12 September 1995

"What do you know of Nymphadora Tonks, Lucius?" she asked. The ragged, blond man trembled before her.

"My niece…my wife's niece…the daughter of my wife's sister," Lucius replied shakily. "She is not yet twenty four years old."

"Why was she at Godric's Hollow?"

"She is married to the werewolf, Lupin, an old friend of the Potters'…Lupin and Black grew up with them…he is an uncle figure for the boy."

"Yes…you mentioned she is more or less a sister to the boy? Why was she at Godric's Hollow the night of my downfall?"

Lucius trembled further. Pathetic.

"Tell the truth, Lucius. Lord Voldemort will know if you lie."

"Pandora," Lucius gasped. "Pandora Black was my wife's cousin…she befriended Andromeda, my wife's sister. She befriended Lupin and Sirius Black. They must've brought Nymphadora to see the Potter boy and Pandora that night. It may be why Potter considers her a sister of sorts."

"Was Pandora close to anyone else?"

"S-Severus, my lord," Lucius whispered.

"Fetch him. I demand Severus Snape."

"Snape," Tonks gasped. "He's in trouble. Voldemort wants him."

"I'll let Albus know. He should be able to get to Severus sooner than we can," Remus replied tiredly. "Kreacher!"

A soft pop indicated Kreacher's arrival into their bedroom.

"Master calls for Kreacher?"

"Kreacher, please help Nymphadora dry the clothes and sheets, and fetch her water when you're able."

"As Master wishes," Kreacher croaked. Tonks watched as Kreacher busied himself with drying the bedsheets, her clothes, and brought up a tall glass of water for her to drink.

"Does Mistress Nymphadora require anything else?"

"No, thank you, Kreacher. You're a good elf."

Kreacher mustered a half-smile and disappeared with another soft pop. Tonks put her head in her hands, wondering what the vision meant.

Lucius Malfoy had withheld the truth from Voldemort. He should have told Voldemort that Tonks was more than just a sister "of sorts" to Harry. She was his sister, as far as she was aware. Harry had only ever called her his sister. Andromeda and Ted were parents to both of them. Tonks was more than the a sisterly figure who'd married Remus Lupin, an uncle figure. She was more than a family friend or a sister figure…she was Harry's family in all but genetics.

Why had Lucius lied?

Remus returned with Dumbledore at his heels. In minutes, Tonks described the entirety of the vision to both of them and concluded with the same question.

"Why did Lucius lie?" asked Tonks.

"It is possible he does not wish to associate Voldemort with his wife or son. Knowing you are closer to them will implicate them," Dumbledore replied. "It is also possible he meant to protect you by downplaying the relationship you have with Harry."

"Me? Me?" While Tonks pondered the latest theory, Remus spoke up.

"Lucius Malfoy knows where Voldemort is. Why can't he turn him over to us?" Remus asked irritably. "Why aren't we looking for him? Either of them?"

"Lucius is not an escaped convict, nor does the Ministry believe Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore explained simply. "According to the law, he has done nothing wrong. I suspect there is more at play in the heart of Lucius Malfoy."

"What about Snape?" Tonks asked. "Is he going to be all right?"

Dumbledore gazed at her thoughtfully. "I certainly hope so. He is one of the most accomplished Occlumens in Britain, to my knowledge. I trust he will take care of himself."

Remus cleared his throat and sat down at Tonks's side. "Is there anything else we should know?"

"Nothing yet. It is only natural that Voldemort would be after you now that he knows who you are. It wouldn't shock me if he were to try to use you to get to Harry," Dumbledore replied. "It is possible he will use anyone close to Harry to get to him…your parents, Sirius, Remus, you…his friends. I will warn Harry accordingly."

"When are we going to tell him…about Dora? The horcruxes? Our deaths?"

Dumbledore stroked the end of his beard pensively. "He will know by the end of this term. We will tell him together, if you'd like."

"Please. I want Remus there too. I want him to know he's not alone."

"I'll be there," Remus promised. "Every step of the way, I'll be there."

"Good. I expect I'll see you both again soon enough."

"Next meeting, yeah," Tonks sighed. She rubbed her eyes and took another sip of water. "I'll be going back to sleep now."

"I'll walk you out, Albus," Remus offered. Tonks hit her head against the pillow and watched as Dumbledore and Remus left the bedroom. She drifted off into an uneasy sleep, pondering just why Lucius Malfoy hadn't told the full truth.

….

13 October 1995

"Sirius, what are you doing back? We're having dinner with my parents tonight!"

"We are most certainly not. Your Gran told me that your parents and Narcissa called an emergency Board of Governors meeting at Hogwarts," Sirius replied. "Something about alleged child abuse."

"Child abuse?" asked Remus, with a look of utter revulsion on his face. "At Hogwarts?"

"Your Gran said your mother was 'on the warpath,' and muttering about that Umbridge woman," Sirius replied. "I'm sure we'll know sooner or later what happened. I, for one, hope Umbridge finds herself on the wrong end of several blast-ended skrewts."

"I reckon we're staying here for the night," Tonks said dejectedly. "I never thought an outing to my parents' would be so exciting."

"You've only been at this a year, Tonksie," Sirius sighed. He summoned an empty glass and a bottle of firewhisky. "Last year I spent more time with your mum and my cousin than I had in the entirety of my childhood." He took several large gulps of the firewhisky. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Old family rivalries and snobbery still run deep in our bones."

"Meaning?" asked Remus, arching a brow at him. He plopped down on a sofa with Hope and bounced her on his lap.

"Trash-talking old family members and reminiscing on precious childhood memories," Sirius said, grinning. "It was almost like we were kids again."

"I can only imagine it because I have memories of it all," Tonks said absentmindedly. "This place used to look so different."

"Do you mean before the redecoration or in another timeline?" asked Sirius, after another sip of firewhisky.

"Both, but I was thinking the other timeline. I have all those memories, you know. They're upstairs in that secret attic."

Remus rolled his eyes. "The one I'm not allowed into?"

"You don't have Black blood," Tonks said, grinning. "Hope does though. She'll be able to go in whenever she wants."

Sirius barked a laugh at Remus's expense. "She's on the family tapestry now, did you know?"

"I didn't ask Kreacher to put her on it!"

"It's enchanted. It happens when a new child is born. Kreacher only had to restore names that had been burned off but once they were restored, like your mother's, the other names were easy to add."

"Remus must be on there too, mustn't he?" Tonks asked eagerly.

"He is indeed. Welcome to the Black family tapestry, Moony. All our ancestors must be rolling in their graves." Sirius barked in laughter again, and Tonks joined him. She recalled all the older members of the family and what their reactions might've been if they'd learned the next generation of Blacks would include several half-bloods, including a werewolf.

Suddenly, the fire in the fireplace lit up emerald and a figure emerged from it.

"Albus! What a surprise! What are you doing here?" asked Remus. "We weren't expecting you for our meeting till next week!"

"Unsurprisingly, I require a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Dumbledore said merrily. "It would seem Professor Dolores Umbridge was using blood quills on students as a means to hurt them physically during detentions."

"Blood quills? That's barbaric!" Remus cried. "Why did no one say anything before?"

"Harry was her first victim. He was under the impression it was better not to say anything to draw attention to himself. His friend Cedric noticed the scars in between Quidditch practices and thought to bring it to my attention."

"We told Harry to tell us if there was anything unusual!" Tonks said angrily.

"To his credit, he did write in the journal that Andromeda reads. He wrote that his hand hurt after doing lines for detention with Umbridge. He did not specify that his hand hurting was due to a blood quill, rather than a wrist cramp," Dumbledore explained. "Under these accusations of child abuse, Dolores Umbridge is now awaiting a trial." His mustache and jaw twitched as he attempted to stifle his amusement. "Thus I find myself in need of a new Defense professor."

Tonks crossed her arms over her chest and let her pink fringe fall into her eyes. "I thought the Ministry was under the impression we're both nutters and liars?"

"Your friend Amos Diggory came to your defenses. He made a strong case for your return, citing that it was only through your combined efforts that his son survived the last term. Narcissa Malfoy defended his decision, and your father, Ted, assured the Minister for Magic that if he was foolish enough to propose the idea that a child abuser could serve as a professor, he had no business interfering with Hogwarts's hiring practices."

Dumbledore's jaw twitched again in amusement. The corners of his lips were curling up into a smile, despite his apparent efforts to keep his expression neutral.

"I might add that neither Dolores nor Cornelius recalled that the Tonkses are among St. Mungo's most generous donors, in addition to members of the Wizengamot, and in your father's case, a member of the Board of Governors. They hadn't connected that information to the fact that they were Harry Potter's legal guardians."

"You're telling me Umbridge didn't realize that Harry's de facto parents are incredibly wealthy and influential? Is she that daft?" Remus asked.

"Dolores was under the impression that Harry's guardians were his Muggle relatives. She and Cornelius were most displeased to learn otherwise."

"I thought they already knew?" Tonks asked. "That Lockhart git tried to get Harry for an interview a few years ago and mum practically hexed his bollocks off."

"The Daily Prophet recorded Lockhart as calling Andromeda Harry's mother," Dumbledore explained. "Lockhart has now been exposed as a fraud and accordingly, all his statements were assumed to be falsehoods. At best, Andromeda and Ted Tonks are known as an aunt and uncle to Harry but without any real legal standing. They assume that falls to Sirius."

"I'm a nutter, remember? I killed people so why would I care about my godson?" Sirius said, shaking his head. "No one would believe the ex-convict godfather of accusing a Ministry representative torturing his godson."

"Precisely, Sirius. If not Muggle relatives, then a so-called unstable godfather. Cornelius and Dolores made a foolish mistake and they are now paying for it. Cornelius no longer has a say in anything that happens at Hogwarts and Dolores is awaiting a trial."

"Will you join us, Remus and Tonks? Professors Lupin and Tonks?"

"You know the kids are going to be happy about this," Tonks giggled. "We'll do it. Right, Remus?"

"I'll ask Kreacher to pack our things," Remus said, smiling. "It will be nice to be back at Hogwarts."

"Looks like it's just us again, old pal," Sirius said to the bottle of firewhisky in his hands. "You, me, and Kreacher."

Dumbledore smiled broadly now. "Actually, Sirius, I have a position available to you as well."

"You do?" Remus, Sirius, and Tonks asked in unison.

"Your work restrictions ended last year, if I'm not mistaken. Hagrid is making better inroads than I thought with the giants and will be staying with them for longer than we expected. I would like to offer you the position of professor of Care of Magical Creatures, seeing as you spent several years working alongside Newt Scamander," Dumbledore said. "Will you accept?"

"Fuck yeah, I'll accept!" Sirius said, standing. "Professor Black, here I come!"

"Excellent. I'll have the elves prepare your quarters tomorrow. I expect all three of you at Hogwarts by Sunday evening – ah, my mistake – all four of you."

"Four?" Tonks asked, confused.

"He means our daughter, Nymphadora. Hope is coming with us," Remus said, chuckling.

"Your other elf, Kreacher, is welcome to join us as well," Dumbledore said. "Elves are happiest when they work and I believe Kreacher will enjoy serving your family at Hogwarts."

"All right. We're off to Hogwarts again, all of us!" Tonks said, clapping her hands cheerfully. "Do you hear that, Hope? You're going back to Hogwarts!"

Hope babbled in reply, not caring that she'd be the darling of Hogwarts once again.

….

5 November 1995

Tonks celebrated her twenty-fourth birthday at Hogwarts. It was one of her happier birthdays yet, as just the day before, Dolores J. Umbridge was sentenced to twenty years in Azkaban.

Her charges of child abuse were the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, as they uncovered several years of wrongdoing at the Ministry. She'd evidently used her post to advance her career, pass hateful legislation through surreptitious means, and used Veritaserum on Ministry workers and Hogwarts students alike to get ahead. Following her trial, she was sent off to Azkaban for two decades to pay for her crimes.

It made the return to Hogwarts that much sweeter, knowing that unlike Umbridge, Hogwarts's newest professors were relatively crime free.

Tonks, Remus, Hope, and Sirius had been at Hogwarts for a month. The students welcomed back their Defense professors with open arms. No one was happier than the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs; just as Remus was a favorite among the Gryffindors, Tonks had a devoted following of Hufflepuffs admiring her for her talent, bravery, and kindness.

Professor Black became a favorite, too. His whimsical, hands-on teaching style for Care of Magical Creatures followed Newt Scamander's approach. Following his appointment to the post, several students asked to take Care of Magical Creatures as an added elective.

Tonks supposed that Sirius's joint Animagus lessons with McGonagall had something to do with it; almost two dozen students were now spending extra hours studying the Animagus process with the intent of becoming Animagi after their seventeenth birthdays, when they would be of age in the wizarding world. Tonks, having become an Animagus by accident, chose to observe the students while they studied the process, if only to admire the work that Dora did to become a badger.

No one was happier for Remus, Tonks, and Sirius to be at the castle than Harry. He now had three members of his family to turn to whenever he wanted. It wasn't uncommon to see Harry and his friends finding ways to prank both Sirius and Remus, with Tonks's help. After reading all of the pranks the Marauders played on unsuspecting younger students, Tonks was all too happy to help Harry and his friends return the favor.

Tonks finally learned how Harry had invested his gold – Fred and George Weasley's new products became a hit among students. They'd gifted Tonks with a sampler box of their best products, and she awarded them each twenty points to Gryffindor for their cleverness. Though the products would inevitably be used for making trouble, she thought it only fair to award them for their brilliance, as some of the magic was truly extraordinary for their age.

All in all, Tonks was glad to be back at Hogwarts, finding it a much happier place with her family nearby.

….

26 December 1995

"I can't believe she's already a year old," Tonks gushed, holding Hope's hands. She'd begun walking on her own in the last two weeks and was now toddling from one end of their quarters to the other, grabbing everything in sight.

"Where did the time go, Hope?"

Hope blew bubbles and babbled. She walked away from Tonks toward her toy box, which held her most prized possessions. Woofie, the old stuffed wolf, a few other stuffed animals, and Muggle wooden blocks were among Hope's favorite toys.

"I can't think of another one-year-old with so many admirers," Tonks said, grinning. "There seems to be a competition between the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs for her favor."

"At this rate she'll be a Ravenclaw or Slytherin and disappoint them all."

"What do you think, Hope? Which one do you like best?" Tonks levitated four stuffed animals before Hope. A lion, a badger, an eagle, and a snake were now in front of her. She glanced at them before going back to her toy box and getting a stuffed dragon instead.

"Your friends Charlie and Theo would be so proud she's chosen the dragon."

"We could try colors?" Tonks suggested. "Hope? Come here."

Hope heard her name and Remus opened her arms for her to run into. Hope brought the dragon toy to Remus while Tonks charmed four pillows in the house colors. Red, yellow, blue, and green pillows were offered to Hope.

As with the stuffed animals, she glanced at them before turning back to Tonks and tugging on her bubblegum pink hair.

"I think she's outright refusing to play your game, Nymphadora," Remus laughed. "She doesn't want to be sorted yet."

"Do you think the Sorting Hat would sort a baby?"

Remus arched a brow at her. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

Tonks flushed, feeling guilty, and fiddled with the buttons on her cardigan.

"I thought….you know…it would be easier to imagine it when she grows up one day. "

"When you think you won't be around anymore?" Remus said gently. He strode over to her and took her face in his hands. "If it really matters to you, we could always ask Albus for the Hat."

"It's fine," Tonks mumbled. "I hoped I'd see her choose one of them and I could imagine her in her robes, or wearing a scarf in her house colors…that's all."

"Nymphadora. Albus will understand. I doubt the Hat's ever sorted a baby, but why don't we try?"

"You don't think I'm being ridiculous?"

"Perhaps a little, but it's never stopped me from loving you," Remus said, kissing her. "I'll ask Albus now."

Tonks watched as Remus sent his jackrabbit Patronus across the castle with a question for Dumbledore. Minutes later, they heard a knock at their door.

Dumbledore swept in wearing velvet purple robes and carrying the Sorting Hat.

"Seriously?" asked Tonks. "You're willing to try?"

"I admit I was curious," Dumbledore said merrily. "Where is young Miss Lupin?"

"Hope?" Remus called, finding their daughter now engrossed in banging the head of a stuffed ferret against the floor. "Professor Dumbledore brought something for you to try."

Hope eyed Dumbledore warily, but took Remus's hand to walk toward him.

"Try this on, Miss Lupin."

Hope took the brim of the hat in her mouth and Remus pulled it back.

"No, love, like this." Remus placed the Hat on Hope's little head. She stumbled back, confused, and sat down on the floor. She was readying herself to take it off when she stilled and babbled.

"I think she hears the Hat talking to her," Remus said, watching Hope babble into the cloth. The Hat was comically large on Hope, falling past her shoulders so that only her little legs were swinging out in front of it.

"How long has it been?" Tonks whispered. "A minute, maybe?"

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat bellowed. Remus beamed and took the Hat off Hope's head.

"Wow," Tonks said, looking at a smiling Hope. "She's a Gryffindor."

"It's possible it may change between now and her true sorting in a decade or so," Dumbledore said, amused. "I'd keep this information among ourselves, so that we don't sway her too much."

Remus looked at Hope, awed, and lifted her up for a hug.

"I don't know that Remus will be able to control himself," Tonks chuckled. "He's got a little lioness for a daughter."

"Her godfather and uncle were both Gryffindors," Remus said smugly. "As was her father."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "I don't care what house she's in…but I do appreciate knowing she's currently a Gryffindor."

"Come, Hope," Remus said brightly. "Let's go to Gryffindor tower so you can see where you'll live one day."

"This was a mistake," Tonks giggled. "I'm sorry, Hope. Have fun with your dad."

Dumbledore led Remus and Hope out of their quarters, leaving Tonks alone for a moment. Deciding she too wanted to imagine Hope as a little Gryffindor, she followed Remus to join him at Gryffindor tower.

….

3 January 1996

"Months have passed, Severus…where is the girl?"

Severus blinked several times, startled by the question. "My lord, she is at Hogwarts. It is unwise to remove her."

"Lies…Crucio!"

Severus writhed before her in agony. It had been months since she discovered the friendship between Pandora Black and Severus Snape, and yet Severus had failed to mention Pandora's relationship with the girl, Nymphadora Tonks. Pandora had given Nymphadora everything in her possession, including the Lestrange vault, containing one of her horcruxes.

She let go of the curse just as Severus's eyes bulged from the pain.

"Did you know Pandora gave everything to the girl?"

"No, my lord."

Everything in her body shook with rage; she could see the lie, she could feel the lie… "Lies! All of it, lies!"

"I am not lying, my lord…I did not know."

"Yet you knew Pandora was friendly with the girl and her family…the blood traitors…the half-breed…"

"I thought she was a spy…like me…we were friends, my lord…"

"You have lied to Lord Voldemort for the last time, Severus."

"My lord?" Severus whispered.

"Avada Kedavra!" she hissed, and Severus fell over, never to see the light of day again.

"He killed him!" Tonks wailed. "He killed Severus!"

"What?" Remus sat upright in bed and stared at Tonks. "Are you sure?"

Tonks began to sob heavily against Remus; she had never become truly friendly with Severus Snape as Nymphadora, but the potions master had helped her reach her goals and had been one of Dora's fiercest friends.

"I'll get Albus. Stay here, Nymphadora." He summoned Kreacher to help while he fetched Dumbledore.

Tonks shook in the bed, struggling to recall where Voldemort had been. The scene was dim, as usual. Only a crackling fire behind Voldemort gave any indication of where he was. She couldn't bear the idea of Snape's body being lost and forgotten as another hapless victim of Voldemort's wrath.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the pain radiating in the center of her chest, where her half-moon scar lay.

"The body…my lord?" Lucius stared at Severus's corpse and trembled. "He was my son's Head of House…the school…"

"Dobby!" she called. The elf bowed and stared at the corpse with wide, unblinking eyes.

"Bring the body to the gates of Hogwarts. They will know what happens to those who disappoint Lord Voldemort."

Dobby took hold of Severus's hands and vanished with a pop.

"Nymphadora! You were shaking!" Remus said, holding Tonks firmly by the shoulders.

"They're bringing his body here – the castle," Tonks gasped. "The gates – Dobby!"

Dumbledore sent a Patronus off to another part of the castle.

"I will return. Stay where you are and rest for now, Tonks," Dumbledore said gravely. "Remus, see to it that she gets anything she needs."

Tonks wept again into Remus's shoulder. Severus Snape was dead, and he'd given his life to protect hers.

….

9 January 1996

The news of Severus Snape's death was announced on what would have been his 36th birthday. As Tonks predicted, his body was found outside the castle gates moments after she'd looked into Voldemort's mind. As it had been the Christmas holidays, no students had been around to see his body.

Severus's funeral was held quietly over the previous weekend and he was buried in a small plot reserved for deceased Hogwarts professors. In the same weekend, the new potions professor, Horace Slughorn, returned to Hogwarts to take up his previous post as professor and Head of Slytherin House.

The Slytherin students were shocked at the news of Snape's death. Even Draco was visibly troubled, as Dumbledore announced that Severus had been killed by Lord Voldemort while protecting those who lived under Hogwarts's roof. Tonks knew the truth; she and Harry had been Snape's primary concerns for years. Severus had died for them.

Tonks and McGonagall had been the ones to sort out Severus's belongings following his death. The elves of Hogwarts had cleaned it and taken his personal effects from the quarters in order to prepare them for Slughorn's arrival.

It was during this sorting that Tonks found the many notes and drafts of Snape's potions texts – as Dora had once suggested, he had been drafting potions textbooks for students. Once she'd collected everything, she vowed to herself to spend the remaining time she had alive to organize them and work with a publisher to posthumously publish Snape's textbooks.

His notes had been instrumental in allowing her to achieve her goals; she hoped that others would benefit too from Severus Snape's years of carefully gleaned wisdom in the art of potion making.

Remus let Tonks grieve the loss in her own way. She supposed it hurt to lose Snape more than she expected, given her many memories of Dora's friendship with him.

By the end of what would've been his 36th birthday, Tonks decided to commission a large portrait of Severus Snape to hang among the many portraits of past professors of Hogwarts. He'd made a larger difference in the world than he could've expected, even if he hadn't known it in his lifetime.

….

10 February 1996

"Not this again," Remus said flatly. "I did this years ago and I'm not doing it now."

"But now you have a wife to go with and a daughter to come back to. Unless you'd like to go with Hope?"

"Let's take her with us."

"Seriously?"

"Why not? I'd rather spend time with her than Horace."

Tonks shrugged. "All right. Baby at a Slughorn party, why not?"

"To think I used to go to these with Dora…that reminds me, I don't know if we ever told Harry that his dad once went on a date with Severus to one of them."

"I have the photographs," Tonks said, smiling. "I'll bring them with me and show them to Slughorn before I show them to Harry. He's going to be either embarrassed or proud."

"Knowing Harry, it will be both," Remus chuckled. "I'll get Hope and then we'll go."

Tonks finished dressing herself and met Remus and Hope at the door to their family quarters. Slughorn's first Slug Club event – a Valentine's party – was underway that night and he'd invited the most promising students to join him. He'd invited Tonks, too, not knowing she was technically a professor at the time. When she'd told him who she was – and who she'd been related to – he gave her an invitation straightaway.

Tonks supposed being a Metamorphmagus didn't hurt, considering her hair was a valuable potions ingredient. Transforming into an Animagus – Dora's form, too – sealed the impression that Tonks was an extraordinarily gifted witch for her age.

The family of three made their way to the dungeons, where Slughorn's party was well underway.

"Oh look, Uncle Harry's here!" Tonks said, pointing to Harry, who had Ginny on his arm. Hermione and Ron trailed behind them, standing hand-in-hand and smiling.

"You're bringing Hope to meet Slughorn?" asked Harry. "Really? Do you want a Slug Club invite for her, too?"

"I think Remus is hoping she'll have a meltdown in the first ten minutes of the party so we can leave," Tonks said, as Remus looked away absentmindedly. "Remus was unfortunately dragged to many of these events in his own years at Hogwarts."

"Speaking of which," Tonks added, "take a look at these." Tonks handed Harry the photographs of previous Slug Club events, including a few of Severus Snape and James Potter standing next to each other, stony-faced and scowling.

"What's this?" Harry asked. "Why was my dad with Snape?"

"They went as dates one year," Remus laughed. "Your godmother Dora's idea."

"No. Way." Ginny snatched the pictures and started laughing. She handed them to Hermione and Ron, who stared at the pictures in disbelief.

"This wasn't…err, romantic, was it?" Harry said, turning a delicate shade of pink.

"No, no," Remus replied. "It was a strategic alliance. There was no love lost between your father and Severus, but they both cared for your mother in different ways."

"They did? Snape…and my mother?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Your mum and Severus grew up in the same place, Cokeworth. They were friends for a long time. One day we'll tell you more, but know that Severus Snape cared for Lily Potter as one of his closest friends," Tonks said gently. "He was a brave man."

Ron scuffed his foot against the stone floor awkwardly and coughed.

"Right, we should go in, shouldn't we?" Tonks said, clearing her throat. "Slughorn's going to be delighted all of you are here, I'm sure."

Ron raised his eyebrows and followed Hermione into the dungeon. Slughorn's face lit up when he saw everyone come in, particularly upon seeing Harry arrive with Ginny. His smile broadened further when he saw Tonks, Remus, and Hope come in.

Without a second glance, Slughorn strode toward them and picked Hope up out of Remus's arms and bounced her.

"A future prodigy, I'm certain!" Slughorn said, holding Hope. She stared at him, confused, as he conjured several paper birds above her head. Fascinated, Hope tried reaching up to them without success.

"Just wait," Slughorn said excitedly. He kept the paper birds circling around Hope's head. The more she tried to reach them, the faster they flew.

Tonks saw Hope frown; just before Tonks expected Hope to explode into a temper tantrum over the unreachable paper birds, they exploded into colorful confetti over her head and showered her with multicolored ribbons.

"Just as I predicted! A fine witch in the making!" Slughorn boomed. He beamed at Hope and turned to Remus and Tonks. "That was all Miss Lupin's doing! Magic at such a tender age…a fine witch she'll make, indeed! Come along, Miss Lupin!" He kept Hope on his arm and led her toward a throng of important-looking witches and wizards.

"What in Merlin's name just happened?" asked Tonks.

"I believe Horace irritated our daughter enough to have her destroy those paper birds in the only way she knew how," Remus said, shocked. "He tricked her into doing magic."

"She did that?" Tonks looked down at the scraps of multicolored paper that now littered the floor.

"It could've been fire," Remus shrugged. "Instead she burst them apart."

"If they were real birds that would've meant entrails everywhere, Remus."

He laughed and took Tonks's hand, leading her out to the dance floor. "C'mon, love, let's dance. Horace is now showing off his tiniest star."

"I thought she'd annoy him."

"You truly underestimated Horace's ability to spot talent, my dear."

Another shower of colorful confetti burst over Slughorn and Hope's heads, prompting a round of applause from another set of witches.

"I reckon all we have to do is bother her enough that she explode things around us for magic, huh?" asked Tonks.

"I think not…I shudder to think of her stuffed animals being ripped apart and left all over our quarters."

Tonks laughed, thinking of a massacre of stuffed animals in their living space. Though Slughorn was an unusual wizard, Tonks couldn't help but be grateful to know that Hope was indeed a witch and had a bright, magical future ahead of her.

….

2 April 1996

Arthur Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt were in critical condition at St. Mungo's. They'd been guarding the Department of Mysteries the week before when Voldemort himself came to duel them. Harry had seen the vision before Tonks had and had alerted the Order through Patronus messages that Arthur and Kingsley were in trouble. They were spared just moments before Voldemort saw the other Order members coming in and fled the scene.

"The visions are getting worse and worse," Tonks said weakly, after another harrowing scene of Voldemort almost breaking into the Ministry of Magic. "We have to tell Harry."

Dumbledore furrowed his brow at her.

"I mean it. Harry needs to know everything…Dora, the horcruxes, us…he has to know," Tonks continued. "The visions are getting worse. I can feel it in my bones. One of these days he's going to get to us. He knows he has a connection to Harry now because Harry helped bring the Order members to the Ministry. We have to tell him."

Dumbledore sat still and pensive for several moments before nodding.

"We will tell him after Easter."

"We'll tell him everything?"

"Everything, yes."

"Including that we need to die?" Tonks asked shakily.

"I would have liked to have waited after his O.W.L.s…but I fear it will happen beforehand."

"Give it a few more weeks…maybe we can hold off until Quidditch is over. I think he cares more about that."

"We'll wait until Quidditch is over," Dumbledore smiled thinly. "Then we will tell him together."

Tonks winced; the end was coming.