Hope you enjoy this sequel to my first fic, I'll never let you leave me again.

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Remus Lupin awoke shortly before dawn. It took a moment to pull himself out of his semi-conscious state before he realized why he was awake. A soft cooing sound was coming from across the room.

He rolled over to look at his wife. Nymphadora Lupin lay on her back on top of the blanket; her bare arms and legs were sprawled haphazardly across her side of the bed. She was wearing the same purple camisole and athletic shorts she had worn all day yesterday, but at least she had removed her flip-flops before falling into bed. Her mouth was hanging open and there was a fair amount of snoring coming out.

Poor sweet girl, he thought, she’s so exhausted. Remus had counted at least two times during the night that she had attempted to sneak out of bed quietly in order to nurse Teddy. Unfortunately, sneaking quietly was not one of her strengths and she usually wound up making more noise than was really necessary. But he never complained. He obviously couldn’t nurse the baby himself, but he always offered to bring her something to eat or drink. Mommy took care of Teddy’s meals, but diaper changes and baths were Daddy’s specialty.

The cooing continued, and figuring Teddy was not going to go back to sleep on his own, Remus crept from the bed towards the small basinet on Tonks’ side of the room.

Teddy’s dark blue eyes found his father’s face instantly and he smiled joyfully. He had only just begun smiling the week before but it was already Remus’ favorite sight in the whole world.

“Good morning, Little One” he whispered as he lifted him up and pressed Teddy’s tummy against his bare chest. His free hand smoothed his son’s mess of soft, fluffy hair, which was blue-green this morning to match his cotton pajamas.

Remus returned to the bed with the baby and settled down on his back, Teddy now lay on his Daddy’s tummy. The baby turned his head a few times before choosing the side that felt most comfortable – naturally, the side facing his Mommy. Remus patted Teddy’s bottom as he dozed. The steady rising and falling of his chest as he breathed soothed the baby quickly back to sleep.

Tonks stirred slightly and rolled on to her side to face her husband. Her brown eyes sparkled as she saw her baby was sleeping there too. “Awwww. He loves his Daddy!” she said quietly, winking at Remus. Cuddling closer to him she added, “I love his Daddy too,” in a completely different tone of voice and with a flirtatious twinkle in her eye.

On mornings like this one, Remus felt more content with his life than he ever dreamed he could be. But this morning was different. The wizarding world was still at war, and Remus couldn’t explain why, but he had an ominous feeling that something was about to happen.

He had never enjoyed the subject of Divination during his years at school, and his few encounters with Sybil Trelawney as an adult had further convinced him the entire practice was a fraud, pure and simple. He’d always thought people who swore by premonitions were a little unstable.

But by lunch time the heavy feeling in his stomach had not subsided...

He and Tonks were seated at the small kitchen table. A pot of soup was bubbling serenely on the stove. Tonks had opened all of the windows on the main level to let in the fresh spring air. Teddy was lying nearby in his playpen, dazzled by a mobile of stuffed bears Tonks bewitched to spin continuously and to say silly things like “Teddy Lupin rocks!” or “A Honeydukes bar a day keeps the healer away!”

“Babe?” He shook his head rapidly as though trying to shake water out of his ears, and turned his attention back to his wife. Tonks was staring at him with an expression of half concern, half amusement. “Babe… I asked you if you were planning to eat anything? You didn’t answer.” She gestured toward his soup bowl which he hadn’t touched since he’d served it twenty minutes earlier. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes, My Love. I’m fine,” he lied.

Tonks had always been the more open-minded one about paranormal things while he remained cynically armed with logic, so Remus knew she would be very worried if he told her what he was really feeling. He didn’t want to alarm her. He just needed to force himself to focus on how lucky he was to be enjoying lunch with his beautiful young wife while his adorable healthy baby played close by.

“Well, anyway” Tonks continued, though clearly not buying his assurance that he was fine, “we’re having dinner at my mother’s tonight, so maybe you are wise not to eat much for lunch. You know how she likes to over-feed you,” she chuckled.

Remus smiled as he nodded. His mother-in-law took very good care of him, indeed. He wasn’t sure whether it was the fact that he was a werewolf and she worried about his health, or because she had been living alone for nearly a year– but her attitudes toward serving food and portion sizes made Molly Weasley seem absolutely tightfisted. He usually left Andromeda Tonks’ home feeling overindulgently bloated.

The reason Mrs. Tonks had been living alone was because her husband, Ted Tonks had been forced into hiding when Muggle-born witches and wizards were required to register with the Ministry the previous summer. He had protested on principle and found himself on the wrong side of the new powers-that-be. Tragically he was killed while on the run. Andromeda had not been the same ever since.

She was an extremely strong and powerful woman by nature, but the loss of her husband had left her sullen and a little lost. Remus and Nymphadora invited her to move in with them on several occasions but she always refused – she didn’t want to impose on the young couple or leave the home she had shared with her husband for over twenty years. The one bright spot in her life had been the birth of her grandchild, and Remus and Tonks could think of no better way to honor Ted’s memory than to name the boy after him.

Tonks herself had been very close to her father, much closer than she was with her mother. Both women were extremely strong-willed and often disagreed. Tonks was devastated when they learned of Ted Tonks’ passing but she remained levelheaded, not allowing herself to become overly emotional when they were with Andromeda. It was only when she was alone with Remus that Tonks gave in to her grief.

When they arrived at Andromeda’s house mid afternoon, she took Teddy from Tonks’ arms immediately, disappearing into the little nursery she had created to sing him songs and read him stories. Remus thought she was a fantastic grandmother; he had never known any of his own grandparents, but he imagined Andromeda was the kind of Grandmom any child would be lucky to have.

Tonks suggested they take full advantage of this baby-free opportunity, so they went for a long walk around the property to enjoy the warm weather. They stopped to rest on a whicker bench in the large garden near the pond and sat down together. Remus wrapped one arm around Tonks shoulders and she burrowed into his side, hugging his arm and leaning her head against his chest.

“Dora...I think I have lived a pretty good life,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“What are you talking about?” she chuckled a little, taken aback by the apparent randomness of this train of thought.

“Well, I had wonderful parents, and the best friends a boy could wish for. Somehow I wound up winning a great wife and now we have a son. I’ve worked in the Order twice now, and have been honored to count both Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter as friends.”

Tonks turned sideways so she could look into his eyes. She appeared quite concerned. Clearly this conversation was fueling her suspicions that Remus was not feeling like himself today. “You’re making it sound as if you’ve reached the end?”

“There’s so much I have to tell you…”
“No, Remus.” She sat up straight and put her hand gently over his mouth to stop him. “Why are you talking this way?”

He tenderly removed her hand, holding on tightly to it and leaned in to look at her closely. “Stubborn girl,” he said smiling affectionately, “you had better listen; you’ll be sorry if you don’t.” She closed her mouth on whatever sassy reply her lips had been forming and then sat patiently waiting to hear what he had to say, with the slightest smirk on her pretty face.

“I love you so much, you know that I’m sure. You’ve been my best friend since the day we first met. You make me stronger and braver. You have given me something worth fighting for – a family." He could feel himself getting a little choked up, but he had to continue, "You know I would die to protect you,”
“Remus!”
“No, listen Tonks! I would die to protect you, and Teddy. I wouldn’t think twice if I had to choose between saving myself and saving either of you. You do understand that’s how much I love you?”

“Of course I understand. I feel the same way too!” she said softly. There was something very sad behind her expression.




The patronus appeared shortly after they had put Teddy down for his evening nap in Andromeda’s nursery. Remus, Tonks and Andromeda were seated around the hearth enjoying coffee and dessert, when a ferret zoomed into the room, announcing with Fred Weasley’s voice that Harry was gathering supporters in the Hog’s Head and was planning to fight back against the Death Eaters.

Remus immediately sprang into action fetching his cloak and securing his wand. Now he realized his premonition had been correct; he may not survive the night. But still he knew he must go and fight – it was the only option.

He was so preoccupied that he almost didn’t notice that Tonks was preparing to leave herself.

“Absolutely not!” he told her. He could see she was building up an argument so he cut her off before she could even begin, “I told you I would protect our family. Let this be my battle alone. Please, stay here with Teddy.”

Tonks looked troubled but she nodded and hung her cloak back up in the closet. “Send us a patronus the instant it’s over,” she begged desperately.

“I want to say goodnight to Teddy before I go. Excuse me.” He slipped quietly into the nursery. Rummaging around in the old writing desk he found what he was searching for – a quill and some tattered old parchment. He wrote quickly, wishing he had more time to communicate a lifetime’s worth of the love and lessons.

Dear Ted,

The time has come when I might be called upon to lay down my life to defend all that is good in this world.

Leaving you to go and fight is not a decision I make callously. But if the only people who fought for what is right were those who had nothing to lose, no one would come forward.

It is for you and for your future that I refuse to stand by idly while others fight. I have seen the cruelty and experienced the pain and persecution of this world; I must contribute any way I can to help change it.

Thanks to your mother and you, I have also known many of the blessings to be found in this life, and I fight to ensure that you will enjoy these same blessings. Even if I can’t be there to share them with you, be sure I am watching and celebrating for you.

Above all: always be brave, work hard, be kind to all, and follow your heart. And when you feel moonlight shining down on you, maybe you might remember me.

I love you always.
Your Father,
Remus Lupin

When he finished writing he wiped his eyes and folded the note in half. He leaned gently over the wall of the crib to kiss his son on the forehead and slipped the note between Teddy’s tummy and the blanket. He turned back as he reached the door for one last look – then he kissed Tonks and Andromeda goodbye and set off into the twilight.

He arrived at the Hog’s Head Bar shortly after, meeting several other Order members on his way. No one seemed to know what was happening or why they were meeting. All Aberforth did was show them to a tunnel in his sitting room that he told them led to Hogwarts. He said they would learn the details there. Remus was secretly amazed that there actually was a tunnel leading to the school that the Marauders had never known about, and made a mental note that he would have to add it to the map if he got the opportunity.

When the crowd had reached the end of the tunnel they found themselves in a room Remus could not recognize. It was furnished as if students had been living in it, and quite a few students at that. The room was already full of even more Order members and several Hogwarts students, most of whom he recognized from his year of teaching. He hurried over to Kingsley Shacklebolt and began asking questions but Kingsley knew nothing more than he.

After a few anxious minutes, Harry finally arrived…



The adult members of the Order of the Phoenix were each assigned to protect an entrance, Remus was to guard the northern gates with a small group of 7th year students who had volunteered to help.

As the large group disbanded to head to the assigned posts, Remus excused himself from his group for a moment. There was one person he needed to find in the crowded Great Hall before he would be ready to face his fate - the woman who from his first year at Hogwarts had been like a second mother to him.

She sympathetically treated his self-inflicted wounds each month. She encouraged his dream of becoming a healer even though she must have realized St. Mungo’s Hospital would probably never hire a werewolf. She continued to keep his secret for many years after he graduated, and had been extremely supportive of his returning to Hogwarts to teach. She cared for his pregnant wife when visits to St. Mungo’s would have resulted in the child being confiscated by the corrupt Ministry, and she was the one who delivered his son into the world.

When at last he located Poppy Pomfrey in the crowd, he pulled her into a firm hug then kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you…for everything,” he said earnestly. Not being the most affectionate of women, she looked surprised but flattered none-the-less.

Remus led his small group of students out of the front doors and up to the northern entrance by the edge of the forest. He assigned them each a place to stand before taking the center position himself. They didn’t have any warning which entrance the Death Eaters might be attacking or when they might arrive.

For several moments they all stood in silence, staring into the looming darkness with their wands aimed ahead. He could hear the young witches and wizards around him breathing heavily, anxiously and he could feel their stares as they looked to him for guidance and reassurance. He had deep respect burning in his heart for each of the teenagers standing beside him; they were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice just as he was.

He also remembered how he felt the very first time he held his son, and the last time he made love to his wife. Whatever happened to him tonight didn’t matter; he would live on through them. It made him feel braver to know he was fighting for them. His wand arm felt surprisingly steady and strong.

Suddenly, and without warning, violent jets of light blast their way through the entrance. A large group of assorted Death Eaters was approaching the newly blasted gate. Some Remus recognized immediately but others were new or unfamiliar.

He stood slightly in front of the students hoping to attract the Death Eaters’ attention away from them. But the Death Eaters noticed the teenaged protectors instantly and scoffed,
“THIS is who they’ve got guarding the castle?!”
“Some protection!”
“This will be a piece of cake,” shouted the Death Eaters.

Remus lunged forward and began casting every spell he could think of that might stop them from entering the grounds of Hogwarts. He noticed spells flying steadily from the students behind him as well.

Remus’ team was successful in delaying a few of the Death Eaters, even knocking one or two of them unconscious, but a large man Remus recognized as Dolohov from their battle in the department of mysteries two years ago managed to force his way through the entrance. Dolohov headed straight for the only adult Order member he could find – Remus.

The two men stood face to face; one face filled with malice and hatred, the other with confidence and devotion. Ignoring all others around them, they began to duel fiercely.

With one extraordinarily brilliant flash of light, Remus felt himself free-falling to the ground.

Moments later…he didn’t know how long he had been unconscious…when he came to and rose to his feet, it was as if he was standing inside of a misty cloud. He could still see the castle and the flashes of light being cast by the battling witches and wizards all around him, but somehow it was as if he was watching all of it through some sort of veil. He vaguely wondered what spell Dolohov had put on him before he remembered he was supposed to be helping to protect the northern entrance.

As he tried to get his bearings and shake himself free from the fog, someone caught his attention: his wife. But it couldn’t be. She was safe at home. She wasn’t supposed to be here.

He watched her run down the front steps of the castle and through the valley between the entrance and the forest. She was casting spells rapidly all around her as she ran, trying to help those students and teachers who were struggling against the Death Eaters. Her face appeared blurry to him but he could see she was frightened. She was shouting something, but even now that he had moved closer, he couldn’t decipher what she was saying.

He tried to rush to her. He called her name but she didn’t turn; obviously she couldn’t hear him over all the chaos. She was searching the grounds madly. He realized now that she was shouting “Remus” though he could just barely hear her. When he was no more than two meters away, suddenly Tonks froze. Remus stopped too and looked where she was staring.

Bellatrix Lestrange, who had apparently come from the northern entrance behind Remus, had cast a body-binding spell on Tonks. Instinctively Remus reached for his wand to come to his wife’s aid but he couldn’t seem to locate the right pocket – in fact he was having trouble feeling his robe at all. All he could do was stand by helplessly and watch.

Bellatrix approached her niece with a sickeningly triumphant grin on her face. Through the mist he heard her shouting “Don’t bother searching for him, Mudblood. He’s dead!” Bellatrix was giddy with glee, “It’s true. I made sure to step on his body on my way through the gates.”

Remus continued to call Tonks name so she would know he was there – so she wouldn’t fall for Bellatrix’s lies, but he still couldn’t make her hear him.

“Liar!” Tonks shouted furiously. The force of Tonks’ extreme willpower had lessened the spell Bellatrix was casting and she was desperately trying to uproot her feet from the grass-covered knoll to which they were glued.

Bellatrix continued cackling madly, “Oh, Don’t believe me?! Okay. How about some proof?” Bellatrix stood face to face with her frozen victim. “Inferius werewolf” she purred in a soft, low voice that was even more frightening than her usual loud and frantic voice.

Remus saw Tonks’ head turn to the gate where he had just been dueling Dolohov, and as he followed her gaze a horrible realization washed over him. A tall, lanky form lying just inside the grounds was rising to its feet. Awkwardly, almost robotically, it made its way to the knoll where Remus and the women were watching. When the body reached the area where Tonks had ceased struggling against the spell, it stood behind her and clumsily wrapped its arms around her torso, restraining her even tighter. Tonks was bawling miserably, calling his name and hugging the arms wrapped around her.

“Tonight you will die in the arms of your beloved husband!” Without another word, Remus watched horror-struck as green light traveled from the end of Bellatrix’s wand and struck Tonks directly in the chest.

He could feel himself shouting NO but there was no sound.

Tonks fell limp, supported only by the lifeless arms of the body she was leaning against. With a careless flick of her wand, Bellatrix released both bodies from her control and smirked as they collapsed together to the ground in one large heap.

At that very moment, Remus felt a delicate hand slip into his own and he turned to find himself looking into his wife’s eyes. He could see her clearly now and Tonks looked absolutely beautiful. She was dressed in the simple white cotton dress she had worn on their wedding day. She was illuminated as brightly as if there were a hundred candles burning inside of her. She looked peaceful, but a little sad as well.

He embraced her immediately. “Why did you come, My Love?” he asked her softly, over her shoulder.

“I wanted to contribute.” Her response made him smile. Her bravery and good heart were two of her most lovable qualities.

“It was wrong of me to insist you stay home. This was just as much your battle as it was mine,” he apologized as they continued to hold each other.

“But also I had to find you. I could just feel it…you know…I knew it. I just knew you had passed on,” she pulled back and stared sadly into his eyes. “And I couldn’t imagine life without you. I promised I wouldn’t let you leave me.”

He didn’t know what to say, so he just held her again. It was obvious they were both thinking of their son at the moment, but somehow they could feel he would be all right.

“Do you see that?” Tonks asked suddenly, turning back toward the forest. Remus shook his head. “That bright light? You don’t see it? Wait…My Dad’s there!” she cried enthusiastically. “And I think I see your parents too!” She began moving towards it, away from him.

Remus looked desperately in the direction she was walking but he saw nothing but the dark grounds to the right of them and the forest to the left. Someone had begun moving the bodies up the castle. He wondered how long his and Tonks’ bodies would have to wait before they were tended to.

Tonks continued to walk ahead of him. “Aren’t you coming? It’s so beautiful.” she turned back to him, smiling.

“I don’t think I can.” He was feeling utterly panicked now. How was he supposed to move on? He didn’t belong here anymore. He wanted to move on. Why couldn’t he see what she saw…go where she was going…stay with her forever? He didn’t want to be a ghost, destined to prowl the grounds of Hogwarts for all eternity, reliving the tragic deaths of himself and his wife.

“Don’t worry, Moony!” called out a cheerful and strikingly familiar voice. Sirius Black, young handsome and clean, emerged from the edge of the forest. “Not to worry - you’ll get there eventually,” he said dismissively. “But we have a job to do first. Hey Tonks!” Sirius hugged his cousin and patted Remus on the shoulder. Two other shadows were walking out from the forest behind him.

“Congratulations, Daddy!” cried a male voice Remus had long forgotten. “Your baby is beautiful, Remus…absolutely adorable!” exclaimed a woman’s warm voice. James and Lily Potter rushed over to hug him. He was too dumbfounded to even remember to introduce his wife.

“I’m Nymphadora Lupin,” Tonks said eagerly shaking hands with the Potters. “Remus…I feel like I’m supposed to go on,” she said timidly, turning back to her husband once more.

Remus understood how much she wanted to see her father again; he was very excited about the possibility of seeing his own parents again too. He couldn’t wait to go himself.

He nodded and kissed her softly. “I’ll be with you soon. I love you.” They embraced one last time before she went on ahead.

Then Sirius and the Potters led Remus into the forest to help Harry one last time.

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