Children of Fate

Kate had not been allowed to accompany her mother, Sophia, and Josephine to 'The Magical Institute of Birth', or MIB. She and Amelia returned to L'enfer to tell everyone that Josephine was feeling ill and had been taken to a hospital. Not to worry, though. She should be back by midnight...

***

Everyone in L'enfer went to sleep peacefully. Everyone save Kate. She waited up in the parlor of the entrance hall all night. Finally, early the following morning, when Kate was half-asleep, the front door opened quietly and Josephine, along with Francine, walked in. Kate's heart broke when she saw her older sister. Josephine looked terrible. Her eyes were red a puffy from the tears she had no doubt shed while saying goodbye to her babies--for there were no infants present--and she seemed exhausted. When Josephine saw Kate she turned away, her head dropped in shame.

"Ah, Kaitlyn," Francine said, sweeping over to her daughter, "you waited up. I 'ad 'oped you would." She turned to Josephine. "Stop your sniveling! You're getting only what you deserve!" Then she glanced over at Kate. "Quick, Kaitlyn--get Josephine upstairs! Before anyone wakes up!"

"What will you tell Robert Davies?" Kate asked, rushing to her elder sister's aid.

"Ze truth! What else? Messing with zese people can be very dangerous. But to all ze others...We shall tell zem zat poor, poor Josephine," Francine smiled coldly, "passed away. Really she will be in a Swedish convent for women in 'er position."

"And what is her position?"

Francine sneered and poked a zombie-like Josephine. "She is a whore, a disgrace to ze Lowell name!" She shook her head and continued explaining her plot. "Your sister Peggy will marry Robert--if ze Davies still want 'oo be connected--and we will pretend zat Robert and Peggy 'ave been 'aving a torrid affair behind our backs. Ze child shall be zeir love child."

Kate stopped short. "Child? I thought...I thought that it was twins."

Josephine stopped walking up the stairs then and fell to the ground, sobs racking her whole body. "My babies...They took away my babies!" she moaned, rolling about on the floor.

Francine looked wildly around the hallway. "Damn it, Kate! Shut 'er up! Your room is down ze 'all! Take 'er zer!"

Kate--after shooting a menacing look at her mother--did as she was told. Somehow she was able to get her sister, lost in her grief, down the hallway. Once she was safely in the confines of her suite she made sure that Josephine was put in her own bed. After ringing a house elf for a mug of steaming 'Ma's Best Cocoa' and getting Josephine to drink the contents, Kate felt halfway ready to ask Josephine the question that had been on her mind all night.

"Josie?"

"Yes Kate?"

"If you don't mind me asking, where are the children?"

Tears welled up in Josephine's blue eyes. "I don't know, Kate. I honestly don't know. Truth be told, I never saw their sweet little faces or even heard them cry. As soon as they were out of me doctors rushed them into another room." There was a long, eerie pause. "But...I heard a doctor say...as Sophia was bundling me up...that something had gone really wrong with the little boy. I asked Sophia to find out what then she got all nervous." Another pause. "Mother's got a tight hold on Sophia. When I'm gone, Kate, promise me that you'll keep her and Amelia away from my baby. And, Kate...Promise me you'll tell my baby who her real mummy is? I love Peggy dearly but I want my child to know my tale."

Kate gave Josephine a tight smile. She couldn't bear to hear her sister talk like that... 'When I'm gone...'

"Don't worry Josie. I'll find a way..." she murmured, smoothing down her sister's blonde bangs.

"Find a way to what?" Josephine asked in a sleepy voice. Kate sighed.

"Find a way to get you out of this."

***

"Lucius! Lucius!" Francine's terrified cries woke half of L'enfer. The door to the Malfoy's grandest suite flew open and Lucius Malfoy came face to face with a very disheveled Francine Lowell. "Lucius," Francine gasped, clutching the man's bathrobe, "it's my Josie! She's sick! She will not answer me!"

Mr. Malfoy turned to his wife, Narcissa, who was standing behind him. "Narcissa, owl the family doctor. Tell him it's urgent." Then he turned to Kate, who was hiding behind her mother. "Kate! Take your mother to her rooms! Tell her that your sister is being dealt with!"

Kate inched towards her mother slowly. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was touch her mother, but what choice did she have? It was the late at night, the same day that Josephine had been brought home. She had been moved to her own bed early that morning where she had lay in a comatose state the whole day. Sophia and Amelia had been on constant guard while their mother had gone over to speak with the Davies. Kate had accompanied her mother on that trip, though she didn't know why until after Mr. Davies agreed on carrying out her mother's proposal.

Robert, for one, had been furious. He yelled and bellowed at his father, but Kate got the impression that Mr. Davies was getting more out of this marriage than just Peggy for he had simply ignored his eldest son's protests. Soon after, Francine and Mr. Davies had hurried Kate down to a secret cellar of the Davies kitchen.

"You were second-to-top of your class in Potions," Francine had murmured. "Brew us a potion that will make Josephine seem dead. I want it to be able to fool the doctor, the Malfoys, your sisters, the coroners, and everyone who attends the funeral." There had been a long pause. "If this is done right I'll forgive you for helping your sister."

Much as she had wanted to rebel, Kate knew that it wouldn't help Josephine to make a faulty potion. With a deep sigh she had nodded and gotten to work. For five hours she had carefully gathered and prepared the ingredients. She had never made a potion quite so complex, but, for her sister's sake, she had better get it right. Once the small, hidden cabinet slid back and the family house-elf dropped down a bit of warm rye bread and a flask of butterbeer. Kate had only stopped crushing her scarab beetles only for a moment to eat and drink.

Finally, at six that evening, Kate had emerged from the potion brewing room, with three small vials in her hand. Handing each to her mother she said, "The potions lasts only twenty-four hours per vial. That means that you have to complete the funeral and her death in three short days. This fourth one, though," Kate said, brandishing a last tiny bottle from her robes, "is an antidote. There are many poisons in this and if Josephine does not drink this soon after she wakes up from the third poison she will die." Kate gave her mother a disgusted look. "Surely you do not want your own daughter's blood on your hands?"

Francine just smiled and held up one of the small vials, letting the enchanted lights shine through the clear lavender liquid. "I'm not zat bad 'oo you, am I?" she asked, winking at Kate and sliding the vials and bottle into her purse, where they would be safe. As she and Kate left the Davies house and returned to the Malfoy's, Kate let out a sigh of relief. If her mother had looked very closely at the bottle she would have noticed that it was more lavender than blue.

She would have guessed that it was not an antidote.

She would have guessed that her daughter was lying about the poisons and antidotes.

But she hadn't!

Kate smirked to herself in the fading sunlight as she watched her mother stare out the carriage window. Those long hours down in the cellar had given her time to think. She had a plan to get Josephine out of the country and safely in the U.S. She had a plan to get back the little boy baby that had been sick. She had a plan on how to get Oliver Wood out of the country too. But everything in her plan rested firmly on whether Josephine would get the potion in the bottle.

And whether she could get help...

***

In the end there was nothing that could be done, or so all the doctors said. Josephine Lowell was just too sick. And at least she was in a 'better place'. Francine had broken down on Josephine's bed, clinging to her dead daughter's body until Mr. Malfoy and Dr. Feinstein--one of the ten doctors present--dragged he rout of the room. Amelia and Sophia followed their mother, their faces identical masks of worry and woe. Only Kate remained in the room with her 'dead' sister.

She sat down in the chair by Josephine's bed, and though she knew that her sister was still alive, she felt as though she had lost Josephine forever. The way Josephine had looked when she had returned from the hospital where she had given birth--filled with uncontrollable despair--and then the comatose state she had been in had frightened Kate senseless.

"I promised I'd get you out of this, Josie," Kate whispered, "and I always try and fulfill my promises."

***

Early the next evening as everyone prepared for the funeral--which was the next morning--there was a quiet knock on Kate's door. "Come in!" she called.

The door swung open with a tiny creek and Kate found Peggy standing in her presence, pale as chalk and almost as emotionless as Josephine had been. There was no need to ask what was upsetting Peggy. Faze two of Francine's scheme was currently in motion.

"So," Kate murmured. "Mother told you."

Peggy nodded, and a little color returned to her cheeks. "You brewed the potions?"

"Yes, I did," Kate said. Peggy was one of her closest sisters but she still couldn't be sure whom to trust and whom not to trust.

"And Josie's still alive?"

"Yes. I wouldn't let her die, and neither would mother." Kate put on an air of both unhappiness and casualness.

"Do I really have to do what she'd asking me? Take Josie's baby and say that she's mine?"

Kate nodded and strode over to her older sister. "I promised Josie that I'd make sure her baby was well taken care of. Please, Peggy. For Josie?"

Peggy sneered a little. "You act as if she's dead!"

"She might as well be. We'll never see her again after this is through." Kate gave Peggy a tight, tired smile. "I'll see you in the morning, though. I'm exhausted...I'm going to sleep soon."

Peggy nodded, though, to Kate, she seemed to be in another world. "Yes...Goodnight." Peggy shut the door and the young woman heaved a sigh of apparent relief. "That was a close one," she turned to her large wardrobe. "You can come out now," Kate whispered, and, slowly, the door inched open and Ron stepped out.

"What was that all about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. This was the first time the two had seen each other since the day Josephine's babies were discovered and the first time Ron had ever truly been inside L'enfer. "You said Josephine was alive!"

"But she is, Ron!" Kate cried, stomping her foot. "It's all part of my mother's scheme to cover up the babies! She worked some sort of deal out with the Davies. The day after tomorrow Peggy will go into labor, or so it will appear. Mother will call in special doctors--namely Sophia and Roger Davies, transfigured to look much different. Then, precisely two hours, three minutes, and fifteen seconds later, the two will emerge holding Amber-Lynette, or, more accurately, the little girl Josephine gave birth to.

"Of course everyone will be wondering how and why Peggy kept this all a big secret. And, of course, someone will ask who the father is. That's when Robert Davies will step forward, tell everyone that he's the father, and that he loves Peggy. The story will go that Robert knew nothing of the child because the two 'lovebirds' broke up seven months ago. The two will be wed shortly after and no one will ever know that poor, dead Josephine had twins."

By the end of the tale Ron was pale and angry looking. "But what about Josephine? Where is she? And how did you get her to seem so dead?" He stopped speaking suddenly, a look of fear in his kind brown eyes. "And you said there was only a baby girl! What happened to the other child?"

Kate took a deep breath and sat down at her desk. "I don't know, Ron. Josephine only told me that doctors said that the baby boy was sick or something to that effect. And mother is shipping her off to a convent in Sweden. It's for the daughters of high society that have children out of wedlock or disgrace the family name."

Ron was quiet for a long time. Kate didn't know yet whether he was mad at her for keeping Josephine's secret. "But what do you want with me?" Ron asked. "Do you want me to tell Oliver what happened? I don't think that's a good idea. Oliver would do something crazy. He broke down and cried when he read Josephine's obit. Or the fake-"

"Ron, I have a plan. Plan to get Josephine, Oliver, and the baby boy into America. But if it's going to work, I need some help."

"Help from who?" Ron asked.

"From you, Harry, Hermione, Cho, Lee, and a few others that you don't know."

"Can I help?"

Ron and Kate whirled in the direction of Kate's bed. Ron jumped back in surprise. Just inches from his feet was the head of Miranda Lowell. "Merlin's beard!" Ron hissed. "Who's this? Can she be trusted?" He paused for a moment and brought his wand out of a pocket. "Should I stun her?"

Miranda gave a yelp of fright as Ron advanced towards her, scurrying back under the bed. Kate grabbed Ron's arm, though, and shook her head. "No, Ron, she's not a spy. She's my kid sister. I swear, I didn't know she was here." Kate kicked her bed. "But now that she's revealed herself she had better come out and face the consequences!"

Miranda rolled out from under the bed and stood. Dressed only in a thin, periwinkle blue nightgown and standing a full head shorter than both Ron and Kate, Miranda shook slightly. "I came in here to grab one of your robes--mum told me to--because I didn't have anything to wear tomorrow to Josie's funeral. Then I heard you coming and I almost called out, but then I heard a man's voice. I thought that maybe you and Draco were going to have a little romantic session so I hid under the bed. I was going to pop out and embarrass the two of you but the man wasn't Draco...And you know the rest." Miranda looked Kate dead in the eye. "You really are in love with Ron Weasley, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Kate nodded.

"Well, may you two have a long and happy life," Miranda murmured, and she worked up the courage to hug Kate. Kate--both shocked and pleased--returned the hug.

Turning to Ron she said, "Miranda's in. Josie is her sister too, and I know we can trust her. Now come on--We don't have much time. We need to get moving."

Ron nodded and Miranda asked, "To where, Kate?"

Kate smiled. "To find Ron's friends," she answered. "Everyone but Oliver--Like you said, Ron, if we tell him he might do something crazy. Until we really need him then he'll have to be kept in the dark about it all."

Ron grunted in response as he went into Kate front room. "How will we get out?" Miranda asked.

"By Floo Powder. Mother hooked us up to the network so that relatives from France could come for the funeral. The network will close at promptly five a.m. in the morning tomorrow, so we need to get my plans into action as soon as possible." The two sisters moved into Kate's sitting room, where Ron had lit a fire. "You'll go first, Ron," Kate said, striding over to the fireplace mantle and grabbing a small box off it. "Where do your friends usually reside on weekend evenings?"

Ron shrugged. "They could be any matter of places, but my bet's that they're all at Harry and Hermione's, preparing for Christmas. Oliver won't be there, though. He locked himself in his room or something to that degree."

"Poor thing...Do you think he's suicidal?" Kate asked.

Ron sighed deeply. "I'm not sure, but Fred and George and Orfay have gone over to watch over him. He's safe enough." He took the box from Kate and removed a silvery powder, throwing it in the fire and standing back and the flames flared. "I'll go first, Kate," he told her. "I'll summon for you and your sister through the fire in a few minutes. I want to explain what's happening before you two both show up. Harry and Hermione have a blocking guard on their Floo Network and only certain close friends are allowed to access it. They'll need to take it down for you two to come through."

Having said that Ron stepped into the fire and called out, "Godric's Hollow, the Potter home!" In an instant he was gone, off to Harry and Hermione Potter's.

Kate and Miranda stood in silence for a moment and Miranda got the impression that her sister was off in her own world. There was a lost look in Kate's eyes that betrayed the pressure of going between Ron and Draco had put on her. Finally, after a good five minutes, Ron's head appeared in the fireplace. "You're good to go, Kate," he said, grinning slightly. "And I hope you don't mind, but there are a few other friends here."

Kate arched an eyebrow in manner that she had no doubt picked up from her fiancé. "Friends?" she asked, and Miranda sensed a bit of tension. "Are these trustable friends?"

Ron nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Kate. Just come on through."

Kate nodded and Ron's head disappeared. Taking some Floo powder and throwing it into the flames, Kate stepped into the flames and called out, "Godric's Hollow, the Potter's home!"

***

Kate arrived with a bump in the Potter's home. All the spinning had made her quite dizzy and she stumbled around the room for a moment before stumbling to the ground. Before she could right herself and stand up two pairs of arms had hauled Kate up and plopped her into a fluffy chair. The room began to focus, then, and Kate took in the eight faces that crowded around her. The first fiv people she knew--Harry, Hermione, Lee, Cho, and her own dear Ron. Then there was an old man with long, flowing silvery hair and a beard of equal length. Perched on his crooked nose were half-moon spectacles, and his smile was most genuine. Kate knew--from descriptions, pictures, and books--that this man was the great Albus Dumbledore.

There was another man besides Dumbledore, and though he couldn't have been over forty-two, his brown hair was mostly gray and, in certain parts, there were large bald spots. His eyes were just as kind as Dumbledore's, though, and Kate felt instantly at ease. The eighth and final person in the small room--Kate thought it to be a study--was much less kind looking than his companions and, as Kate studied his face, she got the feeling that they had met before. Yes, the sallow skin, unattractive sneer, greasy black hair, and black attire were familiar. It suddenly clicked.

"You were at my engagement masquerades," Kate whispered, and the man nodded. "You were Draco's teacher...Potions, wasn't it? Yes, I remember you. Severus Snape? Mr. Malfoy introduced us!" The man nodded again. "How can I be sure that you're trustable? Mr. Malfoy said you were an old family friend, and Draco has mentioned you many times. What's stopping you from telling them what I'm up to?"

Miranda had arrived by then, but none but Harry noticed her entrance, for Dumbledore had stepped forward to speak. "Ms. Lowell, Severus is a most trusted friend of mine. He will not betray your sister's whereabouts."

Kate nodded, though she still looked wary of someone connected to her fiancé in any way. Next to speak was Ron. "Kate, I believe you already know that this is Albus Dumbledore and the man next to him is Remus Lupin, another of our Hogwarts teachers. Everyone, thi is Kate Lowell and her little sister, Miranda."

Dumbledore stepped forward then. "Ms. Lowell, Ron here has informed us that your mother staged the death of your sister Josephine and that she is planning to give Josephine's baby girl to your sister Peggy to raise. Is this all true?"

Kate nodded. "I brewed the potion myself, sir. A little before five-o-clock yesterday evening my mother fed Josephine a potion called the Sopor en Obitus, or the Sleep of Death. Each supply of the potion will make Josie seem dead for twenty-four hours at a time. My mother fed Josie the second potion two hours ago. She has until sundown the day after tomorrow to get Josie out of the country and into Sweden, where there is a convent for girls in my sister's position." When Kate finished her story Snape looked amazed.

"Astounding," he muttered. "You brewed such a complex potion in such little time. It took me months to get that one strait."

Kate blushed. It wasn't often an adult complemented her about her academic skills. "Thank you, sir. I learned it in advanced courses at Beauxbatons. The French pride themselves very much in the art of potion making, something I've noticed the British do not." She shot a pointed look at Ron.

"But moving on," Lupin said, earning a sneer from Snape, "what exactly was this plan Ron mentioned?"

Kate took a deep breath. "Well, it's a really iffy plan. It all depends on everything going exactly as planned. Getting the little boy shouldn't be too hard. I have a good idea of what MIB is like and if my assumptions are correct then all one would have to do is pay a nurse or doctor a substantial amount of money." There was a gasp of disgust from Hermione but Kate continued on. "Someone will have to erase the records of the boy ever existing, though, and that might be tricky, but I have some friends that could help. However, getting Josie to America, which is what I intend to do, will not be so easy. I have pondered many options, but in the end I have reached only one conclusion about how to keep Josie's identity a complete secret."

Kate turned to Dumbledore. "Erasing her memory of everything to do with magic is the only way to keep her safe, isn't it?" she asked.

Dumbledore nodded and Miranda cried out. "But Kate," she protested, "you're going to make Josephine forget us? Her sisters? And magic? Her son will never know he's a wizard?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "And we'll destroy all evidence of Josephine's muggle identity. Your mother would endanger the situation if she were to..." But the old man trailed off and shook his head, as if catching himself before revealing a most private secret.

Miranda was still furious. "But magic is this child's birthright! He is a Brother of the Light, Kate...And you're going to take that all away from him? Isn't there another way?" The look in Kate's eyes answered her question. Miranda turned away, refusing to meet Kate's eyes.

Finally Kate gave up and began to explain her plan. "When I brewed Sopor en Obitus I also brewed a potion meant to change Josie's appearance."

"You mean a Polyjuice Potion?" Lee asked.

Kate shook her head. "No. It would take too long to brew a Polyjuice Potion. The potion I brewed enhances and changes certain characteristics. It's permanent, cannot be magically removed, and it will make Josie look much different than she does now. Her hair won't be blond, her eyes won't be blue...She'll be taller, thinner...Things like that."

"What about Oliver and the baby?" Cho asked.

Kate frowned. "I didn't make enough for them..." she murmured, and Snape stepped forward.

"I could brew another for Wood. I know what potion you're talking about. And once your sister drinks it the potion shall transfer to her bloodstream, and into her breast milk. The baby will look like her," he said, and Kate smiled gratefully at the Potions Master.

"Thank you," she said, then she continued on. "Tomorrow, right after Josephine's funeral, two of my friends, Felicite Delacour and Chevalier Audric will enter the Magical Institute of Birth, carrying a bag full of galleons..."

***

"Psst!"

Beni Peters whirled around, looking down the deserted hallway of MIB. She turned around and continued to walk down the hall towards the nursery, fresh nappies in hand, when she heard the noise again.

"Psst!"

This time when she turned around there was a man standing there, dressed in fine, velvet black robes. Before Beni could scream a hand clamped itself over her mouth. Beni was turned around very slowly and soon came face to face with a dangerously beautiful woman. Chocolate brown hair, unblemished skin, full lips...The woman was just as striking as the man, who, Beni now noticed, had a black leather bag the size of a gnome.

A small smile curved Beni's lips. She knew what these people wanted...A child. Over the fifty-eight years it had been open MIB had overseen over eight million illegal adoptions. All it took was a significant sum of money and one could hand choose whatever child suited them. No questions were asked, no backgrounds were checked. The paperwork was forged and the child was gone. It was no skin off the back of the doctors, nurses, and staff member at MIB. All that was required was that a third of the money received for a child was given back to MIB. The doctor or nurse who had been approached got to keep the rest.

Though Beni was new at MIB--it was only her second month--she had already made sixteen thousand galleons off two separate 'cases'. And these people looked to have much more than sixteen thousand galleons.

"How much have you got?" Beni asked.

The man smiled, pleased that the message had gotten across. "Twenty-five thousand galleons. This is an installment of five thousand. Give us a baby boy and you'll get the rest."

Beni smiled sweetly. Oh, how she loved her job! "Very well. Right this way please. This is where all the adorable-"

"What about the sick children? The ones with birth problems? Or recovering children?" the woman asked.

"Sick baby boys? You want to look at-"

"We're looking for a specific child, kid," the man said, and his tone was cold and clipped. "He was born two days ago; he was a twin. His sister went with the grandmother. The boy had birth difficulties. Know which one I mean?"

Beni did. She had been on duty the day that that certain young woman had come in and she personally had taken the small boy--who suffered from undeveloped lungs--to the critical care unit, where the small infant had been placed in a special machine much like a mother's womb. He had laid there for a day and a half, his lungs developing by the second. He had barely made it, but he was on the road to recovery.

"You want that child?" she asked. "He's pretty tiny. And he'll need a lot of money to go get checkups at a doctor. You sure?"

The woman nodded. "Just show us the way," she commanded.

Beni smiled again, though this time her face was greedy. "It would be my pleasure..."

***

It was dark out and, as Sophia rushed along down the pathway towards the guesthouse that Josephine was kept in, she knew Amelia was going to be angry. Sophia had been flirting with one of the Malfoy's cousins and had lost track of time. Really, how could Amelia blame her? She would have done the same, Sophia thought, chuckling. She was so amused with herself that she never noticed two dark figures step out from behind a tree...

***

"Get in here!" Amelia hissed, dragging a hooded Sophia into the guesthouse. "Kate's just given Josephine the antidote for all the poisons. We'll have to get moving, though. Josephine's ship leaves in little less than an hour!" Amelia frowned. "Sophie, why are you wearing that horrendous hooded fur thing indoors? It's burning hot in here and you're dripping snow all over the place!"

Amelia made a move to tug the hooded cloak, which covered Sophia's face, off, but before she could something hit her from behind. Amelia's eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped to the ground in an unconscious heap. Now the person under the hood threw it off and grinned at Kate, who was standing over her knocked out sister, a broken pot in her hands.

"Good job, Kate," Hermione said.

"Yeah. But come on--Josie's still out of it. We need to help her out. Here--throw that cloak over her. The transformation's begun and I don't want anyone to see her." Hermione obliged Kate and, after the two of them had both donned their respective hooded cloaks, they grabbed Josephine and swept out of the guesthouse.

***

"Wood, how nice to see you."

Oliver Wood blinked. Just what he needed right now. Prof. Severus Snape, at his door.

"Go away," he snapped, but Snape wouldn't take no for an answer. He--accompanied by a familiar young woman--barged their way in and forced a potion down Oliver's throat...

***

In the end, after the joyful reunion between mother, father, and son, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Lee, Ron, and Harry all insisted they had allergies while Hermione, Cho, and Felitcite bawled openly. Chevalier, Lupin, Dumbledore, Miranda, and Kate wiped tears from their eyes as Josephine, Oliver, and the little boy--whom had been named Jesse Oliver--hugged and kissed. And when Josephine turned to everyone and began to sob her 'thank yous' not even icy Snape could keep from blinking very rapidly.

"You're a wonderful little sister," Josephine whispered to Kate when everyone was preoccupied with the Jesse. "See, I knew you'd come through for me, Kate. I told you that you could help me. I just wish that there was someway I could return the favor, but nothing will ever be great enough."

Kate, through her tears, kissed her sister softly on the cheek. "Sister, there is no need for repaying. After all, what's family for?"

***

They were at the boat dock now and everyone was saying their last goodbyes. Kate and Josephine had held off to the last minute though. Everyone had backed off and had given the two sisters a good deal of space. Finally Josephine opened her mouth, but Kate held up her hands.

"Don't say it Josie. We'll see each other again someday, whether on this earth or not. And you'll always be my big sister."

This only made Josephine cry harder. "Kate?" she asked. "Let's pretend that I'm not...leaving. Let's just pretend that I'm going on a trip. Let's just say that I'll be back in a week." Josephine said, and the two sisters embraced for a last time.

"Have a nice trip," Kate whispered hoarsely.

"I'll get you a souvenir," Josephine murmured.

"I hear the U.S. is wonderful this time of year," Kate said, backing up towards Ron, Miranda, and Dumbledore. "Good-"

But Josephine cut her off. "Let's not say goodbye Kate." She stopped and looked Kate dead in the eye. "It will never be over, it will never be forgotten, and it will never be goodbye." She blew Kate a kiss and walked over to where Lupin was standing, ready to perform a heavy-duty memory charm.

Kate couldn't watch the friendly, forty-something man erase her sister's entire life. Instead she cried into Ron's robes. Miranda, who had no lover to be comforted by, was surprised when Snape patted her arm reassuringly. He was even more surprised when she hugged him and cried onto his shoulder too.

***

Jacqueline Marody couldn't wait to get to America. She and her husband of one year--Charles--were moving to the States with their new baby son, Kat, and she couldn't be happier as she waved to the crowd of people seeing the S.S. Anne off. Her soft gray eyes scanned the crowd, and though she knew no one she knew was down there, she felt as though she were looking for someone.

Finally her eyes came to rest upon a young woman with mahogany hair and a robe like dress. Jacqueline was sure that she had never seen this lady before, but, as the woman watched her tears streamed down her face, an odd feeling came over her. Without really knowing why Jacqueline reached for the locket she kept around her neck and, after taking careful aim, threw it to the woman.

The woman caught it with a stunned expression, and, as the boat pulled away, Jacqueline saw the woman cup her hands around her mouth and yell something to her. In the roaring din Jacqueline had no idea what the woman had said, but, as she placed her hand over her heart and closed her eyes, she felt every bit of love the woman had sent her way.

***

Down in the crowd Kate clutched Josephine's locket and smiled through her tears, whispering what she had called to her sister again.

"It is never over, it is never forgotten, and it is never goodbye. I will always love you, sister, and god bless."

She turned and walked back to Ron--the only person left. "I trust that you and Harry obliviated Amelia and Sophia's memory, right?"

Ron nodded and pecked Kate on the lips. "Kate, honey, I know how much it hurts, seeing a sibling go like that. But you helped them selflessly, and you should be proud of yourself." Ron pressed his forehead against hers. "I know I am."

Kate sighed and hugged Ron closer than she had ever hugged him before. "Oh, Ron!" she murmured, jamming her eyes shut. "I don't want to go home and face my mother or anyone for that matter. Can I stay at your place?"

Ron looked amazed. "Kate, do you mean...?"

Kate nodded. She needed love that night, and, in Ron Weasley's bed, that's just what she found.