When Remus decided to leave

Gleaming jars of newt eyes, plumpy legs and pickled gnome toes sat in the window. He could almost smell them through the glass. He didn't find window displays all that atrocious, usually, but in this case they regrettably blocked his view from the interior of the shop. He wanted to make sure it was clear of anyone other than Mr Jigger about. With a fallen Ministry he could not be too careful when trying to procure his Wolfsbane potion. After a final vain attempt to check the store for any vile customers, he squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and entered the Apothecary's store.

No one seemed to be about, but he clutched his cloak closer as he looked for the man who would have his potion.

"We're closed, today!" he heard from a group of shelves, all full with jars of assorted powders.

"It's Wednesday," he replied, somewhat confused, as they were open everyday, save Sunday.

"Sign says close! We're closed!"

He looked to the door, and sure enough, there was a closed sign up (though from the inside of the store it said 'Please come in!')

"Mr Jigger, I just need to inquire about that, er, monthly potion I ordered."

Mr Jigger's balding head appeared between some barrels on the ground, his large eyes blinking behind his even larger glasses.

"Lupin?"

He removed his hood.

"Yes."

"I can't make Wolfsbane right now. They're watching me. They're hunting your kind down and if I did that they'd jail me for helping you. You shouldn't be here."

"Are you sure? It's quite imperative-"

"It's quite imperative I watch after myself and my own. I have my family to worry about. Sorry Lupin, but you'll have to make other arrangements."

"Can I at least buy the ingredients?"

Mr Jigger shook his head vigorously.

"They'd know. You need to leave. Please."

Remus let out a sigh. He wasn't sure he could afford them anyway, but he had hoped Mr Jigger would be as helpful with discounts as he had been in the past. The small man was white and shaking.

"I'm sorry to have intruded, then. Keep yourself safe, Mr Jigger."

"You too, Lupin."

He was about to exit the building when he saw the figures of Dolohov and Rodolphus Lestrange walking towards the door. He had battled them before and knew they would recognize him. Remus looked about for a place to hide in the shop. There wasn't one.

"Mr Jigger, do you have another exit?"

"You can Apparate from our bathroom. It has silencing charms and everything. Be quick"

Remus retreated up the stairs as quickly as he could. There were a great number of boxes precariously stacked around the stairs, making very little room for a person to travel with haste. He had a his legs straddling a box and his hand on the door handle when he heard the door slam open.

"Jigger!" he heard the voice of Lestrange bark and the door slam. "Where are those potions?"

"Right here, Mr Lestrange, sir!" Mr Jigger piped, knocking a few thing over in his haste to move.

Remus didn't dare move. He was partially concealed by some shelves and poor lighting, but if someone heard him, they would no doubt be able to hit him with a spell.

"Th-thirty vials of veritas potion, as ordered, r-right- right here," stuttered Mr Jigger, his voice shaking a bit.

"We need fifty," came the deep voice of Dolohov.

"Oh! Well, well I don't have that many, but I- I can brew some! Yes, I can brew some for you."

"You don't want us to leave short handed. The Dark Lord would not like that. Brew some now," ordered Lestrange.

"It takes a month to brew!" Jigger almost wailed.

"Then it's too bad you didn't have the insight to brew extra, isn't it?" Dolohov laughed.

"No-no, please! I'll brew more next time. As much as you want! Please don't kill me! I have a family"

The two Deatheaters laughed.

"Brew more, and maybe we won't kill you and your family."

Jigger let out a whimper in response.

"Well! Get started!" Lestrange barked, casting some destructive spells around the store. His final one hit the stack of boxes in front of the bathroom door. Remus jumped out of the way and let out and involuntary 'oof!'

"What was that?" Lestrange asked.

Remus stayed to the ground, hoping they wouldn't move the three feet to the left it would take for them to spy him without protection.

"Jigger! What was that!"

"I- I don't-" Jigger trailed off.

Dolohov moved towards the stairs and his eyebrows shot up as he saw Remus.

"It's Lupin!"

"Immobulus!" Remus shouted, hitting Dolohov in the face with the spell. He quickly rolled closer to the door and put up a barrier spell between him and Lestrange. It would not hold for more than a minute, he knew.

Lestrange immediately began firing a barrage of spells at Remus.

"Come out and fight, werewolf! I hear congratulations are due for you and your blood traitor wife! Can't wait to welcome the pup into the the family!" he snarled, before performing s Wingardium Leviosa spell that lifted a large shelf of potions high in the air. Remus did what he could to crawl back towards the door before the shelf was dropped upon him. To his surprise he heard a giant crash sound far away from him.

Jigger's small form lay crushed, bleeding and unmoving as broken vials of potion corrosively ate away at his skin.

"That's what we're gonna do to his family, and yours!" Lestrange threatened, his booming voice echoing off the walls.

Remus used this momentary quiet in spells to open the bathroom door, throw his body flat into the bathroom and apparate.

He found himself in a field of flowers outside of the Tonks home.

They had seen him. They had even more reason to attack Dora, and their child. How could he have been so stupid? And now Mr Jigger was dead. His unsuspectling family would be soon. Remus had no idea where they were, or how he could warn them of the very real danger they were in.

"Who's out there? Reveal yourself!" He heard Dora cry from the house.

"It's me!" Remus called back, stiffly pushing himself off of the grass.

"Remus! Thank God," she said running out the yard, her wand still trained on him.

"Dora, we want to name our child Teddy, after your father or Laura after my mother," he let out, still panting.

"What happened?" she asked, stowing her wand and putting a hand on his cheek.

"I- I did something foolish. Wanted to get some wolfsbane potion... Shouldn't have gone. Jigger's dead now. They're going to kill his family. Said they'd do the same to you," Remus mumbled frantically, putting his face in her neck and inhaling her scent.

She held him close.

"We're fine. We're safe. I reinforced the basement for next week's moon. It will be fine," she said soothingly, stroking his hair.

He had never wished more for something to be true. Remus knew he could not stay there anymore, though. He would bring destruction to his lovely Dora. If the Deatheaters didn't kill them, he might even accidentally kill the whole family come the full moon.

Her hair was a soothing aqua color.

"I think the baby likes turquoise. I keep wanting to keep my hair this color," she smiled at him.

His eyes traced her face. How she could have such an untroubled smile in times like this he would never know.

"I love you, Dora," he let out, kissing her hair and holding her as tightly as he dared.

He was going to leave her tonight. There was no other choice. He wanted her to be alive. He wanted his child to be alive.