Carys pushed her chair back and stood up, her break was over and she now had 5 more hours of work ahead of her, healing people who had been brought into a war they were scared of, a war none of them really understood. People needed her. She neatened her wavy black hair and made her way to the door. She was a Potter and she was going to be damned if she was going to let her own pain and her own aches stop her from doing what she was best at.

She opened the staff room door, her eyes narrowed in focus as she let the adrenaline flow through her, washing away her exhaustion and leaving her ready for the tears and cries of pain she knew she was about to face. She was so lost in her thoughts that she barely noticed the fact that she had knocked into someone, barely even noticed her automatic apology. All she could acknowledge was the tingling sensation of her magic coming forth.

“Hello to you to Mrs Lupin” Carys walked half the corridor before her brisk footsteps stilled and she turned round, a frown on her face. By the staff door stood a man of average height, perhaps 6 foot. His curly light brown hair still showed glimmers of the blond from his youth. There were cuts on the pale skin and the man looked exhausted as if he hadn’t slept for days, but the smile was the same and the look in the blue-green eyes were the same.

She barely felt herself moving, or felt the tears trailing down her face as she ran back, throwing herself into the arms that had extended out to her and kissing every part of flesh that she could

“Remus… oh Remus” she managed, her arms tightening further as she wrapped her legs around him so he was completely supporting her, a fact she was glad of since she wasn’t sure her legs would be able to support her at that point. She buried her face in his neck and took a deep breath

“You’re really here” she said with a half laugh, half sob “I don’t understand, you aren’t hurt are you?” she demanded, fear washing the happiness away in a second/ She scanned his face as if she expected him to be bleeding everywhere. Remus smiled at her.

“I’m fine,” he said softly, running a soothing hand up and down her back “Only a few scratches as you can see. But that welcome made me forget everything” he laughed slightly and kissed her softly before pulling back and scanning her face as if he hadn’t seen her for years rather than just months. “You look pale and tired, are you sleeping?” he asked

He didn’t bother placing her on the floor; he instead carried her back into the staff room, kicking the door shut behind him. He carried her to the table and deposited her into one of the chairs, straightening his back and studying her face with the serious expression that she saw in her son’s face everyday.

“Oh Remus” she said softly, grabbing his hand and clinging to it as if she expected to blink and for him to be gone “Why are you here, I was under the impression from the Order meetings that you would be longer, not that they told me anything” she said bitterly causing Remus to glance at her and to squeeze her hand.

“You have your adopted brother to thank for that” he said after a second’s hesitation “He risked himself to bring them into the open, the minute they did that we had them” he smiled brightly at her, ignoring the lingering feeling of terror. They had been so close to dying, so incredibly close. “I had to come and see you straight away, I’ve missed you so much Rys” he commented suddenly, running a hand down her hair and smiling in a knowing way as she shuddered slightly.

He took his hand away and sat down thankfully into one of the chairs, smiling as Carys immediately left her seat to sit in his lap, her arms going round his neck. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. He had been sure on more than one occasion that he would never see her again, that he would never hold her again or hear her laughter or voice and yet here he was. All because of Sirius and the sacrifice he had made.

“I missed you” she said, tears evident in her voice “I missed you so much, every bloody minute of every bloody day. It felt like I was suffocating slowly and painfully. I felt like I was half a person. Don’t you dare go away again” she said suddenly punching him in the arm hard.

“I know how that feels,” he murmured with a smile as he rubbed his arm where her fist had connected. He scanned her face, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tilted her head. Studying her in more depth “You look different Rys but I can’t place my finger on why. You haven’t changed your hair or anything like that but still….” His voice trailed away as she leaned back and looked at him in concern.

“Different in a good way?” she asked lifting a hand and cupping his cheek “Are you sure you aren’t injured?”

“I’m sure,” he muttered in a distracted tone “You’re glowing like… like….” He stopped speaking, his eyes widening as everything clicked into place “Carys” he said hesitantly, a smile beginning to blossom over his face “Are you… is it…I mean….” Carys stared at him for a moment, her mouth open as she blinked. She didn’t think he would figure it out herself. She sighed, well there went the speech she had been rehearsing for 4 months.

She nodded her head slowly

“It does” she replied softly, staring him in the eyes as she continued to speak “Remus I know that you didn’t want another child during the war, that you thought that Kester and Dominic were enough, but this baby…it’s….” she stopped trying to get the words out, after a moment she gave up and settled on a helpless shrug and smile. Remus smiled at the expression and stroked her cheek, smiling wider as she moved into it.

“Rys I know I said that and a part of me still believes it, that having a child in the middle of a war isn’t wise but I don’t care. Let’s use this as an opportunity to say a big up yours to Voldemort, We aren’t going to stop living out lives because of him. The thought of you having my child again makes me ecstatically happy…. You make me ecstatically happy” he commented as he leaned across and kissed her deeply
           
“Remus” she murmured as he moved his lips to her neck “Did you know that Lissa is pregnant as well, we’re due on the same day” Remus continued kissing her neck before stilling as the words sank in and he looked up, amusement sparkling in his eyes

“Are you joking?” he demanded, shaking his head slowly as Carys smiled and shook her own “Well isn’t that something. Perhaps the lot of us do hang out too often if we are all having babies on the same day” he laughed “Guess I’ll have to congratulate the old dog”

Carys nodded “We better have out offspring first or they’ll be hell to pay there is no way on this green earth that Lissa and Sirius are having their child first. She would never let me forget it” Remus nodded making a face

“God Sirius would be unbearable…. Not that he isn’t anyway but he would be worse…” Remus frowned again “Then again would that actually be physically possible?” Carys gave it a moments thought before shrugging

“Just as long as we are on the same page Mr Lupin” Remus nodded

“We always are” he replied before leaning over and kissing her again. For the moment they had nothing to fear because both knew deep down that as long as they had each other then nothing else mattered