A Love Without Time (Remus Lupin)

Fifty-Eight.

-Ellie-
   
I took Lily to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes the morning after Remus told me that he couldn't get the kids to come home. If anyone knew what the kids were doing, it was my daughter's boyfriend. I found Fred first, and he said George wouldn't want to talk, but I insisted.
   
I took Lily upstairs, to their flat above the shop. When I got into the flat, I saw George was sitting on the couch, and he looked awful. His face was covered in hair, meaning he hadn't shaved in a few days. His usually neat and well kept hair was messy, and going every other which way. He hadn't been taking care of himself.
   
"Hi Georgie," I say as I sit next to him on the couch. Lily crawled into his lap. He looked at her but other than that he didn't acknowledge her at all.
   
"Hi Ellie," he says, but he didn't look at me.
   
"You look like shit, buddy," I tell him, "What's going on with you? You miss my daughter that much?" He sighed loudly at the mention of Lyanna. "Do you know where my twins are, George?"
   
He shakes his head, "No. Not at all. In fact, Lyanna, she ugh, she broke up with me."
   
I sat forward, surprised at this news, "What?" I say, "She did?"
   
"Yeah," he nods, "When she asked to talk to me alone at the wedding. Right before everything went to hell. Said that she was leaving with Harry and she wanted to keep me safe."
   
"Oh, I'm so sorry George," I say, placing a hand onto his knee. "I had no idea she was going to do that. Her and her twin brother have been acting so out of character. They have left without so much of a goodbye, I have no idea where they are and it's driving me insane. Remus found them at Grimmauld Place, but we don't know if they're still there."
   
"Well, wouldn't you drop everything to help.one of your friends?" He asks, shrugging, "If it were James Potter, you're telling me that you wouldn't drop everything to help him?"
   
"James not so much," I admit, "But Remus would, and I would go to stay with Remus. Now, Sirius, however, I would have done anything for. He was my best friend."
   
"So you understand why they want to help Harry," he says, and he was right. I knew why they wanted to help Harry, I just wished that they didn't have to be in danger to do so. I didn't want any of the kids to be in any danger.
   
"That doesn't mean that I'm not going to worry about them," I say, and I scoped my daughter off his lap and stood up. "I'm sorry Lyanna broke up with you, but don't let it take over your life, George. You still have so much in your life to be proud of. Take a shower, shave your face, and run a comb through your hair, alright Darling? This wallowing is okay for a moment, but don't let it consume you."
   
"I'll try not to, you know Fred won't let me," He says, but he looked off to the side, not looking at me. He was obviously embarrassed about how he's handled this so far.
   
"I love you," I told him, and I kissed the top of his head.
   
"I love you, too," he says.
   
"Love you, Georgie," Lily says, and it made George smile.
   
"Awe," George said, "I love you, too, Lily."
   
"Hug?" She asked, and she held her tiny arms out to George. He surprised me by standing up and taking Lily from me and he hugged her. It was nice to see him smile.
   
He handed Lily back to me, and before we headed out, I said, "You take care of yourself, Georgie."
   
He nods, "I will."
   
Lily and I headed downstairs then, and Fred found us. "Did he talk?" He asked.
   
I nodded, "He did. He told me Lyanna broke up with him. I had no idea."
   
"She got the idea from Harry," he said, his tone kind of cold. "He did the same thing to Ginny for the same reason."
   
"Yeah, but Ginny and Harry weren't together for two and a half years like they were," I reminded him, "He's in a lot of pain, and he is going to need his best friend to help him through it."
   
Fred nods, "He will."
   
"You know I'm talking about you, right?" I ask, but I'm sure that Fred understands.
   
"I know," he says, nodding again.
   
"Don't let him wallow for too long. Make him take a shower soon, okay?"
   
He nods, "I will."
   
"Thanks Freddie," I hugged him, "Take care of him, he's going to need you."
   
He nods again, "I promise you I will."
   
"You're a good kid, Fred," I tell him.
   
Lily and I left the shop then and headed home. Over the next month, we got some terrible news. Severus Snape had become Headmaster of Hogwarts. If I hadn't quit my job there already I would have the second that I heard that he had pushed Minerva out of her job. She was Deputy Headmistress, it was her rightful job. It actually made me kind of glad that my kids weren't going to be at school this year. Because I just know that Severus is going to fill the empty jobs with Death Eaters.
   
Molly took Ron leaving very hard, and I understand completely. I was missing all of the kids. They were so young, but I knew what they could do and I knew that they wouldn't intentionally put anyone in any danger. That's what helped me sleep at night.
   
Neville Longbottom has been writing to my husband and he keeps us updated about Hogwarts. They don't see Severus much I guess, but the Carrow Twins are a menace in the school. Severus has them teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts and Maggle Studies. They're very fond of their physical punishments and they punish any students that disagree with their Death Eater Philosophies. It was absolutely sick and just downright sad if you ask me.
   
Remus helped Neville set up a new secret passageway into Hogwarts at the Hog's Head Pub. The owner was Aberforth Dumbledore. They made a new passageway to the Room of Requirement where Neville started stashing younger students to protect them from the Carrows.
   
Molly is taking it worse than I am. Unlike me, she doesn't have a little one at home to distract her. Lily keeps me busy most days and I'm grateful for that. Without her I'd be losing my mind more than I already am. Having her was truly a blessing.
   
By the time that Christmas came around, we had to vacate our house in Hogsmeade. The village was being overtaken by Death Eaters. We had to stay with my mother, who was happy to have us. She was so upset to hear that Bradley and Lyanna had gone off with Harry. She didn't like the thought of her grandchildren out where we couldn't find them, and believe me neither did I.
   
Then Christmas came, and we headed to The Burrow for Christmas dinner with the Weasley family. Bill and Fleur had decided to share their first Christmas as a married couple alone. So they would be missed this Christmas. They weren't the only ones. Harry and the others are still nowhere to be found. It was still taking a big toll on us.
   
I know Remus regrets how he acted towards Bradley and Lyanna when they refused to leave with him and come home. I have to constantly reassure him that they don't hate him, but it was easier for them to leave us behind if they acted like they did. They had to justify their actions in their own way, by making themselves believe that they're angry at us.
   
On Christmas, Ginny told us that the Hogwarts Express got stopped and they took Luna Lovegood. Her dad's magazine has been very supportive so of course they took her in response. I'm glad Bradley is probably far from getting any media so he won't know anything about her capture. They're very close friends, and I'm certain he has romantic feelings for her. He would be so angry if he knew.
   
Over the next few months, we had to evacuate again. This time we headed to the Weasley's Auntie Muriel's place. My mum came with us, so she would be protected too. This were so bad out there, worse than last time. It was more scary this time. The Death Eaters seemed harsher and more cruel than they were last time.
   
The last few months had been very hard, but when Lily turned 3 in March, only 5 days after her father turned 38, and we celebrated. It actually felt like a normal day. My little cub turned 3 years old, and she was so sweet. She makes me so proud to be her mother, and Remus and I are closer than we ever were because of her. She's been our entire world since my twins took off and left us, and I will be damned if anyone takes that from me.
   
Fred and George turned 20 on April 1st, and we celebrated with a dinner and cake made by Molly. Then, a few weeks later, I turned 38 myself. Then Bill showed up to the house, and he had brought visitors. Mr. Ollivander, Dean Thomas, Luna Lovegood, and my son. I teared up the second that I saw him and I threw my arms around him. He hugged me tight.
   
I held onto him and I could hear Molly greeting Bill and Arthur greeting Mr. Ollivander. I never wanted to let go of Bradley now that I have him back. "I'm so sorry," he says, his voice told me that he was crying. "I'm so sorry."
   
"I forgive you," I said as I let up on my hug to cup my hands around his face,  "Just don't you ever do anything like that to me again."
   
"I won't," he says, and I wipe his tears out of his eyes.
   
He looked at Remus, and his eyes were filled with tears again. Remus hugged him, and they hugged for a while. Remus apologized for how he acted the last time he saw him, and so did Bradley. And I heard Bradley say, "I know that I look like Matt, but you're my dad. You're the only dad that I have ever had, and I'm sorry."
   
"It's okay, Buddy," they hugged again tight.
   
Of course I was sad to see Lyanna didn't follow her brother back here, and I wasn't the only one. When George saw Bradley was here, he nearly ran into the room to see if his sister was here and his face dropped when he saw she wasn't here.
   
Bill explained that they all showed up a few at a time a few weeks ago and they've been healing Mr. Ollivander at Shell Cottage since until he was well enough to travel. Harry Ron, Hermione, and Lyanna all left with a Goblin called Griphook this morning but Bradley decided to come back since he missed Remus, Lily, and I so much.
   
Bradley explained to me in confidence that Lyanna didn't come with him because she has convinced herself that George hates her and that it would have been awkward with him if she came here. And that broke my heart because it's so far from the truth.
   
Of course we grilled him about what they're doing, and he stayed loyal to his friends and sister. He refused to tell us what they have been doing, but he said they were being as safe as possible and that they're nearly done with it. So that was a plus. At the end of the day, I had my boy back, and I was so happy that I could just explode.

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Here's Part 58!

So there is only going to be two more chapters for sure. Then there will be an Epilogue.

There may be 3 chapters, I'm not sure, but there will be 2 for sure.

-Emily Winchester.