Chapter 21 – It's Where My Demons Hide
Note: Chapter Title from Imagine Dragon's song 'Demons'
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.
Now that that's out of the way, let's begin…
Last time,
Remus stands looking around the room for a moment before nodding, "Yep, fuck this place." Then he leaves with Phia, contemplating how hard it would be to burn down a manor of this size as he goes.
Now,
Remus side-long apparates Phia to an alleyway near the palace, she then leads them around to the front gate.
"And you used to tease me about the Manor," Remus murmurs, Phia chuckles.
A bloke at the gate says something to Phia in German that Remus thinks is probably a greeting, Phia smiles gracefully as she nods and replies. The bloke then turns to Remus and says something to him, but Phia intervenes.
"Oh, my apologies Herr Lupin, welcome to Vienna," The man says in English.
Remus smiles, "Thank you, Sir."
"Come along, dear Brother."
Phia and Remus walk into the palace, Remus stopping to look at every second painting and every single shiny thing.
"Honestly, Rem! Come on! You are not a blasted Meerkat!" Remus glares at her but is quickly distracted by the next room's chandelier. "Oh for goodness sake, WE ARE NOT HERE FOR YOU TO SIGHT SEE, YOU GREAT BUMBLING IDIOT!"
"Is everything all right, your Highness?"
Phia spins to see a maid behind her, she smiles charmingly. "Quite so," Phia replies, "Merely attempting to keep my easily distracted brother on target!" She explains, hissing the last bit at Remus who walks back in with a huff.
"All right, all right, let's go."
"Reginheraht," Phia calls as they walk into a study. The familiar name is then followed by a bunch of German that Remus does not understand. He stands around awkwardly, waiting for his sister to give him a cue of some kind. The man she speaks to, he has to admit, looks like your stereotypical bad guy. Dark hair, clean cut, moustache, fancy shiny shoes, the whitest teeth imaginable, a paternally patronising feel, and a gleam in his eye like he knows more than anyone else in the room. Remus doesn't like him.
"How nice to meet you Herr Lupin, I was not aware Queen Sophie had a brother."
"Yes, well, the Queen is certainly full of surprises," Remus replies, since when does Phia not punch people for using the first part of her name?
"Now, down to business. Reginheraht, I have decided to turn down your offer of marriage."
The man raises an eyebrow, "Oh? And who is it, pray tell, that you have chosen to marry?"
Phia takes a calm breath, smiling kindly, "No one. I wish for you to renounce your right to the throne, and thus leave the country to my own blood line."
Reginheraht gives a startled laugh, "You must be joking, yes?" Phia stands her ground. "Have you obtained a recent head injury?" Phia stands her ground. "Oh you are mad. What could possibly possess me to do that?" Phia flicks her eyes to Remus and nods slightly. Reginheraht looks over to him as well.
"You will renounce your claim to the throne and leave it to the Queen's blood line." His eyes glow yellow, then Reginheraht's do as well. Reginheraht goes to the study's desk and pulls out a piece of paper along with a pen. He begins writing something. It grows to three pages long before he puts a wax stamp on each page along with his signature. Finally, he rolls it all up and ties it with a ribbon, handing it over to Phia.
"Come with me, we'll need to do a press conference. Luckily, they are already awaiting us," Phia leads the two men to what appears to be a throne room. She walks up, nodding to Remus.
"You will go up and complete the process of renouncing the throne and leaving the country to the Queen and her bloodline," Remus tells him, their eyes flash again before Reginheraht walks up.
There is a bunch of German spoken, but then Reginheraht reads out the scrolls he'd just written. Lots of flashes of photos and questions later, Phia appears to close it all.
"Thank you, Loopy," Phia tells him.
He smiles, "You good from here?" he asks, she nods. "Keep in touch, your highness," He says with a dramatic bow.
She rolls her eyes, "There will be a coronation in the next few weeks, will you attend?"
Remus smiles, nodding, "Of course. Anything for you, Phia."
After finding his way out of the castle, Remus apparates to Cardiff where he plans to go and find Danielle.
It's three hours later that he stops, the hair on the back of his neck standing up, he hears a spell cast and spins to block it. Remus' eyes lock with Avery before a spell hits him from the side and the world fades to black.
"Remy," A voice calls, even mostly unconscious the name sends shivers down his spine and makes his skin crawl, "Remy!" Remus' breathing picks up, he tries to pull away from the hands grabbing him, "Come on Remy, wake up!" Remus blinks his eyes open, seeing a cell he panics, pulling away from the hands harshly and dragging himself away only to hit a wall that burns him. He shrieks in pain, falling to the side back towards the hands. He starts hyperventilating as he tries desperately to understand what is happening, then hands take a hold of his face. He scrunches his eyes shut.
"No, please, please, not again, no," He chants in a broken whisper.
"Remy, look at me, please," The voice begs, Remus shakes his head, trying frantically to get free. "REMUS JOHN LUPIN, PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!"
Remus freezes, he knows that voice. Shaking violently, he forces himself to open his eyes. In front of him, a face he was very sure he would never, could never, see again.
"H-How?" He asks, still breathing heavily and partially fighting her grip.
"Remy, take a deep breath, slow and deep."
Remus shakes his head, renewing his fight, "No, no, not real, not real. Let me go, please let me go, please."
"Remus, please, you need to calm down. I am real, I promise." Remus continues shaking his head, wondering how he, a Werewolf, is being so overpowered in strength by a figment of his imagination. "Remus, do you remember when we were kids? We were in Hogsmeade, the first time Phia went there, and someone mentioned something to do with Muggles. It got me thinking about things Muggles would understand that others wouldn't. I yelled out Marco and a whole bunch of people yelled out Polo, your Father used it to find you and Phia."
Remus looks at her again, tears in his eyes, "You died, Mary, you died."
His old friend, Mary Macdonald, looks at him and shakes her head, "No, he made you think I did."
"He who?"
"That would be me," A voice says as the door opens, Remus spins, instinctively pulling Mary behind him as he stands, Voldemort grins, "Do you like the cell? Greyback's been watching over it for me for years."
"Why?" Remus asks breathlessly, eyes shiny with tears of disbelief, rather obviously about Mary and not Greyback. He's so worked up, so afraid. Again in a cell, again at this man's mercy. But Mary is alive and how can that be? How can she be here, and how can he get her out? He has to get her out.
"You didn't really think your dear Wormtail would turn on you to save his own skin, did you?" Remus' eyes widen. "No, he did it to save hers."
"He has something I want, I'm not letting him go until I get it."
"And you don't care how many people, innocent people, are hurt or killed beforehand?"
"No, I really don't."
"I really hope it's worth all this." Peter gives a small smile.
"It is to me."
"Oh Pete," Remus says quietly.
Voldemort laughs, "Yes, poor, dear, Peter." Then his face grows serious, "Now, you have something that I want, and I will get it from you."
"No, you won't," Remus replies, but there really is no part of him not giving away his fear right now. His trembling, his wavering voice, the tears in his eyes, his still heavy breathing, and now he's feeling light-headed, or had he always been?
"I see you've already discovered the lining we added to the wall," Voldemort says, gesturing to the side of Remus' face and his hands. Remus looks at his hands in confusion, seeing the burns there. He doesn't remember touching a wall. They've been talking for thirty-seven seconds, and for forty seconds before that Mary was trying to calm him down, but it stings too much to have been very long before. Clearly it occurred during his panic attack, which could not have been more than a minute long.
"It's silver, right?" Mary asks, voice rough and scratchy from disuse. Remus startles out of his numbered thoughts at the sound of her voice, Voldemort ignores her.
"Now, where is it, Remy?" Remus flinches at the name, Voldemort laughs again, "It's a shame, I had faith in your ability to recover from your last stay with us, but alas, you show yourself as weak as all the others. Tell me, Remy, how long will you last this time?"
Remus is quite visibly terrified, then he laughs, rather hysterically, "What do you have left? You've already broken me, and I still gave you nothing. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN THIS TIME? SHE'S DEAD, WHAT DO YOU HAVE LEFT?"
Voldemort smiles, "Yes, she is. I killed her. I hear you got to watch it happen, though I'm still unclear on how, exactly, you managed that. You watched her die just like you watched your lover boy perish at her hand."
Tears fall from Remus' eyes as he counts his breaths, trying to slow it, "What could you possibly have left to take from me?"
"I may not have her anymore, but I can certainly have your friend Peter do the same thing. Do you really think he won't?" Remus swallows harshly as Voldemort raises his wand, pulling Mary to him, "After all, I have this one."
"Leave her out of this."
"Tell me where it is." Remus says nothing, he can't let Voldemort get that necklace. "Cruicio!" Remus screams as he drops to the ground. Here's the thing about the cruciatus curse, it's the worst pain imaginable. He can imagine a lot more pain than most humans can. He quickly loses count.
"Why do you want it?!" Remus cries after the spell ends, scrambling to find his numbers, find his place, to have something to hold onto and centre himself with because it's so much, there's so much, and he can't he can't!
Voldemort's jaw twitches, "The war is not exactly going my way but, with the potion, I can turn the tide in my favour. The Order will have no hope. Tell me!" Remus says nothing again. "Crucio!" Remus screams, writhing on the ground. He holds it longer this time and quickly follows it up with, "Sectumsempra!" He leans down slightly, healing the cuts just enough to keep Remus from bleeding out.
Remus looks at him and forces every bit of determination and dedication and hate and fear and happiness and everything in one single command.
"Let us leave and do not come after us." The words seem to echo around the room, Voldemort's red eyes glow yellow and, for a moment, he fancies that he can see Ariana's eyes do so as well. He lets go of Mary who rushes over to Remus within a second and a half, the two go to the door. "Mary, I can't open it." Mary moves behind him, opening the door he cannot even touch, the two turn and run, leaving Voldemort in a trance behind them.
"Oh damn, bright," Mary says, lifting her hands to cover her eyes as soon as they make it out side. She stumbles, breathing heavily. Remus lifts her up and apparates to Knockturn Alley, immediately walking into Bridge's Potion Supplies.
"Wolfie!" Bridget greets as Remus walks in, then notices he's carrying someone bridal style.
He puts the person on the ground, their arm over his shoulders as they lean heavily on him, "Is he here?" She nods, gesturing him up the stairs and following him as they climb up. Remus stumbles slightly as he carries Mary up the stairs, taking eleven seconds to make it instead of what he calculates to usually be about three to five seconds, "Pete!" Peter comes rushing into the room.
"Moons?" Remus puts Mary in a chair and shuts the curtains, "Mary…"
Mary looks up, seeing Pete. Tears fill her eyes, "Hi."
"What's going on?" Bridget asks, Remus looks between the other three before just shaking his head and moving shakily to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of Muggle Vodka and chugging half of it in literally ten seconds flat.
"Bad day?" Peter asks him.
Remus wipes at his mouth, "I do not ever want to talk about today. Meanwhile, 'he has something I want'?!" Peter grimaces sheepishly. "Why the bloody hell didn't you subtly find a way to tell someone?" He asks incredulously.
"Because I couldn't work out how, I was just a scared kid, Rem."
Remus nods, sighing. "Don't be angry at him, he only did what he did to protect me," Mary tells Remus who nods.
"I forgave him already anyway."
"Always waiting?" Mary asks.
Remus' lips quirk, nodding, "Fuck, what's the day?" He asks, sounding rather overwhelmed.
"Wednesday," Bridget replies, having put together a reasonable idea of what's happened.
"The trial!" Remus says, cursing under his breath.
"What trial?"
"Sirius'. Lucius helped get a re-trial, tomorrow we're using Harry's memories to prove Sirius' innocence."
"And my guilt," Peter adds.
Remus looks at him and then at Mary, who seems very confused, before gulping down more of his drink, "Maybe not." Remus pulls out his phone, calling Severus.
"Finally, where the hell have you been?"
"Busy, the trial is tomorrow?"
"Yes, listen, Remus, we need to talk about Hermione."
"What about her?" Remus asks, brain fuzzy as he tries to focus on Severus and not break down under the weight of just everything.
"The Willows are giving her up," Severus tells him, desolation in his voice.
Remus frowns, unable to really think though he tries to push that out of his mind. His numbers aren't helping, he's so out of practice. How long is one supposed to wait to respond after bad news? When is it appropriate to speak? Eventually Remus takes a shuddering breath, "What do we do?"
Severus pauses for 3.3 seconds, confusion, Remus assumes, over his out of place very long pause, "We're hoping you can take her. You're a Malfoy now, you should be able to get custody."
"Severus, I'm also a homeless drunk and a Werewolf, how the hell am I supposed to look after a child? I can't even properly care for Benni and Jamie anymore."
"Stay at Grimmauld Place again with her." Remus glares at the phone, fear momentarily forgotten, overshadowed with the thought of seeing the man who killed his unborn child again. "For Hermione, Remus. God-Father duties."
Remus sighs, "You're her God-Father too."
"I'm also nothing but an ex-Death Eater in the eyes of the law, they won't let me gain custody of a child."
Remus nods though Severus can't see him, "All right, fine. Listen, about the trial. I'll be there, but I might be late. I have something they need to see so for god's sake, stall them until I get there."
"We'll do our best." After hanging up, Remus turns back to present company where Bridget is attempting to explain a mobile phone to Mary.
"All right, we need to get you to a hospital, Mary. Tomorrow there's a trial. Peter, you're coming with me, I'm going to prove you innocent, and Sirius, and Bella." Peter raises an eyebrow at him, he nods. Peter looks to Bridget who gives Remus a searching look.
"Tell me you can do it, tell me he will come home to us."
Remus moves and holds her shoulders, "I told you that I would not be the reason your daughter grows up without a Father. He will come home, he will be declared innocent, and the two of you will be free to raise your daughter without fear of being found out, not by the law anyway." Bridget nods, then looks to Peter and nods again.
"All right then," Peter agrees.
Remus moves to Mary, "I need to get you to the hospital," He tells her.
Mary nods, "You need to go as well, Remy," She tells him, holding her arms up for him as he lifts her.
Remus tenses, trying to calm and not lose himself in panic once more. He ignores the tears in his eyes, biting his lip and putting the name as out of his mind as he can manage, "I'll be back tomorrow," He assures Pete and Budgie, ignoring Mary's statement to the worry of the two, before disapparating with Mary.
Peter pulls Bridget close, "Everything will be okay soon, I promise."
Bridget sighs, leaning in to her partner, "Promise me, once this is done, no more war. No Death Eaters, no Order, just be a Father."
Peter nods, then pulls away from her, kneeling on one knee, "A father, and a husband?" He asks, her eyes widen, "This works out and we can get married, like we've always dreamed."
She smiles, tears in her eyes as she nods, he stands again, wrapping his arms around her, "Hey, where is Rema?"
"Napping." Bridget sighs, nodding.
"I need help here!" Remus calls out as they appear in the hospital, healers instantly coming over.
"What's her condition?" Someone asks.
"I'm not sure exactly, but she's been a prisoner of war for eighteen years." One of the healers look at him in horror. "You-know-who," He says, confirming the person's suspicions.
"Please head to the waiting area, we'll be with you shortly," The healer directs, gesturing to a small waiting area that Remus immediately heads for, breathing easier as he feels the rapidly consumed vodka beginning to take effect.
It's an hour and a half later that the same healer walks out and over to him.
"She's going to be just fine." Remus sighs in relief. "We need her name for records and some other information, do you know anything about her details and medical history? Anything you can tell us will be a help, she's sedated and won't be awake for a few hours."
Remus nods, "Yeah um, her name's Mary Macdonald, she's thirty-seven. Um, born on the 16th of September 1959. We met when we started at Hogwarts in the same year, I don't recall her ever being seriously ill or injured in that time but we believed she was killed during the first war, in 1978," Remus tells him.
"She was declared dead?" The healer asks, Remus nods, "We'll have that corrected. Any allergies?"
"Uh, she's allergic to cinnamon, that's all I think." That had been funny to find out, sort of. His 'wand' had caused some issues.
"History of alcohol or drug abuse?"
Remus shakes his head, "No, in fact she very rarely drank."
"Any living family?" Remus shakes his head. "Do you know anything about her family's medical history? Were they wizards?"
"Her Mother was really sick at one point but I don't know what with. Her parents were both Muggles, she had no siblings."
"How long was she fighting in the war?"
"A month, she joined as soon as we finished school." The healer looks pained at this, Remus can understand why, he nods.
"What is your relationship to her?"
Remus sighs, looking pained himself, "Just a friend."
"An Auror will be around to speak with you soon, oh, and I need your name."
"Remus L-er-Malfoy."
The healer seems shocked, "Right, we'll get right on this, Sir Malfoy, would you like to sit with her while we await the Auror?"
Remus withholds the annoyed sigh at suddenly getting more cooperation just because of his new family name, but as that had been the point of the adoption, he just moves on. "Yes please. What's her condition?" He asks as the Healer leads Remus to her room.
"Extreme malnutrition, her left elbow was broken at some point and crudely healed. Sensitivity to light, I'm assuming she was kept in a dark area?"
Remus nods, "A dungeon cell."
The Healer nods, "She's in surprisingly good condition given the circumstances."
"He had to treat her well, she was a means of controlling someone else. Would've been counterproductive to harm her when her safety was being bargained for." The Healer nods, adding that to the file. "When will she wake?"
"Not for at least another three hours, she should be awake within six though."
"There's a trial tomorrow, one her presence would really sway in the innocent party's favour, is there any chance at all she will be able to testify?"
The healer frowns, "Assuming she wakes and appears cognizant, she should be able to as long as she is only there so long as she is needed and is back here as soon as her part is concluded." Remus nods. "I'll re-evaluate when she wakes, and again an hour after that, but chances are reasonably good."
Remus nods again, "Thank you, healer."
One hour, twelve minutes, and fifty-four seconds later, the door opens again. Remus looks up, expecting an Auror to question him. Nymphadora Tonks walks in the door.
"Rem!" Remus smiles slightly. "I was expecting a Malfoy…" She says with a frown of confusion.
Remus lets out a humourless chuckle, "Blood adoption, long story, but I'm Lucius Malfoy's brother now."
She raises an eyebrow but nods, then looks to the bed, "Mad-Eye's mentioned her, you know. I hear she's the reason you joined up." Remus nods, closing his eyes against the tears. "How'd you find her?"
"They caught up to me," He replies in a small voice, clenching his fists against the tremors, "Without…without Bellatrix around, he needed someone else just as damaging to question me. Never got around to calling him in though." Remus curls in on himself more as he speaks, tears falling as everything hits him once more.
"Do you want me to get Severus here?" She asks after a few moments of tense silence. She's never seen him like this. She knows what happened to him, of course. Mad-Eye had told her after the Order was recalled. She's heard stories of what he used to be like, the almost blood-thirsty leader had never quite matched with the mild-mannered Professor she's known for years now. Nor had his stories of what Remus had been like when he'd first been rescued. Suddenly, she believes all of it without a doubt.
"No, he's…he's busy with something far more important than me."
Tonks frowns, moving forward and sitting in the chair beside him, "You are important, Remus."
He scoffs and brings the conversation back on topic, "Mary and Peter Pettigrew had been in a relationship for years when we thought she'd died. Voldemort had planned to use her as leverage to make him-um… question me," He tells her bitterly, eyes flashing into something far more wolf-like for a moment before he seems to try and make himself even smaller.
Tonks fights back her own tears, unable to imagine what could have possibly reduced her friend to this, "Given everything I'm afraid I have to ask, how much have you had to drink today?"
Remus chuckles slightly, "Um, about half a bottle of what I think was Vodka."
She nods, "Good, just making sure you aren't pissed. Were you anyone else and that may have been a problem with that amount," She tells him disapprovingly, though she's beginning to get a better idea of why he drinks like he does. So much of himself he had hidden, and yes, she knew, but she could never have imagined. "How long ago were you captured and how long did you remain their prisoner?"
"Yesterday afternoon they captured me, we escaped ten minutes before we arrived here," Remus replies, and fifty-four seconds, he adds in his head.
"Why didn't you come straight here?"
Remus sighs, moving and taking Mary's hand in his, "Because at the time I wasn't exactly in the best headspace. I just knew I needed to get Mary and myself somewhere safe. I took her to my old place of employment, my old boss, she's a good friend of mine. She calmed me down and told me to take Mary here."
"I'll need to speak with her."
Remus nods, then looks at Tonks out of the corner of his eye, "Dora, would you be able to do me a favour, as a friend." She frowns at him, nodding. "Wait until tomorrow afternoon to do so." Her frown deepens. "It'll make sense then, she should be here at that point anyway."
Tonks sighs, "This is so against protocol, but fine. You owe me though, majorly. I could get suspended for this."
"Thank you," He tells her seriously.
She smiles gently, nodding, "How've you been, anyway? I haven't seen you since you quit the Order."
"I don't think I've ever had a stranger and more eventful and bizarre year of my life as the entirety of the last one has been, even before I quit."
Tonks chuckles, nodding, "I can certainly relate to that."
"Forget the last year. The weirdness started when Sirius escaped and hasn't stopped since." She nods her agreement. "God, I'm going to have to catch Mary up on everything," He realises.
"When's she going to wake up?"
He sighs, rubbing at his forehead, "Not for another two hours at least, but she should wake within three hours after that."
"Do you want me to wait with you?"
Remus smiles rather brokenly at her, "I'd appreciate that, but you should know, she'll remember you as a toddler and baby."
"That's happened a lot over the past few years."
Remus nods slowly, "Yes, I suppose it has."
Five hours, thirty-eight minutes, and forty-three seconds later, Tonks is asleep against Remus' side, his arm around her to prevent her from falling, when Mary begins waking up, squeezing the hand Remus is still holding onto hers with.
"Mary?"
She blinks her eyes open, seeing him, she smiles slightly, "Not a dream?"
Remus shakes his head, "Not a dream." She immediately starts crying in relief, he moves his hand to cup her cheek and wipe away the tears.
"Waz'appenin?" Tonks asks as she wakes up, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes before taking in her surroundings, "Ah, you're awake, how are you feeling?"
"Tired, weak, a little achey, but okay. Do I know you from somewhere?" Mary asks.
Remus nods, "Drom and Ted's daughter."
"Nym –"
"Don't!" Remus says quickly, "She goes by Tonks," He tells her.
Mary looks mildly amused but nods, "It's nice to see you again, Tonks. You've certainly grown since last time I saw you."
Tonks chuckles, nodding, "Well, I'd have been what, three?"
Mary nods, "Something like that, yeah."
The healer walks into the room.
"Miss Macdonald, I'm Healer Ava Richards, it's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" Mary repeats the answer she gave to Tonks. "The weakness will be from malnutrition, aching will be from the sudden use of muscles you haven't used in years. I'll give you something for that, should clear up in an hour or two. I need to put these drops in your eyes so that you can handle light properly again," She tells her patient who nods and follows her directions. After that and a few potions, they are left alone again.
"I should get back to work, I'll be back to take your statement in a few hours," Tonks tells Mary who looks confused.
"She's an Auror, Mad-Eye trained her."
Mary looks amused, "Drom must be so very happy." Tonks grins and waves good bye as she leaves.
"Will you be all right if I go and check in with Pete and Bridget?"
Mary nods, "Come back soon?"
"I'll be half an hour at the most."
He apparates back to outside the shop and walks in, heading up to the apartment above the store.
He hears cooing and sneaks into the nursery to find Rema awake. He picks her up, wincing as he realises he hasn't gotten around to healing the slashes yet and his body is still aching something terrible from the cruciatus curse.
"Hi there, Princess," He greets.
The child giggles, "Uncie."
"Want to help me wake your parents?" She doesn't understand him but claps happily.
They sneak into the bedroom, Remus places Rema on the end of the bed, she crawls up to her parents, sitting in between them and kissing her Father on the nose, he jerks awake.
"Dada!"
"Rema, what the-how did you…?" Remus clears his throat, Peter sits up, pulling Rema behind him and grabbing his girlfriend's wand off the nightstand to point at him, "Oh for Merlin's sake, Moony, don't do that!"
Remus chuckles, "Trial is in two hours, I need your phone."
Peter grabs it from the dresser as he gets up and chucks it at him, "Why?"
"To leave with Mary so I can let her know when it's time to come to the courthouse."
"Shouldn't she stay in the hospital?" Bridget's sleepy voice asks.
"Morning, Budgie," Remus greets, she smiles and waves, "She's allowed to come testify in your favour and then return to the hospital."
"Are we sure this is going to work?" Peter asks.
Remus nods, "I've got a plan. Oh, also, I'm nicking the rest of your vodka."
"Is that a good idea before a trial?" Bridget calls out as he leaves the room with Rema while she and Peter get dressed.
"Before this one? It's an absolutely splendid idea."
"Is it legal?" Peter asks, joining him in the kitchen.
"So long as they don't find out."
"I'm not sure that's really how the law works?" Remus waves a hand in dismissal, Peter rolls his eyes. "Remus, you should know, I didn't kill those muggles either."
Remus looks at him, seeming to Pete as though he is scouring his soul for any hint of truth or lie, then he nods.
"Okay."
Remus consumes the rest of the bottle, says he'll be back to get Pete soon, and then returns to the hospital.
"What's the verdict?" Remus asks after Healer Richards finishes checking over Mary.
"I'm willing to allow her to attend the trial, but I'll need both of you to sign some paperwork, accepting that it's probably not the best idea but you're doing it anyway and I'm entrusting her to your care, Mr Malfoy. She's to come right back here when she's done." Remus nods. Mary and he sign the forms before he hands Peter's phone to her and shows her how to answer and hang up so that he can let her know when to come. Ava says she'll help Mary through the floo when it's time, and Mary will need to remain in a wheelchair because she is too weak to walk.
All of that done, Remus heads back to Peter's place, borrowing a shirt without slashes in it and spelling his pants clean with a quick scourgify to get rid of the blood staining.
"Go to the hospital in an hour, we'll be there. Just ask for Mary Macdonald's room," Remus tells Bridget who nods, taking her daughter from Peter after he hugs her good bye.
"This will work out, you'll see," Peter assures her.
Bridget takes a deep breath, nodding, "Good luck, both of you."
When they reach the Ministry, Remus and Peter walk as quick as they can while trying to draw as little attention as possible. Eventually they make it to the right room, though Peter has gotten distracted by another door, not that Remus notices that. Remus vaguely hears them about to end the trial when he bursts into the room.
"Wait!"
"What is he doing here?" A member of the Wizengamot asks distastefully.
Remus rolls his eyes, used to his status as a Werewolf being met with disgust but still annoyed by it, "Well fine, if you don't want Peter Pettigrew in custody, I guess I'll just leave," Remus says snarkily.
The Minister, having dealt with Remus on a few occasions now, looks like he'd be rolling his eyes or facepalming, or both, if it weren't a break in decorum, "Mr Lupin, what are you talking about?"
"I –" Remus turns around, a tad confused why no one has mentioned Peter, only to find he's not there. Remus rolls his eyes, "One moment." He walks back to the door, opening it and finding Peter looking at another door, "Oi, idiot, this room!"
"Sorry!" Peter says, looking chastised and nervous as he enters the room.
"What the fuck?!" Draco asks, though Remus doesn't think he's even realised he spoke.
"Now, if I might be permitted to speak, I would like to prove Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and, slightly irrelevantly, Bellatrix Lestrange, innocent of all crimes."