The dishes were done and the beds were made. Nappies were washed and teeny socks were stowed away. Remus was dressed in corduroy trousers and a knitted, crimson jumper that Molly had sent ahead of his birthday. Hope, lying on his chest, wasn't yet asleep. Her cherry red hair blended in with the fibers of his jumper, but the bright green onesie she wore clashed with everything around them. She cooed, a newly gained skill, and wriggled her legs.
Remus pressed his lips to the crown of her head and hummed. Tonks was upstairs, taking a much-needed, midafternoon kip. This was one of Remus's favorite times of the day, when all was quiet and clean and he could simply enjoy his daughter's company. Though she couldn't talk back to him, or even smile (Andromeda said she was close), Hope's presence was comforting.
She began to whimper, but Remus wasn't fussed.
"Is it time to fill your nappy, Hope?" he asked, rubbing her small back gently. "I know, darling, I know. This too shall pass." He stood up and walked her around the room, waiting for her to finish. She was an easy baby, or so Andromeda said, and despite Tonks's complaints that there was no such thing as an 'easy' baby, Remus disagreed. Hope was neither sickly nor colicky. She slept well and ate even better. She was healthy and whole.
In other words, she was as perfect as any baby could be, and Remus couldn't be more besotted with the tiny witch.
Hope's crying grew quieter. The tell-tale scent of her nappy was proof of her success, so Remus brought her upstairs for a fresh nappy, and what he hoped wouldn't be a new onesie.
"Is she hungry?" Tonks asked groggily, her pink hair in a tangled mop across her face. "I heard crying and my tits are leaking."
"She will be soon, I think," Remus replied, undressing Hope. "Once I've got her cleaned up, we'll try for second dinner."
Tonks rubbed her face and shook her head. She scrunched her nose, bringing her hair back to something short and spiky, and yanked her shirt off in preparation for a feeding.
Remus brought Hope to her mother and sat down, waiting patiently while the baby ate.
"Are we still on for dinner with Sirius and Kingsley?"
"We are. Your mum said she'd come over to watch Hope . . . she said the baby's too young to use the Floo."
Tonks switched Hope from one breast to the other. "I feel so old. Who'd have thought that going to dinner with my cousin and his boyfriend at their farmhouse would make me feel like I was going dancing?"
"You've been inside for too long," Remus replied, taking Hope from Tonks to burp her. "Lily said something similar after a year of living in hiding, when all us lads were over for dinner."
"Blimey, I s'pose I shouldn't complain . . . at least we've got more than one place to go."
"The target on our backs is different than the Potters'," Remus added. "Voldemort was after Harry. We can't be sure he's after us, but I believe your mum when she says that if he had the chance, he'd take all of us out for killing Bellatrix." He kissed Tonks softly, and with her shirt only half-buttoned, he was sorely tempted to touch her.
"I can read your mind, you know," Tonks said, grinning up at him. "I'm gagging for you, too. A couple more weeks and we'll be back to shagging like rabbits."
Hope burped on his shoulder. She left a mess on his new jumper, causing Tonks to burst into giggles.
"That's what you get for being horny." She stuck her tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes, handing the baby back to her so he could change or charm the mess away.
"As if you're any better," he teased, exhilarated when he saw the way her eyes raked over his bare torso.
"Can you believe him?" Tonks asked Hope. "Your dad's so smug. Did you put him up to this? Spit up all over his shoulder so he can tease mummy?"
Remus, still bare-chested, came over to Tonks and took her cheek in his hand.
"I'm afraid you've got it all wrong, my lovely Dora. I'll never compare to you."
She flushed and gave him one of her most charming smiles. Remus put on a new shirt and jumper, pleased with himself for taking his wife by surprise. It never failed to bring a smile to his face whenever he knew he made her happy. He took Hope into his arms and waited for Tonks to get dressed, watching as she went from one outfit to another until she found something she liked.
"I know it's just a stupid dinner," she explained, taking Hope back, "but I dunno, I want to look cute. You know what I mean?"
Remus blinked at her. "I don't, nor do I need to. The last time I looked 'cute' I must have been Hope's age."
"You think too little of yourself."
Tonks rolled her eyes and started walking out of the bedroom. Remus followed her, enjoying the view of her backside, all the way down to the kitchen, where Andromeda was waiting for them with a fresh cup of tea.
"Mum? You're here early."
"Sirius and Kingsley are ready for you," Andromeda replied, scooping Hope out of Tonks's arms. "They're eager to entertain."
"Great," said Tonks, "that means all of us are going mad inside our houses. If they try to get us to play one of those overly complicated Muggle board games—"
"Nymphadora, go." Andromeda guided her to the Floo. "You've been complaining nonstop over not leaving this house. You can stay here and stare at the wallpaper, or go with your husband."
Remus took Tonks's hand and squeezed it. "I know you're worried. Hope's going to be fine with your mum. It's only a few hours."
She gaped up at him, and then glanced at her mother, who nodded. "This time, he's right. Enjoy yourselves."
Remus tried not to think too highly of himself for winning Andromeda's temporary approval, so he schooled his expression and led Tonks to the Floo. She was reluctant to go through, but moments later, Remus was next to her in Sirius's living room, dusting soot off their clothes.
Who they saw first was neither Sirius nor Kingsley, but Albus Dumbledore.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin," he greeted serenely. "Sirius and Kingsley were kind enough to extend a dinner invitation to me. How is Miss Lupin?"
"Good," Tonks replied, looking up at Remus in confusion. "Mum's with her now."
"There you are!" Sirius's voice boomed from the other side of the living room. "Dinner's ready!"
Dumbledore peppered Tonks with questions about Hope. Remus met Sirius's eyes, trying to understand what was happening, his concerns growing greater by the second when neither Sirius nor Kingsley would discuss anything but the food they'd prepared together.
Throughout the lengthy dinner, Remus tried to ask what Dumbledore was doing there, but his questions were squashed by jokes, news, or funny anecdotes. Tonks wore a similar expression of bewilderment at the oddly cheerful, lighthearted gathering.
"What the fuck is going on?" she said suddenly, as soon as Kingsley finished telling a story about a Muggle guard who'd confused him for a foreign dignitary. All eyes turned to her. "There's something weird happening and I don't like it. Right, Remus?"
Remus adjusted the collar around his neck. "I wouldn't have put it that way, but . . ."
Sirius, Kingsley, and Dumbledore held a silent conversation with their eyes and grimaces. Tonks took Remus's hand and inched closer to him.
"We were hoping to wait until after dinner," Sirius began heavily, "but we need to ask you to do us a favor."
"Both of us?" asked Tonks.
Sirius shook his head and Remus gasped, remembering the conversation before Christmas. Tonks wasn't ready!
"Just you, Tonks," Kingsley said. "It's a delicate mission—one of the most important ones we'll ever take."
"Okay . . . er, what is it?"
"Before we explain what it is," Dumbledore interjected, as Sirius tried to speak, "please know that it was my idea. I would not ask this of you if I didn't wholeheartedly believe you were capable of succeeding." He met Remus's eyes then, and for once, Remus wanted to tell him no. Dumbledore ignored his glare and turned to Sirius.
"We need you to morph into Rodolphus Lestrange and break into his vault at Gringotts." Tonks's jaw dropped at Sirius's pronouncement. "We can't tell you why we need you to do it or what we're going to get, but we've got to get in there."
"We've tried every other way," Kingsley added. "Bribes, raids, negotiation . . . we have no choice. It's our last resort."
"You're joking," Tonks chuckled nervously. "Break into Gringotts? Morphed as a Lestrange? Why not blow the whole building up?"
"We're trying to do this as covertly as possible," Sirius replied, "and you won't be going alone. Harry and I are going with you. Kingsley's our lookout. Albus will be waiting for the handoff."
Tonks turned to Remus. "What about my husband?"
"I'll be at home, waiting for you to get back," Remus replied, wincing. "Someone's got to stay with Hope."
"What about mum? And why's Harry going? He's not even seventeen!"
"I believe you can succeed, and we will take every precaution necessary," Dumbledore answered firmly, "but this is a dangerous mission, and Harry is essential for its success. I don't wish to take any further risks."
Remus rubbed his thumb against the back of his wife's hand.
Tonks cleared her throat. "I'll do it. When do you need me?"
Sirius replied at once. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?!" Remus half-shouted, aghast at the suddenness.
"We've been planning this for months," Sirius said, pointing between Kingsley and Dumbledore. "We're taking Voldemort by surprise. We don't want to give him any more time."
"Any more time for what?" Tonks asked, her dark eyes narrowing.
"We've got a theory," Kingsley said carefully, meeting Dumbledore's eyes, "that Voldemort can be lured to Hogwarts."
"And when he gets there," Sirius continued, "he'll realize his time is almost up."
"I will personally ensure that Tom Riddle will be incapable of leaving the grounds once he has broken into the castle," Dumbledore added, a weariness hanging around him. "Most of the students will be at the Quidditch match. If my intuition is correct—and may I be so bold as to say it often is—the war will be over by Sunday morning."
"That's two days from now," Tonks said, her jaw hanging open again. "Two days."
"In two days, Mrs. Lupin," Dumbledore said, a somberness increasing in his voice, "you will never need to worry for your family again. Will you help?"
Tonks turned to Remus, searching his face for support. Knowing that he could never stop her, he unwillingly nodded. If something happened to her, he wouldn't hesitate to rip everyone apart, even Dumbledore, for destroying the greatest happiness life had given him.
The next morning was grey, cloudy, and dark. Hope was asleep after her early breakfast, while Remus paced the length of the library, waiting for news. Tonks had left only an hour ago, possibly the longest hour of his life, looking like Rodolphus Lestrange and readying herself for the mission.
Mad-Eye had come by Grimmauld Place to give Tonks his Invisibility Cloak. He was a lookout, after Remus sent a Patronus to Dumbledore demanding at least one more set of eyes to keep Tonks safe. She protested at first, but Remus shamelessly begged, telling her that she was too precious to lose. She gave in, and with Mad-Eye along for the journey, Remus's anxiety was slightly more manageable.
Remus tapped his wand on the wireless and turned it to the news channel. The broadcasters nattered on about the weather and its impact on a magical gardening show. Remus bit his nails; it was a fool's idea to turn on the news. If Tonks and the others were successful, their mission would never be known to anyone outside the Order.
The clock ticked on. Hope was in the old wooden cradle which was charmed to sway gently from side to side. Her hair was fiery red, one of her favorite shades, and from where he stood, Remus could mistake her for a Weasley. He and Tonks hadn't made a plan for Hope's guardianship beyond Andromeda and Sirius, should they lose their lives for the war, but as Voldemort wouldn't delay the opportunity to kill Bellatrix's murderess, and Sirius was at risk of losing his life as well, perhaps they needed one more backup plan.
Over the next hour, Remus listed the eldest Weasleys—Molly and Arthur, Bill, and Charlie—as Hope's next set of guardians. He briefly thought of Tonks's friends, but they wouldn't know how dangerous it was that Hope was a werewolf's child. Only the Weasleys would love Hope as one of their own and take the care necessary to protect her from the cruel world.
Remus glanced back at the mantle clock. The faint hum of the wireless had no news for him. Three hours had dragged by since Tonks left Grimmauld Place. The temporary activity of listing Hope's additional guardians wasn't enough to soothe his mounting worries.
He walked over to the charmed cradle and gazed at Hope. He let himself believe this was their future, just the two of them in a haunted house, forever missing the most important piece of their family. If Tonks never came home, could he be a single father to his daughter?
It was as if all the light in the world was extinguished, thinking of a life without Tonks. He'd have Hope, but it would be difficult to be the father she needed. He could never raise her alone; he had barely enough to keep himself alive, let alone a child.
Remus fell to his knees at the cradle and held Hope's head in his hand.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'll never be enough for you."
A stray thought crossed his mind. If anyone had to lose their life for this family, it was him. He didn't want to die—he had too much to live for now—but he couldn't let Tonks die.
How could he have been so stupid as to agree to the dangerous mission?
Remus extracted Hope from the cradle. She was still asleep, blessedly unaware of what her parents were doing. He had everything he needed. Hope would be safe, and Remus would be damned if anything happened to her mother.
With the baby secured in a blanket and a light cloth to cover her face, Remus went through the Floo to Devon, landing in Sirius's living room with Hope starting to whimper.
"Who's there?" called Andromeda.
"It's me!" Remus announced. "Remus Lupin, your son-in-law, with Hope, your granddaughter!"
"What are you doing here?" Andromeda looked him up and down, eyes wide and worried. "Where is Nymphadora? Why did you take the baby through—"
"She's on a mission," Remus interrupted. "With Sirius, Kingsley, Mad-Eye, Dumbledore—it doesn't matter. What matters is I need to find her and keep her safe. I can't sit and wait anymore."
"Nymphadora is supposed to be home," Andromeda said, her voice faltering. "She wasn't supposed to go on any more missions—who—who—"
"Take her." Remus handed the whimpering baby off to Andromeda. "I will bring her home. I should never have agreed to—"
"You agreed?" Andromeda screeched. "You—you—"
"Please, Andromeda," Remus entreated. "Let me get her. I'll come back. I don't care if the mission fails. Dora is too important." His mother-in-law gave him a withering, disapproving glare in response. He lifted the cloth over Hope's face, which had protected her from inhaling soot, and kissed her forehead. "Mummy will be back soon, Hope. I'll make sure of it, if it's the last thing I do."
He didn't wait for Andromeda to make a statement. Instead, he kissed Hope one more time and rushed back to the Floo to get to Diagon Alley.
Remus landed in one of the many public Floos in a side-street. Shoppers and shop owners alike were appearing all around him, ignoring his presence. He hadn't been to the shopping district in ages, but he knew the way and began walking with his head down and wand at the ready. He threw his hood over his head, trying to obscure his face without drawing attention to himself.
At last, he found a narrow alleyway near the bank and slipped inside it, casting every manner of Concealment Charm he could think of. He stood, tall and vigilant, observing the main street. Diagon Alley wasn't yet busy with last-minute Easter shopping, but patrons were arriving and the street was coming alive. It was suspiciously normal, as far as the eye could see; witches gathered in small groups, sharing opinions over robes and trinkets, little children gathered around their mothers' heels, begging for sweets, and younger workers in uniform robes walked by, yawning on their way to work.
His ear twitched in the direction of the bank. He couldn't be sure if his eyes were deceiving him, but it looked as if the bank's roof was vibrating. Remus scrutinized the roofline against the grey sky; it was quaking, shuddering, and the sides of the building shook.
All at once, the roof burst open and a dragon emerged, breathing fire onto the roofs below.
Remus burst out of his hiding place and gaped at the dragon. It had chains around its neck, and though he couldn't be sure, it wasn't alone.
His jaw dropped when he realized that the dragon was carrying passengers, including a witch who looked nothing like Rodolphus Lestrange.
"IT'S THE SNAKE!" Harry screamed from above, clutching his forehead in agony. "THAT'S THE LAST ONE! THE SNAKE!"
But Remus couldn't focus on Harry, the snake, or Sirius. Kingsley darted past him, running toward Gringotts. Mad-Eye was nowhere to be found, which left Remus to watch, as if in slow motion, his beloved wife slip from the dragon's back. She was limp like a rag doll, and despite Sirius's efforts, she fell.
Remus rushed forward, wand in hand, and cried "Arresto momentum!"
Tonks slowed down, tumbling first onto the roof over Flourish and Blott's. She rolled down, with Remus blasting away the chimney that would get in her way, limbs flailing around her body in unnatural angles. Remus cast a Featherlight Charm on her and one more charm to slow her down. He sprinted to the entrance of Flourish and Blott's, shoving onlookers aside, and held his arms open to receive her.
Tonks landed with a thump against his arms. His eyes watered and his body recoiled from her weight and the impact of her fall, but he stayed on his feet.
"Dora, Dora," he panted, searching her face for signs of life. She was pale and expressionless; he lifted an eyelid, aghast when her pupils were fixed and unmoving.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Remus dodged the Killing Curse, rolling away at the last moment, and heard the window front of the bookshop shatter into countless shards.
"AVADA—"
Hooded, masked figures were approaching. Remus staggered back, slipping against the glass, knowing he was cornered. St. Mungo's was out of the question. It left one choice.
He turned on his heel, narrowly avoiding another Killing Curse, and landed in Devon, crumpled on the muddy ground with his unresponsive wife.
"Help!" he called. "Andromeda, anyone, help!"
The kitchen door of Sirius's home swung open. Andromeda sprinted across the field, landing on her knees in front of her daughter.
"What happened?"
"I don't know!" Remus howled. "I caught her—she fell—please, you have to make her better!"
Andromeda put her fingers against Tonks's neck, her face growing paler by the second.
"It's barely there," Andromeda gasped, looking up at Remus with wide eyes. "St. Mungo's—"
"We can't—Death Eaters, they were after us, they'll know, they'll find her—"
Andromeda was murmuring incantations under her breath, with different parts of Tonks's body glowing in multicolor. In the distance, Remus heard a baby crying.
"Expecto patronum!" Andromeda flourished her wand, a tear rolling down her face, but from the tip of her wand, a bluish Golden Retriever materialized. She spoke to it, sending it off to Molly, and turned back to Remus.
"Did he do this to her?" she asked, her body quaking with rage. "Did that monster, who took my husband and my sister—did he hurt her?"
"I don't know," Remus replied helplessly. "I don't—"
A new Patronus arrived. Kingsley's lynx stopped short of Remus and spoke hurriedly.
"Get to Hogwarts if you can—Shrieking Shack's passage. We need every wand. This is the end."
Andromeda grabbed Remus by the front of his robes. "Go—you won't be helpful here. I don't care what it takes—don't let that monster get away with taking my baby."
Remus glanced down at Tonks. He could see her faint breaths, shallow and inconsistent, terrified that if he came back, she wouldn't be alive anymore.
"Remus," Andromeda snarled, clutching his robes, "make him pay."
A crack of Apparition made them both jump. Molly hurried toward them, brow knitted together in worry.
"I got Kingsley's Patronus, and yours! Andromeda—"
"Hope is in the house," Andromeda replied tersely. "Please get her and come help me. Nymphadora—" She let out a half-sob and took Dora's hand.
Molly rushed to the house and Andromeda turned back to Remus. He wanted to stay with his family, but the anguish on his mother-in-law's face was too painful to ignore.
"I love you," he whispered, bending down to kiss Dora's forehead. "You need to get better, please get better."
Molly was on her way back with a whimpering Hope. Remus saw he had no place here, so he stood up and walked away from his family, determined to do whatever it took—even if it meant his death—to give his wife and daughter a safer future.
Remus Apparated to a clearing near the Shrieking Shack. He looked up and saw that the Quidditch pitch was encased in a shimmer of protective magic. Hundreds of students filled the stands, eerily silent from where he stood, but he supposed the enchantments were holding up to protect them.
Nearby, Hogsmeade was quiet.
Then, a sizzling crack went off in the distance. Remus gaped, horrified when the top of the Astronomy Tower came crumbling down. A blast roared, sending fires up into the sky; the spot where Hagrid's hut had been was turning to ashes.
A loud pop startled him; he had his wand out, pointed at the source, but found Bill and Fleur staring him down instead.
"How many hands are on our family clock?" Bill asked, his wand still trained on Remus.
"Nine," Remus answered calmly. "What is my child's name?"
"'Ope Josephine," Fleur replied. "She eez like Tonks."
They all lowered their wands and looked to the Shack.
"Follow me," said Remus. He strode toward the rundown entrance and cast "Lumos" to illuminate their way. The dusty floor was littered with footsteps leading to the trap door. Remus, Bill, and Fleur had their wands out, but they managed to make it through the door.
"Are we the last ones?" Bill whispered.
"Where eez Tonks?" Fleur added.
"I don't know," Remus answered, pained, "and injured. She did a mission and—your mum's helping, Bill. There's nothing else I can say."
They continued in silence. No one else was behind them, but there weren't sounds ahead to indicate they were going to be joined by anyone else. The pit in Remus's stomach grew. He didn't like his odds against Voldemort, and even with Bill and Fleur at his side, he wasn't sure they could take him down.
"Almost there," Remus murmured, ascending the last steps to the castle. He pressed his ear against the wall that would lead inside. He heard nothing, and put his finger over his lips, slowly opening the entrance to the corridor.
The faintest sound of rumbling came from his left, in the direction of the grand staircase leading up to the Great Hall. Bill must've heard it too, as he nodded in that direction. Fleur walked backwards behind them, her wand out, while the wizards took the lead. The echoes of ricocheting spells and intense dueling became louder. Remus nodded at Bill and Fleur, and the three of them split, looking around corners to find an entrance.
There, in the Entrance Hall, a ragtag group of Order members battled against Death Eaters. In the very center, Dumbledore lay motionless. Remus clapped his hand to his mouth; he couldn't be—
"Now," hissed Bill.
Remus put his grief aside and ran into the throng. The real Rodolphus Lestrange snarled, with blood dripping down his forehead, and sent a Killing Curse at him.
Dodging it, Remus returned it with a Stupefy, but another Killing Curse flew by. It hit a pillar behind him, smashing it to pieces. Remus fell back from the impact, getting pinned under a large piece of stone.
"Bombarda!" he gasped, sending pieces of the stone everywhere. He stood to find Voldemort nearby, dueling with McGonagall, Sprout, and Slughorn.
"AVADA—"
"Flipendo!" Remus sent his would-be murderer back into a pile of ruined stone.
"Go! Go!"
A large blur went past Remus with a shiny sword. It was Kingsley, limping and panting, with his robes singed and torn, and Sirius was on his heels.
"KILL IT!" He heard Sirius scream.
Remus turned around, hearing a hair-raising hiss behind him. Kingsley was on the floor, blood gushing out of his neck, and Sirius raised the sword, but a purple curse hit him in the back before he could kill the giant serpent staring Remus down.
The snake lunged.
Then there was only darkness.