Tonks walked over to Scrimgeour and handed him the wand. "You can see that it hasn't been tampered with," she announced, "And that it bears initials on the handle."

Scrimgeour turned it over in his hands.

"B.L." he read in a low voice.

"The initials of Bellatrix Lestrange," Tonks said loudly.

"The Ministry should also know," she announced, "that Narcissa Black Malfoy admitted to Ministry Auror Dawlish, this morning in prison, that she brought about the death of Bellatrix Lestrange, who is also responsible for the attempted murder of her son, Draco."

Scrimgeour looked down at Narcissa, "Is this true?"

Narcissa licked her cracked lips.

"I did not want to kill my sister. But I did, yes - I admit that I did. She brought it upon herself."

"Why did she bring it upon herself?" Scrimgeour asked.

"My son and I were trying to escape from the Death Eaters," Narcissa murmured, "They were – they were forcing him to do terrible things – to atone for Lucius' failure. He was ordered to kill Dumbledore on the threat that the Dark Lord would kill – would kill his father and me. But he did not kill him!" she turned and looked around the courtroom, "My son could not kill him! That is why Severus Snape had to do it. Snape killed Dumbledore – because my son is not a killer."

She swallowed, "My son – managed to escape. He found me. Perhaps I should have turned him in. But I could not. He was my son – my son!" She shook her head, "I defy any mother to turn her back on her child, when he comes to her, and when he needs her. Draco did not attempt to return to the Dark Lord. He did not want anything to do with him anymore. But Bellatrix came after him. She killed my sister, Andromeda, and her husband, Theodore. She brought Fenrir Grayback to kill Draco. She came to kill me."

"Did she try to kill Draco? Or you?" Scrimgeour asked.

Narcissa nodded, "The werewolf – he bit Draco. Remus," – here she pointed, "Remus killed him. Bellatrix came after me."

"Did she say anything to you?"

"Yes. She said that she was surprised that I remembered her, and – "

Narcissa's eyes widened.

How had Bellatrix known that Narcissa had been robbed of her memory?

But more than that –

"But then you had to throw it all away on that half-breed fiancé of yours."

Like a bolt of lightning, it hit Narcissa.

It finally all made sense.

"You heard her," Tonks was saying, "I rest my case."

She turned her back on Scrimgeour and walked back to Narcissa's side.

Remus held his breath.

Scrimgeour kept his eyes cast down on the wand. He turned it over again and again, as if he was trying to make some sense of everything.

Finally, he looked up, and cleared his throat.

"In light of evidence provided by Miss Nymphadora Tonks, and in light of the deaths of Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Grayback," he said clearly, "the Ministry dismisses the charges against Narcissa Black Malfoy."

The courtroom erupted. Remus sprang to his feet with joy. Tonks looked slightly deflated, as if it had taken all of her strength to stand up before the court and give her evidence. Narcissa stood stock-still, her eyes fixed on Remus. They blazed with something he didn't comprehend.

Scrimgeour was continuing, "The charges brought to Draco Lucius Malfoy will be altered to suit the results of this hearing, and his arraignment will be set for a later date."

As the Wizengamot began to file out of the courtroom, Remus walked over to Tonks. She looked up at him with expressionless eyes.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"I didn't do it for you," she replied, "I did it for my mother."

She looked over at Narcissa, who was staring at Remus with that same look in her eyes. Tonks looked away. The pain of losing Remus was still fresh.

"My mother loved her sisters," she said, "Both of them."

"Thank you," Remus whispered again.

Tonks managed a single sad smile. She turned and exited the courtroom.

Remus turned to Narcissa, who looked stunned. They were the only two left in the courtroom.

"Hey," he said softly, "It's over. You're free. We can go see Draco."

She was staring at him still, the whites visible around the deep blue of her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

Her lips parted; she ran her tongue over them for a moment, before whispering:

"It was you."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

Narcissa shook her head.

"You – it was you. That night on the Astronomy Tower."

Remus felt chills skating up his spine. He had been waiting twenty years for this moment. But he'd never quite believed it would happen.

Narcissa was still speaking.

"I was crying – and you followed me. You followed me up to the top of the Astronomy Tower. You brought me my scarf – my Slytherin scarf. I dropped it in the snow."

"Yes," Remus whispered.

"And you didn't want to be with me," Narcissa continued, her eyes still wide, sparkling with tears, "because you were a werewolf, and I – I didn't care."

Remus nodded. The lump in his throat was huge.

Narcissa's voice caught, "And then – you pushed me away – you didn't want me anymore – because you thought I gave your ring back."

Remus was speaking now, and the voice was not his own, "Bellatrix – and Lucius – thought up a plan to make me believe you didn't love me anymore – that you broke our engagement to be with him."

"I would never do such a thing," Narcissa whispered.

"I know – I know!" Remus' voice caught now. His arms went around her waist, "But I couldn't believe – that someone like you – could ever love someone like me."

He was blinded by his own tears now. She was fading in and out; he could barely see her.

"I let you go. I let the best part of me walk out with Lucius Malfoy – and I didn't go after you," he whispered.

"No," Narcissa said.

"What?"

"No – you did." Her eyes widened, "I remember – you came after me. I saw you – running across the lawn, at Lucius' house. And I knew – in that moment."

Her eyes were sparkling with tears.

"I knew that you really loved me."

Remus was crying now, crying as he hadn't since he was young. And the dreams he'd kept hidden inside for so long were bursting to the surface. Because now Narcissa's arms were around his neck, and Narcissa's lips were against his. And she was kissing him, and this was Narcissa – Narcissa! – not anyone else. He shuddered and clung to her, praying that when the kiss ended, he wouldn't be forced to wake up.

She pulled away, and he opened his eyes.

She was real, standing before him, as she had been twenty years ago. The long blonde hair, faithfully hiding strands of silver. The huge blue eyes, reflecting pain and suffering – but above everything else, love. That beautiful face, tender with motherhood and the tracks of a thousand tears. She was there. She was real.

And just as Remus thought nothing could be better than this, she whispered the words he'd been waiting so long to hear:

"I love you, Remus."

He closed his eyes, kissed her again and again.

"I love you, too. Oh, God, I love you so much. Can you ever forgive me? Can you?"

She nodded through her tears.

"I forgave you the minute I saw you running towards me at Lucius'. I forgave everything."

He kissed her again, then pulled away.

"I need to ask you, before anything else happens," he said.

Her same slightly crooked smile lit up her face. He was lost all over again.

"What?" she asked.

He took a deep breath.

"Narcissa," he asked, "will you marry me?"