A/N: AHH sorry these updates have been spotty lately. Life got in the way. In any case, this chapter has two POVs - Tonks and Hope. If you like having more than one POV in a chapter like this, let me know. I've resisted the idea of having more POVs per chapter but I've come to enjoy it. I hope you have as well.

...

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Wakefield?"

Denys leaned against the doorway to Tonks's office in his school robes, looking unsure. He'd been given permission to visit the Ministry that day to check in with Werewolf Support Services before he finished his studies at Hogwarts. Tonks hadn't expected him to drop by her office, but wasn't disappointed to see Remus's eldest godson at her door.

"Come in, darling, come in," Tonks beckoned, grinning broadly at him. Denys sat across from her, eyes wide as he took in the notices in her office.

"How can I help you, Denys? Chocolate Frog?" She pulled out the sweet from her drawer, sliding it across her desk, but Denys didn't take it.

"I want to become an Auror," he said, surprising her.

Tonks wrinkled her nose and set her hands on her rapidly expanding belly. For the last year, he'd spoken of nothing but becoming a Healer. He had even accepted to a low-paid, but respectable research position with Healer Wallace at St. Mungo's.

"Is this really what you want," Tonks said slowly, "or is there something else I should know?"

"I want to be an Auror," Denys repeated. "Remus said you might be able to help."

Tonks wanted to put her legs up on her desk and stretch them, but her twin pregnancy was already taking its toll on her body. She was less than three months pregnant and felt as if she was further along, given her size. She settled for leaning back in her chair.

"You wanted to be a Healer…what changed?"

"I'd make a good Auror. I like protecting people."

"It's more than protecting people," Tonks said gently. "It's hard, grueling work. It's long days, paperwork, and sometimes, dueling. It's dangerous."

"I can handle danger."

"Be honest with me. I don't know if I can help you yet. I don't want you applying for the program because your first choice didn't work out." Tonks leaned forward and rolled a pot of ink between her hands. "You've got to really want this job to be successful. Half our trainees don't make the cut."

Denys grew quiet and twiddled his thumbs. He said, "I want a good job. I want to make a difference. I want to show that I'm like everyone else. I want my own flat."

"You can have all that without becoming an Auror, or even a Healer."

"Will you let me try? I just want to try."

The earnestness in Denys's face and tone softened Tonks's heart. She replied, "I'll be frank. I doubt I can get you a spot in our training program this year, even with perfect N.E.W.T.s." Denys's face fell at that. "I might be able to get you into the program in a year, but you'd have to give up that job with St. Mungo's. You'd have to come work for us, the DMLE, and show me this is what you really want."

"You can't take me?" Denys's voice cracked. "Not this year?"

"I'm not the head of the DMLE," Tonks said. She could be, if she accepted Kingsley's offer to take the position in early 2008, next January, but she'd have two newborn babies by then. She couldn't take the job immediately, and she hadn't mentioned the pregnancy yet to him.

"Look, Denys. I might be able to help you, but I can't guarantee anything. If you want to be an Auror, you've got to show me it's what you want. I'm not taking on a trainee that's going to leave me to become a Healer when St. Mungo's gets their heads out of their arses and are willing to hire werewolves."

"What do I need to do?" Denys pressed. "How do I show you?"

Tonks looked around at the notices on her office. With a swish of her wand, one with bright blue lettering came down on her desk, and she showed it to Denys.

"The Magical Law Enforcement Patrol," he read. He looked up at Tonks with a scowl. "But they aren't Aurors."

"They're not, but they help us and they work with us. They're like the Muggle police. Aurors are like the Muggle MI5 or MI6. More importantly, they fall under the DMLE."

Denys's scowl turned into a puzzled frown. "How does this help me?"

"I can put in a good word for you. I'm friendly with the department head, and she's open to werewolves. It's got better starting pay than the research specialist position, and if you do well there, in a year I might be able to move you into the Auror training program."

"But not guarantee it," Denys muttered.

"No," Tonks confirmed, sighing impatiently, "but if you want to work for law enforcement, this is a great place to start." Denys wouldn't take his eyes off the notice bearing the Patrol's emblem. "I can see if Penny's in her office. If you're serious about joining the DMLE, we'll help you." Denys mumbled a half-hearted assent, and they set off to the Patrol offices.

On their way out of the Auror offices, in the middle of the busy work floor, Denys said, "I almost forgot—congratulations."

"Congratulations?" Tonks asked, her head bending slightly.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Denys sniffed around her, as an almost disgusted look crossed his face and his nostrils widened. "You, er, smell. It's strong."

Several Aurors stopped by, taking in the conversation with increasing interest. Tonks planned to announce her pregnancy in a few weeks, after her next visit at St. Mungo's, but Denys's nose couldn't be denied.

"Before all of you gossip about it," Tonks said loudly, turning around to face her nosy coworkers, "yes, I'm pregnant. Due in December, we'll discuss this later."

Denys turned bright red.

"It's all right, Denys. Let's see Penny and I'll come back to my prying staff."

…

Weeks later, Healer Wallace had his wand pressed against Tonks's swollen abdomen, listening intently. Remus hovered around him, his gold-flecked eyes shining with joy.

"Strong heartbeats," Wallace said, taking the wand away from his ear. "Everyone sounds healthy."

Remus breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief and kissed Tonks's temple.

"Would you like to find out the sexes?"

"No?" Tonks said, unsure, looking up at Remus.

"I don't care," Remus replied. His gaze lingered on Tonks's belly. "Are they growing all right? Our daughter—she was always small." Hope, they learned, would likely always be small for her age, given the lycanthropic tendencies she'd inherited from Remus. Though petite, she was stronger than she looked and had a ferocious spirit.

"Twins run smaller," Wallace said, shrugging as he flipped through a stack of parchment. "They've got less room to grow. Yours are…" He muttered a spell under his breath and the parchment opened to a large chart. "…thoroughly average."

"Excellent." Remus put his hand on Tonks's baby bump and smiled.

"I've changed my mind," Tonks declared. "Let's find out what we've got in there." She looked at her shocked husband and back at Wallace. "Teddy and Hope want to know. I'm tired of hearing them bicker."

Remus confirmed she was sure, and Wallace produced a milky white potion from the cupboard in response. He unstoppered it, conjured two glasses, murmuring charms on each, and set them apart.

"It's trickier, with twins, but we should manage," said Wallace, pulling Tonks's hand into his palm. He had a tiny vial, and with a deft, measured flick of his wand, a few drops of Tonks's blood fell into the vial. Tonks yelped, but when she looked at her finger, the wound was already healed.

Wallace's incantations sounded almost like a chant as he placed a single drop of blood into each of the glasses containing the milky white potion. When her crimson blood mixed with the liquid in the glasses, they swirled, hissing and bubbling wildly.

Tonks didn't know where to look. Wallace gathered his things, not paying attention to the potions, while Remus gripped Tonks's hand tightly and watched the potions with intense curiosity.

"It'll be a minute or two," said Wallace. He turned around, obscuring the glasses, and faced Remus and Tonks with his arms crossed. "I got a letter this morning from Mr. Wakefield."

Tonks if it was Denys and Wallace nodded in response.

"I don't blame him for trying the DMLE instead. I would've liked to have a werewolf with me—he was willing to undergo experiments—but, alas. It wasn't meant to be."

"Experiments?" asked Remus. "What for?"

"We're working on a modified Wolfsbane Potion recipe, for people like Bill and Hope—"

"—and me?" Tonks said, pointing to the cursed scar on her leg. It was merely a scratch, but as she'd got it from a werewolf at the full moon, it was cursed and unable to be morphed away.

"I suppose," replied Wallace. "Full moons aren't bad for you, are they?"

Tonks shook her head. Migraines and sore muscles were her primary afflictions, while Hope felt worse. Wallace turned around as the sound of bubbling liquid dissipated.

"One's a boy," Wallace said casually, eyeing one of the glasses. It was a shiny, shimmery silver and was calming from its turbulent boiling.

"A boy!" Remus kissed Tonks's belly and proceeded to kiss her cheek, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Teddy's going to be so pleased! He wanted a brother!"

Wallace yawned, ignoring Remus's affection. He wrote the information down in Tonks's record, and leaned against the counter, watching the other glass bubble. It slowed down, and as it deepened in color, Wallace scratched his quill against the parchment. Pointing the feathered end at it, he said, "The other's a girl. Congrats, mum and dad."

"And a girl!" Remus's voice cracked as he pressed another kiss to Tonks's stomach. "A boy and girl—" He choked on his last word. Tonks beamed and felt a lump in her throat. She had always known Remus would be thrilled with whatever children they had, unexpected though they were.

Tonks blinked back tears of joy as Remus wrapped his arms around her. He thanked her over and over for carrying their new son and daughter, and she kissed him, elated by his joy.

…

"Psst."

Hope crept closer to Teddy, feeling her heart racing hurriedly. She didn't know what was in Mummy's special potion, but it made her feel like she could do anything. Her usual full moon sickness wasn't as bad as usual; she only felt a little sick.

"Psst," she whispered loudly. "Teddy!"

"What?" Teddy looked up from his book, his blue eyes becoming brown a moment later.

"I want to see Daddy."

Her brother gave her a disapproving glare. "Dad's in the cellar and you should be in bed."

Hope rolled her eyes and made her way across his room, avoiding the creakiest floorboards with her double-socked feet.

"C'mon, Teddy," she urged. "Mummy's sleeping. So's Gran."

"They'll be cross with us," Teddy replied, his hair turning canary yellow. "EspeciallyDad."

"But he's all by himself!"

Teddy crossed his arms over his chest. "That's what he wants. He told us to never, ever go down to the cellar. They've magicked it so you can't even touch the doorknob."

"I can touch it," Hope said smugly, having just tried it.

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not!" Hope stomped her petite, socked foot on the floor. "I'll show you!" She grabbed his arm and tugged him out of bed.

"What's got into you?" Teddy groaned, yanking his arm back. "You should be in bed!"

"I took one of Mummy's potions," Hope replied, hurrying downstairs.

Teddy narrowed his eyes at her. "Which one?"

Hope shrugged. It was a sky blue potion that their mother took when she was tired. She hadn't been taking them since she found out she was pregnant, and Hope didn't want to be tired anymore. She found the bottle, poured it carefully in a cup, and drank it all.

Teddy followed her down the stairs and met her by the cellar door. He stretched his hand out to touch the doorknob and hissed, saying a word Gran would've disapproved of.

"See? You can't—"

Hope turned the doorknob with ease, smiling victoriously.

"I told you, Teddy," she said smugly. "I can open it!"

She took one step toward the stairs, but Teddy grabbed her shirt, pulling her back.

"Hey!"

"Hope, you can't," Teddy pled. "Dad's going to kill us."

"He won't." Hope stomped her feet again. "Daddy knows us! He won't hurt us!"

"I don't mean now—in the morning—when he's not furry anymore! He's going to lose it!"

Hope wrested herself free from her brother. She was tired of waiting to see Moony. She learned recently that Teddy got to snuggle with Moony when he was a baby, but she never got to do that. With her father home for the summer holidays, it was her chance to spend time with him.

"No, Hope," Teddy whispered, as Hope bounded down the stairs to see Moony.

She ran into something warm, furry, and solid. Though it was dim, she could see a pair of beautiful golden eyes ahead of her.

"Daddy!" Hope cried gleefully, attempting to throw her arms around the giant wolf. To her dismay, she was greeted with a ferocious snarl that made her stumble backwards.

The golden eyes glittered before her. They were nothing like her father's kind, honey brown ones. The wolf bared his sharp teeth and snapped his jaw at her. A low warning growl escaped from his mouth.

"D-daddy," she squeaked, crawling back on her hands and feet. The wolf approached her slowly, and as he approached the single light illuminating the cellar, Hope gasped, seeing how big he was.

"HOPE ANDROMEDA LUPIN!"

Hope cringed. Her mother's voice was unmistakable.

The wolf growled again at the source of the noise, with his snout pointed up at the cellar stairs. Mummy came down with a wild mess of orange hair and her wand out, looking furious.

"How dare you!" Mummy screeched, angrier than Hope had ever seen her. The wolf next to them howled, hurting Hope's ears. Confused and frightened, she burst into tears. The wolf howled ever louder and Teddy arrived, white-haired and wide-eyed.

"UP, NOW!" Mummy hollered, jerking Hope up by her shirt. The wolf growled and snarled, and Teddy took Hope's hand, rushing upstairs with her.

Gran was at the top of the stairs with her hair a wild, curly mess and her grey eyes glinting with rage. She didn't look like Gran in that moment; she looked like someone else, someone scarier and more dangerous. She shut the cellar door at once and charmed it shut before rounding on Teddy and Hope.

The wolf downstairs howled and howled. Hope felt wretched as Gran shouted at her and Teddy for their errors. Hope couldn't hold it in anymore. With a nauseous lurch, she emptied the contents of her stomach and promptly passed out on the floor.

…

Hope woke up in her bed with her cat, Matilda, and her pygmy puff, Jelly, on either side of her. She felt terrible, with a pounding headache, a dry mouth, and crusty eyes.

"Take this, love," a gentle, tired voice told her, bringing a cool glass to her lips. A soft hand held her cheek and tipped her head back, letting a soothing liquid coat her mouth and throat. She felt a warm, wet cloth on her eyes, taking the crustiness away. She opened them, her blurry vision focusing confusedly until it cleared up.

"One more." Another cool glass touched her dry lips. A sweeter, thicker liquid coated her tongue, but her headache began subsiding instantly.

Hope realized it was her mother with her and froze, remembering the last night. She was sure to be angry with her.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" She started to cry, afraid of what mummy would say. "Where does it hurt?" she asked. Hope sobbed into her cozy jumper, ashamed of herself and hurting.

"I'm s-s-sorry," she bawled, her tiny chest heaving with sobs. "I d-d-didn't want—"

Her mother held her tightly, whispering croaky assurances in her ears that she was all right, and she was sorry for shouting at her.

"Hope," said Mummy, rubbing Hope's back gently, "Teddy told me what you wanted to do. I was very angry last night but I'm okay now. I want you to be okay too."

"But D-d-daddy—"

Hope's nose was stuffed up and she felt badly for covering her mother's jumper with her bogeys and tears. Her throat felt too thick to speak anymore.

"He's okay—sleepy as usual after the moon."

The memory of the massive wolf, with his eyes gleaming in the darkness and snarling at her, made her squeak. Her father was somewhere in there and he'd snapped at her—he'd frightened her terribly. Moony was ferocious and scary.

How on earth had Teddy been able to cuddle with that monsterwhen he was a baby but Hope couldn't? Why had Moony been so unkind?

"He hates me," whispered Hope, suddenly terrified of her father.

"I don't know where you got that idea," Mummy said slowly, pulling Hope's face out of the jumper, "but your father loves you. He doesn't hate you. He never could."

Hope relayed her worries and what she'd seen Moony do. He'd growled at her! He'd snarled in her face! How could her kind, wonderful father do that to her?

"I believe he'll want to apologize—" Mummy said tightly, as her purplish eyebrows came together. She moved, as if to stand, but Hope stopped her.

"—no! Don't go!" Mummy looked back at her, confused. "—no. What if he—" Hope clutched her blanket, scared to look in the direction of her parents' bedroom. What if he became Moony again and ate her, just like the story of Little Red Riding Hood?

She told her mother that she wasn't going anywhere but Granny Weasley's, where there were no werewolves at all.

A very sad look crossed mummy's face then. Hope had never seen anything like it.

"Hope, darling…your dad is a good man. He loves you more than anything in the world. We've talked about this before." Mummy sighed and sat on the edge of Hope's bed, wincing with the weight of her big belly. "Being a werewolf is hard. He probably didn't mean to scare you, and if I know him…" She ran her hand through her swiftly browning hair. "Your dad's not going to be happy with himself. It was extremely dangerous for you to try to see him."

Hope didn't understand. "How come Teddy could be with Moony but not me?"

"In those days, I would use special charms to make sure Moony's mind was right. Sometimes the potion he takes doesn't work properly. We've had close calls before—too close—and your dad didn't want us to be in danger. We treat every full moon with precaution."

Mummy then explained that daddy was being alert. He never wanted to hurt anybody.

"He's the same dad you've always had, Hope," said Mummy, stroking Hope's sandy brown curls. "He'll be sleepy but he'll be happy to see you. Come with me, so we can talk to him." She got up again and held her hand out. Hope, seeing the brave Gryffindor banner in her room, next to the loyal Hufflepuff one, decided she would be a Gryffindor today. She would be brave and see her dad.

…

Hope had exhausted herself into a nap by the time Tonks returned to her bed. It had been one of the longest full moon nights in Tonks's recent memory, and for all the worst reasons.

Hope, in her childish goodness, wanted to accompany Moony for the night. She'd stolen an entire bottle of Invigoration Potion, three times the usual dose for an adult, and drank it all. With her spirits high, she managed to get past the security enchantments on the cellar—it was due to her mild lycanthropic traits, Tonks was sure—and come face to face with Moony.

Remus was perfectly aware, but startled, to see his daughter in the cellar. He'd growled as a warning, trying to get Hope back upstairs, but had succeeded only in terrifying her. He spent the morning after the full moon assuring the almost six year old that he loved her and they each made a mistake. Hope was hesitant to hug Remus, but after a while she was comfortable enough to snuggle against him and fell asleep in the crook of his arm.

"Wotcher, Remus," Tonks murmured, crawling into bed next to her husband. "How are you?"

"Awful."

"She'll be okay."

"I horrified her. She was afraid to touch me." Remus hung his head. A tear rolled down his cheek; Tonks couldn't understand how it felt, but she knew he was tearing himself apart in his mind.

"She's almost six and she'll forget about this," Tonks assured him, scotting over to hold him. "She cuddled with you in the end and promised to never try to see Moony again." Tonks wiped the tear off his cheek and kissed his neck, breathing in the gentle scent of the healing salve she'd massaged into his sore muscles that morning.

"Every kid gets a little scared of their mum or dad now and then. Mum had the most frightening glare for me—she'd look so much like her sister—and even though I knew it was my mum and not Bellatrix Lestrange—" Tonks shuddered at the thought. "—I'd be scared sometimes. She will be fine."

"Was Teddy frightened?" Remus asked quietly. "Of me?"

"More of me than you," Tonks said, rolling her eyes. "I didn't enjoy having our son poke me in the face to wake up and then drag me downstairs to tell me Hope was, and I quote, 'doing the stupidest bloody thing.' I was more furious with him for knowing that was Hope's plan and not waking me sooner. We could've avoided all this."

Remus repeated his question. Tonks felt the worry brimming under the surface.

"Teddy has more experience and memory than you might think. He's growing up to be sensible…more sensible than I was, at his age. He knows he has nothing to fear with you, and that your condition is just a part of you. He's a good boy and he doesn't see you any differently."

Remus nodded faintly and Tonks took his hand, squeezing it gently. She wished so badly to take back what Hope had done and said. She wished Remus had tried a different approach to get her out of the cellar, but it was no use to say that. Remus was berating himself and all Tonks could do was hold him and reassure him that this was where he belonged, in their home and with their family.

…

Weeks went by and Hope mostly forgot the incident with Moony. She had other things to keep her busy: with her new baby sister and brother on their way, her parents decided not to have their big wedding party. Instead they had a family party for her birthday, like last year, but this time it wasn't just Hope that got presents. Everybody brought something for the new babies and her parents. It wasn't as if it was their birthday, but as Hope got a new kid-sized Quidditch set for her sixth birthday, which included a real Golden Snitch, she couldn't complain too much.

The house got bigger, just like mummy. Teddy offered to share his bedroom with their new brother, and Hope, with their new sister, but their parents had other plans. Two new bedrooms were added above Hope and Teddy's rooms, just like the Burrow, but these rooms were brighter and not so lopsided. Hope got a new room up there, along with Teddy, and each had big windows.

The rooms were built by Uncle Bill, Uncle George, Uncle Ron, and Wally. Denys had a grownup job at the Ministry so he couldn't come as often as before, but Hope never minded because Wally was her favorite Wakefield brother. They even got a bigger kitchen that summer. Hope didn't know why babies needed a bigger kitchen when they were so small. The cupboards got rearranged and she didn't know where any of the grownup potions were anymore, even though she was told never to drink them. She knew she had too much of the blue potion that one night but sometimes she wanted more so she wouldn't be sleepy and could fly longer.

September came by all too quickly. Wally had to go back to school, and while Hope was sorry to see him go, for he always played Quidditch with her when she asked, later that night the Lupins got a special announcement from the Potters and Granger-Weasleys. Both Auntie Ginny and Auntie Hermione were expecting again, and with the prospect of even more babies to play with in the spring, Hope had plenty to look forward to.