Authors Note:
I must first begin this by stating that there are several lines in which are direct quotes from J.K. Rowling's Deathly Hallow's book and I tried to italicize all of them because they do not belong to me. And then as another disclaimer, the characters and events don't belong to me either. To see an official disclaimer for ALL my stories, check my profile.
Because I tried not to quote too much of Deathly Hallows, this story is slightly off canon with the events. I wanted to center more on Tonks and Lupin more than anything.
Secondly, I'm an admin for the Potterfacebookroleplay group. In the role-play, my best friend SerenLyall has joined me, and she plays Remus Lupin. Due to that fact, I have deiced that as a lateish Christmas present that I'd like to dedicate this story to her. In the five almost six years that we have known each other, through the ups and downs in my life, through the friendships lost and fading, my friendship with her remains strong and together. She has proved to be one of the best friends in the whole wide world and as close as I'll get to a little sister. 3
This was meant to be a one shot, but… it kind of went on longer than a one shot. Hope you'll enjoy! : )
Chapter one: Hello and Goodbye
It was the middle of the night at Grimmauld Place when Remus Lupin was startled awake by the touch of a soft hand on his shoulder. He jolted upright turning his wand on the person who startled him.
"My God Remus," Dora Tonks said as she ducked under his wand in the chance that he actually might hex her.
"Dora, what are you doing? It's the middle of the night. You gave me a heart attack!" he replied lighting the tip of his wand so he could see her. Her face was tear streaked and her hair was flat and brown.
"What's wrong?"
"Nightmares. I can't sleep." She replied as she sat down by his feet at the end of his bed.
"Baby bothering you too?" he asked as he sat up and moved to wrap his arms around her.
"A little. When are we going to tell everyone?" she asked leaning her head against his shoulder as he proceeded to pull her into his lap.
"I don't know," he sighed as he placed his hand against her flat stomach. "I don't know if I'm ready for this Dora. It all happened so fast."
"I know," she sighed and closed her eyes. "Why is it that I can't sleep with you?" she asked. "We are married."
"I know we are, but it just…" he trailed off unable to think of a good reason.
"I feel like we're so busy with the Order and taking care of Harry and everything. That's not a bad thing, but it just takes up so much of our time that I feel like there's distance or something between us." Remus sighed again.
"I love you. You know that don't you?" he asked.
"As much as you know that I love you."
For a while they sat there in silence. Remus looked at the clock on the bedside table and extinguished the light from his wand. He idly wondered if Dora had fallen asleep but didn't want to break the silence to ask. He scooted backwards and laid her down on his pillows beside him. When he lay down himself, she moved to snuggle against him.
~HP~HP~HP~
The next morning they were both awakened by Mrs. Weasley.
"Remus, have you seen…" she trailed off when she saw Dora's head on Remus's chest.
"Morning Molly," he said running his hands through Dora's hair. "She couldn't sleep." He looked down at her and smiled. He couldn't deny the fact that she made him happier than he'd ever been.
"She looks better," Mrs. Weasley commented. Remus couldn't help but agree. Her hair hadn't been this pink in days. "What's been bothering her?"
"I believe I have been bothering her," Remus admitted rather shamefully.
"What are you doing then? She usually tells me things, but lately she's been rather quiet," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Honestly Molly, I'd rather not tell you." Mrs. Weasley nodded her head.
"I'm going to go make breakfast now. The other girls were worried when they woke up and saw her bed empty." Remus silently nodded his head as Mrs. Weasley left the room closing the door behind her.
"She's asleep," he heard her say to whoever it was that had come up asking about Dora. Remus looked down at her head.
"I'm sorry Dora. I love you, I really do, but I just don't know about a kid. I never wanted this. Not so soon." He said tears coming to his eyes. "Kid'll grow up and be ashamed of me. I know he will. I'm a werewolf. What kid wants that for a father? What happens if he turns out to be cursed forever like I am? What kind of father wants that for his kid?" By this point Remus couldn't stop the tears from falling. He tightened his arms around Dora wishing her head were higher up so he could bury his face in her hair.
His sobs shook the bed waking her.
"Remus?" she asked sleepily. "What's wrong?" she detangled herself and sat up to rest her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed.
"What is there to be sorry for? It'll be okay. We're in this together," she replied. Part of him wished that he hadn't woken her, the other part was glad that she had because her words always brought him comfort. After a while, his sobs died down and he realized that Dora had fallen back asleep trying to comfort him. He rested his cheek against her head.
"Remus, Dora, breakfast is ready," Mrs. Weasley knocked on the door as she opened it a crack.
"Thank you Molly. If I don't know if I want to wake her, but if she wakes when I get up we'll both be down in a few minutes," he said. He lay there for a moment longer enjoying having her in his arms. Maybe he would let her start sleeping with him. She had a point, they were married.
"Dora love," he whispered in her ear. She stirred in his arms.
"Hmm?"
"Molly's got breakfast ready. Are you hungry?" he asked softly rubbing her back.
"Not really, but I probably should eat for the baby's sake," she yawned. "I don't want to get up." Remus chuckled.
"Me either, but we should join everyone before they get suspicious."
~HP~HP~HP~
As the days and nights passed, Remus decided that they both seemed to sleep better if he allowed Dora to sleep with him. He knew he personally went to bed every night with a smile on his heart and woke up the next morning with a smile on his face.
When the time came to actually rescue Harry Potter from the Dursley's residence he couldn't help but feel as though something wasn't right. They gathered in the sitting room and listened to Mad-Eye Moody explain the plans.
"Since the trace doesn't break until seventeen and Potter isn't seventeen yet, we have to transport him by means that can't be detected by the ministry. Brooms, Thestrals, and Sirius's Motorbike. We're going to need to pair up, and one person from each pair is going to drink a batch of polyjuice potion and make themselves look like Potter. There will be seven Harry Potter's flying through the air tonight in case the Death Eaters didn't pick up on our false trail.
"The pairs will be as followed: Arthur, you and one of the twins. The other twin is with Remus." Dora made a face behind Mad-Eyes back. "Saw that Nymphadora," he said.
"Don't call me Nymphadora! You all know I hate it," she said her hair turning a fiery red for a moment before back to its pink form.
"You're with Ronald," Mad-Eye said moving on. "Bill and Fleur you're together, Miss Granger you're with Kingsley. Mundungus you're with me. Harry will be with Hagrid. Any complaints other that from Dora?" he asked. She stuck her tongue out at him again and crossed her arms. Remus put his hand on her shoulder and looked down at her the same moment she looked up at him. If it hadn't been for everyone looking at the pair he could have kissed her.
"Right, now let's get a move on. Go get ready for departure. Weasley's you won't be coming back here once Potter is safe. The rest of you can come back if you want." All the pairs of people went up to their respective rooms.
"Are we going to come back here?" Dora asked as she stood in the doorway of Remus's room watching him.
"For another night or two, it won't be safe here any longer than that." He sat down on the bed and sighed. "I don't know where to go from here."
"I know my dad doesn't like you much," she said crossing the room to him and kneeling down in front of him. "But considering what my mum went through to be with him, he can't say no to us staying with them." She said.
"I'll consider it. I guess it's whatever I can do to keep you safe."
"I love you Remus." She smiled and then stood up and kissed him.
"Um," a small knock on the open door interrupted them.
"Sorry, but Mad-Eye said he's almost ready and Tonks, you haven't come to do anything in our room." Hermione said.
"I'll be in there in a moment." Dora replied. She turned her attention back to Remus.
"We can figure it out later," she said kissing him on the cheek before turning and going back to the room she shared with Hermione and Ginny.
~HP~HP~HP~
The time spent at the Dursley's place was a rather short one. Dora flashed her ring in Harry's direction apologizing for the fact that their wedding had been a small one.
When the pairs of people had taken their Polyjuice potion and were changing their clothes, Remus couldn't help but to hover close to Dora.
"If something goes wrong, don't look back, don't worry, just make it to the Burrow, promise me that?" he whispered to her taking her hand and squeezing it.
"I Promise. Bad feeling?" she asked looking up at him. He nodded his head. "Me too," she admitted leaning into him.
"Alright, in the air, lets go," Mad-Eye barked.
"Ready George?" Remus asked as they mounted the broom.
"You may never learn which twin I am will you?" George said.
"Don't suppose it matters if you're Fred or not, what matters is that you're a Potter look-a-like and that we get where we need to go." Remus replied kicking off from the ground. He glanced Dora's direction. Ron seemed to be holding onto her for dear life.
"She'll be alright," George said breaking through Remus's thoughts. "I don't think you give the woman enough credit sometimes."
"I know I don't." Remus sighed. "It's not her I'm worried about."
"Ickle Ronikins? He'll be just fine too."
"Not worried about him either," Remus said sadly
"Then who–" George's question was cut off by Mad-Eye's order to take off. Remus was glad for that.
They hadn't gotten far when cries of anguish filled the air. Remus looked around and saw that the Death Eaters were flying in all directions trying to figure out which Harry Potter was the real one.
"You fly, I'll handle them," George shouted as they weaved through curses. "Where are we headed?" he yelled.
"Kingsley's place," Remus shouted back. Remus wanted to look around, make sure Dora was all right, but he'd made her promise she wouldn't do the same for him. The chase went on for another ten minutes before suddenly the weight on the broom shifted and Remus almost lost control attempting to keep George on the broom.
"George!" he shouted. He looked back and saw Severus Snape wand raised, smirk on his face. He saw the smirk turn to something of a pain, and Snape, as well as the other Death Eaters trailing them took off in the direction from which they came. Confused, Remus did his best trying to keep George on the broom, and they quickly passed through the barriers protecting Kingsley's place from the rest of the world. They fell off the broomstick into the soft grass.
"Damnit, come on George," Remus said as he dragged him toward the glowing object on the ground. "We're almost there." As soon as he put his finger to the object they were being pulled into unknown territory and then in a second's time they appeared at the Burrow where only few others were waiting.
With the help of a Harry look alike they dragged George into the sitting room where Mrs. Weasley took over from there while Remus had to make sure if this was The Harry Potter.
"What was the creature that sat in my office the first time Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" he asked anger filling him now that he really thought about what must have happened. They had been betrayed.
"A grindylow," Harry answered. Remus let him go. It was him. He moved and began pacing the floor. When he couldn't take it any longer he ventured outside.
The next pair to appear was Hermione and Kingsley. Remus rounded on Kingsley as fast as Kingsley rounded on him.
"The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?" Kingsley asked.
"Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him," Remus replied. The two men lowered their wands.
They stayed and chatted in the yard about the chase for a while before Harry mentioned something about Voldemort realizing he was the real Harry.
Remus shook his head in frustration at Harry's story of how he'd used "Expelliarmus" to disarm a Death Eater. That was how Voldemort found Harry and the reason why there was a pained look across Snape's face as Remus had turned around to keep George on the broom. After a while, Harry ventured back inside the house. The next pair to arrive was Mr. Weasley and Fred. Kingsley immediately turned on Mr. Weasley who then proved who he was by cursing at Kingsley for getting in the way of him entering the house to make sure his son was all right.
Remus stayed in the yard waiting for Dora and Ron to appear. He knew it shouldn't have taken them this long even if they had missed their portkey from Auntie Muriel's. He stared off into the distance and was joined on his left by Hermione who seemed to be staring in the same general direction as if she were waiting on Ron as much as he was waiting on Dora. He was glad that it was Hermione who accompanied him for he knew that in a moment like this, Hermione wouldn't feel the need to fill the silence with a voice.
Time seemed to blend into the thought of forever when Hermione was the first to shriek that Dora and Ron had finally arrived. She took off running toward Ron as Remus took off toward Dora. Dora fell off the broom and landed right into his arms. He held her closely for a moment before she pulled away enough to complement how Ron had been during the chase that they'd endured.
"What happened?" Remus asked angrily. He didn't mean for it to come out so harsh, but he just couldn't help the feel of the night.
"Bellatrix, she tried to kill me," Dora replied as she then went on to tell him what else had happened. He didn't know what to say to her story, but he was just glad that she was safe, and unharmed. She turned in his arms to face the others and have an animated discussion with them. She was always cheerful.
It wasn't long before things began to happen rather quickly. Kingsley announced that he had to return to his business and he could not stay and wait on Bill, Fleur, Mad-Eye and Mundungus any longer. Moments after his departure the elder Weasleys' came out to thank Remus and Dora for returning their sons to them alive, only to be cut off by the arrival of Bill and Fleur.
Mrs. Weasley ran forward wrapping her arms around her eldest son while he simply stated that Mad-Eye was dead. Silence filled the air. No one said anything until Bill told them that Mundungus panicked and Dissaparated leaving Voldemort's curse to hit Mad-Eye right in the face. Bill's tears triggered tears of others. Dora turned back in Remus's arms and buried her face in his chest. She had been close to Mad-Eye.
They soon ventured inside where they had a toast to Mad-Eye for being the greatest Auror any of them had ever known. Bill gave each of them a glass of firewhisky. Remus drained his glass in one go, and after taking a small sip or two, Dora handed him the rest of her's to finish off. Bill talked of leaving to go find Mad-Eyes body.
"I'll join you," Remus spoke up. "Don't go alone. They're probably still out there." Bill nodded his head and the two of them headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" their wives asked them.
"It can't wait. We'd like to have his body before the Death Eaters get to him," Bill said turning to Fleur. Remus nodded his head. They turned and walked out the door. Dora hesitated before following them.
"Remus, wait!" she called running to catch up to them. She grabbed onto him and locked her arms around him. "Please don't leave me," she whispered.
"Dora," he began.
"No, Remus. Let someone else go with him. I need you," she begged tears forming in her eyes again. Tears. The one weakness he wouldn't be able to say no to.
"Okay," he whispered removing his arms from her grip so that he could wrap them around her. He rested his chin in her hair.
"Would you like me to get my dad to go with me?" Bill asked.
"If you don't mind, tell them Dora and I are going home," Remus replied.