I don't own anything. J.K. Rowling owns the world… and everything Harry Potter.
The cold night air permeated her skin and sent a chill straight to her heart. She hesitantly stepped out into the dark alleyway. Though there were no lights she knew the path well enough to find her way without them. The alley seemed to go on forever until finally she emerged in clearing. She could now see everything clearly because of an unnatural light coming from above her. She squinted up and saw a full moon peeking out from between the tops of the huge trees. Just as she was beginning to wonder where she was she heard a howl of pain to her right. She jerked her head to see what had made the noise, but she couldn't make out anything. Her mind was working quickly and she realized that a full moon and a howl were not a good combination. She turned around, searching for a way out, but the trees were too close together. The space where she had entered was now blocked by a huge oak. Every way she turned was closed off.
The howl came again, louder this time, closer. Frantically she threw herself against the trees and pushed until the lowest branches broke. She fell face first onto a familiar path. Behind her she could hear something running towards her. Quickly, she ran down the path, desperately trying to get away from the danger. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but somehow she knew she'd be safe when she got there. The creature howled again. Daring a glance she saw a great black shadow barely a meter behind her. Before the fear could paralyze her she ran into something and fell over. Keeping her eyes closed she waited for the creature to attack her. When no attack came she began to breathe again. A distinct scent filled her nostrils. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Opening her eyes she looked up into a friendly face.
"Tonks. What's wrong?"
She opened her mouth to say something but before she could an obnoxious alarm went off.
Tonks jumped up from her bed and tripped on the blanket wrapped tightly around her legs. She stumbled into her bedside table and felt a sting she knew would be a great ugly bruise by the end of the day. After untangling herself she carefully walked around the piles of clothes on the floor to her bathroom. She stared into her reflection. She didn't need a light to see the change that had come over her. A few months ago her hair had been as bright as her mood, but now it was bland. She no longer wanted to draw attention to herself. What was the point anyway? She had tried and failed.
It wasn't as if she had never been rejected before. It was just that this time it hurt so much more. She tried to tell herself that she was sad because of Sirius. But in her heart she knew it was so much more than that. She hadn't known him long before he was taken away, but it still hurt a lot. There were so many others that had known him longer than she had. Their hurt must be unbearable. Harry would be suffering more than the rest. It didn't help that he had to stay at his aunt and uncle's for the first few weeks. From what she knew about them they weren't exactly sympathetic towards Harry. He really didn't have anyone to talk to, but Remus did.
Remus. That name made her heart ache. He wouldn't even look at her anymore. She had tried and tried to talk to him. She had sent owls to him. When Order meetings were adjourned he was always the first to leave. His actions were frustrating her. Molly had tried consoling her, but nothing helped. Remus wouldn't change his mind.
It wasn't a surprise to her when she started having reoccurring dreams. She felt lost and alone. The ministry was in constant motion, but not even Death Eater attacks could effectively distract her from the pain she felt. If anything the long hours at the office had made things worse. The extra hours just gave her more time to dwell on her thoughts. With each attack her heart stopped a moment. Each time she was certain it was him. Each time died a little. There was no relief because the next report could be worse.
This constant dread had made it impossible to sleep. When she did sleep her mind was plagued with these nightmares. Sometimes she paced around her apartment just to ward off the dreams she knew would come with sleep.
The ringing of the alarm brought her back to earth. It was another day. Another long day at the ministry. There was an Order meeting that night. The thought of seeing Remus brought hope and despair.
She turned the alarm off and found a clean pair of pants and a shirt with a questionable stain on the floor. Yes, it was another day, she thought. Maybe today would be different from the rest. Maybe today he would come to his senses.
Yay, my first chapter. I'll post the next chapter tomorrow.