Lupin and Tonks – forever after
Tonks put her arms out in front of her and ran, shoving through masses, dodging curses, ignoring fights. Her clumsiness had gone; she was propelled by sheer desperation, her love, her husband, her baby's father. She had to find him.
"REMUS!" she yelled. "REMUS!" But her shouts were drowned by other screams, other terrified fools, fools who loved. She entered the great hall and searched frantically, knocking people over, blinded by all the flashes of light, the red, and the green. The terrible green that killed in one flick. The hate etched into the light, and into the words. Even now she could hear them. "Avada Kedavra" The final blow.
But surely not him, because it just couldn't be, she couldn't bear to think. Looking through people, the good and the bad, death eaters, auras, students all merged into one, one mass of people who were blocking her from the only man she wanted to find. Where was he?
Again she yelled; "REMUS!", "REMUS LUPIN!"
And then she saw it. A line across the hall. All the faces white, the eyes unfocused. A line of the dead. But he couldn't be there, because a few hours ago he was just by her side, where he should be. And yet, he wasn't anywhere else. No, she thought. "NO" she ran sideways, searching the faces, hoping, pleading, that she wouldn't find him there.
Maybe because of the screaming, maybe because of all the noise, or maybe because there were too many pleas for God, or whoever was up there to hear, but the begging of Nymphadora Tonks was unanswered. The face she sought, yet dreaded finding. The one who always said no to her, but finally caved in, the one who she knew, behind it all, loved her, and everything he did was to protect her, but this time, he had failed to protect himself.
Tonks fell by his side, crying, clawing at her face, tugging her hair, out of control. She was bent over him, closing his eyes, stroking his hair, holding his hand. That was where she was when it came. "Avada Kedavra" The final blow.
Later, no one knew who died first, only that they died together. But that was enough, that was how it was. And that was what they told Teddy, when he was old enough to ask. And that was how they were remembered, in the hearts of all those who cared - Because in that last year, and forever after, Lupin and Tonks were truly in love.