Archive of Our Own ^beta

Remus Lupin stood in the tower overlooking the main courtyard below. There were wizards and witches everywhere, they'd come from all over for this final stand, this last chance at defeating Voldemort. If they lost, there'd not be another chance.

Although not even forty years of age, he felt twice that tonight, watching the Hogwarts students take up where the original Order of the Phoenix had failed nearly twenty years ago.

His wand felt heavy in his hand like he could no longer hold it up. The night had already seemed so long although it'd barely begun.

"No time to rest," Kingsley Shacklebolt stood a few feet away. "Rest is for when it's over and you go home to that lovely wife and child of yours."

"They're why I fight tonight." Remus patted his shirt pocket, where a photo of his blue-haired two-month-old son rested. Teddy and Dora had brought more joy to his life than he'd known could be possible.

"Surprised Tonks isn't here."

"She wanted to be. I hope she stays home with Teddy, she wouldn't promise." Remus had tried to make her promise to stay home although he had known it was a useless argument. He had never won an argument with Dora.

Shacklebolt chuckled wryly. "Of course, she wouldn't. That doesn't surprise me at all. She's a good Auror and fast in a duel, we could use her. But of course, protecting a child is understandable as well."

Remus nodded. He was pretty sure Dora would show up at some point and leave the baby with her mother. He could always hope otherwise.

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Tonks paced the nursery back and forth. Teddy was sleeping and didn't notice the anxiety of his mother.

"I should be there."

"You have an infant." Her mother, Andromeda, reminded her.

"Who needs to grow up in a safe world."

"Who needs to grow up with a mother."

"Why can't he have both?"

Andromeda sighed. Like Remus, she couldn't remember ever winning an argument with Tonks either. "He should be able to have both. That doesn't mean you need to fight."

"Yes, it does. He'll be fine with you tonight." Tonks pulled her long jacket from the closet.

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Remus couldn't say it shocked him to have Dora run towards him. He held her in his arms, wanting to hold her close and protect her. "You shouldn't be here," he whispered. "What about Teddy?"

"He'll sleep until dawn, you know that. Mum has him." Tonks didn't want to let Remus go either. "You need me tonight."

He didn't like admitting she was mostly right. However, he did wish she was home safe with Teddy, since she wasn't he would take comfort that she was with him.
Hand in hand, they watched the battle unfold below as it approached the castle from the courtyard. It was fast approaching them and Remus was beginning to feel his heart race. Tonight would change the wizarding world forever, one way or another. He could only hope and pray that they'd win and not Voldemort and his followers. The price would be too high regardless, many had already fallen on both sides.

"They've broken into the castle," Tonks broke into his thoughts, pointing below. "They're coming."

Remus nodded. "We'll be ready."

"Do you have watch up here?" Shacklebolt asked. "I could head closer towards the stairs if you're all right here."

"We've got it," Tonks told him, her husband agreeing.

"Wands at the ready." Shacklebolt headed further down the walkway. "Good luck to you both."

Alone now, the couple could hear the battle coming closer. They took each other's hands again, wands in opposite hands. Regardless of what was coming, they'd face it together.

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Smoke was rising from the stairwell and courtyard. Spells were being shouted from every direction. For the first time, Tonks felt fear.

"We're together, Dora. It'll be all right." Remus could only hope he wasn't lying.

"Yes. We'll be all right." She repeated his mantra.

They each gripped their wands and waited. They could hear Shacklebolt shouting as the first fighters climbed the stairs. The castle could not be allowed to fall at any cost, it was the last line of defense. Broken it was, yes, but it had not yet been given over to the enemy and so long as it held, Voldemort would not win.

"Expelliarmus!" Remus suddenly shouted, spotting the first Deatheater to make it past Shacklebolt. Letting go of Tonks' hand, he lunged forward to keep her behind him. He kept shouting as the Death Eaters suddenly kept coming.

On his right, Tonks was shouting as well. Her Auror training was put to good use but the months of being in hiding and being pregnant made her slower than she would've liked. She could tell Remus was not as quick on his feet either. They were almost dancing with their backs to each other as they fought against the Death Eaters.

Remus knew they were in a slow dance of death. His one goal was to keep Dora alive, so at least one of them would go home to Teddy. He tried to keep her protected as much as possible.

Tonks was coming to the same conclusion that Remus did. It was a battle to the death and it wasn't looking good that they'd be the last ones standing.

The castle grounds were ablaze with fires and the thick smoke was rising into the stone walkways, making it difficult for both sides to see who they were fighting. Even so, Remus recognized the Death Eater that stepped through the haze. "So this is where the vermin hide," Death Eater Antonin Dolohov strode forward, wand pointed directly at Remus. "So this is where the vermin hide," he jeered. "With your halfbreed wife I see."

"Your fight is with me, Dolohov." Remus told him, calmly but with determination, "Leave her out of it." He brandished his wand toward the man.

Dolohov barked a sinister sort of laugh. "It'd be a lot more fun to play with her."

Tonks hadn't quite noticed what was going on with Remus and Dolohov as she battled two Death eaters that had come through with the latter. But she had noticed that Remus wasn't moving like she was. After hurling a few powerful spells at the Death eaters that had yanked them satisfyingly over the railings, she turned her attention to Remus.

"Sectumsempra!" Dolohov whispered at Remus just as Tonks turned around.

She reacted swiftly, springing forward with her wand leading the way. Dolohov was taken aback, he stumbled as the curse met her countercurse. This gave Remus a few moments to react, swinging his wand, he brought a piece of rubble up to slam into Dolohov, plummeting the man down the stairs he had come up.

Gasping for breath, Tonks lay on the stones staring up at the broken ceiling. Remus knelt beside her, "That was foolish and brave, Dora." He was trying to catch his breath, too.
"Good thing I'm younger than you, I'm faster." She tried to joke with him.

He was both amused and shocked by that. "Dora, Dora, what am I going to do with you? We nearly die and you're making jokes."

She gave him one of her bright grins, the grin that made him fall in love with her in the first place. "That's why you love me." She held her hand up.

He took it, helping her up. They were both covered in smoke and dust. "You're bleeding," Remus wiped a bit of blood off her pants.

"Yeah, might be from his curse. It's okay." Tonks leaned into him, still in disbelief they were both alive.

"You do know that curse causes unstoppable bleeding?" Remus pointed out to her.

"I bet you know the countercurse."

He sighed. "I do. If only because Snape tried to use it on James." He pulled his wand out once more, turning towards her, waved it in a circle, speaking in a sing-song voice, "Vulnera Sanentur," repeating it twice more.

"I'm okay. You're okay." She wrapped her arm around his waist once more.

"Yes. Somehow, I think we are both alive," he said, pulling her close. "It's not over yet, but I think we're going to win this one."

Shacklebolt came around the corner then, he looked a bit shocked but pleased to find the couple still standing. "Good, you're both alive."

"As are you. Let's go end this thing and go home. I have a baby that's going to wake up in a few hours." Tonks told him.

"You heard the woman, it's time to end this once and for all." Remus agreed.

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The night had seemed endless. The wizarding community emerged victorious despite the losses. Remus couldn't ignore the fact that some of the fallen were far too young than he wanted to think about.

For now, he didn't have to. Tonks and Remus were walking up to their own little house where their son slept, where he'd wake up in a new wizarding world, one without a threat hanging over his head. They'd be able to raise him together as a family. Remus could think of nothing more he'd rather do.

Easing open the nursery door, Tonks peeked inside. Teddy lay on his tummy, his diapered butt in the air. He was sound asleep, his hair now green rather than the blue it'd been when she had left. Andromeda was sitting in the rocker opposite the crib and she noticed immediately when the door began to open.

"Mum, it's just us!" Tonks whispered, hurriedly before Andromeda tried to curse them.

The door was flung open and Remus found himself in a sandwich hug with his mother-in-law and wife. He hadn't known his mother-in-law even liked him that much.

"I didn't think I'd see either of you again!" Andromeda was practically sobbing.

"Even Remus?" Tonks had to ask.

"Of course Remus too," her mother scolded her through the tears. "Teddy needs both his parents and I can't lose anyone else."

"You didn't lose us, Mum." Tonks held tightly to her.

Remus gently led the women out of the nursery before they woke the baby. "Let's celebrate elsewhere."

The sun rose over a new wizarding world. Remus, Tonks, and Andromeda sat together in the kitchen, rejoicing in their little family and the bright future before them, one without Voldemort or his followers. Teddy could grow up safely with both his parents and his grandmother.

Remus knew all too well the sacrifices that had been made over the years to get to this point but as he sat at the little round table with his wife and mother-in-law, he couldn't help but feel joy. The losses and pain he'd endured for so long had gotten him into a future he'd never imagined or hoped for.