With a flick of his wand Remus sent an unknown Deatheater flying in to the opposite wall. Without stopping to see if he had succeeded in killing him, Remus continued his flee down the rubble strewn hall. He ran beneath a crooked archway and found himself in an empty corridor. It seemed that the battle had not reached this place yet and for this Remus was glad, he needed a place to stop and breathe for a moment. The full moon had only been two days ago and he was still feeling tired and weak.
Then Remus heard footsteps clattering behind him. He span around, instantly on guard, only to see Tonks come flying around the corner. When she saw Remus she let out a gasping scream that managed to exude her fear, relief and love all at the same time. She threw herself against him.
"You're alive!" Tonks cried.
Remus stared at her with a horrified expression. "What are you doing here? It's too dangerous! You need to get back to your mothers at once," He ordered.
"I couldn't bear staying there not knowing!" Tonks said, "I couldn't bear the thought of you alone."
"You're a fool," Remus said, but he clutched her face towards his and kissed her all the same.
"Thank you," Tonks whispered.
"For what?" Remus asked softly.
"For giving me the chance to show you how much I love you. For not being stubborn for so long that in the end it'd be too late," Tonks said. There were tears sparkling in her dark eyes now.
"And thank you, for my son. For allowing me to believe that I deserved to be loved," Remus replied.
They were both speaking very fast. This was the end, they both knew it. It was too perfect that they had been allowed this moment to share peacefully together. Remus pulled Tonks in again for another kiss, and right on cue more footsteps sounded down the corridor.
Antonin Dolohov's spell was cast before either of them could watch him do it. Dazzling green light blinded their eyes. Tonks yelled "Stupefy!" just in time, sending Dolohov crashing to the floor before he could strike again. Remus had gone limp in her arms.
"No!" Tonks screamed, collapsing to the dusty ground. She buried Remus against her chest. Remus's skin had gone even greyer, but the expression on his face was the most peaceful Tonks had ever seen on him. And she couldn't bear it. "Remus please don't die, I love you so much," She whispered.
"Well isn't that sweet," A taunting voice said from above her, "You make me sick."
Tonks looked up through blurred eyes to see her Aunt, Bellatrix, sneering down at her. Tonks shakily wiped away a tear from her eye. "Bellatrix please, help me!" She begged. It wasn't going to work, and Tonks knew it.
"Help you?" Bellatrix repeated, "Why should I help you, that beast deserves to die!"
She began to circle Tonks. "In fact so, my dear little niece, do you. Marrying that scum places you in the same page as him in my book," She spat.
"My little boy. Our son," Tonks moaned.
"The brat will be better off without either of you," Bellatrix sneered, and then she uttered the words that Tonks knew was to come, "AVADA KEDAVARA!"
Another flash of green light, and Tonks, still entwined in Remus's arms, crumpled. Bellatrix left them both lay like broken puppets on the floor bathed in the light of a flickering torch. And like their relationship, the two of them finding each other had come just in time.