A/N: Some of the events of this chapter correspond to the epilogue/last chapter of Collide. If you've read Collide, the 'prequel' to this work, you'll notice I made a few small changes from one work to the next, but nothing that changes the plot too much. Enjoy!
...
A bushy head of hair was in Tonks's periphery. Looking up, she was unsurprised to see Hermione at the threshold to the office.
"Wotcher, Hermione. I've been waiting for you."
Hermione sat and dropped two thick rolls of parchment on Tonks's desk, each resembling a small troll's leg.
"Is that all?" said Tonks, snorting at the huge documents.
"There's one more, but it's not ready."
Hermione had dark circles under her eyes, but they were bright and joyful. Tonks had made a bet with Harry that Hermione would be the next Minister of Magic, while Harry had the cheek to suggest it would be Tonks.
"When are you taking over, again?"
"First of March, Ron's birthday," Hermione said proudly. "He's not put out at all."
"Good man," Tonks approved. "Not that he could've chosen when his wife was to be named the new Head of the DRCMC."
Hermione beamed and sat down across from Tonks. She opened the first giant scroll and the two began the arduous process of reconfiguring the DMLE and DRCMC. Most of the DRCMC had been absorbed into the DMLE, but with Hermione as the soon-to-be-Head of one and Tonks as the Head of the other, they decided it was time for the DRCMC to regain responsible organization of magical creatures, including humane and dignified means of punishing them when they made missteps.
The DMLE would still handle criminal cases involving werewolves, vampires, and other human-creatures, but only the worst cases. The DRCMC would take a larger role in presiding over creature rights and welfare. Tonks trusted Hermione whole-heartedly to oversee the process, and she couldn't wait to hand the reins over.
Remus was right all those months ago: Tonks was hurting herself by overworking, and while some of it was unnecessary, with the inclusion of the DRCMC responsibilities, it was too much. Tonks made the decision to hand those responsibilities back to the DRCMC, in addition to restructuring the DMLE to have more junior leaders.
As they spoke, Tonks noticed how often Hermione yawned. She and Ron had two young children; Rosie would be three soon, and Hugo, one. Not that Tonks was any more energized: the twins started walking a month ago and terrorized every corner of the house.
"Hermione, are you getting enough rest?"
"Huh?"
Tonks put a marker in their spot and tapped the parchment, rolling it back up.
"Let's take a break," said Tonks. "Tea and biscuits?"
Tonks had a kettle and several tins of biscuits in her office cupboard. Her tea was never as good as Remus's, but she thought she'd improved enough to make tea for someone else. Hermione took the mug gratefully and sat back in the chair with a sigh.
"Do you remember, years back, you thought of a witches' commission or something like that?" Tonks took a sip of her surprisingly good tea.
Hermione grimaced. "It was silly of me. You and Remus were going through that attempted murder—"
"—which one?" Tonks laughed darkly. Hermione huffed, unamused, but Tonks sobered. "What were your thoughts? Making the Ministry more family friendly?"
"The magical world's better than the Muggle one for these things," Hermione murmured. "There are more witches at the top, but they've rarely got kids. The witches with children are usually . . ."
"In lower-level positions," Tonks finished. "I know. Even in the Auror office, it's always been like that. Before me, the last female Auror to have a kid was Alice Longbottom. Our lower-level workers have it easier. Part of that's the nature of the job, but it's a trend, isn't it?"
Hermione nodded, her hair bobbing violently with each move.
"McGonagall's figured it out. The student population is increasing so she's hiring two professors per subject. Lots of the newer professors have got families."
"Do you think—" Hermione set her cup down and tapped her wand on her head, bringing her messy, frizzy hair up into a loose bun. "—that the Ministry got used to there being fewer kids with our generation?"
"It could be?" Tonks shrugged. Her eyes flickered to the rolled-up parchments. "Listen, we've got a few weeks before you become the new Head. If it's not all done by the first, it's not all done. What we've got so far will reduce my workload in time for my own husband's birthday."
Tonks grinned widely as Hermione blushed. Remus might be turning 49, thought Tonks, but he was as shaggable as ever and she intended to make the most of their mini holiday for his birthday.
Hermione agreed to slow down their restructuring efforts, and appeared willing to consider Tonks's advice to spread the workload across her department.
It was past usual work hours when Tonks came home. Remus was already there with dinner on the table and four children ready to eat. The twins were strapped into baby seats on chairs, Hope and Teddy were arguing over something trivial, and Remus wore a handsome smile.
Tonks could never get enough of her husband. She kissed him soundly while their older children made exaggerated gagging noises, but she didn't care. Remus's pupils were wide when she let him go and she managed to wink at him, as a promise for what was to come later, before sitting down to dinner with her family.
Remus joined them, and after taking a few bites, said, "Wally accepted the offer from the States."
"He did?" Tonks smiled brightly. Wally deserved the opportunity.
"He did?" Hope said simultaneously, crestfallen. "But that means he's going away!"
"He'll be back every once in a while." Remus patted her curly head to soothe her. "This is very good for him. When he comes back, he'll be a Healer."
"But what if he doesn't come back? What if he likes it better over there?"
"This is where his family is, darling," said Tonks. "If he likes it there, you want him to be happy, don't you?"
"Can we visit him?" asked Teddy, looking between Tonks and Remus. "Please?"
"We might be able to, son," replied Remus. "The Portkeys are pricey. Remember you'll still have owls and you can write to each other."
Hope crossed her arms and pouted.
"How do you think Moira, Aven, and Denys feel?" Tonks brushed a curl away from Hope's disappointed face. "You and Aven can write him letters together. How about that?"
Hope hmphed but went back to eating.
"Can I get an owl when I go to Hogwarts?"
Tonks considered her son's request. "You don't want to bring your cat?"
"Not if I can write to Wally whenever I want." Teddy was almost shy as he added, "I want to be a Healer too."
"My dad, your granddad, was a Healer." Tonks looked at her boy fondly. While so like Remus, sometimes his features shifted and he reminded her of her father.
"I know. I'm going to make a cure for dad."
Remus choked on his next bite.
"T-Teddy," Remus said, putting a fist on his chest, pounding it lightly, "—you don't have to do that."
"I want to and I'm gonna do it. You'll see, Dad." Teddy smiled at him and Tonks saw the corners of Remus's eyes fill with unshed tears.
"What about you, Hope?" Tonks said, turning to her daughter, giving father and son a moment together. "What will you be when you grow up?"
"A Quidditch player," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm going to play for the Holyhead Harpies like Auntie Ginny."
"How about the twins? What should they do?"
Hope scrutinized her younger siblings. Alex was eating Owl-O's one at a time and enjoying himself, if his messy face had anything to say. Minnie's hair was dusty shade of lavender and she munched on cooled chunks of potato.
"Alex'll be a professor like dad," Hope said. "Minnie's going to be . . . a fancy lady."
"A fancy lady?" Remus was back in the conversation, though his glistening eyes showed just how touched he'd been by Teddy's career goals. "Whatever does that mean?"
"She'll be like Auntie Astoria but she'll have purple hair and wear fancy dresses." Hope gazed at her sister and seemed pleased by her assessment. "But we'll be best friends."
Tonks fought against squashing Hope's dream for her sister: though Astoria Malfoy was unexpectedly kind and fair, she didn't want any of her children to be married to someone like Draco Malfoy.
As if he knew what was on her mind, Remus switched the conversation to ask what Teddy and Hope had learned from Andromeda that morning.
The Malfoys were still a touchy subject in their home. Tonks begrudgingly admitted that Draco left a decent impression, but she hated that someone like him, who had supported the cause that ended the lives of so many people, could be rewarded with a job at Hogwarts. She hated to think that children would come to his classroom, knowing about what he did, and think that similar behavior would go unpunished.
Undoubtedly Draco was a special case. He was the reason that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Ollivander could escape from Malfoy Manor through Dobby. Tonks didn't feel that this one action was good enough to undo his other sins, but as Harry supported McGonagall, Sprout, and Remus in their decision to hire Draco, Tonks didn't have much to say.
As far as the law was concerned, Draco Malfoy was free and clear to take any employment he chose. It didn't mean Tonks, or others, like the Weasleys, were happy about it.
She let those thoughts go as Remus cleaned up after dinner. The kids needed to be tucked into their beds and she still desired her husband's touch before they went to sleep. There was no disagreement that was more important than her marriage and family, so Tonks set her frustrations aside in favor of more pleasurable pursuits.
…
Springtime had finally arrived and with it came Teddy's eleventh birthday. He received his Hogwarts letter, which made Hope terribly jealous, but the letter came from none other than her father, the new Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts.
It was all they could talk about when Gran took them to Diagon Alley to get Teddy his birthday presents.
"Gran, does this mean we can break the rules?" asked Hope, when they sat down at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch.
"It's quite the opposite, my dear," Gran replied, setting Alex and Minnie up into their baby chairs. "You'll be expected to behave. If anything, I would think your father would be harder on you, since you know better."
"Oh."
Hope slouched into the booth and sighed. When Gran charmed the baby straps securely, she put Teddy and Hope in charge of watching the twins so she could get lunch.
"What's the point of having Dad in charge if we can't have fun?" Hope complained.
"Gran's right," Teddy said, making Hope scowl. "Dad's still a werewolf. Not everybody likes werewolves."
"I know, but—"
"—no, Hope. If we get Dad into trouble he could lose his job. You can't do anything stupid when you go to school."
"No one's going to sack Dad because of us," Hope said defiantly.
"He's been sacked before, loads of times." Teddy leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. "You don't know what it's like for him, okay? I remember the toy store from when I was little. You've got to be good, okay?"
"Since when do you know everything?" Hope crossed her arms over her chest and glared.
Teddy glared right back, his hair flaring red. "I'm the oldest and I know more than you."
"So what?" Hope argued back. "That doesn't make you the king of anything."
"Mum and Dad told me I'm responsible for you three," Teddy said smugly. "I'm older than you and I came first. I know loads of things you don't."
"Like what?"
"Wouldn't you like to know." Teddy stuck his tongue out. "Besides, it's mybirthday."
"You're being a stupid knob—"
"Hope Andromeda Lupin," Gran scolded. "What gives you the right to use that language?"
"But Teddy's being—"
"It's Teddy's birthday, not yours. Now behave yourself. I don't want to hear another naughty word out of your mouth."
She set down plates of food as Teddy smirked victoriously. Hope wanted to hit him, but she couldn't do it here at the Leaky Cauldron, and definitely not in front of Gran.
Hope's anger calmed as they ate. She hated when Teddy used being the oldest as the reason he was right and she was wrong. She and Teddy had to be civil, however, as Gran told them that if they misbehaved, Hope and the twins would go back home to stay under the house elves' careful watch, while Teddy would stay out in Diagon Alley for his birthday.
They finished their lunch and Teddy wanted to go to the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts. Hope eyed Quality Quidditch Supplies longingly, but Gran was already snappish after the lunch argument and the twins' attempts to run down to Knockturn Alley. To the bookstore they went, and Gran was prepared to be generous: Teddy could get twelve new books, one for each birthday plus an extra for luck, Hope could get seven, and the twins would get one each.
Teddy and Hope were permitted to browse together while Gran stayed in the children's section to keep the twins in one place. Teddy dragged Hope up to the history section, which was dull, but it was close to the section on beasts, which proved to be more interesting.
Hope crouched down, tracing the spines with her fingers, past copies of books she'd already seen. One shiny, pink spine caught her eye, and while Teddy sat down with a growing pile of books, she took it off the shelf.
"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Werewolves," Hope murmured. The author was stated to be someone called D.J. Umbridge. Hope sat on the floor and opened to a random page, which had a diagram of a werewolf. Its big eyes and sharp, bloody teeth looked back at her, making her shiver. She turned the page, which thankfully only had words.
Sharp teeth. Shaper claws. Fur, violence, and bloodthirsty jaws.
This is the werewolf in its base form. It is a Dark creature who seeks to destroy whatever it touches. The werewolf is a danger to society and wizardkind. Even when not transformed, a werewolf's nails can leave cursed scars on those they touch. Their teeth, which appear human, are infected. Even touching a werewolf is a risk. The closer a witch or wizard is to a werewolf, the likelier he or she is to touch a nail or tooth and suffer the same unfortunate curse.
Werewolves lose their souls when they are bitten. Only human beings can have souls (everyone should know this of course!). A werewolf is no longer a human being when they become a wolf. They are soulless beasts, Dark and cunning, and try to pretend they belong in our world. They are clever liars and can fool even the most intelligent witch or wizard. Make no mistake, reader: a werewolf can never change his nature. He is, by definition, an evil, soulless creature.
Humans who lose their souls do not belong. They cannot be trusted and must be destroyed.
Hope shut the book and stuffed it back on the shelf, breathing hard. She thought of her father, who just that morning had been so happy and smiley about the news of becoming Deputy Headmaster. She thought of her mother, who kissed him and was close to his teeth. She thought of the twins, of herself, and Teddy, who held their father's hand when they went places.
She thought especially about her and her father's souls, and even Denys and Wally's. If the book was correct, and only humans could have souls, perhaps her father didn't have one. Hope knew she was like him, not fully, but at least a little. Did that means she didn't have a soul? Or was hers smaller, like her body?
Other parts about the book were right. Mum and Dad always said how dangerous Moony was. Hope knew for herself that Moony was frightening and could kill her. She knew that Uncle Bill got his scars from a werewolf, but not when the werewolf was a wolf. She knew her own mum had a small scar on the back of her leg that she couldn't morph away because it was cursed.
She looked over at Teddy, who was absorbed in a big, scarlet book. Hope took the pink book with her and dashed to the children's section, where Alex and Minnie were being read to by a shop worker. Gran had Minnie in her lap, but Hope felt it couldn't wait.
"Gran!" Hope put the book under her nose. "Is it true?"
"Is what true?" Gran shifted Minnie off her lap and sat her down next to Alex.
Hope opened the book and flipped to the page with the scary werewolf illustration. She turned the page and gave it to Gran, whose curious expression quickly gave way to a scowl. She shut the book and looked at the spine, which bore the author's name.
"Darling, this book is rubbish. You oughtn't believe a word of it."
"But it's true—Dad says Moony's dangerous! And Uncle Bill's scars—"
"—Hope," Gran said softly. "Even a broken clock is correct twice a day. Do you know what that means?"
Hope shook her head.
"It means that sometimes a liar, like this author—" Gran pointed to the shiny 'Umbridge' on the spine at this "—will accidentally get things right, even if they don't know it. Werewolves' teeth and nails can lead to cursed scars, but only if one isn't careful. Your mummy and daddy are careful."
"Is she right about the other things too?" Hope pressed. Lowering her voice, now that she saw the shopworker staring, she added, "Does Dad have a soul?"
"Of course he does." Gran ran a hand through Hope's soft, sandy brown curls. "As do you. Werewolves have souls."
"Teddy said not everyone likes werewolves."
"That's true . . . but it's because they don't understand." Gran set the book aside and turned to the shopworker. "Can you see to it that this book is removed from the shelves? It's full of lies."
"I can take this one back, ma'am," said the worker, frowning, "but I'll have to talk to my boss."
"See to it that you do," Gran said, in a tone that Hope knew meant she was very serious. She turned back to Hope and patted her cheek. "Can you stay here with your brother and sister? Teddy will probably need help with his books."
Hope sat down on the floor and let Alex and Minnie crawl over her. She looked down at her neatly trimmed nails and wondered if she was capable of hurting people with them. She thought to push her siblings off, in case she scratched them, but it would hurt them more if their heads hit the floor.
Gran came back with Teddy and a huge, levitating stack of books. Hope realized she hadn't chosen any, so she took several from the display table for the twins. Gran didn't say anything about it when she paid for the books at the till, but offered to take them all out for ice cream at Fortescue's.
Though the ice cream was delicious, Hope found she was too lost in thought to really enjoy it.
…
Lying against Remus's warm, broad chest, while cuddled under heavy blankets, was precisely where Tonks needed to be after a long, trying day. Teddy's eleventh birthday had been a raging success from his perspective. The boy had his Hogwarts letter, a dozen new books, and would have a pile of presents when his birthday party took place the next week.
Hope wasn't herself at dinner and Tonks discovered the truth from her mother; the almost eight-year-old had the misfortune of coming across a book full of lies about werewolves. While Remus spent the evening with Teddy, helping him put together a complicated puzzle that Mark gave him, Tonks comforted Hope. She even let Hope scratch a light wound into Tonks's skin, which was healed at once without a scar. Relieved that her nails or teeth wouldn't leave cursed scars, Hope shuddered with relieved tears.
For such a young girl, it broke Tonks's heart to see how she struggled. She could almost imagine Remus at Hope's age, discovering the same books, but without the support that Hope had.
"How are you, after all that?" Remus murmured into Tonks's messy magenta spikes.
"Better," Tonks breathed deeply into his chest, "now that I'm here."
"Hope will be all right. She's right, you know." Remus kissed the top of her head. "She's stronger than she looks. Just like her mum."
Tonks would've protested, but in her current state, with messy hair, food crumbs on her shirt, and frosting likely still near her eyebrows (the twins were at the stage of enjoying airborne activities), she wouldn't intimidate a soul.
"And you? How was the puzzle?"
"Excellent," Remus replied, his chest rumbling. Tonks could hear the grin in his voice. "Teddy . . . it's hard to believe that eleven years ago, he was this tiny, wrinkled thing and we were at your mum's, terrified of what was to come. He's a wonderful, brilliant, clever boy. Thank you for him."
"You know you did play a role in bringing him into the world?"
"Yes, but my part was over after what," Remus pressed another kiss to her head, "five, seven minutes?"
"Give yourself some credit," Tonks teased. "Ten minutes, and you've only got better."
"Have I?" Remus tightened his hold on the small of her back. "And is that something you value?"
Tonks felt him stirring. She turned over and grabbed her wand to cast the charms over their room, thrilled by the way Remus's eyes darkened and raked over her body.
"It is, Deputy Headmaster." Tonks beamed and kissed the tip of his nose. "I can't believe you hid that from me for—"
"—months." Remus laughed at Tonks's annoyance, but she found she couldn't be bothered for long. It was a good secret, one that gave their family so much joy that morning.
She rolled on top of him and captured his lips with a kiss, ready to give him an impromptu treat for his (not-so-recent) accomplishment.