Note: Hello! I'd just like to say sorry for the lack of updates on my stories this past week or so! I'm incredibly busy at University! I have an exam tomorrow afternoon and a project due in on Friday! PANIC! Still, here is a chapter for you, I hope you all like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
25: Web of Lies
"What you're saying, Mrs. Lupin, is that you haven't seen Mr. Carrow-Smyth's nephew, Elijah Benson? He wasn't in the house?"
Teddy watched his mother look up from a sniffling inspection of her lap to fix the Ministry official with wide, frustrated eyes.
"Can you see him?" the Auror inquired irritably, gesturing around them with a wave of her hand. "Does it LOOK like he's here? Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying!"
The wizard pursed his lips sympathetically as he told her:
"I understand how difficult this must be for you, Mrs. Lupin, but we simply need to get the facts straight. Now then, Mr. Potter tells me that it was your husband who contacted us. Could you tell me where he is now?"
There was a sizable pause before Tonks decided:
"No, I can't."
"I see..." the wizard said, frowning deeply as he scribbled something in the notebook he held in one hand. "Well...perhaps you could tell me when you last saw your husband?"
Teddy decided to stare fixatedly at his shoes, for he wondered what on earth his mother was going to say next, only to look up when she announced:
"Yesterday. At dinner."
The Ministry wizard's brow creased in clear confusion, but Tonks gave a definite nod, adding:
"He went out last night...went for a long walk, must have gone to a friend's house or something...he does that sometimes...when...when he's stressed. We've been in court, you know...very...very stressful. Obviously I...I sent my own patronus to tell him...what was happening..."
"You sent word to your husband to let him know that there was a fire?"
"Yes."
"Not the Ministry...?"
Tonks offered the man an uncharacteristically dim smile.
"Force of habit, I'm afraid." she told him, and he scribbled something else down on his notepad.
"But after sending word to us, your husband didn't come here? To make sure you and your son were safe?"
"He knows we're safe. I told him to stay away. He had an accident a while ago, it left his lungs in a poor state. Good few gulps of that smoke and he could land himself in hospital again. And he'd be bound to put himself at risk, what with him being a idiot Gryffindor through and through."
"Could you tell me more about Mr. Carrow-Smyth? What was he doing at the house? Did...did he start the fire, perhaps?"
"Um..." Tonks reached to swipe a few tears from her eyes with a sniff, before mumbling: "Yes...yes, that...that was his fault."
"You're quite sure?" the wizard asked her, and she hastily added:
"It was an accident."
"I see...only, we've had reports of green flames before in connection to Mr. Carrow-Smyth's nephew..."
"It had nothing to do with Elijah. Like I said, he wasn't even there...Artemis wouldn't have dreamt of bringing him round. Artemis was lighting some candles and he knocked one of them over."
"Lighting...candles?"
"That's right."
"With green flames?"
"Exactly. Green was his favourite colour...I suppose he thought it more romantic."
There was a long, bemused silence and to Teddy's horror his mother let out a heavy sigh and said:
"Well I suppose I might as well just tell you everything, save you having to ask. It'll all come out in the end anyway, I expect."
"That would be very helpful of you." the wizard agreed, though Teddy couldn't help but feel that he sounded somewhat reluctant.
Tonks sighed heavily again and reached to bury her face in her hands.
"Merlin...this might just ruin my marriage...!" she squeaked, apparently overcome with anguish, and for some reason Teddy felt the need to reach and pat her gingerly upon the arm. The mousy haired witch drew in a deep, shuddering breath before straightening up and fixing the wizard stood before her with guilt-ridden eyes.
"Artemis and I," she announced, pausing for dramatic emphasis, "were having an affair."
The following stunned pause dragged on for a long minute as the wizard struggled to keep his expression entirely neutral.
"Oh..." he finally managed, quill hovering uncertainly above the notepad, and again Tonks nodded her head vigorously just in case he hadn't quite gotten the message. "Haven't you been...suspended, though? For hexing him, I mean?"
The witch let out a rather shaky chuckle.
"Well you know what they say, don't you? Thin line, and all that." she said, as Teddy gawped at the side of her head. "Besides, I was angry at him...he said...he said he was going to tell Remus all about us and...well, obviously that would have been a disaster so...I lost my temper and hexed him. Anyway, since Remus had wandered off for the night, I asked Artemis over, we stayed downstairs...you know, because of Teddy here, this morning Remus still wasn't back, I was going to send Ted round to his grandmother's house, give Artemis and I some time alone, Artemis was lighting some candles, that sort of thing, and he knocked one of them over. Before we knew what was going on, the whole kitchen was on fire."
The wizard continued to scribble notes for a minute before he was distracted by one of his colleagues calling to him from the lawn and he excused himself to hurry over.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Teddy jumped up from the garden wall that he and his mother were sat upon, rounding on her with wide eyes.
"Mum..." he began, only for Tonks to get to her feet to and swiftly murmur:
"Not a word, Theodore. Not a single word." Reaching to smooth her disheveled hair with a heavy sigh, the Auror decided: "I suppose we best get you back to school. I know it's hard, but you don't want to sit around and listen to any more of these questions, it's painful enough as it is. I'll speak to somebody, they can apparate you to the school gates, perhaps."
It was lunch time by the time that one of the Ministry wizards had escorted Teddy back to school, where he was met at the gates by gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid.
"Alrigh' there, Ted?" Hagrid called as he pulled the vast gates open to allow the boy inside, offering the Ministry man a brief nod. "They've been wondering where you are up at the castle, Headmistress was expecting you back the same time as yer dad."
"Dad's...here already?" Teddy asked as he hurried through the gates, coming to a halt beside the enormous man and gazing up at him in surprise. "Since when?"
"Well o' course I can't be certain," Hagrid told him as he reached to push the gates shut and they began to magically lock themselves with heavy, snaking chains, "but I reckon he's been back a good half hour. Saw him in the Great Hall, yeh see, albeit briefly. He must be terribly behind on his marking or something, came hurrying in, grabbed a few sandwiches and a couple o' sausage rolls, then made for the door again."
As they set off up the sweeping driveway towards the castle, Teddy attempted to make sense of his father's presence, or indeed Elijah's lack of it, but it was difficult whilst making polite conversation.
"How's yer mum, eh? She doing okay after this morning?"
"Mmm." Teddy mumbled uncertainly.
"I shouldn't worry. Ministry'll have the house sorted before you know it, I expect. They were really good that time at Harry's, when young James set fire to his brother's mattress with Ginny's wand...ha! That boy, eh? Merlin help us when he comes to Hogwarts!"
The gamekeeper babbled cheerily all the way back to the castle, where he left Teddy at the main doors to head towards the lake. Teddy was just deciding that he'd skip lunch and go to his dormitory instead when he heard Hagrid call a greeting to somebody in the grounds.
"Alrigh' Remus? Got Ted back for you! Headmistress says Tonks is safe and sound 'n all!"
"So I hear!"
At the sound of Remus' voice, Teddy spun around to find the werewolf striding across the lawn towards him, midway through shoving something deep into the pocket of his trousers.
"You look rather like you could use a drink." Hagrid informed the pale-faced professor, and the Head of Gryffindor House gave a grim chuckle and told him:
"I thought I'd settle for some fresh air instead. It shall have to do, no rest for the wicked, is there?"
Remus passed Teddy with only the briefest of glances, and the boy was quick to grab hold of him by the arm in an attempt to keep up with his long strides.
"Dad!" the boy hissed, pulling on his arm to try and slow him down. "What's happening? Where...where's Elijah?"
Remus promptly pulled his arm free of hi son's grasp, reaching to straighten his jumper as he murmured:
"I don't know what you're talking about, Theodore."
"But..."
"I suggest you go and get some lunch. You're due in Defense in ten minutes time. I'd rather not take points off of my own house for tardiness."
Teddy came to a reluctant halt, frowning deeply as he watched his father mount the marble staircase, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket as he went to smother a spluttering cough.
When Teddy shuffled into the Great Hall a minute later, he didn't need to look around for Chester or Victoire, for they spotted him first and abandoned their seats at the Gryffindor table to meet him.
"Have you seen this?" Victoire wanted to know, thrusting a copy of that morning's Daily Prophet under his nose.
Teddy took a small step backwards, blinking as he looked down at the headline.
THE DARK CREATURE'S CHILD: IDENTITY REVEALED!
Teddy felt his heart begin to hammer in his chest as he snatched the paper from Victoire's hands, hurrying to read the article itself.
Mere hours after the court appearance of the Lupin family, the Daily Prophet can reveal leaked information from top Ministry sources who say that investigators are following a new lead.
"We are now almost entirely certain that the Lupin's son, Theodore, is entirely unconnected with Moirai Cantrall's prophecy. As such, the continuous accusations of Mr. Artemis Carrow-Smyth have been false, and should the Ministry conclude that he made these accusations with knowledge of this fact, all disciplinary measures against Head of Aurors Nymphadora Lupin will be severely lessened. Slander is a very serious matter, and we shall act accordingly."
Leaks suggest that Mr. Carrow-Smyth, head of the Werewolf Registry, had a motive for corrupting the investigation. His nephew, Elijah Benson, is another likely candidate to be identified as the Child. Benson, the son of Mr. Carrow-Smyth's sister Arista and her husband Matthias, has been in the care of his uncle for the majority of his life, follow the tragic deaths of his parents. Matthias Benson was attacked and bitten by a werewolf mere days after Elijah's birth. The family soon ran into financial difficulties when Arista's family shunned her for insisting on remaining with her husband. Unable to afford Wolfsbane potion every month, tragedy struck a mere year later when Matthias broke free of the protective wards set by his wife at full moon, running rampage through the family home and brutally murdering Arista. Grief-stricken, Matthias committed suicide mere days later, leaving his son in the care of Mr. Carrow-Smyth, who had until that point severed all ties with his sister and her family.
A friend of Mrs. Benson, Miss Gertrude Simmons, claims that prior to Matthias contracting lycanthropy, Artemis Carrow-Smyth had been incredibly close to his sister.
"They would visit each other every other day." Miss Simmons recalled. "Artemis was always going round for dinner. He was very fond of little Elijah, too."
Elijah Benson, now sixteen, is rarely seen in public and did not take up his place at Hogwarts School when he was eleven. The Daily Prophet can reveal that he frequents St. Mungo's Hospital with his uncle, though the reason for his visits are currently unknown.
"I last saw Elijah about six months ago at St. Mungo's whilst visiting my sick father." Miss Simmons told our reporter. "I could hardly believe my eyes, he looked like such a sorry soul, so small and young for his age, too. Though I'm sure Artemis does his best, I have no doubt that Elijah's tragic past has had a profound and lasting effect upon him."
"Can you believe it?" Chester exclaimed, and Teddy opened his mouth to admit that actually yes, he could, only to remember that saying such a thing would perhaps be unwise. He settled for a shrug instead.
He didn't really feel hungry anymore.
In fact, he didn't really feel like anything.
He wished that his parents weren't so intent on carrying on as if nothing had happened. Because it had. Artemis Carrow-Smyth was dead. Crushed to death in Teddy's own kitchen.
"Are you alright, Ted?" Victoire asked, frowning up at his pale face, and Teddy found himself nodding.
"I'm fine." he mumbled, eying his shoes with a small frown. "I just...have a headache, that's all."
He didn't want to tell his friends about the fire, about Carrow-Smyth or his parents. It was all too soon, too difficult...
"We should go to class." he told them instead, ignoring the scrutinizing eyes upon him. "We don't want to be late or anything."
As they set off across the Entrance Hall and made for the marble staircase, Chester wondered:
"Do you reckon your dad knows about Elijah Benson? I mean, what happened to his parents?"
"No." Teddy muttered darkly, recalling the angry conversation between his mother and Carrow-Smyth in the kitchen just before the fire had started.
"Merlin, just imagine when he reads the paper then...!" Chester exclaimed, and Victoire offered him a questioning look. "Well," the muggle born elaborated, as if it were obvious, "bet that'll freak him out, you know, 'cause it's kind of like him and Ted..."
"SHUT UP, CHESTER!" Teddy demanded, composure instantly shattered, and to the alarm of both of his friends, the young wizard let out a poorly suppressed sob before bolting down the corridor towards the Defense classroom.
He found Remus stood at the side of the empty classroom, staring blankly out of the window. The werewolf did not move at the sound of his son's stumbling entrance, nor at the sound of the door swinging shut again behind him.
"Dad?" Teddy called, at last allowing the tears to fall freely down his cheeks. "Dad, I...I can't do this, I can't...can't just pretend nothing has happened, I...I mean...Artemis is...he's DEAD!"
It was not until he had weaved his way around the maze of desks and come to stand at Remus' side that the professor finally turned to face him, expression deeply troubled.
"Nobody's saying you have to pretend nothing has happened, Teddy." Remus assured the boy softly, reaching to put an arm around his shoulders. "We simply need to be...careful."
Teddy screwed his eyes shut and leant to bury his face in his father's side.
"He's dead, Dad! He's...he's gone..."
"I know."
"What...what are we going to do? What about...what about Elijah?"
He felt Remus' grip upon his tighten considerably as the werewolf murmured:
"You don't need to worry about Elijah. He's...safe."
"What have you done with him?"
"You mustn't ask me that. You mustn't ever ask me..."
"But..."
"Listen to me, Theodore, listen well. Whatever you do, you must never ask about Elijah, you mustn't mention him. If you do...if anybody finds out about what I've done..."
"But what have you done?"
"...the Headmistress will sack me."
"What...? Why?"
"I will lose my job, there's no doubt about it. And Merlin knows where I'd find another one, so whatever you do, don't mention Elijah. As long as it all stays secret, and it will, you needn't worry, Ted. Your mother and I will sort everything out."
There was a long, thoughtful silence before Teddy whispered:
"You can't raise the dead though, can you Dad?"
Remus sighed heavily, head bowed solemnly.
"No." he agreed softly, reaching to run a weary hand through his hair. "No, Ted, I can't."
"One moment he...he was there and the next you were looking and...and..."
"I know. I know it's difficult, Teddy, death is a terrible thing especially when people go before their time. It's alright to be upset, that's entirely natural, all we can do is remember the positive things and keep them alive. That way, nobody is ever truly gone."
"You've never a good word to say about Artemis." Teddy pointed out almost fondly, and to his surprise Remus smiled weakly.
"On the contrary," the werewolf declared solemnly. "Artemis Carrow-Smyth was one of the bravest, and most loving men that I've ever met. He was a greater man than me, that's for sure."
At that moment the door to the classroom was pushed open, and Remus' arm hastily dropped to his side. As students began to file into the room, he murmured: "Consider yourself excused from lessons for the rest of the day, if you like."
Teddy chose to remain in Defense Against the Dark Arts that afternoon, for he found Remus' steady composure comforting as the werewolf set about demonstrating a particularly tricky looking stinging jinx. He tried his best to copy his father's example, to carry on regardless, listen and take notes, but the young Gryffindor soon found his mind wandering to the terrible events of that morning. As he lined up along with the rest of the class to see who could sting their teacher the hardest, or in the majority of cases merely ruffle the front of his robes, Teddy found himself staring at his father, a little unnerved by how entirely unflinching the werewolf was by the jinxes being fired at him, and when Teddy reached the front of the line, he found himself pondering a disturbing question:
What precisely had Remus seen, when he had looked through the kitchen window?
"Teddy...?"
It was at that moment that, at the sound of Remus' voice, Teddy realised that the entire class was staring at him, waiting for him to attempt the spell...
What had the incantation been? And the wand movement...a flick? A swish...?
Remus cleared his throat meaningfully, deciding:
"That will do for now, I think. Back to your seats please." As the class obediently made for their desks, he told them: "That was not bad for a first attempt, but of course a true stinging jinx is not only far more painful, but is also very useful in disarming your opponent, indeed it is common for them to drop their wand out of sheer shock at the sudden stinging sensation..."
At that precise moment, a bright jet of purple light came streaking down the middle of the classroom, striking Remus directly in the arm and the class gave a collective gasp of surprise as the professor's arm gave a jolt, his wand clattering to the floor beside him.
"Rather like that, as it happens." a familiar voice announced from the classroom's doorway, and the entire class turned to look at the speaker.
Deputy Head of Aurors Harry Potter lowered his wand.
"Afternoon." he called, smiling widely as Remus stooped to retrieve his wand with a chuckle. "How are our future Aurors coming along? You know, Professor, the intake's been increasing year by year since you returned to Hogwarts."
"I'm glad to hear it. I daresay there are at least a few candidates in this class." Remus called, smiling warmly. "It's been a while since we've seen you here, Harry. To what does Hogwarts owe the pleasure?"
The students watched curiously as Harry reached to draw out a chair from behind an empty desk at the back of the room.
"Don't mind me." he called to the werewolf at the front, dropping down into the chair and waving a hand to signal that he ought carry on. "I'm here to be nostalgic." At Remus' raised eyebrow, the dark haired Auror added: "And to have a word with you at the end."
When Remus dismissed the class some while later, Teddy hung back, taking his time packing away his things, mumbling an excuse to Chester about needing help with some homework. It was not long before he was the only student left in the room, and he watched out of the corner of his eye as Remus joined Harry at the back of the room.
"I saw Tonks arrive at the Ministry just as I was leaving." the boy heard Harry announce as he rose from his chair. "She was off to sign an official statement about this morning. She said if I came and bothered you she'd curse me into oblivion. But...well...here I am."
The Auror sighed heavily at the rather uncertain smile that Remus offered him, only to snigger when the werewolf offered:
"Well, I won't tell if you don't."
"She's right, though." Harry admitted somewhat wearily. "I shouldn't be bothering you. The Ministry shouldn't be bothering you, not after the day you've all had."
"You're here on behalf of the Ministry, then?"
"That's right. MLE are panicking, they've enlisted the Auror Department's help. They wanted to send Jackson to talk to you, but I wasn't having it. It's bad enough they want a word without them sending a moron like him along. Besides, I thought we could have tea or something. If you're not teaching next period, of course."
Remus turned to wipe the blackboard clean with a swish of his wand, and Teddy flinched in anticipation of being spotted eavesdropping, only for both wizards to ignore him.
"What does MLE want with me this time?" Remus wondered, and Teddy's stomach clenched at the question.
"Nothing much. They want to know if you've seen this boy."
Teddy glanced round to see Harry produce a faded looking photograph from the inside pocket of his scarlet robes, holding it out for Remus to examine.
Remus stared blankly down at the image for a long moment, before shaking his head.
"I've never seen him before in my life." he said, turning to retrieve a pile of papers that he had set down upon one of the desks. "Who is he?"
"I could've told them that myself, but they insisted I come over!" Harry grumbled, shoving the picture back into his pocket. "It's Carrow-Smyth's nephew, Elijah Benson."
"Merlin...poor boy." Remus murmured, sighing heavily, and Harry pursed his lips together, eying the werewolf worriedly.
"You...know about Carrow-Smyth, then? That's he's...dead?"
"Mm...that's what Dora says. Terrible, terrible business."
There was a long silence before Harry glanced over at Teddy, clearing his throat meaningfully.
"I um...I had something else to ask, actually." he mumbled, causing Remus to look over at Teddy too.
"You'll be late for Charms, Ted." the professor pointed out, giving the boy his marching orders by gesturing towards the door.
Teddy obediently picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before hurrying out of the door, shooting Harry the briefest of glances. Almost as soon as the door had closed behind him, the boy leant to press his ear to the door.
"Everybody's going to kill me for asking, Remus, I know they will and I know I shouldn't even say anything but...but I just...I just don't understand..."
"You don't understand...?"
"I don't understand...you and...and Tonks. You and Tonks and...and Carrow-Smyth."
There was a long pause, and when Remus failed to reply, Teddy heard the awkward shuffling of feet before Harry admitted:
"I've not seen it but...but there are people at the Ministry...they...they're saying that...that Tonks said...well...well...I mean...it's not true, is it? You and Tonks...she wouldn't...she wouldn't do that to you, would she? I...I don't believe a word of it...I can't..."
Silence.
Teddy held his breath. It was not for some while that Harry finally demanded:
"Tell me they're lying, Remus!"
Teddy silently wished that Remus would think of something to say, but the werewolf remained mute.
"They are lying!" Harry insisted, sounding suddenly agitated. "They're bloody lying, I know it, you...you've a...a good marriage! You've got a good marriage, you've been married for years, Tonks adores you and...and she wouldn't...Carrow-Smyth's...he was a bastard! He was..."
"Dora's ex boyfriend." Remus finally supplied, voice a strained murmur, and quite suddenly it was Harry's turn to be silent.
"What?" the Auror finally managed to exclaim a long moment later, and Remus cleared his throat resolutely and said:
"They went to school together, and they dated for a while."
"Well...well that's irrelevant! I...I don't care, Tonks still wouldn't...!"
"Wouldn't she?"
"No! Of course she wouldn't! You know better than I do...!"
"Do I? You'd be surprised what I don't know, Harry. I'll tell you what I do know, though. Mine isn't the perfect marriage you all seem to think it is. I spend more time at Hogwarts than I do at home...in fact these days I spend longer at Mungo's than at home too. The majority of the time we spend together consists of me sleeping and her lying awake wondering whether or not I'm still breathing, and nothing is about to get any better any lifetime soon. I'm pretty sure Dora finds the whole entire situation a burden..."
"But...! But you're not saying...you can't be serious, Remus, she wouldn't..."
"You don't know that for sure, Harry. If you were entirely sure you wouldn't have bothered mentioning it to me."
There was a long, pained silence before Remus offered:
"It's alright, Harry. Well...not alright but...we're working things out, there's no need to worry about it. Try not to mention it to people, will you? I know it'll probably be all over the Prophet within a week, but...well...it's bad enough for Teddy as it is without his friends and family examining his parents' marriage under a magnifying glass too."
"What are you going to do?" Teddy heard Harry ask weakly, and Remus sighed heavily.
"Well..." the werewolf murmured reluctantly. "I can't say I know for sure. I...I'm trying not to think of it. I don't want it to get in the way of work..." he trailed off uncertainly, and Harry mumbled:
"Well...if you...need to talk..."
"Mm. I'll be...fine. I suppose I'm still..."
"In shock?"
"Exactly. I'm sure by the evening it'll hit me. If...if you see Dora back at the Ministry...tell her...tell her I won't be home this evening. I...I don't think I can...well..."
"See her?"
"No, I can't see her...not...yet."
"Sweet Merlin..." Harry breathed, sounding somewhat shaken. "I still don't think I can believe it."
"Me neither." Remus mumbled, sighing heavily. "An affair...! What was she thinking?"
Outside in the corridor, Teddy wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry.
What had his mother been thinking? She and Remus were spinning such enormous lies to cover their tracks that Teddy was sure that it would not be long before they found themselves caught in their own web.