Cheating Life

Written by Christina Elizabeth Lupin

A/N: Alright! I got the title and the story-line all figured out. I am set to start out the sequel to the well-liked Cheating Death story. I can only hope that I can satisfy you like I did in the prequel. If this is the first time you are introduced to the Cheating series, please go back to my profile and read the prequel and you won't get lost. Trust me, you'll need it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything remotely related to it. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling, the publishing companies, and Warner Bros. I only own Briana Evanson, Gregory Michaels, Caitlin Quentin, and Aubrey Johansson. They are of my own creation, though if you wish to use them, please ask me beforehand. I also might have a few other original characters star in here, especially if the Potters or Lupins have any more children. Anyhow, please enjoy the long-awaited sequel to Cheating Death! Oh, and the timeline is around November, two months after the ending of Cheating Death.

Cheating Life

Chapter One

A tall figure cloaked in a simple set of silky black robes glared out amongst the congregation, unmindful of the heavy rain that fell down upon the group. His hands were clasped in front of his body as he waited for the gathered people to silence themselves. It was no use talking to them while they muttered amongst themselves. A small smile flitted across his lips when he noticed that they did fall silent, everyone gazing up at him curiously.

"I see you finally noticed I was standing here," he began, his voice low and silky but managed to carry. "I was wondering when you would notice. I know that by now most of you are wondering why I brought you here." He waited as the group began to murmur again. Merlin, he would have a lot of work to do with them. "It should be simple, really, why I gathered you and not more intelligent company. We once were joined under our former master, Lord Voldemort, before the Potter brat brought him down. As history has kindly reminded us, the darkness never stays down for long, for another presence rises up to the challenge of attempting to take over the world. Fortunately for you, I am a much better wizard than the former Dark Lord could imagine. I come from pure blood, though I cannot take claim that I am related to any of the Four Founders." The cloaked man took in a breath and continued to stare out to the large mass of witches and wizards. "I ask you to join me as I begin my own journey to conquer both the wizarding and Muggle communities. I cannot do it alone and I promise to be more… merciful than our previous Lord."

"To what do we call you, my Lord?" a man hissed, staring up at the man suspiciously.

A slow grin spread across his face, what you could see of it anyway. "You may call me Lord Kaiser, my dear Vincent."

Harry Potter snapped out of the vision, gasping for breath. He glanced around wildly, trying to collect himself.

"Harry? What's wrong?" a soft feminine voice asked him from his left.

The thirty-one-year-old wizard turned to face a pretty woman with long strawberry blonde hair and a pair of dark brown eyes. She clutched the thick duvet around her slim body, staring at him in concern.

"I-I thought I saw something," he replied, still attempting to catch his breath.

The witch raised a hand to touch his sweaty forehead and she frowned. "You don't seem warm but your breathing indicates that you saw something that bothers you. Are you still experiencing the aftermath of the major battle that took place 13 years ago?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Aubrey. If I did, I would be talking to you about it."

Aubrey looked amused, though concern still shone through her brown eyes. "Harry, love, you did talk to me about the final battle, remember? I even remember you used to bring your adorable little godson with to some of our sessions." Harry chuckled with her, though he still seemed shaken. "Honestly, Harry, tell me what's wrong. I can help you." She stroked his arm.

The Boy-Who-Lived let out a sigh and turned so he faced the ceiling above him in his teaching quarters. "I had a dream that I was in the middle of nowhere, but I wasn't alone. It was like I was looking through someone else's eyes, like I did whenever I had visions from Voldemort." The younger witch nodded, still stroking his arm gently. "This man was cloaked and was staring out at some people he had gathered. I recognized most of them as being former Death Eaters that escaped or were never caught. Anyway, he talked to them, claiming to be the next Dark Lord."

"Did you catch his name at all, love?" the medi-witch said, snuggling close to her lover.

The older wizard slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "He said he was to go by the name of Lord Kaiser. He never mentioned his name nor do I recognize his voice. I think he's a newcomer, someone who wasn't involved in the last war."

Aubrey's thin eyebrows nearly connected with her eyes with thought. "That's never a good sign, Harry. Do you think he could be trouble?"

"I couldn't sense his power yet, but he commands loyalty and attention, much like Minerva and Snape could in the classroom."

Harry and Aubrey lay in bed, wrapped up in each other's arms as they thought about the vision.

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"Don't take this the hard way, cub, but you look horrible," Remus stated when Harry took a seat next to the man. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"

"Or did you get a visit from your lady friend?" Professor Quentin asked from her seat. No matter how strict Caitlin Quentin was in the classroom, she was still rather young and loved to hear gossip and tease her colleagues.

"No, I didn't get a visit from A…" Harry shut his mouth abruptly and glared at his snickering colleagues, who had been trying to get him to tell them his girlfriend's name.

"We got closer this time," Filius piped up from his chair. "All we know is that her name starts with an A."

"Don't mind them, Harry," Minerva said from the middle of the table. "But please answer Remus' question."

Harry let out a sigh and pushed some eggs around his plate. "I had a vision last night. That's why I couldn't sleep."

The table went silent and everyone turned to look at Harry.

"But the last time you had a vision was when You-Know-Who was in power," Remus replied, looking worried. "Are you still having flashbacks?"

"No. I saw a therapist to help me deal with that, Remus. This was different."

"How different?" Caitlin asked. "Do we need Horace to brew you a potion?"

Oh, how Harry wanted to bang his head on the table in frustration but he knew that his new friends, his colleagues, didn't understand what he was going through. "I don't think we need to harass Horace into making me a potion, Caitlin." He took a deep breath and let it out. "I had a vision about a new Dark Lord talking to the people he wants to be his followers."

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"Your godfather looks like hell," Gregory replied around a mouthful of bacon. Briana wrinkled her face but Teddy, however, was more concerned about what his friend said.

"I know, I saw him this morning as well, Greg. And it sounds like the rest of the staff noticed too," he added, nodding toward the Head table. It looked like they were concerned about their colleague.

"Wonder what kept him up at night?" Briana asked.

"The only thing I would think of would be that he had another nightmare."

"Didn't he see that therapist witch sometime ago?" Greg asked, this time his mouth was clear of food.

Teddy nodded. "Yeah. Healer Johansson. She was a very nice woman. I sometimes went with Harry to see her and she would always give me a lollipop afterward."

"I bet you wanted her to date your adoptive father at that point," Briana teased, grinning.

He blushed. "I did, actually. She was quite attractive and had no wedding band on her finger. But that was a long time ago and besides, he's got a girlfriend now."

"Have you met her yet?" Greg asked, looking interested.

"No, and neither has Dad. It's the mystery we're trying to get out of my godfather. I just hope that he's happy with her."

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Harry managed to get through all of his classes today, even through the classes that he had Gryffindors and Slytherins mixed together. After the Gryffindor/Slytherin sixth years left for their common rooms that evening, Harry collapsed down into his chair, rubbing his temples. He wished he could call Aubrey up and ask her to stay the night but he knew that if he did, several of his friends and family would sneak over, just to see who the mystery woman was.

He and Aubrey have now been dating for three months and Harry found himself quite smitten with the medi-witch. If they had been dating longer, he knew he would have asked her to marry him. Aubrey was quite the extraordinary witch and had been very patient with him when she first saw him as her client. The two had become closer than Healer and patient, especially when she had met his godson. She had been there for him, helping him get over the guilt of seeing his own godfather and his other father figure die and even helped him when Remus and Tonks came back along with his parents. Aubrey was very understanding and certainly helped him become the man he is today. Without her, Harry didn't know what he would have done.

He let out a sigh and pulled out a small vial of Headache Reliever potion from his own private stash of potions and downed it, wincing at the horrible taste in his mouth. The Boy-Who-Lived put the vial in another drawer just when he heard a knock on his office door.

"Harry?" Remus' voice floated through the wood. "Can I come in?"

Harry smiled. "Come in, Remus," he called.

Remus entered his office, smiling as well. "Feeling better?" he asked, shutting the door behind him.

"A little," Harry said honestly as he watched the older man take a seat across from him. "Have you heard from Tonks yet?"

"I have, actually. She's doing fine and so is the baby."

"Have you decided if you want to know the gender?" Harry asked, leaning back in his chair.

"We decided to be surprised and wait until it's born," the werewolf said, grinning widely. "How are your parents doing?"

"Doing fine, the last I heard, though they gave me a surprise last time."

Remus looked curious. "What is it? They seemed to have told my wife but she hasn't been telling me what they said."

Harry grinned. "I'm surprised she's been this closed-mouthed about it." He leaned forward, placing his hands on his desk. "Mum's pregnant."

The History of Magic professor's face brightened. "Really? Wow. That-that's great news! When is she due?"

"A month after Tonks," Harry answered. "I'll be a big brother by summer."

"Twice," Remus added, grinning. "Tonks and I consider you family as well, cub, so you'll be a big brother twice this summer. Speaking of families…"

"No, Remus," the Defense professor interrupted, "I'm not going to tell you about my girlfriend."

"But Harry," the werewolf whined, sounding much like his alter ego.

"Sorry, Moony, but I'm going to wait a few more months until I decide if I can reveal her to everyone. I want her to be the one I am going to spend the rest of my life with when I introduce her to you all, just like Mum and Tonks were to Dad and you, Remus."

Remus placed a hand on his cub's shoulder. "I understand, but you realize that the rest of us are getting rather frustrated with nothing more than knowing her first name starts with an A and supposedly we know her."

"And that is all you are getting from me for now. Now, what are your plans for the upcoming Christmas holiday?"

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end of chapter

A/N: Well, there we go for the first chapter of Cheating Life. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and stay tuned for the next chapter! Now I just gotta get Blood Brothers updated and My Child started.