Disclaimer: The wonderful world and characters of Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling.
Tonks leaped up from her perch on the edge of the hard, wooden chair in the hallway when she heard the three, clear knocks. "Who's there?" she called, wand drawn and hand shaking.
"It is I, you husband, Remus John Lupin, werewolf, member of the Order of the Phoenix, former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Tonks threw open the door and flew into Remus' arms. She heard his breathing slow and she gradually stopped shaking as his familiar scent enveloped her. She could feel his rough stubble against her cheek and she let out the sob she had been holding in for four hours. "You're okay," she whispered into Remus' chest and he tightened his grip on her.
"Yes." His voice was slightly hoarse and she pressed kisses onto his chest, his neck, his cheek, his lips. His eyes, dark with worry, lightened slightly as he smiled down at her. "Nymphadora. I'm fine."
Putting a strong arm around her waist, he pulled her into their well-lit living room, scattered in books and photographs. Sitting in a deep, comfortable armchair, he pulled her onto his lap and they sat in silence. She turned his rough hand in her own, seeming to study it with utmost concentration. Their home seemed quiet and peaceful, and for a moment it was easy to forget the bloodshed, the all-encompassing war. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a loud sob and Remus pulled Tonks closer to him. She buried her face into his chest and soaked his pale jacket with tears. He watched her silently, his heart breaking with every cry she let out, and he wished that he was strong enough to rid the world of all evil and make it safe for the beautiful witch in his arms. He couldn't bear to watch her grief and the helplessness it brought. He quickly banished his own tears and pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead, knowing that he had to have enough strength for both of them to get through this. "Sweetheart, sweetheart, it'll be okay." He told her over and over again, trying to keep the bitter tone out of his voice at his utter powerlessness, hating that this was all he could do.
He waited until she was ready to speak, and between her tears, Tonks told him about her and Ron's encounters with the Death Easter the night before, her love for Moody and their friendship throughout the years, and her fears for everyone they knew. When she was finished, Remus told her about his own journey with the fake Harry, and his and Bill's fruitless search for Mad-Eye Moody's body. This brought on a fresh torrent of tears and she clung to him with all her strength. He hugged her even closer to him and silently dried his own moist eyes on her shoulder.
Later that night, Remus and Tonks lay in bed entwined in one another. Tonks was telling him of happier times during her auror training and relating funny anecdotes about Moody. "Every time I walked into an umbrella stand or tripped over a step, he'd put on a murderous expression and I'd be sure he was going to yell at me, then he'd say, 'constant vigilance!'" Remus chuckled softly while his fingers roamed over her body, caressing her shoulders, stroking her jaw and tracing over the shape of her lips.
"You know," he murmured, "he once told me that you were like the daughter he never had." He looked up to see Tonks' watery smile.
"Thank you, Remus." Her voice was thick with tears and she pressed her lips to his. He pulled her closer and deepened their kiss, growling into her mouth. When they made love, it was rough with their sorrow and pure longing. Their jagged breathing and sighs of pleasure echoed throughout the house, more peaceful than silence with the intensity of their love.
Later, they lay awake with moonlight streaming across their bare skin, unable and unwilling to sleep like so many other families that were unsure of how long they had together in these sinister times.
Remus propped himself up on his elbow and lazily brought one hand up to stroke Tonks' cheek. "Do you realize," his deep voice merged with the quiet night, "that it's technically incorrect to call you 'Tonks' now?"
She smirked back at him. "What would you suggest? Two 'Lupin's might cause a bit of confusion."
He leaned down until his lips were touching her ear, sending tingles down her spine. "I don't have a problem with that. Even though I still don't understand why you don't like 'Nymphadora'."
She rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I let you call me that, don't I?"
He chuckled against her neck, his fingertips pressing into her waist. "I suppose."
She pressed herself closer to him, pulling his lips to hers. Even though she would never admit it, she quite liked the sound of her new name, Nymphadora Lupin.
**
Remus' hand drew absentminded circles on Tonks' bare back. She shivered slightly, at both his actions and words, and slid closer to him.
"The werewolves are getting restless, they're shifting and it's definitely not our way. Greyback's holding this up like some kind of revolution, like we're all suddenly going to be accepted by society," Remus' tone became bitter, "and everyone's been underground for so long that they have no idea that You-Know-Who just wants to use us as weapons."
He raised his hand to hold Tonks' fingers as they lightly stroked his cheek. Her face, inches from his on the pillow, was set and her eyes were furious. "No one," her fingers stilled and she held his face tightly in her hands, "no one is ever accepted by everyone. It's the people who you love and who love you that matter, Remus."
"I think a lot of people I care about would stop loving me if they found out I was a werewolf."
"Then they're not worth caring about." Remus opened his mouth to argue and Tonks swiftly cut him off. "Remus. It's Harry and Hermione and Ron and Arthur and Molly and Shacklebolt and…" Remus brought his hands up to her face and began to stroke her hair as her voice broke.
"I know. But you're wrong, you know, Nymphadora." She opened her mouth and her eyes flashed dangerously as her hair darkened. He leaned in closer, holding her gaze, "All those people could come for me with hatchets and I wouldn't care, as long as you kept loving me."
Tonks' hair changed to a brilliant red that perfectly matched her flaming cheeks. She brought her arms firmly around his neck and he kissed her gently, lovingly.
As their arms and legs tangled together and they stretched to bring themselves even closer, Tonks pulled away slightly. Remus groaned and brought her lips back to his, leading her into a heated kiss. In between her soft moans, Tonks remembered that there was something she had to tell him. Her mind worked slowly as Remus' lips were persistent against hers and every inch of his body pressed against hers. "Remus," she gasped, trying to hold onto the thought as he kissed her again. "Remus, wait." Finally, he pulled away slightly so his lips were brushing against hers with the lightest pressure. His eyes, darkened from their recent activities, almost drove the thought out of her mind. "Remus…" He smiled widely at her speechlessness, loving that she seemed to feel exactly how he felt when they were together. He considered letting her stammer cutely around for the words, but his father had raised him as a gentleman. "Nymphadora?" He pulled away enough for her to become capable of coherent thought.
"Remus…I have to go to Hogwarts for the coming term. I'm on guard duty." He tensed at her words and his mouth tightened into a thin, straight line. "Nymphadora…"
"Remus, this is important. You know Dumbledore wouldn't ask if it wasn't important and it was what Moody wanted before he…" her voice trailed away and she blinked her tears away before looking up at Remus.
He watched her intently, knowing that there was nothing he could do except savour the time they had together. The first rays of sunlight filtered through the window, but morning brought no hope in this terrible war.
Remus nodded silently, even though it was the hardest thing he'd every done.
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