A one shot, because I felt like it.

Risk and Reward

Remus Lupin had lived through two wars, and a certain amount of personal tragedy, and one thing that never failed to amaze him was the determination of people to find moments of joy even in the darkest times. The world was dark and uncertain, and yet fairy lights sparkled, laughter and music filled the air, and the scent of late summer flowers drifted by on the occasional breeze. Nothing made people feel happy and hopeful about the future like a wedding, and the sense of merriment in the Weasleys' garden was not the forced cheer that came with covering fear, but a few hours of respite to remember what the world was when there was no war.

Molly Weasley had outdone herself for her oldest, her first son to marry, inviting not only those close to them, but what seemed to be anyone who had ever met Bill, at any point in his life. His bride Fleur had made no small contribution to the guest list, as her family and friends floated around, the murmur of French mixing with the hum of conversation.

He wasn't usually comfortable around large groups of people, mostly because large groups of people were not usually comfortable around him. This night, and this party, was something of an exception. The Weasleys, Order members, old friends- people who knew him and didn't care. He realized with a bit of shock that he was enjoying himself, simply engaging in the small talk that was inherent to a wedding. Yes, the bride was stunning. Yes, the flowers were lovely. Yes, it was lucky the weather was so nice for the big day.

He spoke briefly with Harry, who seemed to be enjoying himself despite the new air of resolve and maturity he carried. Ron and Hermione were with him as always, and Remus knew without asking that they would be no matter what. If Harry carried through with his plan to not return to Hogwarts, then they would not either.

But it was not the time to discuss that, it was not a night for serious conversations, and he smiled as Ginny Weasley drew a protesting Harry toward the dance floor. Among the dancers, he caught something else that made him smile- the bright pink hair of Nymphadora Tonks, dancing with Charlie Weasley.

She was a bright spot in many ways, and certainly the best change in his life in the last year…or more accurately in the last month since he'd finally let her in. He still had moments- far too many of them really- where he wondered what he was doing, why he was letting her throw away her life on him when she deserved something better, but in between those moments, he was happy. More importantly, she was happy.

His eyes broke away from her, looking over the other guests, and he saw another person also watching Dora with a fond smile- her mother. That was a difficulty he had consciously avoided so far. They knew, according to Dora, and they were "completely fine with it." Somehow he doubted that. Few parents would be completely fine with their child getting involved with a werewolf only a few years younger than they were.

He liked Andromeda and Ted, he had since he'd only been aware of her as the one family member Sirius didn't complain about. Then, everyone had been surprised when she ran off and eloped. She had never seemed like Sirius- she was seemingly well-behaved, intelligent, but quiet, and by all appearances too close to Bellatrix to be secretly involved with a muggle-born boy. She had shocked everyone, and Remus had liked her all the more for that.

He snagged two glasses of champagne off a tray and wandered over to where she was sitting, feeling every inch like a teenager meeting his girlfriend's parents. She gave him a smile- guarded, but better than nothing.

"Good evening, Remus."

"Champagne?"

"Thank you," she accepted the glass, and indicated the chair next to her. "Are you enjoying yourself? It's a nice evening, isn't it?"

"Beautiful, yes."

"I was just sitting here thinking…I remember when Bill Weasley was born. Whatever happened to having all the time in the world?"

Watching her in profile, he smiled at that comment, because she was hardly as old as it implied. Barely eighteen when Dora had been born, she wasn't much over forty. She looked, he thought, like Bellatrix and Sirius might have without the ravages of Azkaban, and the Black women were always beautiful.

"Yes, you've really got one foot in the grave, Andromeda."

She smiled. "Let me have my angsty, melodramatic moment. Considering I've just watched a girl younger than my daughter get married, I'm entitled. She's pretty though, Fleur. I do like weddings."

"You didn't have a wedding, did you?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Are you implying we've been "living in sin" these twenty-plus years?"

"No, no! I was just, I meant…"

"Relax, I was kidding," she patted his arm. "I know what you meant. Though if you're going to get this jumpy around me I may just change my mind about this whole thing."

She gave him the opening for what he had really come over to talk about, and then waited for him to take it.

"Are we all right Andromeda?"

"No, we're not," she said simply, and his heart skipped a beat. "We will be, eventually. Ted and I are still trying to process this, and it's strange. It's just…strange. But that's our problem, not yours." She sipped the champagne and then went on. "My problem is not that you're involved with Dora…at least no more than it would be with anyone, there's a part of me that wishes she still thought boys were icky… but I really do understand she's an adult, and an intelligent one at that. My problem is…well, you hurt her. You made her miserable. And I'm not sure you won't again."

"I was trying-"

She held up a hand to stop him and set down her glass delicately. "I know what you were trying to do Remus. You were trying to do the right thing. You were trying to push her away because you thought she'd be better off without you." She sighed, and then looked back to him. "I know what you were trying to do, because I once tried to do the same thing."

He stared, that was not what he'd been expecting at all. She went on.

"Do you really think it never occurred to me that Ted would be better off without the whole "toujours pur" lot of them out for his blood? I knew what they're like. I thought Bella would kill him if my parents didn't."

Ted, the subject of her quiet explanation, was in conversation with Arthur Weasley. Though conversation was perhaps the wrong term as Arthur was doing all the talking, no doubt about some fascinating muggle concept that he was dying to learn more about. Ted shot her a glance that clearly said "save me" and she smiled prettily back, pretending not to understand, before she went on.

"So in our seventh year, I tried to break it off. I don't even remember what I gave him as a reason. Something ridiculous. I'm sure he didn't believe me for a moment," she chuckled softly, smiling a little. "But at first, he stepped back when I asked him to, because he thought that was the right thing to do. Some nonsense about respecting my wishes."

She paused, watching the dance floor and smiling as a delicate, pretty young man, one of Fleur's French cousins, asked Dora to dance.

"So, what happened?" he pressed, amused by her reminiscing but also knowing she was telling him all this for a reason.

"Well, he realized I was being stupid well before I realized I was being stupid," she admitted, with a shrug. "He stopped letting me use my family as an excuse. And then we fought. A lot. And I don't think I need to tell you that Slytherins fight dirty."

He always forgot she had been in Slytherin. He'd always thought she seemed like a Ravenclaw- observant and intelligent. Defying the whole most ancient and noble clan spoke to Gryffindor. But she had been a Slytherin- and she did have ambition, if only to get away from her family and choose her own path.

But he couldn't imagine she and Ted fighting. He knew they must- two people with strong personalities. He knew any woman who had raised Dora must have an iron will, and a muggle-born who would stand up to the Blacks and the rest of the pureblood world wasn't weak. And there was that terrible Black temper to consider.

"Eventually though," she went on, "I realized I couldn't keep freezing him out. I didn't want to." She turned back to looking at him. "The thing is Remus, it's terrifying to put yourself in danger. And yet that's nothing to how terrifying it is putting someone you love in danger. It's hard, God it's hard. And I know the instinct is to do whatever you can to keep them from it, even if it hurts them, you tell yourself you're doing what's best for them. You might keep Dora safer Remus, but she won't be happy."

"It's-"

"She knows the risks, she's an Auror, she knows all about risk, and don't think there's a single day when I don't wish she wanted to become an accountant. But the thing is, it's her choice. It's her choice if she wants to be with you, knowing what you are and knowing how deeply you're involved in this war. It's not as though I don't realize Ted would be safer if he'd ended up with someone who…well, someone who wasn't related to Bellatrix. But he wouldn't be happier. And I'd be miserable."

"She deserves-"

"She deserves to be happy. And if that's with you, and you love her… then it works. I don't know how it works, but I can tell you it does. And Ted and I- we'll deal with it," she set down the glass and stood. "But if you hurt her again, you'll be dealing with me."

He nodded seriously. "Duly noted."

"Good." She patted his shoulder, and walked over to where Ted was still trapped in conversation with Arthur. Arthur excused himself to answer Molly's waving to him, apparently to help solve a centerpiece crisis. As Remus watched, Ted leaned over and whispered something in her ear, and she laughed. He thought maybe…

Slim arms slid around his neck and Dora's voice spoke in his ear, her chin resting on this shoulder.

"I've been waiting for you to ask me to dance, but since you're just sitting here talking to Mum, I suppose I'll have to ask you."

"You don't seem to have any shortage of dance partners…"

"Yes, but you know…there's all so young, and rich….that's just really not for me…" She kissed his cheek. Reluctantly, he stood. If the Boy Who Lived could dance, then he supposed he could as well.

"What were you and Mum talking about?" she asked as they made their way through the cheerful throng of people.

"She threatened me."

"Ah, so just the usual then."