-*.*.*-

Title: Look After You

Summary: When Ginny time traveled back to her original time, leaving behind the Marauders and Lily, she knew life wasn't going to get any easier. Torn between her desire for Sirius and love for Harry, Ginny fights to survive in a world she forgot about. Sequel.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, everyone, this is it! The final chapter, the epilogue, the last of Sirius and Ginny and their adventure all rolled into one! Hope you love it!

-*.*.*-

Chapter Ten

The End

Her chest hurt and a bead of sweat ran down her forehead. It tickled her skin and she wiped it away quickly, her eyes darting to Remus and Harry beside her. The elevator doors shut before her and she was pretty sure there was a voice speaking, taking them from floor to floor, but Ginny couldn't concentrate. All she could think about was the fact that they were going to be too late, that he would already be gone, that he had left them again.

She sucked in a breath, closing her eyes, knowing they'd only have a minute until they arrived at the Department of Mysteries. And then what? What if Sirius was gone? The thought of reentering the Veil caused a swell of panic to rise in Ginny and she opened her eyes to see Remus staring at her. After discovering that Sirius was gone, that somehow James and Lily had contacted the three of them, the trio had barely spoken. They all had different thoughts concerning the same person. And Remus, the level headed one of the group, seemed ready to say whatever had been on his mind since they left Ginny's flat.

"Look," he breathed out sharply, running a hand through his hair. "We all have to agree on something before we get there."

They were almost there. She saw Harry turn to look at Remus with her.

"If Sirius isn't… if by chance…" Remus paused, eyebrows furrowing as he struggled for words. "He may not be there."

"Remus," Harry cautioned. "We know now that Sirius can be saved. We can go into the Veil, he's not lost-"

"No!" Remus snapped, his voice echoing in the elevator.

Ginny jumped, head snapping to Remus. Harry's emerald eyes were large behind his glasses.

"I will not allow you to go into that Veil after him," Remus pointed at Harry before turning to look at Ginny. "Same goes for you."

"But we can save him," Harry tried again.

"And come back damaged?"

Whether he meant to or not, Remus' words stung Ginny. She looked at the ground, at the sneakers she wore. One of the laces was untied. Bending down, she attempted to retie it.

"It was Sirius' choice. And I will not allow either of you to risk your life, your sanity or anything else to go rescue him. Not again."

And that was it. Standing up, Ginny noted that while Harry looked angry he gave Remus a slight nod. Harry had seen what happened to Ginny and Sirius after their return from the Veil. Perhaps he realized that Remus was right. Perhaps Harry knew that he had something to live for now, Pansy and Teddy and everyone else, and that he didn't need to go around risking his own life to save other people anymore. She made eye contact with her older friend and bit down on her tongue. Damaged? Damaged. She was damaged and so was Sirius and that was why they were in the situation they were in now.

Ginny clenched her fists, glancing at Harry who was staring determinedly at the elevator doors, willing them to open now, now, now. Didn't the elevator realize the severity of this situation? It was ironic, almost, that once again Harry and Ginny were on their way to the Department of Mysteries to save Sirius, this time with the added help of Remus. This time, however, there was no Voldemort or Malfoy. There was no misleading information or coy plans. There was only Sirius and his reckless decisions.

And Ginny couldn't help but wonder if this was all her fault. She knew the only reason Sirius would reenter that Veil, to risk his own life (to lose his life, a voice whispered in her head), was because of his inability to be around her. It was the only reason. And while it seemed terribly romantic on paper Ginny was sure the strain of it was going to make her ill. And Harry and Remus, did they blame her? Harry was about to lose his godfather once more, just as Remus was going to lose his best friend. If only she hadn't befriended the Marauders, if only she had never gone on that late night Hogsmeade trip with James and Sirius, if only she hadn't allowed herself to stare into his gray eyes in the next morning…

There were so many times that Ginny could have stopped her growing friendship with the boys and stop any chance of her feelings for Sirius to bloom. But she was selfish. It was something she couldn't deny. Even when she returned back to her time she still wanted everything, still wanted Sirius, still wanted it to be the way it was before.

"Marry me."

What if she had married him instead of returning home? What if, what if, what if-

The doors opened and Harry was the first one to dart out of them. Ginny followed suit, her heart beginning to race again as reality caught up with her. She was tired, her knees felt weak, but she was lucky that she had enough Quidditch practice that her body was use to being pushed to its' limits. After appariting to the Ministry, for Harry had full-security clearance granted to him by Kingsley, they had bolted past security. Remus had yelled at the guard to "get Healers here, immediately! And Severus Snape! Tell him Ginny Weasley sent for him!". When the guard saw Harry, who only glanced at him as he ran past, the older man set into action. And then they had all slammed into the elevator, breathing labored, giving their bodies' only a moment to relax.

Ginny looked behind her as she ran, seeing Remus lagging behind. He waved for her to continue and she looked back to Harry, who automatically grabbed her hand as he pushed open the door to the room with the rotating walls. The door closed behind them and the room spun. They both attempted to catch their breath as Harry stepped forward, wand out in his free hand.

"They need to change the layout of this room," Harry whispered, his voice rough.

Ginny sneaked a glimpse at him from the corner of her eyes and squeezed his hand. She would have been panicked that they had to waste time going from room to room, as Harry was now, except she could briefly remember the last time she had been here. It had been a daze at the time, when Severus had distracted Ministry officials to allow Ginny to get into the Department of Mysteries, but she could still remember the feeling… the pull of the archway.

"Hold on a moment, Harry," she muttered, closing her eyes.

It was like a separate pulse in her body. It rang through her on the opposite beat of her heart and she used her wand hand to touch above her chest. It was as if the Veil was calling for her, just as she remembered before. How odd.

Turning, she pointed to the door on her right.

"That one?"

Harry approached the door Ginny pointed to and mimicked Hermione's movements from fourth year; marking the door with a huge X. As soon as he finished the X Remus entered the room, slamming the door behind him. The walls rotated again and the red X blurred before finally coming to rest to their far left. The trio rushed to it. Harry was the first one there, yanking it open, stepping forward.

"Sirius!" he cried out.

Ginny slammed into Harry from behind, desperate to see over his shoulder. Harry ran down the steps, his eyes only on the Veil. His wand light was bright in the dark room.

"Sirius!" he screamed again.

But Sirius wasn't in the chamber. Whether he had or hadn't been there before they arrived Ginny couldn't be too sure. But he wasn't here now.

Remus brushed past Ginny to race after Harry, securing a hand on the younger man's upper arm. Harry jerked to stop at Remus' touch, his breathing heavy, eyes wide. Ginny slowly followed the men down to the Veil. The separate pulse sped up with every step she took towards the archway. And, as she much as she wished she couldn't, she could hear the whispering.

"Don't get too close- Harry, come over here, sit down."

Harry collapsed onto a stone bench, his face pale. He was shaking his head hopelessly.

"Maybe we've beaten him here?" Harry asked.

"Yes, perhaps," Remus responded, clasping Harry's shoulder with his hand.

But Remus didn't look so sure. He was glancing around the large chamber as if trying to spy his friend hiding behind one of the benches. Ginny stepped in front of the Veil. If only she could see inside it. As if the Veil could hear her thoughts its' black curtain flowed towards her, reaching for her.

"Ginny?" She looked away from the archway to Remus. "Remember what I said."

"I won't go back in," she promised.

Was that true? Probably. Ginny couldn't imagine facing the Veil again. What could she offer the Veil now to get Sirius back? She had already given it her hope, Sirius had already given it his health. She knew that it would want something she wouldn't be able to part with. And, as Remus had said, she would come back even more damaged. As would Sirius.

She felt her lip tremble and used a hand to brush away the damp curls that were falling in her face. How could he go back in? How could he do this to her? This wasn't fair. Why did it seem that inanimate objects always seemed to control her life; a dairy, a time turner, a Veil? It wasn't fair.

"He wouldn't have gone back in," Harry said out loud. "He wouldn't leave me like this, not again."

It was as Remus went to respond that Ginny heard it. The whispering that seemed associated with the Veil became louder, where before it had almost been a dull buzzing in the back of Ginny's mind. She looked towards the archway, her eyebrows perking. She recognized one voice, she had only just heard it in her sleep. But there was no way. She had never heard his voice before when she was near the archway. Without realizing it she took a step forward, concentrating hard on what was being whispered, trying to pick up on if it was really, truly James speaking to her again…

"I'm sure by now the Unspeakables have been contacted, they'll be able to help-" Remus was saying in the background.

From her peripheral vision Ginny could see that Harry had dropped his head in his hands. Remus was squatting beside him on the bench, placing a hand of comfort on the younger man's shoulder. Ginny turned her attention back to the archway and took another step towards it.

Everything became warm; her body and the air around her seeming to become fuzzy. It was strange how quickly everything seemed to fade away as Ginny got closer to the archway. No longer were Harry and Remus feet away from her, panicking and trying to calm each other on a stone bench. There was no need to worry, none at all. Because now she could clearly hear James' voice. And James would never lead her astray, even if he was leading her closer to the archway, closer than she wanted, closer than Remus would ever allow her.

"Don't panic, everything will be okay, come here, Ginny."

And there was Lily's voice also, soft and gentle and sweet.

"Ginny, Sirius needs you. Just one more step. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"Sirius needs you, Ginny."

"James? Lily?" she whispered, extending her arm towards the archway. "Sirius?"

Ginny could feel James' warmth, as if he stood behind her, guiding her to reach towards the Veil with his own arm. She wanted to close her eyes, to live in this moment of being with her long-lost friend forever, but found she was unable to do so.

She heard Remus' yell and knew Harry jumped from his spot on the bench, felt her body began to tense as she awoke from whatever dream state she had been in, but her hand was already reaching into the archway. Ginny's eyes widened and her mouth fell open as soon as her arm reached into the barrier between this world and the world of the Veil. As soon as she went to pull her arm back something, something cold, grabbed onto her hand. She screamed as she felt it tug her into the Veil further.

"Ginny!"

Remus' grip was closing around her arm reaching into the Veil, now more than elbow length in, and Harry was grabbing her free hand and pulling her backwards but it wasn't doing anything. Whatever was grabbing her from the other side wasn't letting her go. She was going back into the Veil. Ginny was panicked and tried to scramble away.

"Help, help," she cried. "Remus, something is grabbing onto me!"

"Ginny, don't- we've got you, don't go in-"

Whatever was gripping her was cold and Ginny struggled against it, trying to get it to release her. But she realized it wasn't some type of magic holding onto her. It was a hand. A hand was grabbing onto her hand and it was ice cold but familiar. Ginny paused in her struggle as she tried to figure out what was happening. And the pause was all that was needed as she got tugged even closer to the archway.

The icy cold from the hand was beginning to spread up her arm, numbing her body. It felt as if her blood itself was freezing; so painful. Ginny gasped, unable to scream, as the chill spread from her arm to her neck, working its way down her chest. She wanted to pull her hand back but couldn't. It wasn't working and she was going to fall in and the coldness was spreading through her entire body. Remus was cursing and Harry was panting, saying something that Ginny couldn't comprehend. Her muscles were clenching from the cold and Ginny knew this was it.

Her vision was turning black and it hurt and she felt herself falling (not forward, not again, not into the Veil). Ginny couldn't save herself or Sirius.

SiriusSiriusSiriusSiriusSirius.

"And I want to know that I tried everything to make this work. Because I love you. I do, I love you. You drive me insane and you might not admit to loving me back but, Ginny, I've only had a few people really love me in my life and I can see it in your eyes that you're one of them. And I refuse to lose you. So let's make this work."

-*.*.*-

July 31, 2019

Fifteen Years Later

Ginny woke up with a gasp, feeling the familiar cold tingle in her right arm. She remained still as she allowed her eyes to dart around the room to collect her surroundings. She wasn't in the Death Chamber, she was-

"Tired?" came a familiar drawl.

Ginny relaxed and went to rub her eyes to better see Severus. He was sitting on the couch across from her, cradling in his arms her youngest child.

"Sorry," Ginny muttered, stretching in her seat. "Having all the kids is exhausting."

Severus' eyebrows perked slightly and he shifted the sleeping child in his arms.

"Yes, I would know," he dryly said. "I've been watching them all for the last hour. Potter and Weasley's children- who knew I'd take up babysitting them?"

She laughed at his words, feeling more relaxed as she left the dream world and reentered reality. Today was Harry's birthday and as such there was to be a big party at the Burrow in just a few hours. But Ginny had offered to take Harry and Pansy's children off their hands the previous night and today so the couple could have some much needed alone time until the party. The Potter children had spent the morning making Harry birthday cards, along with Ginny's own children and Ron and Hermione's son.

The amount of children, though, totaled eight that Ginny was watching. She was no Molly Weasley, Ginny could admit that right away, and when she had a second to rest she must have instantly fallen asleep. She did remember telling Gabe, her youngest, a story as they sat in the chair. They must have fallen asleep together.

Ginny took a second to study Severus. He had aged over the past fifteen years, as anybody would. He still kept his hair long but now there were gray strands running through it. The wrinkles around his mouth had deepened, along with the one wrinkle between his eyebrows. He still worked at Hogwarts and was Head of Slytherin. Often Severus blamed his aging on all the "horrific beasts of children" that he taught through the years.

"Where are the children?" Ginny asked, looking away from Severus and to the window outside.

"Correct you are, Stiles," Severus said, giving a simple nod to the window. "Young Lupin came by while you were sleeping; he took up entertaining the herd out there."

Ginny rolled her eyes at Severus' words and stood up, reaching to take Gabe from Severus. She wasn't surprised when Severus ignored her actions and stood up beside her. He shifted the sleeping child in his arms and she watched as Gabe unconsciously grabbed onto Severus' dirty shirt. Severus must have taken the children out in the garden while she slept.

"I'll lay him down upstairs," he said shortly.

She felt obligated to fight him, to let him know that she could take Gabe upstairs, but knew it was useless. Severus and Gabe, despite the boy being only four years old, had quite a bond. Ginny wasn't sure but she had a feeling it had something to do with the fact that Gabe was her only child who looked and acted exactly like her. Ginny nodded, straightening her wrinkled clothes.

"Teddy's here?" Ginny headed towards the kitchen.

"Yes, Lupin is outside," Severus paused and Ginny looked back at him.

"What?"

A frown flickered across Severus' face.

"You were having a nightmare," he stated. "About the Department of Mysteries?"

Ginny froze before nodding. She couldn't hide anything from Severus, not anymore. They knew each other too long and, at points, were all each other had to keep each other sane.

"Teddy wants to ask me about that night," Ginny said slowly, running a hand through her hair. "Whenever I think of that night… It's not pleasant memories."

"Clearly."

The two adults didn't say anything for a beat before Severus nodded. Ginny watched as he walked through the cottage before disappearing in the tiny staircase that led to the bedroom upstairs. Ginny took a deep breath. She had been having a nightmare; she knew because she had the familiar chill when she woke up. Teddy had written to her the night before, speaking of a report he needed to complete for the Ministry and wondering if he could speak to her about it before Harry's party. She had a foreboding feeling that it was about her multiple experiences with the Veil, solely because Teddy was aiming to become an Unspeakable one day.

A loud chorus of laughter from outside reminded Ginny of what she had previously been doing. She opened the back door of the kitchen and was blasted immediately by the smell of flowers and dirt and warmth. Breathing in the smell of summer, Ginny spotted Teddy before anyone else. He looked like Remus from behind, except for the bright blue hair, and was laughing at something that one of the kid's had said.

"Teddy!" Ginny called, her smile growing as her godson turned at the sound of her voice.

"Aunt Gin! You're awake," Teddy jogged over to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

He was as tall as Remus, lanky like him too. She kept forgetting how old he was now, nearly twenty-one.

"Professor Snape said you had fallen asleep and left him with the responsibility of all of them," Teddy waved in the direction of the children, who were running around the backyard.

"As always," she said, grinning. "Severus has quite a sweet way of wording things."

Teddy laughed, nodding.

"He wasn't so sweet while I was in school."

"I don't doubt it," Ginny said amusedly, shaking her head. "He wasn't too kind when I was in school either."

"So I've heard," Teddy said cheekily. "But that was some time ago, eh?"

Ginny elbowed him and he began to laugh loudly again, drawing the attention of some of the children.

"Aunt Gin! Look, look at the flower Mister Snape let me have!"

Lily Potter ran up to the two adults, splitting from the group with no cares. She was holding up a small daisy, her green eyes sparkling as she proudly showed off her flower. Ginny made a show of cooing over it, bending down beside the girl.

"It's very pretty," Ginny acknowledged. "Did he let you pick it?"

"Yes," she nodded. "He let Rorie pick one too!"

"Did he?" Ginny stood up, looking out at the children.

Aurora, who often went by Rorie, was Ginny's only daughter. She was more reserved than the rest of the children and often times liked to be by herself, though she was only eight years old and had many cousins who stole the spotlight. And, as Ginny predicted, it was underneath one of the only trees in the backyard that Aurora sat, twirling a daisy just like Lily's in her hand. The little girl looked towards her mother as if feeling Ginny's gaze and offered a secretive smile.

"Go on, Miss Potter, play with the other children."

Ginny turned her gaze away from her daughter to behind her, where Severus had just exited the cottage. He came to stand beside Ginny and Teddy. Lily grinned and followed his orders, running back towards her brothers and the rest of the kids while waving her flower in the air.

"I didn't know you were letting the kids pick flowers from your garden, Severus," Ginny teased.

"Miss Potter is just like her father; she takes no heed of other people's property," Severus frowned. "She plucked the flower without permission. So, of course, I had to let Aurora have a flower also."

"Of course," Ginny replied, smirking.

Teddy was shaking his head, amused, at Severus' story.

"If only the kids at Hogwarts knew this other side to you, Professor," Teddy said.

"I'm no longer your professor," Severus replied, ignoring Teddy's jib.

"That is true," Teddy agreed. "But it feels weird calling you anything else."

"If it makes you feel any better," Ginny turned to her godson. "Severus refers to you as 'Young Lupin'."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's quite adorable-"

"Stop this nonsense," Severus snapped, though there was no harshness to his words. He waved them away. "I'll watch over the kids, go speak to Ginny over whatever you came to ask her."

Ginny and Teddy shared a smile as Severus stalked off towards the kids. Tristan, her oldest, immediately ran up to Severus, telling him something. They were too far away for Ginny to hear what was being said but Severus' smirk let her know it was nothing too horrible. Tristan had just finished his first year at Hogwarts and had a habit of being too bold with what he said to Severus around the other children.

Teddy glanced at Ginny.

"Thanks for seeing me today, Aunt Gin," Teddy said, offering his arm to her.

She took it and swatted at him with her free hand.

"You're my godson, Teddy. You're welcome to see me whenever you like."

"Well my Dad told me how busy you were today," Teddy informed her as they walked back towards the cottage. "What with taking James, Albus and Lily along with your own kids and then Harry's party… and he mentioned the St. Mungo's visit."

Ginny blanched slightly at his words. She wasn't sure that she'd be able to make it to the St. Mungo's visit and the thought had been nagging at her all day, along with Teddy's visit. There was just so much going on today that she'd probably miss the opportunity to go. She patted Teddy's arm when he shot her a worried look.

"I'm making a mess of this, aren't I?" he asked, gnawing on his lip.

"Oh, hush, you're fine."

Pulling the door shut behind them, Teddy went to a bag that was placed on the kitchen table that Ginny hadn't noticed before. He yanked out some parchment, a quill and ink as Ginny started to heat some tea.

"I'd ask what you wanted to talk about but I have a feeling on what it is."

Teddy glanced at her as she wiped her hands on her shirt.

"The night in the Department of Mysteries," Teddy said, confirming her suspicion. "The time you, Harry and Dad went to save Uncle Sirius."

Ginny could feel a headache coming on, as it often did when the topic was brought up. She took a seat at the table across from Teddy and leaned her chin on her hand.

"This is for the Ministry?"

"No. Well, yes."

Her eyebrows rose in amusement.

"I've wanted to know what happened that night since I was a child," Teddy admitted. "I feel like it's some big family secret. No one will discuss it. I feel like no one knows what happened for certain. Only the few people who were there would know."

"But the Ministry asked you to fill out this report?"

Ginny had never really cared for the Unspeakables who had dealt with Sirius and her. They were knowledge seeking, she knew, but invasive. They hid things from Ginny just as much as Sirius had. And, after that night, they had interrogated her about what happened. She could never forgive them for that. She could just remember being so cold, so shaken up, and unable to leave until Kingsley ordered she be set free.

But Teddy was not the Unspeakables who dealt with her. She could only hope he'd eventually decide not to become an Unspeakable but she knew that he always had a fascination with it after everything that happened to Sirius and Ginny.

"Just a standard report," he agreed. "They didn't seem too upset if I didn't find anything they didn't already have documented.

She nodded at him to continue, taking note of how sharp his brown eyes were as he carefully crafted what he was about to say.

"When I was little," he began slowly. "I remember a lot of you and Uncle Sirius… You both were never together but you were always there, always with my parents. Through the years I've heard bits and pieces about what happened to you both after the Final Battle. But no one knows for sure- I mean, I feel like no one knows really what happened."

Ginny sighed, pushing stray curls that fell from her bun out of her face. Teddy was watching her cautiously.

"The night, that night in the Department of Mysteries," Teddy clarified. "My own dad was there and won't tell me what happened."

Of course Remus wouldn't, Ginny thought with a smile. How could he after all?

"And we're all family, aren't we?" he pressed forward, seeing her smile. "Uncle Sirius and you… you're two of the bravest people I know. I want to be you when I grow up."

Ginny stared at her godson as he spoke, feeling her heart constrict. For so long Teddy had been the only child in her life; he had been viewed as the new generation, the new hope. And he had grown up with the stories of the war, the stories of the reconstruction. He had heard the whispers of how everyone had been affected. Ginny couldn't say she was surprised he was the one to finally confront her about what happened that night. That night in the Department of Mysteries changed everything.

But how could she possibly explain this; something even she didn't quite understand, that only theory could attempt to explain?

"You know the basic story-"

"Uncle Sirius fell through the Veil, back before the Final Battle," Teddy answered, nodding. "He was lost for years. And you saved him. You went into the Veil. Then, years later, he entered the Veil again."

Ginny would never forget the panic of that night, though that was one of the only things that she could remember.

"Why did he go back into the Veil?"

Ginny shrugged helplessly.

"He was getting sick. That's at least what the Unspeakables told us. You see, Teddy… Your Uncle Harry, your dad and I had all gone to the Department of Mysteries knowing that Sirius had reentered the Veil-"

"How'd you know that?"

"We don't know."

And it was true. As day by day passed the trio's recollection of what happened that night disappeared more and more. Now, fifteen years later, hardly anyone knew what made them go to the Department of Mysteries that night other than the fact that Sirius had reentered the Veil. How they had known that he had reentered was uncertain. Even the Unspeakables, who kept everything documented about that night, weren't sure how the trio had known to go attempt to rescue Sirius.

"What was making Uncle Sirius sick?" Teddy asked as he wrote on the parchment.

"The Unspeakables said it was some aftershock from his initial entrance of the Veil, some lingering spell."

"Were you sick too?"

Ginny shook her head.

"Not that I remember."

Teddy tilted his head.

"I don't remember you ever being sick," he said, squinting his eyes as he thought back. "Why was he sick but you weren't?"

"Teddy," Ginny said, somewhat exasperated. "There's a lot we don't know concerning the Veil. A lot of these questions I can't answer, which is why you were never told about this."

"Sorry, sorry, I know. I just always assumed everyone wasn't telling me because I was just a kid."

"We didn't have the answers to give you."

There was a beat of silence before Teddy leaned forward, ready to resume questioning.

"What happened that night you tried to rescue Uncle Sirius again?"

Even the way Teddy said Sirius' name showed how much he adored his godfather. Ginny swallowed, looking down at the table. There was a burst of laughter outside but it didn't calm Ginny. Whenever she thought of that night in the Department of Mysteries her heart would begin to race, panic would begin to overwhelm her. She would often feel as if a cold hand was grabbing her, filling her with ice.

"I don't remember a lot," she said truthfully, looking back up at her godson. "I remember Sirius- he was gone. We thought he may have not reentered the Veil… but he did. I remember that."

He was gone, he was gone. She couldn't breathe, he was gone again-

Teddy was holding his breath as she spoke.

"And I remember Harry and Remus sitting down, talking, calming each other down."

"He wouldn't have gone back in. He wouldn't leave me like this, not again."

She must have been lost in her memories, silent for too long, because Teddy reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Aunt Gin?"

She blinked and looked at him.

"We don't have to talk about it… I know it's hard for you," Teddy said.

Ginny shook her head.

"You deserve to know. But there's only so much I can tell you. I remember the Veil. I remember walking up to it and feeling like it was the right thing to do… Then I remember nothing. Sometimes if I think really hard on it I can remember someone screaming my name and someone, or something, grabbing me. But that's it."

"And then you woke up?"

"On the floor of the chamber, yes," Ginny sighed. "Severus was over me-"

"Professor Snape?" Teddy asked in surprise.

"Yeah."

At the thought of Severus, Ginny once again looked towards the kitchen windows. She could hear his voice explaining something to all the children outside. Teddy followed her gaze, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Apparently we told security to get Healers and Sev- Professor Snape to help us."

"Why?"

When she shrugged, Teddy nodded in understanding.

"Why do you think you can't remember anything from that night?"

Ginny bit her lip.

"Hermione- Aunt Hermione thinks it was a part of the Veil's magic. It erased our memories."

"I'm beginning to sound repetitive here," Teddy said, trying to grin. "But why would it do that?"

"Hermione believes it has something to do with keeping the Veil secret, unknown, dangerous. No one in their right mind would enter that Veil after what it's been known to do."

"Except you and Uncle Sirius."

"Yes," she said, smiling.

"And you did it for Uncle Sirius."

"Yes," Ginny agreed again.

"So the Veil took away your memories of it? You don't remember anything?"

"Barely," Ginny sighed. "I remember my feelings of that night. And I remember when Sirius had returned right before the Final Battle, how it had been difficult for me, but there was more concerning that than just the Veil."

"Because of your relationship with Uncle Harry?"

Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"You've done your research."

Teddy smiled sheepishly.

"I just remember a lot from my childhood," Teddy said, shrugging a shoulder in apology. "I heard a lot."

"You were so young then," Ginny sighed. "But, yes, that's all I remember."

She was seeing stars. Ginny closed her eyes, her muscles cramped, making it hard to move. Her breathing was labored; it felt like there was something lying on her chest that made it difficult to breathe. Everything was hard, too hard, what was happening to her-

"Do you think you reentered the Veil?"

She could hear other people breathing. Footsteps. Running. Shouting. Someone was moving beside her, groaning, reaching to her. They grabbed her arm and she opened her eyes again.

"Ginny? Ginny, are you okay?"

She couldn't focus on anything.

"Lupin, out of the way."

Someone was grabbing her face and she saw the blurred outline of someone… Severus…

"I'm not sure. It's possible."

"Dad doesn't remember anything either. And I brought it up to Uncle Harry, who just said he remembers waking up on the floor too."

Ginny rubbed her eyes tiredly. The slight memories she did have of that night exhausted her. She tried to never go back to that night, to pretend as if it didn't happened. It was as though the Veil didn't want her to think about it, making it such a tiring process that it just wasn't worth it. And, usually, Ginny didn't think of that night. She tried not to.

"Stiles, can you hear me? Stiles?"

It was definitely Severus holding her face. She groaned and he forced something, some type of potion, down her throat. Ginny tried to yank her head out of his hold but it was immediately apparent that it was too much effort for her. There was indistinct, panicked yelling in the background.

"Is she okay? Is Ginny okay? We need you over here, Severus-"

"Stiles," Severus said softly. "Ginevra. You need to let me know you're okay or I refuse to leave you here."

Ginny groaned again but everything was beginning to come into focus. She saw Severus' sharp, dark eyes studying her. She could feel the cool of the floor beneath her. She could feel the heat of his hands on her face. There was still some potion on her lips and she used her tongue to lick it. Severus shook his head, his eyebrow lifting warily at her movement.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

She nodded.

"Does that help you at all?" Ginny questioned.

Teddy nodded before pausing in his writing. Then he just shrugged.

"Well at least I know you're not all lying to me about not knowing what happened," he said, laughing a bit. "I just thought they were trying to protect you."

Severus left her and Ginny tried to sit up. Her muscles screamed at her and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She paused in her movements, taking a moment to collect herself. Despite her body feeling as though it had just been cursed in the worst possible way she felt strangely different, as if something had been lifted from her. It was an odd feeling… but she felt free.

"Is he okay? Snape, please, can you help him?"

It was Harry. At the sound of panic in his voice, Ginny's head snapped to the side. She was already moving before she was thinking. Because there, on the floor, was Sirius.

"We all protect each other, Teddy. That's what family does… But we'd never lie to you."

-*.*.*-

Ginny knew that Teddy didn't get the answers he wanted for his report. But she also had a feeling that he didn't really care. He carelessly tossed the parchment back into his bag once they finished talking. Then the pair sat and drank tea, speaking about all the upcoming birthdays, the opportunities Teddy had at the Ministry, the party at the Burrow that night. Birthdays tended to be the only time other than holidays that everyone was able to get together and it excited everyone, children and adults alike.

Teddy took the empty teacups over to the sink just as Ginny was checking the time. It seemed Severus had the same idea because he entered just as Teddy finished washing the dishes. He sneered slightly at the sight of Teddy using his sink.

"We'll have to head out in a moment," she told Severus.

Severus nodded.

"I'll grab Gabriel," he headed out of the kitchen.

The backdoor opened and in came Aurora, her face bright from the sun. She went straight to Ginny, leaning against her mother. Ginny smiled and ran her fingers through Aurora's dark curls.

"Is everyone else on their way in, love?" Ginny asked.

Aurora nodded.

"Yes, Mum."

"Good, go wash your hands, we have to head to the Burrow."

Aurora left the kitchen as James and Hugo entered from the backyard. Hugo, Ron and Hermione's son, was loudly talking about how the Gryffindor team was going to destroy the Slytherin team this upcoming year. James, who was Harry and Pansy's son and a Slytherin, was just staring blankly at Hugo as he spoke.

"This year I'll make the team, I'm sure of it, and then you'll have to watch out for me on the field-"

"I really don't think it will make a difference," James cut in.

"You'll be like 'Where is Weasley? Where could he be?' Then BAM! I'll have snatched the Quaffle from you. WIN FOR GRYFFINDOR!" Hugo threw his hands into the air, almost hitting Lily in the face as she entered the kitchen with Albus and Tristan.

"Watch out, Hugo!" Lily shouted, hitting him in the shoulder.

Hugo stumbled but didn't stop animatedly speaking to James. Albus was mimicking Hugo behind his back and Tristan leaned against the counter to try to steady himself as he burst out in laughter.

"Stop, stop," Tristan begged, wiping tears from his eyes.

Ginny smirked and looked to Teddy, who had called Aurora over to him as soon as she reentered the kitchen. She giggled as he lifted her up, blowing a kiss on the bare skin of her stomach.

"Where'd your flower go, Rorie?" he asked her.

There were so much noise in the kitchen, and so many children, that it only aggravated Ginny's slight headache. She put a hand to her head, turning away from all the children to see Severus entering with Gabe in his arms.

"Ma!" Gabe cried, reaching for Ginny.

Severus handed the beaming child to Ginny and then a goblet of something that was steaming. Her eyebrows rose and Severus perked an eyebrow along with her.

"Drink it. It will calm your nerves," he ordered.

Ginny did as told, making a face as the potion went down. She handed him the empty goblet and he placed it on his counter. His face turned sour as he surveyed his kitchen. The noise was only increasing when Hugo's shout was heard over everyone.

"You'll all be like 'BLOODY HELL'!"

"Watch your tongue, Mr. Weasley," Severus snapped.

The kitchen went quiet and Ginny turned to look at the children with an amused smile. Even Teddy's face faltered at Severus' words.

"Sorry," Hugo mumbled.

Tristan and Albus tried to stifle their laughter in the background.

"I believe it's time for you to go," Severus dryly said. "The Burrow awaits this madness."

Ginny's smile grew and she nodded, feeling the potion begin to take effect.

"Are you going to go to St. Mungo's?" Teddy asked his godmother.

Severus turned to Ginny in slight surprise.

"St. Mungo's? You planned to go today?"

Ginny attempted to nod as Gabe grabbed her face with both of his hands. He laughed when she pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Yes, well, I was planning on it till I realized what today was."

Tristan, who must have overhead what was being said, appeared beside Ginny. He tugged at her sleeve until she turned to look at him.

"Yes, Tris?"

"I'd like to go with you," he told her.

"I'm not going, love, I don't have time."

Placing Gabe on the floor, Ginny turned to the children.

"Everyone wash up, we're about to leave. Don't be too long or I'll send Severus in there after you!"

Severus scowled at her as the children rushed out of the kitchen to the bathroom. Only Aurora stayed, playing with Gabe as the adults spoke. Ginny tugged her hair back into a new bun as Severus glanced at his pocket watch.

"What time were you planning on going to St. Mungo's?" he asked, snapping the watch shut.

"Severus, I can't go," Ginny tiredly said. "Look at all these children I have, there isn't time."

"I can go straight to the Burrow," Teddy cut in. "I'll take some by Floo with me. Victoire is suppose to be heading there early with her parents either way."

Ginny opened her mouth to speak but Severus waved her quiet.

"I'll follow Lupin with the rest," Severus said. "I'll have Auriga meet me at the Burrow."

Even as he spoke of the Burrow, his lips twisted horribly. Ginny's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're coming to Harry's party tonight?"

Severus sneered at her tone.

"I just can't help but be shocked, Severus," Ginny laughed. "You haven't gone to any of his birthdays… ever."

"Yes, well, the invites are beginning to pile up. Might as well make an appearance sometime," he replied wryly.

Ginny felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She couldn't try to fight either of the men on their proposal- she so desperately wanted to go to St. Mungo's.

"So I can go?"

"Yes, yes, leave me and Lupin with all the monsters," Severus told her.

Teddy winked when she looked at him and she laughed.

"So we're going then?"

Ginny looked to see Tristan standing in the doorway. He had his hands in his pockets and looked so much older that Ginny faltered. Tristan had just finished his first year at Hogwarts; he was a Gryffindor and the family was so proud. But, as the oldest, he certainly seemed to be growing up the fastest.

"Yes, we're going. Go grab my bag for me, will you?"

Albus and Hugo, who were pushing each other, nearly tumbled into Severus.

"Ah, sorry there," Hugo said as Severus' eyes narrowed.

"Where are we going, Auntie?" Albus asked, his green eyes going wide.

Ginny rolled her own eyes and ruffled his dark hair.

"You're going with everyone else to the Burrow. You can help Gran set up for your father's birthday."

"Sounds like a blast," James' sarcastic response came from behind.

"It will be so fun! We can put flowers everywhere!" Lily said, joining her brothers. "Daddy will love it, won't he?"

"Yes, of course," Ginny said.

Tristan returned with her bag and Ginny took it gratefully. Soon she was ushering all the children to the fireplace. Teddy had both Aurora and Gabe's hands in each of his own. As the youngest, they were required to travel with someone. Lily, who wasn't yet eleven, was tugging on Severus' sleeve as he finished tying a letter to his black owl's leg. The owl flew out the window and Severus latched the window shut.

"Floo powder, Severus?" Ginny called.

He was frowning as he attempted to dodge through the children. Lily followed him, hopping foot to foot. Severus grabbed a small pot beside the fireplace. Ginny grabbed a handful and threw it into the small fire that she had started while waiting for Severus to finish his letter. The fire turned green and Teddy stepped forward with her two youngest children. Gabe giggled as the fire licked at his body.

"The Burrow!" Teddy cried and the trio disappeared in a spin.

"Now, boys, don't do anything that will make Gran mad," Ginny warned, allowing James to grab some Floo powder.

He smirked at the other children before disappearing. Albus and Hugo followed James separately. Ginny turned to Severus and Lily. Lily was grinning widely, holding onto Severus' sleeve. He looked partially annoyed but Ginny knew it was more for show than anything. Severus still had issues knowing how big of a part of Harry's children's lives he was.

"Thank you, Sev," Ginny whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "See you soon!"

After attempting to frown at her show of affection, Severus tossed some Floo powder in the fire and entered. If there weren't so many children traveling through the Floo system Severus probably would have apparited but they had to make sure everyone made it to the Burrow safely. Once Severus and Lily disappeared, Ginny led Tristan outside through the backdoor.

-*.*.*-

St. Mungo's, as always, was filled to the brim when Ginny and Tristan arrived. She waved to the Welcome Witch, who simply nodded at her before returning her attention to a wizard with an ear placed where his nose should have been. Tristan loved coming to St. Mungo's, often stating that the reception area was his favorite place to be. He took a hold of Ginny's wrist as they maneuvered through the crowd and to the elevator.

"Can you press four for us?" Tristan asked an elderly witch.

"Fourth floor, spell damage, eh?" the witch muttered.

Tristan nodded. The witch eyed Tristan before pressing the button. Ginny felt her son lean into her as the elevator shot up a floor. Several witches and wizards stepped out at the first floor and Tristan lifted his head to look at Ginny.

"Why is the room located on the fourth floor, Mum?"

The elevator shot up again. The elderly witch made her way off the elevator, as did one other person, when the doors opened for the second floor. Ginny squeezed her son's shoulder.

"That's just where the Healer who specializes in his condition is," Ginny answered.

Tristan made a face as he thought over what she said. Soon the elevator had stopped at the third floor and mostly everyone had gotten off.

"Will he be okay, Mum?"

Ginny opened her mouth to answer, though she wasn't sure what she was about to say, when a familiar person entered the elevator.

"Ginny! Tristan! I wasn't expecting to see you here today!"

Hannah Abbot, George's long-term girlfriend, beamed as soon as she saw the mother and son. Ginny stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Hannah. Hannah kissed Ginny's cheek, giving her an extra squeeze before stepping back. The elevator doors closed behind her.

"Didn't think you'd make it, hmm, what with watching all the kids today," Hannah continued speaking, squeezing one of Tristan's cheeks.

He made a face and went to swat away her hand.

"I would have loved to watch the little rascals if I didn't have a four a.m. shift, you know, twelve hours straight here," Hannah sighed. "But I'm quite excited for the party tonight for Harry. Love getting to see everyone."

Ginny smiled.

"Yes, it'll be fun."

"How'd you manage to-" The elevator stopped at the fourth floor and the trio stepped out. "-get rid of all the kids to come here? Sirius will be so excited to see you, I'm sure, as will-"

"Miss Abbot! This way, please!" A wizard shouted from the other end of the corridor. "We need you this way!"

Hannah turned to acknowledge the wizard before turning back to Ginny and Tristan. She pointed to the familiar door at the opposite end of the corridor. Even from here Ginny could see it was closed and her stomach twisted.

"Well, it will be a pleasant surprise, I'm sure," Hannah said. "Right in the same room down there, yes. I'll see you both tonight, Tristan, Ginny."

Ginny and Tristan both watched Hannah walk away before glancing at each other. Tristan's eyebrows almost disappeared into his red hair and he gave Ginny a helpless shrug.

"No wonder Uncle George hasn't married that one yet," Tristan said.

Ginny tried not to laugh at his words but she couldn't help it. Tristan grinned at his mother's amusement.

"That one's mad," he continued.

"Now stop it," Ginny said, laughing as they made their way down the corridor. "In order to be with either Uncle George or Uncle Fred you have to be a bit mad, don't you think so?"

"Aunt Angie isn't as crazy as her though," Tristan pointed out.

"That's because you've never been on the same Quidditch team as her."

Tristan's eyes widened.

"Have you?"

Ginny shook her head.

"No but Uncle Fred and Uncle George have, along with Uncle Harry, back at Hogwarts."

The continued down the corridor until finally reaching the door. Butterflies erupted in Ginny's stomach and she took a deep breath. Tristan looked up at his mum and saw the worry on her face, the way her lips tightened and breathing quickened. He knew what a big deal it was, coming to St. Mungo's today. Taking a hold of her hand, Tristan pushed open the door.

The first person they saw was Sirius. He turned in his seat, his gray eyes blank until he registered who had arrived.

-*.*.*-

Ginny scrambled to her feet, her eyes on Sirius as he lay unconscious on the chamber floor beside Harry and Remus. Severus had already reached him, taking off his cloak swiftly to better reach into his pockets. Harry was lifting Sirius' head, speaking to him, and Remus was checking for a pulse.

"Is he breathing?" Ginny asked, though her question fell on deaf ears. "Remus, Remus, is he breathing? Is he alive?"

Remus looked at Ginny as she fell on her knees next to him. She reached out, grabbing Sirius' hand. It was cold to the touch and she almost dropped it, so surprised by the lack of warmth.

"Severus? Harry? Is he okay?"

Severus didn't bother to look up at her, instead pulling a small bottle from within one of his pockets. He uncorked it and ordered Harry to open Sirius' mouth. Harry obliged, easily opening his godfather's mouth. Ginny tried to calm her breathing as she watched Severus pour the steaming potion into Sirius' mouth. Sirius looked dead; he was so completely still.

The thought chilled her to the bone.

"Sirius?" she whispered.

There was no response. Severus parted open one of Sirius' eyelids. All anyone could see was the white of Sirius' eye. Harry turned his head away from his godfather, a deep frown on his lips. Remus made a sound deep in his throat, closing his own eyes tightly as he reached to grab onto Ginny. She shook her head.

"Severus, he's not dead. He's not dead, right, he can't be, right?"

"He's breathing," Severus confirmed. "He's alive."

"Will he be okay? Will he wake up? Will he be himself? Severus-"

"The potion will need a moment to set in. I can't answer your questions, Stiles. One can only hope," Severus sneered at his own words. "He had reentered the Veil, I can assume?"

Ginny turned to Harry, who looked momentarily just as startled as she did.

"Yeah, he did," Harry said slowly. "At least… I believe so."

Severus' eyebrows furrowed.

"What does that mean, exactly, Potter?"

Remus opened his eyes, looking confused also. He released his grip on Ginny in order to put a hand on his head.

"We didn't see him enter the Veil. We just know he had," Remus said.

"You're not making sense," Severus said shortly. "Did he or did he not just enter and exit the Veil?"

Neither Remus or Harry or Ginny could answer. Her memory felt strangely empty as she tried to recall what had happened before she woke up to see Severus over her.

"I don't know-"

A gasp stopped Ginny's words short. Sirius' eyes popped open, wide and alert. His breathing became suddenly heavy and he went to sit up but Severus used a firm hand to stop him, pushing him back onto the chamber floor.

"Sirius!" Harry cried out, using both hands to grab Sirius' face.

Sirius stared at him, his mouth open as if to speak but no sound came out.

"Sirius, you remember me, don't you?"

Remus, Severus, Harry and Ginny all seemed to hold their breath as they awaited Sirius' answer. Ginny wasn't sure she could remain quiet any longer though and was just about to say something when Sirius smiled. And it was the brightest, most beautiful smile she had ever seen.

"Of course I do," Sirius said, his voice hoarse. "Harry."

Sirius reached up and placed his hand on Harry's cheek. Severus got to his feet as a tear fell from one of Harry's eyes.

"You have to stop doing this to us," Harry muttered.

Turning his eyes from his godson, Sirius made eye contact with his best friend.

"Remus," he acknowledged, his familiar wolfish grin twisting on his lips.

Remus gave him a tight smile, gripping onto his shoulder. Sirius' eyes then drifted to Ginny. They stared at each other for a long moment and she was sure that days were passing, years, a lifetime, before he moved. Their eyes stayed connected as he struggled to sit up and Remus helped him, making concerned sounds as Sirius groaned in pain. But then they were face to face, sharing the same breath, and Ginny knew that everything was alright.

"Hullo, love," Sirius whispered to her.

-*.*.*-

"Ginny!" Sirius stood from his seat, walking directly to Ginny.

Placing a hand on her face, Sirius pressed a quick kiss on her lips before stepping back. He then pulled Tristan into an embrace. Tristan groaned in embarrassment but didn't try to get out of his father's hug.

"My boy," Sirius ruffled Tristan's hair.

Sirius turned to Ginny.

"How'd you get rid of the kids?" he asked, leading Ginny to the chair he had just been sitting in.

She offered him a grateful smile and sat but, before she could answer, another voice spoke.

"Ma! Tris! You're here!"

Wesley, her third youngest, jumped off the exanimation table and climbed on top of Ginny in the chair. She pressed a kiss to his dark hair and he pulled back, brown eyes glowing.

"I thought- I thought you weren't making it today!" he cried out, excited.

Sirius was grinning in the background as Tristan walked up to his little brother, reaching over to hug him around the shoulders.

"Big day for you, eh?" Tristan said.

Wesley smile faltered before growing again.

"Yup."

Ginny bit her lip as Wesley crawled out of her lap. The two boys went back to the exanimation table and Tristan pulled out his wand for Wesley to see. Sirius squatted next to her chair, taking her hand. He was staring at her wedding ring when he spoke.

"You seem upset?" he lifted his eyes to hers.

She frowned.

"Has the Healer said anything?"

"He'll be back in a moment," Sirius answered, looking to Wesley before back at his wife. "What else is worrying you, love?"

She wanted to shrug, to tell him nothing, but she knew that Sirius would find out either way.

"Teddy brought up the Veil to me today," Ginny told him. "It always seems to upset me, doesn't it?"

"It upsets all of us," Sirius responded softly. "He mentioned wanting to speak to me about it also. I tried to tell him that I didn't remember anything, that nobody remembered anything, but he still asked for a sit down."

Ginny nodded.

"I told him everything I could remember," she brought a shaky hand to her forehead. "It just tires me."

Sirius gave her a half smile before pressing a kiss to the hand he held. In the end, Ginny supposed, the loss of her memories concerning the Veil meant nothing compared to having Sirius come back to her. He didn't remember anything from the Veil, not from the first or second time he entered, but was exactly the same other than that. When the Unspeakables questioned him he told them the same thing everyone else did. For some reason he reentered the Veil. Then he remembered waking up on the chamber floor and seeing Harry then Remus then Ginny.

After that it was all history. The Healers took them all to St. Mungo's but cleared them of any health issues, other than the memory loss. The Unspeakables told Sirius he could possibly feel side effects from reentering the Veil, particularly around Ginny, but it was clear after a month of them being together that there were no side effects. He proposed to her after that month and they married. And then, about two years later, she found out she was pregnant with Tristan.

Sirius teased her that it was their happily ever after.

"So where are all the munchkins?" Sirius asked again, turning to look at their sons.

"Severus and Teddy took them over to the Burrow."

Sirius' grin turned sharp at the mention of Severus.

"Ah, did they now? And how did Sevvy enjoy the Black, Potter and Weasley children at his nice ol' cottage today?"

Ginny laughed and laced her fingers through his.

"Don't tease him tonight, Sirius," Ginny warned. "He's the only reason I was able to make it to Wesley's appointment today."

The sharpness in Sirius' grin lessened at her words. He stood up and walked over to Wesley, lifting the boy into the air. The six year old laughed loudly, grabbing onto his father's shoulders as Sirius spun him.

Wesley, their third child, was the reason they were at St. Mungo's today. He was pass the age that he should have shown signs of magic and, other than two incidents where Ginny and Sirius weren't sure if it was him or the other children who had shown signs of magic, there had been nothing. A Healer at St. Mungo's named Dipus Pew specialized in children who showed no signs of magic, who could possibly be Squibs.

This was Wesley's third and final appointment. Ginny hated the idea that one of her children could be a Squib. If Wesley was able to go to Hogwarts he would surely fail out because of his inability to properly perform spells. And if Wesley didn't go to Hogwarts he would have to go to Muggle schools and learn to live in the magical world but be unable to really be a part of it. Hermione had tried to comfort Ginny and Sirius since they realized Wesley's possible issue but none of her words seemed to have any effect.

The door to the room opened and Ginny snapped back to reality, looking away from Sirius and the boys as the Healer walked in. Professor Pew smiled at the sight of her and reached out to shake her hand. He was an older wizard but very informative in his field, going through all levels of education on the subject and eventually becoming an educator along with a Healer.

"Mrs. Black, young Tristan! You weren't here just a moment ago, were you?" Pew asked, winking at Tristan.

Tristan grinned and stepped away from the examination table, walking over to Ginny. Sirius lifted Wesley onto the table.

"Let's see, let's see," Pew muttered, flipping through his chart. "As you know, I find Wesley to be an extremely interesting case. With both parents to be from ancient pure-blood families, the possibility of having a child who is a Squib is extremely high. The other three children have shown signs of magic- and powerful magic at that."

Sirius nodded at the Healer's words. Tristan, Aurora and Gabe, who was only four, had all shown signs of magic ever since they were little. Just the other day Gabe managed to have one of Tristan's school books levitate to him when Tristan was unwilling to share.

"However there are not many pure-blood families anymore, not after the Final Battle. That notion of remaining in your blood status has since been thrown away," Pew said. "Blood status just doesn't matter anymore."

Professor Pew winked at Wesley.

"Not that there is anything wrong with being a pure-blood, mind you."

Ginny and Sirius shared a quick look. Professor Pew could often go on rants.

"Professor Pew?" Sirius interjected. "Is there anything new you can tell us about Wesley?"

Pew sighed through his nose as he continued flipping through the file.

"After the appointment today, and taking the results back to my study, I believe you'll simply have to wait it out," Pew informed them, his voice regretful. "There is certainly magic in this child, don't doubt that. Just whether it will be enough for Hogwarts to accept him, for him to really be included in the magical society…"

"I'd like to go to Hogwarts, Mister Pew," Wesley said earnestly, his eyes wide. "Tris is there now! He's a Gryffindor!"

Pew smiled and padded Wesley on his head.

"I think you'll be a Gryffindor too, Mister Black, if you do go to Hogwarts," Pew told Wesley.

Wesley beamed a toothy smile at Pew's words.

-*.*.*-

"Well that was a waste of time," Sirius muttered to Ginny.

Ginny couldn't help but make a sound of agreement. They waited until they arrived at the Burrow to discuss the findings about Wesley. It had been an inconvenient appointment, especially since today was Harry's birthday, but it was suppose to be the most important appointment. Apparently not however, since they learned nothing new.

Tristan and Wesley had run ahead of their parents, passing the chickens who lingered in the front yard of the Burrow. Ginny could see Teddy and Victoire sitting on the front porch and it looked like Charlie and her dad were by the side of the house, discussing the new expansion they were planning. After the reconstruction from the Final Battle at Hogwarts, the Weasley children set their sights on expanding their parents' home. The Burrow already had several more rooms added to widen it, several of which were bedrooms for when the grandchildren had begun to arrive.

"You would think after all these years there would be a more certain way to find out if your child was a Squib or not," Sirius continued. "If only one of our parents had shagged a Muggle."

Ginny laughed at his words and he grinned, spinning her towards him before they were completely at the Burrow. Tristan and Wesley had already disappeared inside.

He lowered his face towards hers and she couldn't help but lean in to him.

"Ginny," his voice was low and a shiver went up her back. "You're quite amazing."

"What makes you say that?" Her eyes were already sliding shut, so intoxicated from being close to him.

One would think after all these years, after everything they went through, she would stop feeling this way around him.

"You just are."

He kissed her then, slow and gentle, enough that she was ready to beg for more when he pulled away. He left the sweetest taste in her mouth.

"Gross, Gin," a voice interrupted.

Ginny looked up to see Fred standing there, arms crossed.

"Snape looks ready to murder Remus, you'd best go save him," Fred said.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Remus was one of the few adults that Severus could stand at any gathering so she was sure Fred was over-exaggerating.

"Is Harry here yet?" Sirius asked, unwilling to let go of his hold of Ginny even when she went to step away.

She smiled when he pulled her back to him, her back against his chest.

"Yes sir," Fred pointed to the backyard.

Making their way back towards Harry, Sirius and Ginny waved to Teddy and Victoire. Victoire looked incredibly like Fleur, though her hair was more of a strawberry blonde, and she had her head against Teddy's shoulder. Tonks, who had come up and started talking with Charlie and Arthur, gave Sirius and Ginny a huge hug when she saw them after they said their hellos to the two men.

"How'd the appointment go?" she asked excitedly. "Good news?"

"No news," Sirius groaned, pinching Tonks' cheek.

She swatted him hand away and stuck her tongue out at him. His loud bark-like laugh attracted looks from several of the people in the backyard. Ginny pulled out Sirius' pocket watch from his pants and made a face. Her mum was going to kill her. They were a bit late for the party, which was apparent from the large crowd behind the Burrow.

The couple continued towards the back of the Burrow. Ginny could hear Tonks excitedly telling Charlie about Teddy's new start at the Ministry. As Sirius stopped to try to look for his godson, Ginny took a deep breath of the summer air. The air smelled like daisies and pies, like fresh cut grass and children. Speaking of children…

"Pa!" Aurora jumped at her father, barely giving him a chance to lift her into his arms.

Sirius pressed a kiss to her daughter's head and, despite her being eight, carried her with them as they searched for Harry.

"How are you today, my love?" Ginny heard Sirius ask Aurora just as someone else caught her attention.

"Oh, hell," she muttered as Molly's eyes narrowed.

"Ginevra Weasley!" Molly shrieked, rushing over to them. "You're late! Late for Harry's party! Oh, hello Sirius."

Sirius inclined his head to Molly. There had been plenty of years for the two to wash away any bad blood between them but they had never become particularly close.

"You know it was Wesley's appointment today, Mum," Ginny said, fighting to keep the whine out of her voice.

If Molly were in a bad mood with Ginny she would bother her all afternoon with it. And as it was Harry's party Ginny would rather be enjoying her time with her friends and family versus cursing the horrible timing of that appointment.

But, at Ginny's words, Molly's eyes softened considerably.

"Well, yes, I know that," Molly said. She eyed Aurora affectionately in Sirius' arms before saying, "I am sorry the Healer had no good news, dears."

Ginny's eyebrows perked.

"Who told you?" Ginny paused. "Tristan?"

Molly nodded promptly, hastily reaching up to wipe what Ginny suspected was a tear from her eye.

"Harry! Happy birthday!"

Sirius' shout distracted Ginny. She looked away from her mum to see Sirius walking over to Harry, who stood with Ron, Hermione and Pansy. Ginny turned back to Molly before embracing her. Molly hugged her back before stepping back.

"Go say hi to Harry, dear."

Ginny smiled at Molly before walking over to the group. As soon as Harry saw Ginny he threw his arms around her. She laughed in his chest before stepping away, hugging Pansy next.

"Happy birthday, Harry."

"Thank you," he said, smiling. "I think you may have given me the best birthday present- what with taking the kids."

One of Pansy's thin eyebrows rose.

"Oh really, Potter?"

Ron burst out into laughter, though his ears reddened along with Harry's cheeks. Harry rolled his eyes but continued grinning.

"Pansy gave me a nice gift too," Harry admitted slyly.

Pansy winked at him and Sirius chuckled, shaking his head.

"What? What was it?" Aurora, who Sirius put down, interjected.

Harry, who must have not realized she was there, immediately turned bright red. Ron was laughing so hard he had stitches in his side.

"A nice book," Hermione supplied when none of the other adults could answer due to laughing at Harry's embarrassment.

Aurora's eyes narrowed but she didn't press the subject.

"Run along, Rorie," Ginny told her. "Go find your brothers."

"I hate hanging out with all the boys," Aurora groaned as she walked away, kicking at the dirt.

"Find Lily!" Harry shouted after collecting himself.

Ron snorted, wiping his eyes.

"She sounds like you, Gin."

"I liked hanging out with you when I was little! You guys didn't like me hanging around," Ginny cried out, poking Ron's shoulder.

The adults made their way over to a wooden table that had been set up. Ron stretched out his legs, almost tripping one of the kids who ran by. Ginny thought it was one of Lee Jordan's daughters but she couldn't be sure. Hermione gasped, hands covering her mouth as the little girl stumbled before continuing to run.

"Oh, shite, sorry!" Ron called after the little girl, who ignored him.

Pansy, who still liked to remain seated next to Ginny at family gatherings, leaned towards her friend.

"Have you seen Severus here?" she asked in a low voice.

Ginny perked up, forgetting that Severus had finally come to one of the Weasley parties.

"No, where is he?" Ginny looked around the yard, sure that she'd see the dark cloud that tended to follow Severus around when he was in public.

"With Auriga and your youngest," Pansy pointed to the other side of the yard.

Ginny smirked, not surprised Severus still had Gabe.

"Love, I think we have to do our rounds or Molly will have our necks," Sirius had come up behind her and whispered in her ear.

He brushed the curls that rested on her shoulder away. His thumb traced the curve of her neck as she listened to him.

"Yeah, yeah," she groaned.

They waved to the group. Harry was already distracted by Dean Thomas, who was trying to convince Harry to join in a game of football. Ginny took a deep breath and got ready for the onslaught of the Weasley family she was about to see.

The first she person she saw was Angelina, who was standing by a table of food. Angelina was with George and Fred, no surprise, rubbing her hands over her large tummy. She had a surprise pregnancy after she and Fred had their only child, Artie, over fourteen years ago. The twins showed off their latest gadgets to Sirius, Ginny felt Angelina's baby kick then they were on to the next group. Percy stood with Kingsley and Bill and the group exchanged hugs and kisses, handshakes and laughter. They didn't stay long before moving to the group of women and children that crowded one of the larger tables set up.

"The hen house," Sirius said in her ear softly.

Ginny tried to stop her giggles as they approached. Hannah, out of her St. Mungo's outfit, was playing with Wesley and Lucy, who was Percy's youngest daughter. Fleur was talking to her two youngest children about not getting dirt on their clothes. James and Artie were impatiently waiting for Fleur to stop talking so they could continue their roughhousing with the two other kids. Audrey, Percy's wife, was rocking a young child who Ginny thought was Lavender Brown- rather Lavender Longbottom's child. Ginny shook her head. It was so hard keeping up with the new children arriving into the already large group. Lavender was gossiping loudly about an article she read in the paper earlier in the week to Luna, who was staring dreamily off into the distance.

The women cooed over Sirius and hugged Ginny tightly. Sirius answered the random questions they asked him about his work, the new book Hermione was helping him pen and about his first year without Tristan at home. Ginny stood beside Audrey as she rocked Lavender's baby. It wasn't too long ago that Ginny was rocking her own baby to sleep. She sighed at the thought before catching Sirius' eye. Sirius didn't often hang around with the women, preferring to spend his time at home with the children or with his close friends. Knowing that, she inclined her head in the direction where she saw Remus and Severus.

"Ladies, we have to continue our rounds, we haven't seen everyone yet," Sirius said. "We'll be back."

Fleur waved her hand in acknowledgement to Sirius' words and, apparently, to dismiss her own children. James and Artie, now having their friends back, raced away from the group of women almost as fast as Sirius did.

"Don't pretend you don't like how they fawn over you," Ginny teased, elbowing Sirius.

He glared at her in return.

"Most of them are half my age," he said gruffly, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"I'm half your age, darling," Ginny pointed out as they approached Severus, Remus and Auriga.

Sirius shook his head, amused.

"You're different."

She narrowed her eyes at his words and he offered her a sheepish grin. Ginny would never get use to the amount of affection that Sirius showered her with. She supposed it was because of how long he held back his feelings for her. Ginny had never been a particularly romantic person so of course it was ironic that she married someone who was a complete romantic- at least with her.

"Sirius! Ginny! You've made it!"

Remus kissed Ginny's cheek before going to hug Sirius. Ginny had just seen Remus the other day on her lunch break but knew it had been at least a few days since the two men saw each other.

"Ah, ol' chap!" Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus' shoulder. "You look smashing, simply smashing-"

"Bugger off-"

Ginny turned to Severus and Auriga as her husband and best friend continued to joke around. Auriga was a professor of astronomy at Hogwarts. She had been teaching at Hogwarts since Ginny's first year and, at some point, managed to capture Severus' attention. In a way, Ginny always thought, Auriga looked like Hermione with her bushy hair and bookworm nature. But her hair was a dark auburn and her eyes were a bright blue.

"Hello Auriga," Ginny greeted, smiling kindly. "Sev, how's Gabe been?"

Gabe looked up at his mother's words. The little boy was playing in the grass, yanking it out.

"Mama!" Gabe shouted. "Look!"

He threw the grass into the air and it showered down on him.

"He's done an exceptional job of throwing things onto himself," Severus said, his lips curling a bit. "You've got a bright child, Stiles."

Ginny pursed her lips at Severus and knelt down beside Gabe. She glanced over at Sirius and Remus who were both laughing at something and lost in their own world. Gabe grabbed her chin to draw her attention back to him.

"Mama! Where's Wesley?"

At that Severus squatted down beside Ginny.

"How'd the appointment go?"

Ginny shrugged.

"No news, not really," she answered as Gabe stood up and peered around the adults to look for his brother. "Seems a bit like a hurry up and wait situation."

Severus nodded and both adults stood. Auriga watched silently before giving Ginny a smile.

"Wesley will be fine, I'm sure!" Auriga nodded. "And it's not the worst thing if he is a Squib."

Ginny frowned but couldn't deny the truth in that statement. She saw the back of Severus' hand brush Auriga's, the only slight sign of affection he liked to show in public.

"Yes, I know," she finally said softly.

"Auriga! You look brilliant today, surprised you're up already!"

Ginny relaxed naturally as Sirius stepped up beside her.

"Snape," Sirius inclined his head.

Severus nodded back.

"Black."

Wanting to roll her eyes at the two men, Ginny instead turned to Remus. Sirius and Severus, after everything that had happened between them, had a mutual neutrality for each other. Severus was so heavily involved in the lives of Ginny and Sirius' children and Ginny herself that he could not disrespect Sirius, not if he wanted to remain in contact. And Sirius knew how important Severus was to Ginny and would never want to harm their relationship, if only for Ginny's sake. But they did not like each other. They probably never would.

"How'd that piece of legislation go?" Ginny asked, her attention now on Remus.

Remus had aged, as everyone had. But being a werewolf certainly seemed to speed up the process. His hair was mostly gray now, the wrinkles on his face deepened around his mouth and eyes. But, as always, his eyes glowed a warm amber that made everyone unaware of how old he might look.

"Kingsley said it should be passed but I only just asked him when we arrived," Remus responded. "It would be brilliant to able to finally get Wolfsbane on the market for the general werewolf population."

Ginny nodded in agreement. Wolfsbane was a particularly hard potion to make but helped calm a werewolf down during transformation. If Wolfsbane could be assessable to werewolves who had no way of obtaining it there would be a large cut down in self inflicted wounds during transformations, along with accidental bites to innocents. It had been one of the many large works Remus was trying to get passed for it was currently illegal to trade to 'dark creatures' despite the hard work over the past two decades to get that particular stigma away.

"Hermione really is a saint," Remus was saying, drawing Ginny back to the conversation and not her thoughts. "Working with Sirius on his book, helping me with the legislation, having Rose and Hugo…"

"She's more like my mum than I am," Ginny joked.

Remus cracked a large smile at her words and Ginny leaned into him, hugging him.

-*.*.*-

The party went on till late in the night. All the children ended up falling asleep in the numerous beds throughout the Burrow as the adults finished their conversations and drinks. Ginny had almost been tempted to fall asleep in her old bedroom but, seeing the look in Sirius' eye, knew it was time to go back to their home. So they said their goodbyes and collected their children. Aurora and Tristan woke up instantly, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Gabe and Wesley slept in their parents' arms, unwilling to stir.

They arrived home separately, with Sirius holding Wesley in his arms and Tristan clutching his father's free hand. Ginny arrived with a 'pop' afterwards, cradling Gabe with one arm and holding Aurora as she clutched onto her leg with the other.

"What time is it?" Aurora asked, eyes wide.

"Late," was Sirius' simple answer. "Around midnight."

"Is there a full moon tonight?" Tristan asked.

The group made their way up the walkway to the Black residence. Ginny raised her eyebrows at her son's question.

"Why would you ask that?" Ginny questioned, rubbing Gabe's back when he began to move in her arms.

"Just curious. Teddy was saying something about it."

Sirius shook his head.

"Look," Sirius pointed upwards. "No full moon- no moon at all, actually."

Tristan looked up at the sky, trying to see if his father was correct. Ginny pushed him gently from behind to get him to continue walking.

The Black residence, a simple two story house, was located off a dirt road that led to a Muggle village. It was in the middle of a field and had all the protective spells and charms one could have, short of the Fidelius charm. After everything that Sirius had been through he had wanted to be able to call home somewhere where he didn't feel trapped or confined. He wanted to feel safe, and he wanted his family to feel safe. But, most of all, he'd be able to freely leave whenever he wanted.

His time at Azkaban still scarred him, as did his confinement at his parents' house after.

But Ginny was more than willing to comply, happy to have a large field behind her house that she and the children could play in. Once Tristan was old enough, Sirius took him for rides in the backyard on his motorcycle. Ginny didn't feel pressured to not use magic for fear of a neighbor seeing them. She didn't have to worry and neither did Sirius.

"Come on, up to bed," Ginny said as soon as Sirius opened the front door.

Tristan and Aurora kicked off their shoes, placing them in the closest next to the front door. Aurora rushed to the stairs before waiting for Tristan and the two children took the stairs two at a time, talking to each other the whole way up. Ginny and Sirius followed suit more slowly. Wesley and Gabe shared a bedroom and the couple slowly undressed the boys before changing them into their pajamas.

"Da?" Wesley opened one brown eye. "Da, where are we?"

Sirius pulled the covers over Wesley, tucking him in.

"Home," he said gruffly. "Go back to sleep."

Wesley turned his head, seeing Ginny tuck Gabe into his bed. She ran her fingers through Gabe's curly red hair before turning her attention to Wesley.

"Ma?"

"Yes, dear?"

"That was a fun party," he said simply before yawning.

Sirius and Ginny shared a grin. Ginny nodded and blew Wesley a kiss as the two adults made their way out of the bedroom.

"I'll see you in the morning, Wesley," Ginny muttered.

The little boy nodded before going back to sleep. Next they checked on Tristan, who had already climbed into his bed and fallen asleep, face smashed into the pillow. Sirius shook his head at the Quidditch magazine Tristan must have thought he'd read before bed, which was crumbled under his body. As Sirius went to get the magazine from under Tristan, Ginny left to go make sure Aurora was in bed.

Unsurprisingly, Aurora wasn't. She sat at the foot of her bed, attempting to braid her hair. At the arrival of her mother, her eyes grew wide.

"Ma, can you?"

Ginny nodded and sat down beside her daughter, shaking out the braid Aurora had attempted to make. She braided it swiftly and pulled the blankets back so Aurora could crawl into bed.

"Night," Aurora quietly said.

"Goodnight, Rorie," Ginny whispered, blowing out the candle and leaving the room.

She found Sirius undressing in their bedroom. He had his back to her and she paused to watch as he slid his white shirt off, tossing it by the closest. Sirius raised his arms above him and gave a low groan as his muscles stretched. Ginny walked up to him and placed her hand on the small of his back. Sirius glanced back at her, his dark hair falling in his eyes, and she felt the familiar tightening in her stomach.

"Today was fun," she said, allowing her hand to trace up his spine.

She felt him shiver and he turned to face her, his hands drifting to the bottom of her shirt. Without his eyes leaving hers, he unbuttoned it one button at a time.

"Yes," he responded, fingers brushing her stomach. "A real pleasure."

Ginny breathed in sharply as he slid the shirt off of her.

"Thanks for helping me undress," Ginny whispered as Sirius went to take her shorts off.

He looked up at her, a wolfish grin curling on her lips, and Ginny laughed. He lifted her as she laughed and tossed her onto their bed, giving her only a moment to collect herself before crawling into bed with her. Sirius placed a hand on her face, drawing her close to him.

"You seem in a better mood now," Sirius noted, leaning forward and nibbling on her ear.

She gasped, not sure whether to push him away or pull him closer. Sirius had a habit of having serious conversations while seducing her. It was quite a confliction.

"Sirius-" As she gasped his name, he growled low in his throat, pulling her closer.

Ginny shivered but pushed him away so she could see his face. His gray eyes were clouded but cleared as he saw her sudden unease.

"What? What is it?"

"Do you… do you think after everything… I mean, everything with the Veil… Do you hate that you will never know what really happened in there? That we may never know? That we lost our memories, that we lost a part of us-"

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips, silencing her.

"I didn't lose a part of me. I gained a part back," Sirius whispered to her. "You are the only thing that matters to me and the Unspeakables said being around you made me sick… that would be enough to drive a saint insane. So if losing my memories of the Veil is what it took to get you here, right here, with me… I will never regret it."

She stared at him and tried to think back, back to their times together before he had reentered the Veil. They never saw each other and the one time she went to Florence she could remember how sick he had become. Because of her, because of the Veil's curse of him. But he would never say he regretted losing his memories, she knew that. And Ginny was comforted by him repeating that statement.

"I love you," Sirius told her. "So very much."

Ginny smiled and kissed him on the lips.

"I love you too, Sirius. So very, very much."

-*.*.*-

Author's Note: I think I might be going into shock. This is the end of my Sirius and Ginny story, the end of something that started almost three years ago. I really wanted to show their future, their happiness together after the Veil, which is why I combined the future with the past. I loved writing this story and thank you everyone who followed it and continually pressured me to keep writing, especially during my long breaks. I love you all and I hope you loved this!