Intimate Confessions

Gijane

Disclaimer, Rating, Summary: See Chapter One

Chapter Notes: Dora reflects on the Montgomery incident (American Edition, pgs 465-466). The Battle: Chapters 27 and 28 in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The Aftermath: Ch 29 (pgs 579-632). Same drill, all text in italics is direct quote from the book, but lots of summarization. From Remus and Dora's PoVs, with a tiny bit of Harry's thrown in. Piecing the battle together really sucked.

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Part Three: 'The Discussion'

Chapter Eleven- Battle and Aftermath

Tonks sat at the window seat in her room at Three Broomsticks one balmy, late evening in May. She stared unseeing out her window to the high street below, reflecting on the past year and how much everything had changed. It had been almost a year since the battle at the Ministry where Sirius had lost his life and she had been injured. Almost a year since Lupin had taken her home to recover and they had spent that one perfect week together. Then Dumbledore had visited to assign Lupin his mission. Then everything had changed.

Tonks had not seen any other Order members since she ran into Harry in mid March when the Montgomery boy had died from Greyback's bite. That unfortunate event had sent Lupin even further underground since the Ministry was now looking for his pack. No one had heard from him since then. After her meeting with Dumbledore (who had by then realized why both she and Lupin were miserable), she had run into McGonagall and Snape in the entrance hall. That was the last time she had been inside Hogwarts.

She fingered her Auror's badge, playing with it. Her Ministry work was keeping her away from her Order work and she felt guilty. Dumbledore had reassured her that there was nothing to feel guilty about. She was, in fact, doing Order work as well by guarding the village and school. However, she still felt guilt.

Tonks sat up abruptly coming out of her thoughts, as she recognized a figure strolling down the high street. It was Lupin. She hadn't seen him since Christmas Eve. She gasped as he waved, then entered the Three Broomsticks. Tonks jumped up and quickly began to tidy her room. Throwing her Auror's robe on the window seat, she started as a knock sounded at the door. She attempted to straighten her mousy brown hair, then threw open the door. There he was. He looked a bit more worn and ragged, and he had a few more visible scars, but there he was, alive.

She gave a strangled cry of relief and threw herself into his arms. He caught her with a grunt, but held on to her tightly.

"You're alive!" She sobbed.

"Yes." He replied simply. Griping her tighter, he lifted her easily, entered her room and closed the door.

"You need a shower." Tonks told him as he set her down.

"Most definitely." He agreed, smiling as she wrinkled her nose. Tossing his bag on her bed, he pulled out the trousers and sweater that she had given him for Christmas and a set of brown robes. "I hope you have an en-suite bath."

"Got it 'cause I was the only female Auror assigned to Hogsmeade." She told him with a cocky grin. "I'll have Rosmerta launder those for you. Should give her a thrill to think I've been entertaining a man in my room."

She grinned as Lupin chuckled and entered the bathroom. A few seconds later, the door reopened and he tossed his dirty cloths out at her. "What am I your maid now!" She yelled jokingly as the shower turned on. She chuckled as she heard him let out a bark of laughter.

Tonks opened the door, still chuckling, to bring his clothes to be laundered. She stopped short. Sitting there, oddly reminiscent of its owner, was Professor McGonagall's Patronus. The cat meowed at her then delivered its message.

Tonks' smiled died. As the Patronus vanished, she closed her door. She then knocked on the bathroom door.

"Remus, I know you're thoroughly enjoying that, but Minerva has ordered us to the castle to patrol tonight. The Headmaster is leaving the school again. Bill's going to meet us at the gates." She tried not to giggle as she heard him groan in frustration.

She quickly changed out of her uniform into a pair of heavily patched jeans and a bright pink t-shirt. Throwing on her everyday black robes, she looked in the mirror and tried unsuccessfully to morph her hair. She turned around as Lupin exited the bathroom, dressed but still barefoot. He sat on her bed and pulled out a pair of darned socks.

Pulling them on, unaware of how intimate a gesture it was to her, he said, "I don't have an undershirt."

Tonks grinned at him, and then went to her dresser. She pulled out his undershirt that she had run off in nearly a year ago and tossed it to him. Cocking an eyebrow at her, he reached into his bag, pulled out her pink lace bra and repaired t-shirt and tossed them at her.

She laughed as she caught them. "Do you still think your reasons are enough to keep us apart?"

"Not now, Nymphadora." He told her as he took off his jumper and pulled on the undershirt.

Tonks stuck her tongue out at him as he pulled the jumper back over his head. "When then?" She asked.

"Tonight, after the Headmaster returns, I'll come back here" Lupin said. He smiled as she brightened. "Let's go." He held out his hand to her. She pulled him off the bed. Quickly she planted a peck on his cheek, and then left her room. He followed behind, smiling.

Not quite hand and hand, but close enough, Tonks and Lupin walked down the high street towards Hogwarts. As they approached, even from a distance, they could make out Bill's long red hair. Drawing closer, they watched his handsome face break out into a grin.

"I get to tell Mum." He said in greeting.

Tonks laughed and Lupin broke out into a grin. Together they only had to wait a few minutes for the upright form of Minerva McGonagall to exit the oak front doors of the school and make her way down to the gates. The three noticed that she was wearing a concerned look as she tapped the chains on the gates. Swinging open the gates open, she greeted them each by name, smiling slightly as Tonks winced at her given name. She smiled out right as Lupin smirked at Tonks' wince.

"Albus is leaving the school again tonight and he's taking Harry with him. I don't know where they are going." McGonagall told them as she closed and locked the gates again.

Lupin nodded, but both Tonks and Bill were surprised that the Headmaster would remove a student, especially this particular student, without informing his Deputy as to where he was going.

"So, what are we to do? How many of us are there? What's the plan?" Tonks asked McGonagall, shifting into Auror mode. Bill raised an eyebrow, not having ever seeing her like this he was impressed. Lupin felt a burst of pride.

"You, Remus, and Bill are to split the school in thirds and patrol the corridors. The Heads of House will be in their offices in case we need to get to the common rooms quickly. Hagrid and Frienze will be patrolling the grounds while the other teachers will be assisting you three and covering the classrooms. Curfew, for the older students, is set for 8pm to night."

Tonks nodded her approval. "Bill takes the top floors, Remus the bottom ones. I'll take the dungeons and the entrance hall. I'll do sweeps of the whole school but I want them to run into me first if need be."

"Why you?" Bill asked.

"She's the Auror." Lupin answered for her. Tonks smiled at him.

"Right. Sorry, Tonks. I still see you as the Charlie's best buddy, not a trained professional."

Tonks laughed. "It's okay, Bill. We all have to grow up sometime. You're the one getting married, not me."

McGonagall and Lupin laughed at the look on Bill's face from her cheek. They entered the school as dinner was just letting out from the Great Hall. Lupin caught sight of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny but they didn't see him.

"He's been doing well this year." Tonks murmured close to his shoulder. "He even managed to get himself a girlfriend." She pointed at Ginny. "Now only if his godfather would take his advice."

"Later, Nymphadora." He told her. "Be careful."

"That's my line, darling." She told him, shooting Bill a look as he pretended to gag.

"I'll be careful too, sweetheart." Bill joked, kissing her cheek. He laughed at the looks they both sent his as he jogged off.

"Be careful." They told each other at the same time. Lupin smiled, and then turned to escort McGonagall, who was beaming at them, to her office before taking up his patrol.

A few hours into the patrol Dumbledore and Harry were still not back. Leaving Professor Vector in the entrance hall, Tonks climbed the staircases, finally finding Lupin on the third floor. He and Professor Slughorn were patrolling together.

Tonks smirked as Lupin threw her a desperate look to save him from Slughorn's insistent chatter. He shot her a look of outrage as she pretended to ponder if she would save him or not.

Pinning her Auror's badge, Tonks strolled down the corridor. "Remus, Bill needs us. Hello, Professor Slughorn, how are you? You'll manage patrolling alone?"

Lupin nearly chocked on a laugh as Slughorn's eyes bulged at his sighting of her badge. "I'm quite well tonight, my dear." He managed to tell her. "I shall be just fine. You may take Mr Lupin."

"Come on, Remus." She grabbed the arm of his robes and turned them back down the corridor. "Goodbye, Professor." She called as she unpinned her badge and pocketed it.

"Do you always carry that around?" Lupin asked as they began to search for Bill.

"I have to, darling. There's Bill." She pointed out the oldest Weasley sibling at the youngest two and Neville Longbottom came barrelling down the corridor yelling.

"What's going on? Slow down!" Tonks shouted. "Ginny, tell us."

"Malfoy…Death Eaters…inside." Ginny panted out.

Not waiting to hear any more, Tonks, Lupin, and Bill ran down the corridor. After a quick search, they came upon Malfoy and the Death Eaters near the Astronomy Tower. Duels quickly broke out.

"Tonks!" hollered Bill, pointing.

She whipped around to see Gibbon, recognizing him from his wanted poster, and Malfoy breaking away and heading up the tower stairs. Hurling a Stunning spell, she missed as they made it up the stairs.

"Look out!" She screamed as a Death Eater threw himself at Bill. It was Greyback.

"Tonks!" yelled Ron. She spun around to see Gibbon re-entering the battle."Neville!" Lupin yelled as the boy was thrown back from the Tower's stairwell. He made for Neville to make sure he was okay, and then tried to get up the stairwell. He was thrown back as well.

"Remus!" Tonks yelled. There where curses, hexes, and jinxes being fired off left and right.

"I'm fine." Lupin yelled back, ducking a Killing Curse that bounced off the wall and hit Gibbon. Four of the Death Eaters, including Greyback who left Bill in a pool of blood, turned and sprinted up the stairwell.

Tonks and Ginny made to follow them. Both were also thrown back. "They've blocked the stairs – Reducto! REDUCTO!" Tonks screamed as Ginny picked herself back up.

"Severus." Lupin pointed as Snape ran by them and up the stairs. He ducked another jinx and threw a Stunning spell at the same time. He gaped as Snape ran right though the barrier and up the stairwell. The battle raged on.

A large Death Eater fired off a hex that caused half the ceiling to cave in. Tonks, Lupin and McGonagall, who had joined the battle, all ran foreword to head up the stairwell.

However, Snape ran back down the stairwell, this time dragging Malfoy with him. "It's over, time to go!" He shouted. The three raised their drawn wands, let them pass, and went to rejoin the battle.

A few more moments passed, and then Harry Potter ran straight into the heart of the fighting. Pausing to look around, he was knocked down by Greyback. Harry managed to body bind the werewolf then took off after Snape and Malfoy.

The Death Eater Amycus, was hurling hexes at Ginny, who was miraculously dodging them.

"Impedimenta!" yelled Harry.

"Harry, where did you come from?" asked Ginny, who received no answer because he had tripped over Neville.

Harry then hit the Death Eater who had been throwing hexes and jinxes, causing most of the chaos. Suddenly, the remaining Death Eaters all turned and ran. Harry sprinted after them.

Everyone was surprised that the battle had ended as abruptly as it had begun. Tonks turned, wand drawn, as pounding footsteps came racing down the corridor. She lowered her wand as Poppy Pomfrey came around the corner carrying her medical bag.

"Bill and Neville." Lupin pointed them out to the nurse. "Bill's…a bit…worse off." He changed what he was going to say as Ron and Ginny came up to him.

Madam Pomfrey quickly checked Neville. Having been reassured that he was fine, she left Tonks to patch him up. She moved on to Bill. Finding him alive, she recruited Lupin to assist her. Conjuring a stretcher, they levitated Bill onto it and everyone headed to the Hospital Wing. McGonagall headed off to her office to contact Molly and Arthur. Tonks sent Ginny to find Harry.

Everyone waited at the far end of the ward, tense, until they heard the Hospital Wing's doors open. Harry and Ginny entered.

Lupin moved forward, asking Harry how he was. He was assured he was fine. Harry asked after Bill. He was told that there was no charm to fix the damage inflicted on him.

Lupin knew what was coming next. Harry turned to him and asked, "Greyback hadn't transformed, so surely Bill won't be a- a real-?" He trailed off uncertain.

"No, I don't think that Bill will be a true werewolf," said Lupin, "but that does not mean that there won't be some contamination. Those are cursed wounds. They are unlikely ever to heal fully, and- and Bill might have some wolfish characteristics from now on."

"Dumbledore might know something that'd work, though," Ron said. "Where is he? Bill fought those maniacs on Dumbledore's orders, Dumbledore owes him, he can't leave him in this state-"

"Ron-Dumbledore's dead," said Ginny.

"No!" Lupin looked wildly from Ginny to Harry, as though hoping the latter might contradict her, but when Harry did not, Lupin collapsed into a chair beside Bill's bed, his hands over his face.

Tonks saw that Harry was terrified. Lupin had always been strong and resilient in front of him. Now here he was losing control. She knew that Dumbledore was Lupin's last significant link to his past. Now he was dead.

"How did he die?" whispered Tonks. "How did it happen?"

"Snape killed him," said Harry. He then proceeded to tell the tale of what happened up on the Astronomy Tower.

Madam Pomfrey burst into tears but was shushed by Ginny who whispered, "Shh! Listen!"

Everyone quieted to listen to the beautiful, but sad, lament that a phoenix was singing. The song seemed to sooth and eased the pain of the loss a bit.

The enchantment of the music was broken when Professor McGonagall entered the ward and announced that Molly and Arthur were on their way. She paused as everyone came out of their trances.

"Harry, what happened? According to Hagrid you were with Professor Dumbledore when he- when it happened. He says Professor Snape was involved in some-"

"Snape killed Dumbledore," said Harry.

McGonagall stared at Harry for a moment, and then swayed. Madam Pomfrey conjured a chair that the new Headmistress fell into. "Snape. We all wondered…but he trusted…always…Snape…I can't believe it…"

"Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens," said Lupin, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. "We always knew that."

"But Dumbledore swore he was on our side!" whispered Tonks. "I always thought Dumbledore must know something about Snape that we didn't…"

"He always hinted that he had an ironclad reason for trusting Snape. I mean…with Snape's history…of course people were bound to wonder…but Dumbledore told me explicitly that Snape's repentance was absolutely genuine…Wouldn't hear a word against him!" McGonagall told everyone while dabbing her tears away.

"I'd love to know what Snape told him to convince him," said Tonks.

"I know," said Harry. He proceeded to tell everyone, who just stared at him.

"And Dumbledore believed that?" said Lupin incredulously. "Dumbledore believed that Snape was sorry that James was dead? Snape hated James…"

"And he didn't think my mother was worth a damn either," said Harry, "because she was Muggle-born…'Mudblood,' he called her…"

Everyone was in shock, reeling. They were trying to absorb the truth of what had happened that night.

"This is all my fault. My fault. I set Filius to fetch Snape tonight, I actually sent for him to come and help us! If I hadn't alerted Snape to what was going on, he might never had joined forces with the Death Eaters. I don't think he knew they were there before Filius told him, I don't think he knew they were coming." McGonagall said.

"It isn't your fault, Minerva," said Lupin firmly. "We all wanted more help, we were glad to think that Snape was on his way…"

Harry asked then what precisely had happened. McGonagall explained first, then Ron and Ginny. Lupin filled what he and Tonks knew, then Hermione explained what happened in the dungeons.

Tonks and Lupin picked the tale back up, explaining what happened at the battle scene. Tonks told Harry in a hollow voice that she just let Snape pass by, thinking that he was being chased. "I thought I heard Snape shout something, but I don't know what- " Tonks finished.

"He shouted, 'It's over,' "said Harry. "He'd done what he'd meant to do."

Silence reigned in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as each occupant sat reflecting on the night's events.

Outside, Fawkes' lament was still echoing over the dark grounds.

TBC