Chapter Ten
First Grandchild

The full moon hung high in the clear sky, surrounded by more stars than one could even begin to count. It was a beautiful night, there was no denying that. A soft wind circulated the warm, summer air and the gentle crashing of waves could just be heard in the distance from the small cottage.

Lily Lupin had the window open as far as it could go, reveling in this soothing weather. She took comfort in the calmness of the night. It was the first clear night in weeks, a large storm front having just passed over the coast. It made the stillest seem all that much more peaceful. Lily took in a deep breath through her nose as she closed her eyes, the smell of saltwater riding in on the breeze. A small smile graced her lips.

"Are you still up?"

Lily's attention was drawn by the familiar voice. Marlene approached from the direction of one of the guest bedrooms, pulling a robe tightly around herself.

"I don't want to miss anything," Lily said with a smile.

Marlene laughed lightly as she took a seat next to her. "You know, it could be hours still."

Lily nodded, her eyes wandering back to the window. "I know," she said. "I hope it happens while the moon is still up though. It just seems so…" She searched for the right word, but these days her mind was more sluggish than it used to be.

"Fitting?" Marlene guessed.

Lily nodded. Even though she didn't think that was the exact word she had been looking for, it was close enough. "It seems like poetic justice that something good happens under the full moon." She sighed. "Anyway, I'm still not used to resting during the full moon. I don't think I ever really will be."

Marlene looked over at her and she was surprised to see admiration in her eyes. "I don't know how you do it, Lily," she said quietly.

"Life doesn't stop just because you lose someone you love," Lily pointed out, surprised by how calm her voice sounded. "We all learned that the hard way, remember?"

It had been years since the second rising of Lord Voldemort. In a way, it had hardly seemed fair to those left in their group. They had already fought a war and had already lost so much. But still, Lily and Remus stepped up along with James and Marlene, ready and willing to fight again. This time they weren't just fighting for each other though. This time they were fighting for their children. The stakes were higher and they were willing to sacrifice anything to keep their children safe.

It had been years since that final battle took place at Hogwarts, where their children went to school. Sirius had been a fourth year and Primrose and Kit had both been third years at the time. Without a second's hesitation, the parents had rushed to the school to protect their children. They had been tragically outnumbered. The hope for victory had seemed out of their reach. It was only by the miracle that was the Longbottom's child, Neville, that the Dark Lord was defeated once again, this time for good.

And once again there had been a price that often times felt too high.

It was a parent's job to protect their children. Lily never once regretted the decision to travel to the school to make sure her children stayed safe. She never once regretted the decision to fight against a man who would have made the world into a dangerous place for her children. That being said, she missed her husband with every fiber of her being every day that she had to live without him. But he had sacrificed his life in order to keep their children safe. Lily had been willing to do the same that day.

"Mum?"

Lily looked over to see her son making his way carefully down the stairs, a bundle of blankets cradled in his arms. Lily's eyes lit up at the sight and she was on her feet in a moment.

"Already?" she said surprised. Sirius' wife had only gone into labor a few hours before.

"Yeah, the little guy apparently just couldn't wait to be born," Sirius said with a proud smile. He had never looked more like his father than he did in that moment.

"It's a boy?" Lily asked, feeling her heart lifting up in her chest.

Sirius nodded. "And he'd like to say hi to his grandmother."

Lily had been jokingly fighting the term grandmother for nine months now, insisting the term made her seem too old. But in that moment, all of those thoughts were far from her mind. The term grandmother felt as comfortable as if she had been called that for years.

Lily carefully took the bundle being handed over to her by her son, naturally holding the newborn baby in the crook of her arm. Her smile only grew as she pulled back the blanket a bit to get a look at the baby's face. Curious eyes looked up at her, capturing her heart in a matter of seconds. She rocked the child gently as Marlene joined her, gazing down at their newest family member with almost as much love in her features as Lily.

"Have you named him yet?" Lily asked, glancing over at her grown son.

Sirius nodded. As he met Lily's gaze, his green eyes had an odd combination of happiness and sadness in them. "I thought we'd name him… Remus," he said softly.

Tears gathered in Lily's eyes. She couldn't be more proud of her son for wanting to keep with their tradition of remembering those that they had lost. She could think of no better way to honor her husband's memory. And she knew, deep down, that he was watching over them along with Sirius Black, smiling at this brand new life that they had brought into a safe world, proud of his sacrifice that made the world a better place for not only their children but their grandchild as well.

"Remus Lupin," she said quietly. Her tears didn't fall. Instead, she blinked as her vision cleared, feeling indescribable joy swelling up within her. "It's perfect."

The End