Lupin was worried when he opened the door and Nymphadora didn't appear. When he called her and she still didn't appear he began to panic. Quickly he strode from room to room, calling her name over and over again. It wasn't a work day and it was doubtful that she would have left without leaving a note (she had, after all, known when he was coming back.) Though he knew it was useless (she would have heard him from anywhere in the flat, so it wasn't likely it was merely a problem of not being in the same room) he checked every room with no luck. Standing in his own bedroom, at a loss of where do look next, he suddenly remembered the garden he had given up on, which he had told her about months ago. Terrified for some reason he couldn't quite name he strode towards the door, and, with his heart in his throat, opened it and saw Nymphadora lying on the ground, halfway between the bench and the door.

"Nymphadora! What are you doing? Answer me!" She lay so still and limp that as he strode towards her he had an intense feeling of dread about what he would find, of what had happened to her, or whether she even still alive.

She was cold and gave no resistance to his shaking but Lupin was relieved to find that her heart beat, if only faintly.

Cursing, Lupin picked her up, opened the door with magic and set Nymphadora on the couch before doing a Patronus charm to call Molly.

****

"I didn't know what to do, Molly. I thought I should get you first, and then decide whether or not we should risk taking her to Mungo's. She was outside when I got home. I have absolutely no idea how long-" Remus broke of his babbling as they reached the couch. Molly sat down and cast a few charms, which Remus--in his currently distracted state of mind-- didn't bother to remember.

After several minutes Remus could no longer contain himself. "How is she? Is she really bad? Should I have taken her to Mungo's right away?"

Molly didn't answer for a couple of seconds, letting Remus' ramblings turn to mutters before she talked. "I think it was poison. I don't know what kind, or how much."

"Poison! How could she have been poisoned? Nymphadora isn't stupid. She knows better than to let herself be poisoned."

"I don't know, Remus. I can only guess that someone gave it to her without her knowing it, or put it in food that you bought and she was the first to eat. It's possible it wasn't even intended for her. She likely didn't eat enough to kill her. I doubt whoever did this meant for the poison to do no more than make the victim unconscious. You did right not taking her to St. Mungo's; it could have been a Ministry employee who poisoned her." Molly's usually cheery face was weary and worried.

Remus felt his own face go white. "You mean, the poison may have been meant for me? And the only reason we're having this conversation is because she took the poison intended for me? That she could have died, because of me? That-"

"Remus, stop it. There is no telling what might have happened. Stop pulling your hair out. Sit down."

Remus sat in the vacant chair she had indicated, still clutching his hair. Molly gazed at him for several seconds, letting him stew while she thought.

"You love her." It wasn't a question, but Remus nodded anyway.

"Don't you think you ought to tell her that sometime? Don't you think it would do both of you good?"

"I'm too old, too poor, and, obviously, as shown in this little incident, too dangerous." His tone was bleak when he replied.

"Don't you think that she's considered that? Nymphadora is quite smart, Remus, she wouldn't want anything she believed could hurt her."

When he didn't answer, keeping his eyes fixed on Nymphadora's limp form on the couch, Molly Weasley sighed.

"She's just in a very deep sleep, I don't know if she feels any pain or not. There's nothing we can do but wait for her to wake up. Talk to her, it might be incentive for her to wake up. I'll come back tomorrow." She walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at the figure seated motionless in the chair.

"Think about what I said, Remus. You don't have to hide."

She left, turning her back to the figure who had hid his agonized eyes behind his hands.

*

After Molly left Remus moved Nymphadora to his room, tucked her in carefully, and brushed the hair off her forehead. He sat down a chair he had conjured up, took her small hand in his, and just sat like that, gazing at her face that was so peaceful in sleep.

And when he finally opened his mouth to speak the only thing he could find to say were two simple words.

"I'm sorry."