Wow!!! I've never gotten so many reviews on anything so quickly – thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!

A couple of things I wanted to note down before I went on – 1) Remus/Tonks was my favorite ship, Remus my favorite character in the whole series. Although Teddy is the main character in this fic, I've always wanted to explore Remus/Tonks and their respective lives, so this'll be more a 3-main-character story. Ish. 2) on a slightly more random note, this fic's title 'Dies Veritas' is the closest I could get – without having taken Latin – to 'Day of Truth'. Sorry if that's wrong, but I was impatient to put this up and not too concerned over the finer points of Latin grammar.

Emmy-loo: Thank you! Here's more!

Lady Something: I knoooow, Lupin was my total favorite too, and Lupin/Tonks was my special ship – I cried so hard! Thanks for your review!

eshesh: Thanks so much! Yeah, I realized the first scene was a bit sudden after I wrote it, but what I wanted to convey was that Harry, despite his new maturity, still has no idea to tell a mother that she's just lost her child. It was really hard to try and do this with only dialogue – oh well! It was a fun exercise.

Kates Master: yup, there's more! Thanks for your review.

Seriously Sirius Marauder: Thank you!

Lupin&tonks4-ever: Thank you too!! I hope you enjoy the rest!

RavenPaine: Thanks for your review – and I'm glad you like the only-dialogue concept, I had fun doing it! Yeah, that swallow/chewing was a typo, I've gone back and fixed it.

twouble: Thank you!

darkdestiny2000: Thanks a lot – I hope you enjoy this chapter!

tonksrulez: Thanks! Yeah, it was hard to write the prologue all in dialogue – I hope it wasn't too confusing!

The Sushi Monster: Thanks for reading! Nope, it's a story, as you can see.

HaruAaki: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Julia: Thank you! Well, of course Victoire is Bill and Fleur's daughter. It couldn't be any other way, lol!

Music XnX Lyrics: Thank you so much!

Jarlaxle Baenre: Yeah, I thought for a while about who would tell Andromeda – I decided on Harry because he's Teddy godfather. I'm glad you liked it!!!

Elwen of Lorien: Thanks!

beware of trips: Thank you!

Mei fa-chan: I'm glad you enjoyed the prologue!

aryell: Thanks!

SPOILERS FOR DEATHLY HALLOWS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ BOOK 7.

Disclaimer: HP and all its characters belong to JKRowling. Original characters (which will be obvious) are mine.

Dies Veritas

Chapter 1: Raid

Riiiiiing.

Riiiiiing.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII –

The stylish London apartment was messy – books, records, and abandoned articles of clothing were tossed everywhere. Photographs and tattered posters covered the walls, but not the kind one would expect to see in an apartment on the Charing Cross road. For one, the names of the bands blazoned across them seemed to have quite a preoccupation with the fantastical – one shouted "The Stampeding Hippogriffs", another, "The Firebreathers: Horntail Heaven". Even if one managed to accept that the occupant of the flat was merely a fanatic of the weird, there could be no denying that the people in the photographs were moving.

In the bedroom, the ringing grew steadily louder, culminating in a shrill, high-pitched screech. Beneath the haphazard covers, a shape stirred sleepily, a bare foot sticking out into the cool air.

"All right, all right," a muffled voice grumbled as a pale arm emerged from the beneath the quilt, clumsily grabbing at a long piece of polished wood, grasping the knobbly end and waving it carelessly at the tiny black alarm clock, which by now was practically moving across the bedside table with the force of its own noise. "Shut it – "

A spark flew out of the stick of wood, and the alarm clock abruptly fell silent. The stick was dropped back onto the table, and the figure under the covers sighed. A few moments passed, then the voice emerged again, softer.

"Happy birthday to me…happy birthday to me…happy birthday to Teddy…happy birth – AUGH!"

A gigantic thump rang through the room as the tall, violently purple-haired young wizard tumbled out of the bed, reaching desperately for his wand. The suddenly legged, pincered, and loudly shrieking alarm clock was clinging viciously to the end of his thin nose.

"OUT OF BED GET UP OUT OF BED LAZY HEAD GET OUT OF BED – "

"Ow!" Teddy Lupin said angrily as the alarm clock fell off his nose and instead started running after his toes on sharp little legs. "Why, you – " He lashed out with the wand, but the alarm clock not only persisted, it grew little hairy wings as well, and started banging itself off the back of Teddy's already aching head as he dashed around his sitting room, futilely trying to take cover behind various items of furniture.

"ALL RIGHT!" Teddy roared. "I'M AWAKE!"

And just like that, the tiny alarm clock lay docile and silent on the wooden floor.

"Ted!"

Muttering some rather filthy curses under his breath – filthy enough to turn his hair bright maroon, at any rate – Teddy crawled out from behind his red armchair and stood, readjusting his pajamas around his waist. Bloody stupid thing, why his Aunt Hermione had given it to him he really didn't know –

"Ted Lupin!"

He looked up sharply, turning his whole world maroon as his bangs fell into his eyes. In the corner of the sitting room sat a fireplace, the small fire within it maintained scrupulously with magic – and in the fire sat a head.

Most certainly not typical of the Charing Cross road.

Teddy hurried across the room, grabbing a sweatshirt off the back of his sofa – his hair was blue when it emerged out the neckhole – rubbed his eyes quickly to remove any traces of sleep, and then knelt down in front of the fire. "Morning, Mrs. Jones," he said politely.

Chubby-cheeked Hestia Jones, Head Auror of the British Ministry of Magic, beamed up at him through her graying hair. "Morning, Lupin. Not a social call, I'm afraid – "

"Well, I didn't think so," Teddy replied jokingly, crossing his legs so he was more comfortable on the hard floor. "It is my day off, after all."

Hestia frowned quickly. "Yes, I know – I am really sorry about this, and I know it's your birthday as well – but this is important. We need all staff at Headquarters, we're meeting in an hour."

Teddy's forehead wrinkled slightly. "Why, what's wrong?"

Jones shook her head briskly. "Can't say through the fire, it's Security Clearance One. Besides, your fireplace was probably tapped by the Prophet years ago, what with you being Potter's godson and all. Anyway, be here in an hour, we've got planning to do."

"Yes ma'am!" Teddy replied cheerfully, offering a cheeky two-fingered salute.

Hestia's smile shrunk suddenly, and she looked grim. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Sorry again, Ted. But I think – " she paused here, then blinked suddenly and continued. "I think you'll like this assignment, in a way – right, must be off. Ta!"

Teddy sat in silence for a few moments before hauling himself to his feet. Slipping slightly over a slew of magazines he had kicked over during his dash to escape the clock, he crossed the room, entered his bedroom, and emerged a few minutes later dressed and rubbing his sore nose between his fingers. A tall mirror hung on the wall just before the entrance to his whitewashed kitchen, and he stopped for a moment to inspect the damage the clock had inflicted.

A pale, heart-shaped face stared back at him, the end of its long nose turning an angry red. That morning Teddy Remus Lupin, twenty-one year old Auror and Metamorphagus, was tall and thin, his elbows and knees clearly bony through his clothes. His black button-down shirt fit him snugly, its impeccable neatness a curious contrast to his ripped and multi-colored jeans. He wore dragon-hide boots, brown and shining, on his large feet, and a thin silver belt for his wand around his waist.

"Twenty one years old," he murmured softly, cocking his head slightly and staring at his face in the mirror. Teddy smiled somewhat sadly and looked up above his head, to where a photograph was magically affixed to the surface of the mirror. "How about that, eh?"

The two people in the photograph beamed at him, the older man's arm around the younger witch's shoulders from behind, hugging her close. The witch, who had been giggling and grasping her husband's arm as it twined around her chest, let go with one hand so she could wave enthusiastically at Teddy, her short spiky hair flashing from red to blue to green – to golden brown, the color of the grinning man's own hair.

"Yeah, how about that," Teddy repeated somewhat morosely, tearing his eyes away from the photograph. "Right, then," he continued in a businesslike tone as he screwed his pale grey eyes shut, "Time for traditions."

A few moments later, a small pop echoed through the room and he opened his eyes. His hair was now spiky and a shocking color of pink, his face even more heart-shaped, his nose small and slightly snubbed, freckles spread lightly across his cheeks. His eyes were a deep color of blue.

Teddy figured that some people might have strange traditions, but he was sure he'd win any contest. After all, how many people could boast that every year on their birthday, they spent half of their day as their mother and half as their father?

Pink for the sunrise, gold and grey for the sunset…

Well, it had sounded poetic when he was fourteen.

And, grabbing his cloak and casting one last glance into the mirror at his pale, pink reflection, Teddy disapparated from the flat.

Auror Headquarters had never before seemed so full. Hestia Jones, ever the matronly boss, was bustling around with a tray full of cups of tea and chocolate biscuits when Teddy arrived, the spikes in his hair slightly flattened from the gale-force winds he had encountered in the street. Pushing his way politely past two other chatting young aurors, Adam Reading and Peter Valentine (both of whom had been in Teddy's year at Hogwarts), Teddy finally made it to his desk, just managing to avoid being decapitated by a huge package an exhausting-looking owl was dropping heavily onto the floor, where it was promptly stepped upon by none other than Aberforth Dumbledore.

"Oh, damn," Aberforth grunted good-naturedly, stooping easily despite his age and height and lifting the package, examining the label for a moment and then putting it carefully down on Teddy's desk. "Sorry, young Lupin," he continued, his piercing blue eyes shining as he looked over Teddy's hair and apparel. "Celebrating something, are we?"

Teddy had broken out into a delighted smile the moment he'd recognized Aberforth's singular purple boots – he'd clung to them enough as a child to recognize them anywhere. "Yessir," he grinned. "It happens to be my birthday, sir!"

"Enough with the sir-ing," a deep, soothing voice intoned from behind Teddy. "I think you know him well enough to call him Aberforth, don't you think?"

Now Teddy knew that this was no ordinary Auror meeting. Surrounded by red-robed assistants, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, stood in the doorway.

Teddy immediately inclined his head respectfully in greeting. "Mr. Shacklebolt, sir." The whole room had fallen into quiet, excited whisperings when the Minister had entered, and he was uncomfortably aware of how loud his voice suddenly sounded in the jam-packed room.

Shacklebolt smiled genially, pulling off his hat to reveal distinguished graying hair. "Percival," he said, turning to one of his aides, "make a note – Auror Lupin is hereby officially obligated to address the Minister of Magic by his first name." A scatter of laughter bounced around Headquarters, and it took a supreme effort for Teddy to keep his blush confined to his face.

As the grouped Aurors began to talk amongst themselves once again, Kingsley walked quietly up to Teddy and shook his hand. Teddy, surprised, felt a small bag fall into the pocket of his robes as the Minister pulled back.

"Happy birthday," Kingsley murmured. "I need a few minutes with Hestia before we start, if you'll excuse me – "

Aberforth slid in beside Teddy as the Minister wept away, followed by his gang of scribbling followers. "Ridiculous," Aberforth snorted. "I mean, not that Kingsley isn't a great man – but look at them. They're like lapdogs." His eyes twinkled as he looked at Teddy again, resting on his pink hairline. "That package is yours, you know."

"Oh – oh, right," Teddy said, distracted, as he turned to his desk. The large brown package sat amongst the wreckage of Teddy's last day at work, when he had been inundated with a five hundred-page report on the activities of the families Nott and Goyle over the previous five years. Although he could never describe his work as boring, Teddy was fairly sure that poring over the files of the so-called 'Former Associates' or 'F.A.'s of Lord Voldemort was the worst job anyone in the department could be given, as hardly any of the F.A.s had undertaken any Dark behavior for over twenty years.

Now the pages of the report lay scattered across the desk and the carpeted floor, displaced by the package, which Teddy noted was wrapped very neatly indeed in brown paper and tied with string knotted several times over. Secure under the string lay a thick envelope. Without touching the package – Teddy knew enough through his training not to touch anything without inspecting it first – he read:

Ted R. Lupin, Auror
Auror Headquarters
Ministry of Magic
London

RETURN: GRINGOTT'S WIZARD BANK

Teddy, OPEN THIS ENVELOPE BEFORE YOU OPEN THE PACKAGE. I expect I'll be seeing you soon. Oh, and Happy Birthday.

- Harry

Within seconds, he had the string cut magically and was carefully tearing open the envelope – if it bore his godfather's name, the envelope wasn't dangerous, that much he knew. A moment later, three pieces of paper fluttered to the floor at Teddy's feet. Two looked normal, but the third was yellow with age and as Teddy watched, a corner of it seemed to break off and crumble into dust.

Sitting down in his office chair, Teddy slowly picked up the papers, laid two of them – including the old one – back onto the top of the package, and opened the first paper. This bore the official seal of Gringott's, a locked door embossed with a large golden key.

Mr. Ted R. Lupin –

As instructed by the late owners of Vault 1287 at Gringott's Wizard Bank, this package has been delivered to you from said Vault on the occasion of your twenty-first birthday. We hope that no damage has been done to its contents during transport and that you will find our actions carried out to your satisfaction.

Cordially,

GRIPHOOK
Department of Bequeathed Items
Gringott's Wizard Bank

Growing more puzzled by the minute, Teddy reached for the second letter:

Teddy –

Harry here. Look, I know this will all seem very strange to you – you haven't opened the package yet, I hope? But I can explain. Your parents wanted you to have this in case they died, but thought – if they did die – that waiting until you were older would be wiser. I've added some of mine as well, and so have your Gran, Kingsley, Hagrid, Neville, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione… Now, not all of them will be pleasant, Teddy, you must remember that. Everyone has both good and bad in their lives, commits good and evil deeds. Promise me you'll remember that, and that you won't be too affected. It's never a pleasant experience, but I think you'll understand them better afterwards. Happy birthday, Teddy.

Your affectionate godfather,

Harry J. Potter

By this time, Teddy's pink head was spinning slightly. Dazed, he reached for the third letter – but he had gotten no further than the faded, loopy "Dear Teddy – " when the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt rang out over the crowd.

"Thank you all for being here on such short notice," the Minister called, instantly commanding complete silence and attention. Teddy hurriedly tossed the letters back on the desk, forgetting the package in the tense atmosphere of Headquarters. Hestia Jones stood at the Minister's left shoulder, Aberforth on his right, both their faces grim and yet strangely triumphant.

"We do not have much time, ladies and gentlemen, so I shall come straight to the point," Kingsley said sharply. "The Ministry received intelligence this morning of the whereabouts of Former Associate 26."

Teddy jerked in his chair. Aberforth looked quickly over at the young man, who seemed to suddenly be shaking almost violently.

"He is in London," Kingsley continued quickly. "We are having him followed at a discreet distance. I understand from Ms. Jones – " Hestia nodded as he gestured to her " – that he is currently in a pub not far from Trafalgar Square. I will let Aberforth and Hestia go over the plan with you all." Kingsley's eyes were flinty as he looked over the group, his gaze resting for a moment on the pale Teddy before moving on. "I think I hardly need to inform you of the importance of this mission. F.A. 26 must be captured at all costs."

"Right," Hestia said quickly, moving forward as the Minister sat down, surrounded by scribbling quills. "Assignments. Reading, Valentine, surveillance and backup with me. Aberforth will be leading a team which shall surround the building. In the field – Baxter and Lupin. Lupin," she said sternly, catching Teddy's eye where he sat, trying to control his stomach, "I want a good disguise, you hear me? You and Baxter here – " she indicated Anna Baxter, a pretty brunette witch who had just started in the department " – will be pretending to be a couple. You go in, establish a visual – I want no real contact, mind, if you can help it – and then stun him. Obliviators will be at the scene to take care of the Muggles." She looked almost fiercely at the Aurors squashed into the room, who were all silent as the grave. "Got it?"

A murmur of consent made its way around the room to where Teddy was sitting. His hands were shaking. He thrust them beneath his robes, hoping no one had noticed. He was vaguely aware of Aberforth calling names over the crowd and people moving around him.

"Hey," said a high voice. He looked up, startled, into Anna Baxter's pointed face. She smiled at him confidently. "Come on, Hestia just told me she wanted us off right away. Oh, and it's a Muggle pub, so – " she gestured somewhat apologetically at Teddy's cloak, as if embarrassed she was giving orders to someone who despite their similarity in ages was her senior.

"Right – right, sorry – "

All the way down to the lobby, out into the street, apparating to the busy street near Trafalgar Square – Teddy had forgotten how to breathe – Anna's voice brought him out of his trance.

"I heard you're a Metamorphagus – what's your disguise? We're almost there…"

And then a glorious thought swept over him. He shut his eyes, closing out the bustling Muggles and shops and cars –

Pop.

"Uh," Anna said, looking him up and down, her brow slightly wrinkled in puzzlement. "All right, I suppose. What's with the gray in your hair?"

The pub was underground, steel steps leading down from the street. It was smoky and dark, crowded close to bursting with Muggles, several of them very drunk despite the relatively early hour. Teddy led Anna down the steps, holding her hand, and smiled as he opened the door for her. "After you, luv," he grinned. She smiled at him, really quite pretty in her floral-patterned dress, and swept in. He followed, and after a few minutes of tense maneuvering and furtive glances at each of the jam-packed tables, they found themselves at the bar with a gin and tonic each.

Then it happened. Anna's eyes widened, looking at something over Teddy's shoulder, and it seemed to Teddy that every single muscle in his body had gone rigid.

"Are you a ghost?" a gust of foul breath wafted over the two of them. Anna's expression, halfway between a frown of confusion and a sniff of disgust, would have been funny anywhere else.

Teddy took a deep breath. "I should say not."

Silence. The Muggle barman dropped a glass, and curses floated down the bar through the noise of the crowd.

"You're his cub, aren't you, little boy?" the voice hissed in his ear.

It was taking all of Teddy's concentration to keep his back turned. "I don't know what you mean."

The voice was quiet this time, low and menacing. "Did you really think you would be able to walk in here looking like that and I wouldn't notice?"

Teddy stood very slowly and turned, ignoring Anna's low hiss of alarm and her hand gripping his arm. "That wasn't my intention."

There was silence for a moment between the two men, and then the older let out a deep chuckle, his face half-obscured in shadow. "Ah, how adorable. You want me to know who is taking their revenge, don't you boy?"

Teddy reached for his wand. His blood seemed to be pounding very loudly in his ears –

"Former Associate Twenty-Six, you are under arrest by authority of Hestia Jones, Head Auror of the Ministry of Mag – "

Teddy wasn't quite sure what had happened. One moment he had been talking, and the next, the air was filled with screams and pain was shooting through his every muscle as he lay in the wreckage of one of the pub's long wooden tables. Letting out a harsh gasp of pain, he rolled to his hands and knees, grabbed his wand, which was miraculously lying next to where he had fallen, and stood shakily, gritting his teeth against the sharp jab of agony which flashed through his skull.

The pub was in a state of total chaos. Muggles were crouched under half-smashed tables or drunkenly lurching towards the exits, many of them screaming and whimpering as Teddy's bloodied form lurched towards them. Teddy saw with a thrill of fear that Anna Baxter was lying limply across the bar – however, she stirred and groaned faintly as he approached, and he let out a sigh of relief so loud that it almost masked the sound of the feet pounding down the steps into the pub.

Hestia Jones burst through the door, a livid bruise rising on her cheek, prompting another round of hysterics from the terrified Muggles. Eyes flashing, she strode towards the bar. "Lupin!" she said firmly. "What the hell happened down here? What do you think you were do – oh."

Teddy didn't even have to look at her to know that she had seen past the blood on his face and had seen the chocolate-brown eyes, and the grey-brown hair. He looked down in shame, struggling not to sway on his feet.

Jones huffed suddenly, resigned. "Well," she said quietly – the disappointment in her voice was enough to make Teddy want to give in and collapse – "You two had better get out of here. It'll be a nightmare to clean this mess up."

Nodding dumbly, Teddy turned to help Anna, who was attempting to lift herself off the top of the bar. Shame and embarrassment were creeping up through his chest and neck, and he didn't have to look to know his hair was slowly turning bright red.

Fenrir Greyback, known as F.A. 26, had escaped.

Hope you enjoyed it!!! More to come!!!