"No. No!" Ginny screamed, her arms shooting out in front of her just as Ron grabbed her arms and yanked her back. Harry fell to his knees, his wand split in his hand, face fallen. Voldemort walked behind him, looking far more a man than any had ever seen him.
He laughed, the laugh of someone who had finally gotten everything they'd ever wanted, a laugh that disregarded everything he'd lost to gain. Death Eaters stood behind him, every bit the picture of submissive power they needed to be.
"This is what success looks like, my friends." Nobody on the other side moved, Harry's eyes remained on the ground. Remus felt someone shift next to him, and glanced down to see his wife sliding her hand in his, her eyes trained on the black haired boy holding a broken wand.
"Lucius!" Tom Riddle called, not turning around as the blond man stepped forward slowly. "As agreed upon you will take the position as acting minister of magic." Tonks made a noise in her throat to Remus's side, he squeezed her hand to silence her. "First order of business?" Riddle asked. Remus could no longer consider him voldemort, for he simply looked like an old man, a point Malfoy wisely ignored.
"Arrest them, all of them. Kill any who try to run." Lucius said, not looking at the group standing across from him. Riddles eyes narrowed, flicking to Harry and back to Malfoy. "And the boy?" He asked.
"Arrest him for trial." Lucius said without hesitation. Immediately Riddle had his wand trained on Malfoy's face.
"No. He must die." Lucius raised his own wand cautiously, unsure of how to proceed in the moment. Before anyone realized what was happening Hermione was slipping through the crowd of people, pushing her way silently to the front, wand tightly at her side, eyes only on the man who had single handedly ruined her life.
She was just behind Remus when she raised her wand silently, he didn't move for fear of distracting her, but also for fear of what she was planning.
Neither Riddle nor Malfoy noticed her, both too busy focusing on the other. It wasn't until she whispered, with more venom than she had ever held in her tone before that Remus understood what was going to happen.
"Avada Kedavra." A shot of green light nailed Riddle on the back, and without a glance back he fell aggressively to the ground.
Harry was up immediately, running to Ginny who promptly disapparated with him, where they went nobody would know for nearly two weeks. Pair by pair they fled, death eaters rushing at them as they did, wondering what was going to happen, ad if the war really ended with voldemort's death, yet in the favor of evil.
Tonks gripped onto Remus as he sidelong her, ending up at the burrow before even considering where they were going.
"Fidelius charm. Help!" Hermione had her wand out, using Arthur as the secret keeper, Remus and Tonks began to set up safety wards around the house, making it not only invisible to outside eyes, but untraceable to those working to detect magic. All they could hope was that they did it in time.
The work was done too soon after it started, and the group stood in the Weasley kitchen, nobody sure what to say. Kingsley stepper forward slowly, standing next to Tonks, setting a hand on her shoulder.
"Until we understand what's happening we have to stay hidden. Stay close, stay in contact. He glanced to the Lupins, and Bill and Fleur, "You should go to your homes, set the same wards. Then come back here. We'll figure out next steps then." There were slow and somber nods as the four shuffled slowly to the door.
"Come back quickly now, alright?" Arthur said, speaking for his wife whose face was buried in George's shoulder as they cried for her lost son, his lost brother. Everyone was working on the assumption that Ginny and Harry were safe somewhere, and that they would know how to find the family when the time came.
Remus nodded, gripping his wife's hand firmly as they rushed out the door, disillusioning each other before the aparated to their cottage far off the beaten path. Waving on their door was a yellow sheet of paper stuck there by magic. They approached it slowly, tearing it off the door before pushing it open and slipping in their home.
Mandatory Registration for Dark Creatures and Shape-Shifters: All Mandated to Attend; protection Provided for All who Register. Monday, Ministry of Magic. 7 A.M. Any who choose not to register will be pursued and arrested, any who register and do not abide by the new laws of the minister face punishment and severe penalty. Registry open to all regardless of sides on the war: we are beginning a new age of Wizardry. Mandatory screening for all muggle-born wizards and witches. Status and placement determined after screening. Monday, Ministry of Magic 7 A.M.Tonks looked up at him as he finished reading, her brown hair covering her eyes slightly. "Do we go?" She asked slowly, glancing at the paper again. Remus pursed his lips, unmoving.
"Either we don't go, and have the promise of being arrested, or we go, and have a chance to be free…" He shook his head. "But do they really mean it?" He asked her, setting the paper on the floor before pulling her into his arms.
"It may be worth the risk." She said, tucking her head into his chest. He held her there for
a minute before she pulled away and pulled out her wand. "We should set some wards, even if we do decide to go."
Together they held their wands and set anti apparition wards around their home, making sure only select people could get through. Then they gathered their things and went back to the burrow, making the unspoken decision that they wouldn't talk about the registration offer until Monday.
The weekend spent at the burrow was silent and painful, so much so that Tonks and Remus opted to spend SUnday night in their own home, waking up early and traveling quickly, and discreetly to the ministry by seven in the morning. Hand in hand they walked down to the Department of Regulation for Magical creatures, where they were being assigned to register. THe process was far too simple.
Tonks walked up to a desk and sat in the chair, looking around seeing all types of Wizards and Witches, some clearly werewolves, others harder to know.
"Name." The dark haired wizard said across from her. She tried to figure out if he was a death eater, but she was having a hard time recognizing him.
"Nymphadora Tonks." She said. Immediately a file flew out from a drawer and into his hand.
"Half-blood status, metamorphmagus, Order of the Pheonix member. All correct." He hadn't looked up at her yet. She hesitated a moment where she considered lying before nodding.
"Correct."
"Due to your past allegiances you will not be able to return to work at the ministry of magic. You will be notified by post when there are openings you are allowed to apply for. You are forbidden to leave the country, your apparition points are being tracked, your home monitored. If you are found having any contact with those from the Order who we have yet to track down you will be arrested and tried as such, do you understand these rules." His voice was monotone, yet somehow familiar, Tonks shifted trying to see his face.
"Yes, I understand." He pulled a paper from the file, and set it in front of her.
"We have you listed as residing in address listed here, an apartment in Hogsmeade, this is where your apparition and travel will be tracked from, part of your freedom agreement is that we cannot track you from another location. Is this your current address." She hesitated for a long moment, looking at the address. She couldn't run the risk of lying, she couldn't put Remus in that position.
"My current address is-"
"As listed here, very well thank you. Is Mr. Remus John Lupin still residing at this current address with you." Her eyebrows pinched together as the man spoke.
"Yes, at the address of-"
"Hogsmeade. Very well. Thank you. As your registrar I'd advise you to avoid apparating form that address for several weeks, as your neighbors at that listed addressed are also being tracked for arrest, and it would be in your best interest to not to draw attention to yourself, do you understand." He stuck the address sheet back in the folder, where she noticed a small scar on his hand.
A scar she put there.
The man looked up at her for the first time in the registration, and her eyes filled with tears. She was staring into the face of her old auror partner, the man she worked with nearly her entire time in the office.
And he was protecting her.
"I understand." She said, standing up slowly. He followed her with his eyes.
"Very well Miss Tonks, remember the rules, things will be very difficult for quite some time." She nodded back to him, mouthing her thanks silently.
He nodded, back, stamping a folder before screaming "Next!" Tonks rushed out of the office crashing into Remus as she did so. He grabbed her into his arms and pulled her through the halls of the ministry with a aggressive strength she never knew he really had.
They made it outside the office before apparating back to their cottage, where she collapsed into him in tears.
"It was Rogers, the interviewer… he lied for us Remus, they don't know where we're living. Well they did but he changed it. He lied for us. We're safe." He stroked her back gently, rubbing slow circles.
"I had Proudfoot, Dora. He did the same." She tucked her face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in.
"We're safe. We're safe." She mumbled over and over as he held her, letting her tears fall. "How do we tell everyone else?" She asked still crying.
"They know, everyone got a notice, King actually told me to make sure we went. So they know, they're happy for us. But Tonks, we know we aren't out of the woods yet. We still have to be on guard."
"I know." She whispered again. We'll not be safe for quite some time." He nodded into her, before lifting her into his arms and carrying her back to their bedroom.
"Remus the moon is tomorrow don't-"
"Shh." He cut her off laying her down. "I know, but I need to feel you right now." He slipped her shirt off, before tugging off his own and dropping them carelessly onto the floor. He crawled into their bed next to her, pulling the covers far over their heads, pulling her closer to him than she could really go.
"I love you." She whispered as she felt his tears tickle her face. He simply nodded against her, before the pair fell into a restless sleep, wondering what really lie ahead for them.