Tonks dragged him away from the Great Hall. That was it! She had endured it as much as she could. They needed to talk.
She opened the door to her bedroom and waited, impatiently, for him to come inside. Remus hesitated before entering the auror's room and closing the door behind him.
There were nights when the wind was so cold
That my body froze in bed
If I just listened to it
Right outside the window
"You don't know just how much I suffered that day." She started weakly, staring deep into his eyes while sitting on her bed. He just stared back, still standing.
There were days when the sun was so cruel
That all the tears turned to dust
And I just knew my eyes were
Drying up forever
"One of the things you taught me is that… it's better to move on when you get over something than when you forget about it…" They just continued to look at each other. "But every time that I thought about you I imagined myself by your side. Happy… And I couldn't take it anymore." Her voice was stronger now.
I finished crying in the instant that you left
And I can't remember where or when or how
And I banished every memory you and I had ever made
"So I decided to bury you. Deed inside me, so I wouldn't get hurt anymore." Remus looked away from her. "But…" Her voice broke and his eyes quickly searched her face again, she was staring at her feet. Her hands clasped the bed sheets.
But when you touch me like this
And you hold me like that
I just have to admit
That it's all coming back to me
"Every time a man hugged me" Remus couldn't stop his hand from turning to fists. Tonks paid no attention to it "even if it was just friendly, my mind turned to you."
When I touch you like this
And I hold you like that
It's so hard to believe but
It's all coming back to me
"It was even worse when I hugged them back. I remembered the times we hugged. And the safety I felt every time I was in your arms. The warm protection that you had always offered me."
"Dora" his voice was pleading. She ignored his words.
"After the thoughts entered my head, I had to break the hug and run away. I had to try to forget again. And it pained me, 'cause I didn't want to…. I never did…and yet, I succeeded, every time with a larger hole in my heart. But I can't stand it anymore… not anymore! Tell me Remus, can you remember? The two of us, together within these walls?"
There were moments of gold
And there were flashes of light
There were things I'd never do again
But then they'd always seemed right
FLASHBACK ON
"Dora, this is the prefect's bathroom!" said a young Remus looking around nervously while he was being pulled farther into the place.
"I know. And that's why no one will come in; the other prefects are busy with Prongs and Padfoot now." The teenager with pink hair said with a marauder smile. Tonks pulled him down by his tie to kiss him. The boy's arms moved instinctively to the girl's waist.
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than any laws allow
Baby baby
"Dora we shouldn't. We can't." said Remus pushing her carefully away. They shouldn't be doing this at all (they were in Hogwarts!) let alone in the prefect's bathroom.
"I know. You are right…" her once gone smile came back even wider. "Well, them Mr. Prefect" she said wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer once again. His light brown eyes, fixed on hers sensing danger "you should attempt to stop me" Tonks completed her sentence just before crashing her lips to his.
This time Remus didn't have the strength to push her away. He loved her. As she loved him. He could not stop her... He didn't want to. Lupin broke the kiss to whisper, their lips almost touching.
"I love you."
Tonks, in attempt to take a step back to repeat his words while looking in his eyes, tripped on her pant's hem and fell on the floor bringing Remus with her.
"Sorry, I just wanted to say..." a shy smile.
"I know Dora" he interrupted her chuckling "I know" he repeated leaning down to kiss her soundly.
Flash back off
Remus didn't answer; he just kept looking at her.
If I kiss you like this
Tonks couldn't stand it anymore. She quickly stood up to kiss him, holding his neck tightly so he could not break away. But he did... Surprisingly easy in fact.
And if you whisper like that
"We can't Dor... Tonks." his whisper grew stronger, steadier.
The auror took one step back when she heard her last name. Every since they had first been together, she had never been called "Tonks" by him...and never before had that name caused her so much pain.
"We can't be together" she took another step back. His eyes locked with hers.
It was lost long ago
"I left for a reason that day." he was begging her to understand "It is better this way".
But it's all coming back to me
FLASHBACK ON
"It's better this way Dora." Lupin said looking at her with sad eyes. "It's also better if we don't see each other again" his hand caressed her cheek slightly before he turned around and started walking "Good bye Dora."
"Remus, wait! WAIT!" she screamed. But too late. He had disapparated.
FLASHBACK OFF
He turned to leave. But Tonks wouldn't have it. Not again! She hurried and hugged him.
If you want me like this
And if you need me like that
It was dead long ago
But it's all coming back to me
"No! Not this time Remus." the auror's voice was full of emotion. And her decided tone surprised both of them. She turned him around and pulled him by the neck so she could look straight into the werewolf's eyes. "Tell me you don't love me. Tell me you fell nothing when you see me, when I hug you...tell me so Remus and I will let go."
But he couldn't do it. Not looking into her eyes. He opened his mouth but nothing came out of it.
"I love you Remus and I've never stopped doing so." she uttered before finally kissing him.
It's so hard to resist
And it's all coming back to me
I can barely recall
But it's all coming back to me now
But it's all coming back
His arms found their way around her waist while he kissed her back. God! It had been a long time since they last kissed, too long. And he hadn't really realized just how much he had missed it.
Tonks wasn't thinking. She didn't have to. She only knew that this felt right, that this was right.
But the moment couldn't last. Remus' head begun to be filled with unpleasant memories.
There were those empty threats and hollow lies
And whenever you tried to hurt me
I just hurt you even worse
And so much deeper
FLASHBACK ON
He pushed her away again. "You will lose your job Dora!"
"What was that supposed to be? A threat? You know they won't fire me!"
"I don't love you anymore!" he tried desperately.
"That's not true!" she said decisively. He couldn't contradict her.
"It doesn't matter... Think about yourself Dora! You would suffer the prejudice and the life of being associated with a werewolf!"
"I don't care! I can face the entire Ministry if you are by my side!" his face became stoical. "Please Remus...I just... I just can't go on without you now."
"Don't be such a coward Dora!" he appealed.
The fury of the thunder that had just hit the ground outside matched her own right now. "You don't want to fight for our relationship and I'm the coward one?" she was seeing red now "James fought for Lily! James was a brave one! One hell of a Gryffindor you make!"
FLASHBACK OFF
There were hours that just went on for days
When alone at last we'd count up all the chances
That were lost to us forever
FLASHBACK ON
Remus closed the door. Dumbledore had just left. Tonks looked at him while he took a seat next to her. The marauder covered his face with his hands. After a couple of minutes, Dora decided to break the ice.
"We... We're going to fight; right?"
"Yes. Of course" he said dropping his hand and looking up to her. "I guess being a teacher is really out of the question now huh?" his lips twitched upward slightly.
She chuckled and hugged him."I guess. At least we can still be together. We'll always be there for each other, right?"
It was a rhetorical question, but Remus couldn't help thinking about the answer. And he wasn't as sure as his love had sounded. He hugged her tighter.
FLASHBACK OFF
But you were history with the slamming of the door
And I made myself so strong again somehow
And I never wasted any of my time on you since then
"Stop... Please... Dora, we can't" he backed away to the door. He was definitely pleading now. "I am a werewolf. You know that!"
"Yes, I do and I don't give a damn about it! YOU know THAT." Her eyes were glittering again because of new tears.
But if I touch you like this
And if you kiss me like that
It was so long ago
But it's all coming back to me
"Dora, please don't cry" his own eyes started to get wet.
"I can't help it!" she stated angrily while more tears came out.
He shouldn't, but he pulled her back to him in a hug. The auror hugged him back fiercely. "Dora" he kissed the top of her head "We can't..."
"Shut up." she whispered looking up "Just shut it..."
If you touch me like this
And if I kiss you like that
It was gone with the wind
But it's all coming back to me
(it's all coming back, it's all coming back to me now)
With surprising stead hands, Tonks was able to make Remus face her. "It's enought."She said looking deep into his light brown eyes "I love you" the witch caressed his cheek "You love me"
"But it's still dan..."
"And that" she said in the powerful and commanding voice she had gained as an auror to reassure him of her abilities "is enough..." her voice softened "Moony"
His eyes widened and a small smile started to form in his lips."...Moony? Really?" the marauder asked.
"And why not?" her eyes closed and her forehead touched his "you are the same kind, intelligent, gentle and honest marauder I first met"
"Are you sure?" his own eyes closed.
"Hum… Actually, no." she saw him raising an eyebrow and smiled " You are taller" The two of them smiled widely before Remus closed the distance between their lips.
There were moments of gold
And there were flashes of light
There were things we'd never do again
But then they'd always seemed right
There were nights of endless pleasure
It was more than all your laws allow
Baby, baby, baby
FLASHBACK ON
"James wait! You're heading straight to the forbidden forest! James Potter, come back this instant!" Lily, Tonks, Remus, Sirius and Peter were running after James through Hogwarts' grounds.
All of them but Lily started to laugh as Prongs disappeared into the woods. The others stopped when they reached the edge of the forest, but Lily continued forward in a slower pace.
"James?" she halted. "Where are you? This is not funny!" the red haired yelled, her eyes searching for him in the dark.
"I think it's pretty hilarious." Tonks whispered to the others while putting her arms around Remus neck.
"Oh? What if you were in her place?" he asked softly, enlacing her waist.
"You wouldn't do that." she grinned "You are a prefect."
"You'd be surprised" he grinned as well.
"Is that so?" she raised an eyebrow, challenging him. His grin grew larger.
With a fast movement he pulled her to the ground with him and started rolling down to the forest.
At the same time, James had jumped behind Lily to scare her, hugging her waist so she couldn't jump."James!" the girl yelled turning in his arms to punch him lightly.
The rolling couple collided with the standing one, bringing all four of them to the floor.
Sirius and Peter had tears in eyes out of laughing.
"James! Remus!" Tonks and Lily shouted crossing their dirty arms across their chests. The two boys who were already laughing started to do it harder at the sight of their girlfriends covered in mud.
Dora and Lily looked at each other for a moment and small smile begun to take place on their lips. With hands full of mud they looked back at their boyfriends. The girls also started to laugh before throwing the mud at the marauders in front of them. The mud fight really began when Peter and Sirius joined them.
They laughter filled the night air for a long time.
FLASHBACK OFF
When you touch me like this
And when you hold me like that
It was gone with the wind
But it's all coming back to me
His hold on her tightened. Their lips were apart for a brief seconds, only enough to catch their breaths. His right hand started to go up and down on her back, the left hand was around her waist. Tonks enlaced his neck tightly.
When you see me like this
And when I see you like that
Then we see what we want to see
All coming back to me
She started to pull him toward her bed. But he hesitated and broke the kiss to look at her. She was smiling and her eyes were dark with lust. And so were his, he didn't need a mirror to know that. She was the one who could do that to him. He didn't want to fight it anymore. He finally smiled and she continued to pull him.
The flesh and the fantasies
All coming back to me
I can barely recall
But it's all coming back to me now
They headed for the bed together and lied down.
If you forgive me all this
If I forgive you all that
We forgive and forget
And it's all coming back to me
Looking deep into her eyes he said "I'm sorry... For everything...and I..."
"I know. I forgive you. And I'm sorry for everything I said to ..."
"There is nothing to forgive." they smiled at each other.
When you see me like this
And when I see you like that
We see just what we want to see
All coming back to me
The flesh and the fantasies
All coming back to me
I can barely recall but it's all coming back to me now
His body over hers. She had missed that. Missed his touch, his smell, his arms,... But above all else he had missed him with her, by her side. She didn't want him to leave her ever again.
(it's all coming back to me now)
And when you kiss me like this
(it's all coming back to me now)
And when I touch you like that
(it's all coming back to me now)
If you do it like this
(it's all coming back to me now)
Her soft body underneath his felt right. He had missed her, in all possible ways one could. He didn't want to leave her ever again.
"I love you" he whispered "forever more"
"I love you too" she smiled reaching toward him " and I always will.".
And if we...