"It's going to be fine. I'll be back with you and Ted before you know it"
It had been heart wrenching to leave her behind, after all…they knew this would happen…someone had to stay with Teddy, and as Remus was useless when it came to motherly things…for now he would be going alone instead of with her to battle as they always had.
He smiled at her, kissing her forehead, before moving over to the cradle; Teddy was still up, though he looked sleepy. Though at that particular moment his eyes were cross-eyed as he looked at his own nose and then focused smiling widely at his father.
"Sleep tight little one…" he murmured, the werewolf's fingers brushing away the blue green tufts hair which was growing rapidly already, "well, maybe so…" Remus thought, "Maybe Teddy wanted his hair long". The thought made him chuckle, as he touched his son's nose lightly, and Teddy gurgled trying to grasp onto his father's larger fingers with his own miniaturized ones.
Remus didn't want to leave, but he knew he had too, he looked round.
"Stay safe." Nymphadora said with a sad smile; this was the day they'd been dreading since the birth, though he had been on missions alone whilst she was pregnant…this was when his wife was almost fully able to go herself, and still couldn't go with him. He kissed her lips again quickly, wishing to kiss them for longer, knowing he was already running late.
"I will love…don't worry…"
And with that the werewolf left with a dashing and comforting smile on his face, and Nymphadora sank into the chair next to Teddy sadly – the façade she had been putting up for her husband gone, she felt terrible and she then noticed that her mother had been watching at the door.
"You really love him, don't you?" she asked and Dora – with a slight frown on her face nodded towards her.
"I think…since I was a little girl…I always did."
Her mother made a noise that sounded like a tongue click as if she wished her daughter hadn't agreed, but nodded. "I hope one day I accept him like you do"
Nymphadora looked up, her eyes seemed to look as solemn as her husband's at times, and this time she had a perfectly good reason. "I hope so too…because after all…he is your son in law now…maybe it's time you see just how happy he has made me…" she said, before leaning over the cradle as Remus had and blowing a raspberry on her sons stomach, who giggled coherently in her ear.
Whilst the Metamorphagus did her best at trying not to worry too much, the minutes already started to move around the clock behind her.
Remus had been dreading this day and he had not realized it would come so soon – in May no doubt. A month after Teddy was born he was back at Hogwarts and according to Harry it was going to be attacked any moment.
The werewolf took many deep breathes, trying to block out any overwhelming fear, to be the Gryffindor he had been known as in these very halls, the Gryffindor that he had been when Sirius and James were alive, pushing him around the corridors causing him to make mischief as a marauder.
He wished that his wife were there, he could squeeze her hand and let her know it would all be fine…but he had that feeling. It grew in the pit of his stomach like the calm before the storm, when in the commotion he was asked by Fleur how Teddy was.
He cracked a true smile…though surprised; he had the photograph on him as his good luck charm. Remus had never been extremely suspicious - though it did seem the moment he was happy, things went wrong. He shook that thought out of his head, and then he heard shouting, and he almost dropped his photograph, slightly dazed for a moment he quickly kissed the baby in the photograph, watching his chubby hands flying around the magical snap and put it back in his jacket pocket.
He was ready now. He didn't feel totally alone.
"I thought you were suppose to be with Teddy at your mother's?"
"I couldn't stand not knowing -- " Tonks looked anguished. "She'll look after him -- have you seen Remus?"
"He was planning to lead a group of fighters into the grounds."
Without another word, Tonks sped off.
"I love you Teddy" she whispered into the cradle, her son had long since fallen asleep, and he stroked back his hair, slipping on her cloak. Then looked into her mothers room, as she had fallen asleep too, he looked over a moment, then nodded to herself.
"Love you mum…"
Before disappearing out of the door and then apparating to find out how the hell she could get to Hogwarts as quick as possible.
"He was duelling Dolohov," shouted Aberforth, "I haven't seen him since!"
"Tonks," said Ginny, "Tonks, I'm sure he's okay--"
But Tonks had run off into the dust after Aberforth.
Nymphadora was desperate by this point. She hadn't been able to find him, and her heart hurt. If this was a good enough reason not to fall in love during a war she had no reason to argue with it - but right now what the heart agrees and doesn't agree with was not her concern.
She needed her heart – and Remus had it and she needed him to keep it. She pushed herself on, her wand out, she ducked a killing curse as a death eater attacked her, and she stunned him with a graceful efficiency that for some reason came out in her in her most desperate moments. There was a reason why the good guys usually win…and that was because fear brings out the best in people…even the clumsiest she thought. Throwing the death eater back into the hallway door – he was out of sight and out of mind, when she heard Remus's voice… he was in the Great Hall…!
She found herself feeling better about this already, she rushed at the door – almost tripping as she reached it damming her stepping and then watched the most terrible thing she had ever had to watch.
"Crucio!"
Remus's knees buckled as the spell hit. His eyes shut tight as he seemed determined to break it himself, but his whole body was shaking and his wife looked onward, almost frozen, she was an Auror was she not! She told herself suddenly in her head trying to snap out the ice that formed around her legs at watching such events. she had to protect him! That was her job! As a wife and an Auror. Nymphadora swallowed hard– before throwing a hexing spell, and rushing towards him – she hadn't even seen if the death eater had fallen, she didn't care.
"Remus! Remus, are you alright—!" She began flustered, her hand went to his face, but his eyes locked to hers – it was clear this wasn't the time.
His voice came out strained and worried and confused and angry all at once, "What---what are you doing here? You said you'd stay with Teddy--" he went to get up, she took his hand, when suddenly he saw a flash of green.
Her lifeless body fell into his, which had been kneeling up from the previous Unforgivable that had been used in the same direction.
For Remus…everything stopped.
His breath was quick to leave his stomach, as though someone had punched him hard in the gut and told him that this was what it was like to have your soul ripped to shreds. He struggled to breath straight, his hands shaking as the realization hit...
"DORA! DORA…! It can't be. NO!" his breathing got worse as his speech got quicker, taking to his dead wife, though he knew in heart that she couldn't hear him, just as logic would tell him. His eyes blurred, he could feel her bubblegum hair resting on his neck, as his arms went around her form weakly. He was aware that there was a death eater there – and he was aware that he was not defending himself, but he was too…distraught to think… "No…NO!"
He didn't get a chance to defend himself, and even if he had, he wouldn't of been able to escape it in time. The green light also hit his form, and the despair and the emotion that had flooded his features faded…alike all the life in his body and alike his wives slipped to the floor, his hands were still in hers.
Dolohov stood there rather content, he went to walk over…to steal there wands, to see if they were any value whilst no one was looking – too many people were trying to fight than to take notice of the dead couple on the floor…he grinned to himself, and went to go through Remus's pocket – when half way through taking out the photograph, he was caught off guard and thrown to his death by the killing curse. Flitwick rushed over, to find that he was too late…he looked to them. Feeling as if he had walked in on something he shouldn't have…before looking at the photograph that Dolohov had gone to take…the photograph of there son he had been showing previous.
Flitwick looked around to check he was safe to do so, before putting the photograph back into Remus's pocket. Where it belonged…and left the dead bodies laying together, there faces close, side by side, tears still wet on Remus's cheek and despite this fact of grim defeat, they looked peaceful in death. Despite the way they lost their lives and how their lives were viciously taken.
And as the night sky grew darker, their wedding rings, which Remus had taken great lengths to be able to afford by selling his various precious possessions - had caught the light off the candles that had been sparkling to live across the hall…as though there souls if they were another guiding light in the darkness…
Harry had a clear view of the bodies lying next to Fred: Remus and Tonks, pale and still and peaceful-looking, apparently asleep beneath the dark, enchanted ceiling.
A/N : Made myself cry my eyes out writing this, Dedicated to everysingle R/T Shipper - for every peice of amazing fanart to do with them, and every single tear we've had to have for the deaths of such a great couple.
Love you all!