Nymphadora Lupin, more commonly known as Tonks, sat in an armchair beside the fireplace that wasn't lit in the flat that she and Remus Lupin had rented shortly after their wedding. She sat there, twiddling her wand in her hand just to give herself something to do, and waited for her husband to return. They hadn't been married long, but she was already beginning to worry that there was something that was threatening to tear them apart, something inside her husband. She had her demons, sure, but they were nothing compared to his. Every night for the past two weeks he had stayed out late and returned after she had already turned in for the night. He never came home drunk, just tormented, and she had no idea where he went or what he did. She supposed he just sat somewhere, thinking and letting himself be tortured by his own thoughts. She tried asking him where he went and what was bothering him, but he brushed off any attempt she made at comforting him and remained politely stony towards her. So here she was, sitting at an armchair at one in the morning, determined to talk to him for once.

She heard the door open and close softly from the front of their flat. She stood up, walked towards it, and found Remus leaning against the wall, eyes closed in deep thought. He looked just as troubled as always.

"Remus," she said softly.

He looked up at her, first confused, then stern. "What are you still doing up?"

"I was hoping to see you before going to bed. You've been coming in so late lately, I feel like you're becoming a stranger to me."

"I've just needed some time alone," he said unconvincingly, "you can head up to bed now."

"I'm not tired. I want to talk to you, Remus."

"I'm not really in a mood for talking, why don't you head up to -"

"No, Remus, I'm not tired! Stop trying to push me away, I'm trying to talk to you!"

"I don't want to talk right now!"

"Then what am I supposed to do? Just sit by and wait as you slowly distance yourself from me? Sit by and watch as we drift apart?"

"Yes!" Remus shouted, then put his face into his hands and turned away. Tonks stared at him in shock. She knew that he had trouble accepting their love at first, but she never thought that that trouble would continue into their marriage. He had said to her that love trumped anything that threatened to tear them apart, and she had believed him; had he been lying?

"Remus-"

"Dora, I'm sorry, but I've made a mistake."

"Remus-"

"No, listen, I'm sorry, I truly am. I shouldn't've married you, I let myself get caught up in my emotions and I didn't pay any mind to rationalization. I wasn't using my senses, Dora, and I'm sorry for any inconvenience I've caused you."

"Inconvenience?" She said in disbelief. "Remus, the only inconvenience you've caused me is wasting my time with this nonsense. Come inside, let's talk-"

"Dora, this isn't nonsense, this is reason, and it's time I listened to it. I made a mistake, and I'm trying to fix it now, before we get in too deep."

"In too deep? Remus," she said, hoping that this was just a temporary state of mind, hoping that he would come to his senses and realize what they had together, "I'm pregnant."

He stared at her for a long time, his face expressionless as she stood there, holding her breath and hoping.

"You're pregnant?" he said, as if the concept were foreign to him.

"Yes, I am." They stared at each other for a long time as Remus thought to himself.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of."

"What, that you'd marry the woman you love and start a family with her? Oh, yes, that's truly terrifying."

"That I'd contaminate you with a child like me! That I'd damn you, the both of you, to the life that I've been cursed to live! I've made you both outcasts! This is why I should have stayed away from you! Do you see what happens when I try to act normal?"

"What happens is that you get a family who loves you for who you are, Remus! I don't care what society has to say about you, or about us! I love you, and I always will! How can you act like this is a bad thing?"

"It is bad! You don't understand what I've done! I—I've—I'm sorry, Dora, but I can't do this anymore. It's better for the both of you to continue without me."

"Without you? Remus, I-"

"I'm sorry, Dora, I truly am." And with that, he turned on the spot and disapparated, leaving her alone in the empty hallway of their flat.

"Remus!" She knew that yelling was no use, but what else could she do? She had been abandoned. It seemed like just minutes ago that she had been bursting with joy at discovering her pregnancy, but now she felt like everything had been taken from her, and she let herself fall to the floor, leaning against the wall, and cry silently.

It strays a little from the novel, but hopefully not enough to truly bug anyone. I was thinking of maybe writing a sequel, if anyone's interested. Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you for reading!

~Izzi