Remus made sure to shine his shoes and readjust his tie before coming to the Tonks home. He was dropping in, unannounced, in the middle of the workday. He had two hours between his third and fifth year Defense classes, and he planned on using the time to speak to Andromeda for the first time in months.
If it wasn't for the circumstances, Remus wouldn't have bothered, but as he took the steps to the front door, he was reminded of how it felt to step into the Battle of Hogwarts.
He wouldn't have done that, either, unless he had something to fight for.
Remus took a deep, steadying breath and knocked.
The door swung open a few moments later.
"Daddy!" Teddy shouted, dashing from behind Andromeda to give Remus a hug.
"Hello, Teddy," Remus greeted, kissing his son's cheek. "I'm here to see your Gran."
Andromeda's face was unreadable. Her lips were thin and pursed; her eyes glittered dangerously. She was holding Hope, who bopped Andromeda on the face with her chubby hand, disturbing Andromeda's mask.
"Hello, Andromeda. Might we speak for a few moments? This shouldn't take much time."
Andromeda nodded curtly and let Remus in, gesturing for him to sit in the parlor. Teddy returned to his previous activity, building a grand train track through the living room, and Hope scurried down from Andromeda to be held by Remus instead. He picked her up and sat down, bouncing her on his knee while Andromeda made tea.
She returned a few minutes later with two cups of tea.
"I'm not here to discuss anything regarding Nymphadora or my marriage," Remus began without hesitation. "I'd prefer if we set that aside, as I've got a more urgent matter on my mind."
Andromeda said nothing. She spooned a little sugar into her tea and swirled it primly, without clinking the sides of the mug.
"I'll take your silence as agreement, then." Remus took a sip of tea, giving Andromeda the chance to say something, but she remained silent. He cleared his throat and continued.
"As you know, families like ours are facing some trouble from the Ministry. Nymphadora told me about our children's results, as well as the results of the others." Andromeda's brow did go up slightly at this admission, leading Remus to believe she was aware of the results.
"I'm asking for your help. There are two girls, Moira and Aven, who could use help in their studies. Their mother is dead and they've got different, but absent fathers. They're being raised by their grandparents, a mated werewolf couple. Hadrian and his mate, Gwendolyn, are old acquaintances. They never associated with Fenrir and keep to themselves, but they could use help in educating their girls. I don't want to burden you any further, but I would appreciate your help."
Andromeda set her mug down. Hope reached out for a plate of biscuits and Remus took one for her.
"I've spoken to Molly and Lottie as well. I don't want to overwhelm any of you, but I thought that if each of you take the girls for a day or two…it might help."
Andromeda finally broke her silence. "What did they say?"
"They agreed," Remus replied promptly. "Lottie wants her sons to be able to have families, if they wish, and Molly simply wants to help in any way she can."
"How old are the children?"
"Moira is eight and Aven is two. Nymphadora told me that Moira's a bit behind on her studies and Aven's quite a bit behind, so she's been referred to St Mungo's."
"What are the others teaching them?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't seen the children myself, but I assume that Gwendolyn can give us an idea of what she's been teaching Moira."
Hope reached for another biscuit and Remus fetched it for her. Andromeda held her mug against her lips, seemingly deep in thought.
"You can say no," Remus said, losing his patience. "I'm trying to do all I can to keep my family intact."
"Dad! Gran! Look at my train!" Teddy shouted, bursting into the parlor. He took hold of Remus's free hand and tugged. "C'mon, Daddy!"
"I'll be there in a minute. I'm almost done talking with your Gran. Why don't you take Hope?"
"She's going to ruin it," Teddy complained. "She knocks ev'rything over."
"Come here, love," Andromeda called, beckoning for Teddy to join her. She lifted him up on her lap and gave him a chocolate biscuit, one of his favorites.
"What if you had another girl or two to play with sometimes?"
"Another one?"
"Like Victoire," Andromeda explained. "You like her, don't you?" Teddy nodded; his hair morphed to a golden blonde, just like Victoire's. "You could have another friend to play with sometimes. What do you think?" Teddy's hair flashed in a few colors as he considered the proposal.
"Okay."
"That's good of you, Teddy," Andromeda said, brushing his emerald fringe out of his eyes. "Maybe you'll make new friends soon."
"You'll help, then?" Remus asked, his heart leaping in his chest.
"I believe that's what I just suggested." Teddy hopped off of Andromeda's lap and ran back off to the living room.
Remus finished the remainder of his tea quickly. "Thank you. If you prefer, I'll write you with the details."
"I'd like to meet the girls and their grandparents. They should know who I am."
"Of course," Remus said, standing from his seat to bid Teddy goodbye. "I'm, err…grateful we can agree on this."
Andromeda pursed her lips and moved out of his way. Remus praised Teddy's wooden train track and enchanted the trains to move and release steam, much to Teddy's delight.
Afraid that his mother-in-law would have more to say, Remus kissed his son and daughter goodbye, breathing a huge sigh of relief as he stepped back out of the home.
…
Remus approached the familiar lodge in the forest. It had only been a few weeks since he'd visited Hadrian and his pack, but with the news from Tonks, he thought to make another visit before the next evaluation.
Before he was able to knock on the door, Hadrian and his mate, Gwendolyn, were at the threshold. They were even thinner than he remembered; the lines on their faces were more pronounced, and the dark circles under their eyes made them look haunted. Stress never did look good on a werewolf.
"We heard you Apparate," Hadrian said, with his granddaughter Aven standing behind him, eyeing Remus warily. "What brings you here? Another message from your Ministry?"
"No. I come on my own. Even my wife doesn't know I'm here."
"What do you want from us?"
"I want to talk to you – it's about your granddaughters," Remus said calmly. "My children and your grandchildren are the only ones who stand a chance at staying with their families."
Gwendolyn's eyes flew open. "How do you know this?"
"My wife works for the Ministry and got her hands on the reports," Remus replied. "I want to help both our families."
Hadrian took several deep breaths and coughed. "Come in."
Remus nodded and entered the shabby lodge. Moira, the Fields' eight-year-old granddaughter, peeked her head out from one of the rooms. Upon seeing Remus, she closed the door quickly and disappeared.
"Moira is suspicious of strangers," Gwendolyn explained.
"I don't blame her." Remus sat down where Hadrian had gestured. Gwendolyn offered Remus a cup of tea; seeing their meagre stores, he declined. Hadrian and Gwendolyn joined him at the table, with Aven clutching her grandmother's apron tightly.
"What's this about, then?" Hadrian said, clearing his throat. "You think you can help us?"
"I do. I have a proposition for you and the girls." From the corner of his eye, Remus saw that Moira had opened her door just barely, eavesdropping on their conversation. "I don't mind if Moira joins us. I'd quite like her input."
"Moira, come," Hadrian called. The girl emerged from her room, a curtain of black hair covering half her face, and she stood between her grandparents, not daring to look at Remus in the eye.
"I've been speaking with my mother-in-law and a couple friends," Remus said, once Moira had settled on her grandfather's lap. "They're willing to help you with educating Moira and Aven."
"We need help?" Gwendolyn asked, hurt. "I've been managing as well as I can."
"I don't want to sugarcoat it, but yes. Moira's behind, as is Aven. My mother-in-law, Andromeda, homeschooled my wife. She's also teaching my four-year-old son to read and write. She's willing to take on two new pupils a few days a week. One of my friends, Lottie, is willing to help on other days, as is my friend Molly." Hadrian and Gwendolyn exchanged sideways glances. "Before you ask, Lottie is the mother of two boys, both werewolves. Her sons are my godsons and they're first and third year students at Hogwarts. Molly's a longtime friend – she and her husband raised seven children. None are lycanthropes, but they're very open-minded."
Moira brushed her hair away and snapped her neck up. She whispered something into her grandfather's ear and he nodded in reply.
"Lottie has a job but she's willing to help with your girls two days a week," Remus continued. "When Denys and Wally were rescued from Greyback's camp, she had no choice but to homeschool them. They were quite well prepared for Hogwarts and are earning good marks. Lottie wants her sons to have the choice of having their own families and has taken a personal interest in these matters, as you can understand."
"Gwendolyn, take the girls to the garden," Hadrian said, as Moira tried to talk in his ear again. Gwendolyn ushered an upset Moira and babbling Aven out of the lodge and closed the door.
"Be as honest as you like," Remus urged. "I'm only trying to help."
"We can't pay for their education," Hadrian replied bitterly. "It will be a miracle if Moira can go to Hogwarts. I've told her that the only chance she has at a normal life is being taken from us…ease her into the idea of…of not being here anymore."
Remus pressed his lips together and exhaled slowly. "Andromeda, Lottie, and Molly are offering this, free of charge. You won't have to worry about payment. There are funds to help Hogwarts students whose parents or guardians can't afford their supplies. I know you're worried – I am too – but I need your cooperation."
Hadrian snorted derisively. "You think this is going to help? The children are going to be taken from us. It doesn't matter what we think or do. Those Ministry knobs don't give a damn about us."
"Some do," Remus countered, thinking of Kingsley, Harry, and Hermione. "The most important ones care about keeping our families together." Hadrian shook his head in response.
"I can get Andromeda, Lottie, and Molly here, if you want to meet them," Remus pressed. "We've got to try, Hadrian. For the children – for us. Don't you think Moira and Aven deserve the life their mother wanted for them?"
"You didn't know Philomena."
"No, I didn't, but I can't imagine she wanted her children raised by Ministry-approved strangers. You haven't appointed any guardians, have you?"
"No, we haven't," Hadrian muttered. "All our contacts are werewolves. Our son and daughter-in-law would've taken the girls, but Philomena never cared much for my son's mate."
"What did you do at the full moon? I saw you and your family at the Ministry."
"Left the girls here, under enchantments. What choice did we have?"
Remus kept his expression neutral, aghast that Hadrian and Gwendolyn thought leaving an eight-year-old and her two-year-old sister alone in the woods at the full moon was an acceptable solution. "Next time, bring them to either my mother-in-law, Lottie, or Molly. The full moon is in a week. They'll be in good hands."
Hadrian drummed his fingers loudly on the table. "I'll get Gwen and the girls."
Remus waited patiently, taking in the drab surroundings. He suspected that as soon as Molly set her eyes on the lodge, she'd find a way to help the Fields.
He'd written to Andromeda that morning, after speaking to both Lottie and Molly the day before. The three of them agreed to two days each. Between the three of them, the Fields' granddaughters would be given plenty of instruction and support to take them through the remaining evaluations.
Hadrian, Gwendolyn, and their granddaughters returned and sat down at the table.
"We'd like to meet these friends of yours," Gwendolyn said, holding Moira and Aven close. "When can—"
"Right now, if you'd like," Remus interrupted. "Say the word and I can get all three of them here."
Hadrian and his mate nodded at each other and agreed. Remus sent a Patronus to Molly and Andromeda, with an additional request for Andromeda to bring Lottie with her.
Molly arrived first, bearing a basket full of mince pies and pumpkin pasties. Moira, who was rail-thin, eyed the food hungrily. From where he sat, Remus could almost hear the gears turning in Molly's head as she assessed the girls and their health.
Andromeda, Lottie, Teddy, and Hope arrived next. The cozy lodge was very full, but with the arrival of so many friendly faces, the atmosphere had shifted towards something hopeful.
It was decided that Molly, Andromeda, and Lottie would take the Field girls two days a week each. Molly had plenty of old books for reading and arithmetic. Andromeda would teach them penmanship and history. Lottie would teach them everything else, including Muggle science. Gwendolyn would join them as well.
"What about the other children?" asked Lottie. "The newspaper said there were more."
Remus winced. "There are more…but I don't think we can do much for them. I've heard they're…challenging."
"Tosh," Molly said, tsking loudly. "We'll find a way."
Remus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. For as well-meaning as Molly could be, Remus took a more realistic approach. As much as he hated to admit it, some of the other werewolves' children were beyond their help, and they'd have to be left behind.
…
The newly built werewolf student facility, dubbed the Shrieking Chalet by the students themselves, was going to see its first full moon with occupants. The ground floor was a simple, comfortable space designed for various uses. Lycanthropic students were required to arrive at the Chalet at least three hours before moonrise. Remus was pleased to see that the four lycanthropic students – Denys, Wally, Annie, and Ciaran – chose to spend their time studying before the moon rose.
The ground floor also had ample cupboards, filled with medical supplies for treating immediate injuries after the moon. Remus had been told, at first, that his expertise in healing full moon injuries was how Minerva had convinced the Ministry to allow him to stay with the students. It was after the meeting with Lee, the head of the Beast Division, that Minerva told Remus the truth: she was concerned that something would happen to the students, and she wanted Remus to be with the students to protect them. Minerva would do her part and spend the full moon as a tabby cat, patrolling the Shrieking Chalet.
Touched by her concern for the students, Remus committed himself to keeping his students safe.
"We've got about ten minutes before moonrise," Remus announced, tucking his watch into his pocket. "I'll lock you into your assigned rooms. I'll be in the room at the end of the corridor for my transformation, but then I'll be patrolling, much like I would if I were patrolling the castle."
"Will you be able to hear us if we need help?" asked Annie.
"I believe so. The outer walls of the Shrieking Chalet are fairly soundproof, but the inner doors aren't."
"How are you going to get us if the doors are locked?" Wally asked, furrowing his brow at the doorknobs. "Will you have to smash the doors?"
"I hope not," Remus said, smiling wryly. "That would hurt tomorrow. I'll be enchanting the doors with a puzzle for me to solve. If I solve the puzzle, I can unlock the door."
Remus's wand alarm went off – only five minutes remained before the moon rose.
"In your rooms," Remus ordered, and the students went off to their assigned spaces. Annie and Ciaran had their own rooms, while Denys and Wally shared one larger room. After locking them in, he proceeded to the room at the end of the corridor, closed the door, stripped, and waited for the excruciating change.
In the span of a few minutes, Remus's body was no longer his. The wolf's form had replaced everything human, except his mind, which remained intact. He solved the puzzle on his door, unlocking it, and began his patrol of the corridor.
To his immense displeasure, however, the doors to the students' rooms were falling apart.
Denys and Wally's door was the first to be demolished. Two young werewolves came storming out; it was clear in the moment that their Wolfsbane Potion had been compromised. Moreover, Remus panicked, wondering if the students' doses had been purposefully tampered with, and if there was a plot to get the students to escape from the Shrieking Chalet.
Remus felt too old to be roughhousing with young werewolves, but he needed to be in control. At once, Remus leapt onto Denys's back, pinning him to the ground. Wally was on Remus, creating a dog pile and nipping at Remus's neck playfully, but Remus shook him off, knocking him against a wall.
Remus clamped his jaw around Denys's neck, hard enough that Denys, as a werewolf, would realize Remus was the alpha. Denys stilled at once and shrunk back with his tail between his legs.
Wally immediately lowered his head at Remus, recognizing their pack bond. It was then that Annie's door came tumbling down. Denys perked up; Remus growled, warning him not to get close. Annie growled in return, but Remus clamped down on her neck, feeling guilty that all three students would have neck pain in the morning.
Annie went limp and whined. Remus let her go and she joined Denys and Wally, just as Ciaran's door bust open. Ciaran was the only werewolf who Remus hadn't known before; Denys, Wally, and Annie were all under his leadership as beta in the werewolf camp that Fenrir ran. Ciaran was a new werewolf and he didn't recognize Remus.
With a sprightly leap, Ciaran went after Wally first, the smallest werewolf, but Remus was too fast. He pinned Ciaran down, biting hard, until Ciaran stopped moving. Remus growled at him, and the defeated, young werewolf trotted off, not daring to look him in the eye.
Annie and Wally began playing like young wolves. Denys, intrigued by Annie, sniffed at her tail, and Remus growled at him, snapping his jaw to keep Denys away from her.
The last thing Remus needed was an accidental mating between the third year students. Denys whined and howled, upset at being prevented from his activities, but Remus refused to entertain his antics. He thought to herd the students back to their rooms, but without his wand, Remus had no way to keep them secure and safe. He would have to keep an eye on them until moonrise.
It would be a long, tiring night.
…
"It doesn't matter who did it or how it happened," Remus said tiredly, plopping himself in a chair in Minerva's office. "Even if my dosage had been tampered with, I'd have managed to get them to…" He ran his hands through his greying hair. "…they submitted to me. I'm their alpha."
"Horace will be brewing the Wolfsbane Potion for all students going forward," Minerva said, in a tone that brooked none of Remus's explanations. "We will refuse Ministry-sent Wolfsbane Potion."
Remus sighed deeply. It wouldn't matter if any of them had Wolfsbane Potion – now that he was the students' alpha, he could control them. The only benefit that Wolfsbane Potion would bring were nights of rest; controlling the playfulness of four young werewolves had stretched him to the limits. It had been easier at the werewolf camp, with woods to run around in, but at the Shrieking Chalet, he had to keep the students safely inside.
They had not cooperated well with their confinement; Remus had woken up with cuts, bruises, scrapes, and broken bones to prove their discontent.
The Floo in the Headmistress's office lit up and Nymphadora came out of it, wheezing and coughing.
"Remus!"
"'M fine," Remus croaked, waving a heavily bandaged hand at her. "I've felt better, but I'm fine."
"I just got your owl, Minerva," Tonks said, holding Remus's face in her hands, inspecting him for injuries. "You're a genius for keeping Remus here – those kids would've found their way out of the Shack—"
"They're calling it the Chalet," Remus interrupted. "Annie coined it."
"Chalet, then," Tonks said, gently massaging a healing salve behind Remus's ear. He hadn't realized he'd hurt himself there.
"I suspected something like this would take place," Minerva replied calmly. "I had to convince the Board of Governors to override the Ministry's mandate on adult werewolves for this instance."
Tonks stopped massaging Remus's neck; he almost whined when her hands were off him. They still hadn't had sex, and every time she touched him, he thought he might burst from the pressure building in his groin. He carefully adjusted his robes over his lap and concentrated his efforts on the sleeping portraits in the office.
"It was an inside job," Tonks said angrily. "I just know it."
"Where are the children?" Remus asked, reaching his hand out for her arm.
"They're at home. Mum's there and so is Hermione, for the next evaluation."
"Day after the full moon…again."
"Tossers." Tonks wrung her hands and shook the scarlet locks away from her eyes. "Can I stay here with Remus until the evaluations are over, Minerva?"
"Naturally. I'll have one of our elves send things to his suite."
Minerva summoned an house elf and sent her off with a list of supplies for Remus's healing. Tonks helped him up from his seat and he limped, leaning on her support, until they were through the Floo and in his quarters. They had remained untouched for months, but with Minerva's orders, a fire crackled merrily in the fireplace, and a tray full of potions, salves, and bandages were waiting for him.
Tonks made him lay back in the freshly made bed. She carefully undressed him until he was down to his boxers. He didn't bother trying to control his arousal; despite the many injuries he'd sustained trying to fight off four adolescent werewolves all night, his desire for his wife had never been greater.
"Lottie watched Moira and Molly was with Aven all night," Tonks said, as she carefully tended to the cuts on Remus's legs. "Molly took Aven to St Mungo's for her assessment. I ran into them there, 'cause I had Hope with me for herassessment. Mum stayed with Teddy at home."
"How did—"
"They didn't give Hope any of the Dreamless Sleep Potion, so she was difficult all night. Crying, screaming, tantrums…the only time we could get her to calm down was with biscuits. She was hungry, cold, and bloody miserable."
Remus winced as Tonks cast Episkey on his broken toes and fingers. Each snapped into place painfully.
"Now that she's over a year old, it was easier to tell what was wrong. Not much easier, mind you, but easier. She's going to be sleepy for her evaluation, but at least it won't be sleeping like the dead from the Dreamless Sleep."
"And Aven?"
"No idea. Molly told me she thinks Aven's hearing isn't great, and that's why she isn't talking much." Tonks shrugged, bending over Remus's face to reach for another potion. He grew even harder with her chest just barely grazing his lips. "How were the kids this morning?"
"Not much better than me," Remus said, his voice cracking as Tonks massaged a salve into his thighs. "Poppy's going to be busy today."
Tonks wrapped one of his thighs in a tight bandage. It was remarkable how proficient she'd become at healing him, from the first, frantic days of his full moons with her.
"If it's not one thing, it's another, isn't it?"
Remus mustered a noncommittal mmm as agreement. Tonks cleaned up the supplies and looked him over. Remus noticed her eyes lingered at the space between his legs and he throbbed against his will in response.
"You and I should get some rest," Tonks murmured. She took off her boots and robes and cast them aside, slipping into bed next to Remus and cuddling up against him. "Mum will send an owl or Patronus when Hermione's done."
Remus felt his eyelids grow heavy. All thoughts of evaluations and potions disasters slipped away. The last image on his mind before drifting off into slumber was Tonks, with her hands on either side of his face, whispering "I love you" to him, over and over.