DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

SUMMARY: Remus' POV - How does Remus, Ginny, Ron, and the rest of the Weasley's deal with the aftermath of a devastating war? How does a Malfoy and a Potions Professor fit into the healing process? Will romance blossom, or will the memories of the dead stand in the way? RL/NT, HP/GW, RW/HG, RL/GW(?) - Rating PG-13 for language, and angst. Rating may go up, but won't get smutty. Please R/R

Chapter 1: Memorials

The war with Voldemort had finally come to an end, but at a high price. Among the casualties (and these are only a few) were Cedric Diggory, being noted as the first, Sirius Black, Bill and Fred Weasley, Filius Flitwick, Padma Patil, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Alastor Moody, Rubeus Hagrid, Angelina Johnson, Dennis Creevey, Oliver Wood, Amelia Bones, Mr. Granger (Hermione's father) Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin (yes, she was my wife), and Hermione Granger-Weasley.

The highest price paid by the Wizarding world was the loss of Albus Dumbledore, who will be mourned for years to come, and finally, Harry Potter. He had fought a valiant fight, but in the end he knew that to destroy Voldemort he, too, would die.

The memorial service after the final battle seemed never ending. Many had come to pay their respects to Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger-Weasley. It was a reporter's dream, and a young widow and widower's nightmare.

She had requested a private service, for just family and friends, but it had turned into an event comparable to the Quidditch World Cup. Ginny Weasley-Potter had paid dearly in the war, loosing not only her husband, but also 2 brothers, a sister-in-law, who also happened to be her best friend, and many other friends.

Harry and she had married shortly after he had turned 21, which was five years ago. Always knowing another battle was around the corner, they had postponed having children, which was a fact that now tore at her heart.

Her red hair contrasted vividly to the black robe she wore, and stray strands that had fallen from the twist blew gently in the wind. Ron and she sat there at the graves of their fallen spouses for hours, just staring at the mounds of freshly turned soil. Harry and Hermione had been buried on Hogwarts grounds, side-by-side, just as they had always been since their first year. There would be a memorial erected in their honors, as well as one for Albus Dumbledore, who was buried just a few feet away.

I knew all too well the grief they were both feeling. I, too, had lost many, including my wife, whom we all affectionately called Tonks. I sat, as they do now, and mourned the loss of my beloved just two short years ago. I remember all too vividly that nothing anyone could have done or said would have eased the pain or lessened the anger that welled up inside of me then and still does from time to time.

"Uncle Remus," the child's voice broke through my trip through memory lane. "I want my Daddy".

"Of course, Nathaniel." I smiled warmly at the little red-headed boy in my arms. Ron and Hermione married right when they got out of Hogwarts. I remember it perfectly. It was a beautiful summer day and the Burrow was all decorated in white and peach. Bill and Charlie had built a lattice arbor and magicked peach climbing roses to grow and bloom through out it. Harry stood as best man, and Ginny maid of honor. This is when Harry finally noticed Ginny.

Hermione was beautiful. She had decided on a traditional Muggle wedding gown. She had created a ceremony that encompassed both Muggle and Wizarding traditions. It was remarkable. Ginny had worn a Muggle dress, too. It was peach with thin straps at the shoulder, and came down to about mid-calf. Both women held beautiful bouquets of white and peach roses, while Harry and Ron both wore Wizarding robes, and both looked quite dashing, I might add. Hermione's father had worn a tuxedo, and walked his only daughter down the isle.

By Christmas of that year, Hermione was pregnant with their first child, a now seven year-old little girl they named Meredith, who looked remarkably like her mother. Nathaniel followed four years later, and looked very much the Weasley.

I silently carried the three-year-old boy up to his father. "Ron," I whispered. When he turned, he swiped the tears away from his cheeks hastily. When he realized I held his son in my arms, a fresh batch of tears fell. Nathaniel jumped quickly from my arms into his father's, who hugged him fiercely. Ron cast a glance at Ginny, and left to join Arthur and Molly, who had been keeping an eye on Merry.

"I'm so sorry, Gin," I finally managed to utter, breaking a rather uncomfortable silence. She held her hand out to me, and I helped her stand.

"I know, Remus. I know." She sighed, happening another look at the mound of soil. She turned back to me, her once vividly brown eyes were dull with pain, and the tears that had threatened to come so many times that day finally formed streams down my cheeks. It was the first time I had cried for someone since Tonks.

A fresh set of tears now streamed down her cheeks, and we seemed to pull each other into a tight embrace. We had both lost so much. I don't know how long we stood there like that, both racking with sobs, but no one trod on our grief. When that bout finished, she pulled out of my arms, smiled warmly, and looked over at the thinning crowd of people.

"Harry wouldn't have wanted this." She swept her hands at the still sizable crowd. "He never liked any of the attention."

A few wizards began to walk towards us, although too far away for me to determine who they were. Preparing for reporters, I stepped in front of Ginny protectively. As they neared, I noticed it was Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, and I relaxed, but only a little.

No one was more surprised than Harry when Draco didn't follow in his father's footsteps and swore allegiance to Dumbledore. Harry suspected Draco of being a spy for Voldemort until just a few short months ago, when Draco practically threw himself in front of an Avada Kedavra curse to save Harry, then killed his own father. Harry knew for the first time he had been wrong about Draco all those years.

"Mrs. Potter, Mr. Lupin," Snape said as they neared.

"Professor." Ginny paused, but then Severus did the completely unexpected and gave her a hug. I'm not sure who was more taken back by this, Severus or Ginny, but it seemed to hold some significance for both.

Ginny then turned to Draco, who also pulled her into a hug, but this time she had expected it. Neither said anything, but tears soon fell down Malfoy's cheeks, and he did nothing to hide them. It was at that moment that I had a new respect for Draco Malfoy; he had become a fine young man.

Ginny then squared off with Mr. Blaise Zabini. Ginny had dated him throughout her sixth and part of her seventh year, much to the chagrin of her brothers and Harry. Basically, Harry had stolen Ginny away from him after Ron and Hermione's wedding, a fact that had never set well between the two. He finally pulled her into a stiff hug, and uttered a few words of condolence. All three men hastily shook hands with me before returning to the crowd below.

Ginny and I stood on the knoll, overlooking the crowd in a serene silence. Ron was now holding his daughter, and Charlie had picked up Nathaniel. Arthur had his arm comfortingly around Molly's shoulder. It never ceased to amaze me how much those two loved each other, even after half a century of wedded bliss. Percy stood nearby with his wife of almost eight years, Penelope Clearwater-Weasley, who was talking to Fleur, Bill's widow, and their son Billy, who was also seven.

George looked odd standing alone, without his mirror image. The loss of his twin brother had weighed heavily on him. No longer was he the fun and jovial George Weasley, notorious prankster, but a lost soul looking for it's other half. It was sad really, no one understood just how deep his and Fred's connection ran.

"You know, Remus," Ginny began softly, looking into the darkening sky, "I know that other people have lost as much as I have and that I'm not the only one who has ever felt this way, but God, it's hard to imagine anyone has ever felt this much pain and lived through it. I can't imagine just 'going on' with my life."

"We go on because we have to, Ginny." I answered, remembering feeling the exact same way when I lost my wife. "And I know that you won't believe this-I know I didn't, but it does get easier."

She finally looked at me again, her eyes were red rimmed from crying, and dark circles had long since settled under them. I briefly thought she was too young to have already experienced this much in life. "How?" She asked pointedly. "How did you do it? How did you make it through each day?"

"I just did." I probably looked just as old as I felt that moment, which was well beyond my forty-six years. "Believe me, I didn't want to. I wanted nothing more than to lie down and die. At least I would have been with her. I'd lie in bed waiting for her to crawl in next to me. I had taken her favorite bathrobe and would just breathe in the scent of her, willing her not to be dead. I've still never washed that robe. I'd be so damn tired that I could hardly keep my eyes open, but when I'd crawl in bed, and the house was quiet and dark, I'd be wide awake. I didn't think I'd ever sleep again. I kept asking why did it have to be her. It was like seeing the world in black and white; it no longer held any color, and I think I probably lost my will to live."

"I remember." She whispered softly. "We were all so worried."

"And we're all going to worry about you and Ron." I smiled, although I know it didn't reach my eyes.

"At least Ron's got Merry and Nat," Ginny choked out, once again regretting their decision for postponing children.

"And that will sometimes only make it harder, Gin," I said, not that I knew this from experience. Tonks and I too had decided to wait to have children, and with the matter of my being a werewolf, well, it just added another layer onto the complicity of the matter.

The crowd was now almost completely disbursed, and only some of the Hogwarts staff, the Weasley family, and a few close friends remained. Many of them were now beginning to wander back up to what remained of the Hogwarts castle.

"Are you staying here tonight?" I asked her, not really knowing what else to say.

"Mum made me and Ron promise we would," she rather sighed. "She's trying so hard to be understanding and sympathetic and helpful, and I know she hurts too, but damn she's getting really annoying!"

This little proclamation made me laugh, despite the events of the day. "She was really good to me when Tonks died." I mentioned as we made our way down the slope and towards the castle.