It was about midday when Remus Lupin returned to Number 12 Grimmauld Place on the morning after the full moon to find Tonks there waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, hoping he didn't look too awful.

"I waited for you to come home," she replied, frowning ever so slightly. "Where were you last night?" she asked.

"Out. Just out," he replied, avoiding looking at her. She obviously didn't know about his "furry little problem".

"Out where? Tell me, Remus," she probed, trying to get the answer out of the rather ill-looking man in front of her.

"I was... Nowhere," he frowned, not wanting to tell her. He knew one day he would have to, he just didn't think that particular time was necessary. "There's more to every tale than meets the eye," he stated and she frowned at him.

"What more is there to this tale? Where were you?" she asked again, sounding a little more forceful this time.

"Running around a forest in the form of a werewolf," he replied, sounding rather harsher and resentful than he had wanted to.

"You… What?" she asked, frowning a little, "You're a werewolf?"

Remus just nodded, saying nothing for a minute or so. He eventually managed to say, "I understand if you hate me. Most people do."

She immediately shook her head and grabbed his hand, "Remus, I don't care if you're a werewolf… I just… Well I guess it was just a little unexpected," she squeezed his hand a little.

He looked up at her when she squeezed his hand and frowned a little, "You… You don't hate me?" he questioned, looking a little confused.

"Why would I hate you?" she asked, "Just because Fenrir Greyback is a nasty piece of work doesn't mean you are too. He may be the most well known werewolf but he's also one of the nastiest ones in the history of werewolves." She smiled warmly at him, "I would never hate someone because of something they are, Remus. I only hate someone if they hurt me or someone I care a lot about, not because they have something others don't."

Remus smiled at her, pausing for about half a second before grabbing her and hugging her tightly, "You really don't care?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "Of course not." She hugged him back, feeling loved for once, and she was sure he felt loved for once too.

Remus was grinning to himself for once. He had wanted someone to say they didn't care at all like that for so long and suddenly he felt almost human again. Almost.