CHAPTER SIX

22 March – 12:37 pm

The Leaky Cauldron was crowded this afternoon. The low hum of casual conversations that generally filled the air was more like a steady roar today. Tonks reconsidered her decision to meet Zach here. The fact that the place was busy meant that the staff wouldn't hound them as frequently. However, given the noise level, she worried about how discreetly she would be able to talk to him. And she needed to talk to him. He was the only one who knew the full situation. She wanted his opinion…and possibly his help in figuring out what to do.

It had been a long, and emotionally draining week. Unable to believe that she had been wrong about so many things, Tonks tried with all her might to ignore the suggestion that she could be pregnant. Her body wasn't like clockwork. After all, being a metamorph screws up more than just the appearance of your outsides. Hoping that it was the morphing that made her cycle late, Tonks waited the full week before seeking a professional opinion.

It was the longest week of her life. Being around Remus at a time like this was more than difficult; it was down right painful. She felt guilty every time she looked at him – every time he smiled at her. She considered telling him she wasn't feeling well, but that would only raise his suspicions. She couldn't very well avoid him, but she did her best to stay late at work to do just that. It was trying to her soul because the one person she needed the most right now was the one person she couldn't lean on. If this really was nothing, she certainly didn't want to start a fire by mentioning the possibility.

Yet she knew it was true. Her body was betraying her in the worst way. Every time she felt hungry, she would consciously consider the cause of her craving. Was she really hungry, or was it just the baby? She couldn't ignore the fact that if she drank anything at all, no matter how little, she was off and running to the loo. In fact, she was spending more and more time in the loo than she cared to admit.

The biggest give away, however, came at night. The guilt she felt during the day was nothing to what she felt curling up next to Remus in bed. And when he would reach for her, she couldn't pull away. She wanted him to know she loved him. She needed to feel his body next to hers. She wanted that comfort that only he could give her. But when he touched her breasts, the sensitivity in them told her that time was growing short. And when they made love, the feeling was more intense than she had ever experienced. It was her proof, and she knew in her mind what her heart was unwilling to accept.

That was when she decided to visit a medi-witch and have her worst fears confirmed. It was one thing to accept the fact that she was pregnant, but it was another thing to accept that she had been raped. In her mind she still didn't believe it. Clearly she had been, but it was too sickening to even acknowledge.

She had to find help. She had to talk to someone. Her instinct was to go to her mother, but she didn't want to risk having her mother tell Remus. She needed to talk to someone who knew the situation and who wasn't so close to Remus.

So she Owled Zach and asked him to meet her for lunch.

When Zach walked through the door of the pub with a bright smile on his face, Tonks waved him over to her and explained that a table was being cleared for them. Zach only frowned at her and asked, "What is the matter?"

Tonks smiled, trying to make the knot in her stomach go away. "What makes you think something's the matter?"

"You're letter gave no specifics, but Dora, I know that face." He held her gaze for a moment.

Glancing around, making sure no one was listening in, Tonks leaned close to him and said, "I have some bad news."

"What kind of bad news?"

She gave another worried look around the room before very softly admitting to him the full, horrific truth. "I'm pregnant."

At first Zach looked confused by her announcement. Then he looked lost in thought. "But…I don't…you said that was impossible, that Remus couldn't…"

"He can't."

Their eyes met once more. "Then…how?" he simply asked.

She bit at her lip, fighting back the tears that had been threatening to fall all day, "LaMont," she mouthed at him.

Zach's eyes went wide. "WHAT? DORA! You told me you went to a healer!"

The waiter chose that moment to step in and offer to take them to their table. They were seated at a booth at the far side of the room, which seemed to offer some seclusion. Tonks ordered some tea for them both, as Zach continued to stare furiously at her.

Once the waiter walked away, Tonks said, "Don't be angry at me."

"Don't be angry? Dora, you promised me! You told me you went to a healer."

"Yes, I did, but - "

"But?"

"I just…got patched up. That's all."

"You didn't have them even check?"

"No. I told you. Nothing like that happened." She rolled her eyes at her mistake. "At least, I didn't think anything happened."

"Obviously you were wrong."

"Yes, I know I was wrong! I know!" She hid her face in her hands, resting her elbows on the table. She did not want Zach to see her cry, no matter how angry she was at herself for being so careless, or how angry she was at her friend for not being more sympathetic.

"Are you sure?" Zach asked, his voice sounding concerned.

She peaked out at him through her fingers. "I had the medi-witch do the spell three times to check."

"How long have you known?"

She folded her arms in front of her chest. "Since yesterday. I mean, Molly Weasley and my mum were pestering me about it a week ago. They saw something that I didn't. Really, I didn't. And I told them it wasn't what they thought, because I honestly didn't believe it was possible. Then this whole week I've been worried." Her face flushed pick to match her hair, "I thought that maybe I would get some proof this week…you know, that it wasn't true." Zach looked as if he might crawl under the table once he realized what she meant. Wetting her lips, Tonks finished the thought, "But when nothing happened…well…I went to the midi-witch and…"

Zach slumped forward, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. "Oh, Dora. I'm so sorry."

"Don't. Really. Don't. It's not your fault."

"Nor it is entirely your fault. I was there that night. I should have insisted - "

"It was my choice, though," Tonks interrupted. "I'm the one that didn't take precautions the way I should have."

"Precautions? Dora, you had no idea."

Not being able to hold back the emotion any more, Tonks' head dropped forward and she allowed the tears to fall. "I'm so ashamed," she admitted softly. "I was so stupid to even be in that situation. It was even my idea! I mean, my God, how cruel is that? Now I have to deal with knowing how far it really went. Because I didn't think…I didn't think that it happened…but it did."

They sat in silence for a few moments, Tonks sniffling through tears, before Zach asked the obvious question, "Does Remus know?"

Tonks snorted. "Are you kidding? How the hell am I supposed to tell him something like this?"

"You need to tell him."

"Yeah sure. That will go over well."

"He will understand."

"Oh, come on." She put on a mockingly happy tone and said, "Remus, darling, you know I love you, but I did something rather stupid and now I'm pregnant with another man's baby." She shook her head, a sob escaping her. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll understand."

"You don't say it like that. God, Dora."

"Well really, Zach. I can't tell him this. It will kill him! I know it will!"

"He loves you and he didn't grow angry when you told him about that night."

She avoided his eyes. "Not…really. I told him most of it, but I didn't tell him everything."

Zach only looked back at her in disbelief.

"I know. I should have told him. I shouldn't have kept it a secret, but I honestly didn't see that there was any reason to worry him." Tonks sobbed heavily, "I wish I had told him the truth. I never meant to lie to him like this."

Zach sighed and leaned back in his seat. "You do realize that this isn't something you can hide from him. At some point it will become obvious."

"I know," she said sadly. "What do I do? The medi-witch said I'm at least five weeks along. That gives me a few weeks to figure something out, I suppose."

Suddenly, Zach sat forward. "Five weeks, you say?" The wheels in his brain were noticeably spinning.

"Yeah, at least five. I'm guessing it's more like seven though."

"Because the incident happened in early February."

"That's why I think it's more like seven."

Zach smiled, his entire countenance changing. "No. No. What if the medi-witch is correct and it is only five?"

Before Tonks could argue the validity of his suggestion, the waiter returned with their tea. "Sorry it took so long. We're backed up today," he explained.

"No problem," Zach said. "We need to be leaving as it is." Tonks began to protest, but Zach took her hand and said, "Yes, Dora. We need to go. Trust me." He took out some money and handed it to the waiter. "For your trouble." He turned back to look at her with excitement. "Where is Remus today?"

"He's meeting with his new assignment. Why?"

"This might take some time, but I think I can help you."

Zach pulled her to her feet before she could stop him. "We didn't eat."

"I have just thought of something and it can not wait."

"But Zach…"

"Trust me." He smiled brightly and tugged on her hand to get her to follow him. Tonks shrugged and decided she didn't have many other options but to trust him. If he had a plan to help her, if he had any ideas of how to explain things to Remus, then she needed to follow him.

Zach and Tonks pushed their way through the crowd waiting to be seated and passed through the door without a backward glance. They didn't even notice the man sitting at the booth behind them, watching them leave. Watching them in total incredulity. His face white. His heart beat racing. Horror barely checked just beneath the surface.

A younger man joined him at the table. "Are you all right?" he asked out of concern.

The man licked his lips. "No, I'm not all right."

"What's the matter?"

"I've just heard…some very…upsetting news," he admitted, fighting the urge to break down then and there.

"What is it?" the younger man asked.

Swallowing hard, the man leaned forward and said, "Andrew listen. I need to take care of something. I need to…I'm not even sure where to begin, but…I'm sorry but I must cut our meeting short."

"Of course. Don't even think about it, Remus. Whatever it is, I can see it has you very upset."

Remus nodded. "You have no idea."

"Go. Take care of whatever it is you need to take care of."

"Thank you, Andrew. I'll – I'll contact you later."

1:18 pm the same day

For reasons she still didn't quite understand, Tonks Apparated just outside the phone booth which served as the secret entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Zach had already picked up the phone and begun the usual process of obtaining access.

Tonks had to ask. "Why are we here?"

"Because what you need is in the lab."

"The lab?" she asked as the floor to the phone booth dropped and they began their descent into the Ministry.

"Si. What you need is in there."

Tonks thought for a moment. After her mission failed, Moody went about obtaining information from Darrius, as well as other former Death Eaters, by using polyjuice potion. Several cauldrons of the potion were currently being brewed in the lab reserved for the Aurors. Thus, the only thing in the lab currently was the remnants of the potion, and Tonks didn't very well see how that was going to help her situation.

They stepped out of the phone booth and headed down the hall, past the fountain, to the lifts. "Why would I need polyjuice potion?" Tonks asked, befuddled by the very idea.

"No, we do not have the potion yet. We are brewing it."

"Right. So…?"

He looked down at her face. "We are making one for LaMont."

The door to the lift opened and Tonks followed Zach inside. "I know, and I

still don't get it. What good is polyjucie potion at this stage of the game. I don't see how it will help."

"It's not the potion I'm interested in but rather one of the ingredients."

"Zach, what are you talking about?"

"His hair. We have a sample of his hair."

Tonks rubbed her eyes. "I'm really not understanding this."

"I will explain once we arrive. Trust me."

The lift stopped on level two and they proceeded to the Auror Headquarters. The usual spattering of witches and wizards were there, busy at their individual tasks. Zach took Tonks' hand and pulled her into a large room at the end of the hall, which served as a laboratory for brewing all sorts of potions and trying out new and possibly dangerous spells. Without any hesitation, Zach walked up to the tabletop where several vials of ingredients sat waiting to be used in the various potions. He looked over several of the labels before picking one up and holding it out to Tonks.

"This one. This is his."

She took it from him hesitantly. "Why would I want his hair?"

"To prove that he is not the one who fathered your child."

Utterly bewildered, Tonks made a face and said, "What? What are you talking about?"

"Do you believe that LaMont raped you?"

Tonks sucked in her breath. "Well, obviously he did."

"No, that is not what I asked. I said, do you believe it?"

She thought for a moment. Every fiber of her being told her that it didn't happen that way. She would have known…she would have felt something. "No, I don't, but seeing as how I'm pregnant – I mean, how else would I - "

"Remus," Zach said pointedly.

Tonks looked up at him in confusion. "Remus? No, that's impossible."

"Why is it impossible?" he asked with a scandalous smile. "I know you British have a reputation for not being as amorous as the Spanish, but certainly you two have shared a bed, no?"

Eyes going wide, Tonks gasped at him and blushed slightly. "Yes…but still…"

"But what?"

"Zach, it can't happen like that. The lycanthropy makes it impossible for him to have a child."

Zach frowned. "No, that is not exactly what I know of the curse. Is impossible for him to have a child with, forgive me Dora, a normal human. But you are different."

"Right. Okay. I could get pregnant, but it wouldn't last. At the full moon, my body would reject it and I'd lose the baby. If I were a werewolf then yeah, Remus could be the father. But I'm not a werewolf."

"No, but you are a metamorph."

Tonks blinked. A cold shiver ran down her spine sending gooseflesh all over her body. "What do you mean?"

Zach took a step closer, fixing his gaze on her. "There is something in Remus' blood that forces him to change his shape under the light of a full moon. And there is something in your blood that allows you to change your shape at will. Is it not possible, even remotely, that whatever it is in your blood that lets you morph is similar to what is in his that makes him transform?"

Tonks couldn't speak. What Zach was suggesting was unfathomable.

Zach leaned even closer to her. "If I am right, your blood might be compatible with his. Perhaps when the moon was full, instead of losing the baby, your body shifted to…how do you say… accommodate the baby?"

Tonks' head was spinning with the possibility. She went over every detail of the last full moon in her mind, remembering every element as best she could. "I was sick…during the last full moon."

"I haven't never seen you eat like that before."

"Raw meat," she whispered.

"Exactamente."

"And then at home - " she gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

"What is it?"

"I was sick at home. Actually sick. I threw up. And after, when I looked in the mirror, I wasn't morphed. And the room felt so small. And the fire felt so hot." She looked up into his eyes as realization sunk in. "Oh my God, Zach. Do you…do you really think…?"

"Si. I do. I would not mention it if I didn't believe it to be true. You said it has been five weeks, no? Five weeks was near Valentine's Day."

Tonks' heart skipped a beat. "The new moon." She swallowed hard. "It was a new moon…when Remus is technically more human." Tonks nervously ran her hands through her hair. "Oh God." She couldn't quite stand still, her arms wrapped around her body in an attempt to remain in control. "Oh, God! What do I do?"

"You find out if I am right."

"How? I can't tell Remus. I don't even dare suggest something like this to him unless I know it's true."

"Which is why you need LaMont's hair."

She looked down at the vial in her quivering hand. "And what am I supposed to do with his hair?"

"You test it against the baby. You see if he is the father. If he isn't, then you know it is Remus."

It made sense, but there was still a problem. "How am I supposed to test it?"

Zach wet his lips, his eyebrows going up. "That is difficult, but there is a way. There is a Witch Doctor…in Knockturn Alley. I have asked her assistance a few times on difficult cases."

Tonks was stunned. "A Witch Doctor? Zach!"

"I know it is illegal, but she will not hurt you. She is not evil. She just…likes to do things her way." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It will cost money, but she can do this test for you."

"You're talking about blood magic, aren't you?"

"Do you know another way?"

Tonks exhaled the breath she had been holding, uncertain if she was ready to go to this extreme. Any magic involving blood was illegal by Wizard Law. Muggles were known to stick needles into their bodies and use their blood for all sorts of experiments. It was disgusting and unnatural to the magical community. Only those wizards dealing in the dark arts used blood in potions or spells. Tonks could get into real trouble if she were caught tampering with such magic. She could lose her job. Worse, she could end up in Azkaban.

She didn't have any other choice.

"I'll do it, but I'm going alone."

"That is out of the question. I cannot allow you to do this by yourself."

"Zach, I appreciate your concern, but I don't want you risking your job for me. This isn't your problem."

"I was careless and left you alone with him. If I am wrong about this, then I am to blame."

"Zach, it isn't your fault, so stop saying that it is. Besides, you've been too great of a help."

"Not as much help as was necessary, or we would not be having this conversation. I am going without. Someone has to make sure that you are not followed."

"I don't want you risking your job for this. You're going to get into enough trouble when they realize LaMont's hair is gone."

Zach smirked. "True."

"So, where do I go? Who is this Witch Doctor?"

"Her name is Venoma. Petra Venoma."