the_debt_of_time

"She's fine," Remus assured him. "Shaken, but otherwise okay. I promise. They're
my family now, too." Remus stood and grounded Sirius by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Tonks is home now, taking care of them both."
"How could they do that?" Hermione gasped. "It's illegal!"
"What you've got to realise, Hermione, is that the Death Eaters have the full support
of the Ministry on their side now," Remus said. "They've got the power to perform brutal
spells without fear of identification or arrest. They managed to penetrate every defensive
spell we'd cast against them, and once inside, they were completely open about why they'd
come. They've made Harry a fugitive, wanted for questioning over Dumbledore's death.
And Hermione... they've begun a Muggle-born Registration Department. All Muggle-
borns have to register. It's a cover for bringing them in and accusing them of stealing
magic."
"That's ridiculous! You can't steal magic!" Hermione objected.
Ron began pacing, nervously chewing on the inside of his cheek. "People won't let
this happen."
"It is happening, Ron," Remus said, his attention on the younger three, pointedly
ignoring Sirius. "Muggle-borns are being rounded up as we speak. It doesn't matter. You
all are on a mission, and I imagine what you need to do involves keeping under the radar
regardless."
As he continued to speak, Sirius turned his attention to his friend. Something was
off. He sniffed the air once and narrowed his eyes at Remus. Standing up, Sirius kicked the
leg of Remus's chair lightly. "Come have a chat with me, Moony."
"I'm fine here, Padfoot."
"Now, Remus!"
After hesitating just a moment, Remus stood and made his way through the door.
Sirius slammed it shut behind them. He could hear it when Ron asked, "What the bloody
hell was that about?"
"What's going on?" Sirius demanded of Remus point-blank.
"I don't know what you mean," Remus denied quickly but firmly.
"Don't fuck around, Remus!" Sirius shouted, lifting his wand threateningly. "Why
do you smell like... fear and shame? What've you done? I know you didn't tell the Ministry
anything about me or Harry, so what is it?"