Totally just hitting the AUs here.
Official warning: Dark themes, murder, sexual shit, swearing
...
"Are you sure, Tonks?" Harry asked, leaning on the bars of the cell. "Remus will want to know-"
"It's for the best, Harry." Tonks said quietly, wiping away tears. "If I'm sentenced to life, it's best that Teddy doesn't know me."
"And Remus?"
"He'll be alright."
"And if he wants to see you?" Harry asked.
She shook her head. "I can't see him."
"What should I tell him if he asks why his wife refuses to see him?"
"The truth?"
"He'll still want to see you, Tonks. He won't want to believe any of it, he'll want to hear what you say about it-"
"Just tell him no, Harry. Tell him that I just can't see him." She said. "And I doubt he'll want to see me if he knows about Greyback."
"You really want me to tell him those details?"
"Maybe not all of the details, but if he asks, Harry- and you're right, he probably will-"
"Just tell him you're in Azkaban, awaiting trial, for killing four Death Eaters?"
Tonks ran a hand through her hair. "I guess that's one way to put it."
"Miriam!" Harry called, rushing into the ward. Miriam looked up, startled. "Has St Mungo's gotten the Daily Prophets yet?"
"I believe so, yes." Miriam said. "I just arrived, but they would have arrived nearly half an hour ago and the other Healers would have distributed them to where they needed to be-"
"Oh, shit-" Harry said, rushing passed her, towards Remus' room. He pushed open the door to find Remus sitting on the edge of the bed, the Daily Prophet on the floor at his feet. "Remus-"
"Do I want to look at page 4, Harry?" Remus asked, not looking at Harry.
"Probably not, no."
"How bad is it?" Remus asked.
"I don't know. I haven't looked either." Harry said, bending down and grabbing the paper. He flipped to page 4, dreading whatever Rita Skeeter may have written, and he knew instantly he had been right to dread it. The article dragged Harry and dragged Tonks even harder, claiming she had been with the Death Eaters all along- even going so far as to question Teddy's paternity( Perhaps Ex-Hogwarts Professor Remus Lupin was covering up for his own wife's infidelity, or was simply unaware of it) and saying that the deaths had been simple quarrels between lovers.
"It's not good, Remus." Harry finally said. "Do you want to read it?"
Remus shook his head. "How much is true?"
"I'd say about one thirds." Harry said quietly. "She did kill Greyback and three other Death Eaters, but I doubt it was- none of these other details are correct. I suppose Rita just caught word of the killings and didn't bother to find out the truth.''
"What is the truth?"
"I think that's something Tonks should tell you directly, Remus."
"Can I see her?" Remus asked, looking up at Harry.
"She doesn't want to see you or Teddy." Harry explained. "In the chance she's sentenced to life in Azkaban- and there is a chance- she thinks it'll be best if Teddy doesn't meet her. It's not my place to tell you what she told me, even though she did tell me I could, but I'll try to convince her to let you visit her. Dawlish has already agreed to letting her family see her, if she chooses to. I'll talk to her again, Remus. I'll try to convince her."
Harry got home, exhausted. Ginny was reading to Teddy in the library when he entered, and from the look on her face when she looked up at him, Harry wasn't going to be getting any rest any time soon.
"You've gotten owls from everyone in the Order, Mum and Dad Flooed this morning, demanding to talk to you. Hermione stopped by, wanting to know how much of it was true and whether or not she should stuff Rita into a jar again. Harry, this is getting bad." Ginny said, leaving Teddy with the picture book and walking towards Harry. "What has she said about him?" She asked, gesturing to Teddy.
"She doesn't want to see him, doesn't want him knowing her, in case- in case she's sentenced to life in Azkaban."
"Dawlish also Flooed by, he wants you to go in as soon as you can, says he has to talk to you." Ginny said. "He mentioned a trial."
"Already?" Harry asked.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Ginny asked.
"It could also be bad." Harry said. "Sirius was sentenced within a few days as well,-"
"He didn't get a trial." Ginny said. "Go, I'll stay and watch Teddy. I'll write to Gwenog, tell her there's a family emergency. She's probably already seen the article, she'll understand."
"Ginny, you can't miss practice."
"I can miss one." She said, brushing her hand through his hair. "Go, Harry."
"Robards was going to talk to you about this, but he's also trying to organise trial for four others right now, so he handed this one to me to handle. It looks like the trial can be earlier than I would have expected." Dawlish explained. "February 20th at the latest, February 3rd at the earliest."
"And how do you think it'll go? What'll happen?"
"We'll call witnesses forward, ones that can confirm she wasn't working with the Death Eaters- however, the fact she killed Death Eaters seems to already prove that claim. The Wizengamot might not be so harsh with their sentencing due to the fact they were Death Eaters, but there's also the chance that they won't look at it like that. I spoke with Lucius Malfoy this morning-"
"Why?"
"He wants to speak at the trial, as a witness."
"Why would Malfoy want anything to do with this?" Harry asked, frowning.
"To make himself look good, I assume." Dawlish said, shrugging. "He can say she was a Death Eater, and make himself look good for naming yet another Death Eater. Or, he can say she wasn't- and look good in the eyes of the Wizengamot for doing the right thing."
"You're going to let him testify?"
"The Wizengamot has asked that her family testify, claiming that the family might know the best. However, the Malfoys are the closest blood relatives- besides Teddy- who survived the war."
"I'm sure we can find better relatives to talk- she's related to the Weasleys-"
"A distant relation won't count, Harry." Dawlish said patiently. "No matter what Lucius says, there will be others speaking as well. You, for one, because you were the one who arrested her. Kingsley has already stepped down from the trial- even though he's been presiding every other trial, he doesn't want people to accuse him of personal bias."
"Percy's the Senior Undersecretary, will he-?"
"No, no. It'll be the Junior Assistant Audrey." Dawlish said. "She might be one of the very few high ranking officials who doesn't personally know Tonks. I've sent a Senior Auror to talk to St Mungo's, I'd like to bring Remus to testify on the claims that Rita published today. I've contacted Charlie Weasley, he might be the only person who has known her the longest. She'll testify as well, and the Wizengamot will be the ones who ultimately decide on what sentence she gets and how long it will be-"
"Do you think it'll be life in Azkaban?" Harry asked.
"That's a difficult question. There's a very good chance."