Chapter Eighteen

"That tramp! That half-breed fucking tramp!" Umbridge's howls of indignation could be heard halfway down the hall.

"See, the thing is, the Aurors get a bit tetchy when you call one of their own – what was it – a half-breed fucking tramp," Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, pointed out. "Or when you try to void one of their marriages, for that matter." She looked as serious and sage as she could manage, though secretly she was delighted that Umbridge had dropped herself so thick into it.

She couldn't just fume to a few sycophants that Lupin and Tonks had married secretly and gotten pregnant quickly so the Ministry couldn't do anything about it, she had to try and force through retrospective legislation against cross-breed marriages, only to have it over turned anyway. Since children being born – and preferably conceived – in wedlock was so sacrilege within Britain's wizarding community, whatever bad feeling there was against them for marrying and conceiving in such secrecy was reversed and then some by Umbridge's vindictive attempts to have the union overturned, despite the rock-solid rule that regardless of the means the marriage was obtained by, it was considered legitimate in light of a pregnancy. Plenty of people disapproved of a cross-breed marriage, disapproved of the secrecy, but no-one but Umbridge was denying their right to stay married in light of their pregnancy.

So she had resorted to calling Tonks names at a Ministry function. 'Half-breed fucking tramp' was the most memorable. Unfortunately, she had chosen to say it within earshot of a group of Tonks's colleagues, including Kingsley Shaklebolt. She was considered lucky that Lupin hadn't heard about it until after they were home, or Umbridge may not have lived to complain to Amelia Bones about it.

As it was, she was complaining because the Aurors had gone on strike. Well, not strike exactly, but they were doing an awful lot of nothing and taking their sweet time doing it. So far no-one had died, though there had been a lot of near-misses (no-one but them knew that those near-misses were artfully executed to put the fear of Merlin into the Ministry without actually racking up any casualties) and Umbridge couldn't find another Auror to be her bodyguard for love or Galleons. Word was getting out that they felt if they were going to work for a bigoted, judgemental Ministry, they may as well stop risking their lives to protect the Ministry from Voldemort.

And it had all started because Umbridge couldn't let go of the perceived slights the Lupins had inflicted on her.

"I need a bodyguard," Umbridge whined.

"Dumbledore didn't," Amelia Bones pointed out. "And from the way you said it, he was hugely unpopular. I would have thought you'd have far less to worry about."

Umbridge fumed, remembering how amused everyone had been by Tonks's abrupt and public exit, the way they had all approved of her very public display of affection with that werewolf – they had practically been going at it in the Great Hall. She fumed to remember how she had been led to believe Tonks had made a good match with Severus Snape, when in reality she was leaving the school every weekend to have her brains screwed out by a werewolf. A werewolf she had married, and gotten pregnant by, to the complete ignorance of the Ministry.

Why couldn't Amelia Bones see what a mockery they were making of the Ministry?

"He's always had a malign influence on her," Umbridge insisted. "He was taking advantage of her when she was thirteen. He's using her position to undermine the Ministry. Just look at what he's done to the Aurors."

"I have several witnesses to their relationship saying it didn't become sexual, or even romantic, until after she turned seventeen. You might find that distasteful, Dolores, but it isn't illegal, and until you find proof to the contrary I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself unless you want to be on the end of a slander complaint. As to undermining the Ministry – he's actually been very helpful, His knowledge of the Dark Arts is phenomenal."

"It's illegal for half-breeds to be employed by the Ministry!" Umbridge said indignantly.

"I'm well aware of that, Dolores," Bones said calmly, her tone telling Umbridge that she very much regretted that. "He picks her up every day and offers his ideas if she's held up. And as for the Aurors – they're a very clannish bunch. He didn't have to say a word after you said the things you did about Nymphodora. What on earth possessed you to think something like that around them, let alone say it? Did you really think any of them would be willing to work for you after that?"

"It's revolting, them being together," Umbridge said primly.

"I suggest you don't think about it, then," Bones said dryly. It seemed the loudest opponents of the marriage were those who spent far too much time thinking about the two being intimate.

"But – this baby – it's not natural," she protested.

"Not that it's any of anyone's business, but they've assured me they've taken precautions. It turns out Lily Evans was doing some amazing work about suppressing the wolf side. It's a shame she didn't live to further her work, who knows where we might be with Wolfsbane today if we had someone of her calibre working on it?"

"Like – like contraception?" Umbridge blustered. "But – but that's a class-two restriction!" Because the wizarding population was minute compared to the muggle one, they frowned upon contraception. While it wasn't outright illegal, there were laws against Ministry funding being used for research, or even advertising being allowed.

Bones peered at Umbridge over her glasses. "It seems to me," she said slowly. "You're not happy either way. You don't like her being pregnant because it's not natural, and you don't like them using contraception because it goes against magical beliefs. I know you don't want to hear this, Dolores, but being a werewolf doesn't automatically make him a monster."

Umbridge knew when she had reached the end of Bones's patience. "Fine," she said. "What are we going to do about my bodyguard?"

Cornelius Fudge was furious. His Aurors were still on strike – or not-strike – and Umbridge wasn't helping, mouthing off against Nymphodora Lupin at every opportunity she got. She really had a vicious, vindictive side. She got things done, that was true enough, but she also spent a lot of energy getting revenge on those she felt had crossed her. And what had the Lupins done exactly? Not much, except marry without Ministry approval, and couples did that all the time when they felt their licence would be denied – because the age gap was considered inappropriate, because of parental disapproval, or, like Tonks and Lupin, because of being a half-breed. The Ministry hardly approved of such tactics, but it was something they had been turning a blind eye to for as long as anyone could remember. And Umbridge would have done well to turn a blind eye as well. But she couldn't forgive the loss of her best bodyguard to marry a werewolf, or the fact they had announced it so publicly and the entire student body – well, not the Slytherines – had loved seeing her humiliated so.

And now the Lupins were making noises about a slander complaint. Lupin had nothing to lose, people had been saying for two years that his relationship with Tonks ought to have been illegal – Umbridge was just the first to say outright that it had been, and say it so loudly. He had nothing to lose, and worse, he was starting to get public sympathy. People were starting to say that if they could win the approval of both her mother and the ex-boyfriend she'd left for Lupin, both people known for their sound judgement, then there had to be some kind of solid foundation there. And he was starting to grow on several Ministry officials for the way he could always offer an opinion, or give a vital piece of information and never complained that any help he gave the Ministry had to be in an unofficial capacity because they couldn't employ him, thanks to Umbridge's legislation. There were already a few grumbles about the fact they would much rather have Lupin in their employ than Umbridge. No surprises there; all the Hogwarts students except for the Slytherines had been saying that all year.

Yes, they were in a right mess. The Aurors wouldn't take abuse against one of their own lying down, the Ministry would be dragged through the mud if the Lupins decided to file an official complaint against Umbridge, and Lupin was proving to be far more popular than Umbridge and make people question the fairness of having a blanket ban on non-human races. After all, they were saying, didn't Voldemort prove that being pure-blood didn't automatically make you a good person?

So here he was, trying to negotiate with the Aurors to stop these artful campaigns of near-misses that they were employing. (He had a feeling they were doing it intentionally, as no-one had died, but it was hard to tell the Ministry or public this.) He'd brought Umbridge and Percy Weasley with him, and was hoping the Aurors would have sent Kingsley Shaklebolt, who he had always found to be a reasonable man.

No such luck. An obviously pregnant Nymphodora Lupin came swanning in, actually managing to look more graceful than she did not pregnant. And her mother followed. Fudge gritted his teeth. He had never liked dealing with the Blacks – well, maybe Narcissa, because she was such a pushover, but Bellatrix and Andromeda had always been brutal when pursuing what they wanted. People had always assumed Andromeda was the weaker of the two older Black sisters, which wasn't true; she was simply the fairer, but could be no less determined when she wanted something.

And now she wanted a fair deal for her daughter and son-in-law. Actually, that was what she had wanted three months ago, and Umbridge had gone out of her way to belittle and humiliate them. Now she wanted blood.

Umbridge glowered when she saw Tonks, all the more so because she was radiating. Marriage and pregnancy suited her. "Mrs. Lupin," she said with barely-restrained hostility. "You're not here with your husband, I see."

"Cut the crap, Delores, you know perfectly well it's a full moon," Tonks said cheerfully. She saw no reason to lie about where her husband was; anyone with any intelligence knew anyway. They had agreed that there was no point in sugar-coating the truth; the best chance they had at legitimacy and respectability was to live as openly and honestly as anyone else was entitled to. She smiled winningly at Fudge. "Now, I believe we're here to discuss what you feel is our sub-standard work," she said cheerfully to Fudge.

"I was hoping I might liaise with someone more... senior," Fudge said stiffly.

Tonks smiled even more winningly. "Yeah, and I'd hoped my marriage would be respected. We don't always get what we want. Do we, dear?" she asked Umbridge sweetly. Everyone knew that Umbridge had wanted Dumbledore's position from the get-go; now she had it, and a student and staff body that had turned revolution into a quicksilver artform – she could never pin anyone down.

"What do you want?" Fudge asked gruffly.

"OK, first, I want my cousin's – well, mum's cousin, really – conviction quashed, and fifteen years back pay. We won't even make you admit you screwed up, just say new evidence has been found."

"You've got to be joking!" Fudge ejaculated. Of course, by this point, he, like the rest of the Ministry, knew that Sirius Black was innocent, but how could they come out and say they had made a mistake like that?

"And we want that nasty bit of werewolf legislation repealed," Tonks continued, as if Fudge hadn't turned down her first request.

Umbridge flared at that. "Over my dead body!" she said. It had taken a lot of secrecy and back-room dealing to get that piece of legislation passed; though many were scared of werewolves, goblins and other semi-human breeds, they mostly understood that blanket bans couldn't be applied to them. Remus Lupin was a prime example of how good people who had a lot to offer the wizarding world were caught up in a blanket ban. Umbridge had known it, and had gone about it secretly before the wrong people worked out what she was doing and put a stop to it – it was so much easier to stop a bit of legislation than repeal it. But if it was repealed, then she had no chance of getting it through again.

Tonks shrugged as if it were no big deal that a law that was so detrimental to her husband was to be kept in place. "Thirdly, my husband wants his job back. Oh, and we want Dumbledore to be reinstated as well."

"Those are my jobs!" Umbridge squawked indignantly. "What would you have me do then?"

Tonks shrugged. "You know what, dear? I really don't give a shit so long as you stay far away from me, and you don't piss me off!"

"Mrs. Lupin, you must understand how unreasonable your requests are," Fudge said.

"Really? I don't think it's all that unreasonable to ask for the return of who are considered to be the best Headmaster and best Defence Against the Dark Arts professors in this school's living memory," Tonks said coolly. "Or for my cousin to have his name cleared after spending twelve years in that hell-hole you call a prison. Or for my husband not to be persecuted for something that was never his fault and in no way affects his ability as a teacher or his compassion as a human being," she said, stressing the last two words with intentional irony.

"And what do you suggest I say to all the parents who express their concern at having their children being taught by a werewolf?" Fudge asked.

"Cornelius! You can't be seriously suggesting that you – replace me – with that – animal," Umbridge said indignantly.

Tonks ignored Umbridge and flashed Fudge a winning smile. "It's my understanding that werewolf marks are near-impossible to remove?" she asked. "In fact, I believe there's no known magic, Dark or otherwise, that can do it, that not even someone with my abilities could hit marks like that?" Fudge nodded, having a sinking feeling as to where this was going – and knowing that he couldn't fault her logic. Tonks pulled out of her bag a folder of reports from St. Mungo's. "Three separate physicals from three independent Healers," she said triumphantly. "I don't have a scratch on me." At least, not the kind of scratches that couldn't be healed – and anyway, Lupin had been gentle, almost unnaturally so, ever since he had found out about her pregnancy. "So you can just go and explain to any ignorant, bigoted person that if that big bad werewolf isn't a danger to the woman who shares his bed twenty-five out of twenty-eight nights, then he sure as Merlin isn't a danger to his students."

Fudge gave the documents a brief glance. She had gone to the most highly respected, uncorrupted Healers at St. Mungos. Umbridge had inflicted more hurt on her students in her lust for discipline then Lupin ever had. And the fact Tonks had presented a strong argument infuriated Fudge even more than if she'd come to him as a hysterical, unreasonable wife. "You're still asking the impossible."

Tonks shrugged. "Suit yourself,' she said, standing up, confident that it wouldn't be long before Fudge changed his mind. Hell, what with the curse that was on the DADA position, it wouldn't take longer than the end of the school year for something to happen to Umbridge. They had it all worked out; the solution was so simple that the entire Order was kicking themselves for not thinking of it. Hopefully starting from the next school year, Snape and Lupin would be sharing the two positions, rotating every year. As far as they could tell, Voldemort's curse on the DADA position only applied to holding the position for consecutive years; for two professors to rotate and teach it every other year looked like the perfect solution. "You know where to reach me if you change your mind."

"Merlin, I wish I'd been there," Lupin said wistfully when Tonks told him what had happened.

"It was almost as good as when we told her we were married. And pregnant," she informed him. "Honestly, that woman is stupid," she said. "If she'd just kept her trap shut about us, she would have had public sympathy on her side."

"The most vindictive are often lacking in intelligence, love," Lupin reminded her.

She giggled at that. "I know! I think she knows she's nowhere near as good as you or Dumbledore – if she was, she wouldn't give a crap about you. And I bet she's totally jealous. No-one's ever gonna want to marry her."

In concurrence, Lupin slid his hands down her front to rest on her swollen body. She leaned her head back against his chest and he kissed the top of her head. It was amazing, really, how gentle and restrained he was with her, even at this time of the month. Especially at this time of the month. She remembered, a little wistfully, how aggressive he could be when his animal side was closest to the surface. He wouldn't dream of giving into his desire for her and possibly being too rough with her. "It's funny," she mused. "They were so convinced that you were capable of hurting your students – though I think Fudge grasped that if you've never hurt your wife, you're not likely to hurt any of your students. I was longing to inform them that you won't sleep with me anywhere near the full moon in case you're too rough – God, I would have loved to have seen the look on Umbridge's face, bet she hasn't gotten laid in decades."

"I'm surprised you didn't," Lupin said with a grin, remembering how much Tonks loved to talk about sex as much as her colleagues in same-breed marriages were. And the thing was she actually seemed to be making some headway, with her peers more grossed out by the fact she shared a bed with a man thirteen years her senior than the fact she shared her bed with a werewolf. "You're amazing, you know," he said, kissing the top of her head again. "You're a one-woman equal rights campaign. My life is so much better for having you in it."

She arched her neck so she was looking up at him, her eyes sparkling. "Sorry you waited so long to make an honest woman of me?" she teased.

"Very," he said, lowering his mouth to kiss her.

The Ministry caved a month later after it became apparent that Umbridge had no respect from her students or staff, and therefore, no control of the school. Dumbledore returned with a hero's welcome. Two weeks after that, the anti-werewolf legislation was appealed and Lupin returned to Hogwarts with almost as warm a welcome from everyone barring the Slytherin students. Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, already furious that there was nothing they could do to redirect the Black inheritance away from the Lupins, pulled Draco out of Hogwarts and put him into the Durmstrang Institute, which was no great loss to anyone but Crabbe and Goyle, who suddenly found themselves as brawn without brain.

Sirius, completely vindicated by the Ministry, had all his possessions returned – including the half of the family fortune that had been passed onto his cousin Narcissa. He declined to accept the other half from Andromeda, even though it was rightfully his. After all, how much money did a man need? And besides, it was well worth it in terms of the hours of amusement he and Andromeda got out of it. Narcissa Malfoy, forced to hand back half a fortune to a cousin whose principles she detested – and knowing that the other half would trickle down to her half-blood niece and her half-breed husband and whatever part-muggle and part-werewolf kinds they might have.

Theodore 'Teddy' Lupin was born in November of 1996, ten months after the marriage of his parents, and named after his grandfather. They were a popular couple, apart from the odd bigot that would never accept Lupin as part of their society, and students got used to having her spending time at Hogwarts when she had a day off or a pregnancy was too advanced to work. They had made a choice to live openly and honestly as husband and wife, and as the days, months and years went by, the approach worked and Lupin became as much a part of Hogwarts as Tonks was part of the Ministry of Magic.