Here we are chapter 21... I'm so excited for you to read the next few chapters. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have writing them. Thanks for continuing to follow, fav or review this fic. It means the world. A special shout out to BookDiva for your reviews of every single chapter! Thank you!

…That would make me a geriatric imbecile.

Remus didn't seem angry, upset or even surprised. He was sat quietly in his tatty armchair that he had positioned by his old desk right by the window. Looking out into the grounds of Hogwarts, Tonks knew that he probably needed time to process what she had told him and she wanted to give him all the time he needed but she also needed to know he didn't hate her.

"Remus?"

Remus shook his head. "Tonks, it's OK. I understand." Tonks left her seat and knelt at Remus' feet, her hands on his knees for support.

"You don't. Please let me explain." Remus interrupted, though he still didn't look at her,

"You don't need to." Tonks' reply was gentle but earnest –

"No, perhaps not, but I want to all the same."

For the first time since she'd told him, Remus looked at her. "OK."

Tonks breathed a sigh of relief – at least he was willing to hear what she had to say, he hadn't already decided to write her off.

"I had to note you in my report, not to do so would have definitely led to a reprimand, if not them sacking me." Remus tried to interrupt again, but Tonks continued, "However, I also noted in my report that you were not a person of interest in the case and no further investigation was necessary. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, before Christmas, but you were so unwell and I didn't want to upset you." Tonks was trying to keep it together but she could feel the tears prickle the back of her eyes. She looked down, trying to hide them from Lupin.

Remus couldn't bear to see her so sad, beating herself up for doing no more or less than her job. It wasn't her fault one of his former best friends was an escaped mass murderer, nor was it her fault that he hadn't been forthright with her. He'd allowed them to become friends, he had even flirted a little with her, even before she knew his connection to Sirius. Tonks had nothing to be sorry for – this was all on him. Reaching down he placed his hand on her cheek. The sadness in her eyes made his heart palpably hurt. He smiled at her, needing her to know it really was OK.

It happened before he really had time to process what was going on, one minute she was on the floor leaning on his knees, the next she was in his lap, her arms around his neck, his around her waist. "You don't deserve any of this Remus. You're the best of men" she whispered into his ear.

Remus smiled briefly, before he remembered just how far from the truth that sentence was. He wasn't the best of men, he wasn't even really fully a man, he was a werewolf and if Tonks knew, she wouldn't want to be sat on his lap – she'd probably never want to be in the same room with him ever again. The thought made him hug her tighter.

"I should get some sleep – I'll need to be fresh for my trip to the ministry tomorrow. Can't be interviewed half asleep." He tried to sound jovial, but Tonks looked so pained, he pulled her back in for another hug.

"Tonks! My hands are tied. I'm afraid this is above my pay grade. I've been given orders and I have to follow them. As do you. We don't have to like it, think it's fair or want to do it, we just have to do it."

Tonks was pacing around Dumbledore's office. When Kingsley had arrived she had decided to have one last attempt at persuading her boss that interviewing Remus really wasn't necessary but apparently Fudge had received a tip that Remus was helping his 'old pal' into the castle. Ridiculous! Tonks had been sure Dumbledore wouldn't allow it. He had put of the ministry once before Christmas when they had wanted to question Remus. Surely he knew enough of the pain talking about Sirius gave to Remus to see it totally unnecessary to put him through it.

The only consolation was Dumbledore's reasoning for allowing the interview to take place. He was utterly and completely sure of Remus' innocence and felt that Remus could convince the Ministry of this with ease and put his part in the investigation to rest.

Tonks slumped into a chair next to Kingsley. "I know. It just doesn't seem right. He's been so ill recently and now this."

Dumbledore smiled at her reassuringly, "I spoke to Remus before Christmas and he was perfectly ready then to speak to anyone the ministry desired, I have no reasons to suspect that would have changed."

Kingsley clapped his hand on Tonks shoulder, he felt for her. He loved his job at the ministry, and mostly felt like he was on the right side but he had learnt in his 15 years in the Auror department that in any organisation so large, there would always be unpopular decisions to be made and unfair requests that had to be followed. "When I wrote to Remus – he replied immediately saying, just as Dumbledore has said, that he was happy to be interviewed anytime. I asked him to meet us here,"

As if on cue, a portrait hanging on the wall behind Dumbledore's right shoulder cleared his voice, "Professor Dumbledore, A Mr Lupin is here to see you."

Dumbledore took a sweet and walked to his study door, "Thank you Mervin, let him up won't you. Tonks, I'm sure a reassuring smile from you would do wonders for Lupin's spirits, if you could muster one."

Tonks shifted in her chair, realising that she was behaving more like a petulant child that had been told they couldn't have any more sweets, than a professional Auror.

"Remus do come on in" Dumbledore conjured another chair for Remus, who sat on the edge, looking ever the professional. Tonks hated her inability to conceal her emotions sometimes.

"Thank you. Kingsley, Tonks." Remus nodded at them both. She thought she saw a glimmer of surprise on his face when he noticed her, though it was gone so fast, she wasn't sure. "I am ready to head to the Ministry whenever you are Kingsley?"

Kingsley shook his head, "No need for that, Dumbledore has offered use his office and agreed to act as an official witness. We'll conduct the interview here, if you have no objections," Remus nodded his consent, "Though I must inform you Lupin, the interview will be conducted under caution, and recorded. I, Kingsley Shacklebolt will be conducting the interview on behalf of the Auror Department of the Ministry of Magic and Nymphadora Tonks will be acting as my second, also on behalf of the Auror department of the Ministry of magic."

Remus shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "As we have Dumbledore as an official witness, is a second strictly necessary?" He was looking at Dumbledore, unable to glance at Tonks for even a second, he knew what he had to say would hurt her, she wouldn't understand why he couldn't have her be part of the interview – but he knew enough of his rights around being interviewed from the first time Sirius had come under suspicion to know that one ministry official and an official witness was all that was legally required.

Kingsley cleared his throat, betraying some uneasiness before he replied, "No a second isn't legally required, though as lead Auror on this case, it would be useful for Auror Tonks to be present."

Remus spoke quickly "But I have the right to request that she is not present. That is correct, yes?"

Tonks had sat forward in her chair. Was she having some sort of anxiety nightmare? Not only was Remus being interviewed under caution as an official person of interest in the Sirius Black case, but he was officially requesting that she be removed from that interview as second.

Kingsley nodded.

"Then I respectfully ask that Auror Tonks leaves the room before we continue with the interview." Remus didn't look at her once. In fact he wasn't looking at any of them, he was staring straight ahead, his eyes focused on a mini tentacula plant on Dumbledore's fireplace. When he did look up, he saw Dumbledore looking sympathetic but a little frustrated.

He had been to seen Dumbledore late last night, once Tonks had left his living quarters. He had headed straight to a man who had been his headmaster and employer but sometime around the old war had become a fast friend and after the war had, for a long time, been his only friend.

"Dumbledore – I am so sorry to bother you so late." Dumbledore was at his pensive, he extracted a silvery memory from his forehead and placed it into the large bowl before him.

"Never too late for a visit from you. Come on in Remus my friend."

Just hearing Dumbledore's greeting made Remus let go of some of the tension he had been holding in his shoulders.

"Please, have a seat."

Remus sat in the oversized, plush, chintz chair, Dumbledore sat in the other. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Remus didn't know where to start. He had no problem with being questioned by the ministry, after Sirius had blown the bridge up, Remus had spent hours being interviewed under caution. In those first few years post war, there was another battle, how to decide who had been criminally involved in the war and who had just put their head down and allowed themselves to be ignorant. Who had been under the imperious curse and who was acting on their own steam? The questions levelled at Remus were all an attempt to ensure Sirius had been a lone wolf – oh the irony. Throughout all of these interviews Remus had never once worried they would find him guilty of anything relating to the war.

He was terrified though.

Terrified they would find out he was a werewolf. There had been talk in the height of Voldemort's power of a Werewolf Registry, thankfully it had never come to pass and Remus had been able to keep his furry little secret just that. The only people who had ever known were all dead or on the run from Azkaban– except Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore, I think I have to tell Kingsley about my Lycanthropy."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, "Why?"

Remus sighed, "They want to interview me under caution, you know as well I do, if I don't tell him and it comes up later – the ministry will book me a one way trip to Azkaban."

Remus sat forward, his hands clasped together on his knees, "But how does your condition pertain to the Black case?" Dumbledore's voice was calm, and friendly.

"I'm not really sure it does but consider how it will look if it comes out at some later time. A Hogwarts professor, best friends with notorious mass murderer Sirius Black a Werewolf… the story almost writes itself."

Dumbledore nodded, "Exactly. Why light the spark and watch them fan it into a flame. My advice would be say nothing about your Lycanthropy."

Remus shook his head, "But I have to be 100% honest Dumbledore. Tell them everything."

It was Dumbledore's turn to shake his head, "No Remus. You have to answer all of their questions 100% honestly and tell them anything that may be pertinent to the Black case. Is there another reason you want them to know?"

Remus spoke without thinking, "No. I don't want her to know at all. I don't think I could take the look on her face Dumbledore, the look of shock, betrayal, fear and then disgust – I've been there too many times before and seeing those emotions register on her face. I don't think I could take it."

Remus placed his head in his hands.

"I feel we have drifted away somewhat from the ministry as a whole and now may be talking about one ministry employee in particular," Dumbledore paused, waiting for confirmation from Remus who nodded. "Nymphadora."

Remus nodded again his head once again in his hands. "Albus I've been such a dangerous old fool."

Dumbledore chuckled, it was in such dissonance with the rest of the conversation, it caused Remus to look at him, perplexed, "I'm sorry Remus, I just cannot possibly allow you to think of yourself as a fool, especially an old one. If I accepted you were either I'm not sure what that would make me. A geriatric imbecile I fear. Remus, hear this – you were one of the most studious boys I ever had the pleasure to teach and you have never lost that thirst to learn, you are intelligent, kind, loyal, empathetic and from my perspective sickeningly young," Dumbledore placed a reassuring had on Remus' shoulder, "And knowing Nymphadora, she'll value all those things as much as I do, regardless of your lycanthropy."

Remus couldn't help but smile a little. "You are unfailingly kind Dumbledore and whilst I'm not sure I deserve your friendship, I certainly appreciate it. But I cannot absolve my behaviour towards Tonks. I've allowed us to get close, telling myself again and again it was just a harmless friendship – that she didn't need to know but…"

Remus trailed off, unable to say the words that should come next, "You're relationship has surpassed that of just friendship."

Remus nodded miserably. "She can't know Dumbledore. If it comes out in the interview, I fear she'll never speak to me again and whilst I'm painfully aware that would probably be in Tonks' best interest, I just can't imagine not having her in my life – even if just as an acquaintance. I certainly cannot abide the idea of her hating me."

Dumbledore was thoughtful for a moment, "I'm not sure it is in Nymphadora's nature to hate anybody, and as we've already discussed your Lycanthropy need not come up in the interview at all." Dumbledore paused, though it was clear he was not finished, "But I would advise you, as a friend if I may, to tell Nymphadora yourself, not as part of an interview under caution, but out of choice. You cannot hope to have any kind of relationship with her past what you already have if you don't tell her Remus. I expected her to figure it out at Christmas and though she didn't, she is sharp, it won't take her too much longer to put it all together."

Remus stood and began to pace in front of the fire. "But don't you see Albus, we can't have anything past what we already have. I'm a werewolf. She is an Auror. I'd be ending her career before it has even properly begun. I'd be putting her in danger and I could not do that. I do not deserve her."

Dumbledore joined Remus at the fireplace. "Do you have any idea of her returning your affections?" Remus looked up at Dumbledore sadly.

"I'm afraid so. I tried to ignore the signs, tell myself I was the only one in any danger of getting hurt, but I've just left her Dumbledore. The way she hugged me when she told me about the interview, the pain in her eyes at the thought that she might have hurt me – I can't…"

Dumbledore nodded, "I understand. Remus, I've never agreed with your need to punish and isolate yourself because of a condition that you cannot control and I do not agree that you are undeserving of love. I think Nymphadora might surprise you. Give her a chance Remus. Give yourself a chance. I think you owe it to both of you."

Placing his hand on the shoulder furthest away from him, Dumbledore pulled Remus in for a side hug. "At the very least, doesn't Nymphadora deserve a say in all of this?"

Remus smiled at Dumbledore. The turmoil he had felt since Tonks had slid from his lap and returned to her own living quarters was still gnawing at his stomach, but he did feel a little better having chatted it all through.

He wouldn't offer up his lycanthropy in the interview but if it came up in any way, he wouldn't lie.

It was this that led him to the situation he was in now. Tonks gathering herself and leaving Dumbledore's office, looking more hurt and confused than he had ever seen.

As she passed him, Remus grabbed her arm, "Tonks I'm so sorry, I'll explain…"

Tonks didn't let him finish. Leaving the office before he could see the tears flood onto her cheeks.

I know, Remus is being a noble, self pitying fool - I tried to bypass it, but he wasn't having any of it I'm afraid. More to come soon. Please review :)