As the Stars Drift By

The War pt. 2

A/N: Trigger Warnings for mentions of hospitals, graphic mentions of wounds, blood, and injuries, loss of sight in one eye, mentions of drowning (in a dream), brief mentions of labor and birth, mentions of torture, character death, depression, mentions of throwing up, and angst. Let me know if there's anything I missed that you think I should tag!

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Thea fell into her role as Healer of the Order naturally. Even though she rarely went out on full missions, Thea never found herself short of something to do. She was constantly brewing salves, antidotes, poultices, and more to keep as a stock for Order members. She brewed other potions too -Polyjuice, Invigoration Draught, Wideye- really whatever the other members put in requests for. She enjoyed it more than she thought she would at first.

When she wasn't brewing, Thea would travel to designated safe houses in order to help and heal the members after important or dangerous missions. This part of her job was more nerve wracking. So far, she hadn't encountered any serious wounds that she couldn't heal. The other members were skilled witches and wizards -they were able to counter or avoid anything too life-threatening. And whatever injuries were left over, Thea could take care of.

Thea whiled away her time in a safehouse now, waiting for the others to arrive. She'd been here for a few hours already -but the others weren't due to arrive for another hour or so. Thea set about organizing some of the potions she'd brought with her. The mission wasn't supposed to be dangerous this time, actually. A few of the members -James, Peter, Remus, and Dorcas- had been sent out to gather intelligence on the meeting of a few Death Eaters. They'd all been disguised with Polyjuice and back-up glamour charms before they left. They'd also been told not to engage with the Death Eaters unless absolutely necessary. All in all, Thea was at the safehouse as a mere precaution.

Thea straightened her last potion bottles onto a shelf just as Dorcas and James burst through the front door. Between the two of them they were carrying a wounded Remus. Thea bolted up to meet them halfway.

"What happened?" She said, frantically trying to find all of Remus' wounds. His shirt was covered in blood seeping through the white cotton.

"Bloody Death Eaters caught on to us," Dorcas said, grunting from the effort of holding Remus up.

"Put him on the table," Thea said, quickly clearing everything out of the way. "Peter, hand me those blood-replenishing potions." Peter passed them to her, without hesitation, and Thea laid them out near Remus' side. He groaned painfully, twisting about. As far as Thea could tell, he wasn't fully conscious. Whatever had been done to him clearly had him in a lot of pain.

Thea used her wand to sever his shirt in two. She had to see the full damage in order to begin healing it. Open wounds criss-crossed across Remus' chest and shoulders. She immediately used her wand to close some of the wounds and staunch the bleeding as much as possible.

"I need one of you to tell me exactly what happened," Thea said, hoping the others didn't catch the shaking in her voice. This was the most serious injury Thea had dealt with so far. She was doing her best to remain calm and work fast under pressure. But it was difficult. It wasn't just anyone who was injured so grievously, it was Remus. Her Remus. She had to save him.

James was the one to explain the situation. "We got into an altercation, the Death Eaters found us out. We exchanged some spells and blows but planned to evacuate and apparate around a bit to lose them. Just as we apparated away, one of the Death Eaters fired off a gouging spell that hit Remus. It knocked him back and he got splinched as the apparition completed."

Splinching and a gouging spell, that explained the deep wounds. Gouging spells were normally used for material objects -not humans. The effects of such a spell on a living being could be deadly. Thea would have to fix the wounds in time before Remus bled out on the table. She summoned some Essence of Dittany to her side, administering several drops to each of Remus' cuts. It was the best cure for his splinching wounds. Thea had James and Peter regularly feed Remus blood-replenishing potions throughout the process too.

After nearly an hour of work, Remus stabilized. Through gentle effort, they moved him onto the couch so he could rest and recover more. And he was recovering, to be sure, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. While his wounds had been bandaged and healed as much as they could for the moment, there was a chance they could reopen at any moment.

Thea didn't sleep for the rest of the night, she stayed by Remus' side -constantly checking and changing his bandages and using stamina charms to boost the healing of his wounds. The entire time Remus remained unconscious. This wasn't unusual but as more time passed and dawn broke over the safehouse, it worried Thea.

After her 12th time of changing his bandages, Thea slumped onto the floor right next to the couch. She leaned against it, resting her head near Remus' arm. She was careful not to touch him, lest it exacerbate his wounds, but she still wanted to be near him.

"Please Remus," Thea whispered in the quiet of the early morning. "Please please be okay. I couldn't bear it if you weren't..." Thea's eyes watered with the thought of Remus not making it out of this. She'd done all she could and kept a vigilant watch on him. But healing was tricky -sometimes too much of it could overwhelm one's body and make things worse. Thea would give anything for that not to happen.

Thea reached up to brush the hair away from his face. The soft light of the rising sun illuminated Remus' sleeping face. "James and Sirius and Lily and Peter all stayed to wait for you. I'm here, too, waiting for you," Thea said. She looked down at her hands and clothes. She hadn't even stopped to change out of her bloodied clothes -she hadn't cared to. Remus was her sole focus at the moment.

"I haven't even gotten to tell you the most important thing, Rem. I haven't gotten to tell you how I feel...You can't leave until I tell you."

"Tell me what," Remus croaked out, his eyes just barely open.

Thea kneeled up instantly. "Remus!" Thea said as her hands flitted over him, checking his condition. With some effort, she helped him to sit up a bit more.

"I feel like I've been hit by a bus," Remus groaned as he leaned up.

Thea laughed, her eyes watery with unshed tears. "Not quite. Here let me help." Thea cast some numbing spells to help soothe Remus' pain. His face relaxed instantly.

Thea couldn't help it, she threw her arms around Remus' neck in a stilted sort of hug. "Oh, I'm just so glad you woke up! I did everything I could to help you but...I was scared." Remus grunted from the impact of her hug. Thea came back to her senses. "Oh god, I shouldn't have done that -I forgot myself for a moment."

Thea moved to pull away from the hug but Remus stopped her with an arm around her back. Thea stayed that way for a moment, with her arms around Remus and her face tucked into the crook of his neck. Even beneath the stench of all the antiseptic she'd used, he still smelled like himself -old books and pine trees after the rain.

"No, no, it's alright. Sorry to scare you, love. I'm okay now, thanks to your excellent healing skills." Remus whispered into her hair. She could feel his warm breath over the top of her head.

"That's right, you should be thanking her." James said, walking in from the other room. Thea pulled back from the hug, startled by James' sudden appearance

"Don't stop on my account," James laughed, holding up his hands. He smirked at Remus, knowingly, before walking towards the kitchen. "I'll make us all some tea."

Thea straightened her hair and clothes out of embarrassment. She and Remus were not officially together, despite all of the closeness they'd shared before. She really had forgotten herself for a moment and let herself get carried away by her own joy at Remus' awakening.

James returned shortly with three steaming mugs of tea. He plopped down on the floor right next to Remus and Thea.

"You really should thank her extra, Moony," James said as he sipped his tea. "She fully saved your life. I was fairly certain you were gonna bite it."

"Thanks for your unwavering confidence in me, James," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm serious, mate. If it weren't for Thea you'd've crossed the pearly gates by now," James was smiling and mostly joking -but he was right. Remus had been in critical condition and Thea had done her very best to save him. She was glad it had all worked out for now.

"I know that," Remus said, glaring at James with no real spite. But in the next moment, he turned to Thea with a softer look. "Thank you, Thee, for saving me."

"It was nothing," Thea said. "I would've done it for any one of you."

"Don't be modest!" James said, clapping Thea on the back. Her tea spilled over the edge of her cup, singeing her hand. It was a minor wound, but Remus -on Thea's behalf- looked violently offended.

"Don't go killing my favorite healer, Prongs!"

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"It's not here!" Lily said with a whine. "Oh god, I've lost it!"

"Calm down, Lils," Marlene said, squeezing Lily's shoulder. "We'll find it."

Lily looked incredibly stressed as Marlene, her maid of honor, attempted to quell her nerves. The other bridesmaids -Thea, Mary, Dorcas, and Alice- did their best to help in the search for Lily's hairpin. They were supposed to leave the bride's suite 10 minutes ago and carry on with the rest of the wedding. But Lily's blue hairpin had disappeared in all the hustle and bustle of everyone getting ready.

"Oh, this is awful," Lily cried, on the very verge of tears.

"Shh, it's okay," Marlene said, rubbing her back.

Oh god, Thea didn't want Lily to cry. This was supposed to be a day of joy, of happiness. Not one of tears. Thea had to find that hairpin.

Thea shook out some discarded clothes, searching for the pin. It was nowhere to be found. She'd seen the pin just earlier -Mary had carried it in with all of the other hair supplies when they'd first started getting ready. Mary claimed she hadn't moved it and that it should've been with all the other bobby pins and clips she'd brought in, but any searching amongst the supplies yielded nothing.

But she went out to the kitchen earlier, Thea thought. Maybe she had taken it with her, without realizing. It wouldn't hurt to check at least. "I'll just pop out to the kitchen for a second," Thea said. The other girls, occupied with their own searching, didn't respond.

Thea moved towards the kitchen as quickly as possible. They were at the Potter Estate for the wedding. The kitchen was rather large -after all the Potter's had a decent share of money- but this only meant that Thea had more space to search. Shit.

Thea began to open all of the drawers and pantries, searching as thoroughly as she could. She swept her hands over the counters, peered into the sink, and even looked in the fridge. After no results, Thea resorted to bunching up her satin bridesmaid dress and kneeling on the floor. She crawled her way to the kitchen island during her search, checking under the barstools there.

"Looking for something?" Remus' voice came from behind her. Thea jumped up, knocking her head on the overhang of the island.

"Ow!" Thea said, clutching the back of her head as she stood.

"Oh shit," Remus said, stepping up to Thea. Thea was face to face with Remus' chest as he leaned around her and looked at the back of her head.

"No permanent damage, it looks like," He said, smiling. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you hit your head."

As Remus pulled away, she could see him in all his glory now. He was dressed rather sharply in a slate-gray suit. The suit was perfectly tailored and freshly pressed. Thea always thought Remus was classically handsome and that he looked good in anything, but in this suit especially he looked amazing.

"It's okay," Thea said, breathlessly.

"Your dress looks very nice."

"You too, you look very handsome." Thea said. "I mean, your suit looks very good on you."

"So were you?" Remus said.

"Was I what?"

"Looking for something," Remus laughed. "Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought."

"Oh, Oh! Yes I was. Lily lost her blue hairpin -that's what I was looking for. Lily says you must have something old, something new, and something blue. A muggle wedding superstition, I guess. Anyways, Mary was supposed to have it -but we couldn't find it in the room and Mary came into the kitchen earlier so I thought I'd search here and see if she'd accidentally brought it here." Thea was rambling again. Trust in Remus to make Thea forget how to hold her tongue.

"This?" Remus asked, pulling the hairpin in question out of his suit jacket pocket. "It was at the back door, must've rolled over there. I picked it up right before I saw you in here, actually."

"Yes! Exactly that!" Thea said, throwing her arms around Remus' out of joy. It was a small thing, finding the hairpin, but in doing so Remus had inadvertently saved the wedding. "Oh Remus, you wonderful man!"

Remus laughed at Thea's excitement, his hands coming to rest on her waist naturally as a part of the hug. "Glad I could help then," Remus laughed.

As she calmed down, Thea noticed his hands and the closeness between them. She glanced across Remus' face, memorizing every detail. Deja vu struck her, the memory of the almost kiss between them all those months ago. They hadn't talked about that moment -it was just something they hadn't had the chance to discuss in between Order missions and everything else.

Thea had been afraid before to confess and lose Remus in the process. She'd been terrified that he wouldn't feel the same and that she'd ruin everything. But after everything that had happened -the almost kiss, her saving his life, and how close they'd been when Remus had revealed his lycanthropy, even their dance back in her fifth year- it had to mean that Remus at least felt something too. Thea couldn't convince herself that he didn't feel at least some affection for her anymore. She wasn't so afraid anymore to confess to him. At that moment, as Remus held her, Thea only wanted to do one thing.

"Can I kiss you?" Thea whispered. Remus nodded once, his eyes flicking to her lips.

Thea smiled, just slightly, before cupping Remus' face and kissing him. She kissed him with everything she had. And he returned it all tenfold. Thea had always thought of Remus as a stalwart and genuine man, someone you could count on. His kiss was just the same -deep and full and firm. Remus kissed her as though it wasn't their first kiss but their hundredth. Heat fluttered through Thea's whole body as she sunk into the kiss. Everything else melted away around her. It was only her and Remus.

As much as she desired to kiss him forever, Thea eventually had to part in order to breathe. She didn't pull away too far though, staying in Remus' tender embrace. Remus leaned in, bumping his nose against Thea's.

"You should probably go return that hairpin to Lily," he said, panting for breath.

Thea was rocked back into the present moment. "Oh yes, yes you're right, I should," Thea said. She was reluctant to leave Remus, but he was right -they had a wedding to get to. "I'll just go do that then." Thea couldn't help it, she lingered, wanting to stay just a moment longer in Remus' warmth.

"I'll catch you after the ceremony," Remus said. And he smiled at her so fondly and so brilliantly that she thought she might burst from the feeling.

"Right, yes, after that," Thea said, her fingers grazing Remus' arms as she moved away fully. She could feel his gaze on her the whole way back to the bride's room.

When she got to the room, Thea leaned on the door for just a second, smiling to herself. She took a deep breath. Right, on with the wedding then.

"I found it, Lily," Thea said, walking right up to her. Relief washed over Lily's face instantly.

"Oh Thea!" Lily hugged her tightly, nearly squeezing the life out of her. Thea laughed, returning the hug. "You're my savior!"

"Actually, Remus found it -but I'm here to deliver it," Thea leaned back, slotting the hairpin into Lily's hair, right where her veil met her bun. "There, now you've got your something blue back."

Lily looked towards the mirror, pulling Thea's arms around her own shoulders. She smiled, leaning her head against Thea's own. Lily was radiant and Thea only hoped to look half as beautiful on her own wedding day.

"Right, if we don't get you out there, Lils, I'm pretty sure James will march in here and get you himself," Dorcas said, pulling Lily up and out the door. Everyone made their last second preparations before lining up. Together they flattened the creases in each other's dresses and smoothed out their hair, until they looked perfect. They stood waiting at the backdoor that led to the yard behind the Potter Estate.

The Potter's backyard had been transformed. Wooden chairs were placed in even numbers on either side of the aisle. Order members filled the chairs along with James' parents and a few other recognizable faces. There were only about 40 people in total, but they were all that was needed to celebrate the happy occasion. The August sun shined down, illuminating the flower petals that dotted the path up to the altar. And under a beautifully decorated lattice arch, James Potter stood, already looking as though he might cry from joy.

Mary stepped out first, walking across the lawn towards the altar as the first notes of 'Close to You' by the Carpenters kicked in. Alice followed Mary, and Marlene followed Alice.

Thea was next in line. She clutched her flowers, doing her best to walk as evenly as possible. Like a magnet, her eyes were drawn to Remus. She couldn't help but look at him the entire time she walked. Even as she settled into her spot at the altar, amongst the other bridesmaids, her gaze remained on Remus.

She'd kissed him. He'd kissed her. That had really happened. It was all she could think about. At least Remus seemed similarly distracted, he'd returned Thea's stare and smiled like a fool the entire time. At least they were both lovestruck. How wonderful. How fulfilling. Thea did her best to pay attention, finding the willpower to tear her gaze away from Remus. She'd see him at the reception, just as he'd said. She'd waited for two years to love Remus. What was one hour more?

When the last bridesmaid, Marlene, made it to the altar, Lily began walking down the aisle as the song reached its peak. Thea turned her attention to her dear friend, beaming now with happiness for her. James was crying in earnest now, at seeing Lily. Thea was overjoyed to see her two friends united, as they wished to be, at last.

The ceremony was beautiful and sweet as Lily and James exchanged their vows -expressing their love and commitment to one another. With their first kiss as a married couple, everyone cheered and cried and laughed -a swelling of happy emotions uniting them all together.

The reception came just as quickly as the ceremony finished. With a few waves of the guests' wands, the chairs, archway, and flowers were cleared away and swapped out for several tables arranged in a circle, creating a 'dance floor' out of the yard. Music played on as James and Lily shared their first dance of the evening. Thea watched from the sidelines, smiling as James dipped and spun Lily all around the yard.

Just as he'd said he would, Remus came to find her amidst the crowd. She knew he would be good to his word, but even so, she was delighted to see him approach her.

"Hello, love," Remus said, resting his hand gently against her back. Oh, he was calling her love now. Thea's cheeks warmed.

"Hello, Rem," Thea smiled, leaning into his side happily.

"Beautiful wedding, wasn't it?"

"Oh yes," Thea said. But she was no longer watching Lily and James dance. No, now her gaze was focused solely on Remus. Her Remus. "Very beautiful."

As the sun set, enchanted lights illuminated the lawn in a soft, yellow glow. Other couples and groups began to join in on the dancing as Lily and James finished up their first dance. Laughter filled the late summer air as everyone mingled together.

"Care for a dance?" Remus said, stepping out onto the 'dance floor' and offering his hand forth.

Thea beamed. "Of course, I'd be delighted to dance with you." Remus spun her away, elegantly joining in with the others on the floor. Remus had gotten even better at dancing since the last time they'd shared a dance. He took care not to exert Thea's leg too much, for which she was grateful. He held her close, one hand on her waist and the other holding her opposite hand. As they danced and spun and twirled until they were both dizzy, Thea reveled in the ardor of Remus' affection.

Sirius moved by them, as he was sharing his own dance with Marlene. He gave them a quizzical glance, observing their closeness with a raise of his brow. But just as quickly, a smile fell over his face. Thea felt even more reassured by her brother's approval -not that she thought he'd disapprove of Remus, but she hadn't wanted him to be angry. Luckily, he seemed not to mind, giving a single nod to Remus in acknowledgement. Understanding passed between them as Remus nodded back. Thea was glad that was settled with.

Remus and Thea shared nearly every dance -slow and mellow ones and fast and lively ones. And when Thea could dance no longer or needed a break, Remus gladly led her off the floor and kept her company. She was resting now, in fact, nursing a glass of champagne alongside Remus in silent companionship.

"Thea," Remus said, suddenly.

"Yes?"

"I didn't get to say it earlier, but I enjoyed our kiss," Remus said.

"I enjoyed it too, very much," Thea laughed. "I...I've been waiting a very long time to kiss you Rem, I must admit."

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing," Remus smiled. "Will you be mine, Thea? I'm not a perfect man...and admittedly matters of the heart are not my strong suit but I'd like to make you happy. I'd like to try."

"I want nothing more than to be yours, Remus," Thea said. "You're perfect to me, in every way that matters." Remus looked at her fondly, then, and leaned in for another kiss. The kiss was tragically interrupted by Lily's voice.

"Ladies!" Lily called. "I'm tossing the bouquet now, line up, line up!" The bridesmaids and the other women of the party lined up, playfully pushing each other for the best spots. Thea was reluctant to leave Remus, but she took up a spot near the edge of the crowd, nonetheless.

Lily turned around, preparing for the toss. "One! Two! Three!" The bouquet hurtled up into the air, in a long and wide arc. The group clamored and moved together, trying to catch the flowers. Thea didn't push too hard to catch it for herself. Her depth perception was slightly thrown off, due to her eye, so she was certain that even if she tried to line herself up with the flowers, she'd be off. In fact, Thea was already turning away from the group, ready to return to Remus. She wasn't going to catch anything anyway. But, as if by magic, the bouquet landed straight into her hands just as she turned to leave.

"Whoo! Go Thea!" Lily cheered from her spot in front of the crowd. The other women quickly congratulated Thea, patting her shoulder and hugging her as they returned to the party.

"Nice catch, Thee!" Lily said, as she came up to hug her too.

"Guess you're next in line then," James joked as he stood close to Lily.

"And I think I see your groom," Lily laughed as she turned Thea around to face an approaching Remus. Remus' grin was wide as he gently took the bouquet from Thea's hands.

"Well, I guess if you're meant to get married next, then I'm glad I asked you to be mine," Remus said. Remus had claimed he wasn't a romantic, that he was unsure in matters of the heart, but Thea disagreed. He could be sweet and romantic without trying -at least Thea thought so.

Thea leaned up to kiss him once more, completing the kiss that had been interrupted moments ago. Thea couldn't rely on her words, she was so overcome with emotion, so instead she relied on her actions. Remus was the one to melt into this kiss this time -his posture relaxing instantly.

For the rest of the evening, the two didn't separate. No exact words were exchanged with everyone else to announce their relationship. They weren't necessary. To everyone else and even to Thea and Remus themselves, their sudden closeness was natural. As if they'd all expected it to happen.

They were simply meant to be.

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"Your report James?" Dumbledore said. The order meeting was held at Sirius' flat this time around. It was just big enough for everyone to squeeze inside -though chairs and tables had to be conjured for everyone to sit down.

"Well our mission was mostly a success. We secured and confirmed the names of more Death Eaters. We tailed one -Adrian Travers- and discovered that Voldemort and the others will be convening at Travers' house very soon," James said.

"Excellent work. And you Alice?"

Alice spoke up first. "Yes, we were able to capture and arrest Forsythia and Harvey Snyde. They've both been sent to Azkaban. And we're in the works of setting up a capture for Martin Wilkes."

"Wonderful -the Snydes were both powerful allies to Voldemort, I'm sure he will feel their loss. And keep us informed about Wilkes, if you need any assistance."

"Amalthea, how are our potion stores? And the healing courses you've been offering?"

"Fully stocked, Sir," Thea answered. "I've managed to alter the recipes to lengthen the shelf life of our Wiggenweld potions, blood-replenishing potions, and Wideye potions. Our supplies should last much longer now."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard. He turned to Remus next. "Any words from the werewolves?"

"I've been able to get in touch with some and deliver our message about the Order. So far none of them have taken me up on joining. But at the very least, they are aware of our existence. I gave away only the details you asked me to -so if the Death Eaters reach out to them too, they shouldn't find their way back to us."

"Very good. At least they are informed and hopefully we will hear from anyone interested in joining soon," Dumbledore said. "Well that concludes all I had to discuss for this meeting. Is there anything else anyone would like to address?"

"Well...It's not got much to do with the order, but Frank and I do have some news," Alice said.

"Please do share," Dumbleodre motioned for Alice to have the floor.

"I'm pregnant," Alice said, unable to keep a smile off her face. Frank, from his spot next to Alice, reached out to take her hand. Congratulations quickly rose up around the room. Lily and James both had beaming smiles on their faces.

"Not to steal your thunder, Alice, but so am I," Lily laughed. They two women quickly hugged.

"Frank and I have talked about it," Alice said. "I'm not due till late July, so I'd like to keep doing as many missions as possible until I can't anymore."

"Me too," Lily said.

"Your dedication to the order is admirable," Dumbledore smiled. "I assure you no one here would judge you for taking a step back, in light of this news."

"I don't want to," Lily and Alice both said at the same time. They looked at each other, smiling and laughing again.

"Very well then, if you and your partners are all in agreement about it, then it's fine by me," Dumbledore said. "Keep me informed and we can adjust any missions as needed, in light of this news. And congratulations to you both, Mrs. Longbottom and Mrs. Potter."

Both Alice and Lily carried on with their usual missions of gathering intel, capturing Death Eaters, and staging secret attacks for several more months. But as they both grew closer to their due dates, they took on a less direct role. The two of them began working quite closely with Thea.

Thea was glad for the help and the company. Thea could always use extra hands for brewing potions -and Lily and Alice were both quite gifted at potions. Amongst the three of them, they were able to increase the shelf-life and efficacy of nearly all the potions the Order used. Their Polyjuice lasted longer, their Wiggenweld healed deeper injuries, and their Wound-Cleaner stung less. Lily, outside of Potions, was exceptional at Charms. She paired this talent with her passion for sewing and created several cloaks for Order members to wear that protected them -to some degree- from malicious hexes and curses. Alice was exceptionally skilled at Herbology and she spent much of her time cross-breeding various plants to make them stronger in potion brews.

The Orders had no set headquarters -but with Sirius' permission, Thea expanded the study in the flat and turned it into a hub for herself, Lily, and Alice. They spent many long hours there, working on their respective projects and doing their best to continually support the Order. Thea was incredibly proud of the work they all achieved. She was even more proud to call Alice and Lily her friends.

The end of July grew nearer, and Thea was certain that Lily and Alice would both give birth any day now. But in the interim, they kept at their work in their makeshift hub. Thea was experimenting with an idea for a potion that could make the drinker invulnerable for a period of time. Such a potion would make an excellent backup for Lily's cloaks and would just overall be helpful for the Order's more dangerous missions. She'd been unsuccessful so far with her experiments, but she could feel a breakthrough just out of reach.

Lily was situated in the corner, sewing and charming more of her signature cloaks. Alice sat next to her, recording down information about her plant splicing. The scratch of Alice's quill and the pull of Lily's needle was good background noise for Thea to focus with.

Dragon scales didn't work last time, Thea thought. I'll try some griffin claws instead. Thea poured a few griffin claws into her mortar and pestle, grinding them up. She crushed up some spear thistle buds too. She reached for some Chizpurfle chitin as well. She brought her brew to a low simmer, adding in the griffin claw and thistle buds first and making sure to stir thoroughly. The potion turned a deep blue color and bubbles formed along the surface. She added in the chitin last, using the flat of a knife to break it in pieces. Even on low heat, the brew hungrily devoured the chitin and burned the pieces away as soon as they were placed in. Orange, shimmering swirls formed where each piece was placed. Thea let the potion simmer for a few moments more, stirring it periodically for good measure.

When it was done -or what Thea thought to be done- she bottled up a small amount of it. There was only one way to test it out and that was by drinking it. Unfortunately this was where the art of potion-making grew hairy -but Thea was prepared. She retrieved a bezoar from her supply station and walked over to Lily and Alice.

Thea downed the potion in one gulp, using her other hand to pass the bezoar to Alice. As the potion settled, a slight orange glow passed over Thea's skin. At least she hadn't dropped dead or been poisoned by her experimental brew this time. Now to test the actual effectiveness of the brew.

"Punch me," Thea said, turning to Lily.

"What?" Lily laughed.

"Punch me!" Thea insisted. "It's the best way to test the potion. If it works, I won't get hurt. If it doesn't I can just heal any damage right away." Thea held up her wand to emphasize her point.

Lily shrugged for a moment, before standing and punching Thea on the shoulder. As Lily's fist made contact, Thea grinned widely. She didn't feel a thing -no pain or impact at all.

"Do it again!" Thea said, giddy with excitement. Lily obliged, punching a bit harder this time. Again, Thea felt nothing. Alice and Lily proceeded to poke and prod at Thea, casting damaging spells. Thea was unharmed the entire time. Her potion had worked brilliantly.

"I did it!" Thea said, laughing. She hugged Lily and Alice close out of sheer elation. Her months of research and experimentation with this potion paid off. Thea couldn't be happier -this was such a huge stride towards helping the Order and giving them that much more protection.

In her excitement, it took Thea a moment to notice Alice pulling away and groaning. Alice's hands flew to her stomach as she staggered back.

"Oh god," Thea said, her smile fading. "Alice, what's wrong?"

"I think the baby's coming," Alice groaned. Her water broke in the next second. Thea and Lily both moved into action. Lily helped to sit Alice down until they could transport her to St. Mungo's. Thea summoned her patronus, a transparent blue sheep appearing from her wand.

"Deliver this message to Frank Longbottom: Alice is going into labor, come to the flat immediately." Her sheep went racing off out the window in a streak of light. Not even two minutes later, Frank apparated into the apartment -along with Remus, James, and Peter. They'd all been out on a mission together, but that was clearly halted in the face of Alice's labor.

Frank quickly went to Alice's side, offering her soothing words of comfort. The couple apparated to St. Mungo's, along with Peter who went to provide protection, just in case. Thea hoped that all would be well. Alice was strong -one of the strongest women she'd ever known- and Thea was confident she'd come out just fine with a healthy baby too.

Just as Thea's shoulders relaxed, relieved that they'd gotten Alice to the hospital quickly, Lily's water broke too. James went pale as a sheet but stepped in just as quickly as Frank had, standing by Lily's side and apparating away. Remus followed, offering to stand guard for them.

Thea was left alone. She paced the room for the rest of the evening, wishing only the best for her friends. Ever since she'd been tortured, Thea had taken to praying to the stars. She wasn't a religious person per-say but the stars had guided her that night to an extent. She liked to believe that even in their infinite coldness, the stars held power. Astronomy was a powerful division of magic after all. Centaurs believed that the stars held the fate of all beings within them, each destined path charted already. Diviners believed too, that the fates were already spelled out amongst the stars. Thea liked to think that things could be swayed, to an extent, and offering small wishes and prayers to the stars was her way of swaying the fates.

Several hours passed and Thea eventually sat down in the chair of her brewing room. She fell asleep fitfully, tossing and turning. She awoke to someone placing a gentle kiss on her temple.

"You should get some proper rest, love," Remus said. He gently led her to stand and placed his arm around her side. Thea blinked away her confusion and sleep.

"Remus?" Thea said. "You're back." Thea sought out the comfort of Remus, automatically sinking into his embrace. He guided her to her room sitting on the bed with her.

"Is everyone ok?" Thea asked, fighting back a yawn.

"Yes," Remus said. "Alice had a healthy baby boy last night, just a few hours after getting to the hospital. Lily, too, had a healthy boy very early this morning. They are both fine and resting for a while."

"I should go see them," Thea said, moving to get up. Remus gently pulled her back down.

"In the morning, love," Remus said, laying with her on the bed. "We can go in the morning."

"Right, in the morning," Thea said, sleep overtaking her as Remus pulled the covers up around them. Even in her half conscious state, Thea could feel Remus moving away. She reached out to grip his hand.

"Stay," she said, half asleep. "Please stay." If Remus said anything in response, Thea didn't hear it. But she felt his warm presence beside her, holding her the whole night through. Thea decided there was no better feeling in the entire world.

In the morning, just as Remus had said, they'd gone to St. Mungo's to visit both Lily and Alice. Thea stopped by Lily and James' room first, finding a sleeping Lily and an incredibly smitten James who was holding his newborn son.

Thea and Remus entered the room as quietly as possible, so as not to disturb Lily. James quietly greeted them both.

"Ah, Harry, you remember Uncle Remus, of course," James whispered to his son. "Now meet your Aunt Thea." James motioned for Thea to come over and hold Harry. She took him delicately, unsure of what to do exactly. She'd never been around babies all that much. She wasn't certain that she'd ever want children of her own. But as she watched the young Harry, sleeping in her arms, she found another reason to keep fighting for.

Remus smiled down at Harry, too, from over Thea's shoulder. Thea rocked and held Harry before returning him to James. James was clearly a man who had his whole world shifted by the birth of his son. For the entire time Remus and Thea were there, his eyes never left Harry.

"We should be going home later today," James whispered.

"If you need an escort, a guard, call on me Prongs," Remus said. It was clear that he too was smitten with Harry to a degree.

"And if you need a babysitter in the future, call on me," Thea laughed quietly.

They visited Alice and Frank next, just a few rooms over. Alice was awake and cooing at her baby while Frank sat close to her bed.

"Thea!" Alice said, opening her arm for a hug. Thea leaned in, kissing Alice's cheek. Frank too stood from his chair and hugged Remus. Thea had noticed Remus and Frank growing closer after the many missions they'd carried out for the order. She was glad to see Remus find another friend that cared for him.

"This is Neville," Alice said, as Thea sat on the very edge of the bed.

"Hello Neville," Thea cooed.

"We had something to ask you," Alice said, looking between both Remus and Thea.

"How'd you like to be Neville's godparents?" Frank said with a beaming smile.

"Us?" Thea said, incredulous.

"Yes, you," Alice laughed.

"I can't..." Remus said, backing away from the bed. Frank reached out to stop him.

"You can," Frank said, firmly. "You're a caring man Remus, a man I'm proud to know. And you Thea, you've been a wonderful friend to my Alice. We couldn't think of anyone better suited to be Neville's godparents. No one better suited to look after our Neville...just in case."

Thea looked at Remus, gauging his feelings about the offer. He was clearly conflicted. In the time that they'd been dating, Remus' had opened up to her about certain things. Just last week, he'd confessed that he was scared for the birth of Lily's child and Alice's child. He feared that he might in some way hurt them or pass on his lycanthropy. Thea had reassured him that this wouldn't happen. She'd watched his close friends promise the same thing and insist that Remus would be a great presence in the lives of their kids. Thea couldn't force Remus to do anything of course, but she hoped he would accept the offer.

"I would love to," Thea said, hugging Alice around the shoulder. With her other hand, Thea reached out to take Remus' hand, squeezing it once.

"I..." Remus looked between Alice and Frank and baby Neville. "I would be honored."

Frank beamed, hugging Remus and Thea together. Alice smiled fondly, holding Neville in her arms. A space grew in Thea's heart for Neville, her godson, right next to everyone else she loved. And in that moment, though she didn't speak it aloud, Thea added Neville to her ever-growing list of people she fought for, of people she would protect.

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Alice and Lily took to motherhood like moths to a flame -or at least Thea thought so. Since the two boys had been born, they'd become bright beacons of hope for their parents and for the rest of the Order. And while things grew dark and dim with Voldemort's increasing attacks -the Order members made many visits to the budding families, showering them in gifts and affection and care. Thea was no exception to this.

Thea's offer of babysitting had been easily taken up by Lily and Alice eventually wanted in on the deal too. She'd visited Alice and Lily nearly everyday since their children had been born. Though Thea wouldn't call it babysitting exactly. It was more like Lily and Alice napped while Thea cluelessly tried to figure out how to entertain their babies. Thea, unlike her friends, had next to no clue about how to act around babies. The actual care could mostly be taken care of with spells. One wave of a wand and any messy diapers or spit-up accidents were cleared away. But once the care was done, Thea wasn't certain what else to do.

She sat now on the living room carpet of her and Sirius' flat, watching Neville and Harry as Alice and Lily napped on the couch. Sirius, James, Remus, and Frank were all out on a longer-form mission to set-up some new safehouses for the order. They'd been gone for one day already and would likely not return until much later that night. Alice and Lily hadn't wanted to be alone so Thea had gladly invited them over. But now they were sleeping peacefully on the couch while Thea attempted to keep Neville and Harry from getting into anything dangerous.

Alice and Lily had brought over soft toys and teethers for both of the boys, but they seemed much more interested in trying to chew on the coffee table. Thea kept transfiguring the table legs into cushions, not wanting them to get splinters or hurt themselves. This only served to amuse Neville and Harry more. They'd bounce their head and hands into the cushions, laughing and babbling.

"Oh no, Harry!" Thea said, exasperated watching as he crawled to the edge of the carpet and began trying to pull it back. He was, of course, only 5 months old so he couldn't pull up the entire carpet but he could certainly pull the corner like nobody's business. Heaven knows what kind of dust and forgotten items had gathered under there.

Thea leaned over to scoop up Harry. He giggled and kicked in her grip, attempting to wiggle free. As she calmed him down, Neville began patting at Thea's back and tugging on her shirt. She put Harry down for only a second to wrangle Neville from out behind her. Harry immediately crawled away again this time towards Thea's wand that she'd set down.

"You stay here," Thea said, placing Neville down in front of her. Harry had picked up her wand and was banging it against the floor, playfully. "Harry!"

Harry couldn't do any actual magic with the wand, but he could definitely crack the wand itself at the rate he was going. Neville had calmed down and was resting his hands on Thea's knee as she leaned over again to take the wand from Harry. As babies often do, he started crying the instant she took the wand away.

"Oh please don't cry," Thea said, lifting Harry up and trying to soothe him. She'd already used a silencing charm around their spot on the carpet -she hadn't wanted to wake up Lily or Alice while they slept. But Thea was not very good at comforting crying babies.

"It's alright, shhh," Thea said, rocking him gently back and forth. Harry's cries barely quieted and he kept fidgeting in her hold.

Thea hadn't the faintest clue on what to do. Normally when either of the boys cried, Alice or Lily would scoop them up and quickly soothe them. Thea did not have this skill, apparently. She'd have to come up with something else. Out of pure instinct, Thea waved her wand casting a patronus. It was the one piece of defense magic she was best at -the one spell she could cast without fail. Her patronus, a sheep, burst forth from her wand and circled the room, leaving a silvery trail everywhere it stepped. As her patronus circled back towards her Harry's cries quieted. Neville looked equally enraptured by the silver animal. Patronuses did not last forever, of course -but with no dementors actually around to vanquish, Thea could make hers last for about 2 minutes. Harry and Neville both babbled as they reached for the transparent lamb, giggling when their hands passed right through it.

Thea, in her attempt to entertain both children, kept recasting her patronus for another hour. It wasn't until she heard the clicking of the locks that she stopped. Someone must be home -even though they weren't due for several more hours. Thea positioned herself in front of Harry and Neville, just in case. The locks were enchanted -anyone who didn't know the proper keys and codes would be cursed horribly. But still, there was the off chance that a Death Eater had gained access to the codes. Thea was prepared to defend, if need be.

The door swung open, revealing Sirius, James, Remus, and Frank. Thea sighed in relief -thank god. Neville and Harry both started making grabby hands at the sight of their fathers. Thea picked Harry up, passing him off to James easily. She grabbed Neville next, moving him towards Frank. At the last second however, Neville spat up all down the front of Thea's shirt. Wonderful.

Frank and Sirius both laughed. "I'll take him," Frank said. Sirius ruffled Thea's hair as he moved inside. It was the one terrible habit he could never stop, no matter how much Thea asked. Thea looked at her shirt, sighing at the mess. She prepared to wave the mess away with her wand, but Remus pulled her into the entryway by the door before she could.

"Remus?" Thea said. "Everything okay?"

"Yes...yes everything's fine," Remus said but his expression betrayed him. He looked nervous and unsure, his eyebrows knitted together. He wouldn't meet her eyes directly -his gaze kept flitting around her face before looking elsewhere. "I have something to ask you."

"What is it, Rem?" Thea said, reaching out to take his hand. "You know you can ask me anything."

"Right, right," Remus squeezed Thea's hand once and looked at her for several minutes, saying nothing. Thea gave him space and time, knowing he would speak when he was ready.

Remus reached into his pocket then, pulling out a small, velvet box. He did not kneel down, but he stared deeply into Thea's eyes -his gaze full of adoration and affection. "Amalthea Black, will you marry me?" Remus finally asked.

Thea blanched. That was what he wanted to ask? She hadn't been prepared for that question just now. "You want me to marry you?" Thea laughed the question out, unable to help herself.

"You don't want to?" Remus said, turning pale and pulling away. "Right, why would you want to marry me. I understand, no I get it. I'm...not a good man for you." Remus rambled on clearly upset.

"No! No!" Thea said, taking Remus' hands again. Oh Thea was always terrible with her words, and now she'd gone and scared her lover half to death with her own folly. "Of course I want to marry you Remus! I want nothing more. I'm sorry I shouldn't have laughed. It's just that...you just watched a baby throw up on me. Of all the things I thought you'd ask, I didn't expect a proposal."

"You're beautiful," Remus said, instantly. "Even with the throw up. Thea...this past year my love for you has grown, infinitely. You're wonderful and amazing and steadfast and supportive and always so incredibly kind. I couldn't imagine another person I'd want to spend the rest of my life with."

Thea blushed furiously. To hear Remus lay everything out like that and compliment her so made Thea fall even further in love with him. Thea knew she looked like a proper mess, from the throw up and the hours of babysitting, but when Remus called her beautiful, Thea believed it. Thea knew that she had her bad days when she wasn't perfect, but when Remus called her wonderful and amazing and steadfast, Thea believed it.

"You flatter me, greatly Rem. I couldn't imagine anyone else I'd want by my side, either. To answer your question properly, I would love to marry you, Remus Lupin," Thea said. Remus pulled her in for a searing kiss. It took Thea's breath away and she wrapped her arms around him, forgetting about everything else for a minute.

Thea pulled away from the kiss, leaning her forehead against Remus' out of pure fondness. He reached up to tuck a stray hair back behind her ear and Thea leaned into the touch. Their friends, who had clearly been watching the whole thing, whooped and cheered behind them. Thea turned to see Sirius making fake gagging noises before smiling and nodding in approval to both Remus and her.

Thea was elated. Marrying Remus was everything she wanted and much much more. She'd get to love him forever, as she had always wished too. Thea would get her happy ending with her very own knight in shining armor. She couldn't imagine anything better and her heart exploded in joy.

Thea kissed him again, pouring her every thought and wish of love into where his lips met hers.

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New Year's Eve came to the Order, faster than any of them had anticipated. Thea had been so occupied with her work, that she'd barely even realized the new year was arriving. It wasn't until she'd received a coded invitation from Alice and Frank asking her and Remus to attend a new years party with the Order that she realized the time.

Christmas had been a smaller affair this year, as more and more attacks spread across the Wizarding World. Thea hadn't expected to do much for New Year's either, other than perhaps a small celebration with Sirius and Remus. But she was glad to accept the invitation, nonetheless. Besides, her and Remus had yet to announce their proposal to the entire Order -this would be an excellent opportunity to do so.

"Love, have you seen my jacket?" Remus called out.

"Did you check by the door?" Thea shouted back to Remus in the other room. "Lily patched it up and dropped it off earlier."

Thea adjusted her dress one more time before stepping out to find Remus. "Did you find it?"

Remus turned, just as he slipped his suit jacket on. "Yes, exactly where you said." Remus stopped to admire her then, making her blush as his eyes roamed over her figure. He leaned in to kiss her quickly, too and even though it was a short peck, Thea still flushed. All of his affection made her heart flutter wildly, even though they'd been together for over a year now. "I swear I'd lose my head without you."

"Well it's a good thing I'm here then," Thea laughed, smoothing her hands over the lapels of Remus' jacket.

"Ready to go?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Thea smiled. They stepped out of the cottage door, locking it behind them. Remus held Thea close as they apparated away. They made a couple of stops to random locations -just in case any tails were following them. It was just a precaution but Thea would never forgive herself if they accidentally led any Death Eaters to everyone else. After several stops, they apparated to their true destination -Frank and Alice's home. They'd settled into a cottage in the village of Little Missenden. It was a beautiful cottage, completely covered in ivy, with a wild garden surrounding the house. Thea thought it fit both Frank and Alice very well.

Upon Remus' knock, Frank opened the door. "What is the last thing I said to you when you asked me about proposing to Thea?" It was another added precaution for the Order to ask each other questions only the other person would know -in order to confirm each other's identities.

"That I was a fool not to marry her," Remus smiled. "What did I say to you in my letter after I'd been attacked and splinched by Death Eaters?"

"That that was the moment you decided to ask her to marry you," Frank beamed, pulling Remus in for a hug.

Thea blushed and rolled her eyes, they were just being cheesy and asking such pointed questions because of the proposal announcement tonight.

"And you, what did you say to Alice and I the day after Remus proposed?" Frank said, raising his brow, and looking at Thea now.

"I thanked your baby for spitting up on me," Thea laughed, hugging Frank and stepping inside.

"Most everyone is already here -at least those who could attend. Moody, Sturgis, and Aberforth won't be coming," Frank kindly led them into the living room with the rest of the guests.

They did the rounds, greeting everyone and sharing hugs and kisses. Thea was glad to see everyone after not having been able to visit for Christmas. They'd had no Order meeting this month either, choosing instead to trade coded letters and patronus messages. Tensions were running high with the advancing war so it was nice to see everyone gathered together again for a moment of peace.

"Hello Thee!" Alice said, standing up to greet her. Neville cooed at her too, from Alice's arms.

"Hello, Al. And hello to you to Neville," Thea said, cooing sweetly. She settled in on the couch, holding Neville in her lap for a little while and bouncing him on her legs. He enjoyed it greatly, giggling the entire time. Remus sat on Thea's right, watching her and Neville in admiration.

Augusta, Frank's mother, took the seat on Thea's left. She was the only non-Order member in attendance but from the little Thea had interacted with her, she knew that Augusta would never betray the Order in any way. Augusta was a proud witch, constantly boasting about Frank and Alice's auror work. Thea didn't mind hearing about it -she was proud of her friends too. They did some of the greatest work for the Order.

Augusta and Thea traded light conversation as they waited for the party to start. "He's taken quite a liking to you, girl," Augusta said, watching Neville on Thea's lap.

"I'm glad for it," Thea said, smiling. "Neville is such a good baby and I couldn't wish for a better godson." Augusta hmphed. Thea sometimes got the impression that Augusta hated her. But Frank and Alice had both assured her that she did not and that Augusta spoke highly of Thea to the two of them, in private. Thea would just have to take their word for it.

Thea was pulled away from her thoughts by Frank and Alice's calls to attention. "Alright everyone settle in, settle in." Frank laughed as he pulled Alice to his side in front of all the gathered guests. "We want to thank you for taking the time to celebrate the New Year with us. We couldn't ask for better company tonight!"

"And while this is a New Years celebration, we do have another small announcement to make," Alice continued. "Or rather, Thea and Remus have something to share. Come here, come here." Alice pulled Thea and Remus off the couch, grabbing Neville along the way. She nudged the two of them into the center spot that her and Frank had just stood in.

"Thank you Alice," Thea laughed.

"Go on then!" Hagrid cheered from the crowd. "What've you got to say?"

"Well we.." Remus and Thea started speaking at the same time before stopping and laughing.

"What we mean to say is we're engaged," Thea said, holding up her left hand for all to see. The party guests cheered and congratulated Thea and Remus wholeheartedly.

"Yes," Frank said. "Many well wishes to the happy couple! With that done, let's get cracking!"

The party carried on for the rest of the evening in raucous laughter and good spirits. Drinks flowed as freely as the cheerfulness did. Sirius got near piss drunk and almost launched himself off a table before Fabian and Gideon had pulled him down. They all shared resolutions and fond memories of the previous year -trying to highlight the light amongst the dark of the fight they faced. People danced and sang and celebrated what they could, commiserated what they couldn't celebrate, and hoped for a better future ahead.

Thea was reminded of the New Year she'd spent at Hogwarts, three years ago. Back then, things had been so different. Thea's whole world back then had revolved around being stood up and the worries of her crush and the stress of exams and other menial things. Not that those things weren't important -but in the face of how things had changed, Thea almost laughed at her younger self. So much had happened since then -both good and bad. Her world had changed to center the ones she loved; to center on the fight ahead of them all. But Thea looked to Remus at her side, sliding her hand into his. Remus had stayed with her through it all. And she hoped he always would.

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Thea pushed away from the table, sighing as another Order meeting drew to a close. They'd been doing everything they could but at times like this, Thea felt especially helpless. The Order was outnumbered severely by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Making direct attacks would not be wise -Dumbledore said as much at every meeting. So instead the Order had focused mostly on gathering information, recruiting members, and staging indirect attacks like sabotaging supplies. But little fruit had come to bear from their efforts.

Voldemort had started this war by staging attacks on muggles and muggle born wizards. But in these later years of the war, he'd shifted to attacking more and more half-bloods and pure-bloods who he deemed as blood traitors. Just last week, Voldemort had targeted the Fawley family, who were not members of the order but were still outspoken against Voldemort. The tension in the air amongst the order members was thick. Hope of winning the war was fading as each day passed. Lily and James had Harry now to think about. Alice and Frank had Neville too. That's not to say that these couples stopped fighting, but you tell that they took their protection more seriously now. Thea worried too. She was engaged to Remus but every time he left for a mission, she prayed to the stars to bring him home safely again. She prayed to the stars that everyone would be kept safe -Sirius, James, Lily, Alice & Frank and the other order members she'd grown close to.

Despite the fading hope and pervasive fear, Dumbledore did not waver in his resolve. He encouraged the others to hold on and continue fighting too. He encouraged them to be vigilant, yes, but to also stop and enjoy the small moments they could.

Like now for example, as everyone got up from the meeting, he called for them to remain a moment longer. "If I may ask for one more minute of everyone's time. Fabian came to me with a wonderful idea at last month's meeting. A photo of all of us together, to remember us as we are now. Perhaps we can take another too, when our war is won." Leave it Dumbledore to speak so confidently and assuredly of their victory.

Everyone looked around at one another. A photo didn't sound like a bad idea. It would be something to remember each other by -when the war hopefully ended and the Order was no longer needed. Fabian set up the camera, setting a timer spell on it to take the photo only once everyone was in place.

Sirius pulled Thea towards the front of the group, to stand next to him just in front of Dumbledore and Moody. Remus stood on her other side, placing a hand around her waist. It was nice for a moment, everyone crowding in together to fit into the frame together. Something as simple as taking a photo added a sense of normalcy back into the group, a small drop of revitalization. This, among other things, was what they were fighting for. Each other.

Thea looked at Alice & Frank and then at James & Lily. They fought for a world in which their sons could live free of fear and danger. She looked back to Fabian and Gideon. They fought to protect their younger sister, who was raising five children and about to have another. She looked at Sirius. He fought for a world in which blood purity was chased out and turned into a thing of the past. She looked to Remus -he fought for a world in which everyone could be treated equally. Thea, like many of the others, fought to protect the ones she loved so dearly. And everyone else -Dorcas, Marlene, Moody, Hagrid, Edgar, Caradoc, Aberforth, & Dumbledore- they all fought for what they believed was right and just. Against all odds, they fought.

The photo was snapped, the bright flash illuminating everyone's faces. Copies of the photo were quickly produced and handed out to the members. The photo moved, just slightly, showing everyone smiling at each other and shuffling close together. Sirius had thrown an arm around Thea's and James' shoulders at the last second the photo was taken, his grin wide. Marlene and Dorcas shared a kiss in the crowd. Gideon had used his wand behind Fabian's head to give him a horn. Captured in the photograph, everyone looked happy. They all looked hopeful.

Two weeks later, after the photo was taken, it all fell apart and went to shit.

Marlene Mckinnon and her entire family were killed. In the middle of the night, Voldemort and several of his Death Eaters arrived at her home and brutally murdered every last member of the family. Dorcas Meadowes -in her ire at the death of Marlene, her fiance- set out to attack as many Death Eaters as possible. She managed to kill several of them and severely injure several more. Voldemort himself personally killed her, following her attacks.

On a routine mission 1 week later, Benjy Fenwick was brutally murdered by Rodolphus Lestrange. In the search for his body, the Order only ever found pieces of his body.

As the end of July approached, Edgar Bones, his wife, his two children, and his parents were all murdered by Voldemort.

As the Death Eaters grew bolder in their attacks, the Order did their best to respond and keep up. They were sent out on more missions to target and harm Death Eaters. On the way back from one such mission, Fabian and Gideon Prewett were attacked by five Death Eaters. They held an all-out battle in the middle of the street. Fabian and Gideon fought valiantly and stood their ground. Several order members came to their aid -but it had been too late. Thea, in disguise, had arrived too in an attempt to offer aid to those who fought. Fabian was killed right in front of her, struck down by the Killing Curse. Gideon, too, was struck down -in his case by a powerful fire spell. Thea had tried to save him, but in the end he'd died.

In less than a month, the Order lost 6 of its members. It was a huge blow to the group and any fear that had existed beforehand was multiplied tenfold. Any hope they may have clung to diminished with each life that was snuffed out.

But it was not all darkness. There were a few small spots of light amidst the strife and pain. Neville and Harry both had their first birthday, which was cause for celebration. Thea and Remus were unable to attend the pa-as they had been busy with some Order missions -but they'd sent along gifts to both boys. Harry received a stuffed stag toy, something Remus had insisted would be a perfect gift. Thea didn't quite get the joke, but she was happy to follow Remus' lead. For Neville's gift, Thea had worked with Lily to make a quilt and then charm it to always be the perfect temperature -cool in the summer and warm in the winter- and to never wear or fade.

Though she couldn't see them for their birthdays, Thea visited them in the months after as much as she could. Both of the boys had gotten so big and by the beginning of October, they had begun to talk here and there. Much of it was nonsense, with only two or three understandable words but Thea always listened as though it was the most enrapturing thing. The boys seemed to like it, at least, and carried on short conversations with her whenever she visited.

On one of her recent visits, Neville had even said her name -or at least a close approximation of it. "Tee!" Neville had proclaimed as he toddled towards her. She'd laughed and swung him around out of joy.

The small joys of seeing her godson, Neville, and her nephew, Harry, kept her going. But even that was about to be taken from her. As the last weeks of October approached, Dumbledore called for an Order meeting.

"I have received information that the Death Eaters will launch more severe attacks -this time seeking us out directly," Dumbledore said, a solemn look on his face. "I think it best that, in the interest of protection, we go into hiding. Particularly you Lily and James and you Alice and Frank -in the interest of protecting your sons."

The members murmured to each other, absorbing the information. An attack directly against the Order would be serious -particularly against these young families. No one wanted a repeat of what had happened to Marlene. That had been a covert attack, an unexpected one. This time they could prepare better and Dumbledore clearly thought that the best preparation was hiding. But there was no guarantee that going into hiding would work.

Frank voiced this thought. "Sorry, Dumbledore, but how can we ensure that we'll be safe? I'd rather face them head-on then cower away," Alice reached up to grab Frank's hand, shushing him.

"I understand your passion to fight, Frank, but we do not have the numbers to face them head on -it would be a guaranteed death sentence for us all" Dumbeldore said. "I really must insist that going into hiding is the best course of action. As for safety, I suggest we use the Fidelius Charm amongst ourselves."

The Fidelius Charm was a powerful and ancient piece of magic. The spell concealed a secret inside a living witch or wizard -the secret-keeper. Once the spell was done, the secret-keeper had to divulge the secret they kept willingly; it could not be revealed by magical coercion. Furthermore, anyone else who heard the information from the secret-keeper could not pass the information on to anyone else. The spell usually hid objects, places, information, or sometimes people. If a place was hidden by the spell it would become invisible, intangible, unplottable, and soundproof. Any who remembered the location before it had been placed under the charm would forget it. This would mean that no matter how hard Voldemort or his Death Eaters looked, they would not be able to discover where anyone was hiding. It was, in truth, a perfect plan.

"Please choose your secret-keepers wisely. Once that is done, we shall perform the charms." Dumbledore said, dismissing everyone to talk amongst themselves.

"I think it's best you stay with Remus," Sirius said, approaching Thea.

"What do you mean?" Thea said. "You want me to just leave you?"

"I can protect myself, Thee," Sirius said with a humorless laugh. "Besides, don't you want to live with your fiance?"

"Of course," Thea said. "But that doesn't mean I'll just abandon you, Siri."

"You're not abandoning me," Sirius said. "The flats already charmed to hell and back, I can put the Fidelius on top of it and I'll be golden. I know your cover is still good -the Death Eaters still think you're dead. But I'm a known member, if you stay with me and they target me, even under the Fidelius charm, then you'll be in danger. Remus has been more covert, they don't know him as well -you'd be safer there."

Sirius did have a good point. She'd just have to begrudgingly agree. "Fine, I'll stay with him."

Remus laughed from behind her. "Don't sound too excited."

"Remus! I didn't mean it like that! I just-"

Remus cut her off with a brief kiss. "I know, love, I was just teasing. You're worried for Sirius, I understand, no harm done."

"You'd better look after her Moony," Sirius said.

"Of course I will," Remus said. "Though I often find it's Thea who's looking after me."

Sirius laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. "Right then, will you be my secret keeper, Thee."

"Of course," Thea agreed readily. Thea was an excellent candidate for being secret-keeper. She'd offer to be a secret-keeper for everyone but it was unwise to put all one's eggs in one basket. She was content and happy with protecting Sirius for now.

"I'll go find Dumbledore then," Sirius said, leaving with a smile.

Remus had turned to pouring over a map of the available safehouses. His finger trailed over several in the English countryside.

"Anything interesting, Rem?" Thea said, leaning her head onto his shoulder. Remus' hand lingered near a spot marked in Yorkshire. The house had only been set up recently and had yet to be used. Remus had been one of the ones to ward it and set it up, just the week before. When Thea had asked him about the house, he'd described it as a small cottage -large enough to house a family but small enough to be cozy and warm. He must have liked the place as his eyes kept being drawn to it.

"You pick, love," Remus said, turning away from the map to look at Thea.

Thea pointed to the Yorkshire house without hesitation. "This one."

"But-"

Thea cut Remus off with a kiss to his cheek. "No buts. Let's choose this one." Remus smiled and leaned into the kiss, before shaking his head playfully. This wasn't quite how Thea had expected to move in with Remus, under such scary circumstances, but she was happy nonetheless to build a home with him -even if it was a temporary one. Besides, Sirius had been insisting for a few weeks that Thea move out with Remus so he could stop walking in on the two of them kissing around the flat.

The Order convened once more, relaying their safe house and secret-keeper choices to Dumbledore. Remus and Thea had mutually decided to use Hagrid as their secret-keeper. They were good friends with Hagrid but not so much so that a Death Eater would target him first. Lily and James elected Sirius as their secret-keeper. Frank and Alice chose Aberforth.

The Fidelius Charm was quickly performed for all of the Order members who had elected to move fully into hiding. In less than an hour, it was done. Thea hoped that this would truly work and keep everyone safe. She didn't think she could bear anymore loss -particularly not of those who were so close to her.

Thea approached Alice and Frank first, wanting to wish them goodbye. This wasn't goodbye forever, of course, but Thea would not be able to visit them as frequently as she had been. That thought saddened her, so for now she'd have to sate herself with a heartfelt farewell.

"Take care you two," Thea said as she hugged Alice and Frank in turn, kissing their cheeks.

"Don't get all sappy on me," Alice laughed, but she returned Thea's hug just as tightly. "We'll see you again before you know it."

"Right," Thea said, giving a weak smile.

Lily and James were next and Lily already looked on the brink of tears. If Lily started crying, then Thea was certain to cry along with her. James hugged both her and Remus at the same time.

"Be safe, Moony," James said, his words muffled by the hug. "And you too, Thea. Both of you be safe." When the hug ended, Thea thought she saw James wipe his eyes discreetly.

"We will, Prongs," Remus said, with a solemn expression.

Lily was next and she pulled Thea into a hug before Thea could even say anything

"Oh I hate having to say goodbye like this!" Lily sobbed into Thea's neck. Thea hugged her tightly and tried to swallow her own tears back.

"Not goodbye, just see you later," Thea managed to choke out. Lily squeezed Thea even tighter.

"You'll squeeze the life out of her, lily-flower," James joked.

"Bugger off, James!" Lily said through her tears. Thea was finally released from the death-grip hug after a minute or two more. Lily sniffled as she pulled away, wiping her eyes.

Thea cleared some of the hair out of Lily's face. "Just...watch out for yourself and for Harry." Thea said.

"And most especially, look out for James," Remus laughed. "He's quite a handful."

"Oi!" James said, but he laughed along with his old friend, just the same. Lily laughed too, as she fully dried her tears.

Thea chuckled, "It'll be over soon and we'll see each other again."

Thea had been half right in her statement. It would, indeed, all be over soon, but she would never see Lily or James ever again after that moment.

A mere week after the Fidelius charms had been put into place, Thea's world crumbled around her for the second time in her life. It was very early in the morning when Thea and Remus received word on what had happened. Remus was up making breakfast while Thea sleepily sipped on some tea and watched the rising sun. Dumbledore's phoenix patronus had come soaring into the living room, startling Thea and Remus.

"Voldemort has fallen. Lily and James are dead. Harry lives." Dumbledore's voice echoed through the patronus.

Thea's mug dropped, shattering across the floor. Remus flicked the stove off and grabbed Thea's shoulder. They apparated away in an instant to Godric's Hollow. They knew that this was the neighborhood of Lily and James' house, but they did not know the exact location. It didn't matter. They only needed to get there.

A great roaring could be heard in the sky overheard. Thea recognized it instantly -Sirius' motorcycle. He landed only a few feet in front of them, but it was as if he didn't even see Remus and Thea standing there. Sirius chucked off his helmet and raced down the street. Thea and Remus followed.

A shattered pile of rubble was all that awaited them. The house was completely destroyed -only a few beams and parts of the walls still stood. The entire center of the house looked as though it had been blasted from the inside out.

Hagrid stood in front of the ruined house, cradling a small bundle of cloth. Sirius stopped in front of the rubble, his eyes flitting all over the ruined house.

"Is it true?" Remus whispered, his voice stilted and pained. "Are they really..."

"Yes," Hagrid said. His own face was coated in tears that did not stop flowing. "They're dead." Hagrid let out a great wet howl as he continued to cry.

Thea fell to her knees in the street. Distantly, she heard a noise -like someone screaming. Oh. The noise was her. How strange. Thea went numb. She had known pain -she'd been tortured. She had known sadness -she'd watched good people die in front of her. This was not pain, not sadness, but cold numbness. Just a hollow hole carved into her heart, an empty abyss. How could this be true? How could James and Lily be dead? Remus kneeled down besides Thea, wrapping his arms around and pulling her close. He buried his face into her shoulder, his tears soaking through her shirt.

"No, that can't be right," Sirius said, moving towards the rubble. "Not them. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. No, No." He clawed at the rubble, pulling away pieces of stone and wood. As he picked through the pile his movements became more frantic until he eventually uncovered the bodies of James and Lily. At that moment Sirius' whole body shook and he turned deathly pale.

Thea cried harder, closing her eyes to the sight in front of her. But the image of her dead friends was already seared into her mind -it was all she saw. Thea felt like throwing up. Remus rocked her gently in his arms. It didn't help.

Sirius turned to Hagrid. "Give Harry to me. I'm his godfather, I'll take him. I...we can look after him," Sirius reached his hands out to take baby Harry. Hagrid pulled back, taking a step away.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Hagrid said. "Dumbledore gave me strict orders to take Harry to his aunt and uncle's house."

"That's ridiculous," Sirius said. "Lily doesn't even talk to her sister -why would he go live there? Give him to me."

Hagrid pulled back again. "No. It was express orders to take him to his aunt and uncle's! Dumbledore insisted!"

Sirius scowled, but he dropped the subject. "Fine then," Sirius said darkly. "Take my motorbike, you'll get there faster." He passed Hagrid a pair of keys from his pocket. Hagrid frowned at them for a moment before accepting them. In the next few minutes, Hagrid roared away with Harry tucked into the passenger car for safety. Thea, Remus, and Sirius were left alone.

"We should go," Remus said, his voice absent of any emotion. "Muggles will come to investigate soon." Remus stood and pulled Thea up to stand alongside him. The both of them could barely support themselves so they leaned on each other instead, keeping each other up.

"You go," Sirius said. "I need to find someone."

Thea wasn't thinking straight. If she was then perhaps she would've stopped to question who Sirius was looking for. She might've stopped to question how Lily and James had been found and killed by Voldemort when Sirius was their secret-keeper. She would've stopped to realize that her brother was a traitor. But Thea did not stop to do any of these things. She wouldn't stop to consider any of these things until much much later...until it was far too late.

Instead she let Remus lead her away down the street as Sirius' apparated away to god knows where. Remus summoned his corporeal patronus, something he rarely did, and gave it a message to take to some of the other Order members. Thea barely registered the words of the message. She could barely think at all and her mind was clouded with oblivion. Thea was unsure of how much time passed -hours or seconds, she couldn't say- but eventually Remus apparated the two of them to Frank and Alice's house.

The sun had risen high into the sky now, as several Order members gathered outside of the house. Alice ushered everyone inside, closing the door. It did not take long for everyone to burst into quiet conversation.

"Is it true?" Elphias asked. "Is Voldemort really dead?"

"Yes. Happened late last night," Moody said. "I just spoke with Dumbledore. Says Harry Potter is the one who did it."

"Harry?" Frank sputtered. "But how?"

"Hard to say," Moody gruffed. "All Dumbledore said was that Voldemort found the Potters, killed James and Lily, but was unable to kill Harry. His own curse bounced back at him."

"After all that..." Sturgis whispered. "He's really dead."

Thea wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out again. Voldemort was dead. At the price of Lily and James' lives. At the price of the Mckinnon family, the Prewett twins, Edgar Bones, Benjy Fenwick, Dorcas, Mary, and a thousand more people he had killed. What a great and terrible cost he had exacted from the world. And he died just like that. Thea wanted to scream at the injustice of it all.

"If Voldemort found James and Lily then that means..." Alice said.

"No!" Thea said firmly. "Not Sirius." Thea was shaking her head now and backing away, as if she could physically escape the truth. As if she could run away from it.

"He had to have given them away to Voldemort," Moody said. "He's a traitor."

"No!" Thea said again, this time shouting. "He can't be. Not him, too. He wouldn't! He wouldn't." Thea looked at everyone staring back at her. Their eyes were filled with pity and sadness, shaming the woman who couldn't accept the truth.

Remus approached her, slowly, as if she was a wild animal who might startle. And she did -she startled and ran out the back door of the house. She ran until her legs could carry her no more -wanting to escape everything. She slumped against a tree leaning on it and catching her breath.

Thea couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Sirius...a spy, a traitor. Sirius who had stood up for years against their blood supremacist parents. Sirius who had loudly declared his support for the Order and went on as many missions as possible. Sirius who had cared for her and taken her in when she was hurt. Sirius who had become her only remaining family member. Sirius. Sirius. Sirius.

Thea wept then, openly and with abandon. She'd cried when she'd been tortured. She'd cried when she remembered it was Regulus who had hurt her. She'd cried many days for her twin brother who could not be saved. She'd cried for what he had taken from her. But as much as Thea hated to admit it, Regulus' betrayal and his true loyalties had been written on the wall for many years. His betrayal was a slowly cresting wave that had built up for a very long time -Thea had just refused to see the signs.

But Sirius, his betrayal was abrupt, the cold snap of a breaking bone. There had been no signs, no writing on the wall, no portents of Sirius' plans. At least Thea could not see any. The Order had long since suspected that a spy might be amongst their ranks, betraying their actions to Voldemort. But Thea would've named herself as a spy before ever suspecting Sirius.

A presence, one Thea knew well, knelt beside her as she cried. It was Remus -he had followed her out here. But Remus said nothing as he sat down next to her, amongst the tree roots. He did not try to hold her or touch her or reason with her. He let her cry and for that, Thea was grateful. Thea cried until she found her tears stopped flowing. Thea brought her knees into her chest, resting her head on them. The cool wind of the day blew in her hair and calmed her reddened face. Even as everything else fell apart, nature still carried on.

"It can't be true," Thea said, her voice croaky from all her tears. She looked out across the land, watching the tall grasses sway in the wind. Remus, too, looked out towards the horizon.

"I don't want to believe it, either," Remus said, his own voice choked with emotion. "But..."

"What?" Thea asked. Remus was withholding something. Something must've happened while she'd been out here.

"A letter arrived for Moody, while you were gone," Remus reached into his pocket, passing a crumpled bit of parchment to her. He turned his head away and brought his fist to his mouth as she took it.

Thea's hands trembled as she smoothed out the paper.

Dear Moody,

As you have surely heard by now, He Who Shall Not Be Named has fallen. They say it is the Potter boy who did it at last.

We've been scrambling all day to maintain order amongst everyone. We have not been very successful. Despite the Dark Lord's death, his Death Eaters are still making moves.

We have just captured Sirius Black. He was found on Hart Street in London by young Peter Pettigrew. All of the available aurors and I arrived -along with the Minister- just as Pettigrew was confronting Black. Pettigrew was shouting about Sirius being a Dark wizard, a traitor and giving up the location of James and Lily Potter to Voldemort. In the next moment, Sirius used some sort of blasting spell that destroyed the entire street, killed 12 Muggles who were gathered nearby, and blew Pettigrew to bits. Black stood there laughing in the aftermath. We arrested him in short order, though it took all of our combined efforts to bring him in.

I've sentenced him to life in Azkaban.

I know you requested a short, personal leave but I must insist that you come in to work immediately. We will require your assistance in escorting Black to Azkaban and in rounding up any other unfortunates who try to follow after Black's example.

Best,

Barty Crouch Snr

Thea wanted to throw up. She thought she really might. This letter truly sealed what everyone was already saying. Sirius was a traitor, loyal to Voldemort. He'd killed not only Lily and James, but now 12 muggles and Peter Pettigrew. He had gone Dark -he had been Dark this entire time. She crumbled the letter and tossed it away from herself. How was she meant to just carry on from this? Thea didn't know. Remus was crying next to her, quiet tears that tracked down his face. Thea scooted closer to him. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. He leaned his head onto her. And they cried together -for the friend and brother they had lost.

For the next several days, people danced around Thea afraid to speak to her, afraid to bring up Sirius. Thea didn't mind it so much -she had taken to not speaking herself, unless it was absolutely necessary. The Order celebrated in the first few days after Voldemort's death -they did not hold lavish parties like others in the Wizarding World, but they gathered together to toast to the dead and to those still living. To toast to a war won and a reign of terror ended. Many of the Order were confident that a truly brighter future now lay ahead.

Five days after Voldemort's defeat, the Order suffered one last blow. Frank and Alice -along with many of the Order members- had begun returning to their normal work as aurors. Frank was the first to be taken. He was captured by four remaining Death Eaters -Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus, his brother Rabastan, and Barty Crouch Jnr- and subsequently tortured extensively. The Death Eaters hoped to find out the location of their fallen master and apparently thought Frank might know. He did not. Regardless, they tortured him for 2 days. Alice was taken next and similarly attacked and tortured. Thea didn't find out about it until it was over.

Augusta had been the one to tell her. She'd sent an owl over asking Thea to come watch Neville for a bit. Thea, though not in the best state, accepted. Some time with her godson would be a welcome distraction. When Thea arrived at the Longbottom's place, Augusta handed Neville over as soon as she got in the door. Augusta was well dressed but clearly distressed by something.

Thea fumbled for a moment to hold Neville properly. He was crying and fidgeting in Thea's arms, clearly unsettled. "Everything alright, Ms. Longbottom?" Thea asked, as she smoothed out Neville's hair and tried to comfort him.

"You haven't heard, dear?" Augusta said, straightening out her large, feathered hat. "They finally caught those bastards who hurt my Frank and Alice. I'm headed to the trial now."

Thea almost dropped Neville in her shock. Alice and Frank hurt? She hadn't heard anything. Granted, she'd spent most of her time at home with Remus not wanting to get out of bed or do much of anything. But surely someone would've written to her if Alice and Frank had been attacked. Surely.

"What do you mean..." Thea murmured.

"They were tortured," Augusta said plainly. "They're in St. Mungo's now recovering. No one told you?"

"No I...I didn't hear anything," Thea said, shock clearly written on her face.

"Hmph," Augusta said. "Well I can't stay and chat, I've got to get to the Ministry." With that, Augusta flooed away, green flames sparking up from the chimney. Thea collapsed onto the couch trying to absorb what little Augusta had said. Alice and Frank had been attacked -but she didn't say they were dead. Recovering, that was what she had said. Recovering was good -Thea had been Crucio'd and recovered too. Alice and Frank would be just fine. They were strong and fierce and powerful -they'd be fine.

But Thea couldn't quiet her thoughts. She absentmindedly rocked Neville, letting him play with her hair and the buttons of her coat. Maybe a visit to St. Mungos wouldn't hurt. She could just pop in and see what was happening, how Alice and Frank were faring. Yes, yes, just a quick visit. Thea led Neville to the door, grabbing a coat for him as well. Neville had calmed down and stood still as she did up his buttons.

"Alright, Nev," Thea said, doing the last button and then ruffling his hair. "We'll just go quickly and see your mum and dad." Neville giggled and grabbed at Thea's hand on his head.

"See mum!" He said excitedly. Thea smiled as she picked him up. In short order, they flooed to St. Mungos together. Thea stepped out into the lobby, looking around for a Healer.

"Hello Miss," A Healer at the reception desk said. "How can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Frank and Alice Longbottom, please."

The Healer waved his wand, summoning some papers from a nearby shelf. He frowned after a moment. "I'm afraid the Longbottoms cannot have visitors at the moment."

"What floor are they on?"

"Fourth floor, but you can't-"

Thea didn't stay to listen, she immediately made for the magical elevator. The fourth floor was where she had stayed too during her own recovery. With any luck, Wyatt Grouse would still be the Healer-in-Charge and she could convince him to let her see Alice and Frank.

Thea brushed onto the fourth floor. Another Healer greeted her. "What can I do for you, miss?"

"Is Wyatt Grouse here?"

"Yes miss, he's in his office. Do you have an appointment?"

Thea left this healer too, heading for Grouse's office. She didn't bother to knock, choosing instead to open the door and barge right in. Wyatt jumped a bit but calmed when he saw it was Thea.

"Ms. Black?" Wyatt said. They hadn't seen each other in several months, since her stay at the hospital really. She'd come in for occasional check-ups but much of what could be done to help Thea was already complete. Now Thea was here for her friends.

"What do you know about the Longbottoms?" Thea said instantly. "Alice and Frank. I think they must've been checked in recently. Same case as me, Crucio damage. But how are they? Can I see them?"

Wyatt fumbled around at Thea's rambling. "Ms. Black, I cannot just disclose the information of other patients."

"Please!" Thea implored. "I'm their friend, please. I'm the godmother of their son." Neville was clinging to Thea's side. He may have only been one and a half -barely able to string a whole, coherent sentence together but it was clear he could read the tension in the room, at least.

Wyatt released a deep sigh. "I can't let you in to see them, Ms. Black. All I can say is that yes, they've suffered extensive damage from the Crucio spell. From what we can gather, they were attacked for several days, at length."

"But will they be okay?"

"They will...live, yes," Wyatt whispered. "But we do not believe that they will ever recover their minds. Early signs indicate that they have trouble recognizing the world around them. I told you when you were here that the Crucio spell -particularly after extensive duration- can break one's minds and memories."

Static roared in Thea's ears. She stumbled back into a chair. They would not recover, Alice and Frank would not remember her. They would not remember those around them. Neville tugged at Thea's pant leg. Thea looked down at him, struck by the horrible cruelty of it all. They would not remember their son.

Voldemort was dead. Things were supposed to be better. But in one final act of injustice, he and his had taken her two closest friends from her. His minions had broken their minds permanently as some sort of twisted retribution for the fall of their precious lord. The war had really taken it all from her. Her two brothers, her parents, her eye, her leg, her friends. How much more would she have to give? How much more would be ripped away from her?

Thea couldn't say. Thea wanted nothing more than to break down and scream and run far far away and not have to deal with the sadness and the anger and the bitterness of it all. But she could do none of those things. Instead she picked Neville up, holding him close. She said nothing as she left Grouse's office, walked downstairs to the guest fireplaces, and flooed back to Longbottom Manor. She was numb the entire time. She had no more tears left in her at the moment. Thea sat for the rest of the day playing with Neville and watching him until Augusta returned. When she finally did, Thea learned that Frank and Alice's attackers had been sentenced to life. Good.

Thea returned then to the cottage that she and Remus still shared and she let herself wallow for a while. She told Remus about the fate of Alice and Frank and he mourned with her, for a time. Thea felt that she could sink down forever into darkness and hide away just as she wanted to. She could take a step back from the Order, from the world, and drift away into nothingness. Didn't she deserve to, after all the pain she'd been through? After everything?

It would be easier to sink, to push it all away, to just let go. It would be easier, yes, but would it be right? Thea, even in her pain, didn't think so. James and Lily had died. Alice and Frank had been broken. Thea thought that perhaps the right thing to do was to keep living and fighting for them. To make sure their sacrifices were not in vain.

Thea allowed herself to wallow for exactly one month. She allowed herself to feel her sadness deeply, to feel her anger boil, and to feel her losses wholly. She spent much of that month unmoving and uncaring of the world around her. Thea would stare out the window of her cottage -watching the grass swaying along the hills. She barely moved from that spot, constantly thinking about how things might have been different. Remus, in his endless kindness, stayed by her side and cared for her when she could not care for herself. He knew Thea was struggling with all that had happened. Remus' struggled too, of course, after everything that had transpired. The couple had many dark and depressing nights. But they were each other's buoys amongst the storm of tragedy.

And after a month of wallowing, Thea decided she was done. She got up one day, from her chair by the window, and did not return. She did three things. First, she began visiting Neville as much as possible. Second, she made a statement to the Daily Prophet. And third, she got a job at St. Mungo's.

Neville was being raised by Augusta now, in the absence of his parents. But Thea was determined to be in his life as much as possible. She was his godmother and he deserved to have her in his life. Thea visited him frequently on random weekdays, weekends, and on every holiday. Remus would come with her too, on occasion, and the couple would take Neville out on picnics or other adventures. Thea got to see Neville growing up each and every day. She would tell him stories of his parents and the many memories that she, Alice, Frank, and Remus shared. Though he was still a young boy, not even two yet, Thea wanted him to grow up knowing how much his parents loved him. Neville seemed to appreciate her visits and Thea resolved to see him as much as possible for as long as she lived.

As for her statement to the Daily Prophet, Thea revealed that she was alive and told her story. Throughout her time in the Order, Thea had remained hidden and kept the cover that she was dead. After her torture in 1978, much of the world outside of the Order had presumed she was either missing or dead as she was not seen in wizarding public again. Her parents had never issued a statement to counteract this sentiment. In the years of the war, Dumbledore had insisted that she keep with this cover and not expose herself while the Order remained. But the Order was done for now. They worked to help the wizarding world -through capturing Death Eaters and setting up aid for those who'd been affected by the war- but aside from these restoration efforts they served little purpose. And Thea was done with being dead. So she revealed herself at last.

Through her statement, she told the truth of her torture at the hands of her brother, Regulus Black. Thea named the other Death Eaters who had encouraged and witnessed her torture, hoping her testimony would aid in convicting some of the Death Eaters who had escaped jail thus far. She talked about how the Order had taken her in for protection. Perhaps most importantly, she condemned Sirius' actions severely -stating that his betrayal and service to Voldemort was a great affront and that he was no brother to her.

Thea's statement came as a small shock to the wizarding community. Some members of the Order came out in support of her, vouching for her allegiance to the side of Light. Still, much of the public questioned the truth of her story. She was after all a member of the House Black -a house which had proven to contain staunch supporters of Voldemort. Her name- the Black name- would be forever stained with the actions of her parents and siblings. Thea had no family left -her father had died in '79, her mother had not spoken to her since '78, Regulus was presumed dead -he had never been found amongst Voldemort's other Death Eaters- and Sirius was as good as dead to her. She was the last one left alive carrying the Black name. She was determined to prove that not all members of the Black family were Dark and malicious blood purists. And though some would always question Thea and her true allegiances- a good majority of the wizarding community accepted her and her story.

After her statement was published, Thea sought a job at St. Mungo's. She'd graduated Hogwarts with all the required N.E.W.T.s and she just spent two years serving as a healer for the Order. Dumbledore wrote her a letter of recommendation, which helped her secure the job. She started at the very bottom as an apprentice Healer -but Thea was happy for the work. She worked her way across all the wards of the hospital, studying different branches of healing and learning much. She eventually settled on working on the third floor which treated potion damage and poisonings. Thea found the work rewarding, particularly so when she got to help or save someone. She worked hard to support herself and Remus who were just starting their lives together. And perhaps best of all, Thea got to visit Alice and Frank nearly every day, for at least an hour after her shifts. They'd been moved to the Janus Thickey ward shortly after Thea had begun working. She told them about her days and how everyone was getting along in the aftermath of the war. She told them about Neville and how he was walking now and could talk more. They never once recognized her but they did acknowledge her presence. Thea didn't care, she was happy to keep her dear friends updated and would never abandon their sides. Thea carried on like this, in the months after the war, determined to build a new life from the ashes of everything that had fallen around her.

As for the rest of the Order members -including Remus- they worked to restore the damage Voldemort had done. To start, the Order revealed themselves, to a degree, with Dumbledore proclaiming that they had worked against Voldemort and were here to help in the aftermath of his fall. They did not reveal everything -for example, no matter how hard he was pressed, Dumbledore did not disclose all members of the Order. He also refused to state how exactly the Order had fought against Voldemort. Due to Dumbledore's secrecy the Ministry dubbed them as a renegade outfit whose goals and intentions were unknown -but they begrudgingly accepted some help from the Order.

Members of the Order first set about capturing and sentencing as many Death Eaters as possible. Many Death Eaters were sentenced to life in Azkaban for their crimes and these sentencings were great achievements in the further fight against evil. Not all were captured, however. For every Death Eater that was put away, two more evaded prison by claiming they were under the Imperius Curse. The Death Eaters making these assertions had power and influence which aided them in their evasion of any punishment. The Order and the Ministry worked hard against these claims -but in the end many Death Eaters walked free.

Other members of the Order worked to help those who had been affected by the war. Elphias Doge, who held a role within the Ministry, worked to set up several initiatives which provided monetary aid to children who had been orphaned by the war. Aberforth, Hagrid, Remus, and Emmeline Vance spent time rebuilding wizarding communities and houses that had been destroyed by the war. Thea, in between her work at St. Mungo's helped with these restorative efforts. Memorials were erected in honor of those who had been wiped out by Voldemort entirely -including the Mckinnon Family, amongst others. The actions of the Order helped the Wizarding World recover piece by piece and restored a feeling of safety amongst everyone.

The Order's efforts carried on until the end of February -four months after Voldemort's defeat. By that point, they'd captured a number of Death Eaters and publicly, at least, the Death Eaters dissolved as an organization entirely. The Order had also built over a hundred houses, donated thousands of galleons to families in need, healed those who could be healed, and done all they could. At last there was no more reason for the Order to remain together. The members were prepared to go their separate ways and fully return to their lives. Still, they gathered one final time on March 1st, 1982, for the wedding of Remus and Amalthea.

After Thea had begun truly living again, she and Remus had planned their wedding. They'd been engaged for two years at that point and were ready to finally marry. The wedding was simple and plain, an incredibly small affair, but it was no less beautiful. They married on their Yorkshire property, in the back garden, amidst the green, rolling hills. Wooden chairs were arranged in one, unbroken group across the lawn, with a simple wooden arch acting as the 'altar' at which they would exchange vows. The surviving members of the Order all attended, filling the majority of the seats. Maxine and Connley -who had reconnected with Thea after her statement in the prophet- were there too. Remus' father, Lyall, attended as well. Thea insisted that Alice and Frank be able to attend -which was made possible with the assistance of a few healers from St. Mungo's. Thea was glad to have them attend the wedding and witness her union to Remus. Augusta Longbottom and Neville made up their last guests.

Dumbledore graciously agreed to be the officiant of the wedding. Remus wore a dark brown suit, with his hair pushed back. Thea wore a white, satin, a-line dress. They both admired each other as they'd walked to the wooden arch from either side of the gathered chairs. Dumbledore led the ceremony expertly, and Thea and Remus exchanged their vows and their rings in short order. Their guests witnessed the happy union between the young couple -many of them shedding fond tears. When Remus and Thea shared their first kiss as man and wife, the gathered audience clapped and cheered raucously. Though much had been overshadowed by all that had been lost by not only Remus and Thea but everyone else who was present, it was still a happy occasion and one that was greatly celebrated.

And in the front row of the assembled chairs, also bearing witness to the marriage and the ensuing celebration, were three empty chairs. One for Peter, one for James, and one for Lily.

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A/N: Thanks so much for reading!! I greatly appreciate anyone who gives this story a chance

This chapter marks the end of the pre-Golden Trio era storylines! This chapter and the previous one ended up waaaayyyy longer than I wanted them to so if you read through the whole beast, thank you! I'm honestly not 100% satisfied with these bits either, but I tried my best and I hope you all enjoy it!!

Next chapter should pick up a bit before the plot of PoA and go from there!

As always, comments and kudos are welcome and appreciated! Catch y'all on the flip side!