Using my mirror I contacted dad to tell him that Harry and the others were safe and that I was with them, before then also asking him to keep an eye out for Mundungus Fletcher as he'd stolen from our house and had something that Harry needed. I didn't go into specifics, but dad promised to get the word out quietly, putting Moody on the case as he was also very good at locating Fletcher. Most of the Order were now in hiding, Moody included, but he was an expert at staying off the grid, so it might take a while to actually find him.
Harry seemed quite certain that Kreacher would be back in a mere couple of hours, but I pointed out that Fletcher could be anywhere and Kreacher would need time to track him down without alerting anyone to what he was doing as I'd expressed to the house-elf how important the mission was, he would do everything as carefully as possible. "So stop pacing around, you'll wear out your new shoes. Instead, make yourself useful and sit down with Ron, you two need to learn some useful spells and how to make food for yourself. Hermione? Do you have the book?"
"Yes!" Quickly rummaging around in her purse, Hermione brought out the hand written book I'd put together for them to learn from. It was a slim volume, but it had plenty of information on various subjects, and for the moment, I had them focus on transfiguring food. I went out to buy some, though as I opened the door I noticed that there were two cloaked men standing facing the house on the opposite side of the street. Immediately I pulled back, closing the door again and yelled for the others, whereby we watched them from the windows in the front room.
"Well, I'm glad I put the reversible spell on these windows. Even if they could see the house, they can't see in, so I think it's safe to say they don't know we're here." I mused, frowning at them as I tried to figure out who they are. "They're not any Death Eaters I know of, and Moody made most of the Order memorise the faces and names of all known supporters, but it's just so odd."
"You don't think they can get in, do you?" Ron worried but Hermione shook her head, telling him that the Fidelius Charm was still active and since they didn't know the secret, they couldn't see the house. They just seemed to know something or someone was here.
"I won't be able to replace the charm now, it's too risky. The moment I break it, they'll be able to see the house and I won't be able to replace it quick enough before they could get inside."
"So what should we do?"
"Leave them. Mia, did you want to borrow my cloak?" Deciding that it was best not to interact with the strangers, but to remain out of sight, I thanked Harry but assured him that I could still cast a strong disillusionment charm on myself, so I merely walked out the door invisibly in order to run and get some food supplies. I made sure to buy plenty, knowing that Ron alone could easily eat enough for several people before returning. Back in the kitchen, I was glad to see Harry and Ron studiously practicing with a piece of mouldy bread each, trying to transfigure it into something edible as Hermione practiced some other spells. Getting dinner underway, I made the boys do most of the work, instructing them on how to properly cook and prepare things.
"Why do we need to know all this stuff anyway?" Ron demanded with a huff as he peeled up the potatoes and vegetables. "Can't we just buy ready made food?"
"First off, you need to make your money stretch as far as possible since you don't know how long you're going to be on the run. Second, it's not fair to expect Hermione to do all the cooking and cleaning for you, so you're going to learn how to do it yourselves properly. Thirdly, there's nothing more attractive than a man who can look after himself, so get to it Ronald." The last point seemed to do the trick as Ron then paid a greater amount of attention to my instructions as I directed them in how to make a simple yet tasty soup as well as how to cook meat and make sure it was cooked all the way through. "The last thing you guys want to do is give yourself food poisoning, so make sure you practice and learn. If you're out camping for any reason, these kind of lessons will prove invaluable."
Once dinner was well underway, I then went through all the rooms in order to set them to rights, muttering under my breath as I fixed broken bindings on books and returned them to their shelves, reorganising the cupboards and drawers in every room, straightening the kitchen from where the pots, pans and cutlery had been rifled through. It appeared Fletcher had made off with a great deal of the silverware and crystal glasses that hadn't been used for the wedding, which made me rather angry. I couldn't believe he would stoop so low, and I promised myself I was going to make him rue the day he stole from House Black. Still, those coat of arms and motto bothered me, so as I studied it I decided that it was time for a change.
With a wave of my wand, the coat of arms started to change, the three ravens below and the arm holding a sword rippling way as the skull sitting above upon the border also vanished, being replaced with the head of a roaring lion as the colours changed to that of gold, red and black. The shield now bore a golden owl carrying a branch in its talons, the wings flapping gracefully and slowly upon the black background with red accents. The banner which bore the previous motto was now replaced and as everyone watched, it was now written in Latin which Ron uncertainly tried to pronounce. "Familia ante Sanguinem." He did a rather good job of it, to be honest. "What does that mean?"
"Family before Blood." I responded with a smile, rather pleased with the result and waved my wand again so that all the family crests in the house would change accordingly as Harry frowned.
"But isn't your family already blood related? What does it mean?" Giving him a smile, I leaned back leisurely in my chair.
"You and I aren't blood related, but we're family. Same with Ron and Hermione. I think we can all agree that relatives don't necessarily mean family. I mean, I'm technically related to Bellatrix Lestrange as well as the Malfoys. Doesn't make them my family. Besides, it also means that family is more important than blood status. I thought it ideal for a new version of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. We're different now, and it's time we changed our view on blood status. What do you think?"
"I think it's perfect." Hermione announced with a smile, gazing at the crest and reading it over and over again. "It sends the exact message that people need to hear, now more than ever."
"Glad you think so, Hermione. Now, how're those spells coming along?" I made sure to keep the three of them occupied whilst we all waited for Kreacher, and I would go out one a day in order to either secure food and supplies or to gather information on what was happening outside. Ron was grateful for news about his family as I returned each day with the newspaper, though fat lot of good it did us since it was still under the Ministry's control, so I got into the habit of also buying The Quibbler since it at least spoke the truth of whatever was going on. The twins were still running their joke shop, though they were being watched and a couple of times the ministry had appeared on their doorstep demanding to search the premises.
They sent me messages with Orion, who I had instructed not to come directly to Grimmauld Place but to leave the letters in a nest in a tree at the nearby park for me to collect each day. We resumed our practice of conferring in code, but other than the constant interruptions, they were alright. Fawkes also appeared once or twice with a message from someone, appearing directly inside the house as to not be spotted and Harry was always glad when he arrived, because it usually meant my dad had sent a message from wherever he was hiding. Fawkes would then rest on my shoulder, letting me carry him around as I continued about my own business of organising and planning for whatever might need doing.
He really was a good and loyal companion, I probably wouldn't have been able to contact less than half the people I needed to talk to without him. Since he was able to move about freely he could find them and bring them the messages, remaining out of sight and unseen, and on the off chance he was ever caught, he couldn't be killed or hurt, and he knew to destroy any message he carried should it happen and to escape as quickly as possible. I really owed Dumbledore for putting Fawkes into my care, and part of me was convinced that Dumbledore had known all along that I would step up after he was gone in order to ensure that everyone was safe and hidden who needed to be and also continue maintaining the Order as well as my contacts in Europe.
Three days after Kreacher had gone to carry out his instructions, we were unexpectedly paid a visit by someone. Harry had happened to be in the hallway when the sound of the door clicking caught his attention and quickly called out to me. I bolted from the kitchen, wand at the ready and appearing just as the door opened and the figure stepped inside. The tongue-tying jinx Moody had set activated, but the figure broke it easily, knowing the password and I couldn't help but feel relieved. "Uncle Rem, it's you." But still, I didn't lower my wand, and neither did Harry as Ron and Hermione rushed down the stairs upon hearing the commotion.
"It's alright, it's only me." Remus assured us all, making Hermione gasp weakly with relief and lower her wand.
"Show yourself!" Harry ordered, remaining suspicious as we stood side by side. Obeying, Remus pulled back his hood in order to show us his face before then proving his identity.
"I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a patronus, Harry, which takes the form of a stag." There was a moment of silence.
"Pretty thorough, wouldn't you say?" I smirked as I tilted my head towards Harry, glancing at him before I then lowered my wand. "Good to see you uncle."
"And you, Mia." He agreed as I walked on over to put my arms around him as Harry also put his wand away, apologising for the greeting but saying that he had to check. "Speaking as your ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, I quite agree that you had to check. Ron, Hermione, you shouldn't be quite so quick to lower your defences." Letting him go as the latter two finished running down the stairs, Remus then looked around him suspiciously. "No sign of Severus then?"
"No, but Mundungus Fletcher has been around and helped himself to mine and dad's things. Come on in, how is everyone?"
"We're fine, but we're all being watched. There are a couple of Death Eaters in the square outside…" Assuring him that we were aware, we all moved into the kitchen where I put the kettle on the hob and started to boil the water so that we could all have a drink. "I had to apparate very precisely onto the top step outside the front door to be sure that they would not see me. They can't know you're in here or I'm sure they'd have more people out there, they're staking out everywhere that's got any connection with you, Harry." Sitting down at the table, Hermione got a fire going so that the room was almost instantly flooded with warmth since it was a rather cold down in the kitchen despite it being August. "I'd have been here three days ago, but I needed to shake off the Death Eater tailing me. So, you came straight here after the wedding?"
"No, only after we ran into a couple of Death Eaters in a café in Tottenham Court Road." Remus was shocked by the news and the three of them explained what had happened. They'd already told me the story, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it. There was no way they should have been able to trace Harry or follow him, but somehow, they'd seemed to know exactly where he was. By the time they were finished, the tea was made and I passed cups around to everyone as we all gathered in conference at the kitchen table.
"But how did they find you so quickly? It's impossible to track anyone who apparates, unless you grab hold of them as they disappear!"
"And it doesn't seem likely they were just strolling down Tottenham Court Road at the time, does it?" Hermione admitted that they had wondered if Harry still had the Trace on him, but Remus was adamant that it was impossible.
"Apart from anything else, they'd know for sure Harry was here if he still had the Trace on him, wouldn't they? But I can't see how they could have tracked you to Tottenham Court Road, that's worrying. Really worrying." A few moments of uncomfortable, tense silence followed, disturbed only by the sipping of tea until Harry then asked what had happened with Remus after the wedding, mentioning that I had related a good deal, but hadn't been able to confirm whether it was Death Eaters, the Ministry or a mixture of both. Sadly, it was the latter.
"There were about a dozen of them, but they didn't know you were there, Harry. Arthur heard a rumour that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him. If it's true, he didn't give you away." Remus informed us, making the trio glance at one another as I studied my tea with a heavy expression.
"We did wonder. I'm glad he didn't give Harry away, means he really was on our side all the way to the end. I just hope we can get them back for his death. We owe him that much at least, for not giving Harry up." The others all nodded in silent agreement.
"The Death Eaters searched the Burrow from top to bottom. They found the ghoul, but didn't want to get too close – and then they interrogated those who remained for hours. Mia and Sirius got away with myself and Dora, I heard all this afterwards. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, but of course, nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there. At the same time that they were smashing up the wedding, more Death Eaters were forcing their way into every Order connected house in the country. No deaths, but they were rough. They burned down Dedalus Diggle's house, but as you know he wasn't there, and they used the Cruciatus Curse on Tonk's family. Again, trying to find out where you went after you visited them. They're alright, shaken obviously, but otherwise okay." I gripped my mug so tightly it shattered in my hand, slicing into my skin to draw blood as the hot liquid poured all over me but as Hermione and the others cried out, I waved them off and assured them I was fine.
I repaired the mug, closed the wound and vanished the blood and tea before going to make myself another one. Recovering, Harry watched me worriedly as I stood by the stove, asking Remus his question and only looked away once he was certain I was alright. "The Death Eaters got through all those protective charms?"
"What you've got to realise, Harry, is that the Death Eaters have got the full might of the Ministry on their side now. They've got the power to perform brutal spells without fear of identification or arrest. They managed to penetrate every defensive spell we'd cast against them, and once inside, they were completely open about why they'd come. The only house they haven't been able to enter is your mother's, Mia, since you protected it so well. It caused quite a stir, but your parents are safe." Regulus told me quickly as I'd spun around. "The Death Eaters haven't been able to get in without an invitation, and your mother is not going to be letting them in for tea anytime soon. She's holed herself in for the moment, she and Leo are pretending to be away on holiday and plan to claim ignorance to why no one could get away in their absence." Thank Circe, that's a relief. I'll have to go and fetch them both, find a new place to hide them. The house won't be safe forever, and if Voldemort…no, I can't even think it.
"And are they bothering to give an excuse for torturing Harry's whereabouts out of people?" Hermione demanded, clearly as incensed as the rest of us at all this injustice.
"Well…here." Drawing out an older paper of the Daily Prophet, one I hadn't gotten before arriving here, he pushed it across the table towards Harry as I walked around with my fresh drink in order to see what was on it. "You'll know sooner or later anyway. That's their pretext for going after you." And there it was, in as big and bold letters as you could possibly get.
WANTED FOR QUESTIONING ABOUT THE DEATH OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
"Well, I suppose it's as good an excuse as any." I murmured as Harry pushed the paper away, looking sick and angry as I put my hand on his shoulder and stood beside him, tea in my other hand as Remus confirmed Hermione's suspicion that the Death Eaters had taken over the Daily Prophet too.
"But surely people realise what's going on?"
"The coup has been smooth and virtually silent. The official version of the Scrimgeour's murder is that he resigned, he has been replaced by Pius Thicknesse, who is under the Imperius Curse."
"Why didn't Voldemort declare himself Minister for Magic?" Ron questioned and I took a moment to be impressed with the fact that Ron was actually using Voldemort's name. He didn't even flinch.
"He doesn't need to, Ron. Effectively he is the Minister, but why should he sit behind a desk at the Ministry? His puppet, Thicknesse, is taking care of everyday business, leaving Voldemort free to extend his power beyond the Ministry. Naturally, many people have deduced what has happened, there has been such a dramatic change in Ministry policy in the last few days, and many are whispering that Voldemort must be behind it. However, that is the point, they whisper. They daren't confide in each other, not knowing whom to trust, they are scared to speak out, in case their suspicions are true and their families are targeted. Yes, Voldemort is playing a very clever came. Declaring himself might have provoked open rebellion, remaining masked has created confusion, uncertainty and fear."
"And this dramatic change in the Ministry policy, involves warning the wizarding world against me instead of Voldemort?"
"That's certainly part of it, and it is a masterstroke. Now that Dumbledore is dead, you – the Boy Who Lived – were sure to be the symbol and rallying point for any resistance to Voldemort. But by suggesting that you had a hand in the old hero's death, Voldemort has not only set a price upon your head, but sown doubt and feat amongst many who would have defended you. Meanwhile, the Ministry has started moving against Muggle-borns." That was when we learned about the Muggle-Born Register, which I had not seen in any subsequent publications in the newspaper, so it was a good thing Remus had brought this along. It required all muggle-born witches and wizards to register with the Ministry under the pretext of a survey to understand how they came to possess magic.
It was also said that recent discoveries have led to believe that wizard can only be passed from wizard families, and if there was no proof of wizarding ancestry, then the muggle-born was likely to have stolen the magic from someone else by force. "Ridiculous. How is an eleven year old supposed to steal magic from someone else when they would have had no clue about there being magic in the world in the first place? Whoever believes this nonsense is utterly…" I couldn't even think of an appropriate way to finish that sentence I was so vexed.
"People won't let this happen." Ron spoke confidently, but Remus just looked at him sadly.
"It is happening, Ron. Muggle-borns are being rounded up as we speak."
"But how are they supposed to have 'stolen' magic? It's mental, if you could steal magic, there wouldn't be any Squibs, would there?" Let's just hope other people come to the same conclusion as Ron, though the fact that muggle-borns were being rounded up weighed heavily with me. Already I was decided that I had to do something about this, and I knew dad would be willing to help. Ron determinedly announced that he was going to swear Hermione was his cousin and was going to teach her his family tree, making her smile softly at him and squeeze his hand as our conversation then turned to Hogwarts.
Attendance was now mandatory, which was a change since some parents chose to keep their children home and teach them themselves, though it wasn't often that way. "This way, Voldemort will have the whole wizarding population under his eye from a young age, and it's also another way of weeding out muggle-borns, because students must be given blood status – meaning that they have proven to the Ministry that they are of wizard decent – before they are allowed to attend." The rest of us remained silent in order to process the new information. It was getting worse out there, far worse than I had realised. I have to do something, but that means leaving Harry, Ron and Hermione…I'll have to think about this. I'll have to plan carefully, figure out the priorities. "I'll understand if you can't confirm this, Harry, but the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you a mission."
"He did, and Ron and Hermione are in on it, and they're coming with me. Mia knows too, she's been helping us prepare and train, but I think she's decided to stay and help the Order whilst we go." Harry said, twisting his neck in order to look up at me as I had stayed rooted to my spot beside him. Nodding, I then kicked out a chair in order to sit.
"Can you confide in me what the mission is?" Remus questioned, studying the four of us closely as Harry hesitated a moment before giving his answer.
"I can't, Remus, I'm sorry. If Dumbledore didn't tell you, I don't think I can."
"I thought you'd say that, but I might still be of some use to you. You know what I am and what I can do. I could come with you to provide protection. There would be no need to tell me exactly what you were up to." My jaw dropped as I shot up from my chair again, barely having sat down.
"You can't!" I shouted almost angrily, though mostly I was just shocked as everyone looked at me in alarm. "Are you out of your mind? You can't run off with Harry when Tonks is expecting, how could you even think about leaving her right now when she needs you the most?!" Immediately there was a slight burst of confusion, Harry and Ron asking what I meant as Hermione caught on quickly.
"Tonks is going to have a baby?"
"What!?" Harry also yelled, looking sharply at Remus who grimaced. "Just to be clear, you want to leave Tonks and come away with us?"
"She'll be perfectly safe with her parents, they'll look after her." Remus insisted but now that the shock had worn off, the absolute anger had now taken its place. I was furious, scraping my fingers against the kitchen table as I clenched them into tight fists. "Harry, I'm sure James would have wanted me to stick with you."
"Well, I'm not." Harry responded adamantly and I nodded my head firmly to agree. "I'm pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually." Remus paled visibly and a flicker of emotion moved through his expression as he looked at the two of us, Ron and Hermione watching with baited breath.
"You don't understand." He finally spoke and Harry immediately responded that he should explain, making Remus shift uncomfortably. "I…I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgement and I have regretted it very much ever since." My jaw dropped, completely floored by his admission.
"I see. So you're just going to dump her and the kid and run off with us, are you?" Harry demanded coldly, making Remus jump up with such a fierce expression that I almost feared that he was going to spring across the table and tackle Harry.
"Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast!" With his fury unbridled, Remus actually kicked his chair with so much force it flew across the room and shattered against the wall. I left it in splinters. "You have only ever seen me amongst the Order, or under Dumbledore's protection at Hogwarts! You don't know how most of the wizarding world sees creatures like me! When they know of my affliction, they can barely talk to me! Don't you see what I've done? Even her own family is disgusted by our marriage, what parents want their only daughter to marry a werewolf? And the child…the child…"
"Will be born beautiful and perfect no matter how it turns out!" I now thundered, my voice shattering even Remus's ranting as Hermione jumped and grabbed onto Ron, now staring at me with wide eyes. "Remus John Lupin, when are you going to learn that you are not a monster and that whatever anyone else thinks of you, they are not worthy of you! The only people you should concern yourself with is family, and that's us! All of us! Me, dad, the Order, everyone! If you can't appreciate all of us, then it's you who's not worthy of Tonks or that child! I'm DISGUSTED with you!"
"You cannot know! You cannot possibly know what the child will be like!" Remus cried out as he rounded on me, eyes still wild and I began to sense the predator streak in him rising to the surface as he snarled. "My kind don't usually breed! It will be like me, I am convinced of it – how can I forgive myself when I knowingly risked passing on my own condition to an innocent child? And if, by some miracle, it is not like me, then it will be better off, a hundred times so, without a father of whom it must always be ashamed!"
"SHUT UP!" Bellowing with all the fury I could muster, I sliced out my arm to emphasise my point and the fire suddenly burst to fill the entire mouth of the hearth with bright scarlet flames as magic came pouring out of me. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK LIKE THAT? THAT CHILD WILL BE BORN HOWEVER IT IS BORN AND IF YOU DARE TRY AND RUN AWAY, I'LL CURSE YOU MYSELF!" Taking a great gasp of air, the fire then settled though it hissed and spat angrily as I continued to glower at Remus who had shrunk back slightly out of instinct as I dominated the room, one animal instinct recognising the other's. "No child should ever grow up without their real father. I should know, and so does Harry. Take it from us, that if you abandon that baby, they will resent you for it forever."
"Agreed." Harry murmured as we all focused on Remus who looked very much like he wanted nothing more than to run away from us right now. Hermione then timidly spoke up, asking how Remus could possibly think that any child could be ashamed of him, but Harry was the one to answer. "Oh, I don't know Hermione. I'd be pretty ashamed of him." Harry was now standing as well, shoulder to shoulder with me as we both faced Remus. "If the new regime thinks muggle-borns are bad, what will they do to a half werewolf whose father's in the Order? My father died trying to protect my mother and me, and you reckon he'd tell you to abandon your kid to go on an adventure with us?"
"How…how dare you? This is not about a desire for – for danger or personal glory…how dare you suggest such a-?"
"No, it's not that at all." I contradicted, my jaw firmly locked as I looked at Remus with an expression of utter disappointment and anger. "You're just trying to run away. You're being a coward. I'd never expect that from you of all people, Remus. To me, you've always been one of the bravest people I knew. Colour me disappointed."
"I'd never have believed this." Harry contributed, Remus now starting to tremble before us out of fury and guilt. "The man who taught me to fight Dementors, a coward." Remus's wand was in his hand faster than I could have believed and I was too slow to reach for mine. Before I knew it, both Harry and I were on our backs with stars popping before our eyes and I was faintly aware of Hermione begging Remus to come back. Wow. That had hurt. Shaking myself off, Harry was already up on his feet and offering me his hand, pulling me upright as Hermione came tearfully back into the kitchen.
"How could you?"
"It was easy." Harry shrugged as I dusted myself off and rubbed my head to make sure I hadn't bumped it too badly. Hermione looked like she had a good deal she wanted to say to the both of us but settled for a withering scowl, making Harry snap at her, which in turn made Ron jump up defensively.
"Oh pack it in, all of you." I sighed, going back to the table in order to finish my tea. "Remus needed to be told the truth, otherwise he would have just continued running away from his worries."
"Still, you shouldn't have said that stuff to Lupin." Ron argued so I shot him a look as Harry argued that he had had it coming to him. Harry then went strangely distant, making us all look around at him as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Parents…shouldn't leave their kids unless – unless they've got to." Humming in agreement, Hermione and Ron shared a look with each other. Going to stand by the fire for a bit, Harry eventually admitted that he shouldn't have called Remus a coward. "But he's acting like one."
"All the same…"
"I know." Harry interjected as Hermione had started to pester him about the way we'd handled things. "But if it makes him go back to Tonks, it'll be worth it, won't it?" He looked around at us, as if seeking a confirmation so after a moment I rose to my feet.
"Well, there's someone who'd be able to tell you exactly what they would have said. Come on, I've been meaning to show you something. It should have finished maturing by now, I was keeping it as a surprise, but I guess now's as good a time as any." Leading all three of them back into the hallway, I then tapped my wand against the curtains which covered the portrait that dad and I had commissioned, making them draw back to reveal the six smiling faces of our family. Hermione gasped in shock, staring as two particular faces looked straight at Harry, blinking in surprise before then beaming.
"Hello son."