, or Tonks, that was intentional lol. Yes, Sirius wrote his letters and memories, believing this was the end. Thank you! To kathythomas: Thank you for re-reading the chapter, but sorry to make you cry even harder! Ginny definitely should have sent Crouch straight to hell. As to the Lupins making it through this, we will see what happens. Thank you very much for calling me your favourite author! Thank you! To EbonyRivers: Oh shit about sums it up lol. Thank you! To Maari: You will cry so hard if any of the Lupin family dies? Noted. Thank you!

To katelyn453: Is Tonks okay? We will see. Yes, Minerva made a huge sacrifice. Thank you! To Bellmel: Yes, those letters were meant to deliver some powerful "paper cuts to the heart." Thank you! It has been a year since the final battle, and yes, it is hard to believe. Yes, I did have to give some drama and yes, Teddy is caught up in it all. Harry definitely needs Ginny at his side and has no idea that she's struggling in her own thing right now. Yes, McGonagall. I'm sorry, but a mother's sacrifice brings it full circle. Thank you very much! To Spike's Number One Pet: Sorry you knew the tears were coming, and still cried anyway, but also, thank you! I love knowing people are so invested in my work. Thank you! To Guest: We will find out about Remus and Tonks soon. Sorry to keep you on an emotional rollercoaster, but it is kind of my thing. Thank you! To akshutalankar: Happy I can still cause some surprises. Do I give an evil laugh when I write these cliffhangers? Haha, no, but when I read them over before posting sometimes lol. Thank you!To Padfoot777: You weren't surprised about McGonagall, but are worried for Remus and Tonks? Fair. Aw, thanks for saying this cliffhanger is a whole other level then the Battle of Hogwarts. I hope it holds up. Thank you! To T.J. Law: I love knowing I made your jaw hit the floor only to come back and return to the floor, thank you! Yes, Minnie sacrificing herself for Sirius does bring everything back full circle. As to Remus and Tonks, we will see what happens. Good luck with your studies in Brisbane! Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you very much!

To MoD366: You thought maybe McGonagall wasn't planning on coming back when she offered to accompany Sirius, eh? Thank you for saying it still brought you to tears. Thank you very much! To MrsHJSnape: I did leave it like that. Tonks should finish off Bellatrix fast. Thank you! To stringnut: Thank you for taking the time to leave a review now. Thank you very much! To Tmrpotterhead250: I love that I kept your heart pounding this chapter! Yes, McGonagall's sacrifice does have a full circle quality to everything. Crouch and Bellatrix were too impatient to attack during the ceremony, especially as they knew it would be so well guarded. Thank you very much! To Nightwing2013: Sorry you accidentally spoiled it for yourself (that's no fun at all). Sorry to make you cry with the letters and sappy Sirius. So many goodbyes in the lettters. If I kill anyone in danger, you might flip a table? Noted lol. Thank you very much! To OH MIA MYA: Thank you! To AnonymousHufflepuffWriter: Thank you! To minerdude: Happy to throw a curveball. Yes, now you must wait to see who lives and who dies. Thank you very much! To A Huge Fan: Two mothers dying in one chapter? I do like to keep you on your toes. Thank you! Yes, Minnie's sacrifice "brings it full circle, but maternal love and sacrifice are such a theme in the original series" and yes, it made sense to use it here. Thank you very much! To Marauder01716: Yes, Sirius had no idea what McGonagall was planning. I think if he hadn't been so prepared to say goodbye himself, he would have realized it. Thank you! To Hanacide: Thank you very much! I love keeping you on your toes! To scrappy8: Thank you very much!

To fanfic enjoyer 2000: Thank you for making a fanfic account to leave a proper review. Yes, my story is quite long lol. I'm glad McGonagall's sacrifice was a surprise. You think Tonks died, but Remus survives and Ginny will be kidnapped? Interesting. Thank you! To carleys123: I love that you're thinking like the conspiracy theory board meme lol. I hope you like how it turns out. Thank you very much! To Guest: Yes, waiting once a week, sorry (not sorry). Thank you! To Bludgerknight: You hope Crouch is killed by the same rebound that took Voldemort the first time? Interesting. Thank you very much! To Sets: Sorry to make you cry all chapter, but also thank you for being so invested. Is Teddy an orphan now? Is Remus forced to live without Tonks? Hmm, we will see. Interesting to make you think of priori incantatum, but no, it will not be happening between him and Ginny. Thanks for three reviews and wow! I like to say I put that much thought into numbers, but I really didn't at all! You're right though, there is a reference to three all throughout the chapter. "Three sets of three lives (time separated) at direct stake throughout the chapter: Tonks/Remus/Teddy, Remus/Teddy/Ginny, Ginny/Teddy/Colin, Zee/Sirius/McG… it really plays with the concept of 9 vs 12 as significant numbers but both are based on 3, but in reality, it's just 7 all over again toying with the 'ate nine' joke… and the whole Harry's the seventh Horcrux." Wow! You really put thought into that and I wish I could say I was that creative lol. Thank you very much!

To Undead Gothic Princess: Thank you for making the time to drop a review now! I'm happy to know I could keep you on your toes with the McGonagall sacrifice. As for Remus and Tonks, we will see what happens. As to ending this world, I am both excited and nervous to do so. I really hope people like how I go about it. I'm having a lot of fun finishing up the epilogues (and procrastinating about them). Thank you very much! To The cat with blue eyes: Did Tonks sacrifice herself for Teddy? We will see. Crouch survived because he grabbed a hold of something and pulled himself back out. Thank you! To Emma Janet: Is Harry going to lose Remus and Tonks after getting Sirius and Zee back? We will see. You think Colin will die saving Remus or Tonks? Interesting. Thank you! To Read and Fly: So Tonks is alive, Remus is severely injured, and Colin is dead? Interesting theories. Of course McGonagall's husband is waiting for her on the other side. Thank you very much! To Rozmeen: Thank you! I really love McGonagall and I had fun giving her a bigger role here in my story. It is heartbreaking knowing she gave her life for Sirius, but at the same time, it's beautiful. A mother's sacrifice. Thank you very much!

To harstonks: I'm sorry it's the most emotional chapter you've ever read. Thank you very much! To TW: Thank you! To Dtjordan: Thank you! To alix33: Sorry to make you cry over the letters. Yes, Bellatrix and Crouch deserve all of that and more. Thank you! To charmshield7: Of course both things happened at the same time, it's more fun that way lol. Don't kill the Lupins, we will see. Thank you very much! To Chelsea Greenwell: McGonagall definitely wanted to give her son his family. As to Tonks being dead, we will see. Thank you very much! To Sunny JS: McGonagall is an amazing woman. She's the one who got Sirius his trial and now to give him his third chance, she is incredible. I did plan on McGonagall being a sacrifice much earlier and it didn't work out, so when it came together this time, I knew it was worth the wait. I have no plans of writing anything after this story in the near future. But we'll see what happens. Thank you very much! To ellyann13: Yes, Tiernan and Donal knew the plan. Thank you very much! To Finnspa23: Happy to leave you speechless, thank you! To five5tar: Thank you very much for saying you prefer my story to the original. Thank you! To saucyswimmer: Happy to leave you speechless with McGonagall and then the cliffhanger with Tonks. As to Crouch getting caught before he hurts Ginny some more, we will see. Thank you!

To Nuno Neves: Happy to give you chills. Sirius saying goodbye in those letters was painful for him to write, but he knew he had to. Ginny was doing her best to protect Teddy. He was her first priority. No, Harry, Ron, and the others have no idea what's happening at Hogwarts. McGonagall is an incredible human being, thank you. Thank you very much! To I'm a Ravenclaw: You think Sirius and Zee will go help Remus and Tonks and get Teddy and Ginny to safety, then Harry will propose and they will get married and then an epilogue? Interesting. We will see. Thank you very much! Aydin's birthday is first of December, 1996. Thank you very much! To Zanzibar1: Thank you! Happy to know I can still pull off a plot twist or two. Thank you! To vampireprincess141: Thank you for loving the letters from Sirius. The dedication for Arthur is a lovely tribute to the man and father for them to keep close. As to Ginny, Teddy, Remus, and Tonks making it out alive, we will see. Yes, McGonagall making the last sacrifice is heartbreaking. Thank you very much! To EnigmaticEmperor: The letters were heartbreaking, thank you! Neville is definitely the man to see about all Herbology needs lol. The Aurors definitely have Harry's back. Remus wasn't afraid to bring out the big guns with a Cruciatus, not for Bellatrix. Thank you very much! To SupaTheDupa: Thank you very much! I love knowing my writing can make you "smile, laugh, cry, and feel terrified all in the same chapter." Great compliment! There will be an end to the damage by Crouch and Bellatrix, yes. Thank you very much! To Guest: You secretly thought something needed to happen to Ginny so we'd get some Hinny angst? Seems fair lol. Thank you very much!

My posting schedule: Weekly.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!


CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:
The One With the Moving Staircases

Harry was pacing back and forth. He couldn't stop and no matter what Ron or Higgins or Sorcha said to him, none of it was helping. How was he supposed to just stand around like this? He needed to know what was happening. He glanced at his watch and scowled.

"It's been almost seven minutes, Galibrath."

"We still have time," Galibrath assured Harry. "You have to have patience."

Harry scowled harder. He didn't have time for patience. Not anymore. He was about to possibly save the only mother that he'd ever had and lose the father he'd just saved. There was no winning in this situation. He just needed to see McGonagall come back with Zee in tact.

He needed to see it.

"Bloody hell! She's bleeding!" Galibrath exclaimed, hurrying over to where Zee, Sirius, and McGonagall were lying motionless on the ground.

Donal grabbed the healer by the arm. "Leave her."

"But she's —"

"Leave her," Donal repeated more sharply.

Harry made to rush around to get a better look, but Ron grabbed his arm. "Let go, Ron."

"No," Ron said. "It's not Zee, Harry."

It was only then that Harry took in Ron's words and his eyes fell on the people lying before him. Ron was right, it wasn't Zee who was bleeding: It was McGonagall.

Blood was streaming out of a wound in her chest in a steady thrum and right before their eyes, the wound deepened. Sirius' body twitched and Harry's eyes flew to his godfather, seeing his hands covered in blood.

"Wait… what's-what's happening?" Harry whispered.

"The sacrifice is being made," Tiernan said.

Harry's gaze flew to where Zee was lying as still as death on the ground next to Sirius and McGonagall. He stared at her and froze as he watched her pale skin flush with life and then half a beat later, the sound of her heart echoed in the Death Chamber.

"Is that…?"

Tiernan nodded. "Yes. She's alive."

Galibrath began to mumble under his breath as he immediately moved to Sirius and McGonagall. Galibrath stood over McGonagall for a moment before he shook his head.

"She's gone."

"She's… what?" Harry demanded, growling at Ron when his friend grabbed him to hold him back as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening in front of him. "But Uncle Sirius…?"

As if summoned by Harry's words, Sirius' eyes flew open and he bolted into a sitting position, a bloody hand rising to his face.

"Zee! Zahira! Did it work?" Sirius demanded. "Did it bloody-well work?"

Zee sat up slowly, her hand trembling as she put a hand on her forehead. "Sirius? What… where am I? What's happening?"

"We're alive," Sirius said, his voice coming out in a thankful whoosh. "We're both alive, babe." He turned to look at McGonagall, taking in her bleeding chest and he shook his head. "You… damn you, Minnie."

Zee reached out to take Sirius' hand in hers. "A mother's love, Sirius. She did it for you — for us."

Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes and then he grabbed Zee by the arms and pulled her close for a kiss. He pulled her to her feet as Galibrath continued to wave his wand around them, trying to decipher that they were back and Harry took a tentative step towards them.

Sirius' lips curved into a bright smile. "Hey, Prongslet. So, it looks like you're stuck with me after all."

"Harry," Zee whispered and then Harry didn't know which of them moved, but suddenly he was being squished between them in a tight hug and everything finally felt right.

~ TTTC ~

Ginny thanked every god and goddess that she could think of for her quick Quidditch reflexes as she tangled her leg under Tonks' ankle and took both of them down, barely escaping the killing curse. She held tighter to Teddy as Tonks completely tackled Crouch to the ground with a fierce war cry. Between the two movements, it was enough for all of them to dodge the killing curse as Teddy cried in her arms.

Crouch cried out as his head slammed down into the floor and Tonks straddled him, her fist slamming into his face again and again. Crouch shifted beneath her and in a move that surprised Ginny, he flipped her, slamming Tonks beneath him. Then he rolled his hips over hers with a gleeful look.

"Did I hit a nerve, dearie?" Crouch taunted half a second before Tonks' knee flew up and kicked him right in the balls.

Crouch grunted and Tonks twisted until she was back in control, leaving them wrestling on the ground.

Ginny made it to her feet and ran to check on Colin. He was bleeding from a cut near his eye, but looked all right otherwise. She gave him a shake and he groaned, blinking.

"Colin! Colin, get up!"

He did, lifting a hand to his head and finding blood before his eyes cleared. "What?"

Ginny thrusted Teddy into his startled arms and Teddy screamed. "Shh, Teddy it's all right. Go with Colin. Colin, get him somewhere safe. Go now!"

"What are you going to do?" Colin demanded, standing with Teddy in his arms.

"Get Teddy to safety," Ginny ordered, shoving him out the door.

Then she grabbed her wand and looked over at where Tonks and Crouch were still wrestling on the floor before she turned towards Remus. Bellatrix had her dagger sticking out of his side and she was twisting it viciously as he howled. There was a lot of blood and it worried her. Ginny came up behind Bellatrix and sent her sailing through the air, crashing into the wall behind, hard enough to crack her skull.

Seeing that the witch was unconscious, she turned to check on Remus, paling as his blood slipped through her fingers.

"Stay with me, Remus," she begged, her eyes wide. "Stay with me!"

~ TTTC ~

Meanwhile, Tonks was still trying to gain an upper hand over Crouch. They'd both lost their wands in the process and Tonks was pummelling him anywhere she could reach. All reason and protocol had gone out the window the moment she saw him make a move towards her son. Tonks kneed him in the balls a few more times and at one point, the heel of her boot smashed into his groin with particular force. She'd felt the squish and Crouch squealed as a trickle of blood leaked through his trousers.

"Bitch!" Crouch hollered, body slamming her back.

Tonks shouted in alarm as she fell back into the hole in the floor. Something sharp tore into her leg as she caught herself on the edge and before Crouch could shove her down, she knocked her head up into his chin and crawled out of the hole. Her skull was pounding and when she made to find her wand, Crouch tackled her, both of them dangling near the hole in the floor.

He laughed, licking her cheek. "This has been fun, dearie. I've always wanted to torture a freak like you. Question, if I cut off your hand, can you grow it back? Or ooh… can you make yourself have a really thick cock if you wanted? Can you change genders?"

A sharp piece of stone stabbed through her hand, pinning it to the floor and she screamed.

Crouch squealed, rubbing his crotch against hers. "Oooh, that gets me hard, dearie. Even with an injured testicle."

"You're a sick bastard," Tonks said, trying to buck him off of her.

Crouch giggled. "When you're kissing my balls better, you'll change your mind."

He licked her neck and Tonks squirmed.

"Too bad Bella stabbed your werewolf husband. I wanted to shackle him when he turned and then make him fuck you while I watched. After all, it shouldn't bother you if he's in wolf form while the two of you are shagging because by marrying him you've already committed bestiality as it is."

Tonks tried to move away again, but Crouch made a clucking sound with his tongue and rutted against her. The fact that he was indeed hard made her swallow back bile.

"Now now, no need to escape, dearie. You'll enjoy what I have planned, promise. After your werewolf takes you in wolf form we'll see how you do with other animals. Ever been taken by a Centaur? Or a giant? Mmm, I have all sorts of lovely ideas for a Metamorphmagus like you, after all, you can change your appearance to accommodate anything, right?" He licked her throat again. "Torturing you is going to make me come again and again and again…"

He rutted against her with more force and Tonks, using all of the strength she possessed, finally managed to rip her hand out of the floor. Pain shot through her as the stone tore through her hand, but it was enough to startle Crouch.

Tonks rolled him under her and slammed her knee into his groin as he gasped for breath and then she forced him onto his stomach. He let out a maniacal laugh and Tonks reached behind her with her non-injured hand to grab her handcuffs from her belt. Her hands were shaking, the blood making it slippery, but she slammed them onto his wrists with satisfaction.

"Bartemius Crouch Junior, you are hereby being arrested for being a sadistic, disgusting arsehole. For multiple homicides and assaults including the brutal and sadistic torturing of multiple individuals. For being a follower of the known domestic terrorist known as Lord Voldemort. For sexual depravities too dark to speak aloud, and for breaking and entering into multiple places where you had no right to be. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence," Tonks declared, locking the cuffs extra tight behind Crouch's back. "But in all honesty, it doesn't matter because you're going to be locked up until you die."

He cackled. "You won't arrest me, you half-breed bitch! I'm going to come for you! For your freak of a son! For your husband! You'll beg me for more!"

Tonks pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and shoved it into his mouth. "Shut up, dickwad!"

Then she cradled her bleeding and broken hand to her side in an attempt to catch her breath as the pain seemed to come back twice as vicious now that Crouch was subdued. Crouch moaned under the gag and Tonks made no effort not to kick him as she swayed to her feet. She turned in time to see her husband bleeding profusely from his side. He was almost entirely covered in blood and she watched in horror as he fell face down towards Ginny.

"REMUS!" she screamed, her heart in her throat as she heard him barely whisper her name.

~ TTTC ~

After getting Teddy to safety, Ginny immediately left Tonks to deal with Crouch and hurried towards Remus to try to help. There was too much blood and the way the knife was sitting in his side made her nervous. What if it had hit something vital? How much longer did he have?

Ginny fell to her knees, her hands moving to Remus' side to staunch the bleeding. "Remus! Hey, stay with me!"

She made to the remove the dagger, but Remus shook his head. "Leave it!"

Ginny nodded, remembering that it wasn't safe to pull it out. She could cause more damage. "Teddy's safe. Colin has him."

Remus winced as he grimaced. "Dora?"

Ginny turned to look over at where Tonks had finally pinned Crouch to the floor and was handcuffing him. It looked like she'd broken a few of his fingers in the process, but he was laughing like a maniac.

Ginny slapped Remus' cheeks when she saw him fading again. "Hey! Stay with me, Remus!"

Remus' whisky coloured eyes met hers before they widened. "Ginny, look out!"

Ginny ducked in time to avoid Bellatrix diving at her, rolling out of the way and slamming her knee into the stone so hard she swore she broke it. Bellatrix grabbed her ankles and yanked her towards her and Ginny twisted and shoved in an attempt to get away.

"Get off of me, you bloody mad bitch!"

Bellatrix stabbed her wand into Ginny's throat hard enough to take her breath away. "I was looking forward to torturing you, but I'm through playing games."

Ginny attempted to move out of Bellatrix's grasp before she saw Remus shakily climb to his knees and just as Bellatrix uttered the words, "Avada Ke —" a sharp gasp of pain stopped the killing curse from fully escaping her lips.

Remus had somehow pulled the dagger from his own side and hobbled towards them. He leaned over Ginny and stabbed it into Bellatrix's stomach. Bellatrix's eyes widened in shock and Ginny reached out to steady Remus on her right, but he shook her off.

"This is for Sirius," he whispered.

Then he twisted the dagger deeper into her stomach and thrusted it up.

Bellatrix screamed.

"This is for Harry," Remus said through gritted teeth, thrusting the dagger up higher and splitting her open. "This is for everyone whom you've ever hurt." He twisted it sharper and her scream echoed in the room. "And this, this for me, you fucking bitch!"

The dagger tore through her stomach, slicing up between her breasts and tearing her throat open. Blood splashed everywhere, covering both Ginny and Remus in a shower of red as the dagger sliced her open from navel to chin.

Remus' fingers slipped on the knife and he collapsed next to Bellatrix, half on top of Ginny, as more blood seeped out of his side.

Ginny scrambled to try to stop his bleeding, yanking her leg and injured knee out from under his body, not sure how much of the blood was his and how much was Bellatrix's as Tonks shouted his name.

Remus gripped Ginny's hand, his eyes dulling. "Tell Harry…"

"REMUS!" Tonks shouted, rushing to her husband's side and leaving Crouch gagged and handcuffed on the floor. "Remus! Remus, no!"

"Dora," he whispered before he stopped moving, trapped in his wife's arms and all Ginny heard was Tonks' agonized screams.

~ TTTC ~

Sebastian was sitting at his desk, listening to Auror Eric Baxter ask him questions about a man they were searching for who might have taken a portkey to Sweden. After his three-week-suspension from work due to his outburst at Macmillan in the Azkaban Crypt, Sebastian was finally back to work. The only good thing about his suspension was that it had given him and Theo so much more time to talk about everything and they did and then they had lots and lots of sex. Everywhere in fact. It still made him smile to think about it. The look of pure joy on Theo's face when he came home and found Sebastian waiting for him was one of the only reasons why Sebastian had almost not wanted to return to work.

Almost.

Of course, MacGregor wasn't as forgiving once he'd finally returned to work, which meant that he'd been strictly stuck on desk duty for the last five days, and the idea of maybe going to Sweden to find the man whom Baxter was looking for sounded like the most exciting thing imaginable given his current circumstances. He made notes as he listened to the case, wondering how he was going to convince MacGregor to let him take this on, before Baxter stopped mid question.

Sebastian lifted an eyebrow and looked up at the Auror. "And?"

"Fuck!" Baxter exclaimed, pushing a GWCS coin back into his pocket. "That was Lupin. Crouch and Lestrange have been spotted at Hogwarts."

Sebastian jumped to his feet without a second thought. "I'm coming with you."

Baxter only nodded his agreement before the two of them tore off to the Apparition point. They raced up the bridge to the castle after Apparating into Hogsmeade and Birmingham directed them upstairs to the second floor. They made it to the Defence Against the Dark Arts office in time to hear a woman screaming in agony. Sebastian took one look around at the bloody corpse of Bellatrix Lestrange before he zeroed in on where Crouch was handcuffed and gagged, rolling around on the floor as if trying to escape. He heard Baxter call for a healer immediately.

Sebastian bent down and grabbed Crouch by his handcuffed wrists and hauled him to his feet. "Well, this son of a bitch is lucky to still be breathing." He pulled the gag out of his mouth and Crouch coughed.

"That bitch punctured one of my balls!"

Sebastian let his eyes drift down to where a trickle of blood was seeping out of Crouch's crotch. "Huh. I didn't know you had balls."

Baxter's eyes darkened. "Guess you're getting a taste for how your father died, arsehole. Be much more poetic if Lupin had removed them all together."

"I need a healer!" Crouch screamed. "This is abuse!"

"What you need is a bloody hole in the head," Sebastian said. "But that would be too bloody easy. You'll get a healer. Eventually."

He shoved Crouch at Baxter and moved to kneel down next to Tonks. "Lupin… Dora, look at me."

"Is he dead?" Ginny whispered, her eyes wide as Sebastian finally took her in.

Her long red hair was half hanging out of her ponytail and she was covered in blood.

"I don't know," Sebastian admitted.

"She stabbed him," Ginny said, trembling as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Bellatrix. She stabbed him, Bas, and then he… I don't know how he did it. He somehow got to his knees and he… he pulled the dagger out of his own side and used it on her when she tried to…"

Sebastian nodded and reached for her hand. The moment he touched her, she crumbled and Sebastian engulfed her in his arms. "Shh, it's all right, Ginny. It's over now. She's dead."

"But Remus…" Ginny whispered, burying her bloody face in Sebastian's shoulder.

"Come on, Ginny," Sebastian said, calmly. "Let's get you out here and checked out by a healer. I'll take care of Dora. I promise."

Ginny slowly climbed to her feet, still clinging to Sebastian as the shock of it all finally caught up with her as Aurors Atwell, Savage, and Proudfoot rushed in. Proudfoot immediately reached for Ginny so that Sebastian could take care of Tonks while Savage headed over to help Baxter deal with Crouch. Atwell came to stand next to Sebastian.

Sebastian was trying to get Tonks' attention, but she was sobbing, cradling a bleeding and too-still Remus in her arms. "Dora. Dora, look at me."

When she didn't react, Sebastian grabbed her chin in his hands and forcefully turned her head to look at him. Her grey eyes were devastated as tears rained down her cheeks.

"Dora, you have to let him go. Let go, Dora."

Tonks' sobs grew louder and when a healer dropped down beside her, Sebastian slowly disentangled her hands from Remus and pulled her away from him. Tonks sobbed; loud body-shaking sobs that rocked her against Sebastian as she desperately tried to hold on.

"Oi!" Savage shouted.

Sebastian turned his head in time to see Crouch, still handcuffed and bleeding, make a run for it out the door.

"Get him!" Sebastian ordered. "Don't let him get away!"

He barely finished saying the words before Tonks' eyes narrowed and she tore out of his arms and raced after Crouch in a grief and anger fuelled rage.

"Oh, fuck," Sebastian mumbled, tearing after her in pursuit.

~ TTTC ~

Ginny let Proudfoot guide her out of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom to where Madam Pomfrey was standing near the staircase. The matron took one look at her and pursed her lips.

"I knew I should have come up here before you were brought to the hospital wing."

"It's not my blood," Ginny told her, grateful beyond words that Proudfoot was half holding her up. Her knee was aching and now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she could barely stand. "Well, not all of it."

Pomfrey made a clucking noise with her tongue. "What hurts then, dear?"

Ginny pointed to her knee, which was quite swollen by this point. "Mostly there. And my head from having my hair pulled so hard and my ankle."

Pomfrey moved to examine her knee just as someone shouted. Ginny turned in time to see Crouch hobbling towards them, his hands still cuffed behind his back. Proudfoot extracted his wand to stop him and Crouch's eyes widened.

"I won't go back!" Crouch shouted. "I won't go back! You can't lock me up again!"

Tonks came tearing out after him and Crouch gave a squeal of terror before he took a running jump towards the moving staircase. With his hands tied behind his back, his coordination was wildly off. He slammed into the side of the moving staircase and with a scream, fell down all four flights.

Ginny covered her eyes as the Aurors rushed over in time to see Crouch crash down to the first floor below, legs bent backwards as he fell straight down onto a wooden bannister.

"Bloody hell," Proudfoot muttered. "He fucking impaled himself bollocks first."

"He's still alive," Tonks said as they watched him twitch.

Pomfrey gripped her wand tighter. "I'm afraid that I need to finish examining Miss Weasley before I can move onto any other patients."

Proudfoot snorted. "No need to bother with the fake sympathy, Pomfrey. He won't be alive much longer."

Ginny bit back bile as they headed down to the first floor to check on Crouch, giving Proudfoot a grateful look when he merely picked her up and carried her down the stairs.

Tonks was right: Crouch was still alive.

His fall had impaled him directly onto the wooden banister between his legs, straight up into his belly. One leg was bent completely backwards, twisted around, the other, hanging uselessly on his side. A sharp piece of broken wood had actually sliced him so badly that his torn trousers revealed a bloody tangled mass where his testicles and penis were no longer attached; skewered through like a kebob. Blood bubbled out of his mouth and his fingers twitched.

"H-h-help…"

It took them almost ten minutes to get him off of the banister, and when they finally laid him out on the ground, he was somehow still breathing.

"This fucker doesn't know when to quit," Proudfoot muttered.

"Good," Tonks said. "Get him his bloody healer. I want him to suffer in the crypt for the rest of his life."

"It's too late, Lupin," Proudfoot said.

More blood bubbled out of the side of Crouch's mouth and with a final lurch, he finally breathed his last breath.

"The fucker's gone," Proudfoot said.

"Good riddance," Pomfrey exclaimed. "Now, I'll leave you to deal with this mess. Miss Weasley, follow me to the hospital wing."

Ginny took a step to follow Madam Pomfrey, wincing, and Proudfoot scooped her up into his arms again.

"I got you. Have to keep Potter's witch safe."

Ginny's lips curved at that. "Thank you. Where is Harry? Can you ask him to come?"

Proudfoot's eyes softened. "Ah, hen, he's at the Ministry. They finally found a way to fix up Zacarias. I figured you'd be there with him, he was asking for you."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. "He… what? I need to go to him."

"Let Pomfrey check you out first, hen," Proudfoot said. "He'll keep."

Ginny swallowed, taking in her blood covered body with a nod. Proudfoot was right. Harry would keep, but she still used her wand to summon her communication mirror to call her brother. Proudfoot carried her into the hospital wing just as the mirror flew into her outstretched hand. She thanked the Auror when he sat her on the side of the bed and then called her brother on the mirror.

Ron's face appeared on the mirror and his eyes widened in horror. "Bloody fucking hell, Ginny! What the fuck happened to you?"

"I'm all right," Ginny assured him. "Where's Harry? What's happening?"

"Zee's back," Ron said. "And Sirius is all right."

"What? How?" Ginny demanded. "What happened?"

"McGonagall," Ron said. "We're at the Ministry, but we're heading back to St Mungo's so that Zee can be examined by Tiberius. Meet us there?"

"I'll be there," Ginny promised. When she closed the mirror, her eyes met Sebastian's from the bed next to her. He was holding Tonks in his arms as she cried into his shoulder. "Remus?"

Sebastian shook his head, his arms still wrapped around Tonks. "Not good. Healers are with him now. Come on, Dora, let Pomfrey check out your hand and then we'll get you to St Mungo's. You should be with your husband."

"Where's Teddy?" Tonks asked, finally seeming to clue into the world around her. "Where's my son?"

"He's safe," Sebastian promised, kissing her forehead.

Pomfrey carefully examined Tonks' hand, healing it and applying salves to where the gaping hole was in her palm and through the back of her hand. She wrapped it when she was done and then healed the cut on her leg before agreeing that Tonks could go.

Ginny watched Sebastian steer Tonks away before Pomfrey turned to work on her injuries. Pomfrey was examining her knee when Ginny saw Luna and Colin appear in the doorway of the hospital wing. Ginny's eyes widened in relief at the sight of Teddy with a tear-stained face in Luna's arms.

"Oh, thank Merlin! Teddy!"

"Ee-nee! Ee-nee!" Teddy cried reaching for her.

Luna deposited Teddy into Ginny's arms and Ginny cradled him close, kissing his cheeks.

"Hi, my sweet Teddy Bear. Hi, sweetie. Are you all right?"

"I think he's all right," Luna said. "He finally stopped crying a few minutes ago."

Ginny nodded and kissed his cheek again. "Madam Pomfrey, can you check him over? He was in my arms when I was dodging spells, but I did my best to protect him."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes softened, but she carefully examined Teddy while Ginny held him. He protested a little, but otherwise was good for the healer.

"He's in perfect health," Pomfrey assured her. "Though a bit exhausted."

"Good," Ginny said. "He can stay with me."

Twenty minutes later, Pomfrey had healed Ginny's knee, but ordered her to keep it elevated as much as possible for the next two weeks. When she told her she couldn't fly, her eyes widened in alarm.

"I have a match on Monday!"

Pomfrey's eyes narrowed. "And you won't be playing in it if you want that knee to heal up proper."

Ginny reluctantly agreed and used a charm to clean off most of the blood before holding Teddy close. "Can I go to St Mungo's now?"

Pomfrey pursed her lips. "Stay. You need to sit at least twenty minutes to let the potion kick in if you want that knee to heal."

Ginny promised twenty minutes, kissing Teddy's cheek as the baby snuggled against her chest. Once Pomfrey left to see how she could help, Ginny turned to her friends.

"Do you know what happened? How did they get into the castle?"

Colin shook his head. "Not a hundred percent, but a few students are claiming they saw them coming up from the Whomping Willow. They killed Filch."

Ginny's bottom lip trembled as she breathed in Teddy's sweet scent. "Merlin, I can't believe that they just showed up here like that… they tried to kill Teddy."

"You wouldn't let them hurt him," Luna said. "Professors Birmingham and Flitwick are trying to get everything organized. Students have all been accounted for and safely returned to their dormitories."

"Two were hurt when Crouch and Lestrange stormed into the castle, but it was minor injuries. They had a purpose and from what people are saying, they came here to go after Professor Lupin," Colin said.

Ginny closed her eyes. "They want to hurt Harry. Bloody hell, he must be spinning out right now. I have to go to him."

"Where is he?" Luna asked.

"St Mungo's," Ginny said. "I don't know what's going on, but they saved Zee."

"I knew he'd figure it out," Luna said.

Ginny nodded. "Yeah… he doesn't know about Remus though."

"Is he going to make it?" Colin asked.

Ginny shook her head. "I don't know. There was a lot of blood, Colin."

Colin and Luna each pulled her close for a group hug and when her twenty minutes were up, they guided her towards the fireplace in the hospital wing. Ginny took a pinch of Floo powder from the bowl that Colin offered.

"Thank you. Both of you."

Then she held Teddy tightly against her chest and tossed the pinch of powder into the fire before disappearing in a whirl of green flames, determined to find her boyfriend.

~ TTTC ~

Harry was pacing back and forth in the hallway outside of the private room where Zee had stayed the last few months. Tiberius had immediately taken her back in to give her a full examination and Sirius insisted on being in the room with her, leaving Harry to pace nervously in the hall.

Ron shoved his hands into his pockets. "You're making me dizzy. Stop pacing. Ginny's on her way."

Harry ignored his friend and kept up his pace, his head snapping up when he heard footsteps. The sight of Higgins made him pause before he continued his pace.

"Weasley, Baxter needs you at Hogwarts. Now. I have to head out as well. It's an all hands on deck kind of situation," Higgins said.

Harry's gaze moved back to Higgins. "What happened at Hogwarts?"

"Lestrange and Crouch showed up," Higgins said. "Don't worry, Potter, they're both dead."

Harry's eyes widened even more. "What? What bloody happened?"

Higgins reached over to clasp Harry's shoulder. "Weasley and I will take care of it. You stay here with your parents. Your girlfriend's on her way here. Lean on her, all right? If you need anything, you send word."

"Don't you want me to come?"

Higgins shook his head. "Not this time. You're needed more here."

Harry frowned but Ron touched his arm. "We got this, mate."

Higgins and Ron barely disappeared down the hall before Ginny appeared with Teddy in her arms.

"Gin!"

Harry was running before he realized it, wrapping his arms around Ginny and picking her right up off of the ground.

"Hee!" Teddy babbled, squealing in delight at being spun around.

Harry lowered his lips to hers for a long kiss and when he finally put her on the ground, he took her in. He noticed the blood splatter on her clothes and her neck and his eyes widened in alarm.

"What the fuck happened? Are you all right? Higgins just said that he and Ron were needed at Hogwarts. Are you all right? Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?"

"I'm all right," she assured him. "Can we sit down?"

Harry nodded and sat her in one of the waiting room chairs outside of Zee's room. Teddy reached for him and Ginny handed him over gratefully. Teddy immediately snuggled into Harry's chest and Ginny reached out to take Harry's hand in hers.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you sooner, but Crouch and Lestrange showed up at Hogwarts. Tonks is with Remus now… he's hurt, Harry. Bad."

"He… what?"

Ginny's hand trembled in his and Harry shifted, pulling her into his lap with Teddy snuggled between them. The movement and the closeness was enough to make Ginny let out a small sob. She pressed her cheek against Harry's chest, sighing as his arms came around her and it was only then that Harry began to get the story out of her.

Crouch and Lestrange had snuck into Hogwarts. From what Ginny ascertained from Auror Proudfoot along with Colin and Luna, they believed them to have come in from beneath the Whomping Willow tree where they headed inside of the castle. They'd come across Filch, who when started by their appearance, was immediately killed. A few students saw, but the moment they saw Bellatrix pull out her wand, the children ran off and Bellatrix and Crouch headed towards Remus' office.

The Aurors believed that Bellatrix and Crouch had seen the news regarding the first anniversary celebration of the war being over and had taken it as a sign of offence. They wanted to hurt Harry for killing Voldemort and Bellatrix wanted to destroy the last of her family with tainted blood. Going after Remus was a two-for-one plan.

"They didn't know that I was there in his office," Ginny said. "I didn't have my communication mirror on me as I'd just run down to hand in my assignment to Remus. Remus and I were chatting and then Remus asked me to watch Teddy while he finished up his marking."

"Wait — Teddy was there?" Harry demanded, his voice coming out slightly higher than normal.

Ginny bit her lip as she nodded, running her hand down Teddy's back. The boy had settled against Harry comfortably and was passed out on his godfather's chest from pure exhaustion.

"Bellatrix attacked Remus first and I tried to get to the fireplace to Floo to safety with Teddy, but Crouch stopped me."

Ginny explained how Crouch had dragged her across the floor by her hair and how the fight had ensued. She told him how Colin had shown up and how Ginny had caused Crouch to fall through the floor with a reducto spell so that she could get a Patronus out to Tonks. Then Tonks had shown up and tackled Crouch at the very last second before he sent the killing curse at Teddy. She told him how Tonks and Crouch had fought, rolling across the floor and how Ginny had passed Teddy off to Colin for safety.

"I went to try to help Remus. Bellatrix stabbed him with her cursed dagger and he was bleeding very badly, Harry. I tried to help, but Bellatrix gained the upper hand and I thought…"

Harry pressed his lips to her forehead, tears welling in his eyes. "Fuck, Ginny…"

"Remus saved me," Ginny whispered. "He somehow crawled to his knees and he… he pulled the dagger out of his side and he killed Bellatrix with it. It was so violent and so bloody. This is mostly her blood. She's dead, Harry. Bellatrix is finally dead."

Harry closed his eyes, surprised at the pure relief that tore through him at those words. He truly believed in the justice of locking someone up for their crimes, but knowing Bellatrix Lestrange was dead brought a light feeling to him that he couldn't explain.

Ginny kept talking. She told him about how Crouch had tried to escape and how he'd accidentally killed himself in the most gruesome way possible.

"So they're both dead?"

"Yes," Ginny whispered.

"And Uncle Rem?"

"I don't know," Ginny said quietly. "Sebastian was bringing Tonks here to be with him. He was barely alive when they took him from Hogwarts. He'd lost a lot of blood, Harry."

Harry tightened his arms around Ginny and kissed her forehead. "I should have been there. I'm so sorry, Ginny."

"Don't you dare apologize," Ginny insisted, her eyes flashing as they met his. "You had no way of knowing that they would sneak into Hogwarts to attack Remus. This isn't your fault, you bloody man!"

Harry's lips pressed against her head. "Ginny, I… I'm so glad you're all right."

"I can't play Quidditch for two weeks," she admitted. "Gwenog's going to be furious."

"She'll get over it," Harry told her.

"And you?" Ginny whispered. "Auror Proudfoot told me that you found a way to save Zee and Ron said… what happened?"

"McGonagall," Harry said softly. "I don't fully understand everything myself but… do you remember that key she gave me a few years ago? The one that offered protection as long as I kept it on my person?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes. She said that it had been passed down in her family."

"It turns out, it was Rampara's Key, Ginny. The one we've been searching for this whole time… I had it in my bloody pocket."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise as she listened to Harry recapture the story of how McGonagall figured it out and how she reached out to Tiernan and Donal Alexander to help them re-enact the same sacrifice using the key to bring Zee back to life. He told her how Sirius had said his goodbyes; how the two of them accepted that he needed to die in order for the sacrifice to work. He explained how they returned to the Department of Mysteries and how Sirius and McGonagall were going to go together to bring the key to Zee and to do the ritual on the other side as Donal believed it would be stronger.

"But then… Uncle Sirius came back with Zee, not McGonagall."

"She… she sacrificed herself?" Ginny whispered, her eyes widening. "A mother's love… oh, Harry."

Harry nodded, tears in her eyes. "She's dead, Gin. She gave her life for Sirius and Zee to live. Tiernan and Donal must have known what she was going to do and…"

Ginny rested her cheek against Harry's chest, moving closer to him. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

"I don't… I don't think I know how to feel," he admitted. "I mean, on one hand, I'm crushed that McGonagall's gone, but on the other… Uncle Sirius and Zee are alive and well and just on the other side of that door."

"Why are they in there and you're out here?" Ginny asked.

"Tiberius is examining them," Harry said. "I was just waiting for them to finish up."

Ginny kissed his cheek. "All right."

They sat in silence, holding each other tightly with Teddy asleep against Harry's chest for another ten minutes before the door to the room finally opened and Zee stepped out with Sirius behind her. Ginny's eyes widened in surprise and Zee's face lit up.

"There he is."

Ginny slipped off of Harry's lap so that he could stand up and Harry took a slow step towards Zee.

"Is this… real?"

Zee threw her arms around him, careful not to jostle a sleeping Teddy as she stood on her toes and pulled his head down to cover his face in kisses. "It's real, sweetie. I'm right here."

Sirius slipped his arms around Zee from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder as he extended his arms to wrap around Harry. "We're both here and we're not going anywhere. In perfect health. Both of us."

Harry let out a strangled sob and hugged both of them, too overwhelmed to say anything more.

He had his parents back.

They were alive and here for good.

Except the man who'd stepped up to fill Sirius' shoes while he'd been gone was now lying in a hospital bed somewhere fighting for his life, and the woman Sirius loved as a mother was dead.

He didn't know how to react to any of it. So he stayed there, frozen in their arms, trying to make sense of the world around him as Teddy's warmth snuggled into his chest.

~ TTTC ~

Tonks was grateful to Sebastian as he stayed by her side while the healers worked on Remus. The cursed blade had done some serious damage to his insides, but thankfully they'd managed to patch up most of it. They were trying to give Remus blood-replenishing potions, but he was losing blood faster than they could give it to him.

Twice the healers has lost him and Tonks was holding Sebastian's hand so hard she thought she might break his fingers, but he didn't let her go. When she saw Sirius, Harry, Zee, and Ginny walking towards her, her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, Merlin!"

Zee wrapped her up in her arms. "Dora! I've missed you. What's the word on Remus?"

Tonks could barely get words out as she tried to process the sight of Zee standing before her so alive. "We're still waiting."

The six of them stood there and waited together, all holding hands until Healer Assistant Abbott came out to speak with them.

"He's stable," she said, a serious look on her face. "He's lost a lot of blood and we've been doing what we can to replenish it, but it's been a slow process. The next twenty-four hours are going to be critical and we're going to keep a close eye on him. Healer Greene had to operate and heal some of his intestines along with his pancreas and part of his liver, but we were able to counter the cursed blade."

Tonks let out a breath of relief at those words. "So… he has a chance?"

"He has a chance," Abbott said. "You can go in and see him, Mrs Lupin. No more than two visitors at a time."

Tonks reached back to take Harry's hand when the healer assistant left. "Come in with me?"

Harry nodded, still carrying a sleeping Teddy in his arms. They left Ginny, Sirius, Zee, and Sebastian in the waiting room and the three of them (as Teddy didn't count as a third person) headed inside to sit by Remus' bedside. He looked pale, with sharp gouges scratched down the side of his face. Charms were rigged up around him, showing his heartbeat and blood pressure along with lots of other healer things that Harry didn't know. Remus' stomach and side were wrapped up in a bandage and a bit of blood seeped through.

Tonks reached out to take her husband's hand, kissing his fingers. "Hi, Remus. I'm right here. Come back to me, all right? Teddy and I need you. Harry needs you. Get better."

Harry carefully extracted Teddy from his chest and very carefully placed him over Remus' heart and into the crook of his arm. Teddy gave a startled whine before he recognized his father and settled back against him in contentment, going right back to sleep. Then Harry took Remus' other hand in his.

"I'm here too, Uncle Moony. We need you to wake up. We have lots to tell you. Zee's back and Uncle Siri's okay. But… we lost Auntie Minnie. We'll explain everything when you wake up."

Tonks kissed her husband's hand again before she reached across Remus to clasp one of Harry's hands in hers. "It's really over, Harry. Lestrange and Crouch are dead. Brambilla's in the crypt. Zee and Sirius have been saved. It's finally and truly over."

Harry nodded as he took in her words and thought it really was.

~ TTTC ~

Sirius and Zee stayed at St Mungo's until visiting hours were over and then Sirius insisted that Harry and Ginny head home along with himself and Zee. Tonks planned to stay the night with Remus and she insisted on keeping Teddy with her. Sirius was proud to hear Harry tell her if she changed her mind to call him and he would come and take his godson home.

But when Charlie Weasley showed up to sit with Tonks, a fresh bag full of supplies for her and Teddy, Sirius knew that Harry was relieved. Sebastian went home as well as, leaving Tonks and Teddy with Charlie as they waited for news on Remus.

Zee had already seen her mother and grandparents and after a tearful reunion, they decided to keep a sleeping Mina and Leo at Zee's old cottage and pick them up in the morning. Sirius and Zee both felt that they needed some time alone together to process everything and to talk.

When they stepped into Black Cottage, Zee let out a soft sigh and rested her head against Sirius' shoulder.

"I can't believe it's been six months since I've stepped foot in here."

"Imagine how I felt after three years," he murmured.

Zee's lips curved before she took his hand and led him upstairs to the master bathroom. She filled up the tub, added a rainbow bath bomb and then kept her eyes on his while she slowly undressed. Sirius couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He stared at her curvy body, taking in her beautiful tattoos and the scar over her heart that he knew she would have forever. He took off his own clothes and then the two of them settled into the tub with Zee resting her back against his front.

Zee linked her fingers with his, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "I can't believe you're really here."

"I can't believe you're really here," Sirius whispered, kissing her neck.

"I know a lot happened today and seeing Harry and knowing that he's all right was what mattered, but tell me what I've missed. What happened?"

"You first," Sirius insisted. "I remember snatches of visiting you in dreams because of my sessions with the Arcanums and with a mind healer, but… what has life been like?"

And so they talked and they talked and they talked.

The water turned cold as Zee spoke about the past three years and Sirius charmed it to warm up twice more before they finally climbed out of the tub. Not bothering with clothing, they climbed into the bed naked, holding each other as the conversation flowed. Zee told him everything about Mina and Leo, filled him in on Harry, and explained that the last thing she remembered was being cornered in Apricity Lane before waking up tied up in a warehouse.

Sirius told her how he'd woken up in his own coffin and had to punch through the wood, how he'd found strangers above him and didn't even know his own name, and how he'd been forced to bury her alive in his own grave.

Zee kissed his fingers. "It wasn't really you."

"I can see it… I just left you there, Zahira."

"It wasn't really you," she repeated. "I know that you would never leave me like that. That's not on you."

Tears rained down Sirius' cheeks as he told her how Harry had tried to save him and how they'd given him back his soul, expecting him to die and for Zee to wake up only for him to survive the re-soulling process. The more he spoke, the more Zee's nails traced up and over each tattoo on his body. When he explained how they'd realized Harry had the key all along and how he was going to sacrifice himself for her, Zee pressed her lips to the centre of his chest.

"You are an incredibly brave man, Sirius Black."

He closed his eyes as tears welled up in them.

"Zahira… I had no idea that Minnie was going to… she tricked me."

"No," Zee whispered. "She didn't trick you. She gave us another chance. I will always be grateful to her for that."

Then their lips met for a soft kiss and the feel of her in his arms finally made everything make sense. The kiss lingered, long and slow and when he eventually slipped between her thighs, his hand running over her soft belly, he knew that he'd finally found true peace.

"I love you, Zahira."

"I love you," she whispered back and then they snuggled together in the black silk sheets and stayed wrapped in each other's arms, talking until dawn.

~ TTTC ~

Remus woke up the next day to the sound of his son babbling in his ear. Everything hurt, but when he saw Tonks' tear-stained face, he knew that everything was going to be all right.

Tonks reached for his hand almost the second his eyes fluttered open. "Rem?"

"Ow," he said, making her snort in a half-laugh.

"Fuck! You scared me!"

Remus managed to turn and catch Teddy who was poking at his face. "Hi, Teddy."

"Dada!"

He turned to look at Tonks. "I love you, Nymphadora."

Tears rolled down Tonks' cheeks before she moved to kiss his cheek tenderly. "What were you thinking getting bloody stabbed?"

"Well, it wasn't on my to-do list."

Tonks' eyes narrowed. "No time for jokes, you tosser."

Remus rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "You're right. I'm sorry. Are you all right?"

"Yes," she whispered. "You killed Bellatrix, Rem, and Crouch is dead."

"I'm not sorry."

"No one is," Tonks said. "Savage and Proudfoot have already deemed Bellatrix's death done in self defence, not that there was any doubt."

"And Crouch?"

"The fucker killed himself," Tonks said. "He tried to make a run for it as the staircase was moving. With his hands cuffed, he missed the landing and fell down four flights of stairs. He landed… brutally."

Remus closed his eyes, lifting his hand to stroke Teddy's back as his son snuggled into his shoulder. "He tried to hurt Teddy. Ginny protected him."

"She did," Tonks said softly. She leaned in to peck his lips. "There's another thing. I know you and Sirius had your goodbye before everything… happened, but…"

"He's gone then?" he whispered, pain flashing across his eyes.

Tonks shook her head, tears in her eyes. "No. He's alive, Rem. He's alive and so is Zee."

"What?" Remus exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Both of them?"

Tonks nodded. "I was coming to get you so that you could be there when Zee came back, but obviously we never made it. McGonagall went with them, Remus. She… she sacrificed herself for them."

Remus' whisky coloured eyes met hers. "She… of course she did. She always loved Sirius like a son. She would have done everything she could to make sure he didn't have to die again. Bloody hell! How's Harry?"

"Seems all right," Tonks admitted. "He was here last night, but I made him and Ginny go home. They were both exhausted and Harry was emotionally drained, you could see it in his eyes. He didn't need to sit here with you on top of it all. The sweet man told me to send word if Teddy became too much."

"Wow."

"I know," she said. "Charlie stayed with me all night. I sent him home to see Aydin about an hour ago, but he was here as well."

Remus winced when he tried to shift and when Tonks made to take Teddy, he waved her off. "No, I'm all right. I got him."

"You lost a lot of blood," Tonks told him. "I thought you were gone… I…"

"You're stuck with me, Nymphadora."

"Good," she said. "The healers say that you're going to be tender for a few days and you'll have to stay another night just so that they can keep giving you blood replenishing potion, but then you should be able to come home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow…?"

"Yes," Tonks said. "Tomorrow's the first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. You can go, but you'll have to take it easy. With McGonagall gone… Merlin, that woman is going to be so missed."

"Very much," Remus agreed. "Hogwarts without Dumbledore has been a difficult transition enough, let alone Hogwarts without Dumbledore and McGonagall."

Tonks nodded. "Guess that means you'll have a promotion for the next few weeks. You'll have to help the school finish out the term."

Remus closed his eyes. "I don't even want to think about that," he admitted. "And you?"

"I'm all right," she promised. "A bit black and blue, but I'm all right."

She leaned in to kiss him again and then rested her forehead against his. "I love you, Remus Lupin. I thought I lost you."

"I love you, too," he murmured. "I'm not going anywhere. Promise."

Tonks sat back just as the healer came in to examine him. Harry arrived at that moment and Tonks told him that she was going to take Teddy home for a bath and a change of clothes. Harry promised to stay with Remus until she returned. He gave Tonks a quick hug before he took her seat by Remus' bed as the healer left.

"You feeling better?"

"I am," Remus assured him.

"Good," Harry said, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"Ow! I'm fucking injured here!"

"I was willing to let Uncle Sirius go to save Zee, but I did not say that you could go out and get yourself bloody stabbed!"

Remus rubbed his shoulder as he gave Harry a sympathetic look. "Why does everyone seem to think that I was stabbed intentionally? I can assure you, it wasn't fun. Zero out of ten. Do not recommend."

Harry leaned forward to hug him. "You can't scare me like that, Uncle Rem. I was barely holding it together over Uncle Sirius and Zee and then Ginny told me… bloody hell."

"I killed her," Remus said, his eyes meeting Harry's. "The bitch is dead."

"I'm glad," Harry whispered. "I know that I shouldn't be, but I am."

"After everything she did, Harry, no one would blame you for that," Remus assured him. "Now, why don't you start from the beginning and tell me what the hell happened?"

He did.

Harry sat by his side and told him everything about Sirius, Zee, and McGonagall and everything he knew about about Crouch and Lestrange and a final calmness washed over him as he listened.

It was finally over and for the first time since Remus had been a teenager, he felt like he could truly breathe.

The war was officially and truly over.


End Author's Notes:

Thank you for reading and please review!