The Diary

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapter 41*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Soon*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

~Hogwarts, Present~

Thomas took a seat in one of the front seats of the classroom while his father leaned up against the professor's desk with his arms crossed in a comfortable manner. "So, what's up?" Harry asked his son.

"I found something," he answered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket. Harry examined it in his hand with a look of awe. "It was Mum's, wasn't it?"

"Where did you get this?"

"I... I found it."

"Where?" Harry asked more insistently. He held Thomas by the shoulders and shook him slightly. "This is very important. Where did you get this?"

"Here," he answered, "I found it in one of the corridors here."

Harry sighed, "Why do I get the feeling that you aren't telling me something?" Thomas shrugged. "It's probably because you are hiding something." He pushed off the desk and pocketed the locket. "Thank you for this but if you aren't going to talk then my time here is done."

Thomas stood up and sighed, "Sorry, Dad."

Harry walked over and placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry. I've been so busy that I've been ignoring you."

Thomas hugged him and Harry smiled as he hugged back. "I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, son."

~Auror Infirmary, August 1, 2005~

"Happy birthday," Kali whispered to the small bundle she carried in her arms. Her face was slick with perspiration but she smiled brightly at her new daughter. "I wonder where your dad is. Maybe he's getting your big brother or maybe he still can't figure out what to name you."

The door to her private room creaked open. "Morning, luv." Harry walked over, with fifteen month old Tom in his arms, and planted a kiss on his wife's lips.

"Good morning, Harry." Tom began to fidget, trying to reach his mum. "Switch?" she asked. Harry nodded and they traded children. He coddled the newborn in his arms and rocked her gently, while Kali calmed their son. "Thought of a name yet?"

"I thought of a middle name but not a first name," he answered. He brought the baby closer to Tom and Kali. "What do you think, Tom?"

"Ti-Na!" he shouted with a fit of giggles.

"You mean tiny?" Kali asked, "Small?" The toddler nodded vigorously in agreement.

"I got it!" Harry exclaimed. "Kristina... what do you think?"

She smiled lovingly at her husband and daughter. "I love it. What about you big boy? Do you like Kristina?"

"Yes," Tom answered enthusiastically.

"Then I think we have a name."

"Welcome to the world Kristina Lillian-Rose Potter," Harry whispered.

~Potter Residence, Godric's Hollow~

The morning sunlight was beginning to filter through the gap between the curtained window, melting the October frost that had formed on the glass during the night. Harry stretched out as Kali yawned. They were both half-awake, not wanting to get out of bed. "Do you hear that, Harry?"

"Hear what?" he asked.

"Peaceful silence," she answered, "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "Do you have to go to the office today?"

"Yes, I have to look over some of the things Jon found. Tom is still over with Draco and Ginny."

"What about Krissy?"

"I'm going to take her to Dad's. No one is watching him so our secret will still be safe," she told him. "But let's not talk about it. Let's just enjoy this nice, quiet moment by ourselves."

Just as the words left her lips a piercing cry issued forth from the room next theirs. "Your turn or mine?"

"Mine," Kali sighed as she forced herself out of bed. "You better get ready for work."

Harry threw the covers off and walked toward Kali. "After I make some breakfast."

"You are far too good for me," she sighed before lightly kissing him.

"I know," he smiled mischievously. Kali smacked him playfully and left to find out what was wrong with the newest Potter.

~Auror HQ~

Kali sighed and threw down her quill. She had been sitting at her desk for hours. She had hoped to leave the office and be home by now.

"Troubles, Kali?" Jon asked as he looked up from his book.

"No, I'm just frustrated. That's all," she replied as she rubbed her eyes.

He nodded his head towards the door. "Why don't you head outta here? I can handle the rest."

"Are you sure?" Kali asked.

He nodded. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I weren't."

"Thank you so much!" she said as she quickly gathered her things. "I'll try to come in later this week to finish up or..."

"Just go home already!"

~Lupin Manor~

After apparating in a safe area, Kali rapped on the door and waited for it to be opened. A few minutes passed and still no answer. She knocked harder but still nothing. She tried the doorknob, finding it to be unlocked, and entered the house. "Hello?" She quietly closed the door and began walking into the living room, thinking that it was quiet because of naptime. "Hello?" she called again and this time she heard a groan in response. "Sirius!" She rushed to her father's best friend, who was lying crumpled on the floor. "Sirius? Do you hear me?" He groaned again and she took it as a yes. "What happened?"

"Death Eaters," he told her, his voice hoarse. "They surprised us. I tried to stop them but..."

He began to lose consciousness but Kali shook him hard. "Where's Kristina? Where is she, Sirius?"

He passed out and she gently laid him back down before going to the fireplace. She started a fire with a simple spell and threw some silvery powder into it. "Auror department." The fire burned blue now. "Help, Aurors and medical assistance needed at Lupin Manor!"

After shouting her message, she flew up the stairs to the baby's room. The door was wide open and the lights were out. She gripped her wand tighter and slowly entered the room. "Hello?" she called. "Dad?"

"Over here, Kali."

She walked over to her father who was slumped up against the far wall of the room. He was breathing heavily, obviously in serious pain. Kali crouched next to him. "What happened? Where's Krissy?"

"I'm sorry, Kali, so sorry," he cried.

"Where is she, Dad?" she asked desperately.

"They took her. They knew she was here. They just walked in here and took her," Remus began to ramble.

Kali walked to the crib and dropped her wand. She knew it was going to be empty but she had to see it for herself. She reached in and withdrew Kristina's pink blanket and hugged it close to her chest. A sob racked her body and her knees buckled. Kali fell to the ground, crying into the blanket and, when Harry arrived minutes later, he joined her.

~Auror HQ, Present Time~

Florescent light filtered through the now open door that led to the detainment facility in the Aurors department. The dim light illuminated all the gray dust in the air, but Kay Covington didn't notice. She had been awake all night, half the night crying and the other in quiet thought.

"Professor Covington?" No answer. He closed the door and lit the torches "Professor Covington?" he asked again.

"It's Miss," she finally answered, "I quit being a professor before I left," she corrected quietly.

"I'm here to question you, Miss Covington. My name is Jon Quinn and I'm an Auror with the Ministry."

"I know, I'd be a fool to forget who you are," she told him.

He leaned up against the wall in front of her cell and studied the woman who was curled up, half hidden in the shadows of the cell. "Have we met before?"

Her lips curved into a small smile. "No, but I was once a Death Eater, remember?" He nodded. "We were warned about you, the American Auror and Auror Malfoy; two Aurors out for revenge for their fallen comrade, two men who will stop at nothing to avenge Kali Potter. Yes, I do know you."

Feeling a new feeling of uneasiness, Jon shifted his stance on the wall. "Telling me this isn't helping your case any."

"But can anything help my case?"

"You helping us find her."

"So the rumors are true, Kali Potter is alive."

He pushed himself off the wall and took a step closer to Kay. "What have you heard?" he asked.

She slid over the dirty floor of her cell till she was leaning up against the bars. "The Order has been quite a bit more active as of late," she told him, "searching and scouring for the lost Auror, Lupin-Potter. They..." Whatever she might've said next was drowned out as her scream rang through the room as she clutched her arm.

Jon rushed forward towards the cell with a look of concern and his wand drawn. "What's wrong?"

"My mark..." Kay cried, "it burns."

"What does that mean?" Her shrieks subsided and she whispered something that Quinn couldn't catch. He stepped closer to the cell; his face was mere inches away from the bars and her. "What was that?" he asked.

Her hand shot through the bars and took a fistful of his robes. With a quick jerk she pulled with all her might and knocked him unconscious with the bars. She swiftly got his wand and unlocked her cell, flung him into it and locked it.

With his wand still clutched in her hand she stared down at the unconscious Auror. "It means I'm being summoned," she told him. "The Heir is calling us to him." Kay Covington twirled the wand with her fingers playfully and smiled. "Thank you for the wand, Auror Quinn. I hope you enjoy your stay. I know I did." She sheathed the wand up her sleeve and calmly walked out of the Ministry unnoticed.

~Potter Residence, October 11^th, 2005~

Days past and Kali remained in a shell-shocked state. She never went anywhere without Krissy's pink blanket. "Mummy," called a small voice.

Kali looked down and saw her son, Tom, sitting at her feet. "Come here," she told him as she picked him up and placed him on her lap. She hugged Tom tightly and began crying again.

"Where Tina?" he asked innocently.

Kali sniffled and held Tom so that he was looking her. "She went away for a little while."

"Come back?"

"Yes, she'll be back soon." She hugged Tom again. "I love you, Tom," Kali told him, "Remember, I will always love you."

"I love you this much, Mummy!" he exclaimed as he stretched his arms out as far as they'd go, causing Kali to laugh.

"I forgot how much I loved your laugh," Harry whispered from the doorway, "I was afraid I was never going to hear it again."

"Tom just reminded me that we can't forget to laugh even if everything sucks."

Harry sighed, "You've been around Quinn too long. You're sounding like an American." He placed his hands on her shoulders and she laid her hand on his right hand. "We'll get her back. I promise."

"I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Kali," he said as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Why don't I take Tom downstairs and make some breakfast."

"That would be great. I have to finish something but I'll be down soon."

"Alright," Harry replied as he lifted their son from her lap.

When she knew that they were downstairs, Kali pulled a folded piece of parchment from under the blanket. She opened it up and whispered it aloud to herself. "Sorry to hear about your loss. I have stayed true to my vow and I'd hope you'd believe that this was not caused by me. I do suspect one of my Death Eaters to be the culprit but I will leave that in you and Potter's capable hands." She crumpled the letter in her hands and looked out the window. Her eyes took on a reddish tint causing them to look violet in the early light. "Whoever you are, I promise I'll kill you if anything happened to her.

~Potter Residence, October 20^th, 2005~

"Hoo!"

Kali looked up from her paperwork to find an owl perched on the nearby windowsill with a letter clutched in its talons. She walked over and retrieved the letter. Once free of its burden the owl took off leaving her with the letter. Kali opened the letter and gasped.

Missing something? Meet me on all Hollow's Eve at the hill on Baker Lane.

~Kay Covington

Kali stared at the letter in shock. She dropped it as if touching it burned her skin. The instant it was out of her grasp, it incinerated itself.

~Potter Residence, Godric's Hollow, Present~

Harry awoke to muffled yells coming from the living room. Begrudgingly, he got out of his warm, comfortable bed, slipped on a robe and grabbed his wand before heading down the stairs.

As he got closer the yells got more understandable. "Potter! Get your arse in here!"

Sighing, he entered the room and came face to face with Draco Malfoy's head floating just in front of his fireplace. "What is it, Malfoy?" he asked annoyed.

"We have a situation, Potter."

"What sort of situation?"

"Covington escaped," Draco informed him slowly.

"What?" Harry asked in shock.

"Quinn went in to interview her and she got the better of him," he clarified, "She knocked him unconscious and stole his wand."

"Where is he?"

"In the infirmary."

Harry seemed to be thinking while he stood there in silence. "I'll be there in about fifteen minutes. You're dismissed."

~Infirmary~

Harry Potter, chief field Auror, burst through the wood doors of the infirmary with Draco Malfoy following close behind. "Quinn!" he bellowed.

"Yeah, right here, Harry. You don't have to yell, geez," Jon called. He was sitting, leaning forward, on a white, sterile gurney. He was dressed in black slacks and a white business shirt with his Auror issued robe lying next to him.

"What happened?" he asked angrily, "How could an experienced Auror get bested by a professor?"

"She's Death Eater or at least use to be one." Harry continued to glare causing Jon to shift uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Harry. I went in there to give her the standard interrogation. She screamed in pain and I got too close to her cell. I was an idiot."

"You're right, you are an idiot," he agreed.

"Harry, I know but there is something I did learn."

"And what is that?" Draco asked.

"She was in pain because her mark was burning. She wasn't very mobile till it began to burn, Harry." He sighed, "I think she was being called and she could be with whomever right now."

"The good doctor give you the ok to return to duty?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Jon sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "and a whole lot of lectures about safety and my own stupidity. Speaking of which, can we leave now, before Susan starts yelling again?"

"Buck up, Quinn. Be a man!"

Jon hopped off the bed and grabbed his robes. "You're one to talk Mister 'I fear Ginny Weasley-Malfoy,'" he retort as they all exited the infirmary.

~October 30^th, 2005~

Maybe it was a mistake that I didn't tell anyone about Kay, but what's done is done and tomorrow I will confront her. I shall wake up at dawn's first light, dress for battle, kiss my wonderful Harry for what could be the last time, and say goodbye to my precious Tom. Of course, they will both be sound asleep when I say goodbye, so they won't know why I left. They will not know the truth till I return, if I return. It is very possible that I will be killed in this endeavor, so I wrote this just in case Covington won. I don't want to die and not let the ones I love know how I feel about them.

Ron~ Thank you for the laughs and thank you for believing in me. I was so relieved that you, Harry's best friend, accepted me since the beginning. I am sure that William will be one of Thomas's best friends. And I am sure that William will be a great friend to him, because he learned from the best. He learned from you and give my love to Amaryllis and Elizabeth as well.

Draco~ I will miss you. We both found love in the strangest places, didn't we? Thank you for being there for me when I need someone. You were the first one who noticed me and I cherish our friendship. You were always my best friend and my brother in spirit.

Uncle Sirius~ You taught me to waltz and have fun. You taught me that that there are more things to life than being the best. Teach Thomas how to love life and I know that you will teach him to be one of the best prankster to ever grace the Hogwarts school grounds, but just make sure that he knows how to not get caught. I'd like to see him follow in his father's footsteps and become Head Boy one day. Please help Harry move on when I am gone. He has suffered so much and I would hate myself if I caused him to sink deeper into his pain and forget how to live.

Dad~ Never think that you are any less of a man just because you are what you are. If anything it makes you better than the average wizard because you overcame the circumstance that life has thrown your way. Be proud and never let Uncle Sirius dye your fur a weird color again.

I know I wasn't the best or most perfect daughter in the world, but you didn't care. You loved me no matter what, even when I became a Slytherin. I know that you regret giving me up and I know that you think that I still resent you for it, but I don't. It is all in the past and we cannot change it. I love you, Daddy, and I will always be your little girl. I know you will be the best grandfather in the world to Thomas and I know you will be there for him just like you were there for me.

Harry~ I thank my lucky stars everyday since I found you. When I found you, I found someone who understood me and someone to put up with me. You amaze me everyday. You are so wonderful, so loving and so brave. I don't deserve you. You could have had any girl you wanted, but you chose me. Are you sure you were thinking clearly when you asked me to marry you?

We have seen the worst of what life has to offer but we have had our happy times. Our first kiss, our first trip to Hogsmeade together, nighttime flying, graduation, our wedding day, and the birth of our son and our little girl; those memories will always be with me not matter where fate chooses to take me. They will always remind me about the happy times and all the love that I was surrounded by.

Don't let my death cause you to retreat into the shell you once had. You have to be strong. You have to move on without me. If not for yourself or me then do it for Thomas. You have to be there for him. You have to be there for the both of us, because I cannot be there. Don't try to do everything yourself; you are surrounded by people who love you and Thomas. Dad, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco; they will all be there to help you. And I will be there also. I will watch over you and Thomas for as long as I can, because heaven could never compare to life with the both of you. You were the best thing that happened to me and I'll treasure our time together for all eternity. I love you Harry, always and forever.

My little Tom~ My son. You were the best thing that has ever and will ever come from me. You look like your father already, only you have my eyes. I guess it's a Potter thing. I am very sorry Tom. I am sorry that I won't be there to see your father teach you to ride a broomstick. I am sorry I won't be there when you get your acceptance letter or when you get your first wand. I am sorry I won't be there with your father as you board the big red train to Hogwarts. I am sorry I won't be there to watch you grow up into the fine young man I know you will become. You are only one but I know you will be a powerful wizard, but with power there is always a consequence. Your life will not be easy. Those who chose to follow the dark side will hunt you. They will fear you, but never fear them. They will use your fear against you and you will lose. Always be strong and always be brave. And remember that you are who you are and changing that to fit some mold is erroneous and will always lead to trouble. I will always love you and I will always be there in spirit when you need me.

My Kristina~ My baby girl, I know that you may never read this or hear it but it must be said. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. Your future was ripped from you and I couldn't do anything to stop it. It saddens me everyday that I can never see you grow up into the fine young woman that I know you would've been. Be safe my little one.

I love you all and we will meet again someday, but until then goodbye.

Kali Lillian Lupin-Potter