There is a reference to a deleted scene from Deathly Hallows part 2 in the second half of this chapter. It's canon in this now. Sorry, JK, not your story anymore.

Also if you recognise any text, it is likely from Deathly Hallows(part of Harry's dream is directly from there) or it's a piece reused from the previous version of this story.

Also, any minor errors of misused words or misspellings are a curse I can not counter. I will read and reread and reread chapters. I paste them into different fonts, change the font sizes, I will read them out loud and STILL I miss little errors. I went back to fact check something I established in The Fighter and found errors I thought I fixed. So, I am sorry if they're there. I try but my eyes trick me.

Just one more moment, that's all that's needed,

Like wounded soldiers in need of healing

Time to be honest, this time I'm pleading

Remus pushed himself into a sitting position, disoriented from whatever the Hell had just happened to him. His chest felt bruised and tender, though he supposed it was a small price to pay for waking up from what he knew to be a Killing Curse.

This had to be a nightmare, he figured. This entire night had to be some awful nightmare.

The woman next to him resembled his wife too closely for comfort, but she wasn't here. He knew she wasn't. They had said she'd be waiting for him, and he needed to get home and get back to her.

A women was kneeling by him, clutching a wand. She had pale red hair, a softer shade than any Weasley he knew, he could tell- he could feel- that she was also a werewolf. Her blue eyes were wide, the fear showing on her pale face. "You don't know me, Remus, but I know you. We need to hide. The... the Death Eaters, they're coming for us." She said, pulling on his arm.

"The war-"

"It's not over... they're coming, Remus, we need to go." She was insistent, pulling him towards the classroom door before he even managed to steady himself on his feet.

The castle was quiet, Remus noted. He barely got to glance back at the classroom, back towards the woman, when the redheaded werewolf had pulled him out of the room and towards a quiet corridor.

Two men were with them, and they were familiar to him too, but he couldn't place their names. His mind was reeling and he was trying to get a grasp on his surroundings.

He could hear voices in the distance and the sounds of things moving, stones shifting. Nothing seemed to indicate any immediate threat, yet this woman was insistent it was still dangerous.

They turned a corner and she finally spun to face him again, her face hardening. "You know where to meet." She said, and Remus felt hands grab his arms.

He was pulled with them as they Apparated and the world spun violently around him as a forest appeared. He was sure, considering the soreness in his chest and how difficult it was to regain his breath, that his ribs were broken. The men holding him let him fall to his knees as he struggled to get a full breath.

She appeared with a loud pop in front of them. He got the distinct feeling something was very wrong, but when he felt for his wand in his pocket, he couldn't find it.

Every sense was telling him he needed to get away, that she was not to be trusted. He had to get home, to Dora and to Teddy. Away from these werewolves.

"I found your wand, Remus." She said, as she watched him search for it. "I'm keeping it safe but you're in no shape to use it right now." She knelt in front of him again. She raised her wand up to his face, the wand lit up. "I think you need rest, that's the most important thing."

It had to be shortly after dawn, he figured, considering the sun was still low in the sky, keeping the forest dark.

"I need-"

His voice was silenced with a quick wave of her wand.

"The pack isn't going to hurt you, Remus." She said. "I saw you coming and going for months last year, you have connections to the Order- to the Ministry. You can help us."

Remus had an idea of who this woman was. He had never met her, because Greyback had been keeping her away from the rest of the pack during the year Remus was underground with them, but he had heard of her. This was Greyback's mate Petra Goldstein. She was said to be just as merciless as Greyback himself, despite having been a werewolf for only a couple of years.

It took Remus a moment to realise what her words meant: the Ministry was in the Order's hands now and Greyback's crimes could bring the entire pack down.

All year, getting the Ministry back had seemed impossible- but it had happened.

"You'll get to go home, I promise." Petra said. "Nymphadora isn't going to be there, but your son will be. He's waiting for you and he's going to grow up in a world that still hates people like you if you don't help us."

Remus' heart faltered. Dora wouldn't be waiting, he realised with a crushing wave of grief.

It seemed his mind was clearing now, and as it did, everything was crashing down around him.

He had been wrong about the woman next to him. Of course she hadn't been his wife to his eyes at first.

Confused and dazed, how could he recognise the dead body of the woman he had left safely at her mother's house? How could he recognize her in a form she never kept? Her corpse would have been her true form, the changes she made every day to her height or her nose or her cheekbones erased. Her striking resemblance to Andromeda and, unfortunately Bellatrix, was foreign to his eyes.

These were changes she kept every day, changes small enough she could keep them even in sleep. The changes had become her new self, the person she wanted to be. He hadn't understood the limits of her ability but knew she could keep minute changes with no effort. The woman he knew, the one he would recognise, had a heart shaped face and sparkling grey eyes- the same eyes Sirius and her mother wore- and had hair that she often wore above her shoulders in a blindingly bright pink. The last few months, her hair had usually been the same dark shade of her mother's- except for a few days, where she wore other colours- but the other changes she made to her features she kept and they became familiar to Remus.

Death had made her a stranger.

"I have a child too. And just like you, I am all she has left in this world because my mate is also dead. Our children need us, Remus, to fix society so that they have a place-"

Remus shoved Petra away from him, forcing himself to his feet. He had no idea where he was, but he had to find his way back to the school or back home.

"Remus, wait, please just listen to me!"

"Give me my wand." He said, spinning to face her. "I'm not helping werewolves, I'm done. I need to get back to my son."

"But you don't understand! You could change everything for werewolves!"

"I intend to, but not for you. Not for Greyback." Remus said, staring down at her. "Where is my wand?" He growled.

Petra was shaking her head. "I can't give it to you, Remus, I need you to promise to help us."

Her tone gave away a hint of desperation. No doubt she knew that Greyback's entire pack would be investigated, interrogated and arrested because of his crimes. And now that she said he was dead, it would all fall on her. She was in charge of the pack. The Ministry would come for her.

"I'm not helping the pack avoid prosecution." Remus said. "Give me my wand, or I'm taking yours."

Petra stared at him, straightening herself up, her face set. It was a defiant stance and he was reminded, with a pang of grief, of the way Dora held herself when she was confronted by someone she disliked.

"I can't do that, Remus." She said, raising her wand. There was a loud bang and a flash of orange light struck him in the face, knocking him back. His vision faded rapidly, the colours of the forest around him replaced with darkness.

He pushed himself to his feet, the burning sensation in his eyes growing stronger with each moment. Another curse struck him, knocking him to his knees with a sharp burst of pain. Hands grabbed him, ropes binding his wrists behind his back as he was dragged forward.

They didn't travel long before he knew they were at an encampment. He could hear more werewolves around him, he could smell fire nearby.

Remus was forced to the ground, his back against what he believed to be a tree. The ropes tightened around his wrists, more ropes wrapping themselves around his chest and the tree.

"Listen up!"

Petra was standing somewhere in front of him and Remus knew the rest of the pack would gather before her in the next few moments. A silence had settled over the camp.

"Fenrir is dead, he was killed by the Order of the Phoenix." Petra continued. "The Dark Lord is also dead. The Order has taken the Ministry."

There were mutterings at her words. Some sounded shocked and angry. Remus knew that any Order member was in danger, the pack would want to retaliate for their fallen alpha. He worried most of all for the Order member who had taken Greyback down, if the pack found out their identity, they would be killed.

"As you can see behind me, we have a visitor. This man stayed in our camps last year, lying to all of us about his affiliation and loyalties. He is our key to remaining safe from the Ministry. He is not to be harmed by anyone. He is not to be told anything about the status of the Ministry or Order. He can know their fates when he agrees to assist us."

Remus could have laughed. She had blinded him mere moments before, but now wanted to guarantee his safety?

She was clearly not ready to be an alpha in any sense of the word, and Remus knew it would work in his favour. He could buy time, steal a wand and escape.

And luckily, he had a friend within the pack to help him.

Nathan Allard had been bitten a few weeks before Remus had joined the pack on Dumbledore's orders. He had been new to the pack and hadn't found his spot among them yet, and had taken a liking to Remus.

At first, Remus believed he had been ordered to watch Remus to ensure he wasn't betraying the pack- but when Nathan hadn't told Greyback about any of Remus' sneaking around to contact Dumbledore on rare occasions, despite catching him in the act one day, Remus realised he just needed someone to help him. He was a young man, not bitter towards society yet. There was a chance to keep him from falling in line with Greyback's actions.

Nathan had clearly not forgotten Remus' help and he seemed to be trying to return the favour. More impressively, Nathan was trying to take down the pack from within by acting as an informant for the Ministry. Unfortunately, Nathan lacked a wand. It was not uncommon for newer pack members to lose their wands until they were trusted. Remus was unsure how he was communicating with the Ministry without one, but he was impressed by the young man's work.

He told Remus whatever he could whenever he could get to Remus, who was kept away from the rest of the pack, often left bound to trees.

Nathan clearly acted carefully in order to not raise suspicion. Remus had been grateful when Nathan came to him one night, saying there was an Auror Lupin in the Ministry's ranks. Regrettably, he had been unable to ask his contact much more without the contact voicing concern over the Auror's safety. Remus could understand, but he hoped he was correct to assume Auror Lupin was his Dora, which meant Petra had lied about the woman at the battle- but Remus often wondered who she was.

Knowing there was an Auror Lupin in the Ministry again gave Remus the strength to hold on. Through four full moons, each more terrible than the last, and weeks of little food or water, Remus held on.

Petra became frustrated the more Remus refused to help. Eventually, he was beaten almost daily under her orders. Still blinded, he did not know if it was the same werewolves each time or if she was sending new assailants in.

He did know, however, that Nathan was ordered to take part one day because Nathan returned later that night and begged for Remus' forgiveness.

He could forgive those, like Nathan, who were following orders out of fear. He promised that if he ever got out of this pack, he would let the Ministry know Nathan was not like the rest. He would help him find his role among the witches and wizards, like Remus had done.

They moved a few times and Remus felt less hopeful that the Ministry would catch up with the pack. He knew Nathan had to be careful and couldn't just outright tell the Ministry where they were or who was among them, because the Ministry did not have enough Aurors or Hit Wizards to take on the pack quite yet. Nathan's contact had said the priority was on catching Death Eaters, and Remus could understand that.

Nathan had asked if Remus wanted a message passed along to the Order, but Remus declined. If the Order knew he was here, they could not do much. Remus would find a way home without the Order coming for him. It would ultimately be safer for them not to know.

And now, as Remus was being lead somewhere by a few members of the pack, he felt anxious. Nathan had said they were meeting with an Order member at Petra's request and Remus was relieved to know Nathan was among their small group.

It could have meant there were two less werewolves who would be a threat to whoever they were meeting but he did not know how many were in their group and without Wolfsbane, Remus and Nathan would be just as dangerous as the others. Petra had made a few remarks that made Remus confident that it would be Dora and while the idea of Dora being face to face with Petra and other werewolves was terrifying, he was itching to be close to her again.

With the full moon so close, he worried about Petra's plan, but as he was pushed forward, the concerns were lost as he realised there was a human nearby. His feet were heavy and his limbs weak, pain shooting through his body to remind him of his injuries and the moon about to rise, but there was a force pulling him. Whether it was the wolf's hunger and need to hunt or his connection to Dora, he did not know.

His senses heightened from the impending change, he could easily recognise her without seeing her. Her perfume was so distinct that he could faintly smell it above the smells of the forest around them. He knew there was a human nearby and the soft scent of hyacinth and vanilla was very much her.

He yearned to see her. It was shocking to him how much keener his senses seemed, whether it be from the full moon or the fact he was lacking sight and had to rely on his other senses more. Perhaps, losing his sight had made him more sensitive to the changes to his senses that his condition caused.

"Remus?"

Her voice gave away her emotions, and it was only a second later that she had thrown her arms around him. His arms were weak as he wrapped his arms around her, gripping a handful of the soft material of her shirt.

"You shouldn't have agreed to this, Dora."

"I knew you were alive, Remus, I had to." She said. "I can't morph to show you it's me, but I'll tell you anything-"

"I know it's you." He whispered. "It's us you shouldn't trust."

She had stepped back and Remus heard the other werewolves approaching behind him. "Who's the alpha?" Dora asked. "Who set this up?"

"Nymphadora Tonks, it's been so long."

"Petra? What are you doing here?"

Remus did not know that the two would know each other. Petra had never mentioned knowing Dora and Dora had never mentioned a Petra.

"This is my pack now." Petra said and Remus felt Petra's grip on his shoulder. "I'd like to know why you're here. Are you here to grant us immunity from the Ministry?"

"I came for answers. I don't have the power to promise you or your pack anything, but I can try to help you-"

"We want the Ministry to leave us alone." Petra said. "Stop chasing us down."

"I can try, I can tell them whatever you want me to, but you need to stop attacking people. The Ministry knows your pack is behind the attacks but they don't know who the alpha is and if you stop the attacks, you can-"

"I had a better idea, actually." Petra said. "The Order controls the Ministry now and I'm sure the Minister would do anything to ensure any of their members are treated fairly by society after everything the Order has done."

"We're working on making it fair for everyone, not just us." Dora said. "That includes werewolves, you know. The Ministry wants to supply Wolfsbane, help you get jobs if you want them, find housing- anything to-"

"Anything to make us behave more respectfully. What if we don't want that? Not all werewolves want to dress up and play human."

"And that's fine, I'm sure the offices can-"

"You being sure isn't good enough." Petra said. "But there's a way to make absolutely certain that the Ministry rallies behind werewolves and gives us room in this new society you're creating."

Petra had walked by Remus now, standing somewhere between Dora and Remus. He could hear Dora take a few steps back.

"I want the Ministry to give us what we want."

"I can pass the information along." Dora said. "I will do what I can to convince them, but-"

"Words mean nothing." Petra said. "You know that, I know that. Promises mean nothing, especially yours."

"Petra-"

"You've made me promises before, and when did you keep them?"

"We were kids, Petra! Whatever has happened since, I am sorry. I am sorry you've been turned into- into-"

"Into what? A beast? A monster?" Petra asked. "Did the Ministry even look for me? Did you or any of our classmates even know I had gone missing?"

Remus heard Dora's breath hitch. "Petra..." Dora's tone was laced with emotion and regret. "Petra, we didn't know it was suspicious. We thought you just moved away after getting rejected from the academy, we didn't know! It's not like the Ministry announced it!"

"My daughter will attend Hogwarts in less than a decade." Petra continued. "If things don't change, she will be ostracized by her peers for something she has no control over, she will be considered a monster-"

"No, she won't be! Remus went to Hogwarts too, he-"

"Hid his affliction." Petra said. "My daughter shouldn't have to hide her affliction to avoid judgement."

"She won't be judged." Remus said. He was starting to get nervous now, the moon was getting far too close for his liking. Maybe that was Petra's plan. "Petra, the professors there, they were always kind to me."

"You did not carry the name of a monster, only his bite. This pack is made up of his victims and the Ministry wants to punish us for it-"

"The Ministry wants to keep the public safe!" Dora argued. "If your pack would stop with the killings, maybe something could be worked out-"

"Fear is a far better negotiation tactic." Petra said. "And from what I hear, laws made for martyrs are much easier to pass."

"What are you saying, Petra?" Remus asked. His heart was pounding, because he felt like he already knew the answer.

"It's going to be a real tragedy. An Order member, a wife, a mother, desperate for answers... torn to shreds by her own husband after finding him alpha to a pack." Petra said. "They don't know my name but they do know Remus. The rest of the pack will insist it too. He fled the battle when Fenrir fell, to claim the spot as alpha... and then you came looking."

Dora sounded scared when she spoke again. "Petra-"

"I'm sure, if such a tragedy occurred... The Ministry will likely move a lot faster to ensure werewolves are given everything they need to ensure that there's no repeated tragedy as horrible as yours and the pack, apparently led by an Order member, will be pursued no more."

"The Order will never believe Remus has been in charge of these murders, Petra."

Remus could feel the telltale signs that the moon was about to rise. Dora would not stand a chance unless she fled now. "Dora, go!" Remus cried as pain shot through his spine. He crumpled to the ground as his muscles began to shake and contract.

The last thing he remembered was the pain of the transformation and his own screams.

The House tables were gone and the room was crowded. The survivors stood in groups, their arms around each other's necks. The injured were being treated upon the raised platform by Madam Pomfrey and a group of helpers. Firenze was amongst the injured; his flank poured blood and he shook where he lay, unable to stand.

The dead lay in a row in the middle of the Hall. Harry could not see Fred's body, because his family surrounded him. George was kneeling at his head; Mrs. Weasley was lying across Fred's chest, her body shaking, Mr. Weasley stroking her hair while tears cascaded down his cheeks.

Without a word to Harry, Ron and Hermione walked away. Harry saw Hermione approach Ginny, whose face was swollen and blotchy, and hug her. Ron joined Bill, Fleur, and Percy, who flung an arm around Ron's shoulders. As Ginny and Hermione moved closer to the rest of the family, Harry had a clear view of the bodies lying next to Fred. Remus and Tonks, pale and still and peaceful-looking, apparently asleep beneath the dark, enchanted ceiling.

The Great Hall seemed to fly away, become smaller, shrink, as Harry reeled backward from the doorway. He could not draw breath. He could not bear to look at any of the other bodies, to see who else had died for him. He could not bear to join the Weasleys, could not look into their eyes, when if he had given himself up in the first place, Fred might never have died…

He turned away and ran up the marble staircase. Lupin, Tonks… He yearned not to feel… He wished he could rip out his heart, his innards, everything that was screaming inside him...

The scene at Hogwarts seemed to fade as he reached the top of the staircase, and now he was standing in a graveyard. It was eerily similar to the graveyard that Cedric had died in, and Harry stood perfectly still as he stared down at the graves that had appeared in front of him.

The stones were engraved with names he knew well, names he had never wanted to see on graves. It felt wrong, there shouldn't be any graves here.

"Are you happy?" A voice demanded.

Harry turned to see four figures, covered in dirt and blood. They weren't the same people he knew, but could he blame them for the hatred they stared at him with?

It had been Remus who had spoken, blood covering most of his hair and part of his face. "Are you happy?" He asked again. "We died for you. Is that what you wanted?''

"I didn't want anyone to die for me-"

"But you didn't stop it, did you?" Colin asked. "You taught us, Harry. Taught us to fight, you made your own army."

Fred spoke next. "You wouldn't let anyone help you. And do you see what happens? Over fifty of us died for you-"

"This could have ended differently." Tonks said. "If you had let the Order help, who says a battle would have happened at all? We might still be alive, we might have been able to raise our son."

"I'm so sorry, to all of you." Harry said. "I never wanted-"

"You never wanted what, Harry?" Fred asked. "You didn't stop the call tonight, did you? You let them call for the Order to fight. You let students stay and fight."

There was a cold silence, until Remus spoke again, his voice cold.

"You let us die."

Harry woke, his heart pounding. He had fallen asleep at the table of Grimmauld Place, his Auror books in front of him. Fixing his glasses and glancing at the clock, he noticed it was barely after ten in the morning.

He had come downstairs several hours before when another nightmare had woken him. They were always similar, yet sometimes a little different.

Sometimes different figures appeared- figures that were vaguely like the four Harry usually saw. A smaller boy, dripping wet. A tall man with fiery red hair, blood covering his clothes. A woman with dark hair, bearing no sign of any injuries. A tall man with sandy brown hair, his clothes singed and burned.

A fifth figure had appeared twice, taller than everyone, a haunting voice telling Harry that things had not happened as nature intended.

"I took many souls, and five were stolen back from me. I have taken repayment for you already, but I am owed four more."

One by one, the four familiar figures would disappear as the figure waved a bony hand.

"I will be coming for them."

And then Harry would wake up. He didn't want to tell anyone about these nightmares, because he was sure they'd lock him up in St Mungo's if he said he was still having dreams like this.

It worried him though- was it a vision, like the dreams he had before Cedric died? Was he seeing his friends' deaths again?

The addition of Remus stumped Harry the most. His body had disappeared sometime between his body being discovered and Voldemort's fall. Did his inclusion in Harry's dream mean he was alive too?

It frustrated him that he had actually slept better when Voldemort was around.

Maybe he needed a vacation. Maybe he needed to leave magic behind for a while, shut himself off from everyone and just disappear for a while.

As soon as he thought about it, though, he'd get letters from Ginny and Hermione or Ron would come over for a few games of Exploding Snap or he'd get handed new pictures of Teddy at the Ministry... and he realised he didn't want to go anywhere at all.

So he fixated, kept himself busy. He went to Hogsmeade on Hogsmeade weekends to see Hermione and Ginny, he visited the Weasleys often despite moving out of the Burrow, he spent hours at a time with Teddy and Tonks. He spent hours every evening, studying his Auror books harder than he had ever studied a book before. He spent any other free time he had tearing Sirius' house apart and fixing it up.

The only time he stopped doing anything was when he went to bed at night and that never lasted long.

To his own surprise, he even agreed to have drinks with Draco a few weeks after the battle. When Lucius Malfoy was arrested- for the final time, Harry hoped- Draco had reached out to Harry.

He hadn't told anyone else, mostly because he was sure Hermione or Ron would try to talk him out of meeting with Draco and then eventually, he figured it didn't matter if they knew or not.

There was something different about Draco after the battle. Despite everything, Harry felt he had to hear him out. After all, Draco could have outed Harry after the Snatchers had caught them. Yet, he hadn't.

Draco had also thrown Harry a wand during the last part of the battle. He didn't have to do that.

Over the last few months, he had met with Draco six times. No one else knew yet, but Harry felt he understood Draco a little better each time. Draco may have had a drastically different upbringing, but Harry could see much of his own pain reflected on Draco's face. Draco, just like Harry, hadn't had parents who truly cared for him. Narcissa was far from a terrible mother but it sounded like she had been distant, more concerned for her family's name and survival than her son's happiness.

At first, he suspected Draco had wanted Harry to help him regain his footing in the Wizarding World. When Lucius was arrested, everything was seized by the Ministry- leaving them nothing but a small amount of gold left to Narcissa by her parents. Unfortunately, everything else from her parents had been left to their eldest daughter and ultimately also seized by the Ministry after the war.

Harry knew from an offhanded remark by Tonks that Narcissa had contacted Andromeda and Tonks suspected what Harry had at first- the two remaining Malfoys had nothing but a tarnished name and needed help to survive.

But Harry wasn't so sure anymore. Draco had accepted a job helping Ollivander at his shop, the only person willing to give him a chance, and lived in a tiny flat in Diagon Alley. Gone were the expensive robes and polished looks his parents had provided and expected, he didn't seem to care for the idea of having to live up to the Malfoy name anymore.

Harry often wondered if a lot of the students who were related to bigger named Death Eaters might fall into quieter lives like Draco did, or if they'd become problems in a few years like their parents.

It would be unfortunate if he one day had to arrest Goyle for crimes similar to his father's.

They were all still children and hadn't chosen to be thrown right into a war.

Harry looked at his books. Sometimes, he worried he wasn't good enough to be an Auror, or that he was choosing the wrong career.

He wondered if he was choosing to be an Auror because he didn't know anything else but fighting dark wizards. He supposed, though, that maybe that was exactly why it was the right choice.

He had asked Tonks how she had decided on it, and she had said she had chosen it because of her family's past. He had asked Roofie, who as far as Harry knew had no Death Eaters relatives, and he had said it had sounded like a 'cool career'. Neville had decided to follow in his parents' footsteps, Ron had just shrugged, Oliver had said it felt more permanent than Quidditch.

Maybe the reason behind choosing the job didn't matter. Was it what he wanted to do forever? He had no clue.

It seemed safe enough for right now.

Harry rose, stretching. He was always sore nowadays, from the more physical aspects of training. They hadn't had any physical training the day before, so he attributed his current sore back to sleeping hunched over a table.

Harry wondered what he would do breakfast. He usually grabbed something on the way to and from the Ministry or ate whenever he was out and about visiting people.

He knew he wasn't supposed to wander too much but he had broken the same rule before his sixth year and wasn't going to follow along now. He was now eighteen, he could use magic if he needed to without getting into too much trouble.

As he debated on walking the few blocks to his usual coffee shop, silvery mist materialised in the kitchen, slowly taking on the form of a wolf. It took him a minute to realise it was Tonks', because he had only seen it once before and she usually sent him owls or notes through the Floo.

"Harry, come to St Mungo's. We've found Remus."

No matter what gets in my way

As long as there's still life in me

No matter what, remember

You know I'd always come for you