Dust to Dust
A Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks FanFiction
{Author's note: Thank you so much for the kind reviews on the Prologue. This chapter follows Chapter Three of Order of the Phoenix, with quite a few direct quotes, but as I'm sure you can tell I'm starting to branch into my own imagination, so not everything in the dialogue is accurate when it comes to Tonks and Remus. I really want this fanfic to include all of the canon encounters, as well as the rest of their love story that I've written, based on JK's comments on Pottermore about the relationship. The story will be rated M, but up to and including this chapter is suitable for younger readers.}
Chapter One: The Advance Guard
6th August, 1995
Tonks watched as her cousin dragged his hand irritated through his hair. He had been pacing around Grimmauld Place for the last three nights, snapping at whoever was nearest. "What's the delay? Harry is waiting in that grovel, alone, scared. We need to get to him". He was relentless.
Four days ago Sirius had received a note from Harry, and the whole Order had heard it repeated over and over by the boy's Godfather: "I've just been attacked by Dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here.". Understandably, Sirius was shaken and troubled by this bleak update and request for information from the boy he loved like a son, and the Aurors' repeated demands that he under no circumstances reply didn't help the matter.
As quickly as possible, though each hour felt like an hour too long to Sirius, a plan had been made and details fine tuned: an Advance Guard was to fly to Privet Drive and personally collect Harry, and bring him to safety. Tonks had been among the first to volunteer.
"Sirius, it's alright. We'll be back with him tonight. A few more hours."
"You're absolutely certain of what needs to be done?" Sirius snapped, unusually short-tempered with his cousin.
"Positive," Tonks replied, forcing herself to remain calm and her hair to remain its current violet colour. "You can trust Moody, you can trust Shacklebolt. All of us. Harry's in good hands."
Sirius huffed. "Sorry about the temper."
Tonks shrugged. "You just want to see him, I know."
They were interrupted as the door opened and Moody limped in, followed by Dedalus Diggle, a man Tonks had met only once or twice in passing, Podmore, Emmeline Vance, and Remus Lupin. She stood up quickly, concealing a wince as she inadvertently banged her leg against the low table. "Wotcha."
Moody ignored her, which was not unusual and not to be taken personally, and Podmore and Diggle nodded. "Ready for tonight?" Vance asked, the older witch's expression focused.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
"Nymphadora," Tonks smiled as Remus passed the rest of the group and approached her, extending a hand to shake, "Good to see you again. Still going strong, it seems."
"Been a while. And, for the record," she said, raising an eyebrow, "– it really is just Tonks."
Remus shook his head, a smile spreading on his face. "My sincere apologies, Tonks." Tonks laughed, finding herself pleased to see Remus again. She had appreciated his effort to talk to her during her first Order meeting a few weeks earlier, but hadn't seen him since. In fact, they hadn't even said goodbye, as Remus had slipped out of the meeting at some point before it ended, unbeknownst to Tonks.
"New hair?" Remus asked, and Tonks smiled again.
"You'll find it changes quite often."
Before Remus had a chance to reply, Moody grunted, calling the group to attention, and a quiet fell quickly over the room. "Is everyone here comfortable with what we're going to do tonight?" he asked, scanning the group. "Because this is it – point of no return. Speak now or follow me." With that, Moody turned on his heel and headed for the corridor leading to the front door.
Tonks caught Remus' eye and cocked an eyebrow. "Nothing like a Mad-Eye pep talk, eh?" she commented under her breath, heading purposefully to make up the tail end of the group as they made their way out.
Remus matched her pace. "Nice work on the distraction," he remarked, and she laughed.
"The 'All England Best-Kept Subuarban Lawn competition', honestly, it was the most absurd letter I've ever written. Mind you, Arthur was in his element watching me use that Muggle typewriter."
"Well, let's hope the Dursley's enjoy the prize-giving ", Remus chuckled, shutting the front door to Grimmauld place behind him, and was met by a sharp look from Moody, who was in no mood for humor.
No words were exchanged, no further instructions from Mad-Eye – the plan was already set in place and each member of the group grilled within an inch of their lives on the details. They took off in formation for Little Whinging, Remus behind Tonks, Mad-Eye taking the lead, and Remus turned his attention fully to the task at hand. He was looking forward to seeing Harry, and even more so to witnessing the reunion of the boy and Sirius.
The flight passed quickly; even the violet hair in front of him was not enough to distract Remus from what was to be done.
They landed quietly on Privet Drive, Mad-Eye's stern glances enough to keep the silence as they approached the house and filed inside conspiratorially. Tonks took in the living room with interest, those around her muttering spells and charms to ensure they were secure and alone in the property. She was busy inspecting a Dursley family portrait on the wall and did not realize she had wondered straight into the metal bin.
"Shoot!"
"Careful!" Mad-Eye barked, as the Muggle contraption crashed to the tiled kitchen floor.
"Well, that negates the need for one of us to make Harry aware of our presence," Remus said lightly, his eyes drifting upwards to where they could hear movements, presumably from Harry's bedroom. The group turned and moved into the hallway to the bottom of the stairs, peering upwards in the dark hallway. There stood the boy himself, wand raised and at the ready. Tonks admired his courage.
"Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone's eye out."
"Professor Moody?"
"I don't know so much about "Professor", never got round to much teaching, did I? Get down here, we want to see you properly".
Harry stayed put, his wand slightly lowered but frozen to the top of the landing.
Remus stepped forward, more into the light. "It's all right, Harry. We've come to take you away".
"Professor Lupin? Is that you?"
Tonks shook her head in wonder – this confusion and the boy's fear could very quickly be resolved. "Why are we all standing in the dark? Lumos".
Illuminated, Tonks looked up expectantly with the rest of them at Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, and her heart immediately went out to him. Behind the name and the reputation she saw a worried teenage boy, trying to force a smile at the group of intruders in his hallway.
"Ooh, he looks like just like I thought he would," she said cheeringly, wanting to break the silence and give the boy a moment longer to gather himself. "Wotcher, Harry!" She smiled up at him, in what she hoped was an encouraging and friendly way.
"Are you quite sure it's him, Lupin?" Moody grunted, and as soon as Harry had convinced him with the form of his Patronus, he descended the stairs. Bit rich, thought Tonks, we break into his house and demand that he validate his own identity!
Remus was thrilled to see Harry. "How are you?" he asked, looking closely at Harry and shaking his hand warmly.
"F-fine…" the boy stuttered stuttered. Remus regarded him with concern. He had grown taller over the summer, his hair longer, but his eyes revealed a sadness and, if Remus was correct, anger, that he had not seen before. The quicker they got him back to Sirius, the better.
"We're leaving soon, Harry, we're just waiting for the all clear," Remus explained, and, gesturing to Tonks, who was still lingering by his side, her eyes on Harry, "This is Nymphadora."
Tonks turned to Remus, her dark eyes twinkling but narrowed: "Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus. It's Tonks".
Remus looked her in the eye, his attention once again captured by the young witch, and held in a chuckle. "Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only." He found that it was more challenging than it ought to have been to turn his gaze back to Harry.
"You'd better go and get packed, Harry," he said, "We want to be ready to go when the signal comes".
"I'll come and help you," Tonks said brightly, and Remus watched as she followed the boy upstairs, telling himself firmly that there was no need for him to tag along. He made himself busy in the kitchen with Moody and Shacklebolt, penning a letter to the Dursleys.
"I'm glad that Tonks is here", he commented to Moody, adding quickly, "For Harry's sake, I mean".
Mad-Eye grunted, taking a swig from his hip flask. His attention was on his glass eye, which he had taken out and placed in a glass of water for cleaning. "She can be trusted," he acknowledged, his good eye now on the letter in Remus' hand. "Finished with that?"
Lupin sealed the letter as Tonks and Harry came in. He raised an eyebrow at Tonks, who's once violet hair was now a shock of bubble-gum pink. She shrugged and threw a wink at him. Remus quickly looked away, embarrassed. Had she noticed him noticing her a little too much?
Moody quickly set about casting the Disillusionment charm on Harry and Tonks and Remus joined the rest of the Guard in the Dursleys' back garden. The seriousness of the matter at hand suddenly weighed again on Remus as he looked out for the sign.
"Stay in formation, everyone. Don't break ranks if one of us gets killed." Moody commanded, joining the group with Harry, who looked highly apprehensive.
"Stop being so cheerful, Mad-Eye, he'll think we're not taking this seriously," Tonks quipped, punching Harry playfully on the shoulder.
"No one's going to die," Kingsley soothed in his calming voice. His tone was not matched by Remus.
"Mount your brooms on the first signal!" he said sharply, pointing up to the shower of bright red sparks in the sky. They did as he instructed.
"Second signal, let's go!" Lupin said loudly, as green sparks exploded above the neighbours' trees. They kicked off, and set off through the cool night air, Harry following Tonks closely.
Remus was on edge the whole journey, impatient to deliver Harry safely to his godfather, but nonetheless he could not help but be impressed at the way Tonks screamed at Moody's suggestion to travel above cloud level, ("we'll get soaked, May-Eye!"), nor at her overruling on his suggestion to double back. Moody trusted her, and if he hadn't already, that was enough for Remus to cast aside any doubt about the young, heart-shaped-faced witch with the now pink hair, who somehow managed to captivate him and yet draw from him a feeling of protectiveness that he had not felt for a woman in a long time. He knew, logically, that she needed no such protection, and would, in all probability, be the one defending him if it came down to it, and yet, he found himself glancing at her more and more frequently, just to be sure she was all right.
After what seemed like hours in the sky, Tonks led the dive to their landing, and once again Remus stood before Gimmauld Place.
All I know is we said hello; your eyes look like coming home; All I know is a simple name, everything has changed ~ 'Everything Has Changed', Taylor Swift
{Hufflepuff hugs for any reviewers! (good or bad!)}