This was originally totally different. I had the idea of her asking him out before Sirius died, and then after Sirius died. The first one was okay, but then I started this and it was thrown out. And the second one was like Tonks cornering him after his best friend died. Kind of in bad taste. So then this happened. I'm very happy with it.

madge622: Thank you for being my first review! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you enjoy this one, and the next!

Lupin stood in the cold, empty halls of Grimmauld Place, leaning against the wall, staring into space. This was hardly a good spot to do so, but under the circumstances, there weren't many places to choose from.

His brain tried to absorb the pure, undiluted horror of the previous day. The Battle of the Department of Mysteries had barely been a success. The only good thing out of it was the fact that there were no casualties among the children, only injuries.

A swift sliver of cold went through his heart as he remembered Sirius' death. And holding Harry back, the boy screaming desperate denials of the harsh, unfair reality. He took in a deep, shaky breath and sighed. There would be no easy way to get past this. For the Order, for Harry, and for himself. The loss of Sirius was detrimental to everyone, in it's own way.

But now was not the time to dwell on that. It would be destructive to linger on that painful memory and let it take over. Now was the time for action; for moving on and forward. The memory, horrific as it was, became fodder for the passion to stop the Death Eaters, and Voldemort, and Lestrange. That was three friends she'd taken from him, the Longbottoms and Sirius, and she'd tried a fourth. Tonks

The passion to stop them all became a fire for vengeance, which wasn't what he planned. As of that moment, nothing would have made him more happy than seeing Bellatrix Lestrange thrown back in Azkaban. Or dead. Either one.

Surprised at his uncharacteristic rage, he shook his head and wondered whether or not that rage came from the murders (or worse) committed by Bellatrix, or the attempted one.

Tonks was still in the hospital, after receiving a few curses and several broken bones from her long fall down the stone steps. Last he'd seen her, they'd told him she'd be fine, though her face and hair had been the color of parchment.

He turned, startled, at a sound from the front door, and Tonks walked in, bandaged and bruised, but otherwise fine. Her hair had returned to it's original bubblegum pink, as it had been changed to when they'd first met (she always went back to it, no matter what), but her smile was sad.

"Wotcher, Remus." She said sadly. He nodded, smiling slightly. She stood next to him, leaning against the wall, hands in her pockets. "I'm sorry." Remus was slightly surprised.

"For what, Nymphadora?" He called her by her first name by accident, but she didn't seem to notice, or care.

"I could have stopped it. If I'd been able to hold her back a while longer." She said shakily. Lupin blinked; the thought hadn't occurred to him, and now that it did, he didn't like it at all.

"Don't talk like that," he said kindly and quickly. "It wasn't your fault; Bellatrix is a master duelist. It's foolish to blame yourself." Tonks said nothing. Lupin watched her sadly; he'd never been very good at comforting people, at least not in his opinion.

Against his better judgment, he put his arm about her shoulder. At his touch, she sobbed and pressed her face into his chest, her hands at his shoulders. He stood stiff and shocked for a moment, his arms reaching out slightly. Then, slowly, he put them around her, holding her a bit closer.

They stood like that for a while, the pictures sniggering until Lupin glared so fiercely at them that they retreated from the hall. After a certain amount of time, Lupin realized that they'd been standing there for a while. And that Tonks wasn't crying anymore. And, again, he became stupidly aware of the fact that her hair smelled like coconuts.

He gently pushed her away, his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him, and it didn't take more than a moment to see the feelings in those eyes. Lupin found himself leaning down. And, remarkably, she was standing on her tip toes, meeting him.

The kiss lasted for the amount of time it took for Lupin to realize just what was happening. He heard the pictures poking their heads around the picture frames and giggling or making gagging noises and drew back hurriedly, embarrassed and ashamed.

She looked shocked, confused.

"What?" She asked, reaching for him. He took a sharp step back. Now she looked hurt.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, and you could have heard a pin drop. The pictures watched breathlessly. "I can't. I'm sorry." She frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?" She asked. He shook his head.

"It's not smart. Not safe," he said. "I'm too old."

"I don't care!" She said, the roots of her hair becoming red. "That doesn't matter to me!"

"I care," he snapped. "And it matters to me!" She watched him, still. He sighed, imagining Sirius' reaction to what he was about to do. "I'm sorry." And with that, he walked past her, to the door.

As he opened the door, he caught a glance of her bright pink hair becoming abruptly dull brown, and the sound of pictures either cooing sympathetically or cackling heartlessly. He hesitated for a moment before finally walking out and closing the door.

GO MOVING PICTURES! xD

For the record, this is how I imagine Remus and Tonks. I love your pictures, Ms Laerry!

http:// laerry deviant art .com/art/Who-Do-You-Love-39508376 (no spaces)

The best. Remus. Ever. Check out her gallery for more Marauder goodness. (drool)