Christmas was soon approaching for the Tonks-Lupin household. Remus had dutifully brought a pine tree into the home to be decorated for the occasion. Dora had been all too happy to have something to do. By the time Dora had finished decorating the tree, Remus could hardly see the pine tree beneath it. He didn't mind; it was as bright and colorful as Dora, and it made him happy to see her happy. There had been little news from Ted, aside from his occasional Patronus messages informing them that he was safe and well, but always with the warning to not reply to his messages.

Today, Remus decided to do some Christmas shopping for his family. Dora had ordered gifts by owl post, being unwilling to walk the hour to and from the town for Muggle gifts. Remus was still able to Apparate, and had decided to shop closer to home, fearing that staying away from the home for too long would cause undue worry for Dora or Andromeda. As it was, Dora had insisted he take himself out on a shopping trip with a wad of Muggle money, if only to spoil their future child. It was only with the mention of the baby that Remus had relented. He was beginning to fear his child would be spoiled senseless, given his overenthusiasm for the fact that he would finally be a father.

Remus' first stop had been at a posh baby goods store. True to his word, he'd purchased several children's books, as well as a laughably large teddy bear; after all, it was for his only child. He'd then purchased a few more children's books for his godsons, as well as a set of new clothes for each of them. Dora had insisted upon giving Denys and Wally proper Christmas gifts. Though his anxieties over money had not completely dissipated, he felt unwilling to cross Dora over something as trivial as Christmas presents. When the war was over, he promised himself, they would rein in the spending.

Remus' second stop was at a jewelry shop. He settled on a simple emerald pendant for Andromeda, unsure of what his mother-in-law might take a liking to. For as much time as he had been spending with her lately, he still hadn't a clue of where he stood in her eyes. Most days, he assumed he was as pleasant a son-in-law as any other, and he supposed it was the best situation, considering all he'd done to disappoint Andromeda in the last year and a half.

Finding a gift for Dora was harder. She had insisted she needed nothing, but he wasn't going to show up empty handed on Christmas morning. It was when he passed by a Muggle advert that he came up with an idea he hoped she would enjoy. Hurrying to the correct shop, he purchased the items from a bewildered Muggle salesperson. Heavily laden with the purchases of the day, he Apparated home, looking forward to Christmas morning.

…

"Happy Christmas, Remus!" Dora said brightly on Christmas morning.

"Happy Christmas, love," Remus replied, kissing Dora's forehead. "Shall we go downstairs to see your mother?"

"I wish my dad could be here," Dora said sadly.

"I know, sweetheart," Remus said, rubbing small soothing circles on Dora's back. "I'm sure he wishes he could be here as well, but it's for the best. Perhaps he'll send a Patronus message to us tonight."

"I hope so." Dora and Remus got themselves out of bed and dressed in the wolf jumpers Molly had knitted for them two years prior.

When they arrived downstairs, Remus was pleased to see Andromeda waiting for them.

"Happy Christmas, Andromeda," Remus greeted.

"Happy Christmas, Remus," Andromeda said politely. "Your godsons and their mother will be arriving soon."

"You invited the Wakefields?" Remus asked, in slight disbelief. "How are they getting here?"

"After Nymphadora's birthday, I learned that their father's family had abandoned them, due to the boys' lycanthropy," Andromeda quickly explained. "Lottie's family has a different Muggle religion, celebrated earlier this month. Lottie was upset that her boys might not be able to celebrate Christmas, and so I invited them. Lottie is visiting with her family, and they're borrowing the family car today."

"That's…very kind of you, Andromeda," Remus said softly. "Thank you."

"I know what it's like to not have family to turn to at the holidays," Andromeda murmured. "I wouldn't wish that upon anyone else, let alone children."

"Thanks, mum," Dora said gratefully. "See, Remus? I told you getting gifts for the boys would be a good idea!"

Remus busied himself with preparing the dining table for six. Dora was placing wrapped gifts at the bottom of the tree, and Andromeda was finishing the dishes for Christmas lunch. It wasn't long before Remus heard a knock at the door and opened it to find Lottie and her sons waiting for them.

"Happy Christmas," Remus greeted cheerfully. "Please, do come in."

Wally, Denys, and their mother came into the home. The boys ran straight into Remus' abdomen in a hug, after which they went running for Dora.

"Thank you for having us," Lottie said. "The boys were so excited to learn they could come here for Christmas. We thought that Lorcan's family would be willing to see us, but…"

"I understand," Remus said. "It's not fair, but I understand. We're family now." Lottie nodded gratefully and walked with Remus through the house.

"Welcome, Lottie," Andromeda said. "Shall we eat?"

"PRESENTS FIRST!" Denys shouted.

"That's not polite, Denys," Lottie said. "Miss Andromeda made food for us. Perhaps we can eat, and then open presents?"

"Fine," Denys said dejectedly.

Remus, Andromeda, Dora, Lottie, and the boys sat down at the dining table, which was laden with Christmas foods and, to Remus' surprise, steak tartare. The boys' eyes widened upon seeing it and took to it immediately.

"I told you that eating would be a good idea, didn't I?" Lottie asked, huffing slightly at her sons.

"I was the same way as a boy," Remus said, with a smile. "I always wanted to open gifts first on Christmas morning, and my mum would make me eat first."

"I was never like that," Dora said, laughing. "I was always more excited for Christmas dinner than for the gifts."

"Is that true, Andromeda?" Remus asked incredulously. "I'd no idea Dora had that much self-control."

"Nymphadora had an uncanny knack for guessing what her gifts were," Andromeda said knowingly. "I'd have blamed accidental magic, but the gifts were always hastily rewrapped."

Dora rolled her eyes. "At least I had the decency to rewrap them."

Once the table had been cleared, the boys were bouncing on the balls of their feet to open presents.

"Yes, we can open presents now," Lottie said. "I brought a few things for them to open here," she whispered to Remus and Andromeda.

"We have gifts for them as well," Remus replied.

"Thank you," Lottie said gratefully. Remus felt slightly awkward, as he realized he hadn't gotten anything for Lottie on his earlier shopping trip.

"I did," Andromeda smiled at Remus, as he breathed a sigh of relief.

The boys were overjoyed with the gifts they'd received from the Tonks-Lupins; to Remus' surprise, Dora and Andromeda had coordinated and purchased the boys toy broomsticks that hovered five feet in the air. The boys were bursting with happiness upon seeing the broomsticks. They were politely grateful for the books Remus had purchased, but Remus rolled his eyes as the books lay semi-forgotten in favor of the broomsticks.

"You'll be the fun parent," Remus murmured to Dora.

"Someone has to be," she teased. Remus had been pleased with his own gifts; everyone had decided he needed new clothes, and his wardrobe expanded significantly that day.

At long last, it was time for Dora's gift.

"The gift I have for you, Dora, is a little unusual, but I hope you'll like it," Remus said. "You mentioned your grandparents having one of these, and I thought you might like one of your own."

Remus levitated the heavy item to the living room and placed it against the wall. Dora tore into it to find a television.

"You got us a television? How does it work?" Dora asked excitedly.

"I had the salesperson explain it to me many times," Remus said sheepishly. "They asked if I was old fashioned, so I said yes, but I'm not certain what that means."

"What's this box?" Dora asked. There was another sizable box next to the television box, and Remus gestured for Tonks to open it.

"I don't understand what this is," Dora said, reading the box. "Video cassette player?"

"It plays Muggle films," Remus explained. "I purchased a few films to go with it."

"My parents have one of these," Lottie explained. "We do too, don't we?"

"We can help you," Wally said enthusiastically. "What did you get?"

"The salesperson asked what films I wanted so I asked for popular ones for my wife," Remus explained. "When he asked what she liked, I said magic and unusual things." He pulled out several plastic boxes containing Muggle films.

"The Addams Family, Beauty and the Beast, Jurassic Park, Braveheart, and Titanic," Lottie read. "All of these are very popular."

"Are they any good?" Remus asked. "The salesperson helping me said the animated films were excellent."

"I think we should see this one," Dora said. "Beauty and the Beast." She smiled wickedly in Remus' direction.

"I figured as much," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "Lottie, have you seen it?"

"Of course I have," she said. "The boys haven't, I don't think."

"We like The Lion King," Wally said. "Beauty and the Beast is for girls."

"I dunno, boys," Dora said, looking at the cover of the film. "This beast looks pretty ferocious to me. Want to see it with me? I've never seen this film before, and I might need your courage for this beast." Remus stifled laughter, but the boys instantly took to the suggestion.

Nearly an hour later, with Lottie's gracious help, the television and video cassette player were set up, and the opening notes for Beauty and the Beast began to play. Remus sat on the sofa, holding Dora's hand, unable to help himself from smiling, as this had been one of the best Christmases he'd ever had, war be damned.

…

"Tell me about your parents, Remus," Dora commanded. It was a few days into the new year – 1998 – and Dora had been looking for stories. They'd spent most of the holidays talking about their respective adventures at school, and now Dora wanted to hear more about Remus' parents. They were lying in their bed on the cold January night, buried under a thick woolen blanket.

"What do you want to know?" Remus asked.

"Everything."

Remus told Dora of how his parents had met through a boggart incident, that they'd married and had him a year later, and that they were generally kind people who loved and supported him, despite the lycanthropy. They had died in the years after Remus finished his education. His mother died first, of a Muggle illness. His father died second, of dragon pox. Neither of them had lived long enough to see him teach at Hogwarts.

"That's all?" Dora asked. "You told me facts. What were they like? How did they react when you were bitten?"

"It's easier to start with my mother," Remus said contemplatively. "I remember very little of what life was like before I was bitten. After I was bitten, most of my early memories of my mother were of her healing me after a full moon. Hot, soapy bathwater, sometimes with bubbles to distract from the pain, but the water would run rust-colored quickly."

"She taught my basic education – reading, writing, arithmetic, history – she inspired my love of reading. She read me Muggle stories, and my father read me magical ones. I know she loved me, but my condition took its toll on her. We had to move around every few months. There was more than one occasion I found her crying. Sometimes, when I was angriest, I would ask why she didn't just let me die."

"Oh, Remus, that's awful," Dora murmured, taking his hands into her own.

"I saw what my life was doing to them, Dora," Remus continued sadly. "My parents grew thinner, poorer, and more tired by the day. I learned, later, they decided not to have another child when I was bitten, for fear that I would kill my younger sibling. They didn't want to burden a sibling with my condition, either, so this is why I was an only child. I begged for a sibling, just to ease away the loneliness, but they said they weren't able to have another child. I learned later it was a conscious choice to have only me."

"I know it's not the same, Remus, but I didn't enjoy being an only child, either," Dora said softly. "Maybe, if we're lucky—"

"—if we're lucky, the one child we've been lucky to conceive will be healthy," Remus said forcefully. "One healthy child is more than I could ever ask for."

"But your parents loved you, Remus, even with the lycanthropy," Dora repeated. "You're going to love our baby too, even if it's a little cub."

"I know, Dora, but you asked me to tell you about my parents, and you didn't want facts," Remus said dejectedly. "They loved me, but they also had a hard life with me."

"Keep going, then," Dora said. "Tell me more."

"When I went away to school, my mother was so proud," Remus said, now smiling. "I wrote her every week. When I became a prefect, she insisted upon buying me all new school robes. By then, she and my father were able to hold steadier jobs and had a little more money. It was the first time I didn't have secondhand robes."

"Mum got ill during my last year of Hogwarts," Remus continued. "I offered to come home to help, but my parents were firm that I was to remain at school and finish my education. My mum died at the end of the summer. I felt terrible for missing so much of the last year of her life, but my father told me she wouldn't have had it any other way."

"She wanted you to succeed and get the education you so rightly deserved," Dora said softly. "Any mum would've done the same."

"I know that now, but the sting at 18 didn't leave for a while," Remus said. "I miss her very much."

"I wish I could have met her," Dora murmured. "Do you have any pictures of her?"

"I do, buried in one of my trunks. I haven't taken a look at them in years."

"Show me sometime?"

"Someday, I will," Remus promised.

"What about your dad?" Dora asked. "What was he like?"

"He's…indirectly, the reason I was bitten in the first place," Remus said gingerly.

"What?" Dora's eyes were wide and her face betrayed her astonishment.

Remus explained the incident at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, including his father Lyall's words that werewolves were 'soulless, evil, deserving nothing but death,' which further shocked Dora. He detailed that it was Fenrir Greyback himself who had bitten the almost-five-year-old Remus, in revenge for what Lyall had said. Remus said it was many years after the fact – when he was already a student at Hogwarts – that he learned the truth of who had bitten him, and why he had been bitten in the first place.

"I'm so sorry, Remus," Dora whispered. "How were you and your father after that?"

"I was angry," Remus replied quickly. "Up until that point, I believed my bite was a result of an accident. I knew I had been bitten in my sleep, and I thought that some poor soul had merely come to the wrong window. For the first half of my childhood, my father didn't treat me any differently, as far as I can remember. He began teaching me magic, especially defensive spells, when I was around seven years old."

"Is that why you taught Wally?"

"It is, and I will continue to teach him, if he cannot go to Hogwarts," Remus vowed. "None of the werewolf children should be denied an education because of their condition."

"This is one of the reasons I love you, you know," Dora said, smiling softly at him. "You care so much for others." She brushed his hair out of his eyes, and pressed a kiss to his nose and forehead.

"Is that all you wanted to know?"

"No, tell me more about your father, please," Dora said. "What else happened?"

"He taught me magic, as much as he could," Remus replied. "Until the day Dumbledore came to our doorstep to let us know of all the precautions he'd put in place so I could go to school. My parents were happy, but my father was especially ecstatic. I was happy too, of course, but my father's happiness – I had never seen him that happy before. I thought, for many months, that he was happy because they would be able to get rid of me ten moons of the year."

"That's ridicu—"

"—not as ridiculous as you might think, Dora," Remus finished. "I asked my mother why she didn't just let me die, but I asked my father to put me out of my misery more than once."

"You asked your father to kill you?" Dora asked, horrorstruck.

"I knew I couldn't ask my mother, but I thought my father – being a wizard – could do so in a way that would be painless and quick," Remus explained. "He and my mother could have other children, better children, ones that weren't afflicted with lycanthropy. They could be a happy, whole family without me."

"Oh, Remus," Dora murmured, her eyes watering. "You poor thing. Didn't they tell you they loved you?"

"Of course they did," Remus said quickly. "Looking back on my childhood now, everything they did was for me, only me. They did everything to give me whatever they could. As a child, I thought I was ruining their lives. I tried to run away more than once, too, just to give them the chance at a normal life."

"I don't understand – they, they told you they loved you?" Dora asked.

"Sometimes, being told you're loved isn't enough," Remus said gently. "I knew they loved me, but I thought I was doing right by them by running away, or by letting me die. I thought it was the noble thing to do, to sacrifice myself so they could continue living."

"But…Remus, couldn't you see they loved you?" Dora asked, her eyes still watering.

"Yes, Dora, I could," Remus said, sighing heavily. "I wanted them to be happy. They were happier when I first went to school, too, as they could stay in one place for the first time since I was bitten. It only confirmed my thought that they would be better off without me."

"Having friends helped. They accepted me as I was, even though they didn't have to," Remus continued quietly. "When they became Animagi for me, no easy feat for teenagers, mind you, it was then that I understood how my parents felt about me. My parents could have abandoned me years before, but they chose to care and love me."

"It was when Sirius – really, Peter – betrayed the Potters, after they suspected me, that my trust began faltering. I had lost everyone I loved, save for my father, in just a few days. I thought that if Sirius could betray us, and James had been suspicious of me, perhaps they hadn't really cared for me. By then my father was living a peaceful life, and I couldn't bear to disturb his peace."

"Remus," Dora said quietly. "I wish I'd known all this before now."

"It certainly explains a lot of my idiosyncrasies," Remus said wryly.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"It's not a happy tale." Remus shrugged. "I haven't really told anyone else about this, anyway. Who would I have told?"

"You never told your friends? Sirius, after his escape from Azkaban?"

"I kept things to myself," Remus said simply. "Sirius was more outspoken about his family life. I was too busy having friends for the first time in my life to burden them with more than my lycanthropy."

"You never told me."

"We had enough to worry about," Remus said shortly. "I made my peace with my loneliness long ago, Dora, until you. Until beautiful, wonderful, brilliant you."

"And yet you still fought me," Dora said solemnly.

"Life experience never showed me another way," Remus said softly. "You did."

"Do you still worry? That I'll change my mind?"

"Yes," Remus replied hastily. "I do worry. I worry that one day, you'll wake up and think I'm not worth it anymore."
"You still worry about that?" Dora asked, crestfallen.

"I do, but the worries grow smaller each day," Remus explained. "You haven't run away from me yet, even though you've seen me in my transformed state. You're choosing to carry my child, even though it might be a little cub. You lost your job for me. You have chosen me, again and again, no matter how hard I've resisted. Dora, you love me, and I may never understand why, but you do, sweetheart. You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, and I will never be done thanking you for loving me."

"The best way to thank me for loving you is for you to love me – and our baby – in return," Dora said firmly. "That's all I've ever wanted from you. I never wanted money, an easy life, or even a peaceful one. I've only ever wanted you."

"Still baffling to me," Remus said, dumbfounded.

"Oh shush, Remus," Dora murmured. "You're so lovable, it hurts sometimes."

"And you're Nymphadorable."

Dora narrowed her eyes at him before bursting into laughter. "I've never heard that one before," she gasped through laughs. "Only you can say that, okay?"

"Okay," Remus said, squeezing Dora into a tighter embrace against his body.

"Do you think, Remus, if this one is healthy, maybe we could have more?" Dora whispered.

"If, by some miracle, this little one is healthy, we can have more," Remus said, his heart hammering with excitement. To have one healthy child would be a blessing; to have more than one – his heart could barely hold the thought in without it bursting out of his chest.

"So you're saying…we can have a litter?" Dora snickered.

"You're incorrigible," Remus said huskily, beginning to press kisses along her jawline.

"And you were meant to be loved, Remus," Dora said, returning his kisses with her own. Within minutes, Remus was tearing off Dora's nightclothes, hungrily placing his hands and lips all over his wife's body. If loving Dora was all she ever wanted, he would give her anything – and everything – of himself that he could.

…

"You know, Remus, you never told me about your past relationships," Dora said, as she played with his increasingly shaggy hair.

"I thought you wouldn't want to hear about them," Remus replied.

"I'm asking now," Dora said. "And I really need to give you a haircut."

"The last time you did that, I had to pay for a haircut anyway," Remus teased. "I'll go into town tomorrow to get it done."

"This is why it's so much easier to be a Metamorphmagus," Dora said happily. "I've never needed to pay for a haircut."

"We're not all blessed with that gift, love," Remus replied.

"But really, what were your past relationships like?" Dora demanded.

"Why do you want to know?" Remus asked. "There's little to speak of, I'm afraid."

"If you tell me about one of yours, I'll tell you about one of mine."

"I don't think that would be the best idea, Dora."

"Why not?"

"I'm terribly jealous, you know."

"Even now?"

"I wouldn't say…now, but the idea of you with anyone other than me is revolting."

"What if I didn't provide any details?"

"Isn't that the point of these discussions? To nicely tell each other that we're the best the other ever had?"

"You are the best I've ever had, Remus," Dora said, emphasizing each syllable. Remus blushed upon hearing this, and puffed out his chest slightly in pride.

"You're the only one I've ever been with, Dora," Remus said. "There's no one else I'd rather be with."

"What if I go first and tell you about my first boyfriend?" Dora suggested.

"Wasn't that Charlie Weasley?"

"It was, but it didn't end well for either of us," Dora shared.

"I thought you said he was bent?"

"He is," Dora replied. "Didn't realize that till after we had shagged, unfortunately for me. I felt terrible about myself."

"Why's that?" Remus thought the idea was preposterous; Dora was nothing if not excellent in bed.

"If your first shag said he was gay, wouldn't you be concerned you'd fucked it up so badly he'd been turned off completely?"

"That's rubbish, dear."

"I was fifteen, and didn't know any better," Dora explained. "Not like it was any good, anyway."

"It better not have been," Remus grumbled.

"Ah, you are jealous," Dora smirked. "I can promise you that Charlie and I would never see each other that way again. Now your turn. I know your first kiss was Harry's mum. Did you ever have a girlfriend before me?"

"No," Remus replied quickly. "You were my first for that, too."

"Did you go on any dates?" Dora asked.

"Dates, yes."

"Aaaaand?" Dora asked expectantly.

"The dates never turned into relationships," Remus shrugged. "Not that I was expecting them to, anyway."

"D'you think they never turned into relationships because you never thought they could?"

"Perhaps it was that I never tried a Hufflepuff," Remus teased. "I didn't know Hufflepuffs could be so…"

"—relentlessly charming?"

"More like charmingly relentless," Remus snorted. "But, err, my first almost relationship was in sixth year, with a fifth year girl in Gryffindor."

"What was she like? Her name?"

"Her name was Simone. She was very nice, and Lily told me she fancied me," Remus elaborated. "I asked her to go to Hogsmeade with me, and she said yes."

"How did you destroy the relationship?" Dora demanded.

"Why would you assume—" Remus stopped talking abruptly as Dora glared at him.

"Fine, I told her I had an incurable case of dragon pox after three months of skirting around my feelings," Remus said uncomfortably.

"She believed that rubbish?" Dora asked.

"She was a Muggleborn," Remus said. "And not the brightest student in her year."

"Did she ever learn the truth?"

"No, never. She was shagging some Ravenclaw by the following term and I was all but forgotten."

"Poor Remus. Though if you hadn't fucked that up so spectacularly, you wouldn't be with me, so her loss, huh?" Dora said triumphantly.

"I'm glad to hear that my romantic mishaps have pleased you so."

Dora rolled her eyes. "It's my turn, then. My second boyfriend was a bloke named Declan, a Ravenclaw. I thought he was so fit – Chaser on the Quidditch team."

"What did he do to you?" Remus demanded.

"Why do you think he did something to me?" Dora asked in surprise.

"You spoke differently with Charlie – more affectionately," Remus explained. "This Declan bloke already sounds like a tosser."

"He definitely was," Dora confirmed. "He was the first bloke to ask me to change my appearance for him. At first it was little things – hair color or style, then lips, then tits, and by the end it was almost everything about me. When I showed him my natural state he told me I was hideous. This was after a year of dating and shagging. Merlin, I felt even worse after that than with Charlie."

"Don't give me his surname," Remus growled. "Or I will rip him limb from limb for hurting you."

Dora kissed his forehead. "No need to worry, love. Last I heard, he had a Quidditch incident that left him utterly incapable of disappointing another woman in bed."

"Good," Remus grunted. "Got what he deserved."

"So, that was the second one. What was your second almost relationship?" Dora asked.

"A Muggle girl, when I was twenty five or so. I was working at a bookshop near a Muggle university, and she was a frequent visitor."

"How did you destroy this one?"

Remus mock-glared at Dora, and decided to answer. "She wanted me to meet her parents."

"Such audacity."

Remus rolled his eyes. "It was the night of the full moon."

"That would be a problem for you."

"I wasn't looking my best," Remus said slowly. "Dark circles under my eyes, pale skin, you know…"

"What did you do?"

"She suspected I was a vampire," Remus chuckled. "Unbeknownst to me, she was an admirer of the authorAnne Rice. An American author who wrote novels on vampires."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her I was a vampire, and had to return to my castle," Remus began laughing. "That my name – Remus – was a pseudonym. I showed her my robes as proof."

"You did not," Dora said, jaw dropped.

"I very much did," he laughed. "I was tempted to obliviate her, but I'd already met some of her friends. I quit the job and moved away instead."

"Remus, that's terrible! All to avoid meeting this poor girl's parents!"

"Dora, it was the full moon. I was hardly looking my best, even at that age," he explained, still laughing.

"Incurable dragon pox and pretending to be a vampire," Dora mused. "What would you have told me if Molly hadn't told me you were a werewolf?"

"The truth," Remus said seriously. "By the time I met you, I'd already given up hope on any relationships. If Molly hadn't said anything, I might've waited a little longer to get to know you first."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want you to hate me right away. That first mission we were paired together for Malfoy Manor – I already thought you were beautiful, and I didn't want you to hate me or fear me."

"You really thought so?" Dora's eyes twinkled, just as they did on the day they first met.

"I was jealous of Sirius, for getting such a warm greeting from you," Remus recalled. "When you told me you already knew I was a werewolf, I thought it was for the best – any hope I might've had should have been destroyed on the spot."

"Did you continue to hope?"

"Against my better judgment, yes."

"I'm glad you didn't give up hope."

"Me neither," Remus admitted, more to himself than to Dora.

"So who came after the Muggle who thought you were a vampire?"

"I thought it was your turn for this."

"Here I thought you weren't going to be into this," Dora smiled victoriously. "The next one was a Muggle fellow for me, too. He was a nice bloke, really, but it was too exhausting to keep magic from him. His mum kept telling me I'd get some Muggle disease from all the hair dye I used." Dora rolled her eyes.

"So, I ended that one with the 'it's not you, it's me,' schtick," Dora explained. "He took it well enough, I think? Your turn."

"After the vampire-loving Muggle, I had a couple first dates," Remus said uncomfortably. "But the last date I had before being with you was…seven years ago? Perhaps eight?"

"Why didn't you have second dates?"

"Fear, I think, of being found out," Remus said. "I thought it would be better to cut things off before they could start."

"Which is what you did with us, but we had already started dating," Dora said thoughtfully.

"The only time I've ever been heartbroken," Remus said quietly. "I did it to myself."

"You broke mine, too," Dora murmured. She took his hands in hers. "That's all behind us now, isn't it?"

"Yes," Remus vowed. "I will never leave you or our baby again—"

"—unless we are in true danger, yeah?" Dora said softly.

"I hope that isn't any time soon," Remus said. "I'm afraid this war will have a tipping point. Dora, if – if I'm called to fight, do you want me to stay with you?"

Dora closed her eyes and sat quietly for a moment. "If it's really important, you should go. If it's really important, I'll go too," she decided.

"What if it's now? You're in the third trimester now," Remus said, looking at his wife's swollen abdomen.

"I won't, unless our baby is born," Dora promised.

"What if I tell you no?" Remus ventured. "What if I want you to stay home?"

"This mating business goes both ways, doesn't it?"

"Yes…though I'm not sure what you're asking."

"You told me once that once we were mated, you'd only leave if you thought I was in mortal danger. If I thought you were in mortal danger, wouldn't I be able to disregard what you say to me?"

"It would have to be a near-death experience for you to come to my aid," Remus said sternly. "Even then, I wouldn't want you to be there, if only for our baby."

"But I'm asking if I could go, even if you told me no, if you were in mortal danger?"

"I suppose you could go, even if I expressly told you not to," Remus said slowly. "Please know, Dora, I don't want you to do that. If – if we live long enough that our baby would benefit from both of us going into war, then…perhaps. But, Dora, you should've heard what Harry said when I asked him about joining him. He said 'parents shouldn't leave their kids unless they have to.' Coming from an orphan, it broke my heart. I realized how selfish and cowardly I'd been. I – I don't want our baby to be an orphan, if it doesn't have to be."

"We'll do our best, Remus, but you must know that if I think your life is in danger, I'm not going to be sitting still," Dora said, with some finality. "I'm going to fight alongside you, until the very end."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Remus murmured, holding his wife against his body, and praying to whatever god would listen that their only child wouldn't have to grow up without them.