AN: Is everyone excited for Halloween? I know I am. Any trick or treaters out there? I am, screw legally being an adult I want candy without paying for it! So, I'm being an undead/cannibal Little Red Riding Hood, my basket is full of Grandma's body parts, fun huh? I have a friend who's dressing up as the big bad wolf. Though I'm not sure if we'll ever cross paths on Halloween… hm… well enjoy the chapter and review!

Our Story…

"They're looking for you, Remus."

"I know."

"Are you going to go down to the ministry?"

There was a long pause before the werewolf reluctantly shook his head, he hated the ministry especially the Werewolf Registry which was where he was sure he was headed. "They're not going to… to jump to any conclusions… are they?" He asked quietly.

Tonks shrugged, she came here looking for him, the personnel from the registry had been to his house and looked for him there. She knew well if they took him then he would be thrown in a cell until someone was ready to speak to him, those people could be cruel if you ran into the wrong one, a few were there trying to change things but most were not wizards you wanted to reckon with.

"If I bring you in and say you came quietly I don't think so, you'll be questioned and then I know Remus wants to talk to you so they'll do that, not alone though I regret to say." He nodded, of course not alone. They wouldn't let him do anything alone. "But then I can't say, you might go to Azkaban until the trial."

"Why!" Sirius cried pacing the room. "Moony's gonna be at school he's gonna be here they won't see one another. What the hell are they scared of?" He rotted in Azkaban for thirteen years and he didn't want to see his best friend get sent there as well.

"Sirius I don't know what they're thinking this isn't my department, he might just be kept there in a holding cell not necessarily Azkaban, I'm sorry I don't know what else to do!" Her pink hair was slowly losing its luster and turning a bit tawny brown exposing her distress. "But all I know is if I or Kingsley takes him in it'll be worlds better then if someone from the registry does."

"Sirius," Remus said turning around to face him but finding it increasingly difficult to get a good look at him since he was still running a hole in the floor from his pacing. "Sirius, calm down!" He cried after a few failed attempts at his attention and grabbed his shoulders. "Listen, I'll go, I'll get out of this. I've been in trouble with them before and I'll be in trouble with them again. They look for reasons to put werewolves away but there are always people there with good hearts who are on our side. Don't worry."

"I wish I could go." Sirius mumbled kicking the floor with his bare feet. "You shouldn't have to go alone."

"I'm going." Tonks offered. "I'll make sure they don't do anything bad."

"But they know you know him, I mean how many times has he been seen with you around the ministry? They'll know you're protecting him, Kingsley too."

"I haven't been there long enough to build myself a good enough reputation but Kingsley has, he's the head of your search for Merlin sake. People will believe him if he backs Remus up which I know he will." Tonks protested walking over to the brothers.

"I still think this is stupid." Sirius said shuffling away and throwing himself face down on the couch. "They don't even have evidence. They have one person's word."

"And some suspicious bruising," Remus pointed out. "Like when you threw you in Azkaban? They didn't exactly have a world of evidence to convict you, the situation looked bad and you were prime suspect so in order to please the people they arrested you and put you in jail, they would have done it to any wizard or witch who was standing there that night, it just happen to be you."

"But that's not gonna happen to you!" He cried pulling face up out of the pillow. "I'm not gonna let it."

"You never let anything bad happen to me, you're over protective, always have been always will." Remus smirked. "If someone even dared make fun of me you make sure they went back to their dorm with a black eye." He sounded slightly disapproving but the smirk never left his face.

Sirius smiled and pushed himself up further. "Yeah well, you were the baby of the group… still are. You always got into trouble or got hurt one way or another, even away from the full moon, you were a magnet for trouble."

"Looks like I still am." Remus smiled wearily.

"You're not in this alone though, I may not be on the front lines this time but I'm still watching your back. So is everyone else in the Order and let's not forget all the seventh year students at Hogwarts who are seventeen and legally adults they all had you as a professor and they were all, or most of them, quite fond of you as I recall. You have the other students but I'm not sure what they can do without being legal…"

"You'd be surprised what those students can accomplish."

"It has been a while since I was one." He agreed.

"Excuse me," Tonks said stepping closer, they had forgotten she was there for a minute. "I don't mean to interrupt this moment, but the quicker he goes to the ministry the better. We don't want them to think he's running."

"But I am." Remus said.

"But we don't want them to think that."

"You'd better go. I don't want you to get in more trouble just because I'm being stubborn." Sirius mumbled once again stretched out on the couch.

"Alright," Remus stood up reluctantly and moved over to Tonks. "Hopefully, I'll see you in a few hours if not…"

"I'll come back and tell him." Tonks continued putting her hand between his shoulder blades and gently directing him to the door, she didn't want to be forceful but it had been a while and if he didn't get to the ministry soon a wide search would go out and accusations that he was running away would arise. "We need to go."

"Right, see you Padfoot."

"Goodbye, Moony… good luck."

Tonks lead him outside, despite the sun which was high in the sky he still felt a chill run down his spine. He folded his arms across his chest to try and stop the nervous shivers, Tonks must have noticed because she used her hand which was still placed on his back and began rubbing in soothing circles. She smiled up at him.

"I'm not going to apparate you from here, I'm going to take you to Hogsmeade and then we can go from there, I don't want them backtracking and finding out we came from here."

"Makes sense." Remus murmured and within seconds they disappeared with a pop only to reappear in one of the back rooms of The Three Broomsticks. "So won't it look suspicious, us coming out of the empty hallways of a local pub that is frequented by frisky young couples?"

"Then it's a good thing we're not a frisky young couple." Tonks said with an amused grin. "Come on, this way."

She took him by the arm and lead him around to the front of the building where the bar sat, she smiled politely to Madam Rosmerta. Remus smiled to her as well, he wasn't sure if word had gotten around that he was wanted, she didn't seem any different but then again she always did like the boys when they came in for a butterbeer in their youth.

"Once we're outside we can apparate," she sad so quietly only he would hear with aid of his enhanced hearing.

He didn't reply but she knew he heard her, and sure enough once they were outside she linked her arm with his and they were transported to the ministry. His stomach leapt up in the air the second they entered, the place didn't exactly hold happy memories for him. She took a secure hold of his wrist, it was in a comforting way but disguised to look like she was leading him in like a good auror.

She took him directing into a back room where there were people waiting for them anxiously, she must of at one point told them she knew where to find him. He was greeted by sneers and growls and suppressed the urge to growl right back, only his would be real.

One of the men stepped forward to take him but Tonks held him behind her protectively. "You're not going to do anything rash are you? He hasn't been convicted yet." She reminded them all.

"We will question him, Auror Tonks, for now." The man who stepped forward said.

"Don't forget John asked to talk to him and you promised he would be allowed to without bars between them." A few people in the room scoffed, obviously from the werewolf registry, their uniformed defined them as that as did the silver chains they wore around their necks.

"I have not forgotten Auror Tonks and if you continue to be so involved I'm going to have to take you off the case."

She nodded. "Yes, Sir, I'm aware…" She didn't want to be thrown off, Remus didn't have too many friends here, he would need all the help he could get.

"Good," he went around and gripped Remus less then gentle and pulled him to one of the backrooms used for interrogation, it was vastly different then where the young Remus was taken to. It was cold, highly illuminated and there was silver sitting on the table, just in case. "In here, werewolf. Wait."

He closed the door behind him and Tonks stared in shock. "You said you wouldn't do anything rash!" She cried out before she could stop herself.

"Calm down," he ordered. "He's waiting for the interrogator, you're a good Auror, Tonks, I don't want to have to dismiss you. The silver is for safety measures only if he tries anything we can stop him."

"He won't try anything."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "How do you know?"

She remained silent as he walked in the room that was used to watch the interrogations from. Two men from the werewolf registry stormed into the room to stand guard while an Auror followed them in, Tonks could only imagine how the questioning would go and she wasn't happy with it.

Remus waited in the room flinching away from the silver that was sitting obnoxiously on the table, it wasn't big enough to hurt him without touching it but it was big enough to make him anxious. He was startled when the door burst open and three men walked in, two were wearing silver chains around their necks, wonderful. The Auror who wasn't wearing a chain slammed a folder down on the table making him jump. Remus peered up at him with his head slightly down, he was still tired from the full moon and already being this tired and weak the silver that covered the table was making him sweat.

"Where were you? You weren't at your home when we came to get you." He began opening the folder that he slammed down on the table moments before.

"I was at the Evan's house recovering." He said, Sirius was initially supposed to be disguised with heavy magic as Mr. Evans, James's father, but they decided it would prove to be too big or a risk so they decided that Tonks would morph and become Mrs. Evans, Mr. Evans would be away in America on business and Tonks wouldn't be involved much in the case anyway. She was already speaking her mind too much and if all went according to plan she would be thrown off the case so therefore she would be free to morph into Mrs. Julia Evans.

"Can the Evan's confirm that?"

"Julia can, Sam's in America on business." Remus responded just like they had rehearsed.

"When did you arrive at the Evan's house?"

"Not sure, I woke up there, they do that. They bring me there usually before I wake up. Julia was over me fixing this thing up." He motioned to a bandaged gash on his head, in reality he got it when he bounded down the stairs chasing Sirius and he slipped.

He gave a faint nod. "How often do you hit your nephew?" He said far too casually.

Remus knew this question was coming but he couldn't help but cringe at it. "I've never laid a hand on John."

"Then how do you explain him going back to school every month with fresh cuts and bruises?"

"I don't know but they weren't caused by me. I lock myself away every month in the basement it has wards and protection covering it, there is no way possible I could get out unless the door was opened from the outside. He's all I have left I would never hurt him." The look on the man's face clearly showed Remus he didn't believe him. "Look, John comes home about two hours before sunset – "

"That gives you plenty of time to beat the crap out of him."

"I go down to the basement about a half hour before my change and as you can see none of the wounds he accumulates are scratches, bites or… paw shaped bruises…" he smirked despite himself. "And in those two hours before I change I assure you, if I even begin to lose my temper you would notice if I were to fight I would become feral and you would see the evidence on him of that."

"Who says he fought back? Maybe he took it."

Remus scoffed. "Have you met the boy? He's not the type to stand by idly, he's scrawny but he packs a hell of a punch. He would have fought back, and in return I could have gone feral and attacked him viciously. As you can see, I didn't and I don't."

"Where would you propose he acquired the injuries from?"

"I told you, I don't know, he usually leaves the house when I'm transformed, he doesn't like staying. He says he doesn't like being around me when I'm like that… that it makes him sad."

"Where does he go when he leaves the house? If you care so much about him you simply let him wander around?"

"He goes to a friend's house of his, a Muggle, or sometimes the Evans. The Muggles think I have an incurable disease and have to go to the doctors once a month to have it looked at and I stay under observation for a night, we tell them John has night terrors from his parent's death and I don't like leaving him alone all night."

"Who are the people he stays with?"

Remus paused. "A friend, I don't see why or how you can involve them they're Muggles. You can't exactly tell them that I'm a werewolf and if you say too much you're blowing our cover which we quite like, it works in case you haven't noticed." He was well aware he was becoming snippy, but he was in a sour mood and he wanted to go home and collapse on his bed and sleep.

The Auror sighed and stared at Remus for a long moment before getting up and leaving the room, the two men stayed behind and guarded Remus who simply looked at them as if almost daring them to move.

He entered the hallway and came to a stop when he saw Tonks standing before him with what looked like a perfect copy of a younger version of Lupin. If he didn't know better he would have said it was his son, not nephew. "Tonks what the hell is this?"

"John was promised access to his uncle, they want to talk and I can't deny them that especially since we promised it to them."

He looked at the teenager and saw the stone cold glare he was giving. This boy was not leaving until he spoke with his uncle. He grunted in frustration and waved his hand to the door, the two men were in there and they were armed with silver not to mention the silver displayed on the table so there werewolf wouldn't be any trouble.

"Go ahead, we'll be watching."

Remus looked at Tonks and she nodded toward the door, timidly he stepped to the heavy door frightened at what he might find inside. He place his hand on the door knob and turn it, pushing the door open he outwardly flinched at the silver in the room being younger then Lupin he was more vulnerable to it but still, it wasn't enough to cause any real harm unless he touched it.

"Hey, Uncle Remy." He had to keep up appearances, not only for the Auror watching but the two guards in the room. They'd have to talk in some sort of code in order to say the things they wanted to say.

"John." Lupin said bringing his head up from where it laid buried in his arms.

"You look like hell." Remus murmured walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry about all this."

"S'not your fault." He tried to smile warmly the his pale complexion and heavy bags under his eyes made it hard, Remus must have had make up reapplied because he wasn't quite as pale and his eyes lacked the bags he unusually had after the full moon but the busies were standing out. "Where'd you get these?" He asked running his finger along Remus' jaw and allowing it to linger on a bruise.

Remus shrugged, maybe this acting wasn't as hard as he thought. "I was dueling with some friends last night, Umbridge got on my nerves so I needed to let out some steam." He looked down at his 'uncle' and gave a half hearten smile.

He nodded.

"Are you going to Azkaban?" He asked fearfully.

"I dunno."

Remus was silent for a long while, or that's what the bystander would assume. The two were still as they stared at the silver that sat before them. Lupin could only imagine how his younger self was feeling with it around. He remembered when he was a teenager having a clump of silver that large and less then two feet from him made him dizzy. That was when he noticed why Remus's hand was on his shoulder, it was meant to look like he was comforting him but he was really leaning on him for support.

"I don't want you to go to Azkaban." Remus mumbled. "Where am I gonna go?"

"You're an adult, I'm sure you'll find your way, you can still stay at the house. Besides, I'm sure James will allow you to stay with him and his family for a little while, they have a habit of taking in strays."

Remus dropped down to his knees so he was about level with Lupin who was still in the chair and wrapped his arms around him, half because he was getting to tired to stand and half because he had to keep up the father/son relationship they were supposed to have. Lupin was a bit shocked by the gesture at first but quickly recovered and returned the embrace. He heard Remus whisper in his ear in such a low key only a fellow werewolf would hear.

"This feels so awkward." He said.

Lupin suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. "Tell me about it." He replied with a soft short lived chuckle.

"But really… what happens if you do go to Azkaban?"

"I - I really don't know…"

Remus's eyes widened. Lupin sounded genuinely scared for the first time.

Remus was pulled out of the room shortly after his terrifying revelation of just how frightened Lupin was. He was standing in the main room with Tonks still when they dragged Lupin out about ten minutes later. His hand were bound in manacles, the silver on them wasn't near his skin to burn him but it would make him think twice about an escape, not that Lupin would dare do that.

"What the hell?" Tonks cried. "I thought you weren't going to hurt him!"

"Tonks," he boss said with a sigh. "You're a great Auror but I can't have you screaming like this in the middle of an investigation. He's a potentially dangerous werewolf and we're taking proper precaution, I'm not gonna have him lash out and hurt someone. I'm pulling you off the case"

She grunted and took Remus by the shoulders to lead him away from the display. She had wanted to get pulled off but she was hoping she would have to try and get in trouble, this was too easy, they weren't treating Lupin fairly. "Fine, I'll just take him back to Hogwarts."

"That's fine." He responded and turned back to Lupin who was still being held.

She took Remus away from the room and into the main halls of the ministry.

"They're not putting him in Azkaban, are they?" He asked.

She shook her head, she honestly had no idea if they would put him in Azkaban or not but she hoped them wouldn't. "I don't think they can, he hasn't been convicted yet, but they will put him behind bars until the trial which will be sooner rather then later, they like to get the cases that involve… well you know, over as quickly as possible, so it'll be within a week no doubt."

"Are you really taking me back to Hogwarts?"

Once again she shook her head. "No, I'm taking you to Number 12, the rest of the gang," by that she meant Sirius, James, and Peter, "are there with Sirius, we're trying to conjure up a believable story and get me a decent morph that would look like James." She said under her breath so no one would hear.

He nodded and she took him to the open floo networks and waited in line. It was only a minute or so before they were up and they went in only to appear back in The Three Broomsticks, funny that she went into the ministry with a thirty something year old Lupin only to leave with a teenage one.

Once they left the pub she apparated them both to the front door of Number Twelve, she hated ringing the bell and alerting Mrs. Black's portrait of their arrival but how else was she supposed to get the message across they were there. So she rang the bell. Not even thirty seconds later she saw the door open and the seventeen year old Sirius standing on the other side. "Welcome to my humble abode." He said sarcastically and let them in.

"In the living room?" She asked.

"Yup," he responded and walked with them back in the room, they saw James and Black hastily covering up the portrait. They were able to join them just as they walked by they managed to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

"So, what have we figured out so far?" Remus asked upon seeing all the grim faces in the room, he then noticed Dumbledore was among them, of course, he would have to know the story as well.

"Just the basics," Black moaned from the couch with one arm draped over his eyes. "You're his nephew, James, Pete, and Sirius are best friends you're exchange students…"

"Well it appears we need to go a little deeper then that." Dumbledore said sensing Black's anxiety not only did he want to somehow help but he wanted to go break Remus out now, not even wait for a trial. "So, at the beginning, Remus when do we think your parent's died?"

"Well I told them my father ran out on us before I was born, and my mother is Charlotte," he shuddered thinking that his own little sister would be his mother. "She died two years after I was born."

Dumbledore nodded, it made sense, Charlotte died by the hands of Voldemort when she was eighteen and Lupin was twenty, the marauders were in their third year out of Hogwarts. It would prove true that he would be about two years older then Harry if he was born then.

"Then custody was given to Lupin after some controversy and after Pete died and Sirius was convicted of the murders," he could of sworn he head Black scoff. "He moved away and that's when he moved into a house next door to the Evans and met James and his parents."

"This is very well thought out." Dumbledore mused.

"I've had a lot of time to think about it, and Lupin should have the same story, they allowed us together in a room and we spoke, I gave him some of the information, they thought we were being silent but they just couldn't hear us, or me, talking." He flashed a grin.

Dumbledore smiled. "Very well done, Remus. On to some other business, Nymphadora, have you gotten all the papers needed into the ministry files?"

"With the help of Kingsley, yeah."

"Have you decided on a form to pose as James's mother?"

She shrugged. "I only met her a couple times with Sirius and I was just a kid, I don't really remember her all that well."

"I'll give you a hand." James offered. "I remember my mum."

The next three hours were spent mulling over every possible detail in the case and perfecting their story, it was decided that if Lupin seemed to not know part of it someone, probably Kingsley who arrived a little later after his shift could jump to his aid saying the silver was affecting him more then they anticipated. It would most likely prove to be true as well, no doubt they were keeping him around silver constantly and that much exposure would certainly do damage.

When the three hours were over it was nearly time for dinner and their story was rehearsed and perfected. Tonks had a form of James's mother that looked enough like his own mother to be believable but not so much like her that if someone compared photo's they'd think them the same person. Besides, Mrs. Potter was getting on her years; Tonks was displaying a version on her in her late thirties, just a few years older then Remus.

The trial would take place within the week, they could last that long they just hoped Lupin could.