"Remus—"
"Don't."
He continued to stare straight ahead as they walked, but when she dared a glance at his profile, she could see that his jaw was clenching, despite his otherwise expressionless face.
The rapid clip of a familiar pair of high heels approached from behind them. "Profess – Mr. Lupin?"
He stopped, then turned to face Madam Rosmerta with a neutral smile. "Yes, Rosmerta?"
"I thought you might like ..." She proffered a paper sack that obviously held the contents of their unfinished meal.
He took it from her. "Thank you."
"It's yours, think nothing of it. I, ah... I'm truly sorry for what just happened in there. It's just ... They're my clientele. I can't have them thinking I don't care about... Well, I'm sure you understand."
'And we don't count as clientele?' she thought caustically but remained silent, because she knew that causing a row in the street would change nothing.
"Yes, of course." He nodded.
"Well, then, ah, happy Valentine's Day ... to the both of you." Rosmerta looked distractedly at her as though noticing her presence for the first time. She abruptly clasped his hand for an instant. "I really mean that."
"Thank you again."
She hesitated, her hand now wiping against her apron. "Well, goodbye then." Not waiting for his reply, she turned and very nearly fled back to the entrance of the Three Broomsticks.
He had resumed his measured stride again by the time Tonks looked round. She hurried to catch up to him, her fingers snatching at the crook of his elbow as her foot slipped on an icy patch.
His impassive demeanour remained unchanged.
"Remus—"
"Don't."
She knew how utterly humiliated he felt, despite the inscrutability of those eyes that could show her so much more during rare unguarded moments. But he would never allow himself to give a voice to his pain, because to do so would be to let the world know that it had won.
And so, as always, it would fall to her own heart to rage for them both.