Disclaimer: Apologies to those who feel I might have butchered Nymphadora Tonks. She's not my character, see, and I feel clumsy handling her.

IX.

January 1997

One night, Thea woke up to the sound of the glass in a downstairs window shattering. Her adrenaline spiked, and at first she thought it was a burglar. She reached for the phone, to call the police. But then a wailing noise pierced the night and a bright light filled the windows of the Davison house.

"Damn it!" a voice cried out. "This one's protected!"

Another voice spoke an unintelligible phrase, and Thea's hand stopped on its way to the bedside phone. Her heart began beating faster. Much, much faster. Not here, not here, oh, please not here. Rhys put his spectacles on beside her and got out of bed slowly, quietly, so as not to make a noise. The second voice spoke up. "It was. The charm hasn't been worked this last year or more. And there's not a witch or wizard near the place. C'mon, Avery."

"Someone might come," said the first man.

There was an unpleasant laugh. "Let 'em. The Dark Lord'd thank us to get rid of blood traitors and Muggle-lovers."

Thea closed her eyes tight, tight, and forced herself to breathe. She should have got them out, she should have said something! Rhys ran his fingers through his hair helplessly, looking around for anything he could use in their defense. Thea sprang out of bed. "Don't bother, Rhys, please," she hissed. There was another unintelligible shout, and more glass broke downstairs. "Go- grab Alice and get out. I'll get the boys. We can't—"

"We'll go next door and call the police," Rhys said, nodding.

Thea shook her head. "No, no, it wouldn't work! Just go, Rhys! We'll meet you in the backyard. Don't find them. Avoid them. Run!"

Without waiting for an assent Thea sprang out of bed and tore down the hall. There were footsteps on the stairs, slow. These people were savouring her family's terror.

"I hear you scurrying up there, you little cockroaches," a rasping, mocking voice sounded around the corner. "Come out to be stomped."

Thea swallowed and slipped into her sons' bedroom. Riley was sitting against the wall, knees drawn up against his chest and eyes wide. With one hand he clutched a fistful of his quilt. With the other arm, he held his five year old brother tightly. "Mum," he mouthed. The word wouldn't sound past the fear that clogged his throat. Thea knew. The same fear clogged hers.

"Honey—Baby, you have to climb out the window, okay?" she breathed. The door down the hall—her and Rhys' bedroom—there was a crunch as it was kicked in. Thea bit her lip to keep the tears back as she prayed her husband had gone. A laugh sounded again. She continued whispering instructions to Riley.

"Onto the roof, down the drainpipe, and out the back gate. Go to the grocery on the corner. Find as many people as you can to stay with you."

Riley hesitated. His hand clutched his brother more tightly. "Andy?"

Andrew was still too small to get out. "I'll take care of your brother, Riley," Thea said. "Just go!"

Riley swallowed, nodded, and with Thea's help, wrenched open the bedroom window and climbed out on the roof.

Thea didn't wait to see him climb down. She heard them leaving the bedroom now, coming down the hall. She picked up Andrew, as heavy as he was. She could feel the blood pounding in her skull. She could hear every little noise they made. Dark Wizards. Death Eaters. In her house. Would she and her family be missing persons in the paper next week? They were in the study now. She heard wood crunching as it was destroyed. She heard another shouted spell, another cruel laugh. And then there was crackling, and Thea smelled smoke. Fire!

Thea Ramora bolted with her youngest son. She raced for the stairs. She half-fell down them, carrying Andrew. He had started to whimper. "Mum, I'm scared!" Behind them, she heard a shout.

"There! Down the stairs! Stupefy!"

Without looking behind her, Thea dodged to her left. Andrew cried out. The red jet of light just missed them. It hit the blue vase on the table at the foot of the stairs instead. The vase shattered. A piece of glass flew out and hit Thea's hand. She started to bleed.

Thea staggered forward. She all but threw Andrew down and pushed him, hard, towards the back door. He didn't even need her to tell him to run. She ran after him, but she heard two cracks behind her and stopped in the doorway as the Death Eaters materialised in the back yard.

They were going to die. Rhys cried out and a scream—Alice's—rent the night. Thea ran out of the house to see that Rhys and Alice had made it down. Rhys was on the ground. He'd been thrown off the masked and cloaked man he'd obviously thrown himself at, the one that had been waiting for Thea and Andrew to emerge from the house. He'd landed on his right wrist. It was hanging at an odd angle. Behind Rhys, Andrew had run to his older brother. Riley had scraped up hands from his climb. He was trembling, and his face was pale. But he'd thrust Andy behind him, back towards the wall of the house, which was starting to smoke.

And Alice—Alice was on the ground, writhing and screaming. The second cloaked figure pointed a wand on her. He was laughing, revelling in the little girl's pain. Thea saw all this in a millisecond. And she acted. In that moment, it didn't matter anymore that they were wizards, that she could not do anything to stop them that would work, that Rhys' attack had already failed. White hot fury coursed through her, and all that mattered was that this was her home, her family. And the girl screaming was her daughter. Unarmed in her nightdress she sprang at Alice's torturer with a cry. Rhys rose, too, his face twisted in pain, and began staggering back towards his sons.

There was another crack, then, right before Thea could reach Alice's assailant. A third hooded figure materialised, and waved a wand. Thea was thrown several feet. She hit the ground hard. And Alice kept screaming. The man that had disarmed Rhys before turned his wand on him again, and Rhys yelled as a gash appeared on his arm.

Thea was winded. Her hand was bleeding badly, and all her limbs ached, but she climbed to her feet to face the third Death Eater. The figure was waiting. Beneath the skull mask, Thea saw a smile.

Then there were two more cracks as two other wizards Apparated into their midst. Thea almost despaired, but then she saw in the light of the half moon that these were bareheaded and unmasked. This one's protected! The words rang out in her head and she thought, someone cares. The two new wizards turned their wands upon the cloaked assailants.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Stupefy!"

Alice stopped screaming.

One of the spells missed, but one of the three Death Eaters fell to the ground. The other two turned to face the newcomers. By the light of her burning house, Thea saw lights leave wands. She heard the strange words of the spells as the wizards duelled. Rhys came forward and picked up Alice with a hiss. His wrist was broken. His arm was bleeding badly. Thea fell back with him to where Riley and Andrew crouched, watching the wizards with wide, fearful, uncomprehending eyes.

Alice still quivered and jerked in Rhys' arms. Tears ran down her face, and she whimpered. Andrew came forward and grabbed Thea's hand so tightly she felt the circulation stop. But she held his hand just as tightly.

Cracks and hisses came from the burning building, bangs and shouts from the duelling wizards. The two Death Eaters had fallen back now to stand near their fallen companion, and the two challengers were standing back to back. One of them was much shorter and slimmer than the four others. The higher, ringing tone declared that she was female. And the man—the man fighting off the Death Eaters was tall and thin, and Thea knew his voice.

They all watched. Rhys jerked his head. "Now's our chance," he said, his voice choked with pain. "I don't know what's going on, but we can get out now. Call the police, the firemen. Hospital. Help me with the boys."

Thea reached out and seized Rhys' arm. "We can't do that. Darling- what could they do? Just wait—please."

One of the woman's spells connected them. A Death Eater yelled in pain and rage. Then there were two more cracks. The Death Eaters disappeared, one bearing his already fallen comrade. Their two rescuers turned, and Rhys saw the man clearly for the first time.

He was already as tense as a coiled spring. Now he went very, very still. "The man—I know that man. Thea—what's going on? That was your friend, wasn't it? Lucas, or something."

"Lupin," Thea said. "Remus Lupin."

She spoke quietly, and Rhys turned. The blood from the gash on his arm was welling up onto Thea's fingers. She didn't let go. "Thea-girl," Rhys said, just as quietly, but far more intensely. "What the hell just happened?" There wasn't a shred of doubt in his voice that she could answer.

She opened her mouth, but the woman's voice cut her off. "Aguamenti!" she cried, turning her wand upon the house. A jet of water came out of the end and hit the fire, just turning into a blaze, with a hiss. Remus followed up the jet with one of his own. The two of them, with repetitive jets of water, stopped the fire. Then the woman looked at Remus, and they nodded at one another. With one cooperative sweep of their arms, the smell of burning left the air entirely. Thea looked up, and saw the scorch marks on the side of Riley's bedroom wall fade, and she somehow knew the wizard and witch had repaired her entire house—at least the exterior.

"It's magic, mum," Andy whispered. "They're magic."

Thea pressed her lips together. And Rhys just stared at her. Remus went to the fence and began muttering, with his wand out, but the woman came over to kneel in front of Thea and her family.

By the light of the woman's wand, Thea was just able to make out a young, heart-shaped face and sympathetic grey eyes, framed by shortish brown hair. "Wotcher," she said softly to Rhys. "Your daughter?" She looked down at Alice, still quivering and sobbing. Stiffly, Rhys nodded. "Let me look. I can help."

Rhys' fingers tightened on Alice, instead, though both he and Alice let out noises of pain. "Who are you?" he demanded of the woman. "What just happened here?"

Thea swallowed. "They were—I think they were Death Eaters, darling. And this woman—and Remus—they fight them."

"What in God's name are Death Eaters?" Rhys snapped, and the woman gave Thea a sharp glance.

But all she said was, "They're bad news, sir. Now let me see."

Alice's eyelids fluttered, and Andrew and Riley leaned in to see her. Andrew's lip was trembling, and there were tear-tracks on his face. Rhys at last loosened his hold on Alice. He looked hard at Thea, and then at the woman. Thea nodded.

"It'll be all right, I think."

The woman put a hand to Alice's forehead, pausing as she noted Rhys' own injury. Then she called, "Remus, I think I'll take the protective charms, actually. The man's got a nasty gash—curse wound, and a broken wrist. Bad cut on the woman, abrasions on the eldest boy, and the girl here's been hit with Crucio."

Remus, over by the fence, stopped what he was doing and walked over. "No one is better at healing charms than Remus," the woman told Rhys by way of assurance. "In the Order, that is."

Rhys only shook his head in outraged confusion as she rose. As Remus knelt to take her place, the woman squeezed his shoulder. Remus looked grim, and wouldn't meet her gaze. Or anyone's. Like his companion before him, he put a hand on Alice's forehead. "With your permission?" he asked Thea.

"Daddy, it hurts!" whispered Alice brokenly.

Rhys, though his jaw was tight, nodded. Thea nodded, too. Remus' wand lit up and he pointed it at Alice. The light was soft blue, and as it moved over Alice's limbs and torso, she gave a sigh, and relaxed. Her eyelids fluttered again.

"What are you doing?" Riley demanded. "Are you—are you hurting her more? I'll—I'll stop you!" he darted forward from where he stood behind Rhys and Thea, fists clenched.

Remus shook his head. "Your little sister's been hit with the Torture Curse, Riley Davison," he said in a quiet, even tone. "I'm repairing the muscular damage it did her. She'll sleep for a day or so, but then she'll be just fine."

Riley looked hard at Remus. "How do you know my name, sir?"

Remus didn't answer. But Riley didn't press him. Andrew piped up from beside Thea, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "Why did they come? Why'd they do that to Alice? Why'd they burn our house and make mummy scream?" Two fat little tears welled up, and he stammered, "Will they—will they come back?"

Remus' companion had finished whatever she had been doing. She came back and knelt down in front of Andrew. "No, sweetie, no," she said to him. "I renewed the charms Remus here had over your house, and made 'em stronger, hey? If those Death Eaters can even see your house, it'll be more than I expect of them. You see, they're mean, but they're kinda stupid." She made a comic face, and Andrew smiled hesitantly up at her. Then she frowned. "Remus," she muttered, "I get why you dashed out of headquarters like the bloody devil was after you now. Sort of. But why are we still here? You know protocol. Will you? Or shall I?

Protocol. Thea knew what she meant. Fear curled up in her stomach again, and Rhys' head came up. "Pardon me, madam," he said shakily. "I think I must be missing something. My family was attacked just now. It's clear to me that you have just saved our lives, but I'm sorry if I don't understand just how. Who are these Death Eaters? Why did they come here? Who are you? And you just said Lupin here had 'charms' over my house? Andy—my son—he said just now…if I didn't know any better—"

Remus cut him off. "I can fix your arm and wrist, Rhys, if you like."

Rhys nodded, and watched as Remus Lupin turned his wand upon the burned hands and they healed, as the gash the Death Eater's curse had given him stopped bleeding, and sealed itself up.

"This is magic," he breathed.

As Remus healed Riley in his turn, Thea squeezed her husband's arm. "It is magic, darling," she said. "There are witches and wizards, and they use magic. Some of them are good, and some of them are bad. And right now, they're having a war. The Death Eaters—those are the bad ones, like criminals, or a better analogy would be Nazis, I suppose, since if they win, the things they do won't be criminal. They don't want to share the world with people like us, that can't do magic. They didn't need a reason to attack." She swallowed. "You've seen it in the news." She wasn't sure she should continue. Alice was sleeping, but Riley and Andrew were watching her, taking in her every word. She clenched her bloody hand, though, before presenting it to Remus to be healed. They needed to understand what had happened tonight. So she went on, voice strained as she felt her skin cells knit together.

"All those people who have gone missing—and—"she broke off. The horror of what had almost happened to them washed over her again. She swayed slightly where she knelt, and bit her lip 'til the blood came to keep back the tears.

Andrew hugged her arm. "But they saved us, Mummy," he said, pointing at Remus and his friend. "These people saved us. They're winning, aren't they?"

Thea couldn't answer. Honestly, she didn't know. So she hugged Andy back, and called to his brother. "Riley, sweetheart, can you take your brother inside?"

Riley frowned. "The bad wizards hurt Alice," he said. "I want to know about them, and why you and Dad couldn't fight them."

As Thea had explained things to her family, and as Remus had showed no inclination to leave, the grey-eyed witch's face had been growing steadily graver. Now she grabbed his arm so tight her knuckles went white. "Remus," she hissed.

Remus' face twisted. Guilt, guilt. A hundred different types of it could be seen upon his face. For a split-second, he looked at Thea. Then, "I'm so sorry," he said at last. He pointed his wand at Alice, sleeping in Rhys' arms. "Obliviate," he said. At the same time, his friend worked the spell on Riley. Remus turned his wand on Andrew. "Obliviate."

Rhys would have leapt up were it not for Alice. He'd begun to relax, but now he was tense all over again. He looked from Thea to the wizards to his children. But Alice's face, which had been tight and troubled in her sleep, relaxed. She sighed and turned her face into Rhys' chest happily. Riley and Andrew's eyes went out of focus for a moment, and when they came back in, they no longer seemed to see Remus and his companion. Andrew yawned.

Thea swallowed. Her stomach felt like lead, but she said what she was supposed to. "Riley, take your brother inside. It's far past both of your bedtimes." Her voice rang out hollow in the darkness.

The boys didn't notice. "All right, Mum, you don't have to nag," Riley said good-naturedly. He came forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Love you. 'Night, Dad."

"G'night," Thea said. Rhys' lips had become a hard line. He said nothing. Andrew yawned again, and seeming not to notice his father's fear and anger, he left Thea and$ hugged Rhys' arm. Rhys' hands tightened on Alice again, but he remained silent as Riley took Andrew inside. Thea waited a little.

As soon as the boys were inside and up the stairs, the woman tried to raise her wand again. But this time, Remus grabbed her arm. He was looking at nothing again, very determinedly avoiding the gazes of his friend, Thea, and Rhys all three.

"Remus—protocol," the witch murmured.

"Wait a little, all right?" Remus snapped back at her.

"Damn protocol!" Rhys burst out. "Was that protocol, just now? What the hell did you just do to our children? I thought you were supposed to be the good ones!"

Thea felt sick. "Obliviate," she told Rhys. "It was a Memory Charm, Rhys, to make them forget what happened tonight. They're not hurt."

Rhys let out a hysterical bark of a laugh. "Just like that? Wave a stick, a cut vanishes. That's one thing. But they won't remember anything? The house burning. Alice. Even Alice won't remember?"

The grey-eyed woman smiled, a bit sadly. "It's for the best sir—er—Mr…"

"Davison," Remus muttered. "Rhys Davison."

"Mr Davison. What could she do? What could any of you do?"

"About the Death Eaters. About the war. About magic." Rhys laughed that terribly unfunny laugh again. And a third time. He spread one hand under Alice's head helplessly. "Maybe nothing. But we sure as hell can't do anything if you wipe all our memories of the threat! What if they come again? What about our friends? They—those Death Eaters—they come to kill us, but you two, whoever, whatever you are—you're keeping us from defending ourselves with your Memory Charms. That's almost as bad!"

Remus flinched, and even the woman looked troubled for a moment. But at last she said, "I'm sorry. It's our law that you can't know about us."

"My wife knows," Rhys countered angrily.

Remus went pale as the woman nodded slowly. "Yes, she does. I was wondering about that. Remus—why here? This isn't close to your place. Why did you come tearing out here? Why does she know?"

Remus seemed to be doing his best to sink into the earth.

At the woman's tone, Rhys turned pale, too. "Thea?" he asked her quietly. "How did you know? You've been jumpy a couple of years now." He paused. His eyes darted to the shame-faced Remus. "You've always known, haven't you? Even all those—" he broke off. "You aren't a—" he couldn't say it. "Are you?"

Thea could feel time stretching as the night waited for an answer. It occurred to her that her right hand was all prickles as the blood started recirculating where Andrew had cut it off. She looked from Rhys to Remus to the strange witch's grey eyes full of suspicion and—was that hurt? She didn't want to get Remus in trouble. She couldn't lie to Rhys. All three of them watched her. Alice sighed contentedly in her sleep, and a bird started singing in the bush. Thea opened her mouth to give an answer, but then closed it, helpless.

It was Remus' friend who moved, in the end. She darted forward suddenly and seized Thea's wrist. She pressed it a moment, and then dropped it, looking all at once very tired and sad. "She's not a witch. She's not even a Squib, is she, Remus? Muggle clear through."

Rhys shook his head at the words 'Squib' and 'Muggle', but nevertheless got the essence of the speech. He was a writer, after all. He looked from Thea to Remus, then back at Thea. "Well. At least you haven't lied about that," he said quietly. The emphasis stung like a whip lash. "But if you're not a—not a witch, then he told you, didn't he? He broke the law and told you."

"I'm getting that idea, too," said Remus' companion. Her tone had gone flat.

"You never told me?" Rhys continued. "You must've known when this war started- you told me not to go out- but we could've been prepared for this. We could've left."

He was right, he was so right. Thea felt a hundred different types of guilt herself, now. "Rhys—it wasn't my secret—I—"

Rhys looked down at Alice. His face fell. "And his secret was more important than our safety? Thea—" He looked tired, too. The corner of his mouth lifted ironically. He looked at Remus. "It was your protective spells, wasn't it, Lupin, that made sure you got here at all? That light, that wailing, from before. You knew we were under attack." He fell silent, and laughed humourlessly again. He ran a hand through his hair so that it stood on end.

"Thea-girl, I thought—"

"Obliviate," Remus muttered. But in the split second before his Memory Charm hit Rhys, Thea saw something in her husband's face change forever. In that instant he looked so sad, so lost, so disappointed in her. There was a distrust in his eyes that had never been there before, and she knew, even as they went out of focus and his expression cleared, that things could never be the same again between them.

"I—I," Rhys stammered. "I forgot. Why are we out here in the cold, Thea?" Remus and his companion had vanished for him now, too. "Did Alice fall asleep out here? Bless. I'll get her upstairs. Don't be too long, love." He bent in and kissed Thea, and gathered up Alice.

But right before he went inside, he turned, and frowned.

The door shut behind him. Thea stood up. So did Remus and the woman. And at last, Remus met her gaze. There was a heavy pause. "Thea, I am so sorry we were late," he said finally. "Dora's updated the protective spells. I swear this will never happen to you again."

The tears Thea wouldn't shed in front of her children fell now. "It shouldn't have happened this time, Remus! Any of it. The broken glass, the fire, Alice. Rhys was right. I should have told them, or at least insisted on living abroad for a while. Those screams—I can still hear them in my head—" She broke down sobbing, but Remus didn't move to comfort her. He watched her helplessly.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"Don't be," Thea said, catching her breath and looking up at him. "You saved us, you and—Dora, is it? You had protective spells on me, after all this time?" She gave a wet little laugh. "Thank you. Thank you. I could say it over and over for a million years and it wouldn't be enough. But she's right, you know. It's not fair. Or legal."

The words came out in a jumbled up rush, but Remus understood. Awkwardly, he stepped forward. He patted Thea's shoulder once. "I owe you," he murmured. "Don't cry." Then he stepped back. "Dora—just leave her. Can you? Will you? For me?"

The woman Dora laughed, much like Rhys had just moments ago. "For you? What, like I followed you out here into a fire fight just because I couldn't stand it if—" she broke off. "What right have you got to ask me anything, Remus Lupin?" she demanded suddenly, stepping up and prodding him in the chest with her index finger. "You think I'll just do it, whatever you ask?" Her lip trembled, and she looked like she might burst into tears herself.

"Dora!" Remus pleaded, and something in his tone got Thea's attention. She stopped crying and went still, looking from Remus to Dora. Remus ran a hand through his hair. His face was full of a pain Thea had only ever seen a shadow of before, years and years ago.

"What's she to you?" Dora said. She shot a glance at Thea. "God, is this it? Is it her, Remus?"

"No! Dora," said the poor man. "I'd have told you if—I'll explain, I promise. It's not that, you know why we can't—"

"Fine!" Dora said, and a rebellious tear leaked. "Just…fine." She glared at Thea, turned on her heel, and Disapparated.

Remus looked at Thea, opened his mouth, and turned, too. There was a final crack. Thea was left alone. She shivered in the cold January early morning air. Her heart hurt for Remus and this woman Dora that had reminded her a little of Rhys tonight. But she knew it would break in the morning when her family came down to breakfast with bland, happy faces and she alone bore the terror and the burden again. She went inside, to clean up what needed to be cleaned before Rhys and the children woke up.


A/N: Okay. This is not the original chapter I posted yesterday. In the original, Rhys had a handgun he tried to use to defend his family. A reviewer pointed out that gun laws were different in the UK, especially after a 1996 school shooting, not unlike the one we just had in Connecticut yesterday morning. I took five minutes to look up UK gun laws- something I should have done beforehand- and saw that indeed laws have been much stricter there since 1968, and perhaps for good reason.

I'd like to apologise to both my US and UK readers for any offense caused. And my love and condolences go out to the families of the people shot at Sandy Hook Elementary.

I'm sorry. And I hope the revised chapter hasn't suffered any for the revision.

LMSharp