22: Out of Time
Remus couldn’t help but notice how pale Matilda Breakspear looked as she watched the small knot of people she had earlier asked to be removed, return in silence to her courtroom. As he and Tonks, at a tight-lipped Hermione’s urging, moved over to take a seat just beside the table for the defence counsel, he could feel the eyes of the Wizengamot following them almost as one, could hear the soft swell of muttering and almost sense the whirring of their minds.
But as to what they were thinking, he could not sense at all.
Rather than resuming their seats high in the gallery, Harry, the Weasleys, and Andromeda dropped onto a riser a few steps above Remus’ resting place, although Harry himself did not take a seat “ instead he dropped quickly down to Hermione’s side, with questions in his eyes. Remus and Tonks needed no urging to join them, and neither did Kingsley, who, after exchanging a brief word with Matilda, wandered over to their side.
“How did it go?” the Head of the Aurors was asking softly, his eyes straying from Teddy, blotchy faced and alone in his chair in the centre of the room, to Aloysius Sproule, who was shuffling through his papers with an odd look of discomfort. “Can I take Sproule looking out of sorts as a good sign?”
Hermione sighed deeply. “It’s hard to say. It was a difficult debate and I don’t think Sproule could follow a lot of it “ that’s why he doesn’t look happy. He can’t tell if he’s won the fight or not.”
Remus found his eyes drifting once more from his wife’s anxious features to his son’s expression of resigned misery. So much at stake for the people he loved…
“Has he?” he asked softly.
Hermione’s second sigh was even more emphatic than the first. “I honestly don’t know. I know some of the Wizengamot understand and appreciate what’s happened now “ Violetta Argyle and Apollo Greengrass were arguing your side quite fervently by the end. But some of the other members won’t be persuaded that anything other than sending you back to the past will do. They brought it up the moment you’d gone and they wouldn’t let it drop.”
Kingsley pulled a face. “Let me guess - DeWinter? Kingross? Selwyn?”
Hermione nodded. “Amongst others, but Tertias DeWinter was the ringleader. He even got Rajesh Chaudhry back in here and explained what had happened so he could tell the court whether or not it could be done.”
Remus felt himself frown. He remembered Tertias DeWinter very well, although now he was a grey-haired, wizened old man rather than the powerful, bearded professor Remus still pictured; he had failed until now to recognise him. DeWinter’s harsh and pointed lectures against Dark Creatures in his role as Remus’ first year Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher had been the principal reason he’d been so utterly terrified when his friends had worked out what he was. He’d never been more relieved in his life when DeWinter had joined a Kappa hunting expedition in Mongolia and left the school at the end of the year.
At his side, Dora had paled visibly. “What did Chaudhry say?”
Hermione’s smile was humourless. “He said maybe and refused to elaborate. When they pushed him for an actual answer, he was forced to admit that with the field broken and the magical dampeners along with it, it might be possible to use a Switching Spell to swap the fake bodies Teddy left for the real thing in the instant before the Killing Curse hit. But he also said that he would have no part in such an action because it was unnecessary and inhuman and he couldn’t see anyone else from the Time Division participating either.”
“Good man.” Kingsley nodded with grim approval. “What was the response?”
Hermione grimaced. “DeWinter said that he’d do what he was told if he valued his job. And then Sproule volunteered to do the switching.”
Harry’s jaw clenched. “I want him out. I swear, I’m going to find a way…”
Kingsley’s firm grip against the younger man’s shoulder put an end to the impending tirade, although Remus could see from the twitching of muscles in the Auror’s face that Harry was longing to continue.
“We can see to that later.” The Minister for Magic was frowning deeply. “What happened then, Hermione?”
Hermione pulled a face. “Padma and I tried to step in. When DeWinter told us off for speaking out of turn, Greengrass turned on him and made my points for me, thank goodness. They sent Chaudhry back to work and then the debate went on. Everyone had their say, of course, but there were an awful lot hedging their bets. I honestly haven’t a clue which way this is going to go.”
“Order, please.” Matilda’s voice, although surprisingly soft, nevertheless brought an end to both the hurried conference behind the defence table and the muttering amongst the Wizengamot. “If everyone could return to their seats… Minister, if you would remain with the observers for the time being, that would be appreciated. And Mr and Mrs Lupin, as I believe your son’s counsel has indicated, we’d like you here by the front.”
After a moment’s pause, Kingsley nodded, hesitating a fraction to clasp his hand against Dora’s shoulder before moving up to sit next to an ashen-faced Andromeda. Harry, after taking a second to grasp his former professor’s arm, followed him. Hermione had already dropped back into her seat beside Padma and was sitting bolt upright and attentive, a scene that made Remus briefly flash back to the bushy-haired thirteen year-old at Hogwarts, waiting desperately for the chance to thrust one hand into the air and prove herself. But there was a confidence to her demeanour now, in spite of her obvious nervousness, a quiet sense that she no longer had anything to prove, and it pleased Remus so much to see.
What an adult she’s become, what adults they’ve all become, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Padma… Teddy…
I’m glad I got the chance to see them like this. Whatever happens next, I’m so very glad to be given that much of a gift…
As he settled into his new seat at the front, he felt Dora’s hand clasp his and gently squeeze. Her dark eyes met his for an eternal instant, filled with worry, fear, frustration and anxiety, but before he could summon up the strength for a wan smile, Matilda’s voice broke the brief quiet once more and drew both their gazes elsewhere.
“The Wizengamot have debated the facts before us.” The Head of Magical Law Enforcement seemed to be making a point of trying not to stare in the direction of anyone in particular as she addressed the room at large. “But before we take our final votes on both the matter of Teddy Lupin’s restitution for his actions and on the matter of Mr and Mrs Lupin’s presence here, I feel it only fair that those not present for our deliberations should be allowed a final statement to us. I will not-” one hand rose, forestalling Molly Weasley, who was half out of her seat “-admit personal recommendations or pleas on behalf of the accused or his parents.” Molly dropped back down beside Arthur with an audible sigh. “I wish for only facts or suggestions, solutions to this difficult situation and reiterations of the theory behind it to clarify the matter in our minds. And when these statements are completed, the Wizengamot will vote. Who would speak first?”
Teddy was on his feet a fraction faster than Kingsley and Harry and Matilda acknowledged him with a wave of her hand. “Mr Lupin.”
Remus could see that his son was trembling, his face still red and stained from his bout of furious tears, but his fists were clenched and his expression steely as he gazed out at the assembled ranks of the Wizengamot.
“I make no statement for myself.” His voice was low, but carried powerfully. “I did disobey the law of the Time Division and use the Portal for my personal ends, resulting in the injury of a good friend. I admit that guilt openly and wish, that in regards to Penny at least, I could take those actions back. But my parents…” His voice cracked along the edges; but swallowing hard, Teddy stabilised himself and hurried on. “They did nothing but stand up to give their lives for the future we have today, a future without Voldemort, without Death Eaters and with far less fear. I brought them here without their knowledge or permission and they do not deserve to be punished for my actions. They deserve to live.”
Matilda’s face was pale and drawn. “Mr Lupin, I did say…”
“I know, I know.” Teddy took a deep breath. “No pleas. But this is fact. I’m sure that there are those amongst you who have advocated returning them through the Portal to the past. Well, please, hear this. There is no need. I am an Unspeakable in the Time Division of the Department of the Mysteries and I have spent the last two years there steeped in temporal theory and debate. And as you know I have already stated, everything we’ve learned there tells us that history can only be changed onto the course that we remember. I know some of you will say that this is proof that my parents must go back and die at their appointed time, for history says they have. But I knew when I undertook this personal mission to save them that this was the case. That history either dictated I would fail or that I would make it match. There was no other way it could be.” He straightened his shoulders. “So that’s what I did. I made history match. I went out of my way to make it match. I used Felix Felicis to make sure that my timing was perfect. I could not take my own wand through so I snatched my father’s wand from him right there on that battlement and used it to cast a Replication Charm on them both before I brought them here. And as the case of Cornelius Fudge has just proved, it’s not easy to distinguish a replicated corpse from a real one. It was a battle. There were fifty corpses in that hall, so who would take the trouble to look closely at just two? They were buried within three days so no one ever saw the spell degrade. That’s history. That’s what happened. History is safe. They don’t need to die for real.” His eyes hardened noticeably. “And I can prove it. Exhume the two bodies in those graves. You’ll find spell residue, not corpses…”
“Madam Breakspear!” Sproule’s harsh interruption jolted Remus out of his respectful appreciation of his son’s statement. “That is absurd! After all this time, there’d be no way…”
“You’ve had your say!” To Remus’ astonishment, it was Teddy who was first to retort, even ahead of Hermione, Harry and Kingsley, all of whom were on their feet. “Shut up and let someone else…”
“Order!” Matilda’s ringing exclamation brought silence as she glared down at the prosecutor. “Mr Sproule, Mr Lupin is quite correct. You’ve had your say. These are statements, not debates. And Mr Lupin…” The Head of Magical Law Enforcement’s voice softened distinctly. “I’m sorry, but Mr Sproule is also correct. I’ve been in Law Enforcement for forty years now and I know every forensic spell in the books. After twenty years, it would be incredibly difficult to determine what is the residue of replication and what is a decayed body. Without magical embalming being applied before burial, any body hit by a traumatic spell such as the Killing Curse will degrade much faster and more completely over the following few years than a normal body would. We exhumed the body of Cornelius Fudge but after so much time has passed, we would never have known for certain that it wasn’t once a human being without the evidence of your Time Division. We can detect traces of magic “ be it from a Killing Curse, a body thrown through a Floo or from a replicated corpse “ but we can’t distinguish between them. I wish we could. It would make this case a great deal simpler. But it was a good thought, and I thank you for offering it.” Matilda’s expression was one of compassion as Teddy closed his eyes, his chin dropping to rest against his chest. “Do you have anything else to add to your statement, Mr Lupin?”
Teddy shook his head slowly, his eyes slowly rising back upwards to face his judges. “No. Just so long as you all understand and appreciate what I’ve said to be the truth. They don’t need to die. Please, please remember that.”
Matilda nodded quietly in return. “Thank you, Mr Lupin. Take your seat.”
As Teddy dropped back into the chair of the accused, his eyes lifted briefly to where his parents sat. Remus saw Tonks give her son a genuine smile of gratitude and he was quick to echo the gesture. Teddy smiled back, albeit wanly.
Matilda had turned to the risers behind where Remus and Tonks were seated. “Minister? Mr Potter?” she queried. “I believe you both had something to add?”
Harry and Kingsley both exchanged a long look, before Kingsley politely gestured to Harry to speak first. Nodding with what Remus couldn’t help but note was discomfort, the Head of the Aurors came slowly to his feet.
Madam Breakspear,” he said quietly. “Members of the Wizengamot. I want to back up what Teddy Lupin just told you “ that his parents don’t need to die in order for history to be as it should.” He allowed himself a brief sigh. “And what’s more, if you’re willing to take my sworn word both as an Auror and as your Chosen One, I can prove it to you. Because something else happened to me on the night of the Battle of Hogwarts, something I’ve never told anyone but my closest friends about. And it’s one thing that really would have been different if Teddy hadn’t done what he did.”
Oh Harry….
Mutterings were breaking out across the Wizengamot, but Remus ignored them as he turned sharply in his seat to face his son’s godfather.
“Harry, you don’t have to,” he said quietly. “I know how personal that is to you…”
Harry’s lips quirked. “Not as personal as it was,” he replied wryly. “Given I’m no longer the only person alive who was there.”
“Mr Potter,” Matilda’s quiet intrusion yanked Harry’s gaze away. “Are you willing to explain?”
“I am.” Harry squared his shoulders. “I can’t guarantee you’ll believe me, but I got used to that when I was fifteen years old. It’s never stopped me before.” His eyes fixed upon the ranks of the Wizengamot and held. “I’m sure you all know the story of The Three Brothers from Beedle the Bard. And I’m certain that most of you will recall that the Elder Wand put in an appearance during my final battle with Voldemort.” The mutterings rose sharply in pitch. “Well, what’s less well known is that Professor Dumbledore had an interest in the Deathly Hallows. The wand was his until Voldemort took it. And after he died, he made sure that I was left the Resurrection Stone.”
Muttering turned to exclamations as several members of the Wizengamot came to their feet in astonishment but Madam Breakspear, in spite of her own amazement, still had the wherewithal to turn and hush them. When silence had fallen once more, she gestured at Harry to continue, her expression a mixture of incredulity and intrigue.
Breathing heavily, Harry took a moment before moving on. “I don’t have it now “ I threw it away a long time ago and I’ll never tell a soul where I left it, so don’t even think about asking. But when I went into the forest to confront Voldemort, I had the Stone with me. And when I needed to find the courage to go on…” He closed his eyes for a moment, clearly still finding the memory of that walk to his death quite difficult to bear. “I used it. Like the legend says, it doesn’t bring the dead back to life in the strictest sense, but it did bring a semblance of those I loved to me “ my parents, my godfather… And Remus.” He laughed softly, slightly bitterly at the silent incredulity on the faces that surrounded him. “I know what you’re thinking “ I was under a lot of stress, hallucinating. And I’ve wondered that myself over the years. Until last week. Last week, when I talked to Remus and found out for certain it was real.”
He shook his head slowly, glasses sparkling and catching the light. “You might think I’m mental for saying all this. And even if you believe me, you’re probably thinking it’s proof positive that Remus has to die so he can be there. But the thing is, he doesn’t. Because what Teddy’s not mentioned here is that saving his parents wasn’t as straightforward as pulling them through the Portal. For Tonks, it worked fine. But Remus got stuck.”
Remus fought a shiver at the memory of the red light squeezing and tearing at his body, trying its utmost to pull him apart inside and out. A part of him couldn’t help but wonder if Harry’s summons had been the only thing that had saved his soul from being torn away that day, that it had kept him safe just long enough for his friends to push him back into his body and out of the Portal…
But Harry was moving on. “And while he was stuck, Remus remembers being in that forest with me, my parents and Sirius Black. No one told him about it. He knew things that only I could have known, that I’ve never told anyone. So there, you see? I’m sure you’d agree that’s one thing saving his life should have changed, if that were possible. But it didn’t. He’s even managed to be dead without dying.” Harry smiled softly. “History’s fine. They’re fine. Leave them be. They’ve been through enough already.”
The silence echoed profoundly as Harry dropped back into his seat. For several moments, even Matilda was at a loss for words before she finally adjusted her robes, cleared her throat and stood once more.
“Thank you, Mr Potter,” she managed, slightly shakily. “That was a most…interesting insight. Well.” She shook herself firmly for good measure. “Minister?”
As Kingsley rose carefully to his feet, his smile was almost rueful. “I’m not quite sure how to follow that,” he admitted dryly and Remus was encouraged to note that a number of the Wizengamot actually chuckled. “But I intend to try. I think both Teddy and Harry have shown quite emphatically that history does not demand the deaths of two innocent people, two people who fought long and hard for the freedom we have enjoyed these past twenty years. But there is another reason that may have been given for sending them back, the reason so poignantly demonstrated to us by Dennis Creevey. What will happen when word of this miracle gets out? What will we say when others ask us why their loved ones cannot be saved?”
There were guilty shiftings amongst the Wizengamot that told Remus this had indeed been the primary concern of many of its members. Silently, he wished Kingsley good fortune in dispelling their doubts, but he had to admit, deep down, that it was not an easy task.
“The straightforward argument to many of those people would be that the death was witnessed.” Kingsley’s gaze, as it raked over the Wizengamot, was austere and, Remus suspected, very deliberately Ministerial. “The technique Mr Lupin used relies on no one bearing direct witness to the moment of death. But there will still be many who make claims, and if Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks stand alive before them, they will want to know why they cannot share in the same. And so, to hide this potential disaster, you would see them die again even though you know in your hearts they do not need to.”
There was a distinct hint of squirming in certain corners of the Wizengamot now. Kingsley had hit a nerve.
And the Minister for Magic knew it.
“So I say to you; with the might of this Ministry behind them, would it be such a chore to hide two people, one of whom has the natural advantage of being a Metamorphmagus? Would it be so inconvenient to us? Are two lives worth avoiding a public outcry?” He straightened firmly. “I am willing to take personal responsibility for keeping them hidden and safe. If the truth ever comes out, I will take the blame. I admit it’s likely that the time Portal will have to be destroyed to ensure no repeat of this, and that will be a great blow, both to our criminal investigations and our knowledge of history itself. But with it gone for good, would it really matter if the truth were to emerge? Can knowledge and potential outcry really be worth two innocent lives? I don’t believe so. And on your own consciences be it if you do. That’s all I have to say.”
Again there was silence, this time highly uncomfortable, as Kingsley took his seat once more. Several members of the Wizengamot appeared to be staring at their shoes like scolded schoolchildren, but several others, notably old Tertias DeWinter, looked moderately outraged.
Oh dear…
Kingsley’s words had hit home amongst many. But being told off by the Minister could only breed resentment amongst the more recalcitrant of their number.
Hermione’s right. This could go either way.
“Very well. Thank you Minister.” Matilda Breakspear’s gaze swept the room once more. “Does anyone else have anything to add before we proceed to the verdicts?” Her eyes lingered on Remus and Dora’s faces for a long moment. “Mr Lupin? Mrs Lupin?”
He felt Dora’s hand squeeze his once more as she sat forward.
“I don’t want to die,” she said plainly. “Not like this, anyway. But that’s not up to me anymore, is it?” She quirked an eyebrow as several Wizengamot members resumed their squirming. “But what really matters here is the future, not the past. So please, go easy on Teddy.” Her eyes were rich with pleading. “Don’t punish my son for wanting to know the parents who should have raised him. I regret not being there for him until now and I always will. And if I have to die, I rather die knowing he’s going to be okay.” She gave a wan smile. “That’s all, really.”
Matilda was regarding her with a mother’s sympathy shining in her eyes. But she made no comment upon it when next she spoke. “Thank you.” Her eyes flicked to Remus. “Mr Lupin?”
Remus sat upright. “I’ve stated my wish that any punishment you would give would fall upon me and not my family.” He winced as Dora’s fingernails dug into the back of his hand. “But if I repeat that now, I suspect my wife and son will do away with me long before Dolohov can.” There was a distinctly uneasy chuckle. “Other than that, I echo my wife. Teddy’s what matters to us. Whatever you decide we will comply with as long as he is not severely punished.”
“Very well.” Matilda nodded gently. “If that is all that you wish to say, then the time has come for the Wizengamot to vote.”
It was as though the entire room tensed. The air seemed to thicken until it almost seemed to Remus that he could rise from his seat and walk across it, suspended above the floor. Teddy was rigid, grasping the arms of his chair as though to wrench them away. Hermione’s shoulders were a solid block and he could hear the rapid breathing of several sets of lungs up behind him. Dora’s grasp upon his hand tightened once more, as he felt her lean into his shoulder and rest her head against him.
“On the matter of Teddy Remus Lupin.” Matilda’s voice seemed to reverberate around the room even more than it ever had. “The original charge was Intention to Pervert the Course of History. There are many ways in which this charge could be interpreted. But I think, under the circumstances now revealed, that it is clear that Mr Lupin had no intention to alter history in favour of Lord Voldemort or anyone else. If you agree with me on this point, please raise your hands.”
Remus let out a breath he hadn’t even realised he was holding as all bar a couple of the plum-robed figures raised their hands in agreement. Across the courtroom, Remus saw Sproule slam one fist against the table in frustration and permitted himself a moment to smile. The prosecutor’s original intent, to accuse Teddy of trying to save Voldemort, had been thwarted.
“However.” The solemn intonation of Matilda Breakspear chased the smile rapidly away. “Mr Lupin is guilty, by his own admission, of breaking the cardinal rule of the Time Division and using a powerful magical object to fulfil his personal aims, resulting in the serious injury of Madam Penelope Weasley. On this charge then, of wilful negligence and blatant misuse of Ministry property, do you find the defendant guilty? Please raise your hands.”
Remus closed his eyes. Every hand was raised.
But then he’d known it would happen. He himself was the proof of it.
Go easy on him, please go easy…
Matilda, whose hand was also raised, turned slowly to face Teddy. The young man was pale but his face was set.
“Counting the Minister for Magic as an abstention,” Matilda stated firmly. “By a vote of forty-nine to zero with one abstention, Teddy Remus Lupin is found guilty of wilful negligence and blatant and deliberate misuse of the Ministry’s Time Portal. As Head of Magical Law Enforcement, it falls to me to pass sentence.” Her tight-lipped expression did not give Remus great cause for hope. “And I must state first and foremost that I believe it imperative that Teddy Lupin be separated from the temptations of his workplace. Forthwith, you are removed from your position in the Department of Mysteries and shall not be permitted to work or indeed enter there again at any point in the future.”
Teddy’s head dropped into his chest instantly, one hand rubbing against his forehead as his lips twisted with definite pain. Remus felt his own grimace fall into place. He knew how much his son had loved that job.
“And as for official sanction.” Matilda’s continuation drove Remus’ heart even further down towards his stomach. “I’m afraid in a matter as serious as this, I cannot allow the accused to leave this court without a custodial sentence. Therefore, Teddy Remus Lupin, I commit you to six months imprisonment in Azkaban.”
Azkaban… As Remus squeezed his eyes shut, he heard his wife’s hiss of angry horror, heard the gasps that rose behind him. As he forced himself to look up, to stare at his son, he could see the fear upon his face, but there was resignation too and a tired acceptance that this was the way it had to be. And though it stabbed Remus like a knife through the heart, as he met his son’s eyes, he knew that Teddy still believed he deserved it.
“You call that going easy?” The exclamation came from Dora “ snapping his head around, Remus was just in time to prevent the half-started leap to her feet. Even as he pulled her down, Matilda Breakspear met her furious glare with cool, quiet compassion.
“I call it very easy,” she replied softly. “When the sentence I first considered was in years. And we must move on. To you, Mr and Mrs Lupin, and what is to be done.”
Oh Merlin.
Dora was back in her seat now and her fingers had crept up from his hand to grasp his arm and although she gave little outward sign, he could feel the slight tremble of her hand against his sleeve, see the fear that roiled like a maelstrom in her eyes as she glanced from him to Teddy and back again.
Dora was terrified.
And so was he.
He’d faced death before. But not like this. Not in a courtroom, awaiting sentence like a criminal. Death had always been at the barrel of a wand or the rising of the moon, the snap of teeth in a dark forest or the terrible squeeze of crimson light. He’d never had to sit in helpless silence and wait for it to come.
He would face it straight and true, if that was how it had to be. Even knowing it was unnecessary, pointless, he knew he could do it if it had to be done. But watching Dora die as well, waiting to watch Dora die…
I don’t know if I can do that. I’ve fought so long to keep her safe. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of death, but I’m more afraid for her than for myself…
“Mr and Mrs Lupin are here out of their time.” Matilda’s voice, so strong before, was suddenly uncertain. “And their presence leaves us with a very grave dilemma. Is their death necessary to the course of history, or is the past already safe? Must we be forced to send two innocent people, two war heroes, to their deaths in order to preserve what we have? Or can they remain here, in spite of the risk of outcry and chaos their presence may invoke? That is the decision we face. I have never been asked to pass a death sentence, much less on two people I know to be innocent of any crime. But if needs must, I shall have little choice but to do it. So, to vote. Members of the Wizengamot, in your opinion, is it necessary to return Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks to the past in order to ensure the true passage of history? Please raise your hands if you believe the answer to be yes.”
Half. That was the instant thought that crossed Remus mind as he stared at the forest of hands. It’s about half.
Madam Breakspear counted carefully “ Remus tried to make a count himself, but from his angle he could not get a clear view. And then, the hands were gone.
Matilda’s chin was jutting firmly. “And those in favour of letting them remain?”
More hands, half again of course, bloody hell, raised towards the ceiling, including Matilda Breakspear’s own brief gesture. Carefully she counted and gestured again. The hands dropped.
“We are a few votes short.” There was an odd tremble to Matilda’s tone. “Counting the Minister as one once again, are there any other abstentions?”
Three hands were raised into the air. Three members of the Wizengamot, it seemed, were unwilling to face such a terrible choice.
“Very well.” Oh Merlin, Matilda was trembling for certain now, was that good or was it the worst? “The Wizengamot have spoken. By a vote of twenty-four to twenty-two, with four abstentions, we rule…” She swallowed hard, her eyes drifting with sorrow, horror, and Gods, regret towards Remus and Tonks. “We rule that history must be protected. Remus and Nymphadora Lupin are to be returned to the past from which they were removed. And there, it pains me to say, they must die.”