One tear rolled down her cheek. "You…don't love me?" He shook his head, and she dashed out, never more embarrassed or crushed in her entire life…
"Remus!" a voice called from the room down the hallway. It was a voice he knew well; the voice of Nymphadora Tonks, the woman he loved very much.
"Yes, Tonks?" he called back, rising from his seat in the kitchen at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
"I need some help. I think there's something behind the curtains in here. Molly must have missed it when the children were here," Tonks explained as Remus entered the room she was in.
Remus thought she looked very pretty today. She did not use her metamorphmagus powers, she was in her natural form, and Remus liked this look best. She always looked beautiful to him, but today something was different. She was almost glowing. He supposed it must be from the warm, summer weather.
"I don't see anything," he told her.
"Hm," she said in mock curiosity. "I could have sworn I saw something moving…" she trailed off, still pretending to observe the curtains.
"Dora," he began, using his nickname for her, which she feigned hatred of. "Why did you call me in here? Sirius and I were discussing something important."
She pursed her lips in irritation. "By 'something important' you mean reminiscing about your school days?"
Remus chuckled. "You don't think that's important?" he asked, smirking at her.
She grinned back at him. She loved when they were playful like this. It made her feel so care-free, like there was no Voldemort and people could feel safe and trusting. "It's not as important as what I'm about to tell you," she replied.
"Well, I can't wait to hear it," he said simply, intertwining his fingers, and sitting on the arm of the chair closest to him.
She beamed, but her smile slowly faded as she realized she had not thought of how to say this at all. The whole way over here, she only thought of the relationship she hoped to have with him. She knew she wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she hadn't thought of how to start off.
"Um…" She suddenly became very interested in the floor as she felt heat come to her cheeks. "I just…" Once again, she trailed off.
"Dora?" He inquired, concerned. She was never lost for words.
Tonks felt like her heart fluttered when he called her that. "Remus," she said. "Remus I… I love you."
Remus was taken aback. His eyes widened in surprise, and he leaned away from her, and he said nothing. Tonks thought he was pleasantly surprised, so she continued.
"I love you, werewolf or not," she confessed. "Age, money, danger. None of it matters to me. Only you matter."
Remus held up a hand, signaling her to stop. "Dora, please, don't."
"What?" she asked, now worried.
"We," he paused. He didn't want to say this. He took a deep breath. "We can't be together. Ever," he said, almost like it was painful for him.
Her jaw dropped. "But…" she didn't know how to finish that sentence.
"I'm so sorry, Dora," he said, but she didn't hear him. She couldn't see or hear anything, for her increased heartbeat obstructed her hearing and hot tears clouded her vision.
One tear rolled down her cheek. "You…don't love me?" He shook his head, and she dashed out, never feeling more embarrassed or crushed in her life.