Dawlish gestured her into the office as soon as she arrived. "Am I fired?" She asked, sitting across from him. "That was a ridiculous mission, they could have tested more than my ability to break some bloke's nose-"

Furthering her surprise, Dawlish laughed. "No, you are not fired." He said. "They liked you. You can stay."

"Didn't take much to convince them."

"They also had access to records of previous missions you've done." Dawlish said. "However, it was mentioned that you are expected to work on your temper."

"My temper?" Tonks asked.

"Someone added the desk incident to your file."

"That was an accident."

"I know that, my wife did a lot of accidental magic when she was pregnant." Dawlish said. "However, your pregnancy had not been disclosed so that is not on record as accidental magic due to hormones, it appeared that you were retaliating against Yaxley and Umbridge."

"They would have deserved it. Where is the lovely Delores anyway?"

"Azkaban, sentenced a week ago."

"Fantastic." Tonks said. "So if I'm not fired, that's it, then? We'll continue training-"

"And running small missions." Dawlish said. "Get them out of the Ministry a bit."

"Good, that'll be good for them-"

"Disguised, though." Dawlish said. "Which I know-"

Tonks sighed and leaned back. "I'm not good at, technically."

"I would never say 'not good', you just don't use the approved methods. It's not your fault, of course." Dawlish said. "If we were to actually be technical, you were the best at disguise."

"And now my specialty is gone, -"

Dawlish waved a hand at her. "No, no, it was never just morphing. You can't morph a personality or someone's mannerisms, that part was you."

"They weren't separate."

"Do you know how frustrating it is when an Auror takes Polyjuice Potion or uses transfiguration and then gives themselves away because they can't act like the person they're supposed to be?" Dawlish asked. "You've never had that problem, and it wasn't the morphing. Changing your appearance doesn't change how you act. That's why you and Larry will tackle it together. He's proficient at transfiguration and is willing to set aside more days to teach them, but you will teach them how to effectively copy mannerisms and personalities. It wouldn't hurt for you to learn some more transfiguration too, just in case. Work on that carefully for the next couple of weeks, combined with the patrols they'll give you, and it should help with being able to move them to more of the out-of-Ministry training."

Tonks nodded. "Right. And then what about Christmas, neither of them wants to be here for it, I don't think-"

"I know." Dawlish said. "You and Harry are needed back in London the week before anyway. And most trainees will be given a few weeks off so we can focus the senior Aurors onto the areas we need them, and we will need them, Christmas brings out the nuts."

"Why do we need to be back?" Tonks asked.

"The W.C.U is taking Remus to trial, to try to prove they've actually done something about the werewolf problem."

Tonks was stunned. "Why did you not lead with that? Why is he going to trial?"

"The W.C.U needs a scapegoat."

"And then what happens when they manage to convince everyone that Remus is a monster, send him to Azkaban and Petra doesn't stop?"

"That's why Remus needs people to speak for him." Dawlish said. "They likely won't let him testify, I am not sure. From what I hear, Appleson is constantly changing his mind about how he wants to proceed."

"It's not a fair trial, then."

"He still does not remember everything. They say whatever he does remember may have been influenced by others, specifically you and Harry."

"But we don't know anything from after May, so if he remembers anything from that-"

"He doesn't, not yet." Dawlish said. "The Healers are optimistic, though."

"Are you visiting Remus to find this out, or-"

"All from your Mum." Dawlish said. "I check in with her to make sure there's nothing suspicious near her house, she tells me her worries about the Ministry. It's been nice, haven't seen her much since Hogwarts."

Tonks crinkled her nose. "You were a Ravenclaw, how much did you two actually talk at Hogwarts?"

"Houses weren't so segregated until the wars." Dawlish said. "Except for Slytherin, but your Mum wasn't like the rest."

"So I've heard." She said. "Why is Mum still visiting Remus? Does that not ruin the divorce act?"

Dawlish shrugged. "Can't tell Andy what to do, I just tell her to be mindful. Petra could be watching."

"Any sign of her?"

Dawlish shook his head. "There have been more attacks. Family of three vanished a few days before I arrived here."

"What's the Prophet saying?"

"Nothing."

"Really?" She asked. "They're always so quick to slander people, they haven't picked up this lie about Remus yet?"

"They have been silent about all Order members, not even a word about Harry lately. It's odd."

Tonks nodded. "Very." She agreed. "Do you think there's a reason for it?"

Dawlish shrugged. "What is it the Muggles say, something about a gift horse?" He asked. "Really, it's a blessing, we don't need the gossip."

"I suppose, but they've never been known to be stay quiet for long." Tonks said. "So, what happens, we go and tell them what we know about Remus and they ignore us and send an innocent man to Azkaban just so they look competent?"

"Likely, yes." Dawlish said.

"Do you think we can do anything?" Tonks said. "Even if we don't know for sure, he doesn't deserve Azkaban."

"It's hard to say." Dawlish said. "Should the Prophet decide to cover it, Remus will be labelled either way. You and Harry speaking for him will be helpful but the W.C.U needs to appear competent."

"They want to lull people into a false sense of safety." Tonks said.

"Perhaps not on purpose." Dawlish said. "But they'd appear to be the heroes, protecting everyone from dark creatures-"

"Until the pack keeps attacking." Tonks said. "Do you think the Aurors can do anything against the W.C.U?"

"Not without support of the Wizengamot."

"What about support from the public?" Tonks asked.

Dawlish surveyed her for a moment. "How would we convince them?"

"Public outrage could make the Wizengamot cave." Tonks said. "And maybe the Daily Prophet is just waiting for the right story to run."

"What kind of story?" Dawlish asked. "It can't be baseless, it has to be factual, Tonks-"

"I know someone who has been gathering some information, but it's going to make the Ministry look bad too."

Dawlish was quiet for a moment. "Brutum?" He asked. "Someone has proof of it, don't they?"

"The Obliviators didn't get everyone, I don't think."

Dawlish drummed his fingers on the desk for a moment. "Tell your friend to run it." He finally said. "My old Auror partner died there, they said it was a mission somewhere else that killed him, but he told me about the assignment. He wasn't supposed to, and I guess the Obliviator Task Force didn't know to come and alter my memory. People need to know that it's been covered up. The Ministry will look bad, but it will be the old Ministry, not the one controlled by the Order. We will feign ignorance, you do not know this person with the information. The W.C.U will try to defend themselves, you and I will need to act like we know nothing so the Wizengamot do not come for our badges. Understood?"

"Understood."

They were a few days from being due in London by the time the article went out. They had been on a patrol, practicing Harry and Neville's disguise skills. They had done well so far, even though the changes were always small- but just enough to put their identities into doubt. Harry's scar, unfortunately, could not be hidden with any spell. So they worked on different ways of hiding it, usually by keeping his hair longer. Polyjuice could hide it, so it's likely that Polyjuice would end up being Harry's best method of disguise for undercover jobs.

When they got back to the Ministry, it was clear the news had spread here too. Larry met them at the training room, where they were originally supposed to discuss more about disguise, but he handed Tonks a Daily Prophet instead. Harry and Neville quickly read over her shoulder.

"With all due respect, what is wrong with your Ministry?" He asked. "This is fucking barbaric."

"That's fucked." Neville said. "How did no one ever know?"

"How could they hide something like that?" Harry asked.

"Memory charms." Tonks said, and the three of them stared at her. "I would assume." She added quickly. "You don't hide a giant prison without changing a few memories."

"Do you think this will change Remus' chances at trial?" Harry asked Tonks. "I mean, for this information to come out right now, the Capture Unit will get in trouble, right?"

"I don't know, Harry, I'm sorry." Tonks said. "I hope so."

Later that evening, Neville had disappeared to the shower, and Tonks had just managed to get Teddy to sleep and stepped out of the bedroom when Harry confronted her. "You weren't that surprised." He said.

"The Ministry just spent a year prosecuting Muggleborns just for existing, them doing this is not that surprising."

"That was under the control of Death Eaters, this wasn't." Harry said. "Did you know? Did Remus ever say anything?"

Tonks sighed after a moment. "He didn't tell me." She said. "It's always been a rumour around the Ministry, one that the higher ups didn't want anyone talking about. They did Obliviate the people involved, those who survived anyway. I guess they missed a few people." Harry stared at her, clearly waiting for her to continue. "Just read the article, whatever isn't said there will come out eventually if it needs to. Now that it's out there, I don't know if it'll be mentioned on Friday."

"What do you think will happen on Friday?"

"I don't know. The Order may be controlling the Ministry with Kingsley in charge, but there are still a lot of old laws in place. Werewolves are not likely to be treated fairly, and the W.C.U knows the public's opinion will always be negative. The public is also afraid of the attacks that are still happening, but the W.C.U could appear competent if-"

"If they make a spectacle out of this trial." Harry said. "Publicly send a werewolf to Azkaban."

"A werewolf who, otherwise, would have likely had a large say in how the laws change post-war." Tonks said. "The W.C.U knows that Remus has always been outspoken to anyone who will listen about the poor treatment of werewolves. The problem is, there are very few people who will listen and this could have been the chance to change that."

"Maybe we can still change that."

"You put too much faith in people." She said. "Which is a wonder, considering."

"Maybe it's my weakness."

"You should probably work on that."

The house no longer looked like anything Mad-Eye would have lived in. She was surprised to find out Bill had kept working on it while she was gone. The plan had always been to return here with Teddy eventually, but she had left with so much work to do on the house.

The neighbourhood was beautiful and she had a hard time imagining Mad-Eye living here. Why he had chosen here, she was always curious. Her Mum had moved her Dad's car to the house for her, which would help her keep up Muggle appearances.

Bill must have had help, he had packed up everything she had wanted gone, likely to keep some of it to study as he had found it fascinating. He had volunteered to help clear the house once he finished removing the spells, because he had wanted to get a better look at everything. She didn't mind, none of Mad-Eye's gadgets were very kid-friendly and she imagined he would be happy someone was using them. She wondered if her Mum had helped, there were definitely some changes that seemed to hint her Mum was here. It would have kept her busy.

Harry was staying with them for now, and the day before the trial, her Mum had shown up to see Teddy. There were Aurors checking in with them every few hours, to ensure no Death Eaters or werewolves paid them a visit.

The morning passed too quickly, and soon they were seated in the witness stands of the courtroom. Teddy had been left with Ruth, so Roofie and Andromeda could attend with the Weasleys. Healer Davis was currently talking quietly with a medwitch who was nodding along to whatever he was saying.

Tonks found her eyes drifting back to the Head of the Werewolf Capture Unit. He looked confident, too confident for her liking. She couldn't remember if his first name was Maclin or Macauley.

He had a smug look on his face when Remus was brought in, as if he already knew which way today would go. Tonks wondered if it had already been decided, that maybe this was all just for show.

Remus looked better than he had the last time she saw him. Someone had cut his hair and helped him shave, and he was wearing a very simple Muggle suit. His eyes appeared normal, but judging by the way the mediwitch was helping him, he still could not see.

A few of the Wizengamot were surveying Remus with slight curiosity. She wasn't sure whether or not it was a relief that very few looked at him with disgust. Kingsley was talking to Percy in hushed tones, Percy rapidly taking notes. After a moment, Kingsley faced the courtroom. He didn't need to say anything for the already quiet room to become silent.

"This trial is now in session." Kingsley said. "On this day, December 13th of 1998, the Wizengamot is gathered to hear evidence in the trial against Remus John Lupin. Charges include treason against the Ministry, conspiring with werewolves, child endangerment and murder."

"Murder?" Harry hissed. "What the fuck?"

"I'm sure they've concocted a thrilling story." She whispered back.

"The court recognises Head of the Werewolf Capture Unit, Maclin Appleson. Court scribe is Percy Ignatius Weasley, the senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. I understand it has been decided that the accused will be questioned first, is that correct, Mr Appleson?"

"Apologies, Minister, I was under the impression you had received the changes. We would like to speak to his ex-wife first, actually."

Kingsley frowned. "Mr Appleson, I've been receiving changes as to how you'd like to proceed every few hours for the last few days. If you are not prepared-"

"Oh, we are." Appleson said. "No worries, Minister."

Kingsley closed his eyes and took a deep breath, opening them after a moment. "Proceed, then. Auror Tonks?" Kingsley gestured to the witness chair. Tonks stood, walking over and sitting.

"State your name for us, please." Appleson said.

"Nymphadora Andromeda Lupin." She said.

"Born Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks in February of 1973, attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry between the years 1984 and 1991 where you were a Hufflepuff. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Some records state two different birthdates, the 9th and the 11th of February. Why is that?" Appleson asked.

Tonks frowned. "I was born during the dragon pox outbreak that occurred from December of 1972 to March of 1973. From my understanding, four babies were born infected during that one week alone, myself included, so it is possible that my birth records were filed incorrectly during that time. There were a lot of incorrect records being fixed by the hospital afterward, which means there are a few witches and wizards with similar errors in their records. It has also always been my assumption that it was sorted out, as I've always been under the impression it was the 11th. However, I fail to see how this is relevant."

"Yes, Mr Appleson, what is the relevance?" Kingsley asked. "The discrepancy was discussed when Auror Lupin joined the Aurors, it is the 11th on all of her records now. Some older records may still contain the incorrect date, but most should have been rectified."

"I am merely clarifying, for the record of this trial." Appleson said, giving her a strange smile. "I want to ensure we have all of our information correct."

"Very well, make sure it is noted." Kingsley said.

Appleson nodded at Kingsley and then faced Tonks again. "You are still employed by the Auror office, correct?"

"Yes, on light duty."

"Not many female Aurors, are there?"

"No." Tonks said. "Before the war, there were five. Now there are two other than myself, but there are some trainees who are women."

"It's considered rare for a woman to become an Auror, more dangerous, is it not?"

"It's already dangerous enough to be a woman in some places. I haven't found it any different."

"As a female Auror, you have to be more cautious about wizards or beasts... or men in general, don't you?"

"I suppose it depends on the man."

"You were trained by Alastor Moody, weren't you?"

"I was."

"And wouldn't he have taught you about dark creatures? How to identify them?"

"He did, and I can." She said. "The first thing I ever said to Remus was, 'you're a werewolf'."

"And in those learnings, were you taught how they might try to charm and deceive women?"

"That still depends on the man."

"How so?"

"Some human men make it a sport to try to charm and deceive women for their own gain. Remus actively tries to repel people."

"If that's the case, how did your relationship begin?"

"I... I don't know, it just did."

"Did Mr Lupin ever try to claim you were his mate, as reason for a relationship?"

"No, I pursued him. He tried to dissuade me."

"And when did he pursue you in return?"

"I suppose he never did, we were separated nearly a year before we got married."

"Was it your idea to marry him? Who proposed?"

"Well, he did-"

"After spending months with the werewolf pack, he came back and spontaneously asked you to marry him, correct?"

"I- yes, I suppose it was spontaneous, but we had been spending time together for a couple of weeks before he even asked-"

"Did he ever mention mate bonds or pack bonds to you?"

"Not for a while, but I had heard of them. It's extremely rare for a werewolf to have a mate bond with someone that is not infected. He told me it took nearly a year after we met for him to realise that that was what was happening, so he left. At first we could have assumed it was simple attraction and nothing more. However, he realised that wasn't all it was. So he left, knowing that I wouldn't move on if he stayed. I would have felt too connected to him to even consider someone else."

"And that never happened, you never did move on."

"No, it's hard to move on from someone in a few months, fated or not." Tonks said. "He tried to distance himself, but it was hard to do with both of us in the Order and running into each other constantly."

"So he never truly gave you a chance to move on."

"I wouldn't say that, we were both in the Order. It's hard not to run into other Order members. If the war wasn't happening, we could have gone our separate ways completely."

"When was it decided to have your son? Who brought it up first?"

"It wasn't decided, we had never discussed having kids. I brought it up first, I guess, when I told him I was pregnant."

"Unplanned?"

"Completely."

"Are you certain? It would seem two adults who are against having children would be able to prevent such an accident."

Someone in the witness stands made a disgusted noise, she wasn't sure if it was Molly or her mother.

"Things get forgotten when you're constantly fighting for your life, I suppose."

"And when you told him you were pregnant, what was Mr Lupin's reaction? Did he seem happy, or-"

"No." She said. "He was upset, he didn't want kids. He was afraid-"

"Afraid of what?"

"That the baby would be like him, that something would happen to me as a result." She said. "He never, ever gave the impression of being okay with a child that was infected."

"You seem certain."

"I am." Tonks said firmly.

"When your son was born, did he show any signs of being infected?"

"Nothing obvious but we couldn't know for sure until the full moon."

"And?"

"And... nothing. When the May full moon happened, Teddy was fine." She said. "Teddy was born after the April full moon and Remus was gone before May's. Remus didn't know for sure that Teddy wasn't infected until a couple of months ago, when he was told about Teddy."

"Did he seem disappointed by that?"

"No."

"Has he ever mentioned more kids?"

"I- yes, once... he made a passing comment that he thought it'd be nice to have a boy and a girl, but-"

"When was this?"

"While I was pregnant with Teddy."

"And did he mention when he'd expect a second?"

"Well, it's not that he was expecting us to have a second, it was a simple remark made during a conversation. We were just trying to survive long enough to have Teddy-"

"Did he ever act possessive over you? When others were around, when you went out?"

"Uh- not in any weird way, he got protective but I was pregnant and being hunted by Death Eaters, he was concerned-"

"Concerned."

"Yes, concerned." Tonks said. "We were all constantly fighting for our lives, waiting for the Death Eaters to show up, he was being a good husband and making sure we made it long enough to have our son."

"And he didn't trust a qualified Auror to keep herself safe?"

"I don't think- no, it's not that he didn't trust I could do it, but every time anyone from the Order has run into a Death Eater, someone gets injured or killed and he didn't want anything to happen-"

"He was this protective over a baby you say he never wanted?"

"I wouldn't say never-"

"Was this why you went into hiding? Who made that decision?"

"I guess we did together-"

"He admitted that you moved with him to a home that other Order members couldn't access. Did that not concern you?"

"We didn't keep them away, we just limited who could come to us. A lot of Order members ended up having to do that, I couldn't go to half of their homes if I tried-"

He spoke over her. "So, my understanding of your marriage is that you two had previously separated, then he suddenly changed his mind and decided to be with you- only for you to get pregnant immediately, despite neither of you wanting kids-"

"Well, it's not that simple-"

"And then, by your admission and his, he leaves you. From other accounts, there are a few days between him leaving you, meeting with Mr Potter and then returning to meet with Minister Shacklebolt- and none of you have questioned his whereabouts during that time- after which he returned to you and began 'protecting' a fully trained Auror by secluding you from the rest of the Order until after your son was born and the war was nearly over. Is that correct?"

"That's not how I'd describe it, but I suppose-"

"And then we're up to the night of the battle. He left you, alone and unprotected-"

"I was not alone, I certainly was not unprotected." She said.

"When did you see Mr Lupin last?"

"That night? It was before he left the house. That was the last time I saw him until September."

"Yes, his disappearance." Appleson said. "There is an eyewitness swearing they saw Mr Lupin struck down with a Killing Curse, yet he walked away with a pack of werewolves-"

"There is no one who witnessed him leaving with the pack." Tonks said. "We do not know if he walked, or was dragged, or-"

"There are also no reports confirming there were other werewolves inside the school."

"There were a lot of people coming and going all night." Tonks said. "There's no way to know for sure-"

"Plenty of people saw Fenrir Greyback that night, but no one saw any other werewolves?"

"Greyback made his presence known, from what I heard. He ripped a girl's throat out, he was hard to miss, I imagine." Tonks said. "People may not have known the identity of other werewolves well enough to recognise them."

"Your husband did."

"Yes, he did." She said. "That doesn't mean he is guilty of anything. Everything you have mentioned or asked, there is no proof for any of it. The wrong werewolf is on trial."

"Auror Tonks-"

"It's Auror Lupin." She said firmly. "I only signed the divorce papers because I was told it would protect the three of us if it looked like I took Teddy and left Remus, and yet here the Ministry is, with the wrong person on trial. People are not safe with the pack out there and you're wasting time here, going after an innocent man. Remus is not involved, that is my official stance. Your department has not done the job you swear it will do, which is exactly why you were shut down before, and why I hope someone finally decides to shut you down again."

Appleson looked annoyed. "I have nothing further to ask Auror Tonks." He finally said. "I would like to talk to Mr Potter."