Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just the plot & OCs.

A/N: I'm very sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I was hit with a nasty bout of writers' block in regards to this story specifically. I mean it's so fun to write but I just didn't know how to proceed onto the next part of my plot. That being said, I really do hope you enjoy this. And as promised it's double the length of the last chapter.

Enjoy. And I hope you've had very happy holidays and a great New Year.

xoxo

16. Problematic

~ One Month Later ~

The door creaked open. The girl, she looked like a young, fragile girl anyhow; covered her eyes as the light shone into the dark room. Her arms tightened around her son. She watched the tall, handsome man enter the room.

It had been a month. Not a day went by without Rose wishing that she had never left Walburga. She wasn't sure when she had realised that the man standing before her was not her boyfriend. But just when she saw him, and then she saw Voldemort standing beside him, hope flickered within her. Until he turned to face her: face void of any emotion, like he was a corpse; a zombie; merely a puppet. He wasn't the man who was going to kill the monster beside him; he was the man who was going to shake hands with the monster. Because he was friends with the monster.

Rose had heard the Death Eaters talking about it: they were now magically, spiritually and physically linked. Connected. Bonded...

The Iunctio Spell. Broken by death only. Linking them in death. If Sirius died, that would mean Voldemort would die too and vice versa. It also meant that Voldemort was ensuring his life to a whole other level; he knew that James, Remus, Peter, Lily, Dumbledore even would never want to kill Sirius. If anything, this was better insurance than horcruxes or the philosopher stone.

She reached up to touch her necklace, pondering at its warmth for the billionth time. It wasn't cold anymore; it never got cold. It frightened her but she was scared to take it off. What if Sirius, her Sirius, had given it to her as a means of protection. What if, without it, she wasn't protected anymore? Her hand fell to her stomach whilst the figure in the doorway, frozen and watching her every movement, started to walk toward her.

Her bump was a lot more emphasised now. She was what, almost three months along? Her hand curved around her swelling stomach, and she smiled softly. Her baby was inside her, he was safe. But the other one though, the one sleeping in her arms, was anything but safe. She could only hope that enough of Sirius was still left that he would make sure no harm came to his baby boy.

Sirius stood before her now. It wasn't him. He was gone. But that's what happened when Voldemort possessed you, left you for a short while, then cast a spell to pull you back under his influence. He crouched down to stroke her cheek. Then he looked at the child in her arms. Slowly, he started to pull SJ from her.

Rose cried aloud. 'What are you doing?'

'I'm just giving him a tour of the manor we're in. Whilst I'm doing that Rose, you should go and get something to eat.' Her stomach made a noise when he said this. Sirius smirked that infuriating and very characteristic smirk of his. 'Go on.' He stood up, his son rousing in his arms and left without another word.

Rose watched after him. Yes, she confirmed in her head, this wasn't Sirius. This was something else. She turns to look at Harry, napping on her bed with the sheets over him and slowly, she got up to press a kiss to his forehead.

'It's alright baby,' she said, stroking his hair. 'You'll be home soon. You'll see mummy and daddy soon.'

xo

They weren't the same. Things could never be the same between them. They were missing the fundamental element of their relationship, what had strengthened their love and adoration for one another. Their touches had lessened; and though none of them would ever voice their opinions, it was obvious one blamed the other.

James blamed Lily for leaving Harry behind with Mrs Black. Lily blamed James for losing against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Yet at the same time they blamed themselves.

At that moment, James was holding his wife as they lay on their bed crying, Lily more so than her counterpart; most obviously because he was too busy thinking of strategies and plans. She was crying because after another day of scouring the newspapers, after reports back from fellow Order of the Phoenix members who had been spying on the Ministry there was still no sign of her baby boy.

Lily and James had not spent a single second thinking about Rose and SJ; only their son, and if he was safe, and whether he was even alive. They missed him with every fibre of their beings: Lily cried at the thought of her baby. Even just hearing his name ripped her apart - forced the sobs from deep within her chest. She couldn't remember the last time she smiled.

Her husband started kissing her hair, her cheek, her ear, all the while saying, 'It's okay … we'll find him … don't worry...'

So Lily closed her eyes and tried not to worry. But it was so hard.

xo

The rule was that there was never a chair beside Voldemort's. His followers always sat before him, so he could assess every little thing they did. But a change had been brought about a few weeks ago. Sirius Black now sat beside the Dark Lord.

The newest addition and he had the highest rank. He was the Alter Rex, the other king. He was the second ruler of the Death Eaters and they so passionately loathed him. Around the Dark Lord and Sirius Black sat eight men and women.

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband, Severus Snape, Antonin Dolohov, Madison Jeffrey and the monster, Fenrir Greyback. It was an odd selection of people; for example two of them were werewolves, one was the Headmaster of the most infamous school in Europe and another was a psycho bitch.

But Voldemort needed them all for very different reasons.

'I have called you all today,' he said softly, 'because something needs to be done about the escaped Mudbloods-'

'I met some of them,' Sirius interjected. Then he smiled. 'I met a really nice chap who was one of the Azkaban Escapees, but I forgot his name.' He tapped his chin with his finger and then shrugged. 'Well, anyway, he seemed like he hadn't recovered from the trip to Azkaban. I think that if a bunch of Dementors swarmed at them, or whatever the hell it is they do, then they're be scared shitless. Because, unfortunately, the Dementors have ruined their minds.'

Voldemort let the interruption slide because, he realised, the point that Black was bringing up was a very good point.

'But how would that help my Lord?' Madison said. 'We can barely keep a step behind them. How would we manage to scare them with Dementors? Moreover, would that immediately mean that we've got a hold over them? Does it mean we can capture them? What would the introduction of Dementors lead to? A miraculous capture of the forty-'

'I think,' Snape hissed impatiently, 'that the Dark Lord understands your point.' He didn't like people babbling. Madison Jeffrey was the definition of babble. She loved to talk. Severus, on the other hand, was a man of little words. Maybe if he had been more like Jeffrey, then he'd be the one with a son with almond shaped emerald eyes, and not that damn James Potter.

'No,' Sirius spat back at her, before he laughed and shook his head. 'You foolish woman. It means that we'll be able to shock most of them, and with shock comes the capture. We'll be able to round up the ones we can get our hands on. Even a split-second advantage is an advantage. If we are given two, three minutes at most, we will no doubt be able to gain the upper hand quickly. As for actually capturing them, well I know where most of them will no doubt be hiding.'

'Where's that?' Bellatrix interjected, eyes glistening with hatred. Because she hated Sirius.

Nothing less.

'The Potter manor,' whispered Voldemort in answer.

'But it's unplottable, it's infamous for being unplottable!' Narcissa said quickly, looking at her husband and then the Dark Lord. She back-tracked and whispered, 'My Lord,' as an apology.

'Not anymore,' Voldemort replied quietly. 'I can see where it is inside his mind.' They didn't need to ask who he was referring to; everything Voldemort did now was in response to everything Sirius was. They were so tightly connected. Sirius's chest hurt for nothing longer than a second. But why?

WHYYYYYYY-

'Sorry,' her soft feminine voice stuttered. The eyes of all of them flickered up; none other than Rose Taten stood at the doorway. Her eyes were watering and her face was bright pink. 'I can come back later.'

'Please do,' laughed Bellatrix as she exchanged a brief smile with her sister.

Rose looked ready to say something but her metaphorical "true love" was at her side in an instant. His hand fluttered down to her stomach. She winced. His eyes flashed to the colour they once had been; beautifully, so perfectly silver. Then they once more redeemed their dark, ominous tones and shades.

'What's wrong?' Sirius asked.

'Harry's crying again,' she whispered in his ear. 'He wants his Mother and Father. I really-' Sirius pushed her gently out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Once they were safely out of the eyes of the Dark Lord and his followers, she started hyperventilating. That ... that man scared every human fibre of her being. She shivered and took a while to recompose herself. It was scary being in his presence. She wanted to cry just by seeing the back of him even.

'How can you even stand to be near him, let alone sit beside him?' she breathed. He wrapped his arms around her and for the first time in what felt like a decade, she leaned into his embrace and wept.

'I don't understand,' he told her softly. And when she looked up and stared at him, she realised why Sirius Black did not understand.

Because the man before her was not Sirius Black.

'What's wrong with Harry?' Sirius asked her.

'He misses his mum and dad. And we can't keep him away from them for much longer.' Rose told him quietly.

Her "boyfriend" laughed shortly. 'He doesn't need to see them. He has us.' Sirius replied.

'We're not enough.' She said before she detached herself from him, looked him up and down and then walked down the thin corridor away from him. Away from everything they stood for.

Quietly, Sirius entered the dining room once more. He felt a pang in his heart and he wasn't sure why. But he turned back to the Dark Lord and watched him with eager eyes. When an hour later, Sirius couldn't find Rose Taten and Harry Potter in the room he had left them in, he did the first thing he could think of doing-

He screameddddd...

xo

'Rose.' Dumbledore breathed. 'Rose Taten. What are you doing here?' He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. She had run as fast as she could to a nearby house, any nearby house, that even looked slightly magical - and when she found one, she floo-ed, due to a kind elderly Wizarding couple who let her use their fireplace, to the first place she could think of - Hog's Head.

But the last person she expected to be there, so close to danger, was Albus Dumbledore, her life line. The man who could make everything better. She slumped but a very handsome nearby man rushed to catch her. Rose's hands fluttered to her stomach.

'I couldn't get my son,' she cried, 'I couldn't get my baby. But I've got Harry! Please, give them Harry! They've been so long without Harry.'

He was crying again and clinging to her jumper as tightly as he could. Rose bent to pick him up and cradled him in her arms, kissing his head. 'It's alright baby.'

'Rose?' Dumbledore breathed. 'What happened?'

'I couldn't bare to have Harry without his parents a moment longer. God, James, he must-' then she paused, 'Lily, my God, how is Lily?' she cried, tears tumbling down her face.

'You brought their son back for them?'

'Something's happened to him Dumbledore. He's been linked to Voldemort, the Iunctio Spell, Voldemort cast it. Sirius is his possession now. He's not there.' She whispered furiously fast, pointing at her head. Then her mouth stopped moving.

'Send a patronus to Lily and James, Lawrence,' Dumbledore whispered to the very handsome man who still had his arms around Rose.

'You alright?' he asked Rose, looking down at her to check that she was fine. When she nodded, in a clear voice he said 'Yes sir,' before he turned away to send his hawk to the heartbroken couple a few miles away.

'Are you sure?' breathed Dumbledore, turning to Rose and grabbing her arm tightly. She stared at his aged face and nodded vigorously.

'Yes.'

'Abe, call him-'

'Are you sure?'

'Send him an owl Aberforth!' the old Headmaster cried. His brother, who had been dusting glasses in the corner of a room, grunted in confirmation before he too raced out of the room. There was no time for arguing; just running, to tell Lily and James, to warn the Order about Rose's kidnapping mission, Dumbledore wasn't sure.

Lawrence came back into the room, but he had two people with him now. He had Lily and James flanked behind him, expressions of utter determination on their faces. 'Why did you-' James began as he stared at Dumbledore, confused.

But he was interrupted when Lily screamed and pushed everyone out of her way to get to her son. 'HARRY!' she cried. She grabbed him and lifted him up, swinging and hugging him and sobbing all at the same time.

Lily held her son in one arm, tears streaming down her face, before she grabbed Rose and pulled her into a hug. 'Thank you,' she cried, 'thank you so much.'

Twenty minutes later, James and Lily were sitting in chairs opposite Rose, who was rubbing her stomach and explaining to them exactly what it was she did whilst she was waiting for Dumbledore to come downstairs - he had left to talk to someone.

'What?' she asked when her name was called.

'So you've left your son behind?'

Rose's eyes watered and she nodded. 'I can guarantee that Sirius won't do anything to his son, and therefore You Know Who won't too. But … but I couldn't promise the same about Harry. If I could, I would have taken them both but I couldn't.'

'Are you planning to go back?' asked James, stroking his son's hair and kissing his hair every so often.

'I have to, don't I? My baby is there. Both of them.' She said after a minute. Her stomach lurched and her hand fluttered down to stroke it and comfort her gorgeous child inside her. 'I just want Sirius to be there when I give birth, I want him to help me raise our child. I don't want him to miss it all again.' Then she paused and said very quietly, 'I don't want to be alone again.'

Lily shifted her son onto her husband's lap and stood up. Then she pulled Rose into her arms and embraced the other woman as tightly as she could. 'Even if he does miss it, which we won't allow, I'll be there to help you. I'm in your debt forever now, you understand that right? I owe you my life and my son's life.' Then she kissed Rose's forehead and said once more, 'Thank you.'

The door opened and Dumbledore appeared. He was as aged as ever. He looked very tired and drained. But he smiled when he spotted Lily and Rose hugging. He remembered the rivalry they had back in Hogwarts but of course, their transition into motherhood and most importantly, adulthood, eradicated silly rivalries and left them as the women they were always meant to be.

'I'm leaving now, I have a few things to do-'

'Dumbledore,' Rose interrupted bashfully. But she didn't care. She had a hand cradling her stomach protectively, and another wrapped around the waist of Lily Evans, no, Lily Potter. 'I have something to tell you.'

His eyes narrowed a little as they zeroed in on her. Slowly, he replied, 'Yes Miss Taten?'

'I was eavesdropping on this meeting You Know Who and Sirius were holding. I can't remember everyone who was there, but Narcissa, her husband and Bellatrix were there. They were talking about … about killing all of the escaped prisoners.' Then her eyes flashed towards James. 'Voldemort somehow looked into Sirius's mind and deduced where the Potter Manor is. He's going to attack with Dementors to distract them as well as a force of Death Eaters.'

James hurried forward and grabbed her hand. 'Are you sure?'

'I'm sure James-'

'Are you sure?' he shouted. She bit her lip, and though she knew that she should have spoken about Sirius's involvement in the plan, she didn't.

'Yes Jamie. I'm sure.' Then she touched his cheek. 'I'm not lying.

'Well then,' James said, 'what should we do?' he all but bellowed at Dumbledore.

And for the first time in a long time, Dumbledore shrugged. He didn't know what to do.

xo

'...it gets easier,' Remus explained to Peter as he ticked off yet another full moon on his huge calendar. 'I mean, the pain doesn't get easier to handle, but the idea … you become more used to it. And that's the most damaging part, at least for me it was. I spent years refusing to acknowledge it until I had no choice.'

'When we found out?' asked Peter. He ached all over. He still cried himself to sleep every night, but the support from James and Remus was staggering, it really did help so much. It broke Peter's heart to think about how alone Remus had been before they confronted in in their Second Year. Perhaps even up until they became Animagi in their Fifth.

Remus laughed. 'Yes, you guys finding out sort of gave me no choice but to realise that I was always going to be a werewolf and there was nothing I could do about it.' Then he ruffled Peter's hair and winked at him. 'You're lucky though - you became an Animagus before you became a werewolf so you can become a rat any time save the nights of the full moon.'

'What?' asked Peter. 'You can't become an Animagus?' He didn't know why he'd never asked Remus but suddenly, he realised that their friend never tried to become one.

Remus shook his head. 'It's been so long for me that not only has my patronus become a wolf, but that means that every part of me now represents a wolf. So why waste time and energy becoming a wolf when I'm forced to turn into one anyway?' I've become a wolf enough to last me a lifetime.' He shrugged.

Emanuelle entered the room. She was very pretty, even if she was dressed like she just woke up. Her tan wasn't as prominent and she looked a lot more tired than usual. But that being said, she still captured all the eyes in the room. Damn her model father and the good looks he passed onto her.

'We don't have any Dreamless Sleep potion left, do we? Natasha can't sleep. Most of them can't. But she's the worst off.' Her eyes met Remus's and they smiled politely at each other. It was strange for Remus to be around her and not kiss her or sleep with her or marvel at the beauty of her naked body. He missed seeing her naked body. At that moment, as if on cue, Shia ran into the room and into Remus's arms. They smiled at each other.

'Hello baby.'

'Remy.' She said, wrapping her arms around him when he picked her up and kissed her cheek.

He tucked her into her side and laughed when she stroked and whispered to his scar. 'Don't worry,' she said softly, 'you'll get better soon.'

He looked up when he heard the door close. Emanuelle was gone.

'Where has she gone?' Remus asked, a frown now on his face whilst the child in his arms stroked his slowly fading scar.

'She said something about checking with the twins.'

Sighing and gently lowering the cute daughter of Medina to the floor, Remus straightened up and nodded. 'I should go and speak to her, shouldn't I?'

'You haven't done anything wrong Remus.' Peter reminded him. 'You and her ended a few years ago. You're with someone else now aren't you? The mother of her.' He pointed at Shia. 'You've moved on and it's time for Emanuelle to move on to.' Then he quirked up an eyebrow. 'Unless of course, you still might have feelings for her.'

In a hoarse voice, Remus replied with, 'Not the way I used to. I'm just as attracted as I've always been to her. But who wouldn't be? And I admire how readily she joined the war. Like she was just waiting for a reason to reunite with us. I miss her too. It was fun to be with her.'

Then Peter said what Remus really needed him to say, the most truth he had heard in a while perhaps, 'Then you can't have her. If you're not willing to give up Medina, someone who understands you more than anyone possibly could,' he laughs, 'other than me, maybe because I've grown up with you through this but … what was my point? Yes … I'm just telling you that perhaps it's time to let Emanuelle go. She's got things to do when this war ends … if this war ends.'

He slapped Remus's shoulder and smiled at him.

'Should I talk to her?' Remus asked.

Peter shrugs. 'If you want to, and you think it will help, then why not?'

'Alright,' said Remus. He nodded to himself and bent down once more to pick Shia up. She grinned beautifully at him. In her cheek, deep as a freshly-carved well, was a prominent dimple. It was cute that she only had one; she had been kissed by an angel rushing off to do what angels do - guide the world, guide people and most importantly, off to guide good where it was needed. That's what Remus's parents had always told him when he asked his parents why he only had one dimple.

'Come on baby,' he said, nuzzling her cheek. 'Let's go and see what's up with Emanuelle.' He said to her before kissing her once more.

Emanuelle shared a room with about three other people; which she found disrespectful and she was a little too haughty to be completely satisfied or fine with. But nonetheless, it was a necessary part of helping out she reckoned, to share a room with Peter and two of the escaped from Azkaban.

He knocked on her door just as Shia shouted, 'Knock knock.'

'Who's there?' laughed Emanuelle from the other side of the door.

Shia leant forward and Remus whispered into her ear. After a minute the baby said, 'You know!'

A delighted peal of laughter resonated from the room and the door cracked open a little. 'You Know Who!' she screamed, throwing the door open and mock-shrieking.

Shia cried with laughter and threw her hands into the ear. 'I offer presents.' Remus said, and he waved his wand and a fantastic collection of cupcakes appeared before them, covered in chocolate and rainbow sprinkles. She grabbed two and patiently waited for Shia to snatch one from the air. Remus took the last (and most chocolate-y) and stepped into the room.

Setting Shia down on the floor, he for the first time, inspected the contents of the room. There were four single beds. One was unused because the occupant was spending most of her time in the hospital wing, the other was a bit of a tip, Peter's was quite orderly but Emanuelle's was prestine, like everything about her.

She sat on the edge of her bed and licked icing very tauntingly from her fingers. Then her eyes flashed up to meet Remus's. He gulped and sat down on Peter's bed. He licked some icing and finally looked up at the image of Emanuelle eating her cupcake so seductively. The part that pissed him off most perhaps was maybe because she didn't even mean it.

Everything she did eluded pure sexuality. It was what drove him so mad about her in the first place.

'Why are you here, Remo?' she said softly. A nickname he hadn't heard for what felt like centuries.

He looked up at her and smiled torturously slow. 'I'm happy Emmy.' A nickname he hadn't said for just as long. She frowned and her gorgeous lip trembled. 'I am very much infatuated with Medina. I think it can work. She understands me-'

'But I can understand you.' She said, placing her cupcake beside the second one, on the cabinet. She stood up slowly and his eyes were drawn to her flawless body. 'You never gave me the chance to try.' She told him ever so softly. Languidly, Emanuelle walked towards him and stopped a foot from him. He could see every feature of her body, thrown into the light so, in detail, he could make out each perfect feature on her perfect-perfect face.

Don't do this, Remus wanted to scream. Don't make me want you-

There were loud voices and cheers of happiness. They both looked quickly at the door. The noises were in fact screams of delight from Alice, Frank, the twins, Peter-

'Come on,' Remus said, wiping his nose and nodding to the door. 'Let's see what's happened.'

When he did indeed see Harry in the arms of Lily, Remus was glad that it was Emanuelle holding Shia. He ran forward and grabbed the boy, squeezing him and kissing his head. 'You're home Harry!' he shouted. Then he embraced Lily and James.

'You're home.' He said once more. But strangely enough, he still felt empty. Not as much, but still so painful. Because his godson was still with Sirius … and because of Sirius, that meant that he was with Voldemort also.

xo

'What was it you wanted to tell me?' Dumbledore asked. 'What you were adamant not to say in front of Lily and James-'

'It was because of Sirius.' Rose said. 'Somehow, Voldemort's got a stronger hold on him than anything we anticipated. He can look into Sirius's mind and extract information that he wants to know, when he wants to know it. It's not just dangerous anymore Dumbledore, it's deadly. I don't know how long we'll last before Sirius spills everything to the Death Eaters.'

She stroked her stomach. Tears were brimming in her eyes. 'Can I ask you for a favour?' she said after a minute of Dumbledore's thought-riddled silence.

One tear fell, and strangely enough, no others did. She wasn't going to let herself cry, even though her tongue was bleeding now from biting it so hard. Her mouth filled with a tangy, metallic liquid and she made a strange noise between a cry and a whimper.

Dumbledore leant forward to clasp her hand in his. Rose used her other hand to grab her small shot glass and knock back just one drink. It was her first drink since she realised she was pregnant. But she needed it if she was expected to return - one drink to numb the pain and stem her desperate, frantic thoughts.

'What is it, my dear girl?' he asked.

Rose exhaled shakily and then said, 'Can you make sure he's home for the birth of our child?' Another tear fell and she wanted to shake herself vigorously. She didn't want to cry because then the realisation would come crashing down - that she probably wasn't going to get Sirius back, and even if she did, he wouldn't be home in time for the birth of her child.

With his piercing blue eyes, Dumbledore looked at her. Really, really looked at her - like there was a window to her soul and he'd opened it. It almost seemed reluctant, but in the end he nodded and squeezed her hand. 'I can't promise much, but I promise I will get him home for the birth of...'

'Regulus,' she said, freely letting the tears fall now. 'If it's a boy, and I think it will be, then I've already chosen a name.' She smiled again. Looking up at her old Headmaster, Rose grinned at him. 'This time, we'll raise Sirius and Regulus Black the way they were supposed to be raised. With love,' she stroked her belly, 'and with a proper family. And without those godforsaken expectations. How does that sound, eh Reg?'

Her stomach lurched. That could have been the alcohol but she liked to think it was the baby. Her eyes met Dumbledore's once more and she laughed. 'He likes the sound of that.'

xo

It was only two hours later, yet how completely different the situation was. Rose was on the floor screaming. Bella stood over her, wand down and pointed at her chest. She was casting the Cruiciatus Curse on a pregnant woman. Narcissa stood back with a repulsed expression on her face. So did Lucius, who was also a father and understood how damaging it could be for a baby. The only two people who looked remotely indifferent were of course Voldemort and actually, the next person was quite surprising because he didn't seem to care much at all. Lucius Malfoy cared more than him.

Maybe he was given a little more of the Iunctio Spell? Maybe he was put firmer under Voldemort's control? He just sat in his chair, playing with his wand and looking up every few seconds at Rose. However, after another minute of her screaming, he stood up. Voldemort placed a hand onto his shoulder.

He trembled and felt, suddenly, the compulsive need to have a hot shower.

Scalding.

'I think you should stop now Bella.' His voice was firm. 'She has my child. And whether you hate her or not, that's Black blood running inside her.'

Bella's eyes met her sister's, and in response, the blonde nodded vehemently. Her blondie husband nodded too. Voldemort however shrugged. 'I have no patience for traitors. However, if Sirius wants his whore in top condition, who are we to stop him?'

There were a forced laugh from a few other people who weren't very important Death Eaters.

'Stop Bella.' Sirius said. His eyes flashed dangerously red.

Bella pouted and looked down at the slump on the ground that was Taten, who shook and wept as quietly as she could. 'One more?' asked Sirius.

He threw his hand up and shrugged. 'Only one more.'

Rose Taten screamed as loudly as she could. She felt her magic move almost completely to her stomach, and like a cocoon it protected her child. She knew that much. The strange thing was however, that her magic was so strong and potent, it radiated a periwinkle glow.

Inside, she was smiling. Despite those wretched screams that she was letting out, when Bella uttered from her spoiled mouth once more, 'Crucio...'

A/N: Thanks so much for reading. I hope you've had a great holiday and you've enjoyed the New Year. It's my birthday in two weeks, yay me, so reviews would be the best present ever haha.

I'd like to thank Guest reviewers for the great comments, I promise to have an extra long, nice epilogue with the babies. I might even post some one-shots so keep an eye out for that, I'll write A/Ns about it if I do. Thanks so much for the review. Please do leave a comment to tell me what you think of this chapter. I found it really hard to write so it would be great to know if this chapter is a success or failure.

Enjoy the rest of your day. xx