Fic: Home
Title: Home
Author:jncar
Rating and warnings: PG, unapologetic canon-denial fic
Prompts: "You say you're gonna leave,
you know it's a lie
'cos that'll be the day
when I die.
Yes that'll be the day
when you say goodbye."
That’ll Be The Day
And: Cleanse
Word Count: ~5,300
Summary: Though still weak from their battle wounds, Remus and Tonks join the Order of the Phoenix for one final mission, this time within the Ministry of Magic. While there, they each have a chance to think about the past, and look forward to the future.
Author’s Notes: This is a meandering sort of story, but it gave me a chance to explore emotions and situations in the R/T relationship that I haven’t worked with before, so I’m quite fond of it. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Home
Remus eyed his wife apprehensively. Weariness and weakness were etched in her face, visible in the form of dark circles under her eyes, sallow skin, and limp brown hair.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare try to talk me out of this, Remus. Don’t you dare.” She clutched Teddy close to her chest, bouncing him urgently up and down. He gurgled softly, and Remus couldn’t help but wonder if he was confused by his mother’s recent refusal to let go of him for more than five minutes at a time.
Since her release from the hospital yesterday she’d been clinging to her son as tenaciously as she’d clung to life during those first days after the war.
Remus couldn’t blame her. She’d rushed into battle with the desire to make the world safer and better for her son, and had almost cost Teddy his mother in the process. Nearly two weeks later it still woke him every night-the choking, terrifying thought of what could have happened. They’d come so close to orphaning their only son.
“And don’t start going on and on about my fragile state again, either. You’ve only been out of the hospital four days longer than I have. Are you sure you’re up to this?” She glared at him. “Besides, Mum’s coming. If I have any trouble, she’ll look after me.”
Remus sighed. He shouldn’t fight this. He should just be grateful to have her home.
Home.
Their home. Their’s and Teddy’s.
That day-the day of the battle-he’d left their home sure that he’d said his last goodbye to his family. He’d been prepared to fight to the death for their sakes. What he hadn’t counted on was Dora feeling the same way.
It was a miracle she was here at all. But she was. He should stop protesting, and let himself be grateful that she was back on her feet, even if she wanted to wear herself to the bone on her second afternoon home.
If he could help it, they’d never have to say goodbye again.
He smiled. “Sorry, love. Of course, you’re right. I’m feeling a tad overprotective at the moment. I’m sure you can sympathize.” His eyes darted meaningfully to her iron grip on their son.
She smiled. “Touché.”
He grinned back, his heart speeding at the sight of that familiar smile. It almost erased the lingering marks of injury and incapacitation from her face.
God, he loved her.
He stepped forward to wrap his arms around his young family, pressing his lips against his wife’s cheek, and breathing deeply of her scent mingled with Teddy’s. He’d never smelled anything sweeter.
“Besides,” he muttered, his cheek resting against her forehead, “it would be shame if you missed the final official mission of the Order of the Phoenix.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
~~~~~~~~~
Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in front of a dark, graffiti-covered brick wall. A broad grin stretched across his face.
Remus surveyed the motley group around him. They wore expressions ranging from mischievous glee to somber determination. Though Kingsley had called this the final mission of the Order of the Phoenix, many old faces were missing, and new ones had taken their place.
Molly and Ginny had stayed behind. Molly couldn’t bring herself to face an activity that Fred would have taken such delight in, and Ginny didn’t want to leave Molly alone. The Weasleys, however, were still represented in force by the grim-faced Arthur, Percy, Bill and Charlie, along with a very lost-looking George. Ron was with them, naturally, clinging doggedly to Hermione’s hand. The two of them had been literally inseparable since the battle.
Harry stood beside his two dearest friends, and, unlike the Weasleys, he wore a look of hopeful excitement on his face. Between his indefatigable fans and the press, he’d hardly had a moment to himself lately. Remus couldn’t help but think that today’s mission would feel like a refreshing change of pace for the young man.
Remus continued to scan the faces around him, feeling an odd sense of disorientation. Where Emmeline, Moody, and Sirius should have been stood Lee Jordan, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Luna Lovegood. All at once Remus felt the mingled pain of the loss of his old friends, and pride for his former students who had done so much in the fight against Voldemort.
Minerva was still busy supervising the team of architects and builders that had volunteered to began the efforts of rebuilding Hogwarts. In her place, Kingsley had boldly invited Horace Slughorn, who shuffled from foot to foot, looking ill at ease. Remus approved of the decision to invite the Slytherin Head of House who had fought so valiantly in the final battle. It was time to start healing the breach between Slytherin and the other Houses.
Kingsley had also invited Aberforth Dumbledore, to act as surrogate to for his departed brother, but he had declined, insisting that he wanted nothing more to do with the Order.
The last new addition to their group was Andromeda, standing stony-faced beside Dora.
Kingsley cleared his throat, and began to speak. “You all know that one of my first official acts as Minister of Magic was to lead a raid against the Ministry Headquarters to clear out any remaining Voldemort collaborators. The raid was a tremendous success, and we made numerous arrests. But what was left behind in the halls and chambers of the Ministry itself is a disgrace to wizard-kind. Voldemort and his minions have left behind them mountains of refuse-propaganda of the worst kind, instruments of torture, and lists of the condemned.” He paused to sweep his eyes over the small but determined group in front of him, and the corners of Remus’s mouth turned up in a tight smile.
Kingsley was absolutely the right choice for a Minister to lead wizarding England into a new era. The people had chosen wisely.
“Soon, a small army of bureaucrats will begin to sift through the piles of parchment to collect evidence against collaborators,” said Kingsley. “But first, for this final mission of the Order of the Phoenix-for you loyal, faithful, unwavering soldiers-I have called you together to help me cleanse the Ministry of Voldemort’s filth. We’re going to rid the Ministry of the vile signs of his rule. We, my friends, are going to clean house.” He grinned, his white teeth flashing brilliantly against his dark face.
Lee Jordan whooped enthusiastically, and Remus clapped politely along with the others. He felt no personal need for this type of closure, but he knew that Dora, and several of the others, did. So he would stand by them, and do his part.
With a sweeping gesture to follow, Kingsley led them through the illusory wall behind him. They strode through a crumbling corridor, riddled with signs of battle left from the raid. But now, it was silent. Their small party were the only living beings in the Ministry, and their footfalls echoed through the halls.
The young men began to grumble fiercely as the group passed by a cluster of wanted posters, and Percy was the first to draw his wand, blasting the posters into smithereens one by one. George and Charlie eagerly joined him, blasting away the images of Ron, Harry, Hermione, and so many others as they passed them.
With a sudden cry of rage, Andromeda drew her wand. Just in front of them hung a wanted poster for “Traitorous former Auror, Nymphadora Tonks.”
Before Remus had time to do more than gape in shock, Andromeda released a burst of flame from the tip of her wand which consumed the poster in an instant.
Dora clutched Teddy more tightly to her shoulder, and Remus reached up to squeeze her gently on the back of the neck. “Are you sure he should be here, love? Won’t it be a bit much for him? I could ask Bill if he thinks Fleur might-”
“He’ll be fine, Remus.” Dora cut him off. “I’ll take care of him.”
Remus shut his mouth tightly, and nodded. He drew his own wand, ready to cast a hasty Shield Charm in front of his family just in case some of the young people got too enthusiastic about their work, and debris started to fly.
The blasting of wanted posters and Official Decrees continued for several minutes, until they stepped out of the long corridor and into the Atrium.
A hush fell over the group as they all stopped in front of the hideous sculpture that now dominated the Atrium. They had all heard of the Dark Lord’s version of paradise on earth, but few of them had actually seen it.
It was even worse than Remus had imagined it.
He furrowed his brows. He could feel the beginnings of a headache throbbing between his eyes. He didn’t want his son in this place.
“Dora,” he said softly, as the voices began to cry out in anger, “let’s move on. Please.”
He could tell even before she responded what her answer would be.
“Not yet,” she said, drawing her wand.
Remus couldn’t tell who the first blast came from, because others followed so closely behind it.
Teddy began to squirm and whimper against his mother’s shoulder.
Large chunks of the sculpture began to fly across the Atrium, crashing into the walls with a noise that echoed through the whole vast hall. Nearly all of the members of their small party had joined in the fray, but the most vicious blasts were coming from Percy, apparently as payback for the long months that he had endured the sight of the thing every day when he came to work.
With a snarl on her face, Dora sent off a blast of her own. The wand in the hand of the now badly damaged wizard exploded in a cloud of dust, and Teddy began to wail.
Dora, who had raised her wand for a second blast, hesitated, a look of guilty concern passing over her face.
“Darling, let me take him for a little while,” said Remus. “I’ll take him for a short walk through some of the quieter corridors until you’ve all finished your fun here. He’ll be happy once I get him away from the noise.”
She continued to hesitate, her nervous eyes darting back and forth between her son and the increasingly unrecognizable statue.
“Let the boys go, Nymphadora,” said Andromeda. Though she was smiling, her voice was hard, and her eyes blazed with fiery determination as she brandished her wand in front of her. “Let’s you and I finish off this monstrosity, and then we can pay a visit to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission.”
Dora’s own lips began to turn up in a somewhat frightening echo of her mother’s expression. She turned back to Remus. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
Remus nodded, slipping his son out of Dora’s arm and cradling him gently against his chest. “We’ll be just fine. You two go have your fun.”
Dora nodded. “You’ll stay nearby? So I can find you?”
“We won’t go far-I promise.”
Her crazed grin grew broader. “Okay.” She looked back at her mother. “Let’s do this.”
Remus spun on his heels and headed for the lifts as the two woman began to unleash powerful blasts in unison.
No, he certainly didn’t want his son in that room.
He stroked Teddy’s tiny head, whispering soft reassurances to his son as they left the noisy din of the Atrium. By the time they reached the lifts, the little one had already stopped crying, though he still fidgeted and whimpered disquietly.
“Let’s get far away from that nasty noise, shall we little fellow?”
Remus pushed the nearest lift button, and was delighted to see it still working.
Teddy gurgled as the grille slid open, and began bobbing his head with interest as it closed behind them. “Yes, that’s wonderfully exciting, isn’t it little man? Isn’t it?” Remus smiled as Teddy’s head continued to bob, and a tiny fist snaked its way between toothless gums.
“That hand is so, so yummy. But I think your daddy has something even yummier,” he said, producing a pacifier from his pocket that had been charmed to permanently taste like rich milk chocolate. He gently eased his son’s slobber-covered hand out of his mouth, and inserted the pacifier. Teddy sucked at it eagerly.
“Ah, that seemed to do the trick. It’s daddy’s favorite flavor, too.” Remus’s headache had already completely disappeared. The small lift was decidedly peaceful, but as long as they were there Remus figured they ought to go somewhere.
“Hmm. Shall we go up to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission to wait for your mummy?”
Teddy snorted.
“No? You’re absolutely right, little man. She’ll probably just start making another din up there to ruin your fun. Let’s see…where shall we go instead?” He studied the buttons in front of him, mentally assessing the merits of each level.
Finally, his eyes rested on level four. “I think I have it, little fellow. I know just where to go.”
Remus pushed the button, and Teddy continued to suck happily on his pacifier as the lift began to move. Remus hoped Dora wouldn’t wear herself out too terribly much down there. He’d hate to see her confined to her bed for another few days. What she needed now was fresh air and sunshine-not spite-filled demolition parties.
A soft feminine voice intoned: “Level Four: Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”
“Here’s our stop,” said Remus, watching the grilled clatter open, and stepping off.
The corridor was dark.
Remus pulled out his wand, and quietly lit the lamps lining the corridor at regular intervals.
He strolled slowly down the hall, gently bouncing Teddy in his arms, and singing softly.
“If I could make days last forever…if words could make wishes come true…I’d save every day like a treasure, and then, again, I would spend them with you…”
Teddy cooed, and continued to suck contentedly on his pacifier.
“Ah!” said Remus, halting. “Here we are. Let’s you and I go in and have a little look around, shall we?”
Teddy squeaked.
Remus grinned. “Excellent.” He reached out, and pushed open the door labeled “Werewolf Registry.”
His first humiliating memory of this place came only four years earlier, when the events at Hogwarts had finally forced him to officially register. It seemed so far away now, like another lifetime.
He looked around the small, shabby office, wondering why it had once seemed so powerful and intimidating. It was nothing more than two ancient desks, a row of disorderly filing cabinets, and a shelf lined with several large, dusty tomes.
Remus lit the lamps in the office, and somehow the light made it seem even smaller and shabbier than it had in the dark.
An easy laugh escaped his lips and he shook his head in disbelief at the room that had once terrified him so deeply that he devoted decades of his life to avoiding it.
It was just a room, plain and simple.
There were far, far worse things than having his name listed in a book.
This place had no more power over him.
He was free.
He tucked Teddy securely in the crook of his arm, and smiled down at his son. “This isn’t so bad, is it little fellow?” He laughed again. “Not bad at all.”
Teddy gurgled and squealed, happily flailing his arms.
Remus started singing again, louder this time.
“But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them…”
He strolled over to the shelf, pulled out the large leather-bound book on the end, and laid it on the nearest desk. It was the most recent volume of the official Werewolf Registry, dating from 1874 onward.
“I’ve looked around enough to know that you’re the one I want to go through time with.”
He flipped casually through the pages, his eyes skimming the long list. Name, parents’ names, birth date, birth place, date of infection, place of infection, death date, place of death.
It all seemed so harmless now.
“If I had box just for wishes, and dreams that had never come true…”
He was to the end of the list now-the last few pages where most entries had not yet been completed with the addition of a death date.
“The box would be empty except for the memory of how they were answered by you.”
His eyes finally came to rest on a familiar name-fifth from the end of the list.
Lupin, Remus John.
His smile faded, and his voice grew still. A powerful silence hung over the room.
Remus breathed deeply as he stared at his entry, and some of the old weight of the room began to settle on his shoulders.
With a slurp and a snort, Teddy spat the pacifier out of his mouth.
When Remus turned to put it back in, his eyes locked with Teddy’s. The little boy stared solemnly at him for a moment, and then scrunched up his face and morphed his hair into a vivid spiky pink.
A broad toothless grin spread across Teddy’s face, and he let loose a gleeful high-pitched chuckle.
It was his first laugh.
The dim shabby room suddenly seemed like the brightest place on earth.
Remus laughed back, and in response Teddy chuckled again, finishing with a delighted squeal.
“You really are the most extraordinarily talented young man I’ve ever seen. Did you know that, little fellow?”
Remus spun in a circle, letting Teddy feel the full effect of centrifugal force at work on his tiny new body. This time his gurgle seemed more confused and slightly fearful.
“Oh, not quite ready for that, are you? There there, little fellow. I’ll be gentler from now on. I promise.”
Remus glanced back down at the open book, and, in a sudden flash, he knew exactly what to do.
He slipped the pacifier back into Teddy’s mouth, snuggled the boy securely in one arm, pulled out his wand, and began some creative alterations to the last few pages of the register.
He grinned and laughed to himself as he worked. “You see son, your daddy has a little expertise in working with enchanted documents. Perhaps in a few years I’ll teach you some of my tricks. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Teddy slurped loudly. Remus decided that meant he was interested.
After a few minutes of careful work, he stood back and admired the results. All the names of living werewolves (with the exception of a few known criminals) had been erased. In their places were new names in brightly colored inks, constantly morphing from one name to the next-none of them the true name, of course.
“Hugh Jass,” in purple ink soon became “Ivana Tinkle,” in red ink, followed by “Mike Rotch,” in green, and then “Dolores Umbrige,” in pink. He snickered loudly at the last one-he couldn’t help himself. He’d scattered a few other names of notorious collaborators in along with the fakes.
He grinned down at his son. “There. Let’s see how long it takes them to sort that out.”
Humming out loud, he careful replaced the book on its shelf, put out the lights, stepped into the hall, and closed the door behind him.
As he neared the lifts again he thought he could hear a faint crashing sound in the distance.
“Hmm. It sounds like Mummy and Daddy’s friends are still having fun.” He sighed. “So, what shall we do next?”
The grille of the lift slid open, and he stepped inside.
“I know! Let’s go visit Mummy’s old office.”
Soon, the soft witch’s voice said: “Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”
Remus stepped off of the lift with a spring in his step, and started singing again as they walked down the corridor.
“If I could save Time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do…”
He pushed open the door to Auror Headquarters, and stepped inside. The room was a chaotic jumble of over-turned file cabinets and hastily ransacked cubicles.
“Is to save every day ‘til eternity passes away, just to spend them with you.”
He strode over to Dora’s old cubicle, and grinned. A thick green slime covered every surface, and various scraps of paper and bits of rubbish were stuck here and there in the mess.
“That, little man,” he said, holding Teddy up to see the mess, “was your mother’s first parting gift to this place when she was forced to resign. It seems they never did find a way to clean it up. I’ll have to ask her how she did that. It might come in handy sometime…yes it might.”
He bounced his son gently up and down, and glanced around the walls, which were solidly covered with wanted posters.
“I wonder if her second parting gift is still here, too.”
Most of the posters featured Harry, Ron, or Hermione, but scattered among them were faces as diverse as Hagrid, Kingsley, Luna Lovegood, Lee Jordan, and even himself.
“Hmm. They must have finally seen past our clever aliases, mustn’t they?” he said to Teddy. “Good thing we stopped broadcasting when we did, or they might have caught us before we had a chance to fight back, eh?”
Slowly and methodically he began vanishing the posters across from Dora’s desk, his grin growing broader all the while. He’d found exactly what he was looking for.
At last he vanished the final poster-a surly looking visage of Dean Thomas-and stared in satisfaction at the glaring reminder of his wife’s presence. Foot-high letters, flashing in brilliant pink neon, proclaimed: You-Know-Who can bite my shiny pink arse!
Remus shook his head in wonder and admiration. “Your Mum does good work, my boy. Very good work.” He paused for a moment, pondering. “I wonder if she really can make it shiny pink? We’ll have to talk her into showing us sometime, shan’t we?”
A sound in the corridor caught his ear.
“Remus! Remus!”
“Ah!” he said. “Here she comes now. Maybe we can talk her into it, eh?” He winked at Teddy, who smiled and drooled around his pacifier.
“Remus! Remus!” The call was louder now, and he could hear a slightly panicked edge to her voice. That wasn’t a good sign.
“We’re in Auror Headquarters!” he called back.
Her rapid footfalls pounded down the corridor toward them, and she dashed through the door, her face white, and her eyes wide.
“Where the bloody hell have you been for so long?! You scared me half to death!”
“We were just going for a walk…” Remus said, as mildly as he could.
“Give him here!” she said, grabbing Teddy and pulling him roughly out of Remus’s arms.
She jarred his pacifier loose, and it tumbled to the floor.
Teddy’s little face contorted into a shocked frown, his face flushed red, his hair blossomed into a vivid orange, and he let out a piercing cry.
Dora pulled him close, trying vainly to shush his screams.
“Where did you go?” she asked Remus as she tried to bounce and sooth the crying infant. “I thought you’d left me.” Her voice shook as she spoke, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
“No! No,” Remus shook his head. “I would never leave you. I thought you’d be fine with your mum, so I took Teddy on a little tour. Showed him the sights. He particularly likes what you did with your desk.” Remus smiled encouragingly.
Teddy’s cries began to soften, and for the first time Dora seemed to notice the room around her. She glanced over at her slime covered desk, and then up at her flashing message stretched across the wall. A small smile cracked across her face, even as the tears began to flow.
“They never got rid of that?” she said, her voice still quavering.
“My guess is either your spellwork was too much for them, or they were secretly glad it was up there. Your guess is as good as mine.”
She laughed weakly.
Remus stooped to pick up the pacifier and cask a quick cleaning spell on it before leaning forward to pop it in the mouth of his still-whimpering son. “There you are, little fellow. All better now.”
Teddy sniffled loudly, and leaned his head sleepily against his mother’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry we were gone for so long,” said Remus. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“It’s all right,” she said, sniffling in an echo of her son. “I overreacted, I know. I just worry so much when I can’t see him.” She sank down to sit on the edge of the nearest slime-free desk.
Remus sat beside her, and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I know, love. I know.”
Her smile began to fade, and her chest heaved in a choked sob as tears continued to spill down her cheeks.
Remus frowned. What was going on? She was supposed to be enjoying today. “Dora? What’s wrong?”
She continued to cry, barely containing her sobs.
“Dora? Are you hurt? Did I do something wrong?”
She shook her head rapidly, breathing deeply in an attempt to get her crying under control. Remus remained quiet, suspecting that this was one of those occasions when talking too much would make things worse. Those times were gradually getting easier to recognize.
Finally, after a few slow, deep breaths, she looked up at him. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Remus. I did.” Her lower lip began to tremble, and a fresh wave of tears welled in her eyes.
“I’m a horrible mother!”
His mouth hung open in shock. This was the last thing he expected to hear. “Of course you’re not a horrible mother! You’re a wonderful mother.”
She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears. “No, I’m not. I’m horrible.”
“Dora…”
“I left him!”
Remus furrowed his brow. He had no idea what to say. “You didn’t leave him. Remember? We just went for a walk-”
“No! Not today.” Her entire body shook, but Teddy remained blissfully unaware on her shoulder, apparently determined to sleep at all costs.
“I left him,” she repeated, her voice rich with anguish.
Finally, Remus understood.
“Oh! Oh, my. No. No. Don’t think that, Dora. Don’t you ever think that.”
She shook her head again. “I shouldn’t have left him. I don’t know what I was thinking. He needed me, and I left him.”
“Dora…”
“We left him, Remus, and we almost didn’t come back. What if we’d died? What if we’d both died? He’d be all alone. I can’t believe I left him. I’m horrible.”
Her tone was growing steadier, but the pain was still evident on her face. She stared miserably down at the floor.
“No,” said Remus. “Stop this now, Dora. Look up at me.”
She looked up at him, squeezing Teddy tighter to her shoulder. Her face was red and the skin under her eyes was puffy and damp.
He held her gaze for a moment, and then said, “Now look at this room. Take a good look around you. Look at that damned insane message of yours up on the wall.”
Her eyes roamed the office, and she started to sit up a little straighter.
“This room-this room right here-is what you are.”
She raised her eyebrows.
He continued. “This room is where warriors came to work. And you were one of them. You still are one of them. You fought to earn a place here. You trained long and hard every day to stay here. You kept on fighting, even when they forced you out of this room. That’s what that message on the wall means to me.” He pointed at her flashing letters.
“You’re a warrior, and you never stopped fighting. You never gave up on your principles. You never gave up on your convictions. You never gave up on me. You’re a fighter.” He reached out to caress her face and look into her eyes.
“You did what any fighter would do. You knew that there was a battle raging-a battle where one more seasoned warrior on our side could tip the balance of power. So you came. You did the right thing.”
She shook her head. “I’m his mother. I should never have left him alone.”
He gripped her free shoulder. “Now listen to me, Nymphadora Tonks Lupin. I’d rather have our son grow up an orphan in a peaceful, free land, than live to be an old man under that psychotic tyrant’s thumb. You did the right thing. And you fought your way through it. You’re still here. And you’ll never leave him again. I know that. You know that. So you need to let it go. For Teddy. For me. And for yourself.”
She sniffed loudly, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I know. I know.”
“Here,” said Remus, conjuring a handkerchief, and handing it to her.
She finished drying her tears and wiping her nose. She took a few deep breathes, and mustered the strength for weak smile.
“Thank you, Remus.”
He pulled her closer, holding his family tight in his arms. “I only want you to be happy,” he whispered.
“I know,” she whispered back. “I don’t know if I can get over this right away, but I’ll try.”
“It’s all right. I’ll be here to help you, every step of the way.”
“I love you so much, Remus.”
“I love you, too.”
They sat quietly sharing their warm embrace for several minutes.
Dora sighed. “I know you didn’t really want to come. And I know I shouldn’t have brought Teddy. I should have let the two of you stay home. I’m sorry.”
“No need to worry. I’ve already forgiven you. Besides, it gave me a chance to make a little mischief with my boy here.”
Her smile was more genuine this time. “Oh really? What have you two been up to?”
He shrugged. “We just paid a short visit to the Werewolf Registry office and had a bit of fun.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
He glanced down at their sleeping child. “So you’re not worried I’m setting a bad example?”
She reached out to squeeze Remus’s hand. “Not at all. In fact, I think that you’re setting the very best kind of example. Keep it up.”
“Gladly.”
“Now, let’s track down my mum. I think it’s time to go home.”
Remus had never heard sweeter words.
He knew that things were far from perfect in their life together, and things were even further from perfect in their world. But none of that really mattered.
In the end, all that mattered was that he was going home with his family.
He held his wife’s hand as they walked back down the corridor, singing softly to himself.
“…I’d save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you.”
“What’s that?” asked Dora, smiling up at him. “It sounds nice.”
“It’s Muggle music. A song that was popular way back when you were his size.” Remus nodded at Teddy. “Actually, he rather likes it.”
“So do I. You’ll have to teach it to me.”
“Gladly. Just as soon as we get home.”
Author’s Notes: Credit where credit is due-Remus is singing the classic Jim Croce tune “Time in a Bottle.” If you don’t know the tune and would like to, check it out here. Secondly, all of the phony names listed in the Werewolf Registry are from prank phone calls made by Bart Simpson. And lastly, you may have noticed that Tonks’s flashing wall graffiti in the Auror Headquarters is based on Bender’s famous quip “bite my shiny metal ass” from Futurama.
Author:jncar
Rating and warnings: PG, unapologetic canon-denial fic
Prompts: "You say you're gonna leave,
you know it's a lie
'cos that'll be the day
when I die.
Yes that'll be the day
when you say goodbye."
That’ll Be The Day
And: Cleanse
Word Count: ~5,300
Summary: Though still weak from their battle wounds, Remus and Tonks join the Order of the Phoenix for one final mission, this time within the Ministry of Magic. While there, they each have a chance to think about the past, and look forward to the future.
Author’s Notes: This is a meandering sort of story, but it gave me a chance to explore emotions and situations in the R/T relationship that I haven’t worked with before, so I’m quite fond of it. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Home
Remus eyed his wife apprehensively. Weariness and weakness were etched in her face, visible in the form of dark circles under her eyes, sallow skin, and limp brown hair.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare try to talk me out of this, Remus. Don’t you dare.” She clutched Teddy close to her chest, bouncing him urgently up and down. He gurgled softly, and Remus couldn’t help but wonder if he was confused by his mother’s recent refusal to let go of him for more than five minutes at a time.
Since her release from the hospital yesterday she’d been clinging to her son as tenaciously as she’d clung to life during those first days after the war.
Remus couldn’t blame her. She’d rushed into battle with the desire to make the world safer and better for her son, and had almost cost Teddy his mother in the process. Nearly two weeks later it still woke him every night-the choking, terrifying thought of what could have happened. They’d come so close to orphaning their only son.
“And don’t start going on and on about my fragile state again, either. You’ve only been out of the hospital four days longer than I have. Are you sure you’re up to this?” She glared at him. “Besides, Mum’s coming. If I have any trouble, she’ll look after me.”
Remus sighed. He shouldn’t fight this. He should just be grateful to have her home.
Home.
Their home. Their’s and Teddy’s.
That day-the day of the battle-he’d left their home sure that he’d said his last goodbye to his family. He’d been prepared to fight to the death for their sakes. What he hadn’t counted on was Dora feeling the same way.
It was a miracle she was here at all. But she was. He should stop protesting, and let himself be grateful that she was back on her feet, even if she wanted to wear herself to the bone on her second afternoon home.
If he could help it, they’d never have to say goodbye again.
He smiled. “Sorry, love. Of course, you’re right. I’m feeling a tad overprotective at the moment. I’m sure you can sympathize.” His eyes darted meaningfully to her iron grip on their son.
She smiled. “Touché.”
He grinned back, his heart speeding at the sight of that familiar smile. It almost erased the lingering marks of injury and incapacitation from her face.
God, he loved her.
He stepped forward to wrap his arms around his young family, pressing his lips against his wife’s cheek, and breathing deeply of her scent mingled with Teddy’s. He’d never smelled anything sweeter.
“Besides,” he muttered, his cheek resting against her forehead, “it would be shame if you missed the final official mission of the Order of the Phoenix.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
~~~~~~~~~
Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in front of a dark, graffiti-covered brick wall. A broad grin stretched across his face.
Remus surveyed the motley group around him. They wore expressions ranging from mischievous glee to somber determination. Though Kingsley had called this the final mission of the Order of the Phoenix, many old faces were missing, and new ones had taken their place.
Molly and Ginny had stayed behind. Molly couldn’t bring herself to face an activity that Fred would have taken such delight in, and Ginny didn’t want to leave Molly alone. The Weasleys, however, were still represented in force by the grim-faced Arthur, Percy, Bill and Charlie, along with a very lost-looking George. Ron was with them, naturally, clinging doggedly to Hermione’s hand. The two of them had been literally inseparable since the battle.
Harry stood beside his two dearest friends, and, unlike the Weasleys, he wore a look of hopeful excitement on his face. Between his indefatigable fans and the press, he’d hardly had a moment to himself lately. Remus couldn’t help but think that today’s mission would feel like a refreshing change of pace for the young man.
Remus continued to scan the faces around him, feeling an odd sense of disorientation. Where Emmeline, Moody, and Sirius should have been stood Lee Jordan, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, and Luna Lovegood. All at once Remus felt the mingled pain of the loss of his old friends, and pride for his former students who had done so much in the fight against Voldemort.
Minerva was still busy supervising the team of architects and builders that had volunteered to began the efforts of rebuilding Hogwarts. In her place, Kingsley had boldly invited Horace Slughorn, who shuffled from foot to foot, looking ill at ease. Remus approved of the decision to invite the Slytherin Head of House who had fought so valiantly in the final battle. It was time to start healing the breach between Slytherin and the other Houses.
Kingsley had also invited Aberforth Dumbledore, to act as surrogate to for his departed brother, but he had declined, insisting that he wanted nothing more to do with the Order.
The last new addition to their group was Andromeda, standing stony-faced beside Dora.
Kingsley cleared his throat, and began to speak. “You all know that one of my first official acts as Minister of Magic was to lead a raid against the Ministry Headquarters to clear out any remaining Voldemort collaborators. The raid was a tremendous success, and we made numerous arrests. But what was left behind in the halls and chambers of the Ministry itself is a disgrace to wizard-kind. Voldemort and his minions have left behind them mountains of refuse-propaganda of the worst kind, instruments of torture, and lists of the condemned.” He paused to sweep his eyes over the small but determined group in front of him, and the corners of Remus’s mouth turned up in a tight smile.
Kingsley was absolutely the right choice for a Minister to lead wizarding England into a new era. The people had chosen wisely.
“Soon, a small army of bureaucrats will begin to sift through the piles of parchment to collect evidence against collaborators,” said Kingsley. “But first, for this final mission of the Order of the Phoenix-for you loyal, faithful, unwavering soldiers-I have called you together to help me cleanse the Ministry of Voldemort’s filth. We’re going to rid the Ministry of the vile signs of his rule. We, my friends, are going to clean house.” He grinned, his white teeth flashing brilliantly against his dark face.
Lee Jordan whooped enthusiastically, and Remus clapped politely along with the others. He felt no personal need for this type of closure, but he knew that Dora, and several of the others, did. So he would stand by them, and do his part.
With a sweeping gesture to follow, Kingsley led them through the illusory wall behind him. They strode through a crumbling corridor, riddled with signs of battle left from the raid. But now, it was silent. Their small party were the only living beings in the Ministry, and their footfalls echoed through the halls.
The young men began to grumble fiercely as the group passed by a cluster of wanted posters, and Percy was the first to draw his wand, blasting the posters into smithereens one by one. George and Charlie eagerly joined him, blasting away the images of Ron, Harry, Hermione, and so many others as they passed them.
With a sudden cry of rage, Andromeda drew her wand. Just in front of them hung a wanted poster for “Traitorous former Auror, Nymphadora Tonks.”
Before Remus had time to do more than gape in shock, Andromeda released a burst of flame from the tip of her wand which consumed the poster in an instant.
Dora clutched Teddy more tightly to her shoulder, and Remus reached up to squeeze her gently on the back of the neck. “Are you sure he should be here, love? Won’t it be a bit much for him? I could ask Bill if he thinks Fleur might-”
“He’ll be fine, Remus.” Dora cut him off. “I’ll take care of him.”
Remus shut his mouth tightly, and nodded. He drew his own wand, ready to cast a hasty Shield Charm in front of his family just in case some of the young people got too enthusiastic about their work, and debris started to fly.
The blasting of wanted posters and Official Decrees continued for several minutes, until they stepped out of the long corridor and into the Atrium.
A hush fell over the group as they all stopped in front of the hideous sculpture that now dominated the Atrium. They had all heard of the Dark Lord’s version of paradise on earth, but few of them had actually seen it.
It was even worse than Remus had imagined it.
He furrowed his brows. He could feel the beginnings of a headache throbbing between his eyes. He didn’t want his son in this place.
“Dora,” he said softly, as the voices began to cry out in anger, “let’s move on. Please.”
He could tell even before she responded what her answer would be.
“Not yet,” she said, drawing her wand.
Remus couldn’t tell who the first blast came from, because others followed so closely behind it.
Teddy began to squirm and whimper against his mother’s shoulder.
Large chunks of the sculpture began to fly across the Atrium, crashing into the walls with a noise that echoed through the whole vast hall. Nearly all of the members of their small party had joined in the fray, but the most vicious blasts were coming from Percy, apparently as payback for the long months that he had endured the sight of the thing every day when he came to work.
With a snarl on her face, Dora sent off a blast of her own. The wand in the hand of the now badly damaged wizard exploded in a cloud of dust, and Teddy began to wail.
Dora, who had raised her wand for a second blast, hesitated, a look of guilty concern passing over her face.
“Darling, let me take him for a little while,” said Remus. “I’ll take him for a short walk through some of the quieter corridors until you’ve all finished your fun here. He’ll be happy once I get him away from the noise.”
She continued to hesitate, her nervous eyes darting back and forth between her son and the increasingly unrecognizable statue.
“Let the boys go, Nymphadora,” said Andromeda. Though she was smiling, her voice was hard, and her eyes blazed with fiery determination as she brandished her wand in front of her. “Let’s you and I finish off this monstrosity, and then we can pay a visit to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission.”
Dora’s own lips began to turn up in a somewhat frightening echo of her mother’s expression. She turned back to Remus. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
Remus nodded, slipping his son out of Dora’s arm and cradling him gently against his chest. “We’ll be just fine. You two go have your fun.”
Dora nodded. “You’ll stay nearby? So I can find you?”
“We won’t go far-I promise.”
Her crazed grin grew broader. “Okay.” She looked back at her mother. “Let’s do this.”
Remus spun on his heels and headed for the lifts as the two woman began to unleash powerful blasts in unison.
No, he certainly didn’t want his son in that room.
He stroked Teddy’s tiny head, whispering soft reassurances to his son as they left the noisy din of the Atrium. By the time they reached the lifts, the little one had already stopped crying, though he still fidgeted and whimpered disquietly.
“Let’s get far away from that nasty noise, shall we little fellow?”
Remus pushed the nearest lift button, and was delighted to see it still working.
Teddy gurgled as the grille slid open, and began bobbing his head with interest as it closed behind them. “Yes, that’s wonderfully exciting, isn’t it little man? Isn’t it?” Remus smiled as Teddy’s head continued to bob, and a tiny fist snaked its way between toothless gums.
“That hand is so, so yummy. But I think your daddy has something even yummier,” he said, producing a pacifier from his pocket that had been charmed to permanently taste like rich milk chocolate. He gently eased his son’s slobber-covered hand out of his mouth, and inserted the pacifier. Teddy sucked at it eagerly.
“Ah, that seemed to do the trick. It’s daddy’s favorite flavor, too.” Remus’s headache had already completely disappeared. The small lift was decidedly peaceful, but as long as they were there Remus figured they ought to go somewhere.
“Hmm. Shall we go up to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission to wait for your mummy?”
Teddy snorted.
“No? You’re absolutely right, little man. She’ll probably just start making another din up there to ruin your fun. Let’s see…where shall we go instead?” He studied the buttons in front of him, mentally assessing the merits of each level.
Finally, his eyes rested on level four. “I think I have it, little fellow. I know just where to go.”
Remus pushed the button, and Teddy continued to suck happily on his pacifier as the lift began to move. Remus hoped Dora wouldn’t wear herself out too terribly much down there. He’d hate to see her confined to her bed for another few days. What she needed now was fresh air and sunshine-not spite-filled demolition parties.
A soft feminine voice intoned: “Level Four: Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”
“Here’s our stop,” said Remus, watching the grilled clatter open, and stepping off.
The corridor was dark.
Remus pulled out his wand, and quietly lit the lamps lining the corridor at regular intervals.
He strolled slowly down the hall, gently bouncing Teddy in his arms, and singing softly.
“If I could make days last forever…if words could make wishes come true…I’d save every day like a treasure, and then, again, I would spend them with you…”
Teddy cooed, and continued to suck contentedly on his pacifier.
“Ah!” said Remus, halting. “Here we are. Let’s you and I go in and have a little look around, shall we?”
Teddy squeaked.
Remus grinned. “Excellent.” He reached out, and pushed open the door labeled “Werewolf Registry.”
His first humiliating memory of this place came only four years earlier, when the events at Hogwarts had finally forced him to officially register. It seemed so far away now, like another lifetime.
He looked around the small, shabby office, wondering why it had once seemed so powerful and intimidating. It was nothing more than two ancient desks, a row of disorderly filing cabinets, and a shelf lined with several large, dusty tomes.
Remus lit the lamps in the office, and somehow the light made it seem even smaller and shabbier than it had in the dark.
An easy laugh escaped his lips and he shook his head in disbelief at the room that had once terrified him so deeply that he devoted decades of his life to avoiding it.
It was just a room, plain and simple.
There were far, far worse things than having his name listed in a book.
This place had no more power over him.
He was free.
He tucked Teddy securely in the crook of his arm, and smiled down at his son. “This isn’t so bad, is it little fellow?” He laughed again. “Not bad at all.”
Teddy gurgled and squealed, happily flailing his arms.
Remus started singing again, louder this time.
“But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them…”
He strolled over to the shelf, pulled out the large leather-bound book on the end, and laid it on the nearest desk. It was the most recent volume of the official Werewolf Registry, dating from 1874 onward.
“I’ve looked around enough to know that you’re the one I want to go through time with.”
He flipped casually through the pages, his eyes skimming the long list. Name, parents’ names, birth date, birth place, date of infection, place of infection, death date, place of death.
It all seemed so harmless now.
“If I had box just for wishes, and dreams that had never come true…”
He was to the end of the list now-the last few pages where most entries had not yet been completed with the addition of a death date.
“The box would be empty except for the memory of how they were answered by you.”
His eyes finally came to rest on a familiar name-fifth from the end of the list.
Lupin, Remus John.
His smile faded, and his voice grew still. A powerful silence hung over the room.
Remus breathed deeply as he stared at his entry, and some of the old weight of the room began to settle on his shoulders.
With a slurp and a snort, Teddy spat the pacifier out of his mouth.
When Remus turned to put it back in, his eyes locked with Teddy’s. The little boy stared solemnly at him for a moment, and then scrunched up his face and morphed his hair into a vivid spiky pink.
A broad toothless grin spread across Teddy’s face, and he let loose a gleeful high-pitched chuckle.
It was his first laugh.
The dim shabby room suddenly seemed like the brightest place on earth.
Remus laughed back, and in response Teddy chuckled again, finishing with a delighted squeal.
“You really are the most extraordinarily talented young man I’ve ever seen. Did you know that, little fellow?”
Remus spun in a circle, letting Teddy feel the full effect of centrifugal force at work on his tiny new body. This time his gurgle seemed more confused and slightly fearful.
“Oh, not quite ready for that, are you? There there, little fellow. I’ll be gentler from now on. I promise.”
Remus glanced back down at the open book, and, in a sudden flash, he knew exactly what to do.
He slipped the pacifier back into Teddy’s mouth, snuggled the boy securely in one arm, pulled out his wand, and began some creative alterations to the last few pages of the register.
He grinned and laughed to himself as he worked. “You see son, your daddy has a little expertise in working with enchanted documents. Perhaps in a few years I’ll teach you some of my tricks. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Teddy slurped loudly. Remus decided that meant he was interested.
After a few minutes of careful work, he stood back and admired the results. All the names of living werewolves (with the exception of a few known criminals) had been erased. In their places were new names in brightly colored inks, constantly morphing from one name to the next-none of them the true name, of course.
“Hugh Jass,” in purple ink soon became “Ivana Tinkle,” in red ink, followed by “Mike Rotch,” in green, and then “Dolores Umbrige,” in pink. He snickered loudly at the last one-he couldn’t help himself. He’d scattered a few other names of notorious collaborators in along with the fakes.
He grinned down at his son. “There. Let’s see how long it takes them to sort that out.”
Humming out loud, he careful replaced the book on its shelf, put out the lights, stepped into the hall, and closed the door behind him.
As he neared the lifts again he thought he could hear a faint crashing sound in the distance.
“Hmm. It sounds like Mummy and Daddy’s friends are still having fun.” He sighed. “So, what shall we do next?”
The grille of the lift slid open, and he stepped inside.
“I know! Let’s go visit Mummy’s old office.”
Soon, the soft witch’s voice said: “Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”
Remus stepped off of the lift with a spring in his step, and started singing again as they walked down the corridor.
“If I could save Time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do…”
He pushed open the door to Auror Headquarters, and stepped inside. The room was a chaotic jumble of over-turned file cabinets and hastily ransacked cubicles.
“Is to save every day ‘til eternity passes away, just to spend them with you.”
He strode over to Dora’s old cubicle, and grinned. A thick green slime covered every surface, and various scraps of paper and bits of rubbish were stuck here and there in the mess.
“That, little man,” he said, holding Teddy up to see the mess, “was your mother’s first parting gift to this place when she was forced to resign. It seems they never did find a way to clean it up. I’ll have to ask her how she did that. It might come in handy sometime…yes it might.”
He bounced his son gently up and down, and glanced around the walls, which were solidly covered with wanted posters.
“I wonder if her second parting gift is still here, too.”
Most of the posters featured Harry, Ron, or Hermione, but scattered among them were faces as diverse as Hagrid, Kingsley, Luna Lovegood, Lee Jordan, and even himself.
“Hmm. They must have finally seen past our clever aliases, mustn’t they?” he said to Teddy. “Good thing we stopped broadcasting when we did, or they might have caught us before we had a chance to fight back, eh?”
Slowly and methodically he began vanishing the posters across from Dora’s desk, his grin growing broader all the while. He’d found exactly what he was looking for.
At last he vanished the final poster-a surly looking visage of Dean Thomas-and stared in satisfaction at the glaring reminder of his wife’s presence. Foot-high letters, flashing in brilliant pink neon, proclaimed: You-Know-Who can bite my shiny pink arse!
Remus shook his head in wonder and admiration. “Your Mum does good work, my boy. Very good work.” He paused for a moment, pondering. “I wonder if she really can make it shiny pink? We’ll have to talk her into showing us sometime, shan’t we?”
A sound in the corridor caught his ear.
“Remus! Remus!”
“Ah!” he said. “Here she comes now. Maybe we can talk her into it, eh?” He winked at Teddy, who smiled and drooled around his pacifier.
“Remus! Remus!” The call was louder now, and he could hear a slightly panicked edge to her voice. That wasn’t a good sign.
“We’re in Auror Headquarters!” he called back.
Her rapid footfalls pounded down the corridor toward them, and she dashed through the door, her face white, and her eyes wide.
“Where the bloody hell have you been for so long?! You scared me half to death!”
“We were just going for a walk…” Remus said, as mildly as he could.
“Give him here!” she said, grabbing Teddy and pulling him roughly out of Remus’s arms.
She jarred his pacifier loose, and it tumbled to the floor.
Teddy’s little face contorted into a shocked frown, his face flushed red, his hair blossomed into a vivid orange, and he let out a piercing cry.
Dora pulled him close, trying vainly to shush his screams.
“Where did you go?” she asked Remus as she tried to bounce and sooth the crying infant. “I thought you’d left me.” Her voice shook as she spoke, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
“No! No,” Remus shook his head. “I would never leave you. I thought you’d be fine with your mum, so I took Teddy on a little tour. Showed him the sights. He particularly likes what you did with your desk.” Remus smiled encouragingly.
Teddy’s cries began to soften, and for the first time Dora seemed to notice the room around her. She glanced over at her slime covered desk, and then up at her flashing message stretched across the wall. A small smile cracked across her face, even as the tears began to flow.
“They never got rid of that?” she said, her voice still quavering.
“My guess is either your spellwork was too much for them, or they were secretly glad it was up there. Your guess is as good as mine.”
She laughed weakly.
Remus stooped to pick up the pacifier and cask a quick cleaning spell on it before leaning forward to pop it in the mouth of his still-whimpering son. “There you are, little fellow. All better now.”
Teddy sniffled loudly, and leaned his head sleepily against his mother’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry we were gone for so long,” said Remus. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“It’s all right,” she said, sniffling in an echo of her son. “I overreacted, I know. I just worry so much when I can’t see him.” She sank down to sit on the edge of the nearest slime-free desk.
Remus sat beside her, and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I know, love. I know.”
Her smile began to fade, and her chest heaved in a choked sob as tears continued to spill down her cheeks.
Remus frowned. What was going on? She was supposed to be enjoying today. “Dora? What’s wrong?”
She continued to cry, barely containing her sobs.
“Dora? Are you hurt? Did I do something wrong?”
She shook her head rapidly, breathing deeply in an attempt to get her crying under control. Remus remained quiet, suspecting that this was one of those occasions when talking too much would make things worse. Those times were gradually getting easier to recognize.
Finally, after a few slow, deep breaths, she looked up at him. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Remus. I did.” Her lower lip began to tremble, and a fresh wave of tears welled in her eyes.
“I’m a horrible mother!”
His mouth hung open in shock. This was the last thing he expected to hear. “Of course you’re not a horrible mother! You’re a wonderful mother.”
She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears. “No, I’m not. I’m horrible.”
“Dora…”
“I left him!”
Remus furrowed his brow. He had no idea what to say. “You didn’t leave him. Remember? We just went for a walk-”
“No! Not today.” Her entire body shook, but Teddy remained blissfully unaware on her shoulder, apparently determined to sleep at all costs.
“I left him,” she repeated, her voice rich with anguish.
Finally, Remus understood.
“Oh! Oh, my. No. No. Don’t think that, Dora. Don’t you ever think that.”
She shook her head again. “I shouldn’t have left him. I don’t know what I was thinking. He needed me, and I left him.”
“Dora…”
“We left him, Remus, and we almost didn’t come back. What if we’d died? What if we’d both died? He’d be all alone. I can’t believe I left him. I’m horrible.”
Her tone was growing steadier, but the pain was still evident on her face. She stared miserably down at the floor.
“No,” said Remus. “Stop this now, Dora. Look up at me.”
She looked up at him, squeezing Teddy tighter to her shoulder. Her face was red and the skin under her eyes was puffy and damp.
He held her gaze for a moment, and then said, “Now look at this room. Take a good look around you. Look at that damned insane message of yours up on the wall.”
Her eyes roamed the office, and she started to sit up a little straighter.
“This room-this room right here-is what you are.”
She raised her eyebrows.
He continued. “This room is where warriors came to work. And you were one of them. You still are one of them. You fought to earn a place here. You trained long and hard every day to stay here. You kept on fighting, even when they forced you out of this room. That’s what that message on the wall means to me.” He pointed at her flashing letters.
“You’re a warrior, and you never stopped fighting. You never gave up on your principles. You never gave up on your convictions. You never gave up on me. You’re a fighter.” He reached out to caress her face and look into her eyes.
“You did what any fighter would do. You knew that there was a battle raging-a battle where one more seasoned warrior on our side could tip the balance of power. So you came. You did the right thing.”
She shook her head. “I’m his mother. I should never have left him alone.”
He gripped her free shoulder. “Now listen to me, Nymphadora Tonks Lupin. I’d rather have our son grow up an orphan in a peaceful, free land, than live to be an old man under that psychotic tyrant’s thumb. You did the right thing. And you fought your way through it. You’re still here. And you’ll never leave him again. I know that. You know that. So you need to let it go. For Teddy. For me. And for yourself.”
She sniffed loudly, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I know. I know.”
“Here,” said Remus, conjuring a handkerchief, and handing it to her.
She finished drying her tears and wiping her nose. She took a few deep breathes, and mustered the strength for weak smile.
“Thank you, Remus.”
He pulled her closer, holding his family tight in his arms. “I only want you to be happy,” he whispered.
“I know,” she whispered back. “I don’t know if I can get over this right away, but I’ll try.”
“It’s all right. I’ll be here to help you, every step of the way.”
“I love you so much, Remus.”
“I love you, too.”
They sat quietly sharing their warm embrace for several minutes.
Dora sighed. “I know you didn’t really want to come. And I know I shouldn’t have brought Teddy. I should have let the two of you stay home. I’m sorry.”
“No need to worry. I’ve already forgiven you. Besides, it gave me a chance to make a little mischief with my boy here.”
Her smile was more genuine this time. “Oh really? What have you two been up to?”
He shrugged. “We just paid a short visit to the Werewolf Registry office and had a bit of fun.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
He glanced down at their sleeping child. “So you’re not worried I’m setting a bad example?”
She reached out to squeeze Remus’s hand. “Not at all. In fact, I think that you’re setting the very best kind of example. Keep it up.”
“Gladly.”
“Now, let’s track down my mum. I think it’s time to go home.”
Remus had never heard sweeter words.
He knew that things were far from perfect in their life together, and things were even further from perfect in their world. But none of that really mattered.
In the end, all that mattered was that he was going home with his family.
He held his wife’s hand as they walked back down the corridor, singing softly to himself.
“…I’d save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you.”
“What’s that?” asked Dora, smiling up at him. “It sounds nice.”
“It’s Muggle music. A song that was popular way back when you were his size.” Remus nodded at Teddy. “Actually, he rather likes it.”
“So do I. You’ll have to teach it to me.”
“Gladly. Just as soon as we get home.”
Author’s Notes: Credit where credit is due-Remus is singing the classic Jim Croce tune “Time in a Bottle.” If you don’t know the tune and would like to, check it out here. Secondly, all of the phony names listed in the Werewolf Registry are from prank phone calls made by Bart Simpson. And lastly, you may have noticed that Tonks’s flashing wall graffiti in the Auror Headquarters is based on Bender’s famous quip “bite my shiny metal ass” from Futurama.