The Boy Who Died

Hermione paced the tiny office impatiently. In the time that had passed since her original meeting with Werlin, a long series of daily sessions had followed. Though she would normally have delighted in all the new material and more classified information at her disposal, Hermione was finding all the extraneous appointments tedious. This was her last week with Edward before his school term began.

On this particular afternoon, it seemed everyone would be late. She was not aware who she was actually meeting today, only that they were Ministry operatives, rarely seen inside an office, and they had information integral to her current research. Her earlier excitement about the whole meeting ebbed away as Hermione impatiently walked the length of the small cubicle again.

Just outside stood two wizards, both draped in invisibility cloaks, watching the aggravated witch; one was slightly amused and the other obviously grim.

"The witch hasn't changed much," spoke a low voice in a harsh whisper.

"She does look fetching though," the other replied. "Even you must admit that."

Hermione continued to pace, pausing to tap her foot occasionally, but despite her aggravation, she carried herself with an innate grace. Her waist was accented by a smooth leather belted through a pair of a khaki slacks; a simple white shirt tucked into her pants, starched lightly. A deep burgundy cloak draped down her back, behind her shoulders - the hood falling over it. Her dark hair, as customary, was swept upwards in an elegant chignon, and even her stance emanated a woman at ease with herself.

"Fuck what she looks like," spat the first man. "Let's just get this over with."

With a frown impossible to see, Remus Lupin nodded and murmured a soft agreement and, in unison, the two men removed their cloaks and quickly entered the small room.

The noise of the door opening startled Hermione in mid-stride and she turned quickly. She gave a short gasp even as her face broke into a smile.

"Professor Lupin? And...Snuffles?! It's been years since I last saw either of you," her voice contained both excitement and a hint of sadness.

Sirius Black's lip curled into a sneer. "Don't call me that," he bit out.

Remus' eyes shot over to him with a warning glance, but Sirius' eyes were narrowed on the younger woman.

Hermione looked startled. "Yes, I mean, excuse me, that was rather silly...," she trailed off, embarrassed. "I was just so surprised," she tried to explain.

Remus' answer was much friendlier. "Mrs. Weasley, obviously we're here to discuss your current investigation," he said, tone neutral.

Eyes again widening in surprise, Hermione gasped. "You really are undercover, aren't you?"

Sirius merely drawled a reply. "You've no idea."

"You obviously didn't come to the wedding," she observed, frowning slightly. Her tone was quite accusatory. "I actually tried to find you both, for about a year."

Remus flashed a worried look at Sirius, realising it was too late to stop the flow of words from his mouth.

Sirius sneered. "No, Mrs. Weasley, we did not come to your wedding. Forgive me for feeling that you betrayed my godson by marrying his best friend just a few months after his death.

Hermione's eyes widened briefly at the vehemence of Sirius' words, before narrowing in justified indignation. "How dare you? How bloody dare you judge me like that? You don't even know me, and you obviously have no clue what happened. Have you really been so undercover that you have no idea what the hell has been going on?" the anger in her voice rising with every word.

"Both of you need to calm down. We're here to discuss another matter entirely, and this is pointless," Remus interjected. At this rate, Sirius and Hermione would be hurling hexes in just moments.

Sirius merely gave a silent, sullen look at Remus, but Hermione glowered,

"I think we need to clarify a few things, if we've any hope of working on this project together. Both of you sit down and listen," she instructs in an authoritative tone, despite the age of the two men. "First off, I did not bloody marry Ron. I called it off on the day of the wedding, which you'd know, if you'd bothered to attend. As much as I needed his help, I loved Harry, and couldn't go through pledging myself to someone else." She paused to let that sink in.

Remus reacted with a gasp, and Sirius muttered an expletive. Hermione plunged ahead.

"The reason I even considered it was the fact I was carrying Harry's child." Both men gasped in unison at that, and Hermione looked smugly satisfied at their reaction before continuing. "Yes, if you had not avoided me, you could have been a part of Edward's life all these years, instead of off pouting that I'd wronged Harry. You two obviously have no fucking idea how much I loved him, so don't presume to judge me!" As if exhausted, Hermione sunk into the nearest chair, staring at the table, unwilling to even look at the two men.

"Edward," Remus breathed the name, letting it roll off his tongue. "Harry's son is named Edward."

Sirius turned to Remus, eyes wide and hurting. "What the fuck have we done?"

Remus shook his head and moved to stand behind Hermione, hand on her shoulder in an almost paternal fashion. "I owe you an apology," he said quietly. "We both do," he added, glancing at Sirius.

"Yes, well, you never even gave me a chance to tell you," Hermione pointed out, voice hurt and slightly accusing.

"Cor, how old must he be now?" Sirius asked.

"He's about to go to Hogwarts," Hermione answered quietly, finally looking between the two men, clueless just how much they had to feel guilty for. "Ron's always been a part of his life, but not even his father by marriage," she pointed out. "And it's Ms. Granger."

Sirius buried his head in his hands, and Remus sat in a chair between Sirius and Hermione. "You never married?" he asked.

Hermione bit her bottom lip before heaving a sigh. "I've never wanted to wed anyone but Harry. Ron is still upset over our wedding day; he didn't take rejection at the altar very well," she admitted. "But the Weasleys have embraced us like family. Molly is like a grandmother to Edward," she explained fondly.

Sirius groaned before lifting his head. "I sincerely apologise for jumping to conclusions," he said in a low voice, apologies coming hard for him.

"I haven't advertised that he's a Potter, for his protection," she continued. "I'm sure it will soon be out though, once he begins school." Looking between the two agents, she nodded. "I'll let you meet him, if you'd like, but I'd really like to finish our business at present, so I can get home to my son."

"We obviously have much to discuss," Remus agreed, "but I want to thank you for allowing us to meet him." 'How are we going to explain to Harry?' he inwardly agonized.

Sirius' thoughts were very similar. 'Could I have fucked up Harry's life any worse?'

Hermione looked between the two men, puzzled. "Look, I can give you a copy of my inventory from Dragon Island, but we didn't need to meet for that, so what information do we need to share?"

Remus pulled himself up, knowing this is hardly the time to sort out this mess. Frankly, he even realised that he needed to talk with Harry first, once he and Sirius sorted some things out between the two of them.

"We didn't realise the Ministry would be sending you into the field on this," Remus replied smoothly. "My undercover team and I had been keeping Dragon Island under surveillance for some time, actually."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Then that man that showed up when my Apparation failed, it was one of your team that showed up?"

Remus and Sirius flashed a look at each other. "Yes," they answered in unison, offering no further explanation.

Hermione assimilated the information. "I've jeopardized your operation?" She asks the question bluntly, having already figured out that her visit to the Island had created a problem.

"I wouldn't say jeopardized, but rather caused a few ripples we would have liked to have avoided," Remus answered.

Nodding, Hermione opened her briefcase, spelled to hold much more than an observer would realise. She pulled out two thick sheaves of parchment, pushing them toward the men. "This is my list of inventory. The Ministry hasn't seen fit to tell me what they're looking for, but maybe this will help." She doesn't apologise for nosing in on their turf, as she was only doing her job.

Sirius glanced at Remus before speaking, as if seeking validation. He finally glanced at the younger woman. "Atlantis," he answered simply.

Hermione snorted, looking amused. "I didn't expect you to tell me, but you don't have to tease." She was well aware the Atlantean Project existed, but surely that was just a project title.

Remus shook his head. "We're serious, very serious. And we have to find the information we need before the Death Eaters do."

Hermione still looked incredulous between the both of you. "Atlantis is a myth," she stated, as if that ended the matter.

"Hermione, you're smarter than that," Remus reminded her. "I was your professor once, and I know."

Even Sirius gave Hermione a puzzled look. "I'm sure you used to think wizards and witches were a myth too."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose if dragons are real...," and she trailed off, remembering Norbert.

Remus ran a hand through his graying hair. "Atlantis was destroyed for a reason. Voldemort found that reason. Now the new Dark Lord is seeking the same power."

"New Dark Lord?" Hermione questioned quickly.

"Malfoy, the younger," Sirius spat in response. "He's called The Dragon."

"Oh dear Merlin," she cried out at that, remembering their paths crossing so very recently. "Will he be after Edward?"

Until today, Remus and Sirius had had no idea Harry even had a son. They'd been worried enough that The Dragon would be after Harry, but now he had a son in danger as well.

"Most likely," Sirius answered honestly. "He'll be safe at Hogwarts though." His mind already clicking, making plans to protect the boy.

Hermione rose from her seat. "I'm...I need to get home. I'll be glad to arrange another meeting with you, but for now, I feel the need to see my son."

Remus and Sirius rose as well, understanding her need to protect him. She well knew what Harry had gone through.

"We'll meet again next week?" Remus offered. As badly as he wanted to meet Edward, he felt that Harry should have that privilege first.

"But the boy will be gone by then!" Sirius jumped in to protest.

"We'll have time for that later," Remus shook his head. He'd explain his reasoning to the other man later.

Hermione just glanced between them both, a bit boggled by their behaviour. "Just arrange it with Werlin," she answered quickly. Before they could say another word, she apparated with a pop.

"Fuck, Remus! What have we done?" Sirius finally expelled the deep breath he'd been holding since Hermione had told them of Edward.

Remus knees gave out, and he collapses into a chair. "This can't be easily fixed. We have to think about this."

"He won't forgive us," Sirius groaned, moving to sit next to him. "We should never have assumed..."

"But we did, and it's done," Remus interrupted. "And if we aren't careful, we'll put both Harry and Edward in even more danger." He leveled his gaze at Sirius. "Harry won't be rational about this."

"Who could blame him?" Sirius sighed, burying his head in his hands.

After talking a bit more, the two men left the Ministry and went to face the man they considered a son. The man they had horribly wronged.