The man had dragged her inside, releasing her once the door shut behind them. When Tonks spun, her wand raised, she was surprised to find him standing there with his hands raised in surrender. He was young, barely twenty, she figured. He was closer to her height than Remus was, his dark blonde hair falling in a straight sheet down his back. He didn't seem to bear the same scars most werewolves did, she noticed, and she began to wonder if he was a werewolf or if he was working with the Death Eaters.
"I'm a friend."
"I have a hard time believing that-"
"I am, you can ask Remus." The young man said. "I'm an informant for the Ministry too, you can ask Auror Savage."
"Who are you?" Tonks finally asked, still undecided on whether or not she would end up cursing him anyway. "How did you get through the boundaries?"
"You lead one of us through the boundaries the night you rescued Remus." Nathan said. "You just didn't know it. Once she was able to pass, she showed Petra where the house was. Now we all know."
Tonks swore. That had been a completely juvenile mistake to make, to assume no other werewolf had followed her that night. Petra wasn't stupid, of course she would have had werewolves near wherever she assumed Tonks to be living. "Who are you?" She asked again.
"Nathan Allard, I- I was brought to the pack a few years ago, right before Remus returned." Nathan said. "I know that you have no reason to trust me, but believe me, I want Petra arrested too."
"She's your leader, shouldn't you be kissing her feet?"
"She's not my leader." Nathan said. "It was my father's pack, it should be mine now."
"Your father? As in,-"
"My father was Fenrir Greyback." Nathan said. "He- he assaulted my Mum, she died in childbirth. I use her name so people don't know."
"Why would you join his pack, then? Or want to control it?"
"He found me when I was eighteen, that's when he bit me." Nathan said. "I went to the pack, and I know a lot of those people only do what they do because they were afraid of him. I want what Remus wants, equality for the werewolves. And with Petra in charge, that will never happen. I've been trying, since I was bitten, to take down the ones who are actually committing the crimes. Someone took care of Greyback, but now Petra needs to be taken care of. After that, I'm convinced I can help the pack. The ones who want it, anyway."
"So why are you here?"
"That symbol on the door is a marker." Nathan said. "Packs mark their targets. Petra doesn't know where you're living now, but she's convinced you will come back here with Remus. They haven't seen you take anything out of here, but they've seen you visit, so she believes you're coming back here. Those marks are to lead the pack back to an intended victim."
"She knows this house, why does she need anything to lead her?"
"When we're transformed, our human memories can fail us. She wants to make that she sure makes it here." Nathan said. "Don't let Remus come here for transformations, not unless the Ministry has a plan to arrest the pack. There is another house Petra plans to target, but I haven't found out the exact address yet."
"How do I know this isn't a trick? That you haven't been sent here to convince me to be exactly where Petra can get us?"
"Ask Remus about the mark on the door. He'll tell you what I just have."
"If you want to help us, tell me what spell Petra used to blind Remus."
"I didn't see, I'm sorry." Nathan said. "I can tell you what else happened to Remus during the months Petra held him captive, but I never saw that spell."
"Did he ever mention Teddy?" Tonks asked. "To Petra, to you, to anyone?"
"Petra already knew about your son." Nathan said. "Greyback heard it from Death Eaters, he's the one who told Petra."
"Why does she want us so badly?"
"Remus is a true threat now. Those articles, they're convincing some of the pack that things can be different. At first, she just hated you and wanted to hurt Remus for the loss of her own mate, but now she's worried Remus will cause the pack to turn on her. If the pack realises they can have better lives, they won't want to follow her anymore. Remus is proving it's possible. It's everything my father would have hated. Do you know who did it? Who killed Greyback?"
Tonks shook her head. "Even if I did, I'm not sure I'd tell you. They'll be in danger."
"Petra wants them too. She keeps mentioning Bill Weasley, I know he was attacked by Greyback. Do you believe it could have been him?"
Tonks thought back. To her, it had sounded like it had been one of the Weasley sons but she never found out who. Bill had never said as much, but had been the one to tell her of Greyback's death. She supposed it was possible, but the way Bill spoke of it, she wasn't sure he had even witnessed it. She knew Greyback had killed a young girl, and a passing remark from Hermione had revealed it was a girl Ron had dated for most of the year before. Charlie had said it was a death to be celebrated, but gave no more information than that. It could have been anyone, though, and Tonks wasn't sure she cared enough to know anyway.
"No." She finally said. "If Petra believes it to be Bill, do you think that's where the attack may happen?"
"I don't know. I've heard her mention Cornwall, but she hasn't said anything more."
Tonks' heart plummeted. Bill lived near Cornwall, he had mentioned to her that Fleur had agreed that they should remain there permanently. Both of them had gotten their jobs at Gringotts back, and wanted to remain closer to the rest of the Weasleys.
"If you know someone in Cornwall, warn them." Nathan said, studying her face. "Petra's already planned how to split the pack, both houses will be attacked this month. I wish I knew the address, I'm sorry."
Tonks shook her head. "It's fine, I'll let them know. Are you certain it's Cornwall?"
"Very."
"Why are you telling me, and not the Ministry?" She asked.
"What makes you think I haven't?" Nathan said. "Savage said they don't have enough Aurors to spare to protect both houses. Especially because they don't know anyone in Cornwall, so they don't know where to send the Aurors anyway."
Tonks surveyed Nathan. "So what do you want?" She asked. "You offer information, what do you want in return?"
"I want to be able to live a normal life." Nathan said. "I had a girlfriend, I had a job, it's all gone now. All because of these ridiculous prejudices. I want to help werewolves live normal lives. Wolfsbane should be an option for everyone, why do we have to suffer because we can't afford a potion that's made for us?"
"And if we can take Petra down, you think it'll all just be fixed? No more attacks? No more prejudice?"
"No, but it'll be a start." Nathan said. "The W.C.U is gone, but what about the Support Services? Why are they not supporting us?"
"Maybe they don't know how." Tonks said. "It's a work in progress-"
"How many werewolves work in that department?" Nathan asked, but she knew she didn't have to answer. "Exactly. None. If we can take Petra down, maybe convince the Ministry to allow werewolves to work in the Support Services office... things could change. It won't ever go away, there will always be werewolves who want to cause harm, but what about the rest of us?"
"I can ask Kingsley about it. Maybe he'll agree that it would be beneficial to have werewolves employed there." Tonks said. "If this information about Cornwall is true, then it would be the least I could do to repay you."
Nathan nodded. "Thank you." He said. "You should make your visits here less frequent, I imagine Petra would be too thrilled to find you here alone one day."
"I will."
It had felt strange, at first, having Remus home. The afternoon was spent with her making sure he knew where things were, but she wondered if he would have fared better in a house he already knew- but now she knew they had no choice. He had mentioned, again, going to his Dad's for the full moon in a week and she was quick to refuse after he confirmed what the mark on the door meant. Harry had spent most of the day taking care of Teddy for her, which had felt odd, but Dawlish's friend Cassandra had helped her ease Teddy from being breastfed to being bottle fed so Tonks could accept more help from other people with Teddy.
She finally got Teddy to sleep and then there was a moment where she felt a bit weird about them sharing a bed again, but she wasn't sure why. She had wanted this.
"Are you still not morphing?" Remus asked randomly, after she helped him to the bed. She had decided to fold her laundry before bed, but she wondered if she was delaying the inevitable moment they'd have to talk about how odd it felt between them right now.
"Not by choice. Why?"
"I was just wondering. I just want to know what you look like right now." Remus said. "I've missed you and now I can't even see you."
She paused her folding, setting down the shirt she was holding. "You've never seen me completely unmorphed, I don't know you'd like what you saw. Even during the year you were gone with the pack, I didn't lose the ability so completely... this is the first time ever that I haven't even been able to change my nose or height or anything."
"I did see you, even if I don't actually remember it." Remus said. "When the Wizengamot saw the memory, I almost didn't realise it was you, but-"
"I'm sorry. Of all people, my husband should know what I actually look like." Tonks said.
"It doesn't matter, you know that, right? When most people see me, they only see the scars, so they shy away. You never did, so why would I care what you looked like?"
"Oh, if I could morph and you could see, I'd make you regret saying that."
"I know you would. I don't love you for the way you look, Dora. You are, by far, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, but that's not everything-"
"I think you've forgotten what Fleur looks like."
"I have not, but she's not the woman I love."
Tonks laughed, picking up the shirt again. "Does Healer Davis think it's good that you can see memories from before you were blind?" She asked. "Perhaps it means it's not permanent."
"I asked him if it could mean something, but he's not sure yet." Remus said. "He says he's going to talk to other Healers and see if anyone has theories."
"Will you tell me more about mates?" Tonks asked. "You've never given me much."
"There's not much to it, I've told you all there is, really." Remus said. "They're just meant to be the other half of us, our best match. Usually it's another werewolf, like I told you before. Someone who counters our flaws and would create the strongest offspring. Obviously, not every werewolf has children, there are easier ways to create a pack that don't include having children and waiting for them to be old enough that a bite won't kill them."
"And what about when it's a human?"
Remus shrugged. "I don't know why it would work that way. I've heard of people infecting their human mates on the rare occasion it happens, but I'm not sure why it would happen in the first place."
"That kind of just sounds like what Muggles believe soulmates are." Tonks said. "A perfect match."
"Maybe it's not far off. Maybe werewolves are just more sensitive to the feeling." Remus said. "Maybe everyone has that person, they just don't ruin their lives by biting them."
"Well, I mean, there may be biting involved, depending on the relationship."
"That's a different type of biting." Remus said and she laughed.
"Do you know Nathan Allard?" Tonks asked after a moment.
Remus frowned a bit. "Yes, why?"
"He confronted me when I went to get some of your things from your father's-"
"You went there alone?" Remus demanded. "Nymphadora, you going anywhere alone is exactly what Petra and Bellatrix want-"
"You will never have permission to use my first name, Lupin." She growled. "I've always done very quick trips, nothing has happened-"
"Except Nathan finding you, apparently." Remus said. "Of everyone, I'm glad he's the one that did."
"So he isn't dangerous?"
"Once a month, he is." Remus said. "What did he say?"
"They're targeting your father's place on the next full moon, so you can't go there. Petra is feeling threatened by everything you've been doing." Tonks said. "Apparently she's also going to Cornwall, so I've sent Bill a letter."
"Why would she go after Bill?"
"I think she might believe that he killed Greyback." Tonks said.
"Whoever did is in danger." Remus said. "Do you know who it was?"
"No." Tonks said. "I never asked, I didn't care. I have a feeling it was one of the Weasley boys, but I haven't figured out who and don't really want to ask."
Remus nodded. "It's entirely unfair how young some of the fighters were." He said. "Even if we had no choice, and they had to do it to survive, none of us should have had to kill to survive. Certainly not the students."
"Well, it feels entirely unfair that the entire thing even happened." She said, piling the clothes on top of the dresser and sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing him. "When the first war ended, did you ever wonder or think that it could happen again?"
"That's a hard one to answer. At first, not really." Remus said. "Everything was still so volatile for werewolves, I didn't imagine myself having any sort of future. So, I didn't really think about the futures of others either. I suppose I never considered it, but then Albus told me what happened during Harry's first two years at the school and Sirius' escape... I thought something may happen, but not like this."
"Do you wonder if it will happen again?"
"I think there may be new threats, I'm not sure I believe Voldemort will ever come back, but..."
"There will always be someone who wants power." Tonks said, and Remus nodded. "If it does happen again, the Order's going to need new members. Most of us are going to start getting too old."
Remus laughed. "I'm not sure you can call yourself old yet."
"When did you start?" She asked, switching off the lamp. She shifted so she was laying down next to him.
"Mostly when a younger witch kept following me around. I said I was too old, not just old." He said, shifting so he was laying down as well.
"She sounds annoying."
Remus let out another small laugh.
Tonks rolled over, draping her arm across his stomach, her head on his chest. He hesitated before wrapping an arm around her, his hand resting on her hip. "Are you sure about this?" He asked. "Living together again?"
"This is all I've wanted since the war ended." She said. "Us together. It felt a bit awkward earlier, being back together after all of this, but I am really glad you're home. We've spent as long apart as we did together, it doesn't feel fair."
He didn't say anything back, but she knew he struggled to express his feelings sometimes. He had admitted it the first time that they had cuddled like this, when she had noticed his heart seemed to beat nearly twice as fast as her own.
She had tried to tease him, asking him if it was simply due to her touch.
"You do many things to my body, Nymphadora. Unfortunately, while I would love to give you credit, it is my condition. It's only near full moons, thankfully." He had said, and then he paused. "I'm sorry, I realise now that you were teasing me. I'm no good at that, it seems."
She had laughed, because he seemed to be a man of many skills, but it was very obvious that anything that included a lot of interaction with other people was a weak spot for him. She had heard that he was a great teacher, so she wondered if he did better with groups instead of individuals. "That's alright, I could teach you."
"You don't usually keep your hair this curly." He said, one of his hands finding her hair.
"No." She said. "I find it easier to control if I keep it shorter or just wavy. Why?"
"Just an observation." He said. "I do want to see you properly, like this. If you want me to be open with you, I'd like the same of you. I want to see the you that you hide."
"It's only fair, I suppose." She said. "I want to read the article tomorrow."
"Alright."
"How bad is it? I've heard muttering. People seem sympathetic."
"People may show sympathy for things like this at first, but they'll eventually forget to, when the next tragedy comes along. I'm not too optimistic that it will change much, but it will explain why the department had to be shut down." Remus said. "I know you mean well when you say these things, Dora, but it's all routine at this point. Everyone will spend the next year sympathetic and horrified by the war stories. Then, they'll start to forget or they'll get bored. Eventually, it's like nothing even happened unless they lost a family member to it."
Tonks didn't reply.
"Do you know how many people were at James and Lily's funeral?" Remus asked. "Thousands. They came and went all day, people who didn't even know them. The statue was erected, the graves were constantly covered in flowers for the first two or three years. And then, nothing, because people seemed to forget. I- I sort of forgot after a while."
"No, you didn't."
"I can count on one hand how many times I've been to their graves since... 1984." Remus said, though he sounded slightly uncertain. "Could have been '85, I don't remember when I stopped going regularly."
"Your situation was different, they would understand." Tonks said. "You told me you had to travel so often just to find a job, I'm sure they wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't go to talk to their graves."
Remus hummed. "I would like to go more often." He said after a minute.
It was Tonks' turn to be quiet for a moment. "Do you think Harry's gone? He's never said as much, but maybe to you?"
"I'm not sure if he has. I doubt the Dursleys would have taken him."
"Maybe you two can go together one day."
"I would actually like to take you." Remus said. "I think they would have loved to meet you as my wife, and not just Sirius' kid cousin. They would have loved Teddy, too."
