Mr. Weasley was pondering over Bill's question.
"Are you sure?" He asked, rubbing his temple.
"I think it's a good idea." His son replied, his heavily scarred face a shadow of his former handsome self.
"Right." Mr. Weasley sat up. "Which one of you two makes a better Patronus?"
"Er." Fred stuttered, looking at his twin across Shell Cottage's kitchen table.
"Fred." George said confidently. He had a thing with Patroni- like a mental block that made it extremely difficult for him to produce those silvery creatures.
"Okay." Mr. Weasley was now walking over to the door, his step filled with purpose and vigor. "So me, Bill, Fred and Remus are going down to the village. George will stay with Fleur and Tonks." George nodded, a bit left out, as his brothers and good friend Remus Lupin also stood to leave.
Lupin patted George's shoulder as he past him. "In fact, go find Tonks will you? She shouldn't be outside long."
"Yeah, sure." George gave a small wave to Fred as he walked out of the door. "Have fun de-dementoring Essex…" His voice trailed off.
"So vhat do you think 'bout 'Arry?" Fleur's heavily accented English drifted in from the kitchen.
"Interesting." George replied distractedly, thinking about that very same thing. If his father's hunch was true then Harry was certainly up to something. It did, honestly, sound like a very Harry thing to do- to break into the Ministry while it was under tight control of the very influence they were fighting against- and free a dozen Muggle-borns while they were at it. He gave a small snort.
"George? Vhat did 'ou say?" Fleur was sticking her pearly blonde head out of the kitchen door.
"Er- nothing, Fleur." He stood up and started making his way toward their back door. "I'm going to go get Tonks."
"Tell 'er I'm making Tea!" His sister-in-law shouted at him as he closed the quaintly painted wooden door. It made him want to gag a little.
He wandered around their yard. The night was coming quick now, deep shades of purple etching the sky. He watched clouds float past, like bobbing buoys in a very large ocean, the disappearing sun coloring them pinks and oranges; he had to admit it was beautiful, something in a dream, a painting.
A sob broke his concentration as he walked around some shrubbery.
George was concerned. "Tonks?" he shouted, it had to be Tonks- no one else was out here- but why would she be crying?
He followed the sounds of the weeping- taking him near a clump of bushes. He felt worry weigh down his heart- what was wrong?
"Tonks?" he asked uncertainly, craning his neck to peer to the other side of the bushes.
And there she was- dull brown hair in a ragged bob, wearing her maternity clothes, holding her stomach and staring at the clouds that had so captured George's attention just a second ago.
She was shivering slightly, tear tracks leaving stains on her face and wet spots on her robes.
"Tonks." George kneeled down next to her, he had never seen her like this- it was wrong, he wanted to make it stop.
"Dark ca-can't come s-soon enough for me." She sobbed, her voice hoarse and scratchy.
"What?" George said faintly- he wasn't good with tears.
"I ca-can't take it an-y more." She pulled her knees as close as she could to her chest, the small bump in her middle preventing her from curling up like she intended.
George's mouth formed silent words- what was he supposed to do?
Cries now racked her petite body, George considered stupefying her just so he could get her to calm down.
"Can- er, I make it better?" he tried, wincing at how stupid he sounded.
There was a pause in which he thought her heard a small hiccup. "No-o." she stated after a bit, trying to get her sobs under control. "A-and neither ca-can I."
She turned abruptly and knelt in the shrubs, gagging and retching as George watched, mouth hanging wide-this was something that he could definitely not handle.
"I'm going to- uh- get Fleur, okay?" he said quickly as she turned back around, using her wand to clean herself.
"No." Tonks was glaring at him with her bloodshot eyes. "Please don't, Fred."
"George." He said offhand, pointing to the ear, thinking this wasn't the time to start an argument.
"Sorry." She whispered, horrified. He felt extremely bad for pointing that out.
Well, if he wasn't going to get Fleur, he might as well sit. He shifted closer to her, instinctly wanting to comfort her like he had always comforted his Ginny. George reached over and rubbed the back of his friend reassuringly- maybe it was the whole pregnancy thing that had her all screwy.
"Thanks." She said softly after he had squeezed her shoulders a last time.
"Do you want to -er- talk?" George started, hugging his own knees close to him, looking at the pinpricks of stars dotting the blanket of night above them.
She sighed.
"I'm j-just falling down all ar-around my- li-ife, that fairytale." She shuddered, eyes also on the stars.
He looked at her. Maybe it wasn't the human-growing-inside-her that had her all upset.
"Everything is ju-just making me feel like I ma-made a terrible mistake." She said very quickly.
George was surprised. What?
"You don't love Remus?" he asked before he had really thought about the significance of the question.
"Of course I do." She sighed, returning his stare. "H-He just doesn't lo-love me anymore." She started to cry again. Blimey, George thought. Where was it all this water coming from?
"Er- I find that hard to believe." He stated, eyebrows raised.
"It's true." She gave a terrified whimper. "He doesn't love me, or the baby." She looked down at her middle, a childlike horror spread across her face.
She's afraid, he thought, suddenly realizing she wasn't much older them himself. And she was in the Order. And her husband is being a jerk. And she's going to have a kid.
He whistled.
"You've gotten yourself into quite a mess, Tonkers."
She gave a small laugh; he could feel the tension slowly leaving her- a wave of pity crashed down upon him.
"What makes you think our furry friend suddenly had a change of heart?" he asked, giving her a smile to work off of.
She exhaled.
"Well, you know he didn't want to marry me for the whole wolf thing." She maneuvered herself so that she was lying on the ground, the stars that were growing brighter and brighter by the second reflected in her eyes.
"And I told him we could work through it."
George raised his eyebrows. If this was working through it she needed a trip to St. Mungo's.
Tonks gave a tiny giggle. "So what, I lied- I lied to me, too."
George laid himself down on the soft grass, putting his hands behind his head.
"I still think it could work though." She said firmly, brushing the evidence of her hysteric breakdown from her face. "If only he wasn't so….scared, you know?"
No, I don't. George thought. But he nodded anyway.
"We were so happy- we really were. It was amazing, perfect. I love him." She hiccupped. "And everything was wonderful- I don't mind the stares or whatever. The only part that scared me was Bellatrix." She hiccupped again. "She really hates me."
"Well, being that what she loves is an evil incarnate, I think we can agree upon the fact that her judgment is impaired." George smiled broadly. Oh, those Death Eaters were always good for a joke.
Tonks laughed at that one.
"but-" she started again, her voice was seeped in dread, mimicking George and putting her hands behind her neck-
"Oh no." George interrupted, making ominous sounds.
"Stop!" she laughed, slapping him playfully. "But that still didn't really make that much of a difference- until we found out about the baby."
He couldn't find anything funny there.
"Then- he got cold. Really cold. Ignoring me, and just being so rude. I was mad."
Don't cry, don't cry…
"And then he disappeared?"
"What?" George exclaimed- he hadn't been expecting that one.
"Yeah." She sounded confused. "He left me at my parents'- and disappeared. He just came back late yesterday- and he was angry. So angry." She shuddered. What was the matter with Lupin? He had seemed normal before.
"Today he brought me here and didn't say a word to me. And I just don't know what to do." Tonks finished faintly; George could hardly see her in the darkness.
"Well, I have to agree with you- that does sound a bit -er- odd." Poor Tonks.
She sat up, reaching toward the endless blackness, stretching her cramped limbs to the tune of the waves crashing in the distance.
"I just want someone to tell me it's going to be okay."
George tried to find her eyes in the shadows.
"I don't think I could do that." He said honestly. She bent her head down. He reached over to pat her arm. "But trust me; none of us- not one of us- is going to make you do this by yourself."
A/N: Hello! Another short chapter, but I love Tonks so she deserved something special. ANYWAY- shoutout to The Amazing Chez and everyone else who gave me advice and really encouraged me. You're the reason this fic has more then two chapters!