Matryoshka Vignettes
By the Light of a Silvery Moon
By Jeconais
Special Guest Author: OHGinnyFan
Remus Lupin - Thu, 28th July, 6:45am
Harry Potter was a very smart bloke.
Remus Lupin had known this fact from the day Harry was born. Of course, just because James had told anyone who had ears and would listen that his son was brilliant, didn’t really factor into this. Remus had always thought that Harry was destined for greatness. From the time that he had first held the baby and looked into his green eyes — his mother’s eyes — Lupin was convinced.
Even though Sirius had been named godfather, Remus was always considered an honorary godfather. He had flat out turned James down when he had asked Remus to share the official position with Sirius, telling him that Harry would need the voice of reason in addition to Padfoot’s fun-loving. And even though Remus had strong feelings for Harry, he stood his ground. No, a werewolf was not an appropriate choice for a godfather. And even though a werewolf wasn’t an appropriate choice, Remus was there with his friends, watching and growing to love the child Harry was becoming — watching the child that would become the man the Wizarding world would need more than any other.
And then that fateful day happened.
Remus’ world was turned completely upside down. James and Lily murdered. Peter murdered (or so it seemed at the time). Sirius carted off to Azkaban for murder. Remus’ life was turned completely inside out — his only friends either dead or in prison, and the boy he had grown to love like a son placed with Muggles. How he would have loved to have raised Harry, and now, knowing what the Dursleys were like, he wondered if he wouldn’t have done a better job overall. But of course, he was a werewolf. And dangerous creatures do not make good parents.
Remus sighed heavily as he readjusted himself in bed. The lump curled up at his side stretched languidly and rubbed her eyes. She blinked at him, her eyes still heavy with sleep, and smiled.
"Morning, love. Can’t sleep again?"
Remus shook his head and tightened the arm encircling his girlfriend. She laid her head on his chest and drew lazy circles across his stomach with her finger. They had started dating shortly before Dumbledore’s supposed funeral. Even in their grief over losing one of the greatest wizards they had ever known, they were happy. They were an unlikely pair — he was thirteen years older than she, and a werewolf. She was young and a bit on the wild side, and an Auror to boot. It had taken her a bit to convince him that they needed to explore their feelings for each other, and he was glad she had. He most certainly was the happiest he had been in years when he was with her.
Their world seemed perfect for a while. Once Dumbledore had revealed the "little secret" about his supposed death, everything seemed perfect. He had a loving and wonderful girl who didn’t give a rat’s arse that he was a werewolf, Dumbledore was alive and back in control of the situation with Voldemort, and Harry would be safe back at Hogwarts, following Dumbledore’s plan.
Unfortunately, perfection isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be.
In his perfect little world, Remus failed the one person he had secretly vowed not to let down all those long years ago. He blindly followed an old fool who had no business running the show. He turned his back on the boy who had been like a son to him for one brief year. He had betrayed James and Lily more than he ever thought possible, and he was certain they both were rolling over in their graves.
He should have realized, once he found out how the Dursleys had treated Harry, that Dumbledore really didn’t have the boy’s best interest at heart. He should have seen what was going on. But instead of looking with his mind and heart, he blindly followed the one man he thought had everything under control. The one man who he assumed would defeat Voldemort and protect Harry. The man who would become the grand puppet master. The old man who was still in charge of Hogwarts.
And now Harry was dead, thanks to that manipulative idiot.
It wasn’t until Harry’s funeral that it all clicked for Remus. It took Harry’s girlfriend — Harry’s secret girlfriend — to explain what had happened and why. All of his friends — Harry’s supposed friends, him included — turned their backs on him, whether they realized it or not. Dumbledore had convinced everyone who was remotely close to Harry that he had the Voldemort situation under control. That in Harry’s best interest, it would be better to provide a united front and convince him to stay at Hogwarts. He wanted to control the one and only weapon that could be used against Voldemort. And that was Harry. And Dumbledore had used Harry’s own friends against him to try to reel in the loose canon.
Dumbledore wasn’t as concerned about Harry’s safety as he led everyone to believe. Quite the contrary; the old man knew he would sacrifice Harry for Voldemort’s demise without Harry ever knowing what the true plan was.
But Harry saw through the old fool’s plan, found a friend who actually believed in him, and went and finished off Voldemort with his girlfriend at his side. And the price that he paid was his life. But at least it was on his own terms.
After Harry’s funeral, Dumbledore had tried to contact Remus, but at that point Remus had finally understood. Remus knew what that git had done. He spoke to the old man, but only out of politeness. When Dumbledore asked Remus to join him for a meeting to discuss the events of the day, Remus had refused. He knew Dumbledore well enough to know that he would try to use Remus to fix the situation of his reputation, something Remus had no desire to assist in. doing.
It took Tonks longer to realize that Dumbledore had set the whole thing up. She still believed that the old man was what he said he was. It had caused the only real stumbling block in their relationship, and for a short time, they had separated over it. She had met with Dumbledore, believing he was better than he was, and came away convinced that he had truly manipulated everyone around him. Once she realized it, she came back to Remus, apologizing, and they worked out their problems. Dumbledore continued to try to sway Tonks into helping him, but she politely refused to follow him.
Still, even knowing that the old man had manipulated so many, something didn’t quite add up in Remus’ mind when he thought on the whole situation.
"Thinking of Harry?"
Remus’ thoughts were interrupted by the woman who shared his flat, who, with her hot pink hair, was staring intently into his face. He wasn’t sure when she had raised her head to look at him, but the concern she had for him was evident behind her eyes. The last full moon — a week ago — had taken a huge toll on his body. His transformations had become harder and harder as he got older, and he knew that at the rate he was going, he’d be dead by the time he was forty. It had taken him a while to get used to the idea that someone actually loved him for himself, but now that he was used to it, he wanted to keep it no matter what. And now that he had Dora, he didn’t want to die.
"Yes," he replied, smiling slightly at her.
"What exactly about Harry are you thinking about? I can tell you are very deep in thought."
Remus sighed, a weary sigh. "The usual; how Dumbledore used us, tried to use him. How I should have been there. How disappointed James and Lily would—"
He stopped speaking as Tonks laid a finger across his lips. "We were all idiots, Remus," she said softly, looking deep into his eyes. "James and Lily would not be disappointed in you for following Dumbledore. They were staunch Dumbledore supporters when they were alive."
"Yes, but they would have seen through him."
"Would they? There’s no way of knowing for certain, Remus. You know that."
Remus sighed again. "I know, Dora. I just wish they’d been here. I just wish Sirius had been here. I just wish I hadn’t turned my back on Harry."
"I know," Tonks said. "We all do. But we can’t change the past, can we?"
Remus tightened his arms around her. "No, I don’t suppose we can," he said, smiling sadly. "But something just doesn’t add up in the story that Daphne gave. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something’s not right."
"I know what you mean," Tonks answered. "I’ve been thinking the same thing. But what is it?"
"Well, let’s go through it," Remus suggested. "What happened that evening?"
"I was with Kingsley, and we had just finished meeting with Dumbledore, when the magical flares went off. I think everyone in the country felt them. We Apparated to the indicated spot immediately, our wands at the ready."
"And what did you find?"
"Harry, Voldemort and the two Death Eaters — all dead."
"Three," Remus corrected absently.
"Three what?" Tonks asked.
"Three Death Eaters."
"No, there were only two there."
"But didn’t Daphne say she killed three of them and then went over to watch Harry fight Voldemort?"
"I didn’t hear that," Tonks said. "But I was on crowd control outside the church, and with people trying to cause riots, I didn’t hear much of the service."
"Daphne said she killed two Death Eaters with a cutting curse and one with the Killing Curse."
"But there were definitely only two dead Death Eaters there," Tonks said excitedly as she sat up, the covers bunching around her.
"So that means…"
"That either there’s a Death Eater alive that knows exactly what happened," Tonks said.
"Or Harry faked his own death and is alive somewhere," Remus finished, smiling slowly.
"And I’d bet a thousand Galleons Harry’s alive somewhere."
"But where is he? And has anyone else worked it out?" Remus asked.
"I don’t know for sure, but I’m betting Dumbledore has worked it out," Tonks answered, grinning broadly at Remus. "He really wanted me to go with him to New Zealand a few months ago, and he gave me some lame excuse about a rogue Death Eater living there. You don’t suppose that Harry and Daphne are in New Zealand, do you?"
"Could be," Remus mused. "With her Slytherin talent, they could be anywhere in the world."
Tonks lay back down next to her boyfriend. "So what are we going to do with this knowledge?"
"How about we send an owl to Daphne? See if she’ll meet with us?"
"She may trust you, Remus, but she probably won’t trust me," Tonks said, sighing. "I’m still an Auror, you know, for the corrupt ministry? If Harry truly is alive and wants to stay hidden, he probably won’t be too keen on seeing me."
"Well, I’m not convinced that she’ll be thrilled to see me, either," Remus said dryly. "Remember me? Deserter of my best friend’s only son? Somehow, I’m not sure that she’ll want contact with either of us. But we do need to let them know that we’ve figured out that he’s alive, and that we’ll keep his secret to our grave."
Tonks got up and grabbed a quill and parchment. Scribbling a note, she read it to Remus.
Daphne,
We have reason to believe that Harry is alive and with you. While we also have reason to believe neither one of you has any particular desire to see either of us, we do solemnly swear on our magic that we will keep your secret until our dying breaths. Whether you choose to believe us or not, we do sincerely hope that both you and Harry are well.
Remus and Tonks
She woke their owl and tied the parchment to its leg. "Take this to Daphne Greengrass." The owl fluffed her wings importantly and flew out the window that Remus had opened.
A day later, their owl returned, the letter undelivered.
"Bugger," Tonks sighed. "How are we going to contact them now?"
Remus chuckled and shook his head. "We should have known that they would be heavily warded."
"You’re not disappointed?"
"No," Remus said, smiling. "Harry is the son of a Marauder, and knowing that, I’d expect him to make it difficult, but not totally impossible. So, if I was the son of a Marauder, and I’d left clues that I was alive, I’d leave a route to me open, so that people could contact me, but not anything that could be done accidentally."
He thought for a few seconds, and then smiled at the owl. "Take this to Hedwig’s owner."
Remus and Tonks were sat reading the Prophet the next day when there was a rap at the window of their flat. Remus opened it, and their grey barn owl flew in and stuck her leg out to Tonks. Tonks smiled and lightly kissed Remus, "Clever git," she murmured as she untied the parchment, opened it, letting the Portkey bounce onto the table, and spread out the parchment so both of them could read it.
R and T
We need to talk.
D.
The partners looked at each other, shrugged, touched the Portkey and felt the familiar tug behind their navels.
They landed on a beach, somewhere, though neither was certain where. They saw a stone path ahead of them, and holding hands, began the long trek through the dense, green foliage. The island was paradise — beautiful, warm, and inviting — but both realized that they might not be entirely welcomed there.
They followed the path for a long while, walking in silence as the sun set for the night. Passing a lake and waterfall, they came upon a very large glass house, complete with a large swimming pool.
As they stood looking at their beautiful surroundings, a house-elf appeared with a pop.
"Dobby?" Remus asked, an amused look in his eye. "I should have known you’d be here with Miss Greengrass. How are you?"
Dobby smiled and bowed low silently.
The house-elf led the couple into the most spacious living room either had ever seen. The sofa alone was big enough for the entire Gryffindor House to sit on.
He gestured for them to sit, before he vanished with a pop.
Remus and Tonks sat at one end of the sofa, hands still entwined, and neither had pulled their wand. Remus figured that if Daphne was as powerful as she appeared, he wouldn’t stand a chance. While Tonks might be a match for her, he doubted very seriously if even she’d be able to keep up.
Daphne came into the room, dressed in a short, white silk sundress that hugged every curve of her body. Remus stood as she entered, smiling slightly. He was quite sure that she wasn’t wearing much of anything underneath it, as her curves were accentuated in ways he’d never seen. Her long jet-black hair was tied loosely back away from her face — a pity, really, as he’d like to see her with it down. He had figured out at the funeral exactly what Harry had seen in her — a natural beauty with a brain to match. Any man would have killed to be in Harry’s shoes.
"Sit, Mr Lupin," she said. It wasn’t a command or a request, but basically a statement. The man sat at once.
She sat down opposite them on the other end of the couch and stared hard at them. The look of steel in her eyes proved to Remus that this was a woman who meant business. She was certainly not one to cross. But he also knew that neither he nor Dora would back down. He matched her stare as he looked back.
"So, you think Harry’s alive, do you?" Daphne said. It wasn’t accusatory, but rather more questioning. "What makes you think so?"
"Well," Tonks began, "once Remus and I sat down and talked about what you had said at the funeral and compared it to what I found at the scene of the final battle, we realized that there was a body missing. There was a body for Voldemort, Harry, and two Death Eaters."
"And from that, how did you come to the conclusion Harry’s alive if his body was present and accounted for?"
"In your eulogy, you said there were three Death Eaters that died. Only two bodies were found," Tonks said.
"Meaning that either one of the Death Eaters was still alive and running around, or —" Remus started.
"Or Harry faked his death, and the other Death Eater is spending eternity looking like Harry Potter," Tonks finished.
"And with your Slytherin know-how, we’re betting on the second," Remus said, smiling slightly. "Plus, you honestly don’t look like someone who lost their love recently. You just don’t appear to be in mourning."
"Excellent deductions, you two," Harry said sardonically, clapping as he stepped into the room. Remus and Tonks turned and looked at the man. He was wearing a pair of navy shorts with no shirt. His torso, while not huge, was more muscular than Remus had ever seen it. He was tanned, not dark and fake-looking, but a nice medium brown that gave him a healthy glow that made him look just like his father had after his honeymoon in the Caribbean.
"Harry," Remus called, as he stood up again. As much as he had hoped, he hadn’t allowed himself to truly believe that Harry might be alive. "I don’t know whether to hug you or hit you for putting us through this."
"I’d suggest the first," Daphne said icily. "The second will see you ejected before you can finish the movement."
Remus gulped. "Hug it is," he muttered. He approached Harry, offered his hand, and said, "I owe you an apology. I should never have listened to Dumbledore, and I should have been there for you. I wasn’t. And for that, I will be sorry for the rest of my life, as I’m sure I’ve disappointed your parents and Sirius, wherever they are. I’m just glad you truly are alive, so that I can actually apologize properly. I just hope you’ll accept it."
Harry grabbed the hand that was extended to him and shook it before pulling the man into an embrace. Remus wrapped his arms around the young man and hugged him back. As they pulled apart, Harry looked at Remus and whistled under his breath.
"You look like crap, Remus. Is it the transformations?"
Tonks stood and walked over to Harry. Embracing him, she said, "Yes, it is, although Mr. 'I’m Fine’ over here won’t admit it. He’s getting weaker as the months roll by."
"Dora, I’m fine, really. Besides, we’re not here to talk about my transformations—"
"Well, actually," Daphne interrupted, "you are here so we can talk about your transformations."
"Oh?" Remus said. "I thought we were here to discuss that we know about you two and what to do to keep it a secret."
"If we didn’t think you would keep it a secret, you would not have been invited," Daphne said coldly.
Harry smiled at her, and then turned to Remus. "The real reason we brought you here is because we need to talk about loyalty, trust and your transformations." Harry extended his hand out, and motioned for the couple to sit back down. He took a seat next to Daphne, and lightly took her right hand, playing with her fingers.
"Now," Daphne said. "We have your vow on your magic that you won’t reveal that Harry’s alive. We want to know how you feel about the Wizarding world at this moment. Whom do you support? To whom are you loyal? What do you think about what’s happening?"
"Well," Remus began. "I don’t like what I’m seeing. The Wizengamot is trying to push through some pretty ridiculous laws at the moment. I certainly don’t support Scrimgeour and Dumbledore," Remus paused. "I figured out exactly what Dumbledore did, thanks to your young lady there," he continued, motioning to Daphne. "Her eulogy made it clear to me what exactly he had done. He no longer has my support in anything he tries to do."
"It took me a bit longer to work it all out," Tonks confessed. "I met with Dumbledore after your funeral. Remus and I had argued about Dumbledore and we actually broke up for a few days over it. I went and met him and, well, it was like I was looking at him with new eyes. I could see how he was trying to manipulate me. He connived and convinced everyone to help him keep a leash on you, Harry." Tonks looked the young man directly in the eye. "For that, I am sorry. I have come to realize that I can’t believe a word that comes out of Dumbledore’s mouth."
"We have no idea what you’ve got planned for your life, but whatever it is, you have our support," Remus continued. "We will keep your secret for as long as you want, taking it to our graves if we need to. We won’t make the same mistake twice and betray you again. You have our support and our loyalty. For life."
Harry looked at Daphne. "You owe me, honey," he said smoothly. "I told you that they’d figure it all out."
"Damn Gryffindors," Daphne grumbled.
Remus and Tonks looked at each other and then at the other couple. They could tell that the two of them connected so easily on many, many levels.
"Okay," Harry said. "I do believe you and trust you — both of you. But now comes the time to see if you do honestly trust us. We have a proposition for you, Remus."
"Oh?" Remus asked.
"We have what we believe to be the cure for lycanthropy," Daphne said simply.
"Excuse me," Remus sputtered, his heart suddenly seemed to pound in his ears. "Can you repeat that?"
"We think we have the cure for lycanthropy," Harry said. "We’ve had the best Potions Master available to us and he has worked on a cure for the werewolves."
"Wha-who-how-How can this be possible? The best Potion Master around was Snape and he’s gone miss—" Remus’ eyes lit up. "Wait a minute…are you telling me…that Snape is not really missing, but that you two have him?"
"That is exactly what we are saying," Daphne said. "Well, that, and the fact we’ve got a cure for lycanthropy."
Tonks shook her head and chuckled. "Do you know how many Aurors have been sent out on Dumbledore’s orders to find Snape and bring him back? Dumbledore is furious that Snape’s gone. He thinks his own cover will be blown!" She laughed outright. "This is even better than I thought!"
"Snape is alive and well, however, he is under house arrest and will be for the rest of his life. His home is under the Fidelius Charm, and he is his own Secret Keeper."
"Wait," Tonks interrupted. "If he’s his own Secret Keeper, how do you know where he is?"
"Imperius," Daphne said. "When we cast the spell on him, we ordered him to tell us where he lived, and then we Obliviated it from his memory."
"Getting the conversation back on track," Harry said. "He has made a potion for lycanthropy, and while we’ve tested it for toxicity, we’ve not been able to test it for effectiveness."
"In other words," Daphne continued, "while Snape has made this potion, and he is the best at this type of thing, we don’t know for certain if it will really cure lycanthropy. The only way to tell — "
"Is for a werewolf to try it," Remus finished. "Okay. I’ll do it."
"Wait a minute," Tonks broke in. "How do we know it’s safe? How do we know that Snape hasn’t done something to it to kill all the werewolves?"
"Severus knows what would happen if he did that," Daphne said coldly. "And, once you understand how a man thinks, you can control him, if you are motivated enough. He tested the potion on himself, to make sure it wasn’t poisonous, and he would not take anything that might endanger his health."
"What if it doesn’t work? What if it doesn’t cure lycanthropy? What will it do to Remus?" Tonks asked, still looking alarmed.
"Even if it doesn’t work as a cure, we’re fairly certain it won’t do anything to the person ingesting it. After all, Snape tested it for toxicity on himself and nothing happened. We just don’t know that it’ll cure the ailment, since Snape isn’t a werewolf," Daphne said. "But I did watch him create the final batch, and it is probably the biggest advance in potion-making in a century. I have every faith that it will work."
"And Remus, looking at you, even I can tell that you won’t survive much longer without a cure," Harry said. "When was the last full moon?"
"A week ago," Remus said. "I’m willing to try it. What do I have to do?"
"Wait, Remus," Tonks said, turning to him and grabbing his hands. "Are you sure about this? I don’t think I can bear to lose you."
"I don’t have a choice, Dora. If we don’t find a cure, Harry’s right: I won’t be around much longer." Remus squeezed her hands and looked into her eyes. "The transformations are getting harder and harder on me. I want to try this. I need to try this. Snape, for all his faults, was the best Potion Master around. He brewed perfect Wolfsbane Potion for me, month after month, four years ago. As much as I hate to admit it, I do trust his potion-making abilities. I have to do this."
Tonks looked at him and shook her head. "I’m only agreeing to this because Harry’s involved. I trust him above all else that he won’t let anything happen to you."
"Good," Remus said, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Now, Harry, what do I have to do?"
"Three nights prior to the next full moon, you need to come back here. Tonks, you are welcome to join him," Harry said. "You must ingest the potion for three nights prior to the full moon. The night of the full moon, we will put you in a very sturdy glass guest house, which will be bathed in full moonlight once the moon rises. We will need to observe whether you transform, and you’ll be safe in there, while we’ll be safe outside. The guest house will have a bed, sitting room and a fully stocked kitchen. If you don’t transform, you will have very comfortable accommodations for the night. If you do transform, you’ll have plenty to tear up." Harry grinned. "We do expect the potion to work, and that you’ll sleep peacefully like you do any other night. Tonks will stay with us in the main house, just as a precaution."
"Okay, then. How will I get here? Another Portkey?"
"Yes," answered Daphne. "We will owl you a Portkey the week before you transform. We’ll have you both come and relax a bit on the island before you start the potion."
"Great," Remus said, standing up, with Tonks following his lead. "Shall we shake hands on it?"
Daphne stood, with Harry rising behind her. Remus first shook her hand, then Harry’s, and saw how very lucky they were. He noticed a ring on Daphne’s hand — and realized that the couple had at some point got married. He made a mental note to ask about that next time, perhaps when Daphne had gotten to know them, and wasn’t quite as frosty. He and Tonks would be there for a few days prior to taking the potion, so they’d have plenty of time to get to know her better. He was quite looking forward to it. This potion might actually give him the chance at a normal life, a life that didn’t revolve around the moon. A life with a lovely girl and good friends — friends he’d never turn his back on again. Friends who, he hoped, would allow him to help them change their world.