Author’s Note: I do not own Harry Potter. All original characters belong to me.

Note: Thank you to Yasmine Lupin, Sarahamanda and Lilith Kayden for your reviews.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Caring

Stacy sat on the bed in the Hospital Wing, waiting for Madam Pomfrey to come back. Remus was sitting to her, his arm around behind her. She had her head resting upon his shoulder, she was tired, but she didn’t want to go to sleep.

“Are you all right?” Remus asked in a soft voice.

“Just very tired,” Stacy answered; her voice was showing how she felt.

“Perhaps you ought to lie down and get some sleep,” Remus suggested, making the move to get off the bed. “I’ll wake you when Madam Pomfrey comes back.”

Stacy gave a tiny nod. Remus got off the bed and kept a hold of his wife’s hand, as Stacy went to lie down, her head upon the pillow. He rested a gentle left hand on her head and lowered to place a tender kiss upon her forehead.

“Get some sleep, it’ll help,” he told her.

Stacy gave him a worried look. Remus knew she was worrying about him.

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her.

He didn’t know whether Stacy was convinced or not, but she closed her eyes. Remus watched her for a moment, before looking over to the other five beds that were occupied. First was Neville, his nose had been mended in a heartbeat, but Madam Pomfrey told him to stay in the Wing and sleep.

Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Ron were all asleep, or still unconscious, but all of them were going to be ‘just fine’ according to Madam Pomfrey. Remus sat down in the chair that was next to Stacy’s bed and went into a deep train of thought. But the one image that just kept flashing forwards was that vision … just seeing it …

‘Sirius,’ his mind spoke the name his voice could not.

A movement from the corner of his right eye pulled him out of the collection of thoughts. He turned his head and saw Madam Pomfrey standing there.

“You look as though you could do with a bit of shut eye yourself,” she said, sympathetically, seeming to know.

“I guess I should,” Remus muttered, but was also quite clear for the nurse to hear him. “Do you want me to wake Stacy up?”

“I would prefer it,” said the nurse, “As this concerns the both of you.”

Remus was curious as to what she meant by that. Nonetheless, he stood up and went to gently wake Stacy up.

“Stacy,” he said softly, “Wake up, my girl.”

Stacy stirred a little and opened her eyes.

“Mmm?”

“Decided to have a bit of a sleep did we?” the nurse asked, with a faint smile.

Stacy slowly sat up.

“Now, I must ask, have you ever felt nauseous in the past few months?” Pomfrey asked.

“I know that I’ve been feeling nauseous in April and this month, but I put it down as nerves. I mean, I did have OWLs to study for,” Stacy answered.

“Well dear, it wasn’t just your nerves that were making you feel that way,” said Pomfrey. “You’re pregnant.”

Silence flooded the Hospital Wing.

“What?” Remus said, trying to register what Madam Pomfrey had just said.

“You’re pregnant, by the tenth of July you’ll be four months,” Pomfrey informed them. She gave a slither of a smile. “I’ll leave you two alone to allow the news the sink in.” She turned and walked away from them and over to Ron to check on him.

Remus and Stacy were silent for a moment.

“Four months by the tenth of July,” Remus quietly repeated the date Pomfrey had told them. “That would mean that we had conceived on … my birthday.”

“Well, it could’ve been back on Valentine’s Day,” Stacy muttered. “Thing is … how could I not have … well … known?”

“You did say it yourself, you had your OWLs,” Remus answered her question. “It was probably easy to get the symptoms mixed up with nerves.”

Stacy gave a small nod.

“I’m just glad that you didn’t get hurt from the battle,” Remus then said, placing his arms around her and drawing her close to him. “Now that we know you are carrying our child, I’m more than just glad. I’m not angry or disappointed or any of that. I guess I just knew you would be there at the Ministry of Magic with Harry and the others.”

“Ron, Ginny, Luna, Hermione, Neville and I just weren’t going to let Harry go by himself. There was just no way,” Stacy said. “It was a horrible mistake, but we thought that …”

Remus placed a finger over her lips. “Shh,” he soothed, “I know. As much as I am going to miss Sirius, I am glad that you didn’t let Harry take off on his own, when he thought that Sirius was in trouble.”

“I guess it all comes down to doing what you need to do for the ones you love,” Stacy said, quietly, when she pulled Remus’s finger away from her mouth.

Remus placed his hand under her chin and looked deep into her blue eyes with his own blue ones.

“I couldn’t have said it any better myself,” he quietly said, before leaning forwards and carefully placed his lips on Stacy’s.

Remus had to go back home. However, Stacy wasn’t going to leave him alone and sort out to have permission to leave Hogwarts early to be with Remus. Stacy did feel for Harry, truly she did and she did worry about him just as much, but she felt that she just had to be with her husband.

Dumbledore could see the legitimate reasons and allowed it. So Stacy found herself entering the fireplace of the farmhouse and went to try and find Remus.

She found him, sitting, slightly hunched over, out on the couch at the back porch, with his elbows resting on his thighs and his head was down, seeming to be staring down at the wooden planks, and there was a bottle of firewhisky in his hand. Stacy stepped out as quietly as she could and knelt down in front of him.

Remus lifted his gaze a little when he felt a hand on his right knee and saw Stacy.

“What are you doing home?” he managed to ask, his face was paler than what it should, his eyes were slightly pinker and there were stains of where tears had been.

“The Headmaster let me come,” Stacy said, gently easing the bottle of firewhisky out of his hand and putting it down upon the ground.

“Look, Anastasia,” Remus said taking her right hand with his left, now that it didn’t have the bottle in it. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” said Stacy, “Remus, you’re grieving and I understand just how you feel.”

Remus gazed down from her eyes. Stacy moved closer and held him as he let out another flow of tears.

Remus, Stacy, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Fred and George were all standing around at Kings Cross Station. All were wearing muggle like clothing.

Moody had a bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye and a voluminous travelling cloak, and his hands were clutching a long staff. Tonk looked as if she were like any normal young person in her heavily patched jeans and purple t-shirt with The Weird Sisters slogan across the front; even the bubblegum pink hair didn’t seem to be that out of place. Remus wore a long, threadbare overcoat covering a shabby jumper and trousers, Stacy’s hand was in his, wearing acid faded jeans and collared shirt. Mr and Mrs Weasley were in their Muggle best, while Fred and George were both wearing brand-new dragon skin jackets.

“Here they come,” Mr Weasley then said.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had emerged from the barrier.

“Ron! Ginny!” Mrs Weasley called; she hurried forwards and hugged her children tightly. She hugged Harry too, asking how he was.

Remus stepped forwards and gave a slight smile. “Hello Harry,” he said.

“Hi,” said Harry. “I didn’t expect … what are you all doing here?”

“Well,” said Remus, “we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting take you home.”

“I dunno if that’s a good idea,” said Harry at once.

“Oh I think it is,” Moody growled, who had limped a little closer. “That’ll be them, will it, Potter?”

He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder; his magical eye was evidently peering through the back of his head and his bowler hat. Stacy looked over to where Moody was pointing and saw a large man with moustache, a tall, bony, woman and a large boy who was sixteen. All three were all looking positively appalled by the sight of the company of which Harry was with.

“Ah, Harry!” said Mr Weasley, turning from Hermione’s parents, who he had just greeted enthusiastically, and who were now taking it in turns to hug Hermione. “Well – shall we do it, then?”

“Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur,” said Moody.

Moody and Mr Weasley took the lead across the station towards the Dursleys, who were apparently rooted to the floor. Hermione disengaged herself gently from her mother to join the group.

“Good afternoon,” said Mr Weasley pleasantly to Vernon Dursley as he came to a halt right in front of him. “You might remember me, my name’s Arthur Weasley.”

Stacy could see that the large man did remember Mr Weasley.

“We thought we’d just have a few words with you about Harry,” said Mr Weasley, still smiling.

“Yeah,” Moody growled. “About how he’s been treated when he’s at your place.”

Mr Dursley’s moustache bristled with indignation and addressed to Moody.

“I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house –”

“I expect what you’re not aware of would fill several books, Dursley,” Moody growled.

“Anyway, that’s not the point,” Tonks interjected. “The point is, if we find out that you’ve been horrible to Harry –”

“- And make no mistake, we’ll hear about it,” Lupin pleasantly added.

“Yes,” said Mr Weasley, “even if you won’t let Harry use the fellytone –”

“Telephone,” Hermione whispered, Stacy held in her giggle.

“- Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter’s been mistreated in any way, you’ll have us to answer to,” said Moody.

Mr Dursley swelled ominously. “Are you threatening me, sir?” he said, so loudly that passers-by actually turned to stare.

Stacy rolled her eyes at this.

“Yes, I am,” said Moody, seeming pleased that Mr Dursley had grasped this fact so quickly.

“And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?” Mr Dursley barked.

“Well …” said Moody, he pushed his bowler hat back to reveal his sinisterly revolving magical eye. Mr Dursley leapt backwards in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. “Yes, I’d have to say you do, Dursley.”

Moody turned away from Mr Dursley to address Harry.

“So, Potter … give us a shout if you need us. If we don’t hear from you for three days in a row, we’ll send someone along …”

Stacy heard Mrs Dursley whimper at this, and smiled at this, thinking it was rather amusing to see this woman thinking the way she was thinking.

“Bye, then, Potter,” said Moody, grasping Harry’s shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand.

“Take care, Harry,” said Remus quietly.

“Keep in touch,” Stacy told Harry, giving a hug.

“Harry, we’ll have you away from there as soon as we can,” Mrs Weasley said, when she hugged him again.

“We’ll see you soon, mate,” said Ron, anxiously shaking Harry’s hand.

“Really soon, Harry,” said Hermione, earnestly. “We promise.”

Harry nodded.

Stacy felt her hand being taken into Remus’s hand and she squeezed gently. She watched, with Remus and the others, as Harry walked away from them, with Mr and Mrs Dursley and their son, hurrying along after him.

“I guess that means we better head off,” said Remus.

Moody nodded. “Let us hope that those Dursleys actually follow through …”

“I believe they will, Mad-Eye,” Stacy said, “Unless they’re dim-witted and not all upstairs, then we all know will happen.”

Mad-Eye Moody gave a simple nod of the head to show that he understood what Stacy had meant …

The End

Note: Thank you to those who have read and reviewed. I tried to actually make this longer than 25 chapters, but oh well, can’t be helped. The sequel will be up soon. Take care, sign Calypphire.