Chapter Two
A few months later…
"Has the child in question shown any tendency toward being a werewolf, Mr. Lupin? I'm assuming you'd know the signs."
Remus looked up into the face of the Interrogator, a cold-eyed man named Thracken, who sat in the center of the towering bench. Beyond him in the dimly lit courtroom sat other grim figures staring down at him with unsmiling faces. One of those who sat back in the shadows was Dolores Umbridge, and Remus' heart sank a bit lower as he glimpsed a smirk of satisfaction on her wide mouth. Her star had fallen somewhat with the change over at the Ministry, but people like her, those who merely let themselves be swept along by whoever was in power, always seemed to land on their feet.
The government of the wizarding world was still very much in flux so soon after the battle at Hogwarts. Flushing evil out of all the places it had crawled into and entrenched itself during the rule of Voldemort was taking time…a lot of time. The Dark Lord himself might be gone, but not all of his followers and sympathizers were easy to spot or get rid of. And those whose actions paled when compared to his egregious abuses tended not to be much of a priority at the moment.
An honest but weak wizard had been placed in charge of the Ministry of Magic until affairs were more in order and a new Minister could be fairly chosen by the war weary populace. Change, even much needed change, was slow to happen. Eventually the bad apples would be forced out, and honorable and reasonable people would step in and take over, but it wouldn't happen fast enough to help him now. And even if it did, honorable and reasonable people were also afraid of werewolves.
Remus shifted in his chair. He had a feeling that many on the bench in front of him wished that its traditional chains were in evidence.
"Yes, sir. I do know the signs, and no, Teddy has shown none of them. He's lived through several full moons by now with no effect whatsoever."
A tall witch sitting beside Thracken peered over her spectacles at him. "You don't know this from your own personal observation though, do you?"
"No. For obvious reasons, I wasn't present at any of those times. I've been repeatedly told by those who were watching him that he was fine, however. I have no reason to doubt their word."
"If we reaffirm your parental status and grant you custody of the child despite the challenge of your mother-in-law, you will have to rely on many such sitters, will you not?" said Thracken.
"Yes," Remus said shortly. There was no point in arguing. It was a fact that he would not be able to be with Teddy during the full moon. No one, least of all himself, would want him to be. "I have no shortage of highly capable people who are willing to stay with Teddy during this time, including his grandmother."
He glanced over at Andromeda who sat in a similar chair in the otherwise empty room and stared stonily back having already given her evidence, which had consisted mostly of a long litany of what she saw as his shortcomings and a glowing description of the happy home she would give to the offspring of her much mourned, only child.
"Oh," said Thracken, glancing down at the papers in front of him and back up again. "Then you don't propose to keep the child from his grandmother?"
"Of course not, she's his grandmother. I wouldn't deny her access to him. She's the one who wishes to keep me from my own child."
"Ah, well, I'm sure she simply feels the need to protect him." Interrogator Thracken nodded amiably to Andromeda who smiled back.
"Protect him!" Remus exclaimed angrily. He was getting very tired of the constant implication that he was a danger to his son simply because he existed.
"Surely you don't deny that werewolves are dangerous, Mr. Lupin." Umbridge's little girl voice came suddenly out of the shadows of the bench.
"Only during the full moon, and only then if they do not take the Wolfsbane potion," Remus said.
"Because that potion allows you to suppress your violent, animalistic tendencies?" she asked.
"Because it allows a werewolf to keep his mental faculties intact during the transformation," Remus stated plainly.
"Do you deny having animalistic tendencies?" Umbridge's voice took on a note of studied surprise.
"Yes, of course, I deny it. I am not an animal," said Remus indignantly. "Just because…"
Umbridge cut him off. "Of course you are an animal. The Ministry has long decreed that werewolves are to be classed under the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. You are required to be registered as a danger to wizarding society. This is a governmental fact.
"You have fur and claws and sharp teeth, and you prowl around on four legs instead of two every month. That most certainly makes you an animal. I don't think there is any point in arguing that fact. No one here would give your denials any credence, I can assure you."
Remus could feel himself going colder and colder with every word she spoke.
Thracken took up the questions again as soon as Umbridge fell silent. "You mentioned the Wolfsbane potion. Do you currently take it, Mr. Lupin? I was under the impression that your access to the potion has been cutoff for some time."
"I've recently found an apothecary who's willing to brew the potion for me."
"It's an expensive potion. It's my understanding that you are currently unemployed. How will you be able to afford this potion every month?"
"I'll manage. I've been seeking a job in Muggle London and have a couple of excellent prospects."
"Ah…" Thracken appeared unimpressed at the idea of Remus working in Muggle society. "If you do gain employment, how will you find the time to care for your son? He is still an infant and cannot be left alone."
"Of course he can't be left alone, and I have no intention of doing so. I have plenty of offers of help from friends."
"I see. So once again, you will hand the child off into the care of another. And where will you live? You're currently living in someone else's house because you cannot afford a place of your own, is that correct?"
Remus shot a glance at Andromeda and the smirk she tossed back was filled with malice.
"Yes, the house I'm currently living in belongs to a friend of mine."
"Hmmm…it appears that if we grant custody to you, we will actually be putting your son into the care of these apparently numerous friends of yours who are currently supplying you with money, a home, and child care. Yet we have no assurances of how long their largesse will last. What happens if your friends are too busy to sit, or if they decide they have another use for their home, or if your excellent prospects do not result in a job? What will you do then?"
The Interrogator shook his head sadly, not giving Remus any chance to actually answer him. "You may have an excellent war record, but your current lifestyle is far less enviable, I'm afraid, and past glories do not always count for much in the real world. The home you propose to offer the child sounds more like a house of cards to me. It's certainly not the secure and well ordered home that Mrs. Tonks is offering, is it?
"A young child needs stability in his life. He needs a secure and loving home where he will be safe at all times with a caregiver he can depend on, someone who will be there whenever the child has need of her…or him…not simply when he can find the time amidst other obligations. Thank you, Mr. Lupin. I think we have all the information we need to render a verdict in this case."
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Werewolf Hero Loses Custody of Son to Former Mother-In-Law
The headline was spread across the top of the front page of the Daily Prophet in bold script above a picture of Remus Lupin, face pale and gaunt, striding through the corridors of the Ministry of Magic while reporters swarmed behind him and shouted inane questions at his rapidly retreating back.
Severus raced through the accompanying article as quickly as he could, while trying not to miss even the tiniest detail. His expression grew grimmer with each paragraph he read until he finished the story and threw the paper down on his breakfast table in disgust. Picking up his teacup, he retreated to the kitchen window and stared out through the green foliage at the patch of blue sky and even bluer ocean just visible in the distance. His cup rattled sharply against its saucer as he grasped the handle and raised it to his lips. Usually the smooth warmth of a cup of tea would calm his annoyance and soothe his aggravation, but he had a feeling that nothing would be strong enough to work that magic today.
Damn the Blacks! Damn every last one of them living and dead! Andromeda might not harbor the deep belief in the superiority of purebloods that most of the rest of her family had, but she was every bit as selfish, hardhearted and arrogant. The Blacks always had the utmost contempt for those who got in their way. Remus was just the latest in a long line of people to be ground to bits under the Black heel.
Apparently Remus, too noble for his own good as usual, didn't even trade on his famous connections, no doubt naively believing that because he was the boy's father, he had the stronger claim. Ha! His paternity was nothing more than an inconsequential and inconvenient fact, easily swept away in the face of the Black name and the lurking, societal prejudice against werewolves. The so-called custody hearing probably didn't even last five minutes. Remus never had a chance.
Swallowing the last of his tea, Severus turned around and gazed once more at Remus' pained face staring at him out of the newspaper page. Why the hell did he do it anyway? Of all the people he could have chosen to marry, why in the world did he pick a Black? Especially once he'd spent some time living in the Black family mausoleum and got a really good look at what lay festering beneath the family surface. Didn't that tell him anything?
Was love truly so blind? Had he really loved Tonks that much? He must have. What other explanation could there be for his actions? A stab of confusion mixed with feelings of pain and doubt. Yet if that was true, then why did his kiss revive the man? Why weren't Mr. and Mrs. Remus Lupin sharing matching headstones in some quaint little churchyard right this very minute?
With an abrupt gesture, Severus reached out, snatched the newspaper from the table and, crushing it in his hand, tossed it into the rubbish bin. Then he set his cup and saucer down on the drain board, picked up his bag and practically threw himself out the cottage door, slamming it loudly behind him.
He didn't want to think about it anymore. It didn't matter! None of it mattered. Remus Lupin was nothing more than a mistake of his past. Whatever troubles the man had now, he had only himself to blame for them, and he would have to deal with them alone. Nothing that Remus did was his concern any longer. Not now and, most likely, not ever again. Thoroughly annoyed at his preoccupation with someone he needed to forget, Severus strode off down the path at a rapid pace intending to throw himself into his work.