After a rather uncomfortable dinner, Remus rose from the table. However, he was well aware that dinner could have been worse; overall, it had been pretty uneventful. Perhaps Bellatrix really could have a place in their family. The question was could he live with that? He needed some time to think about it alone.

He kissed Tonks lightly on the cheek. "Will you be all right here for a couple of hours?" he asked her.

"Of course," she told him, "but where are you going?"

"Just out," he replied, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Are you all right?"

He wanted to scream that he was anything but all right. He wanted to remind her of Sirius. He wanted to throw a hissy fit to end all hissy fits. But he did none of those things. For some reason, his wife and daughter wanted Bellatrix in their lives. He knew that it meant a lot to them, and he didn't have the heart to fight them on it. After all, she seemed so fragile and harmless.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I just need to go out for awhile."

"Okay," Tonks nodded, but it was obvious that she didn't believe him.

Not knowing how to reassure her, he said nothing more. Instead, he told the others that he was going out, kissed his daughter, and nodded curtly to Bellatrix. With that done, he quickly fled out the front door.

A cold winter wind hit him the moment he stepped outside. His face and hands ached from the coldness, but it was welcome. Winter was familiar; he knew how to handle snow and ice. Bellatrix Lestrange was a very different matter.

Shaking his head, Remus Apparated to the Hog's Head. He needed a stiff drink and some time to think. The Hog's Head was the place for him to go.

Once inside he was greeted by the foul stench of strong alcohol and a feeling of deep despair. He had spent a fair amount of time in this bar after the deaths of James and Lily, and then again after Sirius' death. Nothing ever changed within these walls. It was dark and foreboding, matching his mood perfectly.

Collapsing at his favorite table, near the back of the pub, he waited for his Firewhisky. He no longer had to place an order here. When the barkeep saw him, he knew that something was wrong. He knew exactly what Remus needed. He needed only one thing when he entered this building.

Surely enough, moments later, he received a large glass of Firewhisky and a sympathy smile. The barkeep departed quickly. He had learned long ago that Remus Lupin's misery did not like company.

Remus had left his home in an attempt to come to terms with his new house guest; however, he couldn't even bring himself to think about Bellatrix. He couldn't bring himself to think about anything other than the soothing, burning sensation in his throat caused by the Firewhisky. Halfway through the glass, he was interrupted.

Without invitation, a large man sat down across from him, and called for the barkeep to bring him a Firewhisky as well.

"I would really prefer to be alone, Kingsley," he muttered.

"By the looks of you, that's the last thing you need. You look like you want to drown yourself in that glass. What's wrong, mate?"

"Oh nothing," he muttered bitterly, "except my daughter befriended the woman who killed my best mate, and then my wife decided it would be a good idea to move her into our house. Oh, and apparently, Harry has been torturing her for the last twelve years. But no one else seems to find this situation upsetting, so I guess I'm just being odd."

"Tonks bought Bellatrix?"

"Actually, Harry gave her to us. He was really upset that she had contact with some of the students, so he decided to sell her back to the Ministry. Cassie had a fit and somehow that led to Bellatrix being my permanent house guest."

The two men said nothing as the barkeep dropped off Kingsley's drink. Remus didn't even bother to look up. Manners meant little to him at that moment.

"I'm sorry, mate," Kingsley said once they were alone. "But why didn't you just tell Tonks that you didn't want Bellatrix in your home?"

"I couldn't do that to Cassie. She was so relieved when her mother offered to take Bellatrix. I couldn't devastate my daughter like that. The worst of it is Neville Longbottom's son was in the middle of this too. Neville was there when this happened. He has dedicated his entire life to catching the remaining Death Eaters. He'll never get over the fact that his son befriended the woman who tortured his parents to insanity. He'll never forgive me and Tonks for helping that woman. I'm not sure that I can blame him."

"Is Cassie all right, now?"

"She's thrilled. She loves having Bellatrix around, but tomorrow we have to tell her about the war. We have to explain to her why Harry and Neville hate Bellatrix with such a passion. I have to tell her about Sirius' death. She loves Bellatrix so much; this will crush her. But if she doesn't hear the truth from us, she'll find out from Frank when she goes back to school."

"Would you feel any better about her if I told you that I don't believe she meant to kill Sirius?"

For the first time, Remus looked up. His eyes locked with Kingsley's as though he was trying to determine the truthfulness of his words. Quickly, his eyes returned to the glass.

"That's ridiculous," he muttered. "They were dueling. We were in the middle of a battle. Of course, they were trying to harm each other. She meant to kill him."

"I saw most of their duel. She didn't use a single Unforgivable Curse. Everyone knows that she was very talented with the Unforgivables and didn't hesitate to use them. She didn't use them on her cousin because she didn't wish to cause him real harm. If she wanted Sirius dead, she would have used the Killing Curse and been done with it. I believe, and always have, that Sirius' death was a tragic accident."

"Even if she didn't mean to kill him, and I doubt that was the case, you make her sound like a sadistic monster. That does nothing to ease my concerns about having her in my home—with my family."

Kingsley sighed, "I believe there was a time when Bellatrix had a cruel nature, Remus, but people change. Your daughter sees good in her. But even if Cassie is wrong, Bellatrix is no danger to you or your family. She is helpless, now. If she even thinks of harming anyone, she will find herself in immense pain. It's all part of the training."

"I just don't understand why Tonks would want to bring her into our lives."

Kingsley shifted in his seat and began to stare in his glass.

"What?" Remus demanded quickly.

"I'm not sure that I should tell you. If Tonks hasn't told you herself, she must have her reasons. It's really not my place."

"Come on, Kingsly. I need all the help I can get here. If you have any idea what motivated Tonks to bring that woman into our home, you need to tell me."

Sighing loudly, Kingsley began to explain, "Tonks was the one to arrest Bellatrix. When all the other Aurors failed to find her, on a whim, Tonks found her. The first day Tonks came back to work after her mother died, we were assigned to oversee the training of the Death Eaters. I can't explain to you how horrific that is to watch. I couldn't explain it to her either. I didn't want her to come, but she insisted."

Kingsley looked away again and took a deep breath before continuing, "Tonks watched her aunt's training that day. She saw how horribly Bellatrix was tortured. She watched Rodolphus die. Bellatrix looked into Tonks' eyes when she realized that her husband was gone. That was twelve years ago, and Tonks has never been the same at work. She feels guilty for putting Bellatrix in that position. She has lost her desire to be an Auror."

"Why didn't she tell me any of this?"

"Probably because Bellatrix killed Sirius. Tonks must have known how you felt about Bellatrix. She was probably afraid of losing you. Look how Neville reacted. But today she had to take the chance. She couldn't let Bellatrix continue to suffer."

"Do you honestly believe that Sirius' death was an accident?"

"Yes."

Nodding, Remus rose from the table.

"I need to go home and speak with my wife."

When he Apparated into the living room, he was surprised to find Tonks sitting alone on the couch, nervously pulling at her hair. She jumped to her feet when she saw, knocking the coffee table to its side. Neither of them acknowledged it.

"Is everything all right?" Remus asked, dread seeping through him. "Where's Cassie?"

"She's fine. She and Bellatrix went to bed."

"Then why do you look so worried?"

"I was worried about you. Do you hate me for bringing her here?" She looked at him with petrified eyes as though she could start sobbing at any moment.

"No," he said softly, pulling her into a tight hug, "I could never hate you."

He felt her arms grip his shoulders. The urgency of her grasp told him that she really had been worried. How could she ever think that he would hate her?

"We do need to talk," he told her. "Can we go to bed? I don't want to be interrupted or overheard."

Tonks nodded and they headed down the hall.

Once they were safely shut in their room, Tonks collapsed on their bed, and stared intently at her husband. Her face was still a mask of worry and concern. Remus knew that he had done nothing to reassure her.

"You don't want her here, do you?" she finally asked.

Remus sat down beside her and took her hand before answering, "I didn't. I only agreed to it for Cassie's sake, but I have learned some new information. Perhaps it really is for the best that she's here."

"What did you learn?" Tonks looked curious.

"I ran into Kingsley tonight. He gave me some insight as to why you would want to bring her here."

"He told you about her training?" her eyes dropped.

"Yes. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because of Sirius. I knew you could never forgive her. You still can't. You hate her. I shouldn't have done this." Tears began to stream down her face.

"I don't hate her," he said as he wiped away her tears. "She has done some horrible things, but she has suffered for them. There must be some good in her for Cassie to become so attached. Even Kingsley is willing to give her the benefit of the doubt; he told me that he doesn't believe she meant to kill Sirius."

"Really?"

Remus nodded.

"I hope he's right."

"Me too."

"Are you sure you're okay with her staying here?" Tonks asked. "If you can't do this, we need to end the arrangement quickly. Cassie is getting more attached by the moment. I have already started trying to get Bella to let her guard down. I don't want her to start feeling safe here just to be sent away."

"I want her to stay. No one deserves to be treated the way Harry was treating her. She should have a second chance. Besides, she makes Cassie happy. And hopefully this situation will help you get over some undeserved guilt."

"Thank you, Remus," she told him as she hugged him tightly.

"You know, we're not in the clear yet," he reminded her. "We still have to explain her role as a Death Eater to Cassie."

"She'll understand. She won't stop loving her."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Cassie is like my mum. She sees the world exactly as Mum saw it. Mum never stopped loving Bella; Cassie won't either."

"What about Frank?" Remus asked. "Do you think he'll continue to care about Cassie or Bella?"

"I don't know," Tonks admitted, shaking her head sadly. "He won't have anything to do with either on of them, if Neville gets his way. Did you see the hatred on his face? It was scary. It was almost like being back in the war. I can't believe the amount of anger he and Harry are carrying around."

"I know," he agreed. "They both lost a lot in the war, but it's been twelve years. They should be enjoying their lives. They should be grateful just to have their lives. I wish we could do something to help them."

"I don't think either of them wants help from us, right now. This could end up causing a huge rift in your friendship with Harry, you know."

"It'll be okay. He'll get over it. Besides, he couldn't have been that mad. He did give us Bellatrix."

"I can't believe he spent all those years torturing her. Some day he's going to have to stop mourning. I just wish there was someone who could show him that."

A face popped into Remus' mind. It was the face of a young woman, whom he hadn't seen in many years. She was a woman who would look at the situation logically. She was also trusted by both Harry and Neville.

Remus stayed with Tonks until she fell asleep, then he quietly slipped out to the living room and sent an owl.