Chapter Thirteen: Trouble
Lupin and Tonks accompanied Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys back to Hogwarts at the end of the Christmas holidays. They wound up taking the Knight Bus, which had never been Lupin's favorite mode of travel.
The journey was not helped by the fact that the full moon was only a few days away. Lupin had been taking his potion but as he always did when a transformation was imminent, he felt weak and somewhat feverish. Tonks recognized the change in him but did not push the subject, for which he was grateful. He knew that eventually she would insist on being around him when he transformed; that she would want to be there for him, to know that part of him and how to deal with it. He still wasn't sure he could let her in to that part of him, but sooner or later he would have to deal with it.
They reached Hogwarts and dropped off Harry and his friends. Harry was in a particularly sullen mood, having been told by Severus Snape that Snape would be teaching him Occlumency lessons.
Lupin shook his head as he watched Harry tramp dully through the snow to the entrance doors of the school. Why on earth was Dumbledore not teaching Harry Occlumency? Why Snape? Lupin couldn't understand Dumbledore's reasoning on this, and a small part of him was annoyed at the Hogwarts headmaster for insisting that Snape be Harry's teacher. Harry hated Snape (Lupin didn't blame him). How could a fifteen year old boy whose emotions were always near the boiling point these days possibly learn the mental discipline needed for Occlumency when it was being taught to him by the teacher he loathed most?
Things did not improve next day, and Lupin felt himself in the grips of a crushing headache as he sat in the basement kitchen of Grimmauld Place, trying to pay attention to the emergency meeting of the Order.
"They're out," said Kingsley Shacklebolt. "All ten of them."
"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered under his breath.
"How did they get out?" Emmeline Vance demanded.
"Couldn't tell you," said Kingsley. "The Ministry's not saying much. All we know is what's been printed in the Daily Prophet."
"This is hardly good news for Fudge, is it?" Lupin said tiredly.
"Because it lends credence to what Harry and Dumbledore have been saying about You-Know-Who?" said Tonks.
"Oh, the Ministry's not about to change its position on You-Know-Who," said Kingsley darkly. "No, according to them Sirius was the mastermind behind the prison break."
"That's me," said Sirius, rolling his eyes in aggravation. "A regular, ruddy criminal mastermind."
"And I suppose Fudge has an answer for how ten Death Eaters escaped from a maximum security prison that is supposed to be under the watch of several hundred Dementors," said Emmeline angrily.
"No," said Kingsley. "They're not even mentioning a word about the Dementors."
"Fools," said Lupin. "If it isn't obvious by now that the Dementors are beyond the Ministry's control-"
"It doesn't matter, does it?" said Sirius. "Fudge is clever, I'll give him that. Blaming me for the break-out might be a thin story, but it's not implausible. I broke out when the Dementors WERE guarding the place. Escaped from getting caught after I broke out. I'm clearly such a genius that I can sneak back in and assist ten Death Eaters in doing a runner." He laughed bitterly.
"Yes, well, I can report that our most recent leads have the criminal mastermind Black and his faithful followers hiding out somewhere in Romania," said Kingsley dryly. "In the meantime we have another serious problem. Bode's been murdered."
"Murdered?" said Arthur Weasley. "But...I thought...St. Mungo's insisted it was an accident. A mistake. Someone accidentally brought in Devil's Snare instead of--"
"You'd have to be an idiot not to know the difference between a Flitterbloom and Devil's Snare," said Moody gruffly. "Bode's death is entirely too coincidental to have come about because of an idiot who just happens to drop off a potted plant."
"The hospital is blaming the healer, Miriam Strout. They suspended her."
"That's what they'd say, isn't it?" said Lupin. "Strout is a convenient patsy; it was busy over Christmas. She was tired, overworked. An innocent but horrible mistake. She's suspended and the Ministry promises an enquiry."
"Why would anyone need to kill Broderick?" said Emmeline, shaking her head sadly. "He'd lost his mind after handling it."
"True, he handled the thing Voldemort wants, and in so doing it damaged his mind," said Lupin. "But not irrevocably. I checked on Bode when I visited the werewolf in St. Mungo's. He was recovering, getting his memory back."
"He would have exposed the Death Eater who'd cursed him and made him fetch it," said Tonks.
"Exactly," said Lupin. "He had to be eliminated."
"Voldemort's getting closer," said Sirius. "Sturgis was a random choice to go after it, but not Broderick. He was an Unspeakable, he was supposed to be in the Department of Mysteries. He wouldn't have had to break in."
"And it has to be Malfoy who's doing it," said Tonks. "He's become thick as thieves with Fudge."
"Bloody hell," said Moody angrily. "Our people are dying. Good people. Ministry employees are dying and Fudge is doing nothing."
"Has anyone considered that Fudge might be under the Imperius Curse?" said Molly Weasley.
"Doubtful," said Kingsley. "Fudge doesn't need to be with all the gold and favors Malfoy's throwing his way."
"I still say Fudge can't just brush off those ten Death Eaters," said Emmeline. "He can't seriously expect EVERYONE to swallow that Sirius is involved. Surely some people are wise enough to wonder how ten Death Eaters all managed to slip out of Azkaban. Surely some will wonder what has happened with the Dementors."
"You're probably right, Emmeline," said Lupin, sighing. He rubbed a hand over his face; he was exhausted, he would need to take his potion soon. "But the bigger problem is the Death Eaters themselves."
"They're his most faithful followers," said Sirius, his eyes dangerous. "The true believers. Especially my cousin, Bellatrix. They'll do whatever it takes to get Voldemort what he wants. They've done it before."
"And You-Know-Who knows Harry can get inside his mind now," said Arthur. "Dumbledore came to that conclusion on the night Harry had that vision of the snake that attacked me."
"Which means You-Know-Who'll try and get inside the Potter kid's head," said Moody gruffly.
"He's taking Occlumency lessons from Snape," said Lupin. "They should work."
Sirius gave a derisive snort. "Occlumency Lessons from a former Death Eater, now there's a grand idea. Dumbledore's off his nut."
"Dumbledore has to have his reasons-" Molly began.
"Bugger his reasons!" Sirius shouted; he shot from his chair and slammed a fist on the table. "Why the hell isn't Dumbledore teaching Harry himself, eh? Dumbledore should be the one teaching Harry. Dumbledore's the one Voldemort fears! For all we know Snape is still working for Voldemort!"
"Sirius." Lupin's voice was calm, quiet, but he gave Sirius a meaningful look. Sirius sat down roughly in his chair.
"Nobody here knows why Dumbledore is having Severus teach Harry Occlumency," said Lupin. "But Molly's right. Dumbledore has to have his reasons. Lord knows I'm no fan of Severus Snape, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if Dumbledore is."
Sirius gave another snort but said nothing.
"What's the next step, then?" Kingsley asked. "With ten Death Eaters out-"
"It's going to depend on Harry, isn't it?" said Lupin. "Whether or not Harry can learn to control his connection with Voldemort."
"So we just...wait?" said Tonks uneasily.
"We don't have much choice, do we?" said Lupin. "Voldemort is patient. He's not going to do anything to risk coming out in the open too soon."
"We keep up our guard shifts," said Kingsley, and he, too, sounded exhausted. "I've found a few more Aurors who are trustworthy and will help us, but they're only trainees. I'd just as soon keep them as minimally involved as possible."
"Meantime," he went on, "from here on out we meet only when absolutely necessary. Dumbledore'll contact me or Alastor and let us know."
Nobody questioned this; the post might be monitored going in and out of Hogwarts, but of course, Dumbledore had ways around that.
"Even if Fudge isn't doing much on the outside, things are tighter on the inside," Kingsley went on. "You should all know that all post from the outside into the Ministry is being read. So in the future, no written communications of any kind about what's going on here. And Portkeys are out. Ever since Dumbledore used that Portkey to get Harry and his friends here over Christmas, the Ministry's had them in a lockdown. It's brooms, or we Apparate. We have to assume that all conversations inside the Ministry are being monitored, as well."
Murmurs and nods went round the table.
"Right then," said Kingsley. "If there's nothing else, meeting adjourned."
They all stood. Lupin rose slowly to his feet and glanced at his pocket watch. Very soon, he would need to take his potion.
Gradually everyone filed out of the kitchen. Sirius and Emmeline Vance walked out of the kitchen slowly together, deep in conversation. Lupin was alone in the gloomy room, but for Tonks, who had hung back.
"Remus." Her voice was soft, tentative.
"Hello," he said wearily, crossing to her and embracing her.
"You look terrible," she said, her eyes full of concern.
"It's nearly the full moon," said Lupin.
Tonks nodded. "Remus, I...I want to be-"
"No, Tonks," he said firmly, knowing exactly what she meant to ask. "Not this time."
"But-"
"No," he said, keeping his voice as gentle as he could. "I...I just need a little time. That's all. Can you accept that?"
She nodded. Her eyes were sad but she smiled.
"Can I at least..." she began tentatively, "...stay with you until...until then? I'll stay away that night, I'll...I'll do a night shift at the Ministry. But...can I at least be with you until then?"
Lupin softly kissed her lips. "I'd like that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lupin's transformation came and went, and Tonks stayed away as she had promised, but he could tell, when she returned to the house two days later, that it had stung her not to be there.
She did not press the issue, however, and Lupin was grateful for this. The way things were going with the Order right now, Lupin knew he couldn't handle another row with Tonks, not on top of everything else.
Sirius's mood had improved slightly over the past week, for spending more time with Emmeline Vance, but as two more weeks passed, he grew worried. Harry had not contacted him since Sirius had given him the two-way mirror. Lupin wondered at this as well. Harry would surely want to be in contact with his godfather, and the two-way mirror was the only safe means of communication left for the two of them. But for three weeks, Sirius had received no word at all.
Lupin, too, was worried. He wanted as badly as Sirius to know how Harry was handling Occlumency lessons with Snape. Lupin had learned the skill to some degree and it was a highly unpleasant thing to learn. Mental invasions left the learner feeling weak, sick, even violated. But with Harry it would be worse.
Sirius's repeated attempts to contact Harry through the mirror met with no avail, and Sirius came to the conclusion that Harry must not have even opened it.
"That has to be it," said Sirius. "If Umbridge had confiscated she would have figured out what it was eventually and I'd have been arrested by now."
Despite the lack of communication with Harry, Sirius and Lupin were nonetheless able to learn something of what was going on at Hogwarts. Umbridge's numerous "educational decrees" were becoming more and more restrictive; it was to the point now where students and teachers could not even discuss whole subjects for fear of being expelled or sacked.
February passed slowly, bitterly cold and full of the usual chill London sleet that Lupin hated. Tonks was spending nearly every free moment at the Ministry. Lupin had been sent out on more recruiting missions, meeting, as usual, with little success. His only triumph had been in convincing the werewolf he'd met over Christmas-a man named Simon Paddington-to merely consider joining the Order. But Lupin hadn't heard a word from Paddington since he last visited him in hospital in January.
As such, he and Tonks had very little time to spend together. They became closer, all the same, talking to one another about everything they could think of, making love whenever the mood struck them (which was often). But Lupin regretted that he had not been able to engage in some of the more old- fashioned social niceties that most couples took for granted. Such as taking Tonks out on a date. Even sitting down to a quiet dinner in the house, or better yet, her flat, seemed like a luxury that they might never experience, so busy were they with Order business. The one positive to their hectic schedules was that Lupin had a convenient excuse to avoid allowing Tonks to be with him through his next transformation. She had asked only once, but he'd demurred, and then she reported she was on duty that night anyway.
Lupin awoke early on the morning of 1 March, dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast. He was just starting toward the kitchen stairs when Tonks burst in.
Lupin grimaced, waiting for the noise she made to wake the portraits and set them to shrieking, but they didn't wake.
"Remus," she hissed. "Is Sirius awake?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Come downstairs," said Tonks. She hurried down the stairs, tripped, caught herself, and continued on her way. Lupin hurried after her and entered the kitchen.
Sirius was awake; Emmeline Vance was there.
"Sirius!" said Tonks. "Look at this."
She thrust a magazine in his hand. His eyes traveled to the front cover.
"Bloody hell," he said.
"What?" said Lupin.
In answer, Sirius held up the magazine. The March issue of The Quibbler, a well-known tabloid. Smiling back at Lupin on the front cover was Harry Potter.
Lupin pulled up a chair next to Sirius as he tore open the magazine.
"What the bloody hell is he thinking?" said Tonks. "Umbridge'll expel him when she sees this!"
"Clever boy," said Sirius, grinning.
"Clever?" Tonks snapped. "Are you mad? Harry sold his story to a bloody tabloid! If Umbridge doesn't throw him out of school I'll be dead surprised. And who's going to believe him, anyway?"
"Perhaps more people than we think," said Lupin, as his eyes traveled over the article. "People have been asking questions for two months, ever since those Death Eaters escaped. Fudge's story always was thin, don't forget. There are holes in it you could fly a thestral through. This article is filling in some of those wholes."
"Yes," said Emmeline, "but The Quibbler isn't known for...honest journalism. Not everyone is going to buy this."
"Harry doesn't need to convince everyone," said Sirius. "Just enough people to start making Fudge uncomfortable, to get people asking more questions."
"Well, well, look at the byline," said Lupin, bemused. "Rita Skeeter. Isn't it ironic that this most dishonest journalist got employment in a place perfectly suited for her talents and wound up writing a thoroughly truthful story?"
"I still say Harry's cracked," said Tonks agitatedly. "He doesn't need any more trouble at school. Not with that Umbridge bat sticking her fingers in everything. Next thing you know she'll have Dumbledore out on his arse, find some way to blame him for this."
"You're overreacting, Tonks," said Sirius mildly. "Let's just wait and see where this article leads, all right?"
Lupin met her eyes and she held his gaze for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine," she said dully.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few more weeks went by. Harry had clearly not been expelled (as evidenced by the fact that he had not shown up on the doorstep of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place), and in fact the March issue of The Quibbler was proving to be a very hot seller.
In the meantime, news came that Umbridge had--by virtue of her all- encompassing authority at Hogwarts--sacked the Divination teacher, Sibyll Trelawney. Dumbledore had quickly replaced her with none other than a centaur called Firenze.
"Lovely irony," said Lupin to Sirius one morning over coffee. "Dumbledore hiring a non-human to teach. A perfect slap in the face to the lovely Miss Umbridge."
"Rather makes up for her getting that anti-werewolf legislation passed, does it?" Sirius asked.
"Not quite," said Lupin. "But it'll do for now."
But Lupin's happy mood evaporated just days later.
It was a very rainy April evening when, once more, Tonks burst into the house. She was soaked through. Her hair (blue and short) was plastered to her head and her robes hung on her like a heavy blanket, dripping onto the carpeted floor.
"Tonks!" Lupin hissed. "What's the matter?"
"Trouble," she hissed back. "Where's Sirius?"
"Upstairs with Buckbeak," he said. "Why?"
"Just meet me downstairs," she said quickly. "Does he have any firewhisky?"
Lupin blinked, not quite sure why firewhisky was needed. "In the pantry," he answered.
"Good," she said shortly, and hurried down the stairs, tripping, as ever, on her robes, but catching herself before toppling over.
Lupin's brain was racing; something was seriously wrong tonight, and it had nothing to do with articles in tabloid magazines. He leapt up the stairs, hurried down the hall to the room where Buckbeak was kept.
"Sirius," he hissed, knocking softly on the door.
Footsteps, and the door opened.
"What is it?"
"Tonks is here," said Lupin. "She wants us both downstairs. Something's wrong. It sounds serious."
"Harry?" said Sirius, his back stiffening.
"I'm not sure," said Lupin. "Come on."
They hurried down the corridor, the stairs, down to the kitchen.
They found Tonks there, sitting on a chair, her wet robes draped on the counter top. She'd toweled off her hair, wiped her face, and was holding a rather generously filled glass of firewhisky. She downed it in one and stood up.
"Umbridge caught them," she said. "Harry, his friends. She's onto the D.A."
"Shit," said Sirius, sitting down heavily.
"Kingsley's at the school now," said Tonks, and she began to pace. "With Dawlish, Percy Weasley, and Fudge."
"Fudge?" said Lupin, alarmed. "What's he doing there?"
"What do you think?" said Sirius. "He's going to expel Harry."
"Or arrest him," said Tonks. She began to pace again, stopped, then paced again. "Shit. Harry is so fucked."
Lupin bit his lip to keep from commenting on her expletives, instead saying, "Let's just stay calm. We don't know what's going on yet."
"Dumbledore's clever. He'll get Harry out of this," said Sirius, though his face was white and his voice lacked conviction.
"Oh, I don't think so, not this time," said Tonks. "Somebody ratted them out. Somebody in the group."
Sirius sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. "I KNEW they shouldn't have met in the Hogs Head."
"Sirius, relax," said Lupin sharply. "Panicking does us no good. If Kingsley is there, he might be able to help. And Dumbledore IS clever. He'll think of something; he always does."
Lupin's words seemed to bring a weight of silence among them, but nobody looked all that comforted. Tonks was still pacing. Sirius had taken the bottle of firewhisky and poured himself a glass, gulped it down, poured himself another. The only sound in the room now, apart from Tonks's pacing, was the ticking of the old clock hanging above the sink.
The minutes stretched, and still nobody spoke. Lupin felt compelled to say something, anything to calm Sirius and Tonks down, but his mouth had gone dry the more he sat there, the more he thought about it. Dumbledore might be able to wheedle Harry out of trouble, but at what cost to Dumbledore himself?
"Where are they?" Tonks muttered.
The answer to her question came in a flash of flame so loud and bright that all three of them jumped.
When the smoke cleared, Lupin's eyes came to rest upon a magnificent scarlet and gold bird. The bird was perched on the arm of Albus Dumbledore.
Lupin and Tonks accompanied Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys back to Hogwarts at the end of the Christmas holidays. They wound up taking the Knight Bus, which had never been Lupin's favorite mode of travel.
The journey was not helped by the fact that the full moon was only a few days away. Lupin had been taking his potion but as he always did when a transformation was imminent, he felt weak and somewhat feverish. Tonks recognized the change in him but did not push the subject, for which he was grateful. He knew that eventually she would insist on being around him when he transformed; that she would want to be there for him, to know that part of him and how to deal with it. He still wasn't sure he could let her in to that part of him, but sooner or later he would have to deal with it.
They reached Hogwarts and dropped off Harry and his friends. Harry was in a particularly sullen mood, having been told by Severus Snape that Snape would be teaching him Occlumency lessons.
Lupin shook his head as he watched Harry tramp dully through the snow to the entrance doors of the school. Why on earth was Dumbledore not teaching Harry Occlumency? Why Snape? Lupin couldn't understand Dumbledore's reasoning on this, and a small part of him was annoyed at the Hogwarts headmaster for insisting that Snape be Harry's teacher. Harry hated Snape (Lupin didn't blame him). How could a fifteen year old boy whose emotions were always near the boiling point these days possibly learn the mental discipline needed for Occlumency when it was being taught to him by the teacher he loathed most?
Things did not improve next day, and Lupin felt himself in the grips of a crushing headache as he sat in the basement kitchen of Grimmauld Place, trying to pay attention to the emergency meeting of the Order.
"They're out," said Kingsley Shacklebolt. "All ten of them."
"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered under his breath.
"How did they get out?" Emmeline Vance demanded.
"Couldn't tell you," said Kingsley. "The Ministry's not saying much. All we know is what's been printed in the Daily Prophet."
"This is hardly good news for Fudge, is it?" Lupin said tiredly.
"Because it lends credence to what Harry and Dumbledore have been saying about You-Know-Who?" said Tonks.
"Oh, the Ministry's not about to change its position on You-Know-Who," said Kingsley darkly. "No, according to them Sirius was the mastermind behind the prison break."
"That's me," said Sirius, rolling his eyes in aggravation. "A regular, ruddy criminal mastermind."
"And I suppose Fudge has an answer for how ten Death Eaters escaped from a maximum security prison that is supposed to be under the watch of several hundred Dementors," said Emmeline angrily.
"No," said Kingsley. "They're not even mentioning a word about the Dementors."
"Fools," said Lupin. "If it isn't obvious by now that the Dementors are beyond the Ministry's control-"
"It doesn't matter, does it?" said Sirius. "Fudge is clever, I'll give him that. Blaming me for the break-out might be a thin story, but it's not implausible. I broke out when the Dementors WERE guarding the place. Escaped from getting caught after I broke out. I'm clearly such a genius that I can sneak back in and assist ten Death Eaters in doing a runner." He laughed bitterly.
"Yes, well, I can report that our most recent leads have the criminal mastermind Black and his faithful followers hiding out somewhere in Romania," said Kingsley dryly. "In the meantime we have another serious problem. Bode's been murdered."
"Murdered?" said Arthur Weasley. "But...I thought...St. Mungo's insisted it was an accident. A mistake. Someone accidentally brought in Devil's Snare instead of--"
"You'd have to be an idiot not to know the difference between a Flitterbloom and Devil's Snare," said Moody gruffly. "Bode's death is entirely too coincidental to have come about because of an idiot who just happens to drop off a potted plant."
"The hospital is blaming the healer, Miriam Strout. They suspended her."
"That's what they'd say, isn't it?" said Lupin. "Strout is a convenient patsy; it was busy over Christmas. She was tired, overworked. An innocent but horrible mistake. She's suspended and the Ministry promises an enquiry."
"Why would anyone need to kill Broderick?" said Emmeline, shaking her head sadly. "He'd lost his mind after handling it."
"True, he handled the thing Voldemort wants, and in so doing it damaged his mind," said Lupin. "But not irrevocably. I checked on Bode when I visited the werewolf in St. Mungo's. He was recovering, getting his memory back."
"He would have exposed the Death Eater who'd cursed him and made him fetch it," said Tonks.
"Exactly," said Lupin. "He had to be eliminated."
"Voldemort's getting closer," said Sirius. "Sturgis was a random choice to go after it, but not Broderick. He was an Unspeakable, he was supposed to be in the Department of Mysteries. He wouldn't have had to break in."
"And it has to be Malfoy who's doing it," said Tonks. "He's become thick as thieves with Fudge."
"Bloody hell," said Moody angrily. "Our people are dying. Good people. Ministry employees are dying and Fudge is doing nothing."
"Has anyone considered that Fudge might be under the Imperius Curse?" said Molly Weasley.
"Doubtful," said Kingsley. "Fudge doesn't need to be with all the gold and favors Malfoy's throwing his way."
"I still say Fudge can't just brush off those ten Death Eaters," said Emmeline. "He can't seriously expect EVERYONE to swallow that Sirius is involved. Surely some people are wise enough to wonder how ten Death Eaters all managed to slip out of Azkaban. Surely some will wonder what has happened with the Dementors."
"You're probably right, Emmeline," said Lupin, sighing. He rubbed a hand over his face; he was exhausted, he would need to take his potion soon. "But the bigger problem is the Death Eaters themselves."
"They're his most faithful followers," said Sirius, his eyes dangerous. "The true believers. Especially my cousin, Bellatrix. They'll do whatever it takes to get Voldemort what he wants. They've done it before."
"And You-Know-Who knows Harry can get inside his mind now," said Arthur. "Dumbledore came to that conclusion on the night Harry had that vision of the snake that attacked me."
"Which means You-Know-Who'll try and get inside the Potter kid's head," said Moody gruffly.
"He's taking Occlumency lessons from Snape," said Lupin. "They should work."
Sirius gave a derisive snort. "Occlumency Lessons from a former Death Eater, now there's a grand idea. Dumbledore's off his nut."
"Dumbledore has to have his reasons-" Molly began.
"Bugger his reasons!" Sirius shouted; he shot from his chair and slammed a fist on the table. "Why the hell isn't Dumbledore teaching Harry himself, eh? Dumbledore should be the one teaching Harry. Dumbledore's the one Voldemort fears! For all we know Snape is still working for Voldemort!"
"Sirius." Lupin's voice was calm, quiet, but he gave Sirius a meaningful look. Sirius sat down roughly in his chair.
"Nobody here knows why Dumbledore is having Severus teach Harry Occlumency," said Lupin. "But Molly's right. Dumbledore has to have his reasons. Lord knows I'm no fan of Severus Snape, but I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if Dumbledore is."
Sirius gave another snort but said nothing.
"What's the next step, then?" Kingsley asked. "With ten Death Eaters out-"
"It's going to depend on Harry, isn't it?" said Lupin. "Whether or not Harry can learn to control his connection with Voldemort."
"So we just...wait?" said Tonks uneasily.
"We don't have much choice, do we?" said Lupin. "Voldemort is patient. He's not going to do anything to risk coming out in the open too soon."
"We keep up our guard shifts," said Kingsley, and he, too, sounded exhausted. "I've found a few more Aurors who are trustworthy and will help us, but they're only trainees. I'd just as soon keep them as minimally involved as possible."
"Meantime," he went on, "from here on out we meet only when absolutely necessary. Dumbledore'll contact me or Alastor and let us know."
Nobody questioned this; the post might be monitored going in and out of Hogwarts, but of course, Dumbledore had ways around that.
"Even if Fudge isn't doing much on the outside, things are tighter on the inside," Kingsley went on. "You should all know that all post from the outside into the Ministry is being read. So in the future, no written communications of any kind about what's going on here. And Portkeys are out. Ever since Dumbledore used that Portkey to get Harry and his friends here over Christmas, the Ministry's had them in a lockdown. It's brooms, or we Apparate. We have to assume that all conversations inside the Ministry are being monitored, as well."
Murmurs and nods went round the table.
"Right then," said Kingsley. "If there's nothing else, meeting adjourned."
They all stood. Lupin rose slowly to his feet and glanced at his pocket watch. Very soon, he would need to take his potion.
Gradually everyone filed out of the kitchen. Sirius and Emmeline Vance walked out of the kitchen slowly together, deep in conversation. Lupin was alone in the gloomy room, but for Tonks, who had hung back.
"Remus." Her voice was soft, tentative.
"Hello," he said wearily, crossing to her and embracing her.
"You look terrible," she said, her eyes full of concern.
"It's nearly the full moon," said Lupin.
Tonks nodded. "Remus, I...I want to be-"
"No, Tonks," he said firmly, knowing exactly what she meant to ask. "Not this time."
"But-"
"No," he said, keeping his voice as gentle as he could. "I...I just need a little time. That's all. Can you accept that?"
She nodded. Her eyes were sad but she smiled.
"Can I at least..." she began tentatively, "...stay with you until...until then? I'll stay away that night, I'll...I'll do a night shift at the Ministry. But...can I at least be with you until then?"
Lupin softly kissed her lips. "I'd like that."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lupin's transformation came and went, and Tonks stayed away as she had promised, but he could tell, when she returned to the house two days later, that it had stung her not to be there.
She did not press the issue, however, and Lupin was grateful for this. The way things were going with the Order right now, Lupin knew he couldn't handle another row with Tonks, not on top of everything else.
Sirius's mood had improved slightly over the past week, for spending more time with Emmeline Vance, but as two more weeks passed, he grew worried. Harry had not contacted him since Sirius had given him the two-way mirror. Lupin wondered at this as well. Harry would surely want to be in contact with his godfather, and the two-way mirror was the only safe means of communication left for the two of them. But for three weeks, Sirius had received no word at all.
Lupin, too, was worried. He wanted as badly as Sirius to know how Harry was handling Occlumency lessons with Snape. Lupin had learned the skill to some degree and it was a highly unpleasant thing to learn. Mental invasions left the learner feeling weak, sick, even violated. But with Harry it would be worse.
Sirius's repeated attempts to contact Harry through the mirror met with no avail, and Sirius came to the conclusion that Harry must not have even opened it.
"That has to be it," said Sirius. "If Umbridge had confiscated she would have figured out what it was eventually and I'd have been arrested by now."
Despite the lack of communication with Harry, Sirius and Lupin were nonetheless able to learn something of what was going on at Hogwarts. Umbridge's numerous "educational decrees" were becoming more and more restrictive; it was to the point now where students and teachers could not even discuss whole subjects for fear of being expelled or sacked.
February passed slowly, bitterly cold and full of the usual chill London sleet that Lupin hated. Tonks was spending nearly every free moment at the Ministry. Lupin had been sent out on more recruiting missions, meeting, as usual, with little success. His only triumph had been in convincing the werewolf he'd met over Christmas-a man named Simon Paddington-to merely consider joining the Order. But Lupin hadn't heard a word from Paddington since he last visited him in hospital in January.
As such, he and Tonks had very little time to spend together. They became closer, all the same, talking to one another about everything they could think of, making love whenever the mood struck them (which was often). But Lupin regretted that he had not been able to engage in some of the more old- fashioned social niceties that most couples took for granted. Such as taking Tonks out on a date. Even sitting down to a quiet dinner in the house, or better yet, her flat, seemed like a luxury that they might never experience, so busy were they with Order business. The one positive to their hectic schedules was that Lupin had a convenient excuse to avoid allowing Tonks to be with him through his next transformation. She had asked only once, but he'd demurred, and then she reported she was on duty that night anyway.
Lupin awoke early on the morning of 1 March, dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast. He was just starting toward the kitchen stairs when Tonks burst in.
Lupin grimaced, waiting for the noise she made to wake the portraits and set them to shrieking, but they didn't wake.
"Remus," she hissed. "Is Sirius awake?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Come downstairs," said Tonks. She hurried down the stairs, tripped, caught herself, and continued on her way. Lupin hurried after her and entered the kitchen.
Sirius was awake; Emmeline Vance was there.
"Sirius!" said Tonks. "Look at this."
She thrust a magazine in his hand. His eyes traveled to the front cover.
"Bloody hell," he said.
"What?" said Lupin.
In answer, Sirius held up the magazine. The March issue of The Quibbler, a well-known tabloid. Smiling back at Lupin on the front cover was Harry Potter.
Lupin pulled up a chair next to Sirius as he tore open the magazine.
"What the bloody hell is he thinking?" said Tonks. "Umbridge'll expel him when she sees this!"
"Clever boy," said Sirius, grinning.
"Clever?" Tonks snapped. "Are you mad? Harry sold his story to a bloody tabloid! If Umbridge doesn't throw him out of school I'll be dead surprised. And who's going to believe him, anyway?"
"Perhaps more people than we think," said Lupin, as his eyes traveled over the article. "People have been asking questions for two months, ever since those Death Eaters escaped. Fudge's story always was thin, don't forget. There are holes in it you could fly a thestral through. This article is filling in some of those wholes."
"Yes," said Emmeline, "but The Quibbler isn't known for...honest journalism. Not everyone is going to buy this."
"Harry doesn't need to convince everyone," said Sirius. "Just enough people to start making Fudge uncomfortable, to get people asking more questions."
"Well, well, look at the byline," said Lupin, bemused. "Rita Skeeter. Isn't it ironic that this most dishonest journalist got employment in a place perfectly suited for her talents and wound up writing a thoroughly truthful story?"
"I still say Harry's cracked," said Tonks agitatedly. "He doesn't need any more trouble at school. Not with that Umbridge bat sticking her fingers in everything. Next thing you know she'll have Dumbledore out on his arse, find some way to blame him for this."
"You're overreacting, Tonks," said Sirius mildly. "Let's just wait and see where this article leads, all right?"
Lupin met her eyes and she held his gaze for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine," she said dully.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few more weeks went by. Harry had clearly not been expelled (as evidenced by the fact that he had not shown up on the doorstep of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place), and in fact the March issue of The Quibbler was proving to be a very hot seller.
In the meantime, news came that Umbridge had--by virtue of her all- encompassing authority at Hogwarts--sacked the Divination teacher, Sibyll Trelawney. Dumbledore had quickly replaced her with none other than a centaur called Firenze.
"Lovely irony," said Lupin to Sirius one morning over coffee. "Dumbledore hiring a non-human to teach. A perfect slap in the face to the lovely Miss Umbridge."
"Rather makes up for her getting that anti-werewolf legislation passed, does it?" Sirius asked.
"Not quite," said Lupin. "But it'll do for now."
But Lupin's happy mood evaporated just days later.
It was a very rainy April evening when, once more, Tonks burst into the house. She was soaked through. Her hair (blue and short) was plastered to her head and her robes hung on her like a heavy blanket, dripping onto the carpeted floor.
"Tonks!" Lupin hissed. "What's the matter?"
"Trouble," she hissed back. "Where's Sirius?"
"Upstairs with Buckbeak," he said. "Why?"
"Just meet me downstairs," she said quickly. "Does he have any firewhisky?"
Lupin blinked, not quite sure why firewhisky was needed. "In the pantry," he answered.
"Good," she said shortly, and hurried down the stairs, tripping, as ever, on her robes, but catching herself before toppling over.
Lupin's brain was racing; something was seriously wrong tonight, and it had nothing to do with articles in tabloid magazines. He leapt up the stairs, hurried down the hall to the room where Buckbeak was kept.
"Sirius," he hissed, knocking softly on the door.
Footsteps, and the door opened.
"What is it?"
"Tonks is here," said Lupin. "She wants us both downstairs. Something's wrong. It sounds serious."
"Harry?" said Sirius, his back stiffening.
"I'm not sure," said Lupin. "Come on."
They hurried down the corridor, the stairs, down to the kitchen.
They found Tonks there, sitting on a chair, her wet robes draped on the counter top. She'd toweled off her hair, wiped her face, and was holding a rather generously filled glass of firewhisky. She downed it in one and stood up.
"Umbridge caught them," she said. "Harry, his friends. She's onto the D.A."
"Shit," said Sirius, sitting down heavily.
"Kingsley's at the school now," said Tonks, and she began to pace. "With Dawlish, Percy Weasley, and Fudge."
"Fudge?" said Lupin, alarmed. "What's he doing there?"
"What do you think?" said Sirius. "He's going to expel Harry."
"Or arrest him," said Tonks. She began to pace again, stopped, then paced again. "Shit. Harry is so fucked."
Lupin bit his lip to keep from commenting on her expletives, instead saying, "Let's just stay calm. We don't know what's going on yet."
"Dumbledore's clever. He'll get Harry out of this," said Sirius, though his face was white and his voice lacked conviction.
"Oh, I don't think so, not this time," said Tonks. "Somebody ratted them out. Somebody in the group."
Sirius sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. "I KNEW they shouldn't have met in the Hogs Head."
"Sirius, relax," said Lupin sharply. "Panicking does us no good. If Kingsley is there, he might be able to help. And Dumbledore IS clever. He'll think of something; he always does."
Lupin's words seemed to bring a weight of silence among them, but nobody looked all that comforted. Tonks was still pacing. Sirius had taken the bottle of firewhisky and poured himself a glass, gulped it down, poured himself another. The only sound in the room now, apart from Tonks's pacing, was the ticking of the old clock hanging above the sink.
The minutes stretched, and still nobody spoke. Lupin felt compelled to say something, anything to calm Sirius and Tonks down, but his mouth had gone dry the more he sat there, the more he thought about it. Dumbledore might be able to wheedle Harry out of trouble, but at what cost to Dumbledore himself?
"Where are they?" Tonks muttered.
The answer to her question came in a flash of flame so loud and bright that all three of them jumped.
When the smoke cleared, Lupin's eyes came to rest upon a magnificent scarlet and gold bird. The bird was perched on the arm of Albus Dumbledore.