Author's Note:
Yes, I am a horrible, horrible person, but sometimes my mind writes before my brain catches up and after it was written, it could not be unwritten. Not to mention that I have been planning these two little surprises for months — surprise number two is in the next two chapters, though I think most of you might have seen this coming as it's been building up for most of Harry's third year. Hope you enjoyed my little twist because I can promise you — more is coming!
Review and Comments: To alix33: Ha, well I definitely cried so no worries. Zee definitely wanted to punch Fudge in the face. Harry did cast a magnificent Patronus and yes, Hermione captured Wormtail. A good day all around. Thank you! To HPLove: Thank you! I just wanted everyone to be warned there will be character death, even though Sirius survived. To White Squirrel: I understand what you're saying, but there is a bit of a leeway being that it's magic and time travel and as an author, I can play with that. To Paola1991: Harry definitely will have a lot to deal with and yes, Sirius and Zee will need to be informed, but not yet. A bit more has to take place. I make no promises on saving Sirius, Remus, and McGonagall. No one is safe. Thank you! To PolarWriter95: Thanks, I think? To CrazyKitCat: Thank you and yes, I was surprised by how many people forgot about the Time Turner.
To Big Fan: Thank you! Thanks for saying this is best fanfic you've ever read! I love that you read my Beginning Series back in the day and that you were delighted I had a new story. Thank you so much for your kind review! To minerdude: You're welcome. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you and yes, I think we're all happy to see that Sirius is okay. To epizwazoo: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the double twist and thank you for saying this is easily the best story on ffnet, that means a lot! To Steelcode: Happy you're so relieved. I only gave you a little heart attack. I am a bit evil, it's true. I rather like to be Regina, the Evil Queen from Once Upon A Time. Destroying happiness… it's fun LOL. To darkhk: Ha, even if Sirius was killed, Harry would definitely not get stuck with Petunia. But thanks! To smiffers: Wow, you were going to stop reading. There's no trust.
To Shamelessnweird: Thank you! To mdauben: Thank you! I know I broke some hearts and yes, I cannot make promises that won't happen again. To AnarticInferno: You're welcome! Thank you! To x-shadow-x-kisses-x: Ha, I love that this is the first time in years you've been so anxious for someone to update their fanfiction, thank you! To Wolf's scream: Neville wasn't quite strong enough to master that one, but that would have been simpler! It was definitely Fudge's fault. Yes, Harry was definitely on too much of an emotional roller coaster to be too snarky. Thank you. To ella144: Thank goodness indeed! To zorica: I am happy you can breathe again! Thank you! To frasiersmom: Thank you! I love sharing new chapters! To Taraimperatrice: Thank you! Yes, you should be worried that not everyone will survive. To jadely31: You're welcome for the reprieve. Thank you very much. To Uipo: A lot of people forgot about the Time Turners so no worries lol. Thank you!
To Claire fraser cf: I am sorry I scared you, but thank you! Zee was the best, trying to stay strong for Harry. I love her. Thank you! To supersandman86: Yes, some of the Dementors definitely won't make it back. Hermione was able to see how protective over his family Remus is. Yes, Remus isn't going to be happy with himself. Thank you! To annagardner11: You're welcome! Thanks for loving my story so much! To Ana: Thank you! Ha, yes, I definitely don't suggest reading reviews before the chapter. Fudge should definitely not be minister anyway and we definitely hate Bellatrix. Thank you! To Saz J: Haha, thank you! To .1: Thank you very much! To Moony The Sheep: Thank you! I am happy to know I made you so happy! To Safiyyah: Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: You're welcome. Thank you! To love reading20613: Thank you! Harry does have a family now and no, not all of them will be safe.
To coloredwords: I did kill off a lot of people in the Beginning Series, but also yes, a lot of them survived as well. It will be hard on Harry when he inevitably does lose someone. Thank you and I agree, there are rules about the Time Turner and I think this is one of those rare exceptions because of the situation, the immediate access to it, and the careful planning involved. It's not black and white. Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you! To aj613: LOL, you were happy until you read my author's note? I accept that. Thank you! To kateplay: Thank you for loving how I spun the Time Turner into something new. To MyWritingMuse: Thank you for being hooked since the beginning, I appreciate that! To cha-chris: Thank you! Yes, Harry is definitely still going to be dealing with the backlash of that trauma!
To Fenrix_Shadowbane: Thank you and yes, I did do some reworking. To Jmcglynn522: Thank you! Happy to have come through for you! To SoCalGirl28: LOL. I love that you were so upset you forgot they had a Time Turner. I think that's a great compliment to my writing, thank you! To krelofwerewolf: Aww, your heart can't handle my story, thank you! I'm so glad you're loving it so much! To Itsaka: You don't care who I kill as long as Remus and Tonks survive, okay lol. Thank you for saying I handled Prisoner of Azkaban well. As to the 90s, oh don't worry, there will be some of those gems! I was also a 90s girl. To Violet: LMAO! I love that you said you just lost ten years of your life with that chapter. Thank you very much for saying my work is amazing and that all of my chapters take your breath away. Zee is amazing and I love showing how much she loves Harry and Sirius and how much they love her. Thank you so much! To Jpink3125: I am happy as well. Thank you! To Savageness321: Ha, I love that you are thanking every deity who has ever existed. What can I say, I like to play with people's emotions. I love the your thanks for saving the best dad and catching the conniving little shit, thanks for the laugh!
Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!
My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY:
The One With Umbitch's Creepy Song
Madam Pomfrey continued to fuss over Harry and Sirius, making sure that they were eating the chocolate that she had supplied. Harry had made himself comfortable on the bed with his father, refusing to leave his side. Zee had asked the house elves to prepare some sandwiches and bring them up from the kitchens and Harry helped himself to one as Madam Pomfrey checked Sirius over once more to make sure that he was all right.
It was only after the matron had ordered Harry to get some sleep that Harry grabbed Sirius' arm. "You're not going home, are you?"
Sirius pressed a kiss to his son's forehead, his arm wrapped around him. "Of course not."
Harry seemed pleased with this and his eyes moved to Zee. "You'll stay, too?"
She smiled. She was sitting in a chair next to the bed, but she reached over to clasp his hand. "As long as you want."
He nodded and settled himself back against Sirius' shoulder. His long legs were stretched out across the bed, his toes almost reaching the end.
Sirius kissed his temple again. "All right, Madam Pomfrey's gone. Spill it, Prongslet."
"I'm just glad that you're okay."
Sirius stared at him for a moment, his eyes searching Harry's green ones. "That's part of it, sure."
Harry looked over at Hermione. She was sitting on the side of Ron's bed still, Crookshanks in her arms and she simply shook her head at him.
"No," Sirius said. "Don't look at Hermione, look at me. Tell me what's going on?"
"Hermione and I captured Peter," he blurted out.
"What?" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes wide. "When?"
"When you passed out," he lied quickly. "Hermione put him in an unbreakable cage and we gave him to Dumbledore."
Zee put her hand on Sirius' shoulder, pushing him back onto the bed. "Where he is a sitting duck, Sirius; now lie back down."
He grumbled at her, but he didn't try to get up again. His eyes moved over to where Neville was sleeping. "How's Neville doing?"
Harry shrugged. "Madam Pomfrey says that he's going to be all right. His arm was broken and his nose and she said that he'd been under the Cruciatus Curse."
Sirius nodded, his eyes solemn. "Brave little man," he whispered, his eyes on Neville's sleeping form. "What did Wormtail want, Harry?"
"He wanted me to pass on a message to you." At his father's look, he sighed. "He said that Bellatrix Lestrange has the cup in her vault. He said that it was important for you to get that message."
Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Why would he think that we were looking for the cup?"
"I don't know," Harry admitted. "But he wanted you to know that and he said that Bellatrix spoke about the cup being a gift from Voldemort and how she had made it seem like 'the second coming.' He was very specific on that term."
He nodded, squeezing Harry a little tighter to his side. "Noted and first thing tomorrow he and I will be having a little chat."
"Wouldn't Dumbledore have given him over to the Aurors by then?" Zee asked.
Sirius shook his head. "He better not have. I want to talk to him first and I'd imagine that knowing Dumbledore, he'll want to as well. Fudge wants him to be Kissed and I agree with his sentiment, but at the same time, he could know things."
Harry just lied there, listening to his father and Zee contemplate why Peter would come to them. His eyes were drooping from the potions that Madam Pomfrey had given him so he said goodnight and crawled over to his own bed and climbed under the covers. Hermione had moved to her own bed as well by now and was sleeping in the bed on the other side of him, Crookshanks curled on her pillow. He smiled to himself as he watched Zee crawl into the spot that he had just vacated next to Sirius and he could hear her whispering to him.
He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.
Sirius snuggled Zee against him, kissing the top of her head. "What happened after Harry and I were brought here?"
Zee didn't respond and he turned to look down at her, surprised to see tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Hey, hey, what's with the tears?" he asked, his voice panicked. "No crying!"
She turned her face into his chest. "I thought that you were dead and my world just... "
"I'm fine, baby. I'm fine," he assured her, kissing her hair.
"I know, but I thought that you were dead and Kingsley made me wait in the hall while you and Harry were brought in on stretchers and he looked so pale and…"
"Wait? Harry was brought in on a stretcher too?"
She nodded, wiping at her tears.
"Then, how did he and Hermione capture Pettigrew after I passed out?"
Zee looked up at him, her bottom lip quivering. "I — I don't know. You lost Pettigrew in the forest?"
He nodded, his mind trying to catch up with all that had happened. "I was running after him and he transformed to get away from Lady G, who tore a good slice down his back, mind you — I bet that hurt like a bitch — but he transformed regardless and disappeared. I tried to summon him, but the prat always was clever with putting an anti-summoning charm on himself when he changed. Prongs and I used to summon him to us all the time just because we could and he'd get so angry… guess I can't blame him for learning from that. But I lost him and then Harry showed up... then the Dementors... and I could feel my Patronus failing and there were just too many of them and I could feel my memories taking over and just... if Harry hadn't been there, I don't know if I could have held them off of me. But his Patronus was failing too, I watched it turn from thick smoke to light mist and then suddenly it was... there was this blinding silver and his Patronus just seemed to come out of nowhere and it surrounded us and then the Dementors were gone and then... he just collapsed and his Patronus was still circling and then I remember feeling weak and I went down .. but Harry was already down … I was sure of it …"
"Did Peter show up after?"
"If we were brought in on stretchers… how?" He looked over at the sleeping form of his son and his friends. "He's hiding something."
Zee nodded, kissing Sirius softly. "He'll tell you. He's exhausted."
Sirius let her fuss over him for a minute before he climbed out of bed.
"Sirius!"
He shook his head, leaning down to kiss her softly. "I need to see him. Harry will be out for a bit anyway."
Zee nodded and stood up as well. She ordered Lady Godiva to stay with Harry and the panther simply moved from Sirius' bed to Harry's and made herself comfortable as Sirius and Zee headed out of the hospital wing. Sirius led the way up the stairs to the Headmaster's office, his hand tightly holding Zee's. When he realized that he didn't know the password, he started spewing out every possible candy and sweet he could think of until 'Nougat Chunks' let him in.
The griffin statue sprang apart moments later and he led Zee up the winding staircase and into Dumbledore's office. His eyes immediately sought the rat trapped in the cage on the desk and his eyes hardened.
"You haven't spoken to him yet?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "I have not. I only just returned to my office myself after speaking with Cornelius and the Aurors on what transpired tonight. The Dementors have finally all left the school and as for Mr Pettigrew, he looks like he might be injured."
"Don't care," Sirius said hotly, his eyes on the cage. "Open it."
Dumbledore stared at Sirius for a moment before he nodded and opened the cage. The rat didn't even try to escape, but merely whimpered as he was forced to transform back into the man and he screamed in pain from the transformation.
Sirius could see why immediately. His back had long deep claw marks grooved into his flesh, still bleeding, and his legs were scratched up as well. He imagined that he was in a lot of pain. He felt a stab of sympathy for his former friend, but then he squashed it. He needed information; he could feel sympathy later.
"We'll get Madam Pomfrey to check you over in a minute, Peter, but first, I need you to talk," Dumbledore said calmly.
Peter gasped for breath when Sirius forced him to his feet, blood dripping down his back and down the back of his legs. "Just let me die."
Sirius snorted. "Oh, trust me, I want to." He held his friend up against the wall to stop him from collapsing. "Let's start with the message for me, Wormtail."
"I — I told Harry."
"Oh, I'm well aware of what you told Harry. Not to mention that your message to him came after you had kidnapped two of his friends, broke one of their legs and lured him into our old haunt to be attacked by my insane cousin Bella!"
Peter swallowed slowly. "I knew that he would come for them. Jamie would have."
Sirius' eyes flashed dangerously. "If you ever go through my son in an attempt to get to me again, I will kill you."
"Just fucking do it already!" Peter exploded, his eyes flashing in pain. "I deserve it! Just let me fucking die!"
Sirius shoved him against the wall, making him wince. "Maybe letting you live is actually the punishment that you deserve," he muttered. "What do you know about this cup in Bella's vault?"
Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't interrupt.
"I don't know anything! All I know is that Bella talks about it being a personal gift from the Dark Lord and how important it is for her to keep it safe; that it's an heirloom or something! I just thought that it was strange! The Dark Lord doesn't give out gifts like that and… for her to keep it safe as if he was worried someone would take it. I thought that it was strange."
"Why tell me?" Sirius demanded, his eyes on Peter's pale blue ones.
Peter's eyes were full of tears and his bottom lip was trembling from the pain in his back and from the force of being held to his feet by his former friend. "Because you're a Black and you can legally gain access to her vault and take it from her!"
Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Why did you bring Neville back to us?"
Peter groaned in pain, wincing when Sirius grabbed his chin and forced him to look into his face. "I've done a lot of things I regret, Siri, but give me some bloody credit. I didn't know Bella was following me and the last thing I meant to do was to take him with us in the first place, but he jumped at us as I Apparated and… you know what Bella's like…"
Sirius nodded. "Show me the memory of Neville. I want to see what was done to him."
Peter swallowed before nodding, weakly. Sirius put his wand to Peter's head and slowly extracted the silver memory, moving to place it into Dumbledore's Pensieve. Dumbledore sent a house elf to bring Madam Pomfrey up to look after Peter as Sirius turned to the Pensieve and twirled it with his wand.
He watched as Harry stood in front of his friends like a guard. Ron was lying on the ground of the bedroom in the shack, his leg broken at a strange angle. He was holding Hermione, who was still stunned, and Harry was doing his best to hold Neville back as Bellatrix taunted him. Neville broke free from Harry and ran at Bellatrix, his hands grabbing her throat just as Peter Disapparated.
The three of them crashed to the floor of an abandoned room, falling on top of each other.
Pettigrew was staring at Neville in horror. "What are you doing, you idiot?" he hissed.
The shock of having left the shack was enough to make Neville snap out of his rage, but unfortunately it was also enough to no longer claim the element of surprise on Bellatrix.
The slap sent him falling to the ground as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and dragged him to his feet.
"Ooh, the little baby wants to play rough now, does he?" She trailed her long, sharp fingernails down his cheek, slicing into his skin so that he bled.
She smiled and then she leaned in and licked the blood from his cheek. Then her wand flicked and red sparks hit him square in the jaw as his nose was broken from the force of the spell as he fell to the ground and she cackled in laughter.
"Crucio," she said with glee.
Neville screamed as his whole body seemed to be stabbed from the inside out. His arms and legs bent the wrong way and then suddenly the pain was gone and he was on his knees on the stone floor, panting.
"Bitch," he muttered, spitting blood onto the floor.
"Bella, stop!" Peter shouted, attempting to get between them.
Bellatrix shoved Peter away from her and gripped Neville's chin in her hands, her eyes meeting his. "I'm going to torture you for hours, days even. And you, little baby, you're going to beg me to kill you because it's going to make what I did to your parents look like child's play."
Neville paled and then he spit in her face.
She backhanded him and then he was being put under the Cruciatus Curse a second time.
"Bella! Stop!" Peter shouted as she lowered her wand. "You can play with him later! The Dark Lord needs to be fed!"
Bellatrix stared at Peter for a moment, her eyes full of hate and then she sent a knockback jinx at Neville. It threw him back into the stone wall and he passed out.
"Bring him to my room, Peter," Bellatrix said with a smirk. "I can't wait to play with him some more."
"Of course," he told her.
Bellatrix left the room and Peter's hands went to his head, his eyes wide.
"No, no, no," he muttered, moving to check on Neville. He found a pulse in the boy's throat and let out a sigh of relief. "Stupid boy," he murmured. "What were you thinking trying to take her on?"
He glanced back at the open doorway and then carefully lifted Neville into his arms and Disapparated back to the Shrieking Shack. He stumbled down the broken staircase, attempting to carry the young man, his breathing heavy as they made it through the tunnel. He stepped out from under the Whomping Willow and his eyes widened in alarm when he recognized the large dog. He carefully lowered Neville to the ground, but when he turned around he saw the large panther blocking his path and his eyes widened in fear and he ran. The panther's claws sliced through his back and he stumbled, tripping over his feet as he fell to the ground.
Sirius pulled himself from the memory, his eyes on Peter, questioning.
Madam Pomfrey had arrived by now and her eyes widened slightly at the sight of Pettigrew and she moved to treat him. He had passed out again.
"Poppy, you can treat him right here. I'm going to move him down to one of the guest suites rather than the hospital wing."
"Albus, he needs real treatment!"
"He does and you will provide it. No one must know that he is here, Poppy. This is vital. He may have important information that we need to access."
She stared at him for a long moment before she nodded and conjured a stretcher to move him. It was only once she had left the headmaster's office did Sirius turn to look at Dumbledore.
"What do you think, Albus?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Fudge is going to want to question him immediately, but if we send him to Fudge he's going to be Kissed and he might know a lot more about what's happening; about what the plan is with Voldemort. What did he mean when he told Bellatrix that the Dark Lord needed to be fed? That's an interesting choice of words."
Sirius nodded. "I agree. You're going to keep him here?"
"There are many guest suites here in the castle, hidden and under protection, and I think that we can keep him there safely until he heals and then we can speak with him again, but ultimately, he will have to be placed somewhere else for safety. The school is not the place for that."
"Ron said something about Bellatrix originally showing up in the shack because they had placed a tracking spell on Peter," Zee said quietly.
It was the first time that she had spoken since they had arrived in the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore nodded. "I suspected as much and removed it when I brought him up to my office. He's clean." He turned to look at Sirius. "Sirius, you went through a terrible ordeal tonight. Go back down to the infirmary and stay with Harry. You'll both feel better for it. We can talk more about the cup and the ring that you have locked away later on. I still want to see it."
"I know. I'm just waiting on someone to return to the country before we look into destroying the ring. I have some questions and I think that he can answer them."
Dumbledore only nodded. "All right; you'll let me know then so we can set up a new meeting when the time is right. Go on now, get some sleep."
"Yeah, yeah, I think I will," he said, yawning. "You'll let me know if he says anything else tonight?"
"Yes. But tonight I imagine he is going to be healing as well. Once he's healed up, we'll find somewhere else for him to stay while we question him."
Sirius nodded and stood up. "Albus, Harry said that he and Hermione captured Peter and gave him to you?"
"They did," Dumbledore told him with a smile. "Miss Granger is quite intelligent and her quick thinking with the unbreakable cage was wise."
Sirius stared at him for a moment.
Zee wrapped her arm around Sirius' waist. "Stop overthinking things and let's go back down to the infirmary. Harry and his friends were incredibly brave tonight, Neville especially. But you need rest too."
He nodded and let her lead him off. They were approaching the door to the hospital wing when he realized what was missing.
"MOONY!"
Zee jumped at his sudden declaration and she shook her head. "Tonks went after him. Minerva sent her a quick Patronus to tell her that everyone was safe and accounted for so that she wouldn't worry. I haven't heard anything and obviously the Aurors never came across him in the forest, but there's still three hours until sunrise."
Sirius nodded. "If he hurt anyone and… Merlin, Tonks is with him!"
"I think she's fine," Zee told him honestly. "His connection with her is amazing and I believe that he would protect her from anything."
"His mate and his pack," Sirius whispered. "I always told him that he wouldn't hurt his pack."
Zee smiled at him, kissing his cheek. "He's safe, Sirius. Come on."
He let Zee lead him back into the hospital bed, his eyes on Harry and his sleeping friends, feeling a bit better. He let Zee fuss over him and tuck him in, only agreeing to sleep once she had crawled into the small bed with him. He turned on his side, spooning her close against him and pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. He buried his face in her thick curls, smelling her sweet shampoo, and he drifted off to sleep with her in his arms.
~ ASC ~
The pain ripped through his body as he stretched and bent, bones cracked and ripped apart, his muscles screaming as he changed back from wolf to man. His breathing was ragged and the feel of her hands on his back made his eyes widen in alarm. He turned quickly, surprised to see Tonks sitting there in the meadow. Her knees were scraped and her hand was scratched, but she looked uninjured.
"Dora?"
She winced when she climbed up to her knees before she tugged his face toward her and kissed him deeply.
Remus moaned into her mouth as her hands slid over his chest and back and her tongue did the most delicious things to his. He tried to concentrate; tried to remember why they were in the meadow and why she was there with him, but her fingers were gripping him firmly, squeezing and stroking, and all he could do was let her take control. He was always so vulnerable after he changed back into the man. He would be hard and uncomfortably so; shaken and nervous — and he always felt like he was dirty, like something dark had made him so, and he didn't deserve anything good.
She was good. She was pure and everything he couldn't be and when she touched him when he felt like this, he felt new, he felt good, and most of all, he felt deserving.
And she knew it.
She pushed him to the ground, falling on top of him as she fought desperately to tug her jeans and knickers down and then she was riding him, her head thrown back in pleasure, the sun rising behind her and Remus was positive that he had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.
He ripped her shirt off, his mouth moving to her breasts and she rode him harder and faster. He slid his fingers between them and into her and she cried out his name when he began to stroke her. She came quickly, screaming his name as she did and he followed her moments later, grinning against her breasts.
"I love you," she whispered against his ear.
Remus kissed her softly. "I love you too," he murmured, his breathing heavy. "What was that about? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."
Tonks kissed his chin, his throat, his collarbone. "You forgot to take your potion last night."
Remus' eyes flew open and he sat up so quickly that if Tonks hadn't had her arms around his neck, she would have fallen. "What? Are you… what happened?"
She kissed him softly. "You didn't hurt anyone. You recognized me and you recognized Harry and you came to me and you stayed with me all night. You protected me."
"I…"
Tonks moved her hips in a circle, making him groan, his semi-hard cock lifting to meet her. "I am yours."
"Yes," he moaned, her hips still moving in a slow steady circle that made his blood pulse.
Her fingers moved into his hair and she took him inside of her. She began to ride him slowly; achingly slow and the pressure built up inside of him. He lifted her off of him and he pushed her onto her hands and knees and shoved three fingers deep into her at the same time that he took her. She screamed his name, her hands fisting in the dirt as he rode her. The orgasm tore through her and she reached back, her hand on his neck as he continued to brutally use her. She felt the pressure building once more and it was only when she came again that he finally let himself go and she groaned his name.
She collapsed onto her stomach, her breathing heavy as Remus rained kisses down her neck and her back, over her shoulders, over her tailbone, over her bum, kissing the dimple at the top and making her shiver.
Tonks smiled at him. "We should get back to the castle."
Remus blinked, his eyes coming into focus. He had forgotten that they were outside. She had said that he hadn't taken his potion. Hogwarts, he thought, panicking.
"What happened last night?"
Tonks put her clothes on, transfiguring her jacket into trousers for him which he pulled on. "What do you remember?"
"I…" his brain was still rather muddled from the rather incredible morning sex she had greeted him with as he tried to look through the cobwebs. "Snape brought me the potion and I was looking for Harry on the map to return it before I went home and… Peter! Wormtail was on the grounds! Harry! Is he all right?"
Tonks nodded, standing on her toes to kiss him softly. "He's fine. McGonagall sent me a Patronus that all is well."
Remus still seemed to be trying to comprehend everything.
Tonks smiled and kissed him again. "I hope you know how to find your way out of the forest because I have no idea."
He half-smiled at that. "Use the point me spell."
"See, you are a wise man, Professor Lupin."
Remus kissed her and watched her perform the spell. "My wand?"
Tonks tugged it out of her back pocket and passed it to him. "I grabbed it when you changed."
He nodded and they slowly made their way up to the castle, hand in hand.
Dumbledore met them in the hall of the hospital wing and nodded. "Remus, I trust you are well?"
Remus' brow furrowed and the back of his neck flushed in shame. "Albus, I am so sorry! I will of course resign immediately!"
Dumbledore merely raised an eyebrow. "Resign?"
"I was loose on the grounds last night. I could have hurt someone. It's too big of a risk and I won't take it. I'm sorry, but I must resign immediately. I'll finish marking the exams from home and be out of the castle within the hour."
"Remus, Auror Tonks made sure that you were incapable of hurting anyone last night. You have no need to resign."
Remus only glared at him. "It was irresponsible of me and extremely dangerous no matter what the circumstances may be! The students are going to know by now that I am a werewolf; nothing like that stays a secret for long and the letters will start coming in. It's better this way. For everyone."
"I can't change your mind?"
"No," he said firmly, his eyes hard.
Tonks looked at him sadly. "We wanted to check on Harry. Is he all right?"
"He should be in the Great Hall eating breakfast by now and yes, he was fine."
Remus nodded. "I'll go pack my things and be gone within the hour. I'm so sorry. For everything." He turned to Tonks, his expression grim. "Nymphadora, go to work and do whatever damage control needs to be done. I'll see you later."
She made to protest, but his shoulders were already slumped in defeat as he walked down the hall to the Defence Against the Dark Arts office, shirtless and barefoot, his head down and his scars bared for all to see his shame.
Tonks looked up at Dumbledore. "We can't just let him resign, can we?"
Dumbledore hesitated. "I don't want to see him go, Miss Tonks, as he is a wonderfully gifted teacher, but he is right. Word will be out by now and the Ministry is going to demand that he register himself in the Department for the Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures through the Werewolf Registry. His life is going to get much harder and more complicated and as much as I would love for him to stay, he's absolutely right. People will complain once they discover it as the truth about him and unfortunately it will make them fear him. People often forget that the beast is not the man."
Tears were in her eyes, but she nodded. "I have to go into work. I'll talk to him tonight. I don't want him to give this up."
Dumbledore watched her walk away and he sighed. It was going to be difficult on both of them he thought. Not to mention, he really didn't want to find a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
~ ASC ~
When Harry woke up the next morning, he recognized the hospital wing immediately and sat up quickly, looking for his glasses. The sight of Sirius and Zee sleeping in the bed across from him made him let out a sigh of relief.
They were safe.
Ron was awake next to him so he moved over to sit on the side of his friend's bed. "Hey, how's the leg?"
"Good," Ron said with a smile. "The bones are still fusing together and that hurts, but it feels better. You okay?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't really injured just the Dementors, you know? But Pomfrey made me taking a sleeping draught anyway."
"Yeah, I get it. Where's Hermione?"
Harry glanced to the bed that she had been sleeping in the night before and saw it was empty. "She must have gone back to her dorm. She just stayed because it was so late."
"And Neville?" Ron asked, looking over at the sleeping form of their friend.
"He hasn't woken up yet," Harry admitted, his eyes on Neville. "But Madam Pomfrey said that he had been tortured."
Ron paled and snuck a look over at Neville again. "But he's okay?"
Harry nodded. "I think so, yeah."
Ron nodded, a relieved expression on his face as he looked over at Neville. His blue eyes turned back on Harry as he spoke. "So, what happened after you went after Sirius last night?"
Harry just shook his head. "I'll explain later. It's a long story."
Madam Pomfrey came into the hospital wing at that moment to examine her patients. She told Ron that he would have to stay until tomorrow morning, but ordered Harry back to his dorm to shower and change for breakfast. He snuck a quick look at the sleeping forms of Sirius and Zee before he did as he was told.
When he got up to his dorm, he immediately took a long hot shower, letting the water beat down on him before he dressed for the day. He stepped into the Gryffindor common room and his arms were suddenly full of a tiny redhead and he chuckled as he hugged her.
"I'm okay, Ginny."
She looked up at him, her brown eyes full of worry. "Hermione told me what happened and what… you saved his life! You brought him back to you!"
He nodded, hugging her tight. "I was lucky."
Ginny held him for a few moments before she pulled away. "If you need to talk about any of it, you know where to find me."
He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Ginny. Where's Hermione?"
"She was heading down to breakfast the last time that I saw her."
Harry nodded and made to do the same, pleased when Ginny walked down with him.
He filled his plate with food after he sat down next to Hermione and smiled gratefully at her. Dumbledore had just sat down at the Head Table and filled his own plate, reassuring Harry that everything really was going to be okay.
They had only been eating for a few minutes when two WCU officers came into the Great Hall, their wands drawn.
"Albus Dumbledore, we are here to arrest Remus Lupin for failing to register his condition as a Werewolf in the Werewolf Registry and for failing to inform the Department for the Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures of his werewolf status before agreeing to take on a job here as a professor. Show him to us."
Chatter erupted around the Great Hall almost immediately, but all eyes were on Dumbledore. Harry noticed that Snape seemed to have a sneer of satisfaction on his face and Harry clenched his fists angrily at the thought.
Dumbledore stood up, his eyes hard and his expression grim. "Unfortunately, Professor Lupin has already resigned his post and has left the school."
Ginny gripped Harry's hand tightly and Hermione placed a hand on his arm when they felt him tense. "Harry, there's nothing that you can do."
"Sit down and be quiet," Hermione hissed from the other side of him.
Harry made to protest, but at Hermione's glare, he sighed and did as she told him. They watched as Dumbledore led the Aurors from the Great Hall and the chatter immediately rose up within the hall.
"Lupin's a werewolf? Did you know?"
"How did the WCU find out?
"Do you think he attacked somebody?"
"Do you think he killed somebody?"
"Lupin is the best teacher we've ever had! It's not fair that he had to resign!"
"Look at Snape, he's so happy with the news. I heard that he's never liked Lupin."
"Snape doesn't like anyone."
"Snape's always wanted that job; bet he's the one who ratted Lupin out."
"Can you believe that he's an actual werewolf? He always seemed so nice?"
"Is it true that werewolves eat human hearts?"
"If he didn't hurt anyone he shouldn't get arrested! The WCU is only sent in extreme cases!"
"He wouldn't even be the wolf now, it's daylight! Why is the WCU here with the Hit Wizards?"
"I wonder what Lupin did to have the WCU come after him?"
"I heard the Ministry is cracking down on Undesirables."
"Oh piss off with the Undesirables; that's bigotry if I ever heard it! Lupin's the best!"
"What's he going to do now? Do you think he'll end up in prison?"
"I heard the Ministry is killing off Undesirables who don't follow the law."
"That's preposterous! Unless he killed somebody of course, then I say — kill the wolf!"
Harry tried to tune out the chatter around him, concentrating instead on the feeling of Ginny and Hermione's hands on both of his arms, holding him steady and calm. Once he pushed his anger down far enough to realize that he wasn't going to be storming off half-cocked, he nodded at his friends and made his way down to the hospital wing to see if Sirius was still there.
There was no way that Remus could be arrested, he thought.
Sirius would fix it.
He had to.
~ ASC ~
Remus finished packing his stuff, shoving everything into his trunk and shrinking it down to fit in his pocket with a featherlight charm. He walked through the castle quickly, determined not to meet anyone on the way out and when he stepped into the village of Hogsmeade, he let out a sigh of relief.
The tension building inside of him made his heartbeat erratic and he closed his eyes, stopping to catch his breath by The Hog's Head. He had been so stupid. How could he have let himself be so stupid? Not only hadn't he taken the potion, the first time since the potion had been offered to him seven years ago, but he had let himself transform and run off into the Forbidden Forest. Harry, Ron, and Neville were all outside. Any one of them could have been hurt. Any one of them could have been killed by him or worse infected.
He winced at the term. God, he was a monster and he could have hurt them! He would never wish this disease upon anyone.
Tonks' words echoed in his head: You recognized me and Harry, and you came to me and you stayed with me all night. You protected me.
What did that mean? Did he truly have some form of control over the wolf? Or was that control only in terms of his mate? But he had recognized Harry too? He couldn't comprehend why she wasn't disgusted with him, but he knew better than to argue with her at this point.
But the thought that he could have hurt someone… unless Tonks was right, was he truly more focused on protecting her and keeping her safe? He wasn't so sure anymore.
He jumped at the sound of someone Apparating nearby and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the Ministry employees marching towards him. He recognized the uniforms of the Hit Wizards and the Werewolf Capture Unit and he sighed in defeat. Of course someone had reported him already. He had always known that it would happen this way.
"Remus Lupin, we're here to arrest you for the failure to register yourself as a known and dangerous werewolf in the Werewolf Registry and for failure to inform the Ministry of Magic that you were taking on a teaching position at a school with students who were unaware of your dangerous and deadly condition. This is a direct violation of the Department for the Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures. Drop your wand, half-breed! You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court."
Remus let his wand fall to the ground and one of the Hit Wizards summoned it towards him as Remus put his hands up in surrender. He winced slightly when the WCU officer on his left cuffed him with silver handcuffs and it cut into his wrists, burning him.
The wizard smirked. "I see that we caught the right monster."
Remus didn't say anything, he merely held on as the WCU officer used his portkey to deposit them in the Ministry of Magic. He kept his head held high as he was pushed through the atrium, ignoring the stares and whispers as he was ushered into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and pushed into a cell. The cuffs were left on as the iron bars closed behind him. He simply sat on the bench provided and lowered his head in defeat as shame washed over him.
He only waited a few moments before Kingsley Shacklebolt stood before him.
"Remus?"
He raised his head, his eyes full of unshed tears as he looked up at his former dorm mate. "Kingsley."
Kingsley looked sad for a moment before he masked it. "I'm sorry about this, Remus."
Remus shrugged. "Secrets aren't meant to be kept forever."
Kingsley opened his cell, taking the cuffs off and swearing when he saw how the silver had burned into his wrists. "Silver cuffs? This was uncalled for!"
Remus merely shrugged again. "They have to protect themselves against the monster."
Kingsley gave him a sharp look before he simply took his arm and led him down the hall and into an interrogation room. "Sit. I'll bring you some tea in a moment."
"Thank you," Remus said softly.
Kingsley locked the door behind him and Remus simply buried his face in his hands and dragged his fingers through his hair nervously, his fingers fiddling with the buttons on his cardigan.
"King, you let me in!" Tonks said from behind the door and Remus' head popped up. His hearing had always been good, but it was very attuned to the sound of his mate's panicked voice and he stood up, wanting to comfort her.
"Auror Tonks, stand down! This is an official Ministry proceeding and you cannot go in there!"
"Let me see him, King, please!"
"Stand down," Kingsley ordered. "You can't help him."
"Kingsley… he's not dangerous. He's not a criminal!"
"Tonks, go home. You are suspended for two weeks without pay."
"Kingsley!"
"Go home, Auror Tonks. That's an order!"
Remus heard her march away in anger and he buried his face in his hands again, forcing himself to sit back down. He waited close to ten minutes before Kingsley came back into the room with a cup of tea.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Kingsley nodded and took a seat across from him. "As Head Auror I pulled rank on having you brought here, Remus. The Department for Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures is trying to pull your case file in. I don't know how long I'll be able to keep you here."
Remus nodded, his throat was dry despite the tea. "Thank you."
"Remus, you understand how serious this is?" At Remus' nod, he continued. "Failure to comply with the reporting of a werewolf attack is up to three months in Azkaban; taking a job as a professor without reporting your lycanthropy is up to six years in Azkaban and with the big debacle of Bill 426-A17, this is the kind of thing that's going to give Umbridge fuel to bring her bill back in full force."
"I'm an Undesirable," Remus said blankly. "I know it and I knew what I was risking."
"I know that Auror Tonks is moving in with you and it is because of your personal relationship that I was forced to suspend her. She's too emotional over this right now and I can't have her flying off the handle or jeopardizing your case in any way."
"I understand. When will I go to Azkaban, King?"
Kingsley stared at him for a moment. "I'm going to do my best to help you, Remus. We both know that you don't deserve to go to Azkaban Prison." He looked up at the knock on the door. "That would be the Head of the Beast Division, Agent Barrow. Barrow's a good bloke, he'll work to make sure that you are treated fairly. Just… tell the truth."
Remus nodded, his eyes defeated. "I will."
Kingsley stared at him for a long moment before he stood up and opened the door. A short stocky man with a flash of silver hair stepped inside with three tall guards all in the uniforms of the Werewolf Capture Unit. A small woman came in behind them with a clipboard and two more men came in behind her.
Kingsley nodded politely at them. "I removed his cuffs. He doesn't need to be restrained. I can promise you that he is not dangerous. I can vouch for this man." He turned back to give Remus a reassuring look before leaving, closing the door behind him.
The woman spoke first, her eyes on Remus. "Remus Lupin, my name is Elizabeth Walters and I'm the Head of Werewolf Support Services. I am here strictly in an advisory capacity today to help you. Do you understand why you were arrested this morning?"
"Yes."
Walters nodded and moved to take a seat next to him at the table. "Auror Shacklebolt insists that Mr Lupin does not need to be restrained during this interview, do you agree Agent Barrow?"
The silver haired man nodded. "I do. Mr Lupin, my name is Agent Barrow and I'm the Head of the Beast Division in the Department for the Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures. This is WCU officers Randall, Davis, and Roberts. Behind me is Agents Madison and Roper from the Werewolf Registry. You were arrested today for transforming into that of a werewolf on school grounds where you could have attacked any student in the vicinity. Do you understand why that is a danger that we are concerned about?"
"Yes."
Walters smiled at Barrow. "Agent Barrow, Mr Lupin is clearly distraught. Surely you can let me speak with my client before we continue this interview."
"No, Miss Walters, we cannot," Agent Barrow said, moving to sit across from Remus. "Mr Lupin, how long have you known that you were a werewolf?"
Remus' eyes met his and he closed them for a moment, taking a long slow breath before answering. "Thirty years."
Madison and Roper's eyes widened in shock.
"You've kept this a secret for thirty years!" Roper exclaimed, his eyes wide. "That's a direct violation of the Werewolf Protection Act, section 2-B! That alone can earn you up to ten years in prison!"
Remus' lip trembled, but he nodded.
"Why have you kept this a secret, Mr Lupin?"
Remus' eyes met Agent Barrow's calmly. "I promised my father that I would after the Department for the Regulation and the Control of Magical Creatures let him down."
Walters was flipping through her file, her quill in her hand. "Your father was Lyall Lupin, the expert on Non-Human Spirituous Apparitions?"
Remus nodded. "He was."
"He is listed as deceased now."
"Yes."
"Mr Lupin, we need more direct responses from you if we are going to give your case a fair trial!"
Remus snorted. "A fair trial? I'm a werewolf who has evaded registering myself for thirty years and was loose on school grounds near students when I was transformed. What chance do I have of not spending the rest of my life in Azkaban?"
Roper sighed and moved to sit in a chair across from him. "Albus Dumbledore swears on your character as both a professor and a former student. He claims that you have never once injured or hurt another human being as a werewolf. Is this accurate?"
Remus nodded. "That's true. I've never wanted to hurt anyone and I lock myself up every full moon. Severus Snape has been brewing the Wolfsbane Potion for me and I take it faithfully."
"But you did not take it last night?"
Remus buried his face in his hands. "The boy I consider my son was with two escaped Death Eaters on the school grounds and when I found out, my first instinct was to go to him and to protect him and in my haste, I forgot that it was the full moon. I admit, it was foolish and stupid to do so but… nothing in this world is more important to me than Harry's safety."
"Harry Potter? His legal guardian is listed as Lord Sirius Black?" Walters asked, her eyes on the paperwork before her.
Remus nodded. "Yes. But I've helped raise him. I consider him my son, my nephew even."
Walters scribbled something in the file just as the door to the interrogation room opened and a low 'hem, hem' was heard.
"Agent Barrow, I appreciate you doing your due diligence to interview Mr Lupin on his life as a werewolf, but I think it best if Mr Lupin is immediately taken into custody and brought directly to Azkaban," a girlishly sweet voice said from the doorway. "There will be no need for a trial. The Dementors have been ordered to Kiss him upon his arrival for his crimes."
Remus' eyes widened in fear. "What? Why? I've never hurt anyone!"
Umbridge smiled, her eyes gleaming in manic joy. "Maybe that's true, but you are the perfect example of why an Undesirable half-breed shouldn't be allowed to exist in our society. Lies do not become you, and werewolves do not make good pets."
"Senior Undersecretary Umbridge, you have no authority to make this call!" Agent Barrow demanded angrily. "Lupin has every right to exist in our society!"
Umbridge merely smiled. "But I do, Agent Barrow, for I have proof that Mr Lupin is the one who allowed the Death Eaters access to Hogwarts and helped orchestrate their entire escape from Azkaban in August of last year."
"That's impossible!" Remus exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I have done no such thing!"
Umbridge only smiled. "Maybe, maybe not, but as a dangerous Undesirable in our community, your words are just that, words. Take him to Azkaban."
Two guards came out from behind Umbridge and gripped Remus tightly on either side, slapping his wrists and his ankles in silver shackles that burned into his skin and he looked back at Walters, desperately.
She was staring at him, her mouth open in shock before turning on Umbridge. "This is uncalled for! You can't just execute him without just cause!"
Umbridge simply smiled. "Being a werewolf is just cause. He will be executed in two hours if you'd like to attend."
Then she turned and walked out of the interrogation room, the sound of her lightly singing, "all around the Ministry halls, the secretary chased the monster, the monster thought that he had won, 'til pop, she killed the monster," echoing throughout the corridor.
And the words sent chills down Remus's spine.
End Author's Note:
Thank you to Bex for the idea of using the tune of Pop! Goes the Weasel — very creepy, I hope.
Please review :D