"Side By Side"
A/N: Another Lupin/Tonks one shot…man, I'm ADDICTED to that couple now! Anyone else? This one's another DH spoiler fic….much more so than my other one called "Coming Home" so if you haven't read/finished Deathly Hallows, don't read on, because there are spoilers-a-plenty! You've been fairly warned! BTW, YES I altered time a LITTLE to fit my story's particular need, so sue me.
Another A/N: I had hoped I'd have reviews by now for "Time and Time Again." If you like Marauder stories…go read that and review it, plz? Thanks!
Summary: At the Battle of Hogwarts, Remus and Tonks decide that if they must go down, they will go down side-by-side. What happened to them in their personal battle as Harry pursued the diadem Horcrux? More than you might think…
Rating: T-14 for tragic/dark elements.
"Mum, I have to go."
"No. Dora, NO! Your father would have wanted you here with the baby, and so would Remus," pleaded Andromeda as she held her grandson in her arms. Teddy Lupin's hair was a deep red as he sucked on a sweetened pacifier. "Remus said that your place was here with Teddy and I!"
"To hell with what Remus says!" Tonks cried. "I want to be with him! He's in danger, don't you see?"
"And so will you!" shot back Andromeda. "Your son needs you more than your spouse does…"
"I will not have Remus die without me there with him," said Tonks. "I won't have an owl delivered to my house saying that he died alone!" she yelled, having a fit. Her hair matched her son's hair, only perhaps a few shades brighter.
"And I won't have another child orphaned by this damn war!" said Andromeda, maddened. "Especially one who's mother is my own damn daughter! My evidently MENTAL daughter! Who not only had ONE baby during the worst of times possible, but just found out YESTERDAY that she is about to have an—"
"I don't care! Remus needs me, I can feel it," Tonks insisted, reaching for her broom.
"You don't care about Teddy?" asked Andromeda, holding her grandson. Tonks smiled weakly and took her baby in her own hands.
"If one or both of us lives, we'll both come back," Tonks assured. "But if we both die, then you'll be his guardian, and Harry Potter is his godfather," informed Tonks. "He will not grow up alone, I can assure you that."
"You're a fool, Nymphadora Tonks. A fool," scolded Andromeda. Tonks bounced Teddy up and down in her arms. The child smiled. "Just like your cousin Sirius," she noted. Tonks bit her lip.
"He was my 2nd cousin, Mum," said Tonks. Andromeda nodded.
"Indeed," she said silently. Tonks kissed her son lightly on the forehead before handing back over to her own mother. Andromeda kissed Tonks' forehead in return.
"Be safe, and please come back to me with Remus at your side," Andromeda begged.
Tonks went to the door with her broom. "I'll do my best," she promised, mounting her broom and flying out the window.
Teddy suddenly began crying.
The dark Hogwarts hallway seemed only vaguely familiar to Tonks as she sped down it in a mad dash for her husband, Remus. Harry had just told her he was down leading a group of fighters to the front lines to be the first defense against the Death Eaters. She needed to get to him quickly. Her wand at the ready, Tonks couldn't help but listen to the sickening sounds of screaming and curses shooting out of wands every other second. She had the feeling people were already dead…people she'd known. But she felt Remus was still alive…but he was fighting, or preparing to. Tonks wasn't a Seer, but since she started falling for Remus, she'd felt this connection to him. She always felt her chest tighten during the full moon as Remus endured his painful transformations. When, during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries Remus nearly was hit by a Killing Curse and had to duck left, Tonks had felt some instinct to duck left. Remus was in a duel…she could feel his heart pounding at thrice the speed it did normally within her own body. He was downstairs in the old Potions room.
Tonks hadn't been to Hogwarts in years. She barely knew where she was now, how could she find the damn Potions room?
The castle itself, at least this portion of it, was deserted. A lot of the fighting endured either in the Great Hall or outside. Tonks ran as fast as she could down one of the stone staircases. Her wand was still pointed out in front of her like a bumper, her only defense, as she'd hid her broom out of sight.
The old Potions room that had been in use up until Tonks was a fourth year was below the ground level, in the cellar, but not the dungeons. Tonks remembered she hated Potions, and she often skipped out on the class in favor of relaxing in the Hufflepuff common room with her gang of friends. It was ironic that now she was running to get to the classroom before anyone else now. Hopeful Remus could hold his own against whoever he was dueling with. With her there, it would be two on one.
Finally in the cellar, Tonks ran to the great wooden door she saw only slightly ajar. Lights and sparks of different colors emitted from the crack in the door.
"You're worthless!" teased a voice Tonks wasn't too familiar with. She opened the door enough to stick her head in. Indeed, there was he husband, tired, sweaty, and scarred already (why now did she find this so sexy?), trying to keep himself on his feet, and stumbling miserably. His opponent appeared to be Antonin Dolohov, with his long, twisted face. "Too bad it's not the full moon, eh, Lupin?"
"You'd have been dead hours ago if it were the full moon," Remus muttered.
"You seem so sure of yourself! Why aren't you at home mashing up some baby food?"
"Because I'm not making anything for you when you find your teeth are all on the other side of the room," said Remus, every other word was separated by a heavy pant as Remus struggled for air.
Dolohiv grinned maliciously. "Stupify!"
Tonks screamed as the spell hit Remus, knocking him to the floor. Not caring about Dolohov seeing her, she burst into the room and stood defensively over Remus' inert body. She rose her wand.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
Dolohov's body went rigid as he slammed to the ground temporarily. Tonks bent down and helped Remus to a seated position. She had a small flash tied to her belt filled with water, and she rose it to Remus' lips so he could drink. The worn man came to slowly as he let himself drink.
When he could process who was helping him, Remus rolled his eyes. "Dora, you can't be here…"
"Too late, I already am," said Tonks. "You're tired and hurt, quick, before the spell wears off, we need to get you to one of the common rooms," she said.
"You really need to get yourself out," said Remus. "teddy needs you more than he needs me now."
"Oh, shut up," said Tonks. "My mum's got Teddy safe and sound and in bed. My place is here. I'll stand by you as long as you fight," Tonks vowed. Remus raised a shaking hand and placed it on Tonks' cheek.
"Why did I wait so long to marry you?" he muttered.
Tonks smiled. "Because you're a man," she answered. Remus laughed.
Dolohov began to groan as the spell wore off bit by bit. Tonks began helping her mate to his feet. "We need to get upstairs!" she said. Remus, able to walk, but slowly, followed Tonks out of the room and shut the door. Tonks found a beam to help barricade the door.
"I think we have just enough time to make it to the Hufflepuff common room if no one sees us," Remus said. Tonks had to help Remus along up the stone spiral staircase.
"I…I…I can't believe you actually came," said Remus.
"I can't believe you still can't believe that," said Tonks.
Suddenly, from about 30 feet behind the pair, they heard a noise.
"BOMBARDA!" It was Dolohov, full recovered and out of the Potions room. Remus' eyes went wide.
"Come on, Remus!" Tonks yelled. She and Remus kept falling over each other (why oh why was she such a klutz?) as they stumbled up the stairs, shooting spells behind them every so often. Dolohov dodged them all easily.
"Dora, promise me something?" asked Remus.
"Don't tell me you're saying goodbye already!" Tonks said, rolling her eyes.
"If one of us falls, the other one must keep going," Remus said. "Swear it now, Dora!"
"Fine. I swear, but you have to as well," said Tonks. She could see the light at the high end of the staircase.
"I swear," said Remus. Tonks shot a Body-Bind curse down the stairwell. As they reached the threshold, Remus took Tonks in his arms and kissed her, for the first time, with passion.
"Remus, we can't say good bye yet—"
"—oh, shit! Run, Dora!" Remus cussed. Dolohov was right on their tail.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The green bolt nearly hit Tonks as she slipped. Remus got her to her feet, took her hand, and together they bolted down the much wider and more open hallway. Dolohov screamed as he pursued them.
Tonks wished she could remember which way it was to the common room. But she quickly got she and Remus lost down a smaller hallway. There were two doors on the right side. Tonks knew well enough that one of them was a classroom with a window they could use to escape. She hurled herself and Remus into the second one, hoping it would be the second one searched.
It was a closet that barely could fit one of them. Damnit, Tonks screwed up again.
"Wand at the ready, Dora," said Remus. "The minute he opens it, stupify him," he instructed. Tonks nodded as they both took out their wands and pointed. She felt Remus' grip tighten around her hand. She laid her head on his chest as they waited. Remus laid his chin on the top of her head. This was it.
Tonks listened closely as she heard the footsteps of Dolohov's heavy boot come closer. The shadow of his body blocked the crack in the door through why Tonks could see the faintest light.
"Hello!" Dolohov said with a sickly-sweet voice. Tonks kicked the door open and yelled in unison with Remus.
"Stupify!"
Dolohov, for the second time, fell defenseless to the ground. Tonks and Remus got out of the closet and sped off once again down the hall towards, what Tonks hoped, was the huge hall with the moving staircases. Hufflepuff wasn't too far from there.
But suddenly, out of nowhere, popped who else but Bellatrix Lestrange, her presence made Tonks' heart skip about 5 beats. Bellatrix smiled her dirty smile as she saw the pair.
"Well, hello there!"
"Aunt Bella, please…" Tonks begged. Maybe because she, was after all, Bellatrix's niece, she'd give her relative a reprieve.
"You're no relation of mine, your mother was a blood traitor!" Bellatrix hissed. Remus yanked Tonks away from Bellatrix and down a different hall. There were so many hallways! Where did all that classrooms go?!
Bellatrix and Dolohov met up about 50 feet away from where Remus and Tonks were and decided to pursue together. Remus and Tonks ended up locking themselves in a small out-of-use classroom.
"I guess we have to make our stand now," said Remus.
Tonks bit her lip. "I shouldn't tell you now," said Tonks.
"What?" asked Remus curiously, while scurrying around to find something to barricade the door in order to buy the pair time.
"Um…remember that night about a month and a half ago, after we put Teddy to bed and you said that you loved being a father and how I was the best looking mother in Britain and well…"
"Your point?" asked Remus bluntly, now pushing a desk with extrenuous effort towards the door. Belatrix and Dolohov were right on top of them.
"Impregnantagainremus," Tonks said, so quickly she needed a breath after se said it.
Remus stared at her. "You're serious?"
Tonks nodded. "Yes. I know it's really soon and Teddy's only a few months old, but—"
"—we really need to get separate beds," Remus said, a genuine smile crossing his face. Tonks smiled, but then her smile was quickly wiped off her face as she saw movement behind Remus. Her eyes widened in fear as she pointed over Remus' shoulder. He didn't turn around. The news was still being processed in his head, he really had no time to react otherwise.
"Re—" Tonks pointed.
"Avada Kedavra!" yelled Dolohov.
"NOOOOOOO!!!" Tonks yelled. For a spilt second, she saw her husband's body fly through the air amid a sea of green sparks. It was almost a hauntingly beautiful image, seeing Remus in his last second of life, flying amid the strikingly bright green light Then, he fell to the earth with a sickening THUD. He was dead.
Tonks let out a single blood curling scream for her fallen husband. She looked at Bellatrix and Dolohov who were grinning evilly. Tonks was frozen where she stood, afraid. Instead of arming herself again with her wand, she fell over Remus' fallen body and protected it with her own.
Dolohov turned to Bellatrix. "News from the Dark Lord?"
"You're needed in the courtyard," she informed. "I can finish this one off. Lucky for ME, she's just like her traitor mother," Bellatrix said slyly. Dolohov left the room without looking back at his victim once. Tonks remained lying protectively over Lupin's body.
"Dora, Dora, Dora…" muttered Bellatrix. Tonks felt suddenly very cold as she felt Bellatrix run her long, dirty fingernails through her hair, a mousy brown. "He was beneath you…"
"Back off," Tonks warned with a newfound strength to her voice, her hair going from mousey brown to bright red.
"A Metamorphagus, eh? You know, it's not really your fault you mother had to betray the Black family…and a Metamorphagus would be very useful among the Death Eaters…I'm sure I could persuade the Dark Lord to allow you to join us, as the low rung of the totem pole of course," said Bellatrix. Tonks couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"But what is a lifelong servitude sentence compared to death? Nothing? I'm giving you the best offer on the table! I may be a little mental, Miss Dora, but I know what the Death eaters need to win…and that's a natural shape-shifter, a youth in her prime with such great talent in her spells and conjuring!" Bellatrix grinned. "That's you!"
Tonks gritted her teeth together, her lips tasting the tears pouring from her eyes and she still wouldn't remove herself from Remus.
"I bet your half-breed husband would've wanted you to live, right? To survive this little ordeal…"
Remus' words echoed in Tonks' ear.
"If one of us falls, the other one must keep going! Swear it now, Dora!"
"Of course, if you refuse, I'll have to kill you. But I'm offering to save your life, Dora. All you need to do…"
"No…:" Tonks muttered.
"…is disown your offspring…"
"Like hell…"
"…and the fact that you were married to a half-human freak…"
"Which is more than I can say for you…"
Bellatrix dug her nails into Tonks' skull and dragged her away from Remus' body by her hair and to her feet. "Would you be so kind as to repeat that for me?" Bellatrix hissed.
"Go to hell!" Tonks yelled at the top of her lungs, and whipped out her wand. Bellatrix let go and stumbled across the room. She began muttering and shooting off spells. At the same time, Bellatrix began trying to hit Tonks with the Cruciatus Curse. Both women were quick on their feet and kept missing. Remus' body still lied in the middle of it all, it almost looked like he was dead, but only drugged out and sleeping like a baby through it all.
"Remus John Lupin was more of a hero than Voldemort ever was! And my son by him will be a great wizard someday!" Tonks chanted between spells.
"You really are a stupid girl, just like Sirius was!" laughed Bellatrix.
"Sirius had more strength than you ever did!"
"How can you say that, girl? He died by my own hand!" Bellatrix shot out another curse, missing Tonks by inches.
"He knew how much of a bigoted and terrible family the Blacks were, and he broke away from them, as did my mother, and I'm proud of them for it!" said Tonks with pride as she fired a Body-Bind Curse at Bellatrix. Again, it missed. Tonks and Bellatrix circled the room several times.
"If you survive this, you'll be eating those words every morning and night!" Bellatrix vowed.
"If I survive this, then you won't be able to enjoy the pleasure of seeing me eat those words if I were!" Tonks retorted. Bellatrix waved her wand.
"Expelliarmus!"
Tonks was caught completely off guard by the simple, harmless spell from Bellatrix, and her wand went flying in the air and landed at Remus' feet. Tonks couldn't move. This wasn't good. She was unarmed. Maybe when Remus was killed, his wand fell somewhere behind her. She knelt down and felt around with her feet. Nothing. Then she looked at Remus' white hand. His wand was right there in his grip.
She was cornered without a wand…or hope of leaving the room alive.
Tonks took a deep breath and stood erect again. She dropped her shoulders. Her hair turned from red to her favorite bubble gum pink. If she was going down, then she wanted to be buried with her pink hair. She looked at Remus' lifeless body sprawled out in front of her.
As she stared her horrible Aunt in the face, Tonks had her fears. Did it hurt to die? Would it be like sleeping and not being able to wake up? Would she become a ghost and float through Hogwarts day after day like the Gray Lady and Nearly Headless Nick? Or would see just…not exist anymore? How would that feel…if it did? Would Remus be there waiting for her with open arms after she died, or would he feel disappointed that she couldn't avenge him, and that she shouldn't have been at the Battle at all?
In her head she muttered a silent prayer that her son would hear how his father and mother died so bravely, facing their death with wide eyes rather than running from it like the goddamned Death Eaters. She prayed that Teddy would grow up proud that even after watching his father die, his mother found the courage to battle for a few minutes longer for her cause as a widow. She prayed that Teddy would use his last name with dignity and pride when someone asked him for it, as his father sadly never thought he could do. Tonks actually smiled for a moment. She knew in her heart that the name Lupin would be associated with Remus and herself, as synonymous with heroes.
She couldn't have asked for anything more at that moment.
Now she was ready.
"Aunt Bellatrix, I want you to know that I feel sorry for you," Tonks said with courage. Bellatrix looked a little surprised that Tonks wasn't making a mad dash for her wand or Remus'.At least Bellatrix wouldn't have the satisfaction of killing Tonks completely against her will. "You're going to lose in the end," she said. Bellatrix's look of confusion gave way to her evil smile she gave before she went in for the kill. Tonks raised her voice to a brace shouting without losing it's tone. "And you can take that Dark Mark on your arm, Voldemort, the Malfoys, and the ENTIRE Black family tree and shove it all up your—"
"AVADA KEDAVRA!!" Bellatrix yelled with a laugh of victory.
Within a fraction of a second…Tonks felt so much. She felt a wave of heat and saw a huge green flash hit her. She felt a flying sensation, as if she were spiraling in the air, the whole world was blurring away. There was no pain, no blood, no need for screaming. She heard a blast, and a chilling laugh.
And it was over. Tonks' body fell across Remus' chest with a soft THUNK.
Remus and Tonks had begun the battle side-by-side, and it had ended likewise.