Cheating Life

[Christina E 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

[Christina E Lupin]

Chapter Two: Christmas and Meetings

Aubrey smoothed out her dark blue dress nervously with one hand while her other was holding her boyfriend’s hand. Harry smiled and tightened his grip.

“You’ll be fine, love.”

“Are you sure about this, Harry? I mean, what if they hate me?”

“I am very sure about this. It’s a perfect way to introduce you. And, between you and me, I don’t think they will hate you. I know Teddy will be very happy about this arrangement.”

Aubrey smiled. “Yes. Your adorable godson was so depressed when we stopped our sessions. I remember the hug he gave me.”

The couple heard the knock on the door to Harry’s house. He squeezed her hand once more and headed out to answer the door. Aubrey peeked into the oven to make sure the ham was cooking and returned to flattening her dress.

Harry greeted his parents warmly and ushered them in, taking their coats.

“Thank you, Harry,” Lily said, smiling. “At least your house is toasty warm to battle the cold.”

“Yes. I especially made it warm for you and Tonks.”

“You didn’t have to, dear.”

The thirty-year-old wizard grinned. “Once everyone gets here, I will introduce you to someone very special to me.”

James looked excited. “Do we finally get to meet this mysterious girlfriend of yours, son?”

“That you do, Dad. But please be nice to her… she’s very nervous.”

Lily nudged her husband in the ribs, making him yelp. Harry laughed and returned to the kitchen, where Aubrey was still smoothing her dress.

“Love, relax.”

“How many more people are we expecting?” she asked.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. “We got Remus and his family, Ron’s family, and a few others. The Hogwarts staff will hear about you through Remus, so they won’t be around tonight.”

Aubrey buried her face into his neck. “Thank Merlin. I hate large crowds.”

Harry chuckled. “Then I shouldn’t propose to you? I have a funny feeling our wedding…”

She smacked him lightly. “Oh, you’re so mean, Harry! Don’t tease me like that.”

“Sorry, love.” He kissed her gently. “Keep an eye on the ham while I go wait for the others. And don’t worry so much. Maybe you should take your own advice and do some meditation.”

“You’re horrible, Harry Potter!” she said, but was grinning at him nonetheless.

--

Remus, Tonks, and Teddy arrived last and Harry had them all corralled in the living room. He had brought out some snacks and entertained them while disappearing into the kitchen every now and then.

“I bet that he has her stashed in there,” Tonks said, grinning.

“And here I thought he had her in the bedroom,” James said, rolling his eyes. “Of course he does, Dora. I have a firm belief that she is a chef.”

“Stop making assumptions, Prongs,” Remus replied. “From what I have heard from your son, she makes him very happy and she is a lovely lady. Don’t terrorize her more than you have already.”

Everyone’s attention went toward the kitchen door, where Harry announced that dinner was ready and that his girlfriend was coming out to help place the food. The guests took their seats at the enlarged table and waited. Finally, Harry and a beautiful woman who looked around his age exited, carrying plates of warm food.

Teddy’s eyes widened. “Healer Johansson?”

Aubrey smiled widely. “Surprise, Teddy.”

“A very happy surprise. I always wanted you to date my godfather, ever since I met you.”

“And I am dating your very handsome godfather.” She looped an arm around his waist.

Harry grinned. “See? I knew Teddy would love you.” He turned to everyone else. “Guys, this is Aubrey Johansson, a medi-witch who deals with people who suffer from traumatic experiences. Aubrey, this is the main part of my family and friends. They can introduce themselves, but not until dinner starts.”

“She’s very lovely, Harry,” Lily approved, smiling.

Aubrey blushed and Harry’s smile widened. “Thanks, Mum. I thought so too.”

James roared with laughter while everyone else shook their heads in amusement. The couple finished bringing dishes out and sat down together. The dinner commenced and Aubrey was thoroughly introduced to everyone at the table. James had turned his charm on full-blast, making her blush darkly.

“Don’t mind him, Aubrey,” Remus responded after Lily smacked her husband. “He’s always been a ladies man, even in school.”

“Harry told me, but I never expected him to be so… charming,” she replied.

“He’s still in his twenties, so he hasn’t changed,” Ron said and he dodged James’ swing.

“I have changed!” James said desperately.

Aubrey let out a giggle and passed the mashed potato bowl to Tonks, who thanked her.

“So, you were the one who helped Harry deal with the aftermath of the final battle?” Hermione asked, after she swallowed the ham. “And by the way, I love the ham.”

“Thanks, Hermione,” the medi-witch said, smiling. “And yes, that is how we first met. He had a lot to deal with, but I helped him. It was only after our sessions were finished when he asked me to have dinner with him. We began to date casually after that and we fell for each other.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I couldn’t ask for a better guy to fall in love with.”

“And who better to date than the woman who fixed me?” Harry teased, bringing their joined hands up to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles. The entire table burst out into laughter, including Aubrey.

“So, when are you planning to tie the knot?” Teddy asked excitedly.

Harry and Aubrey smiled at the young man. “You’ll have to wait and see,” Harry said, sharing a glance with his girlfriend.

Teddy huffed. “I want it soon.”

“You never know, love,” Aubrey replied. She kissed Harry and blushed at the wolf-whistles and cat-calls they received.

--

While the men gathered the presents, the women and Teddy sat down on the couches and chairs in the living room.

“You are good for Harry,” Tonks said, smiling at the younger female. “He is much happier with you than he was with Ginny. I don’t doubt that you two will make a perfect couple and parents.”

Aubrey beamed. “Thanks. It was hard for me to not swoon over him when he first came into my office.”

Tonks, Hermione, and Lily laughed. Harry, who overheard her reply, winked at his girlfriend. She sent him a sly look back and made the women laugh harder. Remus shook his head in amusement while James nudged his son, wagging his eyebrows. Teddy just sat and watched, smiling happily.

“I know I am irresistible,” Harry said, sitting down next to her.

“No, that’s your ego talking, love,” she shot back, grinning.

He put a hand over his heart, looking hurt. “You wound me, woman.”

She laughed and shoved him. “Oh, stop being a baby and open your presents. That goes for all of you too,” she added to the group.

Everyone laughed and opened their presents. It was mostly quiet except for the gasps and screams and squeals that happened after certain presents were opened. Aubrey especially loved the gifts she received from the others, who knew they were going to meet her but didn’t know her well enough.

“I have to get another jewelry box, love,” Aubrey mentioned to Harry, staring down at the beautiful gold hoop earrings given to her by James and Lily.

“Yes, you will have to,” he said, grinning. “I see you left my present for last.”

She smiled and tore into the blue and gold wrapping, done in her two favorite colors. She gasped when another jewelry box slipped out. “Not more jewelry!”

Harry smiled. “You’ll love this one, darling.”

Aubrey sent him another sly look and opened the small box. Only to slam it shut. She stared at him, tears filling her dark brown eyes. “Oh, Harry…”

He grabbed the box and her left hand. Everyone was watching, their eyes wide. They knew what he was doing. “Aubrey Helen Johansson, I could not have found a better partner than you, not in my lifetime. I ask you, in front of my family and friends, to be my wife, to be the future mother of our children, to be there to comfort me through the dark times, to make me laugh and to love me unconditionally. Will you marry me?”

She swallowed thickly and smiled shakily. “Of course, Harry James Potter. I will marry you.” She kissed him passionately. “I love you so much it hurts.”

Everyone cheered as Harry slipped the beautiful ruby and aquamarine ring onto her left ring finger. He kissed her again and held her close.

“Congratulations!” Lily squealed, pulling the girl closer. “Welcome to the family, dear.”

Tonks and Hermione admired the ring and also offered their congratulations. James and Remus hugged her as well. Teddy was smiling widely that Aubrey wondered if his face hurt.

“You’ll be my godmother,” he replied.

“She’ll be more than that, son,” Remus said, smiling. “If Harry was your adoptive father while I was gone… she’ll be like your adoptive mother.” Both he and Tonks smiled when their son yelled out happily and pulled her into a hug.

“YES!” he crowed.

Aubrey laughed and hugged him back. “I can see you are very happy about that, love.”

“I’m more than happy. I’m excited.”

She kissed the top of his head and shared a smile with Teddy’s godfather. “I am too, love. I am too.”

--

End of chapter

[Christina E Lupin]

Chapter Three: Lord Kaiser and Announcements

Lord Kaiser certainly proved to not be like the Death Eaters thought he would be. For one, he seemed more human, though no one managed to catch a glimpse of the man’s true features. He truly was more merciful than the Dark Lord, but he preferred to have things on schedule and only hurled minor curses if needed. That was much preferable than the Cruciatus curse.

But for the most part, no one could figure out his identity and that infuriated them the most.

--

Remus had wasted no time in telling the Hogwarts staff who his cub’s fiancée was and the entire staff congratulated Harry on finally snagging a girl. Harry blushed at the attention, sending a playful glare at the graying werewolf, who winked in return.

“Say,” Harry said to Remus during dinner that evening, “I have a question for you.”

“Go ahead and ask it, cub,” Remus said, smiling.

“Would you… ah… do you want to stand up with me, be my best man at my wedding?” The Boy-Who-Lived asked, stumbling slightly over the words. “I thought it would only be fair if you were my best man when I was your best man at your wedding and…”

Remus, who had been shocked, held up a hand to stop the man’s tirade. He was smiling widely and tears filled his eyes. “I would love more than anything to be your best man, Harry, but wouldn’t your father be better suited for the job? After all, he is your father…”

“Biologically he is, Remus, but he has never been my father. Sirius had been my father when he was alive and now you are my father. You have been there for me ever since third year and you never once wavered in your loyalty. Besides, my father will be one of my groomsmen.”

Remus leaned over and pulled the younger man into a hug, burying his nose into his cub’s hair. He had always known that Harry viewed him as a member of his family but he had no clue that the man considered him his father. It touched him and he could only hope that James wasn’t too jealous of who had taken over his position as Harry’s father.

“Have you heard anything from Lily yet about her pregnancy?” the werewolf asked, still not breaking away from the hug.

“She’s doing fine, though Mum’s driving Dad up the wall.”

Remus snickered. “I remember that she did the same thing when she was pregnant with you. At night she would be craving something and would send James out to get her food. When he came back, she had changed her mind completely. She even had really interesting cravings.”

The two continued to talk about anything and everything they could think of, relishing in how easy they could converse to each other.

--

“So, when is the wedding exactly?”

Harry and Aubrey glanced at each other before turning back to their wedding designer, a tall blonde-haired woman dressed in a crisp business suit.

“During the summer of next year, sometime in August,” Aubrey replied, holding on to her fiancé’s hand.

The woman, named Bianca Gelding, scribbled something down on her clipboard. “I see. Do you two have a certain theme you wish to have? It’s okay if you don’t,” she added, smiling at the couple’s nervous look. “I’m just here to get some ideas before we truly begin to design your dream wedding.”

Harry cleared his throat. “The only weddings I went to had silver and white and, seeing how magical it looked, maybe we could do something like that?”

“And add some gold?” Aubrey added. “Gold is one of my favorite colors.”

“Okay, so you want something to do with silver, gold, and white. It sounds beautiful so far.” Bianca smiled. “And, trust me, I have seen some rather odd wedding themes. I once did a wedding that was done in bright neon colors.” She shuddered.

“How horrible,” Aubrey said, laughing. “I could never imagine having that at my wedding. It would take all the beauty out of the happiest day in my life.”

“That’s what I said,” the wedding designer replied. “Anyway, how many people do you think you’ll invite?”

--

“How was it?” Lily asked the couple. The Potter and Lupin families had planned on taking the couple out to lunch after their meeting with the designer.

Aubrey let out a sigh. “Fine, I guess. Harry and I had never even thought of anything beforehand and so we were surprised at the questions she had.”

“Planning weddings is not a picnic,” Remus said, winking. “It took Dora and I a long time to come up with anything for ours.”

“But it was beautiful in the end,” Harry responded.

“As yours will be, I am sure,” James said, grinning. “Now, how about some lunch and we’ll talk about this further, maybe even give you some ideas.”

Aubrey smiled at Harry’s father. “That would be lovely, James. Any tips would be appreciated. Harry and I were also thinking of going to see Molly and ask her for some tips as well.”

“That woman would be more than delighted to help,” Tonks said, laughing and holding hands with her husband. “She views our pup to be like another son.” She reached over to ruffle Harry’s hair.

“Hey!” Harry exclaimed.

Everyone laughed and together they walked to a restaurant in town.

“How are you two doing?” Aubrey asked Tonks and Lily. “With the pregnancies, I mean.”

Lily’s smile widened. “We’re doing fine, dear. It’s you that we should be talking about. After all, a wedding is a big deal.”

“So is parenthood.”

Tonks laughed. “Aubrey, Lily and I have been mothers already. We know what to expect. You don’t.”

Harry took one of Aubrey’s hands in his. “But we will go through it together, with you guys backing us the entire way.”

Harry’s mother smiled. “You bet. Tonks and I will help in any way we can, especially when it comes to picking out the wedding dress.”

“Along with my mother,” Aubrey said. “She would want to be there as well.”

“Of course,” Tonks replied. “Parents are the major people you need to help plan your wedding, though it should be your decision as to what to have.”

--

“What is she like?” Greg asked Teddy during lunch.

Teddy smiled. “She is an amazing woman. She’s sweet, kind, patient, and the perfect witch for my godfather. I was very surprised but happy.”

Briana laughed. “Obviously. She sounds like a great person and I hope we get to meet her someday.”

“Oh, you will, especially if you end up coming with me to visit my godfather. Besides, I am going to invite you to the wedding anyway.”

Greg whooped and Briana shook her head at her friend, sharing a look with Teddy.

--

End of chapter