A Window to the Past

Remus Lupin's breath caught in his throat as his hand found the small leather-bound book. Tonks was downstairs still sorting out boxes, having only moved in the previous day. He found himself looking towards the bedroom door, almost frightened that she might suddenly appear and ask what he was looking at.

He wasn't sure why he felt so uneasy. He withdrew the book from the battered old box under his bed in which it had lived, untouched, for the last seventeen years. There was a thick layer of dust on the embossed cover, and he gently wiped it clean with the sleeve of his moth-eaten jacket.

"Remus?" came the shout from downstairs, "Remus, could you give me a hand for a bit? Some of this stuff's really heavy..."

"Coming!" He had not taken his eyes off the book.

Several seconds passed and several loud thumps and thuds could be heard from downstairs. Remus took a deep breath and slowly opened the cover.

*

Gryffindor common room was a hive of activity. It was the middle of November, and students crowded the little room, assembled in small groups on armchairs, around tables, and on every available square-inch of floor. In the best armchairs in front of the blazing fire sat four boys, who laughed and joked loudly. The other students around them glanced over from time to time, wondering what the boys could possibly be plotting this time.

"And old Filchy's face was a right picture!" The boy with messy black hair and glasses was saying. James Potter was Head Boy of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but this didn't stop him from simultaneously being one of the school's biggest pranksters.

"You should have seen it, Pete." Sirius Black sat next to his best friend James; his face was handsome, and a curtain of wavy black hair fell to his shoulders. He flicked a strand carelessly away from his face as he spoke. Peter Pettigrew looked up at him from the floor, where he was sitting cross-legged, an expression of awe on his pudgy face. His watery eyes were fixed on Sirius and he listened intently.

"I can't believe you put a jinx on Filch so he came upstairs in a nightshirt," Remus Lupin said. He was a pale looking boy, but his messy brown hair and the sparkle in his eyes were, his friends knew, far more indicative of his personality than his rather frail appearance. "I think that might be the best one yet."

"And that's saying something," Sirius said proudly. "I am rather pleased with myself."

"Oi Padfoot, it was my bloody idea," James laughed, throwing a cushion at Sirius, who sent it tumbling from the sky with a lazy flick of his wand.

Remus shook his head, but he was still smiling.

"It can't have been your idea, Prongs," Sirius prodded, "you're head boy, remember. You'd never do a thing like that."

"Oh no," James said in mock innocence. "It wasn't me, Professor McGonagall. I'd never do that to poor miserable old Filchy."

They fell about laughing. The portrait which hung over the entrance to the common room swung open as they laughed, but as soon as James noticed who was walking through it, he sat bolt upright and straightened his face.

Lily Evans was marching across the common room, looking less than happy. Her best friend, Ava Rose, followed behind her, struggling to keep up.

"Er, I'll be back in a minute," James said, looking slightly terrified. He leapt to his feet and dashed across the common room towards the dormitory stairs. Unfortunately, Lily was too quick for him.

"Oi, Potter!" she shouted, apparently furious. James stopped in his tracks, and turned slowly to face Lily.

"Er...yeah?"

"What the hell are you doing parading Filch around in his pyjamas?"

Most of the students in the room turned round to stare at James; some of them confused, others with their hands over their mouths, hiding their sniggers.

"I...wh...I never....I don't know what you're talking about!" he spluttered.

"That was the least convincing lie I've ever heard," she said, flicking her long red hair over her shoulder. "You did it, and McGonagall knows you did it, and you're making a complete bloody mockery of Gryffindor."

James looked shocked, then hurt. For a moment, he looked like he might shout back at Lily, but instead he said: "Sorry Evans."

It was Lily's turn to look shocked. "Oh," she said quietly. "Er, well...good." She looked into his dark eyes, confused at this sudden change of character. James was glancing nervously around him, apparently looking for a way to escape. "I just wish you'd be serious for two seconds. And take your head out from up your arse."

"She'll be lucky," Sirius muttered over by the fire.

"I can be serious," James said, putting on his best serious face.

"You look like you're constipated," she sniffed. "Anyway," she said after a moment, "I'm off to the library. I just had to come and shout at you first." She turned to leave, but James followed her; across the common room, then out of the portrait hole.

Ava rolled her eyes and wandered over to the fire. She plonked herself into James's empty seat and sighed heavily. "They might as well just get married right now," she said, pulling a pack of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans out of a pocket in her cloak.

"Whatever they do I wish they'd hurry up and get it over with. Either get married or kill each other," Sirius said, "I'd be happy either way."

Ava took a handful of Beans, then passed the packet to Sirius. "How are you guys anyway?"

"Alright thanks," Peter said. "I'm still writing that essay for Professor Slughorn."

Ava exhaled sharply. "Finished it," she said with a grin. "You want that book from the library...what was it?" She screwed up her eyes in thought. "'Devilish Draughts and their Angelic Antidotes'. It's all in there. I pretty much just copied out chapter four."

"You are lazy, aren't you?" Sirius said, grabbing the Every-Flavour Beans from Peter, who had cautiously taken them off the armchair next to Ava, and had still been searching through them for one that looked safe.

"How are you Remus?"

Remus looked slightly harassed. He seemed exhausted, and Ava studied his face in concern. "I'm fine," he said. "No really," he added when she looked unconvinced.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You do worry me, Remus Lupin," she said, but then let it drop. Remus looked grateful.

Just then, the portrait swung open again, and James reappeared in the common room, looking mightily pleased with himself.

"What's up with you?" Sirius said, craning his neck to get a better look at James.

"Nothing."

"I thought Lily was angry with you?" Peter said, obviously confused.

"Well not exactly," he said, a grin splitting his face. "She was angry with me."

"Oh right," Ava said, raising her eyebrow. "And what is she now?"

But James just grinned.

*

"She's never told anyone, Moony," James said confidently, but Remus did not calm down.

"So why am I getting jibes and snide comments and bloody...howls?" Remus was furious. His fists were clenched, the knuckles white.

"Calm down, mate," Sirius said. "It's blatantly Snape that's done it, isn't it?" He was pacing around the boys' dormitory, stepping over Peter, who was sitting on the floor, each time he completed a lap.

"That slimy little git deserves the hexing of his life," James muttered.

Remus collapsed onto his bed, frustration and anger bubbling inside him.

"Sorry," he said eventually.

James crossed the room and sat next to Remus. "Just ignore it," he said. "It's not a big deal to Dumbledore, so it doesn't matter. To be fair, Snape could come running into the Great Hall at breakfast time and dance around on top of the teachers table shouting 'Remus Lupin's a werewolf' and nobody would listen to him. Everyone knows he's a miserable little scrote."

This comment didn't seem to make Remus feel better at all. "He better not," he said, still looking miserable. "This is the last bloody year, you'd think he'd be sick of it now."

"Well it's not like he's got anything better to do," James said.

"Yeah, except follow Lily round," Sirius smirked. James scowled.

"Why does it matter?" Peter said quietly, looking very upset.

Remus stared at him incredulously. "What do you mean, 'why does it matter'?" His voice was growing louder again.

James leaned forward. "I think what Peter means is that we don't think it matters. We're your mates, Moony. We couldn't care less if you were a werewolf or a dragon or bloody Filch in disguise..."

"Dunno about the last one," Sirius muttered.

"You're you. And you're one of my best mates. And I wouldn't have you any other way."

Remus was quiet. "Thanks, Prongs," he said finally. "It just doesn't get any easier."

"Mate," Sirius said, moving towards the bed. "We're here for you. We all think you're wicked. Me, Prongs, Wormtail," (Peter nodded fervently,) "Lily. And Ava. We don't care that once a month you get a little bit hairy and try and savage us all."

"You're one of us Moony. We need you," James said grinning.

"Yeah, we'd never get away with half of those pranks without you," Sirius teased.

Remus cracked a smile. "Cheers," he said, and James threw an arm around him. "Come on then," he said eventually. "It's dinner time and I could eat a horse."

Sirius laughed. "Maybe tomorrow night you will."

*

The dungeon was quiet except for the two boys' ragged breathing.

"What do you want me to do about it, werewolf?" Snape spat. "It doesn't matter who's spreading gossip about you: when people's parents find out, you'll be gone for good," Snape snarled as he raised his wand at Remus, who did not back down, although he looked terrified. "You, Potter and Black cause nothing but trouble, prancing around as if you own the school. I've put up with years of this and I won't take it a moment longer!" Snape's face was set in an expression of both anger and revulsion as he glared at Remus, who raised his wand to defend himself, completely unable to think of what to say.

Suddenly the dungeon door burst open, and Lily appeared. Snape's hand fell immediately. She wore an expression of shock and it took her a moment to be able to speak.

"What's going on here?" Her voice was high and tight.

"Nothing," Remus said hurriedly, and he shoved his wand into his pocket before picking up his bag and heading for the dungeon door.

Lily crossed the room to where she had been sitting and picked up the textbook she had forgotten. She still looked extremely unnerved and shot what looked like a questioning look at Snape, but all he did was glower. Lily and Remus left the dungeon without another word, Snape staring after them.

It wasn't until they were at the top of the dungeon steps and heading towards the Great Hall that Lily turned to Remus. "What was that about?"

"Nothing Lily, really," he said with a sigh. "Snape just hates my guts, that's all."

"What did he say to you?" she said gently.

"He's going to tell everyone."

"He won't," Lily said firmly.

"How do you know? All I've heard lately is people whispering, I've seen them all staring at me in the corridors. One of the first years took one look at me and started crying."

"He hasn't made anybody do that, Remus."

"Then who has?" He shook his head. "I don't understand why you stick up for him," he said flatly.

Lily frowned. "You never seriously thought it was Ava," she said. "And no Slytherin would admit it if you confronted them. I don't know if Snape did it or not, but I know for a fact that she didn't, and so do you. I think you just want a reason to be angry with her."

Remus stared at his shoes.

"Look," she said slowly, "What James said is right. Your friends donn't give a damn that you're - "(she glanced around cautiously) " - well, about your furry little problem. Don't take it out on the people that care about you - they're the ones who you need to hold on to. And I really think it was a bad idea having it out with Severus. Just keep your head up, don't rise to it."

Remus sighed. "Merlin, I feel like an idiot now. I don't even know why I thought Ava would do that in the first place."

Lily looked at him but said nothing.

"Please don't tell her," he said. "She already thinks I'm enough of an idiot."

"No she doesn't," Lily said soothingly "You might have acted like one, but she doesn't think you're an actual idiot."

"That's reassuring," he said, but his lip curled upward into a lopsided grin.

She took his arm and led him over to the Gryffindor table where Ava sat with James, Sirius, Peter and Frank. They were reading the sports section of the Daily Prophet.

"Want some pie Moony?" Ava said, pushing the dish towards him.

"Thanks," he said, and smiled his first genuine smile that day.

*

The noises from the party could not be heard by the lake. Remus stood on the bank, the breeze tousling his hair. He looked up at the sky and the stars; there was a new moon.

"Want some company?"

He had not heard her approach.

"Always," he said earnestly.

Ava stood by his side, a bottle of butterbeer in her hand, her cheeks pink from dancing.

"Some party," she said after a while. "Frank was doing the twist. He knocked poor Flitwick over."

Remus laughed. "He's a great dancer is Frank."

"Have you had a good time?" she asked, looking at him intently.

Remus looked thoughtful. "I have," he said.

"But?"

"But what?" He looked confused.

"Well that wasn't particularly convincing," she said.

He didn't speak.

The breeze blew again, and they heard an owl hoot nearby.

"You having a good time?" he said.

"Really good, yeah. I've been looking forward to it for ages. It's nice doing these things in our last year. It was a really good idea of Lily's. I'd prefer it if Jake Minter would stop appearing behind me every two seconds, but hey." Ava shrugged. She took a swig of her butterbeer, then offered the bottle to Remus, whose face was set in a frown. He took it without speaking.

"She and James seem really happy." Remus said, his voice sounding oddly strained. "Finally."

Ava laughed. Remus passed the bottle back.

"You didn't look very happy in there," she observed.

"I'm tired," he said, turning his head away from her.

"You're always tired," she said.

They looked out over the lake. For a moment Remus seemed to be concentrating very hard. He opened his mouth to speak, but then seemed to think better of it.

"Come on Remus. Spit it out."

He shook his head.

"Oh what a cop out," Ava said disdainfully.

At this, Remus turned to her suddenly and grasped her shoulders; the butterbeer bottle dropped out of her hand and fell softly onto the grass. He stared into her eyes, they were wide with surprise.

Neither moved for a moment. The breeze seemed to have disappeared completely and the noises of the night had faded into the distance.

"I know you thought it was me that told the Slytherins," she said quietly.

Remus's eyes widened in surprise. "I..." But he didn't finish the sentence.

He suddenly released her shoulders. He seemed to crumple, and the next moment he had sunk down onto the grass. She sat down next to him.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I don't think that. I never really thought that."

Ava made a noise halfway between a laugh and a cough. "Please," she said.

"Look, I just thought... I don't know what I thought. I was being an idiot. Lily said I was an idiot."

"I know," she said. "She was right. You're being a bit of an idiot now, actually," she said matter-of-factly.

"Stick to what you're good at," he scowled.

"Remus I hate this stupid atmosphere."

He let out a mirthless laugh.

"Come on," she said, prodding his arm. "Yeah, it was a stupid thing to think. And I'd understand if you thought it was me if you saw me talking to Mulciber, but I think the guy's a loser. I only talk to him because he's on the Slytherin team and he's told me their tactics on more than one occasion. He's Gryffindor's secret weapon."

They both laughed, and Remus exhaled slowly. He hadn't seen her talking to Mulciber, but he didn't say anything. He turned towards her and examined her face carefully.

"You know I don't really think you'd shop me to the Slytherins, don't you?"

She nodded.

"And you know how much I think of you, don't you?"

She nodded again, but then Remus turned and shook his head. She blinked, confused, then her face set in a frown.

"Maybe we should go back," she said.

He nodded, perhaps a little too quickly, then got to his feet. "Sorry again," he muttered, then turned and started back across the grounds towards the castle.

*

"This is impossible," Sirius said, slamming another book down on the table and earning a look from Madam Pince that could turn a basilisk to stone.

"Calm down Padfoot," Ava said, calmly flicking through the pages of the latest edition of Transfiguration Today. "I reckon Dumbledore might have an article in here. He'd be well impressed if I quoted him in the exam."

"Dumbledore won't be marking the exam," Lily said flatly.

"Well yeah," Ava said, sounding slightly deflated, but determined not to be derailed. "But McGonagall would tell him. And then he'd mark me up."

Remus raised his eyebrows.

"How you doing, Moony?" James said. He was hidden behind a pile of textbooks so enormous that all that could be seen of him was a few fronds of his messy hair sticking up over the top.

"Not good," Remus said, chewing the end of his quill. "I'm not sure how you're meant to make revision notes when we don't have the first clue what the bloody exam is about."

"It's an exam, Moony," Sirius said sarcastically. "What do you think they're going to do? Ice the questions onto a full box of chocolates and have it delivered by flamingo?"

Peter giggled.

Ava pushed her book away from her and leant back in her chair. "I really don't see me doing any better for revising than if I go and sit in the common room playing Exploding Snap for the next week. If we don't know it now we're never going to know it."

Lily gave her a reproachful look and continued poring over her book.

"At least this way you'll take the exam with your eyebrows intact," Remus said, laughing. Sirius snorted.

"I don't even know what I'm gonna do with this stuff," he said. "I doubt I'm the most employable of people."

"Unless anyone wants a clown," Ava joked, but Sirius just frowned.

"At least you lot are legally allowed to get a job," Remus said.

"Come on Moony," James said. "Don't think like that."

"Well what's the point in a werewolf taking exams?" he said. They all glared at him. "I'm serious; I'm not feeling sorry for myself. It's the truth."

"You do it," Ava said, "and you try hard at it for you. Not for anyone else. Who cares if you can't get a job. Who even cares if you fail all your exams..."

"Oh cheers," Remus said. "Now I feel a lot better."

"Shut up," she said, ploughing on. "Take the exams and do your best. Whether you can use them for a job or not, you should still do your best. You won't do well thinking that you can't use them when you get out of here. You're only going to do well if you're doing it for yourself."

Remus smiled. "Alright," he said.

"Good," Ava patted his arm and went back to Transfiguration Today.

A crash from behind them caused them all to turn sharply. Severus Snape was lying on the floor under a large pile of books, Madam Pince hurrying over with a face like thunder.

Sirius let out a laugh like a bark, and James's head could be seen bobbing up and down behind his pile of books.

"Whatever happens mate," Sirius chuckled, "you're gonna do better than him."

*

Three quarters of the stadium erupted. Cheers filled the stands, and the Gryffindors jumped up and down, elated. Lily, Remus and Peter were hurrying down towards the pitch to congratulate the team.

"We did it! We did it!" Ava was shouting, her broom cast aside as she rushed forward to hug Lily. James and Sirius were singing a Gryffindor chant at the tops of their voices, and the rest of the team were running around the pitch in a sort of victory lap.

"Well done," Peter said breathlessly. "That was so exciting."

Lily was still hugging Ava. "That was amazing," she was saying. "That goal was incredible."

"I can't believe it," she gasped. "We've won the cup...I've never scored that many. Ever. I was so bloody nervous."

James was now hugging Remus; he was so enthusiastic that he nearly knocked Remus over onto Lily.

"I know you were," Lily said. "I don't know how you do it. I could never get up there and do that, with all that pressure, all those people watching. And you had to win, you had to..." All of this came out in one very fast breath.

"I just got up there and felt calm," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "It was weird. I was just thinking about what Remus said. Then I felt fine."

The rest of the Gryffindor supporters were swarming forward onto the pitch, and the team was swept up onto their shoulders. Photographs were taken and more cheers rippled across the stadium. The defeated Slytherins were slinking off to the changing rooms; the rest of their house was drifting back across the grounds, looking thoroughly miserable.

Eventually, James, Sirius and Ava were released by the crowd, and they headed off to get changed. "We'll see you upstairs for the party!" James shouted.

Peter set off towards the castle with Frank, who was excitedly describing his favourite moments of the match, gesticulating wildly.

Lily and Remus followed them at a distance. Scores of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs hurried past them; they too were celebrating - most didn't mind who won the Quidditch Cup - as long as it wasn't Slytherin.

"I'm so pleased for them," Lily said.

"Me too. Ava was terrified at breakfast," Remus said.

"Yeah," Lily said thoughtfully. "What did you say to her?"

Remus shrugged. "I just told her not to worry about it and to think that she wasn't just doing it for Gryffindor, she was doing it for herself."

"Really?" Lily said, sounding interested.

"Yeah. She wasn't going to do well unless she did it for herself."

Lily grinned broadly and put her arm around Remus, squeezing him tightly.

"What?" he said, looking puzzled.

Lily grinned still wider. "Nothing," she said.

*

The sun blazed across the Hogwarts grounds - it was the hottest day of the year so far. Groups of students lay in groups across the grass, staring up at the perfectly blue sky. Six of these students sat under the great oak by the lake, their faces shaded under the branches that swayed peacefully in the gentle breeze. They talked animatedly; they had just finished the last of their exams, and their time at the school was almost at an end.

"I don't want to go, it's too sad," Lily wailed. She was lying on the grass next to James, who had an arm around her.

"Oh yeah, I'll be devastated to see the back of old Filchy, he really is a ray of sunshine in my otherwise thoroughly boring life," Sirius said sarcastically, and they all laughed.

"Poor Filch," Ava said, looking as though she didn't mean this at all.

"Come on, he'll be over the moon when we've all gone," James grinned.

"No he won't," Ava smirked. "He'll have nothing to do. He'll be bored out of his brains."

"Maybe we should leave him a few surprises," Sirius suggested, looking gleeful.

"Don't you think we should give him a break, just this once?" Remus said half-heartedly, and Sirius and James both chorused, "No way!"

"I think I might miss him a little bit," Peter mumbled.

"You what, Wormtail?" Sirius looked incredulous.

"I dunno," Peter said. "We've just spent so much time with him."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "In detention! Bloody hell, Pete, would you like us to tell him how much you'll miss him?"

"Or maybe kidnap Mrs Norris as a souvenir," Ava chuckled.

Peter blushed.

"I won't miss her," Remus said matter-of-factly. "The amount of times I had to stand lookout for you two only for her to appear right next to me on the map."

"Weren't a very good prefect, were you Moony?" Ava grinned.

"Not really," he admitted.

"Good on you," Sirius said, slapping Remus on the back.

Lily was looking thoughtful, then she said: "What will you miss?"

They all fell silent as memories of the last seven years washed over them like warm summer rain.

"This," Remus said. "All of us here like this."

"We'll still be mates after Hogwarts, Moony," James said reassuringly.

"Yeah, but it won't be the same. We're going out into that war. This is the last place we can be safe, the last place we can really be relaxed. It'll never be like this again once we leave."

"Well that's buggered the atmosphere, hasn't it?" Sirius said, and Remus shrugged.

"OK," Lily tried again. "Something less sad."

"Potions," Peter said quickly, and they laughed. Peter was notoriously bad at Potions. Even with Lily's help he had failed his O.W.L. and had dropped the subject completely before N.E.W.T..

"That was quite witty for you, Pete," Ava giggled.

"I'm gonna miss the food," Sirius said. "Those elves are bloody brilliant. Nothing like that pathetic excuse for a house-elf my parents keep. I'd take your mum's cooking any day over that, Prongs." Sirius grinned at James, who smiled back.

"What about you, Lil?" James said, picking up a strand of her hair and twirling it between his fingers.

"I'll miss learning more," Lily piped up.

"Typical," James rolled his eyes.

Lily glared at him. "Do you really think you know enough magic to go out there and be an adult?" she said, disbelieving.

"Yeah," James said.

"Probably the wrong person to ask that, he is," Sirius grinned. "He thought he knew it all after first year."

"And that's why you love me," James said, more to Sirius than to Lily.

"What about you, Rosie?" Sirius looked at Ava, who was attempting to transfigure a bee that was buzzing around a nearby buttercup.

Ava thought about it for a moment. "All of it," she said finally.

"Even Filch?" Sirius said, clearly shocked that more than one person might miss the crusty old caretaker.

"Well..." Ava thought again. "Yeah, probably even Filch. I know he's a miserable old git and can't stand to see anyone having fun, but in a way that's almost endearing. He's certainly kept you two on your toes."

Sirius and James looked affronted at the suggestion that Filch might have been clever enough to make their jobs as school mischief-makers harder than it might have been were he not there, but both had to concede that Filch certainly had forced them to prank outside the box. For that they had to be grateful.

Peter looked relieved that he wasn't the only one to say that life without Filch might be somewhat empty.

Lily sat up slowly, blinking in the bright sunlight, and she stretched for a moment before standing up. "I'm going to the Owlery," she said, picking up her bag. "I said I'd send an owl home to let them know how the last exam went."

"Want me to come with you?" James asked, getting to his feet.

"OK," Lily smiled. "See you upstairs," she said to the others, and she and James started off across the grounds towards the castle.

"Think I might go inside too," Remus said. "I'm starting to feel a little...furry again."

Ava looked up at him, shielding her eyes from the sun's glare with her hand. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said, "I'll be glad when this one's over."

"Last time in the shack, eh?" Sirius said. "End of an era."

"If only." Remus laughed ironically, before standing up. Ava was getting up too.

"Don't you want to stay outside?" he said.

"Nah," she said. "It's not as much fun when we're not all here. See you later, Padfoot, Wormtail."

Peter waved, and Sirius lay back on the grass with his hands behind his head.

They strolled across the lawn, taking in the grounds as they went, waving at various friends from other houses, all sunning themselves and enjoying their freedom from exams. When they reached the steps up to the castle, Remus turned to Ava.

"Thank you," he said. Ava looked surprised.

"For what?" she said, nonplussed.

"For being understanding. For knowing about my, er...problem all this time and keeping it to yourself."

"What was I going to do? Transfigure myself into Dumbledore and make an announcement to the school at the end of year feast?"

Remus grinned. "I just mean that I'm grateful to you. I wanted you to know."

"OK," she said, but she still looked confused. They stood in silence for a moment. "Shall we get some tea?"

"Yeah," Remus nodded. He inhaled sharply as she took his hand and squeezed it.

"Come on Moony," she said. "You're going to need some energy if you're prowling around with those three all night."

He smiled and followed her into the Great Hall.

*

A lot can happen in a year, Remus thought as he stood at the edge of the flower trimmed garden, listening to the tinkling of laughter and glasses; he watched James and Lily as they wandered amongst their wedding guests. He sipped his drink and moved towards the nearest table, at which Sirius was sitting with Ava.

"No," she was saying, "there weren't ever men in the Holyhead Harpies. They've always been an all-witch team."

"Yeah," replied Sirius, "but what I'm saying is that someone had to teach them how to play, right?"

Ava nearly choked on her Firewhisky, and Sirius smirked.

"You do like to wind her up, don't you Padfoot?" Remus chuckled, joining them at the table. "Are you sure it's wise to rile Ava when she's got a drink inside her?"

She turned to Remus, looking shocked. "How dare you!" she cried, but both men could see she was laughing. "That was a one off," she said meekly. "And he was asking for it." Remus laughed again as he recalled the time at the Seventh Year Ball when she had knocked out Jacob Minter, a burley Hufflepuff who'd tried to be a little bit too friendly.

Moths fluttered around the lamps that lit the garden, and the smell of lilies perfumed the air. The guests chattered happily; it had been a lovely ceremony and all were feeling somewhat misty-eyed. "It's wonderful," Frank Longbottom had said earlier, "that we have this island in the middle of the storm. Friends together, we can forget for one day that the world doesn't want us to be this happy. All that matters is each other."

Frank certainly seemed to be adhering to this motto as he was now dancing in an extremely carefree fashion with his wife, Alice; they span carelessly on the dance floor, James laughing loudly as they nearly knocked over Peter.

Sirius stood up, and he motioned towards the floor. "Fancy a dance?"

"Nah," Ava said, stretching. Remus shook his head.

"Oh come on, it's a bloody wedding - am I really going up there to make a fool of myself alone?"

Ava rolled her eyes. "Alright," she said, getting to her feet. "Coming Moony?"

Remus shook his head again, and Ava followed Sirius to the floor, where they both grabbed hold of James and forced him into a rather clumsy looking twist. Lily stood back to keep out of harm's way, then shouted something to the group before heading towards the table where Remus was sitting.

"I'm exhausted!" She was breathless; partly, Remus assumed, from the dancing, and partly because of the excitement of the day. He pulled out a chair and she collapsed into it.

"I'm so happy for you, Lily," Remus said after a moment.

She smiled, slightly tearfully, and leaned forward to hug her friend. "I can't believe it. I never knew this would happen."

"I did," Remus was smiling. "I knew all along." Remus looked away onto the dance floor where James, Sirius and Ava were all dancing what looked like a slightly awkward three-way tango.

Lily smiled wryly. "Funny," she said, "how obvious these things are to other people, when you can't even see them yourself."

Remus was still looking across the garden, but Lily knew he had heard.

There was a pause, and they heard the cry of one of the revellers as Frank stood on their foot. Lily stared intently at Remus.

"Tell her," she said softly.

Remus didn't speak. Instead, he shook his head; the movement was almost imperceptible. When he turned to her again he was smiling.

"I can't." He sighed heavily. "We've all got so much to deal with. I couldn't be another thing for her to worry about, whether she felt the same way or not."

"She worries about you anyway," Lily said gently.

"It wouldn't work."

"Come on, Remus-"

"No, Lily. It wouldn't."

"OK." Lily put a hand on his arm. "It's your choice."

"And you know why I've made it."

"It's not like she doesn't know," Lily said, frowning.

"I know that," he sighed. "But her knowing about it doesn't change what it's like. You and James want children don't you?"

Lily nodded.

"Well, I can't have that. We've already talked about this."

Lily went quiet. She reached for the bottle of Firewhisky and poured a glass. "Here," she said, pushing it towards Remus, who accepted it gratefully. "Please have a nice time."

Remus laughed, and this time it was a genuine, warm sound that made Lily sigh with relief. "You, Lily Potter, are one of the most wonderful people I've ever met."

Lily grinned at him. "I'm glad you think so."

"How does it feel to be Mrs Potter?" Remus said, still grinning.

"Weird," she said. "But good." Lily giggled. She shook her head in disbelief, then her expression became more serious. "I hate that we had to get married in the middle of a war."

Remus's mouth set in a grim line. "It's terrifying." He gazed across the dance floor again, then looked back at Lily. "But no matter what happens to you he'll still be there."

"An anchor in a stormy sea," she said. "Always holding on to me."

Remus smiled at her, his eyes misty. "You're lucky," he said. "Lucky you can let someone in like that."

"I know," she said, looking straight into Remus's eyes. "Never let go of what's important to you."

Remus drained his glass, then placed it on the table. "Thanks, Lil," he said as he stood up, then he turned and made his way across the dance floor.

*

The kitchen of the Burrow was crowded. Arthur had passed on Dumbledore's information, and hushed voices filled the air.

"It's horrific." Lily was shaking her head.

James nodded. He put an arm around his wife, and she turned to him.

"We've got to do something," she said.

"You're in no fit state to do anything," James said sternly.

"I'm not an invalid," she said, looking stung.

"No, and you're also not going to kill yourself and my unborn child by racing off to fight Death Eaters."

Lily still looked ruffled, but she said nothing.

"Something is going to be done," Ava said, "I'll be damned if I'm going to let them get away with this. That muggle killing sounded horrific. If anything like this happens again I'll be there like a shot."

Sirius, who had been on the other side of the room talking to Mad-Eye Moody, appeared behind James's shoulder.

"Any news of You-Know-Who?" Remus said quietly.

"Nope," Sirius grimaced. "They don't know where he is. No idea. He's too good at hiding himself; creating diversions, putting the heat on his lackeys. He doesn't care whether they live or die."

"Next time we'll be ready for him," Ava said hotly. "These task forces are a good idea. If we can break up an attack like this, we'll save some lives and get under his skin."

Peter sniffed, then turned to look at Moody.

Lily was pale. James led her over to the kitchen table, and she sat down heavily on one of the wooden chairs.

James knelt down in front of her. "Are you feeling OK?" he said, his face riddled with concern.

"I'm fine," she said. "My hormones have gone mad and I feel like I'm burning up, but apart from that I'm OK."

Sirius and Remus stood behind James, looking down at Lily. "Maybe you should get her home, Prongs," Sirius said, patting James's back in reassurance.

James turned back to Lily, and she nodded. He helped her out of her chair, then took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders before leading her across the room towards the door.

"See you later guys," he called, and then they were gone.

Ava sat down in Lily's vacated seat, and let out a low whistle.

"Scary stuff," she said.

Sirius grinned.

"I think it's amazing," he said. "Two years ago I thought Lily would be far more likely to kill James than to have his baby."

"How little you knew," Ava chuckled. "She was just waiting for him to get over himself. I think it was when he apologised to her for that prank at the beginning of the year. It's the first mature thing she'd seen him do."

"I think it's the first mature thing I ever saw him do," Sirius said, grinning.

"We could probably do with a cup of tea or something," Ava said, and she made to stand up.

"I'll do it," Remus said, and he crossed the kitchen towards the stove as she settled back into her chair.

There was a moment of quiet in which they could hear Molly Weasley chattering excitedly to her brothers about her sons, Bill and Charlie, and the twins, Fred and George; Gideon and Fabian were swelling with pride.

"Do you think this war will be over by the time the baby gets here," Sirius said thoughtfully.

Ava looked up at him, her lips pursed. She sighed, then said "I hope so, Padfoot. I really hope so."

*

Screams rent the air as a large group of hooded figures marched through the street, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. They were chanting and shouting, some of them were laughing, but the noises they made were nothing compared to the agonised shouts and sobbing from the people who fled from the houses that lined the street.

A small boy, who looked barely older than Bill Weasley, ran out into the road, searching for his mother. The figure at the front of the group cackled evilly, and raised his wand. The little boy looked up at him, his face blanketed in fear and confusion.

"Avada Kedavra," the man whispered, and an unseen expression of delight stole over him.

A jet of green light shot forth from his wand, and the little boy crumpled, his head cracking on the tarmac as he fell down, dead.

Crack. A cry went up from the group of Death Eaters, some of the shouts were panicked. Crack. More green light hurtled across the street. Crack. Crack. Crack.

More people had arrived on the scene. They surged forward to meet the hooded Death Eaters head on, jets of red light flying in all directions.

One of the dark figures fell down, temporarily stunned, and the others scattered.

Sirius Black was shouting at the top of his voice: "Close them down! Keep them together!"

Remus dashed around to the side of the crowd, placing himself between a burly Death Eater and a terrified couple. "Get out of here!" he yelled, then turned to face the huge, heavy set man who was advancing towards him.

Gideon and Fabian were in the thick of the action; they knocked out three Death Eaters and chased down another, who Disapparated with another crack.

Ava was duelling a slight-looking figure, who cackled manically as she charged across the moonlit street. She dodged another bright green curse, and sent more red light shooting towards the female Death Eater. The spell grazed the woman's arm and she let out a howl of rage.

"It'll be your head next time!" Ava spat, backing away to pull a teenage girl out of the path of a duel between James and a Death Eater who kept shouting crude insults with every curse he cast.

"Thank you," she gasped, and fled down the street away from the fighting.

As Ava turned back, a curse hit her square in the chest. She was flung backwards, and her body collided heavily with a lamppost, knocking her unconscious.

"Ava!" Remus shouted. He lunged forward towards the large Death Eater, who was still throwing curses at him. He caught the man around the waist, and in his surprise the Death Eater stumbled backwards, his wand falling from his hand and skidding across the tarmac. Remus jumped up, treading on the Death Eater in his haste to get across the street.

As he reached Ava, Sirius was already there.

"Get her out of here!" He screamed.

Sirius scooped Ava up and hurtled out of sight behind one of the houses.

Remus rounded on the female Death Eater. "Stupefy!"

Not anticipating the speed of his curse, she was thrown backwards and collided with three more Death Eaters behind her. Remus, James, Gideon, Fabian, Arthur and Moody now surrounded the remaining Death Eaters. Several of them seemed to have Disapparated in the heat of the battle, and those that remained looked severely weakened. The female Death Eater raised an arm, and the air was filled with a resounding crack. They were gone.

The members of the Order of the Phoenix breathed a collective sigh of relief. Sirius turned around to Remus, but he was already halfway across the street.

Behind the house where Sirius had vanished with Ava, Remus could see a light. The back door of the house was open, and Remus poked his head nervously through it.

Inside the dimly lit kitchen he could see Sirius, standing with his back to the door; next to him stood an elderly man in a dressing gown. Remus stepped through the door and crossed the room quietly. The man must have heard him, because he turned round suddenly.

"He's with me," Sirius said, as the man gasped in surprise.

Moving forward, Remus could see that Ava was propped up in a winged armchair next to a small formica table. A woman in a flowery night dress was leaning over Ava, a bowl of steaming liquid in her hand. She waved it under Ava's nose.

Her eyes fluttered, and she slowly lifted her head from the chair.

"It's alright dear," the old lady cooed. "You're safe now."

Sirius shot a questioning look at Remus, who nodded and mouthed They've gone.

Ava sat up slowly, surveying the room. "Who...?" she began, but her voice caught in her throat.

"I'm Marjorie," the woman said, "and this is my husband Des."

Des stepped forward, his wide eyes fixed on Ava. "Are you alright, Miss?" he asked, his voice trembling.

She nodded.

Marjorie turned to face Sirius. "We saw what happened," she said. "But we stayed inside."

"If he wants us," Des growled, "he can come in and kill us himself."

Sirius and Remus stared at Des, their mouths open in shock. He laughed humourlessly.

"My grandson just started at Hogwarts," he said. "First wizard in the family."

"We're very proud," Marjorie whispered, a tear glistening in her eye.

Ava was moving behind her, and as she tried to stand up, Sirius moved forward.

"Don't get up Rosie, just stay there for a bit yeah?"

"I need some fresh air," she said, and fought her way into a standing position, using Sirius as a crutch. She staggered through the kitchen and out through the back door. Their eyes followed her, then they heard the sound of vomiting.

"She'll be concussed, poor girl," Marjorie said. "She needs keeping awake."

"I'll go and make sure she's alright," Remus said.

He left through the back door, and found Ava huddled on a bench next to a large rose bush. Even in the darkness she looked green.

She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I take it they got away," she said after a while, her voice filled with bitter resentment.

"Yeah, we got them surrounded and they bolted. Gideon and Fabian scared the hell out of them," he chuckled.

Ava laughed, but it quickly turned to a pained whimper and she clutched the back of her head.

"This is the second time," she said through clenched teeth. "How many of these are there going to be?" She rubbed her head slowly, then leaned back, breathless.

"Who knows?" Remus said pathetically, staring back at the house. "I'm starting to wonder if this is worth it."

"I saved that girl," she said. "It was worth it for that."

Remus smiled at her.

"I'm so sick of this pain, this bloody prejudice. These people are just easy targets. I can't bear to see it any more."

Remus considered her carefully, then he stood up quietly and moved towards the rose bush. Being careful to avoid the thorns, he gently pulled six of the flowers from the plant. He raised his wand and whispered "Effloresco quoad diligo."

"Here," he said, walking back towards her, holding out the flowers. "Now you'll always have something beautiful to look at."

She took the flowers from him and smiled weakly. He sat down next to her on the bench again. Feeling a warm weight on his shoulder, he realised that she had leaned her head against him.

"You, er, you need to stay awake," he said softly.

"OK," she said.

"We'll get you to St Mungo's soon."

"OK." Her breathing became slower and steadier.

"You need to stay awake."

She did not answer. Remus felt the rise and fall of her chest against his.

Sirius appeared at the back door. "Come on Moony," he whispered. "Let's get to the hospital."

Remus lifted Ava carefully; she was still holding the roses. He carried her across the garden towards Sirius, and with a nod of thanks to Marjorie and Des, who stood in the doorway, they left for St. Mungo's.

*

James looked up sharply as he heard a rap on the door. Lily glanced at him from the corner of the room where she was kneeling on the floor changing the baby. Harry gurgled as Lily replaced his nappy and picked him up again for a cuddle. James was on his feet.

"They're here," he grinned, then headed out of the sitting room and into the hall. There was another sharp knock, and a voice from outside: "Come on, Prongs, I'm desperate for the loo!" James chuckled to himself as he lifted the latch and opened the front door.

Standing on the doorstep were Sirius, who wore a slightly pained expression, and Remus, who looked pale but relatively healthy.

"Prongs!" Sirius pulled him into a very rapid one-armed hug before pointing in the direction of the upper floor and dashing past him towards the stairs.

"Hey, Moony," James said happily. The two friends embraced, then Remus took a small package from the pocket of his threadbare jacket and handed it to James.

"A little present for Harry," he said.

"Thanks Moony, come on through - I'll make us all some tea."

James pocketed the package and they walked through into the sitting room, where Lily was perched on the couch, bouncing what looked like a large round blanket on her knee. Baby Harry was laughing joyfully, and Lily looked up as Remus crossed the room. She stood up carefully to hug him with one arm, Harry balanced in the other.

"How are you Remus?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine, thanks. Really," he added, as Lily examined his face closely. "Shouldn't we be talking about how you are?"

Lily laughed. "Exhausted," she said, "but I've never been happier." She held the baby forward and Remus looked down into his face. Harry was plump and smiley, with a wispy layer of dark hair, and big green eyes, just like his mother's.

"Mini Lily and James," Remus breathed, a grin splitting his face. "I can't believe it."

"Harry," Lily said, bouncing her baby gently, "meet uncle Remus."

"Don't forget me," Sirius called as he appeared in the doorway. "I'm his Godfather. Here to lead him astray and teach him about girls."

"I think we've got a while before he'll be needing a lesson like that," Lily laughed. And when he does I'm not sure you should be the one to teach him." Sirius's grin broadened.

There was another knock on the door. "I'll get it," Remus told Lily and Sirius, and crossed the room towards the hall.

"So when's the christening, Lil?"

"In a couple of weeks," she replied, placing Harry gently in Sirius's outstretched arms. "It'll be very quiet, I think. Probably best not to gather all of the Order of the Phoenix in one easily-destroyable building." She smiled, but it was decidedly hollow.

Sirius looked down into the baby's eyes. "Remarkable," he said. "So much like yours." Lily flushed with pride.

"Sorry I'm late." Ava was out of breath as she hurried into the sitting room. "Got held up. Come on, where is the little man?" Sirius turned and held Harry out towards Ava, who kissed Sirius's cheek before holding out her arms. "I'll try not to drop him," she joked, sliding a hand under Harry's tiny head.

"Who'd've thought?" Sirius muttered to Lily. "Ava Rose holding a baby. Never seen the like of it."

"Alright, Padfoot," Ava laughed. "It's not like it's mine. He's mine," she added hastily, as Lily frowned at her.

At that moment, James entered from the kitchen. "I've made us some tea," he said. Ava passed the baby back to Lily, then the group followed James into the kitchen.

It was small, but homely, with potted ivy trailing along the windowsill. Five steaming mugs of tea stood on the heavy wooden table that dominated the little room. There was a large ginger cake on a plate in the middle, and several small plates beside it. James sat down at the head of the table, Lily next to him on the side to his right. Ava plonked herself into the chair next to Lily, and Sirius sat next to James.

"Come on Moony," Ava said, then reached into her bag and pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet. Remus slid into the chair next to her. When they were all seated, Ava spoke again.

"I was late," she said slowly, "because of this."

The Prophet lay in the middle of the table, emblazoned across its front page was an all too familiar picture: a photograph of a scene of horrific violence. In a street of a muggle village, hooded figures shot curses at screaming victims, who ran, terrified, in all directions. In the black sky overhead hung a huge skull, glowing green, with a long snake protruding from its ghostly mouth.

"This is the latest attack. They're calling them 'demonstrations' now," Ava said quietly. "Dumbledore thinks that this is going to continue. He wants us to start anticipating these attacks and put a stop to them altogether."

"And how does he expect us to do that?" Sirius said sharply. "He doesn't care who he attacks, or when, or where. It's all arbitrary. How are we meant to find a pattern in cold-blooded murder? I agree that we need to save the muggles, but this has been going on for so long - shouldn't we be going for You-Know-Who himself now?"

Lily was looking thoughtful, when Ava spoke again. "I think Dumbledore's right," she said. "I think we should be putting at least some of our energy into stopping these so-called demonstrations. It's fear-mongering. It's as much for putting it in the Prophet and scaring the wits out of the wizard community as it is to terrify the muggles. He's just as happy killing wizards, it's just easier to make an example out of muggles because they can't defend themselves."

James was frowning. "Padfoot, we're not going to kill You-Know-Who by barging into his inner circle and cracking off a few curses hoping to strike it lucky. We'd be dead before we got within a hundred metres of him."

"What are you saying, Prongs?" Sirius leant forward.

"I'm saying that we need to show You-Know-Who that he isn't as powerful as he thinks he is. We need to stand up to him, show him what we're made of."

"But what difference is saving a few muggles going to make?" Sirius scoffed. "It'll just be like a fly buzzing round his head - a minor irritation. He won't be bothered if we save a handful of muggles or not. He's still getting more and more powerful, and stopping the demonstrations isn't going to affect that in the slightest."

"What I think James is getting at, Padfoot," Remus said carefully, "is that we're showing him that he can't break us. And that we'll fight for any life, not just a wizard's. Personally I think it'll get to him more than you think. It'll infuriate him that wizards are fighting to save lives that he thinks are worthless. Maybe putting a stop to these attacks once and for all will push his attention towards us, instead of people who are completely unaware of why these things are happening to them and are unable to do anything about it."

There was silence around the table. Ava smiled encouragingly at Remus, but Sirius was scowling. Eventually, he spoke again.

"Why, Remus, would we want the Death Eaters concentrating more of their time on wizards? Have we not suffered enough losses?"

"Muggles are people too," Lily whispered. She was clutching Harry tightly and her face had drained of colour. James reached a hand towards her and she took it gratefully.

"Sorry, Lily." Sirius looked suitably cowed.

"Personally, I'll do whatever it takes to stop the Death Eaters attacking anyone, regardless of who it is." Ava's mouth was set in a grim line. "I don't see what it matters whether we're defending a wizard or a muggle, it's still a life, isn't it?"

"Look," Sirius sounded exasperated, "all I'm saying is that what Ava said is right: the muggles can't defend themselves, so wouldn't it be better in the long-run to concentrate on keeping alive wizards, who do stand a chance of getting rid of You-Know-Who in the end?"

There was silence again.

Lily was staring at the photograph on the front of the Prophet.

"All I know," she said shakily, "is that whether my son was the greatest wizard alive, or a muggle with no idea what was going on in this war, I would still do anything in my power to save him." She stared down at her son, who scrunched up his face in a yawn.

"Lily's right," James said. "A life is a life."

Sirius looked around the table at his best friends, then said quietly, "You're right, Prongs. Sorry if I sounded like an idiot."

"It's not unusual," Ava said, "we'd be more surprised if you didn't sound like an idiot." There was a ripple of soft laughter, but the atmosphere was still tense.

"I think I'm going to put Harry down for a nap," Lily said, rising slowly. James stood up too, and followed her out of the room in the direction of the stairs. Ava sighed heavily.

"This is so depressing," she said, leaning over to cut up some cake. Remus was sipping his tea, apparently lost in his own thoughts. "James and Lily have to raise Harry in this environment - the world's so full of hatred and fear at the moment, what kind of life is that for a child?"

She handed a plate to Sirius, who had downed his tea in one and was now brandishing his wand at the kettle on the stove, making the contents whistle up to the boil again.

Ava placed another piece of cake on a plate and pushed it towards Remus, who seemed not to notice. "Remus?" she said loudly, and his eyes snapped upward, settling on her concerned face.

"Sorry," he said. "I was...thinking."

"'Bout what, Moony?" Sirius said. He too looked concerned.

"About Harry. About the war. It must be hard for them," he said, looking up at the ceiling, through which they knew James and Lily were settling the baby into his cot. "Do you bring a child into the world knowing that world isn't a very nice place, or do you wait and potentially get killed before you get the chance to have a kid?"

"That's all a bit philosophical isn't it, Moony?" Sirius was now stuffing his mouth full of cake.

"I just mean... is it worth grabbing a chance while you have it, even though the circumstances are rubbish? Or is it better to wait?"

Ava's brow knitted, and she frowned. "You can't wait for the world to be a utopia before you take the risk of doing anything life-changing. There's always been bad in the world, it just so happens that this particular bad is wiping out half the population of the country." She grimaced, and Remus sighed. "People aren't going to stop having children just because of You-Know-Who. He can't control everything we do. Hasn't he got enough power already?"

Remus considered her carefully, looked as though he was about to say something, then turned away and took another sip of his tea.

*

"I'm back," Remus called as he passed through the door of the Weasley family home. There was nobody in the kitchen, and he wandered through to the sitting room, where he found Molly huddled on the settee. She seemed to be staring at Ava's roses, which stood in a vase on the mantelpiece where she had left them, but as Remus drew nearer, she snapped out of her daydream and stared up at him with a face as white as milk.

"Remus," she gasped, leaping to her feet. "You must go to St. Mungo's straight away." Her eyes were wide, and she looked exhausted.

Remus, who didn't look all too well himself, having spent the last three nights as a werewolf, searched her face. "What are you talking about, Molly, what's going on?"

"The demonstration....the patrol party..." she seemed to be struggling to form a proper sentence. "Go now, Arthur's waiting for you."

"What's happened?" Remus asked sharply. "Calm down, Molly - I need to know what's going on."

Molly took a deep breath, steadying herself, then she spoke again. "An Order party went to break up another demonstration," she said quickly; her breath came in ragged gasps. "The Death Eaters were ready for them. There were dozens of them, they were surrounded..."

"Has someone been hurt?" Remus asked, a note of panic rising in his voice.

"Just go," she said. "Arthur's waiting."

"Are you coming?"

"The kids..." she said, motioning upstairs to where Bill, Charlie and her young twins, Fred and George were sleeping soundlessly.

Remus turned to dash out of the door, then just as quickly came running back, snatching up the flowers from above the fire. "Just in case," he said to Molly, who had sunk back down onto the sofa. "I'll keep you posted."

He raced out of the door, and when Molly heard a loud crack, she knew he had Disapparated.

Remus raced up the stairs when he reached the hospital. The lifts were nowhere near fast enough. Dumbledore had left a message at the reception desk, informing any Order members that he would be on the fourth floor, should they wish to find him.

What's Dumbledore doing here? Remus thought to himself as he raced up flight after flight of steps; all of which were deserted due to the lateness of the hour. Term's started at Hogwarts, what's he doing here?

Remus burst through the door to the fourth floor, barely taking in the sign which read: Fourth Floor: Spell Damage. He hurtled through the corridor towards a desk, at which sat an assistant in clean white robes, who was ticking off names on a small piece of parchment.

"Is Albus Dumbledore here?" Remus panted, somewhat out of breath from the rapid ascent.

Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and whirled round to find himself looking at Arthur Weasley. "Hello Remus," he said, polite but unsmiling. He, like Molly, looked exhausted and pale. "I think you'd better come with me."

The two men walked through the ward, past assorted beds, all screened by heavy curtains; the occasional snore could be heard from the sleeping patients that lay behind them. Remus followed Arthur into a separate room, which was closed off from the rest of the ward. In its near corner stood Dumbledore, flanked by James, Sirius, Gideon and Fabian Prewitt, and Mad-Eye Moody. Remus looked at him carefully, but Dumbledore's expression revealed nothing.

"What's going on then?" Remus was still clutching Ava's flowers, and he glanced around wildly, searching for her. "Where is she?" he said slowly.

"Mate," James stepped forward, Sirius just behind him.

"Where is she?" Remus's voice was raised. He brandished the flowers at James. "Tell me right now!"

"She is dead." It was Dumbledore who had spoken. His voice was quiet, and Remus could see in his eyes that this was the truth.

"No..." Remus breathed, his voice barely audible. "How?" He looked at Dumbledore, eyes shining with tears not yet spilled, and Dumbledore placed a hand on his arm.

"She was killed fighting for something she believed in," he said gently.

"Who did this to her?" Remus's voice was louder now, and James and Sirius could hear a note of fury in his voice.

"It was Dolohov," James said. "The big blond one, twisted face. She was helping some of the muggles to get to safety, and he hexed her from behind. The muggles got away, and she managed to get up and face him."

"They were duelling," Sirius continued. "We tried to get over there to help, but a huge group of Death Eaters swarmed round us. I saw them firing off hexes at each other, and I think he chased her towards one of the muggles' houses. Then there was this huge explosion and the roof sort of started to fall down..." he tailed off, and James took over again.

"I took out one of the Death Eaters and ran over there, and Ava kind of dived out of the way. I couldn't see her, and I couldn't see Dolohov, and as I came round the corner, I saw her pulling her leg out from the rubble. She came running towards me, and then..." James's voice caught in his throat.

"Then what? WHAT?"

"He must have been behind her... There was a flash of green, and she sort of slumped forward..."

Remus looked as though he'd had all the air knocked out of him. He couldn't move or speak. He just stood staring at James, his face frozen in an expression of horror.

Dumbledore moved from behind James, and started across the little room, which contained four beds, each behind a heavy screen. Just then, the door opened, and Lily came dashing in, clutching baby Harry in her arms.

"What's going on?" she gasped.

James strode over to her, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank Merlin you're OK," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. She looked up at James, whose face was a mask of grief. "What is it?" she whispered.

"It's Ava..."

Lily stared at James for a moment. "No," she whispered. James nodded, and Lily dissolved into tears. Sirius came over to remove the sleeping Harry from his mother's arms, and James held her close.

Remus turned to look at Dumbledore, who was consulting a healer standing at the end of a bed on the far side of the room. The healer was shaking his head.

Remus felt like he had floated across the room. There was no feeling in his body at all - he was completely numb. He tried to speak to the healer, but his mouth still wouldn't move. James and Lily appeared at his shoulder, Lily sobbing and wiping her eyes. Sirius hung back with the baby.

"Would you like to see her?" Dumbledore said softly.

Remus nodded, his throat dry.

The healer drew back a heavy curtain, behind which stood a bed. In it lay the peaceful figure of Ava Rose; her hair fell in soft waves over the pillow, and her face was cut and bruised but otherwise clean. Remus noticed that one of her legs lay at a strange angle. It must have been broken when that roof fell down.

Remus walked to the end of the bed slowly, the flowers hanging pathetically from his hand. He could hear Lily gasp as she saw Ava clearly for the first time. Nobody spoke.

"I'll leave you to say goodbye," Dumbledore said quietly, and he disappeared back behind the screen, the healer close behind him.

Seconds and minutes passed and still there was silence. None of them knew what to say. The baby gurgled, and tears began pouring down Lily's face again. James put an arm around her.

"She saved so many people's lives tonight," he croaked, wiping tears from his own eyes. "She wanted to be there, she wanted to do everything she could."

Lily was nodding, but still she could not speak. Eventually, James turned to her.

"Come on Lily, I think we should get you home." He stepped towards the head of the bed and bent down to kiss Ava's forehead. There was nothing he could say.

Lily took his place, then leaned down towards Ava, whispering in her ear, then she too kissed Ava's forehead. James and Lily shuffled to the back of the cubicle, and Sirius handed baby Harry over to Lily.

"We'll be out in a bit," Sirius said softly.

Remus, who had been standing at the end of the bed, unmoving, suddenly stepped forward. Sirius turned to look at him.

"Why wasn't I there?" Remus whispered. His eyes looked blank, as though any light that had previously shone within them had been extinguished.

"Come on, Moony," Sirius said. "James was right. She wanted to be there. You couldn't have stopped her going."

"Not the point," Remus nearly choked on his own words, and Sirius watched as his friend collapsed into tears onto end of the bed. Sirius rushed to sit next to him, and he put his arms around Remus, holding him tightly.

"You couldn't help it," he said soothingly. "It's not your fault you couldn't be there. It's not your fault that Dolohov did what he did."

"He killed her from behind, that...coward!"

Remus continued to mumble and sob, but his words were unintelligible. They sat there for what felt like hours, Remus shaking uncontrollably, Sirius crying now too: partly Ava, and partly for the man who'd been one of his best friends for nearly ten years.

Eventually, Remus straightened up slightly, and Sirius released him. Remus was gasping for breath, trying with all his might to calm down. Sirius stood up, and took Remus by the shoulders.

"I'll say goodbye, then I'll wait for you outside."

"You don't have to..." Remus began, but Sirius shook his head.

"I'm not leaving without you. We stick together, right?" Remus nodded.

Sirius approached the head of the bed, now, looking down at Ava's still frame. She suddenly looked very small and fragile. Sirius stroked her hair.

"You were incredible," he said to her. "Those people were so grateful to you. You did just what you wanted to do, and I'm so sorry that you won't see the end of this war...see the end of everything you've worked so hard for. We'll keep fighting. We'll kill him for you..." and Sirius's voice broke as he said this. He lifted her hand from where it lay on her chest, and bent down to kiss it. "See you later Rosie," he said, and gave her one last, rather watery smile.

Sirius left the cubicle, shooting a reassuring look at Remus as he left.

Silence descended on the cubicle. Remus sat there for what felt like hours. He stared at Ava. Her dark hair was tangled and messy and he noticed several cuts and grazes across her arms. Her jaw was swollen, and she had a black eye, but otherwise she looked like she might have been sleeping.

"I brought your flowers," he said finally.

He stood up and placed the flowers on the bedside table, on which Ava's wand lay. Her expression was serene, and he was thankful that her death had been quick and painful; he was grateful that she had died quickly from Dolohov's curse rather than by being crushed to death under the debris from the house.

"I wanted to go with you," he said. "I wanted to be there beside you." He paused, then said, "That's what I've always wanted."

He wiped away a tear with his sleeve, and took her hand. "Sirius was right, you are incredible. I can't believe you're gone..." A fresh wave of tears took him over, and Remus covered his face, as if he didn't want Ava to see him cry.

A few moments later, he looked up at her again. He remembered the way she had looked at James and Lily's wedding, how she laughed as she danced with him, elated that two of her best friends were so completely happy. He remembered the way she looked holding baby Harry, the way she looked when she was determined to get involved with the Order. She had taught him passion and confidence and humour, and she had understood him like nobody else. She had been brave enough to put her life at risk for people she didn't and would never know just to do everything in her power to fight against Voldemort, to fight for good. She had been so brave. And he was never even brave enough to tell her how he felt...

Remus lifted the wand from the bedside table, and placed it in Ava's hand, closing her fingers around it. Then he took the flowers and placed them on her chest. They seemed to glow in the dim light of the room, their beauty had not faded; and neither had hers.

Remus leaned over and kissed Ava's pale cheek. Then he removed one rose from the bunch, turned, and left the ward soundlessly, the single purple flower clutched tightly in his hand.

*

"Remus!"

He snapped out of his reverie, and quickly shouted a reply. "Just a minute, I'll be there a minute," he called; his voice sounded slightly strangled.

He turned the dusty pages slowly, staring fondly at the pictures laid so carefully upon them. The faces of his friends looked up at him; James, Sirius and Ava on the day they won the Quidditch cup; the four of them making paper aeroplanes soar across Gryffindor common room; James and Lily by the fountain in Hogsmeade; all of them by the lake on their last day at Hogwarts; He and Ava at Godric's Hollow, little Harry in her arms...

That was the last photograph. Remus tore his eyes away from Ava's smiling face and noticed a lump between the last page and the leather cover at the back.

Sliding his fingers underneath, he felt something soft, and he withdrew it slowly.

In his hand was a single purple rose. It bloomed as beautifully as the day he had enchanted it.

Never let go of what's important to you, he thought, then with one last look at the flower he replaced it carefully under the last page.

He put the book back in its box under the bed, then stood up, left the room, and headed downstairs to help Tonks.