Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
I Hope you're at Peace
By: ChoCedric
As Nymphadora Tonks sat in a pew at Remus Lupin's funeral, tears streamed unchecked down her soft, heart-shaped cheeks. She couldn't believe it – she was a widow. After all she had done, convincing Remus that it was okay to be loved, and he had finally accepted it, fate had to be so cruel as to rip them apart. He had been taken away from her, bringing her heart with him.
Sitting next to her was Andromeda, her mother. But Tonks could barely bring herself to look at her. Andromeda was acting caring and sympathetic now, but the truth was, she'd never really liked Remus as Tonks's husband, and she'd known it. But what her mother hadn't understood was that Remus had deserved to be loved more than anyone else in the world. He'd been so burdened for so long, and his life had been filled with grief and heartache. He'd only had a few good, untainted years, which were spent with his fellow Marauders.
When Tonks had met him, she'd seen so much more to him than just a poor, saddened werewolf. She'd looked past that and seen the soul within, a soul which had once known happiness and friendship. At particular times, especially on the day she'd asked him to marry her, their wedding day, and the day Teddy was born, she'd seen the lines in his face practically disappear. He'd looked like a completely different person at those times.
And God, he'd been so brave. At the Battle of Hogwarts, she knew it had been the right thing to do to go and fight by his side. She'd seen him fighting Antonin Dolohov, pain and fatigue on his face as he parried curses back and forth. "Remus!" she'd screamed as she'd ran to him, wanting to help, wanting to take that pained look out of his eyes as Dolohov delivered insult after insult as they fought.
And then Remus had fallen, hit straight in the chest by a bolt of purple light, one of Dolohov's specialty curses. She'd burst into tears, running to him and taking him into her arms, promising to get him to a Healer, screaming that he couldn't leave her now. But he'd just looked at her with a soft smile, declaring, "Thank you for loving me, Dora. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but ..."
"Hush, love," Tonks had choked out through her tears. "Don't say that anymore. I do love you, and that's all that matters."
And they'd held each other until Remus's breathing had slowed and finally stopped, and he went limp in her arms. She'd sat on the floor weeping, holding him tightly, not caring at all about the battle happening around her.
And now, here she was, standing up with the rest of the congregation as they went outside for the burial. Andromeda took her arm, a loving and apologetic look on her face as she saw how stricken her daughter was. Tonks tried to rip her arm away from her mother, but Andromeda held firm. She was going to apologize to her daughter if it was the last thing she did. Deep down, she'd known all along that Remus was a good man. All she'd wanted was for Dora to be happy, and when she'd come home, crying about rejection after rejection, she'd only wanted to hurt Remus because he'd made Dora such a wreck. Never in Andromeda's life had she seen her little girl devote her heart to someone like this, and now, she knew why. Remus had been one of the most kind, loving men she had ever met, even though he had been so weary and burdened. He'd taken care of her daughter, and she knew it.
As Remus's coffin was slowly lowered into the ground, Andromeda tried to take Dora into her arms. "No!" Tonks screamed as her heart was filled with pain. "No! Don't touch me! You never liked him! You're probably glad he's gone!"
But Andromeda didn't give up. She held firm, whispering soothing words in Dora's ear. "I know I've been awful, Dora. I was wrong. So, so wrong," she said softly.
That gave Dora pause. She knew one thing for sure: it was almost impossible for a Black to admit they were wrong about anything. Even though Andromeda had been disowned from her family years ago, some things were drilled into the mind very firmly. She finally stopped fighting and relaxed against her mother.
"I know you loved him," Andromeda continued, stroking Tonks's limp, mousy brown hair. "And I never should have questioned it. After all, my family didn't accept me and your father's relationship. I never should have done the same thing to you." She paused for a minute, letting Dora's tears soak into her shirt and not caring at all. "And he loved you, sweetheart. I could see it in his eyes. And you know he wouldn't want you to stop living. He'd want you to take care of the beautiful baby boy you made together."
At this, Tonks turned her face and looked at Molly Weasley, who was currently holding a wailing, red-haired Teddy in her arms. "I know," Tonks sniffled. "I know, and I will. I'll make Remus proud."
"Good." Andromeda whispered, knowing her beautiful, resilient Dora would heal. "And he's finally at peace now, honey. He's happy. No more transformations, no more prejudice, no more hardships."
"I know." Dora smiled through her tears. "Sirius is probably having a great time with him right now." She made a noise which was half-laugh, half-sob. "I really hope so. I really hope you're at peace, Remus."
And with that, mother and daughter bravely stepped forward and tossed dirt on top of Remus's coffin, knowing that a new chapter was starting. A chapter without Remus, yes, but a chapter full of healing and love. And with Andromeda by Dora's side, their bond newly formed, she knew that even though things were extremely difficult right now, everything was going to be all right.