"The Broken Window"
1 October 1996
Remus put his hands in his pockets and turned left on the street corner. It was nice to actually return to a place and call it home. It wasn't really his home. His father had stayed here for over fifteen years. After years of having to uproot his family by moving from here to there, Lyall Lupin called the fourth house on the left side of the street home; it was a small grey house with three bedrooms and one bathroom. He knocked on the door and waited for his father, yet he was surprised when Lee Jordan answered the door.
Remus did not remember much about Lee Jordan. He'd been a student of his, of course, when Remus taught at Hogwarts. Remus had met his mother once. He knew who he was because he recalled this young man commentating Quidditch matches. If Fred Weasley had not mentioned that Lee Jordan took up an apprenticeship under some strange spirits man, Remus would not have connected the dots. Smiling, Remus said hello and glanced at the small stack of books in Lee's arms. Lee read from the first one, acting pressed for time, and flipped through its pages.
"Are you looking up Quidditch facts?" Remus stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
"Yeah, no," said Lee, closing the one book and opening another one. He jerked his head to the right to make sure the coast was clear. A man called from inside the house. "Look, Professor, I've got a question for you. Where did Boggarts come from?"
"In folklore?" Remus assumed Lee had paid enough attention in his lessons to know Boggarts hid in tight places like underneath beds or wardrobes. He smiled slightly, guessing Lee was supposed to find out this answer for himself. He clapped Lee on the shoulder as they headed into the sitting room. "Wales. And mI am not your professor anymore, Lee."
"Cool. Awesome." Lee rushed into the sitting room and sat down on the couch. "I found it."
Lyall Lupin sat in an armchair by the fireplace reading a copy of the iDaily Prophet/i. When he spotted his son, he checked the time on his watch. He looked well. He wore a jumper and slacks. His dark hair had gone completely grey. Lyall took off his glasses and took his time folding the paper.
"This ought to be good. If you tell me China, Mr. Jordan, I'm throwing you out of my house." Lyall set the paper on his side table and picked up a mug. "Do not pull some answer off the top of your head, please."
"It's Wales." Pleased with himself, Lee crossed his legs and got comfortable on the couch. Remus sat next to him. Lee got a little shaky when Lyall said nothing. "That's right? I'm right."
"You don't know? I don't know. Are you asking me or telling me? " Lyall knew the answer, of course, though he did not want a question as an answer. He turned to Remus. "Is he right? If he's right, you're right, so I guess that's all for the good."
Not meeting his father's eyes, Remus cleared his throat and picked a book off of the coffee table. "I don't know what you're talking about, Dad. You look good."
"You told him." Lyall frowned at Remus and turned back to Lee. "You're holding the wrong book. The reference is in my office on my desk; it's also in my notes. You're looking for iHauntings in Europe/i. Add it to your reading material."
Lee excused himself and headed upstairs to fetch the book and the notes. Lyall got up and walked into the kitchen, taking his mug with him. Remus noticed nothing had changed about the room since he had helped his father move in years ago after his mother died. Remus hadn't been back to see his father for about a year and a half, and he felt slightly guilty about it. When his father returned with mugs of hot chocolate and freshly baked biscuits, Remus felt like a kid again. This only made him feel worse.
"I went to Leap Castle," said Lyall, helping himself to a couple biscuits. "I tripped over a step when I met Lady Victoria. Bannisters are there for a reason."
Remus did not notice that his father had a limp. "When did that happen?"
"A couple of months ago. I scared Mr. Jordan half to death. When an old man falls going up the stairs, it ruins your first haunting." Lyall sat back down in his armchair and held his mug in his hands. He was cold-natured. He wrapped himself in a blanket despite the fact that he sat right by the fire. "Your mother told me about something called an electric blanket. Muggles use them for extra warmth at night. It sounds nice."
"You can burn yourself with those," said Remus.
The old Muggle landlord who rented his rundown cottage at a reduced rate had one of those; he left the cottage earlier this year. She thought Remus lived on government assistance, and he never bothered correcting her. She let him food, sometimes, which was nice, but it made him feel pitied. He left her cat food. Remus knew his father was getting on in age, for he was nearly seventy, yet Lyall still enjoyed the chase of his poltergeists and other spirits. They sat there sipping their hot chocolate and eating biscuits, simply glad to be with each other. They could do this all day and pass this off as quality time.
"You sent me an owl." Remus broke the silence.
"I did." Lyall got out of his armchair and joined his son on the couch.
Déjà vu hit Remus like a brick. Although they had been in another house and sitting on different furniture, this had been exactly what his father had done when Remus's mother died of ovarian cancer. It was down to the letter. Remus, who had been reaching for a biscuit, dropped his hand and sat up straighter. His father could keep his sympathy biscuits.
"What's going on?" Remus asked his father. "You know, just giving an address and a time in a letter is rude. Are you ill?"
"What? No." Lyall's face went pale. "I lied to you."
"About…?" Remus prompted, waiting for him to continue.
His father's hands shook as he held his mug. What could this possibility be about? Secrets came out all the time when people died. Yet Remus couldn't imagine that his father had an extra-marital. For one thing, although this conflicted sharply with his obsession with the spirit world, Lyall Lupin was a devout Catholic. A quiet Catholic who rarely attended Mass to be sure, but a Catholic all the same. He wasn't a drinker or a smoker. He didn't have many friends, though this was Remus's fault.
"What do you remember about the night you were attacked?"
"I was outside at night. I think I thought I was running away. Didn't I break a window? Mummy said no dessert, and I decided to call it quits." Remus started laughing, amused by his cheek as a boy. He stopped when his father shook his head. "I didn't mean it, Dad."
Lyall had not let him go far, of course. He met him at the street corner five minutes later and took him home. Remus remembered his father telling him this story.
"You did nothing wrong." Lyall went into the kitchen again and came back with something stronger. He set a bottle of Firewhiskey and two shot glasses on the table and poured with a generous hand. He took one shot, muttered something about liquid courage before he downed it in one, and poured himself another. He handed Remus the other glass. "You'll want this."
Remus held the glass. He'd never seen his father drink more than a glass of wine, and this was only on very special occasions.
"I took a position at the Ministry, remember? One night, they escorted Fenrir Greyback in because he'd, uh, murdered two small children. I told the officials to lock him up." "That was brave of you," said Remus, taking a sip of his drink. The mug was empty. For a quiet man who usually stayed inside his box with his ghosts and his poltergeists, Remus saw this as a bold move.
"Oh, God. This is harder than I thought." Lyall took two more shots and started pacing around the sitting room on unsteady feet. "I insulted him. The officials wouldn't listen to me, so I got really angry.'
"You?" Remus raised an eyebrow. That did not sound like his father at all. Even when Remus had stolen freshly baked bread from a bakery once, Lyall had just paid the proprietor for his losses and carried Remus home.
"I called the werewolves soulless, evil deserving nothing but death. Greyback looked right at me. If I had known, Remus, I never would have said it. I never would have walked into that room or sat on that committee if I knew!" Lyall spoke faster as though it were easier to get out in a rush, yet it was more like speeding up, slowing down, and speeding up again because he couldn't get it out. "Greyback came into your bedroom and attacked you. I thought you had died when I first saw you."
Remus let this sink in for a moment. He matched his father in drinks in no time. Did he just remember what he had been told and simply crafted a memory out of that? Granted, he had almost been five years old when he "ran away", but he hadn't even bothered to pack his favorite teddy bear. He'd dragged that thing everywhere. What could a little boy do to anger a werewolf?
"Say something." Lyall gripped his empty glass.
"I've got to go." Remus set his glass on the table and got to his feet and headed towards the door. "Tell Lee I said goodbye, will you? Goodbye, Dad."
His father said something, but Remus didn't catch it and he walked right out the door. He started going down the street, and got off the path, and eventually got lost. He'd never met Greyback before. Instead of starting up the street again and heading he didn't know where, Remus stopped underneath a lamppost. His father had no followed him. But than again, he hadn't expected him to, either.
Remus did not turn around immediately when he heard a popping sound down the street. After a few minutes, thinking perhaps his father had indeed followed him, Remus turned around. Out of pure instinct, he gripped his wand in his right hand. When he spotted Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was dressed in an expensive suit, and Nymphadora Tonks, who wore plain black robes, he relaxed. They were laughing about something, but Kingsley acted concerned when he caught sight of Remus's face in the light.
Kingsley glanced down the street towards Remus's father's house. Kingsley's uncle had been close friends with Remus's father since the both of them could remember. The two of them, Kingsley and Remus, weren't as close, though they knew each other well enough. Kingsley was a little older, more driven. Almost family was family on some days.
"He's fine." Remus stomped his foot when Kingsley started down the other way.
Kingsley had known Remus had planned on stepping out to visit his father today. Kingsley acted as though he decided against doing anything and left it alone. Why he had decided to bring Tonks along after getting off detail at Downing Street, Remus didn't know.
"Remus, something's obviously wrong." Tonks studied his face.
"I'm fine," he said flatly.
How exactly could he avoid this young woman when she kept showing up? Remus had flat out asked her to leave him alone. He had rephrased the request, he thought, a hundred different ways. Kingsley, reading his agitation, walked down the street. Remus sighed, frustrated. If he had called after Kingsley, it would bring up awkward questions for Tonks. They stood there under the lamppost. Should Remus follow Kingsley or should he just find an Apparition spot and forget this happened altogether? Really, that would be impossible because what was done was done.
Lyall wouldn't tell Kingsley anything.
Preparing himself to give Tonks the same old line, for he was clearly going to have to spell this out for her, Remus decided on his approach. Last Wednesday, he fell back on the old standby of not having any money. Which one hadn't he used in the past month? He opened his mouth to speak, when she pressed her lips firmly to his.
The girl was bold. They had barely spoken to each other in months, and she had practically jumped him in the middle of the street. Well, not really, but it felt that way. Shocked, Remus struggled with the now usual conflict in his head of pushing her away or pulling her closer. He gave in. He felt her tongue and he kissed her back, not really sure who was kissing who at this point, and enjoyed the taste of her lips.
"We've got to stop doing this," he said, finally breaking apart from her.
"Stop me," she whispered in his ear. She started kissing his neck. "Want me to me to stop now?"
"No." Remus took her hand when she started pulling at his robes. "Okay, that's enough. Please. Nymphadora!"
She stepped back, startled, when he pushed her away and grabbed her by the wrist.
Remus spoke every word clearly and slowly. "You need to leave me alone. Can you do that for me, please? Leave me alone!"
He left her standing there as he turned down the street and Disapparated.
10 October 1996
Nine days later, Remus met a small group in the Hog's Head. As they were simply meeting for a drink, this would be a quick exchange. They would get in and would get out like nothing ever happened. Remus had been quite awful at this the last time he was in the Order. He, along with his friends, wanted to know all the small details and live in the moment for the pure enjoyment of it.
Mad-Eye sat at the bar with Albus Dumbledore and his brother, Aberforth. The thee of them seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. Well, Professor Dumbledore smiled anyway. When Aberforth saw Remus, he raised an empty tankard he had been cleaning with a dirty dishtowel and nudged his brother. There weren't may people in the pub in the early afternoon. Remus doubted they would risk doing this in the open. He was right. Aberforth Dumbledore waved to Remus as the two other men got to their feet and lead them into the back room.
Kingsley and Tonks sat at dusty table drinking bottles of beer. Aberforth locked the door and held a hand out to his brother. Professor Dumbledore reached inside his robes and placed a purple pouch in his hand. Mad-Eye rolled his glass eye.
"You two have the strangest relationship," Mad-Eye growled, hobbling over to the table.
"It works. Will that do?" Professor Dumbledore asked his brother.
Aberforth dumped the contents of the pouch into his hands and counted the coins in a hurry. "You had a tankard last night."
"Ah. There's that." Professor Dumbledore found another pouch hidden in his robes and handed over seven Sickles.
"He is your brother. You can't give the man a free drink?" Mad-Eye kept his normal eye on the table, but he watched the barman with his magical one. "You're at thief."
"I'm running a business here, not a charity, thank you ." Content, Aberforth added the coins to his coins and pocketed his money, "Get on with it, fools, we haven't got all day."
Professor Dumbledore strode over to the table and sat beside Mad-Eye. Aberforth stayed by the door. Remus sat across from Kingsley and watched him read through Muggle reports with a bored expression. Tonks had been stationed at Hogsmeade: the Ministry handed out random assignments, so everyone was in the field. Remus noticed her hair was a mousy color, her natural shade, he guessed. She looked tired but otherwise fine. When she reached out for his hand, Remus grabbed and opened bottle of Butterbeer, and she fiddled with her hair instead.
"Enjoying your life as the Minister's secretary?" asked Mad-Eye.
"It's not that bad, really," said Kingsley conversationally as he compared two reports side by side. "Patti Jordan is stationed as a housemaid in the household."
Remus, who had been nursing his drink, spilled half his Butterbeer down his front. The name yanked him back some fifteen years. Patricia Jolene Jordan, a plain black woman, had saved his skin countless times the last time he was in the Order. She had been pregnant when they last met. Patti had actually healed Sirius's third-degree burns when some Death Eater had set his robes on fire. She had held him down and cradled him in her arms as he cried on the pavement. Remus and Peter, horrified, stood by as Patti saved Sirius's life.
"Not in the Order," said Mad-Eye, catching Tonks's eye. His smile resembled more of a painful grimace. Tonks recognized the name and gave him a big smile. "She's a Godsend though, that woman. She's works at an apothecary . She's a beautiful thing."
"Patti." Remus laughed nervously as he wiped down his robes with a napkin. He nodded at Kingsley, who got suddenly got lost in his reports. "Yeah."
"Remus, we've got a favor to ask you," said Mad-Eye, yanking him abruptly back into the present. He cleared his throat and patted the table with his gnarled hand. Professor Dumbledore nodded, keeping his eyes of the dusty floor. Both of them acted strangely uncertain about this. "We need an informant with the werewolves."
Tonks gaped at him and jumped to her feet. She started to protest against this, but Mad-Eye held up a hand to silence her, keeping his good eye on Remus.
"I'll do it." Remus did not hesitate.
He'd been waiting for this request, honestly. It didn't come as a surprise because Professor Dumbledore had already sent Hagrid to negotiate with the giants. He would've suggested it himself, and he fought to hold his tongue. Since Sirius had died, he needed a distraction to get away from the Order and stay with them at the same time. He needed to clear his head; he needed to get away from this woman. They made the plans quickly because Aberforth got a little impatient. He had a lunch to prepare for, after all, and his pub wasn't a hideout. They left. Something got knocked over. Remus fumbled in his jacket for coins to pay for his drink. He jumped when she spoke behind him.
"What the hell are you doing?" Tonks rested her hand on the doorknob.
"I'm doing what's asked of me," said Remus, placing two Sickles on the table.
She shook her head, refusing to accept his answer. "You set that up. You're running away. Kingsley said you left your father the last time."
"Kingsley shouldn't have told you that. It's none of your business." Remus put his hands in his pockets. "Step aside, please."
"I met your father," she said, not backing down. Tonks did not seem ashamed about this at all. Remus sighed, frustrated. Of course she had. She took a shaky breath. "Lyall's a very kind man. We had tea Thursday."
"It's good he has company," said Remus, indifferent. This annoyed him. She should have bothered to ask. She'd been smart enough to piece the events of the other night together. He hadn't guessed she'd be brave enough to track his father down and go banging on his door. They were on a first-name basis, which bothered Remus immensely. "Am I going to have to tell you to stay away from my father, too? He doesn't need to be dragged into this."
"He knows nothing about the Order." Tonks gripped the doorknob tighter and stood her ground. "You realize I interrogate Dark wizards for a living, right? I can play this game forever. Sit down."
"I have to go." Remus tried to move her aside, and she pulled her wand on him. Tonks raised an eyebrow, daring him to make a move. Remus raised his hands in surrender and backed away slowly.
"I thought so." Satisfied, Tonks tucked her wand back into her robes. Remus sat down and checked his watch. It was nearly two-thirty. She sat on his lap and started kissing him again. "Stay with me. We'll find someone else."
"Who?" Remus actually laughed. That just sounded ridiculous. "Got a list of werewolf friends ready to risk their necks, have you?"
"I don't know. No. Shut up." Tonks got off him and started pacing the dusty room. Remus fought to keep a straight face when she walked into the table. "What about that man you met in St. Mungo's? Remember when Arthur was in the hospital?"
"Micheal?" Remus shook his head. "He's new. You're just asking for trouble. Are you all right?"
Tonks rolled her eyes, not letting him change the subject. "He talks to you, though. You can help him."
"Exactly." Remus held up his index finger. "I can find Michael and bring him over to our side. Do you see where Mad-Eye and Dumbledore, and I are going with this?"
"That is not what I meant and you know it." Tonks sucked her teeth.
"Michael needs me," he said quietly.
"Micheal needs you." Tonks started laughing and stopped when she reached him again. Her voice shook slightly, and she rubbed her hands together, her brown eyes filling with tears. "You're going through stuff. I get it. okay? But it's not about Michael, Remus. What about me? What about me?"
Remus stood at walked over to the door. "I'm sorry. I can't. Take care of yourself."
Remus left her in the back room and nodded to Aberforth before he left the Hog's Head. He got to the post office and punched the brick wall, making the owls scatter. He cursed, feeling pain shoot up his arm. This was not getting any easier. When he got to the Apparition spot, he turned on his heel and vanished.
He appeared on a shabby street in London. After grabbing some food stuffs at a shop, Remus stopped outside the flat, a place that reminded him of a condemned building, and ran up the rickety staircase to the third floor. He'd lived in worse places than this one. He'd even been homeless one winter five years ago. That had truly scared him. He went days without eating and had somehow landed a job as a dishwasher at a Muggle restaurant. This, too, didn't last. Remus stopped outside the fifth door and pounded on it with his injured fist. The window was broken.
"Micheal? Micheal, it's Remus. Micheal!" Remus sighed, thinking this was not his day. He scrapped together enough gold to pay Michael's rent for him. Sirius, and Remus hated to admit this, had left him some gold. After some time, Remus fished the spare key out of his pocket and shoved it into the keyhole. He opened the door. "Michael?"
He spotted the glass on the floor and the blood on the wall. Carefully, Remus set the groceries on the table and took out his wand, still calling for Michael. He followed an uneven blood trail. When he reached the bedroom, he found Michael laying in the bed. Blood covered his sheets. Cursing, Remus rushed over to him. Michael gasped, panicking, clutching his bloody neck.
"Shhh. You're fine. Michael, look at me." Remus grabbed a bedsheet and applied pressure to the wound. Speckled white turned to red. How had he gotten back into this bed? Remus managed to stop the bleeding as Michael slowed his breathing. Remus cleaned the wound before he conjured bandages. Powdered silver and dittany would do nothing at this point because he was already a werewolf. Remus did the best his could, although it was quick and dirty. He patted Micheal's pale face when Michael grabbed his wrist. There was so much blood. "Okay, okay."
Michael found his voice. "Found me …. I ran…. Greyback …."
"I know. I'll be right back, okay? Micheal, I have to clean myself off." Remus placed Micheal's head on damp pillows and walked into the shabby but s clean bathroom. He washed his hands like a Healer twice. He'd seen this done at the hospital and picked up the habit. He might be poor, but he married himself to cleanliness. He hated the slight of blood, and its scent drove him crazy. Micheal had enough respect to keep this place up. He walked back into the bedroom. "Michael, you have got to be more careful. You aren't just a wizard anymore. It's different."
"I gave up a good at the Ministry and I lost my house." Michael turned towards him, drained. "Why would he come after me again?"
"So, it wasn't Greyback." Remus nodded, strangely satisfied.
He helped Michael into a chair and changed his bed things. He walked through the house and cleaned the rest of the flat with casual flick of his wand. He put away the groceries to have something to do with his hands and made some scrambled eggs and toast before finding an expired carton of orange juice, realizing too late he'd forgotten to grab that at the store. It was better than nothing. When he walked back in the bedroom, he found Michael passed out in the chair.
"Michael." Remus shook him gently and placed the laden tray over his lap. "Wake up. You've got to eat."
"Thanks," said Michael, taking the fork and starting to eat the eggs. "How do you do this?"
"How do I live? I breathe." Remus smiled softly when Michael started laughing. Actually, he'd been quite serious. "Deep breathing helps. A potioneer told me that once. I read."
"You're smart." Micheal sipped the orange juice and made a face. "I hate this stuff."
That explained the expiration date. "Well, I'm not stupid. Michael?"
Michael finished his plate and placed his tray on the floor.
"You left your door unlocked, didn't you? They attacked you, and they locked it. You didn't alert St. Mungo's or me." Remus spoke calmly, hoping to disguise his mounting anger. On top of everything else, he was trying to save this man. "Why not?"
"It was the same werewolf, Remus, in human form. He tracked me down." Michael did not know his attacker's name. He made a face, annoyed and said exasperatedly, "I'm not going back to the hospital. Did you see how the Healers look at me?"
"I know that. I've been at this a lot longer than you, trust me. I need you to be honest with me. Answer me." Remus looked him right in the eye. "You were lying here. Were you trying to kill yourself?"
Michael turned away from him. Remus excused himself and marched out of the bedroom. He left the flat and closed the door. Remus raised his wand and cast his misshapen Patronus to alert the Order. He hoped for Kingsley, really, because he knew he could calm him down. He waited, thinking on second thought he could handle this himself. When he stood on the pavement, he spotted Micheal leaning against the window; his silhouette could be seen there. Minutes later, someone showed up. It wasn't Kingsley.
Of course, Tonks would answer his call. She stopped and watched the window with him. He held up a shaky hand, trying to get this out first.
"I am not religious. Whatever I am, I am a good, faithful Catholic man. I know that sounds stupid, I do, but it makes sense in my head. They are different. There are rules, and there are laws. There are things you just - you just don't do." Remus's hands shook. He turned towards her. "He-he gave up. I can't. If I go back in there, I'm going to lose it, Nymphadora. Please."
"Yeah. I've got this. Key?" Determined, Tonks took the key and headed upstairs. She stayed up there for some time with Michael. When she came downstairs, she handed him the key. When he took her into his arms, Remus started crying. "He's fine."
"I'm not. He knew I was coming. I always give him the date and the time." Remus told her the rest of the story. "I come every other Thursday with food and every Sunday. We talk on Sundays."
"Remus, this wasn't your fault," she said, saying it like it wasn't some empty sentiment. People always said that, yet he caught the emotion in her voice. "Micheal didn't know he was going to be attacked. He's scared."
"I know that! I'm scared. He has to decide he wants this."
Remus balled his fists together and held them at his sides. He walked away from her, fuming. A minute later, he went back the other way and took her face in his hands. He kissed her passionately and lifted her off the ground. She laughed, giggling in surprise. Before Remus knew what he doing, he was trying the doors on the ground floor. He grew impatient, especially when she started doing this thing with his ear. The sixth flat opened. It was a deserted, derelict place. Cloths covered the floor. He set her down and locked the cheap door. Knowing he was going to regret this later, he started kissing her again. Remus let her take over.
1 July 1997
"That's actually not very Catholic of you." Kingsley reflected, setting down his tankard.
When Remus finally got around to telling him about Michael and that night, this is what he got. Professor Dumbledore had died the night before in the Astronomy Tower. After he left the hospital wing, Remus spent time with Tonks. One thing led to another, and he found himself asking her to marry him. It was three in the morning, and Aberforth had no problem opening his doors to the Order. Tonks slept in a chair at their table, a half empty bottle in her hand.
"Says the man who had an affair with a pregnant married woman," said Remus, grinning as the accusatory look wiped itself off Kingsley's face. They toasted bottles.
Kingsley sat there passing his unopened bottle from hand to hand . "Fair enough. I hope that never gets out."
"What? That you love her?" Remus set his bottle next to an empty one. "She's divorced. What does she call herself now? Patti Fetch?'"
"What're we talking about?" Mad-Eye noticed the embarrassment etched on Kingsley's face and decided not to sit down. There was a hint of smile on his face. Tonks snorted and woke herself up. "Ah, Patti. Never mind."
"You are either really stupid or really brave." Remus checked Kingsley's blank expression. He gave nothing away, yet it finally dawned on Remus. He might have picked this up sooner.; he'd been secretly trying to get Kingsley with this woman forever, although Remus and Kingsley spent years apart from each other. Tonks picked through something in a basket. Remus spoke softly, trying desperately to get Kingsley to drop a hint. "You have been her this whole time. Kingsley! Damn it."
"I am neither confirming not denying anything." Kingsley got up and cleared their table. It was late at night and he probably felt bad about leaving all the cleaning to Aberforth. Remus pounded his fist on table, demanding to hear his side of the story. This was going to be good. "They weren't married. Not really. It was paperwork. They slept in separate bedrooms - she stayed in the marriage for her boy. If I'm going to hell, I'm going to enjoy the ride. I stopped caring a long time ago. She's mine. Tell Uncle Isaiah, Remus, and I'll end you."
"I heard nothing. That is - how do you hide something like that?" Remus handed him an empty bottle.
"Simple. He didn't. You just missed it." Mad-Eye frowned at Remus and gestured at Kingsley, enjoying the shock on Remus's face. "Aurors, especially two skilled Aurors - remember we're talking about Patti and Kingsley here - can hide anything. We play the part. I trained Patti personally: I threw absolutely everything at that woman. Oh, yes, she's not a potioneer. Did I forget to mention that? You think you know, but you don't know."
"Seriously?" Remus gaped at the three of them, completely thrown for a loop. "You are all liars."
"The funny part is," said Mad-Eye, clapping a hand on Tonks's shoulder. "You're marrying this one. God, I wish I had a mirror, Remus, so you could see your face. Good night."
"Thanks, Mad-Eye," muttered Tonks. Close to laughter, she studied Remus's face. " Are you going to freak out now?"
"Oh, he's already doing that inside his head. I can see it in his eyes." Kingsley nodded.
Remus tried to play the past through his mind. Surely, he thought, there had been something. He wasn't going to catch it. He sighed deeply, thinking Sirius would have completely lost it over this revelation. He had adored Patti Jordan.
"So…" He nudged Tonks playfully. "Who are you?"
5 December 1997
A year later, his life turned in on itself. Remus still struggled with doubt, though he figured that would always be in the back of his mind. Oddly enough, though he thought he would regret it, he got comfortable with sitting on the sidelines and stepping away from the Order. He lived with Tonks's parents, his in-laws. Although he didn't like living under their roof, mainly because he and his wife were now supported by her parents and other Order members, Remus kept his mouth shut.
Life was easier that way. He wasn't too confrontational to begin with. This wasn't his house, as he was painfully and annoyingly reminded of any chance Andromeda got. Ted wasn't in the house anymore because he was in hiding. While things had been easier with his father-in-law, Remus admitted it wasn't smooth sailing. Remus went out of his way to steer clear of Andromeda because she was sometimes quick to anger, and she didn't stop once she hit her stride. She was a kind woman, to be sure, but she left no doubt that she was from the prominent Black family.
Last Sunday, she'd thrown an egg at him while she prepared breakfast. Remus supposed he ought to have been angry. This father had done the exact same thing to him once, and Remus found himself unintentionally laughing it off. This had been the wrong move, of course, for it made her really, really angry. Remus quickly read the room and left the kitchen with a hurried apology. Passive-aggressiveness served as a double-edged sword. This stood out as an eye opener because he'd never shared a house with just women before. Every time he made a misstep, which happened more often than he would've liked to admit, Remus found himself hoping for a son.
On Friday afternoon, Remus stopped by on the couch in the small sitting room. Dora rested her head on the other side, and he casually draped her legs over his lap when he sat down. Bored, he picked up a copy of the iDaily Prophet\i off the coffee table and started reading an article about the Muggle-born Registration Commission. The piece read like this organization within the Ministry was a great success willing favor with the people. It reminded Remus of the excitement behind creating a new political platform: it sounded good and promising on the surface. As he got towards the end of the article, Remus froze when he heard banging on the door.
Remus drew off his wand before he got to his feet. Dora, merely turning her head the other way and continuing to sleep. Remus approached the door hesitantly, listening to the shuffled feet and heavy breathing outside. "Who is it?"
"Kingsley Shacklebolt," said a deep, steadying voice. "Auror, top security of Downing Street. I guard the Prime Minister. You, Remus Lupin, know I am Isaiah's only nephew."
Kingsley's voice stopped short. Remus, relieved, relaxed a little as he unlocked the door, still holding his wand aloft. When he stepped by, he almost screamed in surprise. Kingsley stood there dressed in a fine suit and carried a woman dressed in a red evening gown. She was a tall and slender black woman. The red fabric mingled with another shade of the same color; Kingsley's fine clothes were covered in blood. She had her hair pinned up in a braided bun. The left side of her face was covered with clotted blood: she was missing an ear. The other side of her face, charred flesh, resembled hamburger meat. Shocked, Remus was pulled back a few months and hauntingly reminded of George Weasley. Although he hadn't laid eyes on this woman in years, he immediately recognized her. This was Patricia Fetch.
"Remus, move," said Kingsley calmly but forcibly. He held a detached ear with a pearl earring attached in his hand. Remus saw it through his fingers. He lowered his wand, suddenly nauseous."She's just been Splinched. She's all right."
"What is going on? Oh, Merlin!" Dora woke up, jerked out of drowsiness when she saw the woman. She tossed her light blanket aside and got off the couch. Remus locked the door, still in shock. She crossed her arms and watched as Kingsley laid Patti on the couch. "Oh, my God. Is that Patti Fetch?"
"Yes," said Kingsley shortly, kneeling on the floor. He gave the facts. "Bellatrix tracked her down on Downing Street. Patti thought she was going after the Minister's niece. I grabbed her and we started to Apparate, but my hand slipped. I let her go -she fell. Bellatrix grabbed her -Patti turned back to face her ... and Bellatrix ...she set her on fire! Help me."
"You might want to go somewhere else till we get this sorted out." Remus did not want Dora getting queasy from witnessing this.
"I'm fine. That bitch." Dora ran upstairs and came back with a kit and her mother. As she organized the kit clumsily with shaking hands, she spoke to Andromeda, handing over the essence of dittany. "Your sister needs to die."
"Well, Patti was the Senior Auror who bought Bellatrix in when she and the others in after the Longbottom attack," explained Kingsley. Remus had never seen Kingsley this unnerved and he thought he was trying to keep control by bringing up the past. This was news to Remus as well. Kingsley cleaned the wound with cotton and alcohol before he reattached the ear. The dittany hissed when it hit her severed flesh. Patti, luckily, had passed out. "Patti questioned her alone for hours. Bellatrix owed her one."
"Kingsley." Remus spoke to his shoes and leaned against the wall.
"She told me to let her go. I-I slipped. Mad-Eye would've killed me. Patti was his girl back in the day." Kingsley tucked a blanket around Patti's body and kissed her softly on the lips when he got to his feet. He passed a shaking hand over his bald pate. "God! I couldn't leave her."
"Of course not." Andromeda's eyes widened in shock. She hugged herself.
"She told you let her go?" Dora walked over to Remus and wrapped an arm around his waist. Kingsley nodded curtly, clenching his fists furiously. "Damn. She's fierce."
"Someone's got to tell her son. Someone's got to tell Lee." Remus pulled himself away from Dora and grabbed parchment, ink, and quill off the cluttered coffee table. He unscrewed the ink bottle, holding the quill above the parchment. How exactly was he supposed to break this news? The letter could easily be intercepted by the Death Eaters. Forget the fact that he was about to horrify Lee. "Did she had a nickname like Mad-Eye in the Auror's Office?"
"Faceless," said Dora, sounding slightly star struck. She sounded like she idolized her. "She worked alongside Frank and Alice Longbottom. She's beautiful and flawless in her technique. Her disguises?"
"You're a Metamorpmagus," Andromeda pointed out.
Dora disagreed. "Not the same thing."
"Patti's different," said Remus, a grin spreading across his face as he finally decided on how to phrase his message and finished his letter. He sealed it. "I thought she was potioneer for three years. She becomes her character and leaves herself behind. She fooled Professor Dumbledore once while he stood in the street. I saw her in action. It's an art."
Giving Remus a high five, Dora gave Patti a compliment that made her mother say, "Nymphadora!"
After borrowing Andromeda's owl to send off the news, Remus hurried back downstairs. Patti, ashen-faced, sat next to Kingsley sipping brandy. The orange paste was healing her burns without leaving hints of lasting damage. She raised her glass to him and squeezed Kingsley's hand. Remus smiled, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.
Remus walked behind the couch and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Dear lady."
"Remus Lupin." Patti's weak smile reached her eyes. She handed him a sealed roll of parchment. "You've aged. I have a gift for you."
"You're still beautiful as ever. Thank you." Remus took the parchment and read through what he thought were property rights to something called called WYGN. He read through it thrice, sure he missed something here. Patti was no prankster. The rights, it appeared were drafted in her name. Remus read through it, again, lost. Finally, he turned to Kingsley. " I don't understand. What's she doing?"
"Me? Nothing. You? You're stealing the airwaves." Patti got to her feet and walked over to him. She was nearly dead on her feet, so she took Remus's arm in hers. Kingsley nodded at her encouragingly. They walked around the sitting room, Remus gripping the parchment in his other hand. Patti licked her lips before she started. "The media's gone to hell here. The iDaily Prophet\i is a rag. The WWN? It's worse. Lovegood's paper ...well, it's his paper. We need to get the word out."
"But that's it," he said slowly, still not cottoning on. What did she expect him to do? Pamphlets? Those, too, could be intercepted.
"Remus, what's that?" Patti pointed to the wireless against the wall.
"A wireless," he said slowly, pronouncing every syllable and feeling rather stupid. He glanced at the parchment and back at the wireless about four or five times. It took a long minute before it clicked in his head. Without thinking, he kissed Patti full on the mouth. He shot a furtive look at Dora and gave her a hurried apology. It didn't matter. Dora lost her breath laughing and rested a hand on her belly. In his excitement, Remus started running upstairs, stopped halfway, came back down, and hugged her. "Patti, you're amazing. You're - you're - thank you, thank you, dear lady."
"No problem." Patti released him and turned to Dora. She apologized, too, flushed. "He's a fool, a clever fool, but a fool nonetheless. Oh, my son wants in. Good luck with that."
"Fred and George," Kingsley added as an afterthought, dropping his face in his hands as reality hit him. Laughing her head off, Dora almost fell going up the stairs as she rushed to the bathroom. "I take it back. Remus, we're going to die running this circus."
"We'll be fine." Remus slipped the parchment inside his robes. He looked forward to it. Of course the Weasley boys knew because they were Lee's best friends. Scratching his chin, he thought about it, remembering James and Sirius. They had provided comic relief for the Order on darker days. "You know, they might actually be useful. This will work. Don't you have an office party, Mr. Secretary?"
"I do." Kingsley got to his feet, took off his jacket, and went into the kitchen to hand wash it. When she came downstairs and watched him with mild interest, Dora snorted, reminded Kingsley he was a wizard, and Kingsley siphoned the damage off with his wand and cast a drying spell. As shrugged back into the jacket and took a wedding band out of his pocket. "I bought this off Mundungus ages ago."
Remus made a show of coughing through his answer. "Make it permanent."
"Thank you, Mr. Lupin," said Patti, rolling her eyes. She smiled when Kingsley walked over and whispered something in her ear. He unzipped her damaged expensive gown. Patti held it close to her body. "I've nothing to wear now. That was three weeks worth of Muggle earnings."
"I can say you're ill." Kingsley shrugged his shoulders and checked his watch. "You can't wear that anyway, Patti, I just wanted to see you in it."
"Oh!" Patti wagged her finger at him. "Seriously. Why not? I like it. I'm the best dressed Muggle in the place."
"You're a housemaid. Your husband," said Remus, nodding at Kingsley, "is a secretary. How is he supposed afford that? No housemaid is an heiress."
"Or one of the Royal Family." Kingsley kissed her bare shoulder. "Dumb it down, Faceless."
"Damn it." Patti gathered her gown and headed upstairs. Minutes later, she came downstairs with Dora. She wore a simple, knee-length black cocktail dress with expensive white heels. When Dora got to the foot of the stairs, Patti flicked her wand casually and changed her red pocketbook to white. She placed one long leg behind the other, winked at Andromeda, and gave them a mock curtsy. "Will this do, gentlemen?"
Remus helped Dora clean off the coffee table. Kingsley simply gaped at her and played with something in his picket, so Remus filled in the blank. "You're lovely. He approves."
Patti took Kingsley's arm and started towards the door. Remus gave Kingsley a pointed look as the black man opened the door. He, Remus, had been pushing this line for years to no avail because it fell to deaf ears. Fred Weasley could joke all he wanted about seeing Kingsley in political office. Remus saw this happening, though he avoided Divination like dragon pox. Annoyed when Kingsley pretended to not hear him, Remus threw all caution to the wind. What's the worse that could happen?
"Hey, Patti. When Kingsley becomes Minister," said Remus, ignoring Andromeda's quelling gaze. Patti stopped. "You're going to make a stunning wife standing by his side."
Kingsley, saying calmly that he was waiting for Christmas Eve, took a ring out of his pocket as they stepped over the threshold and slipping it on her finger. "Patricia," he started, but Patti took his face in her hands and silenced him with a kiss before they walked down the street.
"I called that! Remember that was me. That's going to be fantastic. Talk about a power couple!" Elated, Remus slammed the door before getting comfortable on the couch and pulling his wife close. "Actually it was Mad-Eye. Mad-Eye was brilliant. That's - that's amazing."
"They're cute," said Tonks, resting her legs by elevating them on the couch. She grinned at him and punched him in the arm. "She's your dear lady? You kissed your dear lady?"
"Well, yes," he said slowly. He'd called Patti that ever since he was nineteen years old. He laughed, patting her on the leg. "You've nothing to worry about. You're my lady."
Andromeda, who sat on the stairs, made them jump when she gave a little scream. She apologized as they turned to face and lowered her hand. Remus guessed she'd been sitting there lost in her own thoughts. She nodded at Remus and pointed at the door . Confused, Remus waited for her brain to register what she wanted to say because she just gestured strangely for a moment.
"She's Estelle! She's the girl Sirius thought was drop dead gorgeous. He called her that." Andromeda crossed her legs and made a face, reciting a buried memory. "'I'm going to be with that girl …. she's got these legs….'"
"'….she's just marvelous. She's mine.'" said Remus, turning to face her and speaking with her in unison as they recalled Sirius's description. Remus nodded, laughing heartily with Andromeda. He'd forgotten all about that. "Yeah, that's her. Don't ask me how he got 'Estelle' from 'Patricia'. I've no idea."
"Wasn't Kingsley the one assigned to catch Sirius?" Andromeda sighed when Remus started laughing harder. "That's just - that's perfect. She is so above Sirius. That's just sad. Well, that was never going to happen. Where the hell did he get that idea?"
"I know!" Remus was laughing so hard he had trouble catching his breath. He wiped tears from his eyes and patted Tonks's legs. Remus and Andromeda shared a smile and enjoyed the silence that followed.
4 April 1998
All things considered, not that anything compared to this, Remus thought the day his son was born the best day of his life. After he left Shell Cottage, he grabbed his father. When they returned to the house, after having a long conversation, Remus followed his father upstairs. They stopped outside the bedroom, listening to the soft voices inside. Remus opened the door and poked his head inside.
Andromeda sat in a chair by the bedside. She'd fallen asleep for she'd been up non-stop over the last two days. It had been a long night for all of them. Dora lay in the bed, exhausted, but smiling. Remus stepped aside to let his father see her, and they both gave her an identical wave without thinking about it. Dora laughed softly and rested her head back on the pillows. She held a small bundle in her arms. Remus shooed Lyall inside and left the door open.
"This is my father," said Remus, passing a hand between them as he exchanged introductions. He clapped a hand on his father's shoulder. "Dad. this is Dora. And that's her mother."
"I remember," said Lyall, smiling shyly. He walked over and patted Dora on the arm. "Hello. I told you he wasn't that difficult, didn't I? It's like a poking yourself in the eye with a wand."
Remus didn't know how to feel about this. He feigned offense. "Is that a compliment?"
Dora and Lyall turned to look at him and gave the same answer as they shook their heads vigorously. "No. Definitely not."
"Okay." Remus collapsed into a chair and rubbed his eyes.
"It's nice to see you again, Lyall. How're things?" Dora smiled when he sat on the edge of the bed.
"I met the Scottish Rose. That's a poltergeist. She - she's a Poltergeist in Inverness Castle. Mary, Queen of Scots, lived there. The poltergeist went along with when it got reconstructed. Stop me when I'm boring you." Lyall caught himself and bent to kiss her on her forehead. Dora shook her head and blinked sleepily at him. "You're a sweet girl. I'm putting you to sleep with a boring story."
"Let him talk. These are really good bedtime stories," said Remus, closing his eyes briefly and fighting to keep them open. "You shut up and you let him talk. We should share them with Teddy. Ask him about Abigail St. Clair - that's a never-ending story. It works really well."
"Lyall, I'd like you to meet someone," said Dora, shifting the baby and placing him carefully in the man's arms. "His name is Teddy Remus Lupin. He's your grandson."
Lyall's voice shook a little. "He is beautiful."
Lyall rocked the baby in his arms as Teddy began getting fussy. Remus smiled, watching Lyall handle the newborn with ease as if he'd done this his whole life. Lyall spoke softly to the baby and shifted him a little, feeling Teddy's soft blonde locks. Lyall kissed the baby's hands and eventually fell into some story about good old Lady Victoria. Dora eventually drifted off to sleep and rested her hand on Lyall's leg. When Remus caught his father's eye, he took a deep shuddering breath, because they were both crying.