Tonks didn't have the heart to tell Teddy what had happened through a letter. The day she picked him up from King's Cross was nearly the saddest day of her life, second only to the day Remus left.

The first words from Teddy's mouth were, "Where's Dad?"

Tonks hid her tears until they got home, where she sat Teddy down at the table and told him that "Daddy left."

"Well," said Teddy, "when's he coming back?"

"Oh, Teddy," sniffed Tonks, holding her son to her, "he's not coming back."

"Why not?" shouted Teddy. He and Remus had been very close, reveling in the father-son relationship Remus had never got to experience.

"That doesn't matter. He's just not coming back."

Tonks worried about Teddy over the summer. He didn't seem to dwell too much on his father's leaving, but Tonks knew Teddy was hurt. They didn't talk about him much, and that suited Tonks just fine. The more she talked about Remus, the more sad and more angry she got. When she thought about him at night, lying alone in her bed, she would cry angry tears, cursing Remus for leaving her alone.

Harry and Ginny and Hermione and Ron visited often over the summer, knowing Tonks was thankful for the company. The children would all play together in Tonks's sprawling backyard, and Tonks was glad to have Teddy's mind taken away from his father. Everyone knew better than to ask if Tonks had heard from Remus. Tonks hadn't told anyone, but she wrote to Remus frequently, always hoping for an answer, but never getting one.

Every time someone asked Tonks if she was doing okay, she would just nod. She would never be okay again, but she wasn't depressed. She couldn't let Remus's departure ruin her life. She still had Teddy, and she was thankful for every day that she was alive. She had escaped Remus's attack with only scratches, but it could have been so much worse. Remus could have bitten her, dooming her to be a slave of the moon for the rest of her life.

One day, everyone decided to visit Tonks. She was shocked to see Charlie Weasley, who she had thought to be in Romania working with his dragons.

"Charlie!" she smiled, hugging him warmly. They had been best friend during their Hogwarts days, but had fallen out of touch when he went to Romania. "How are you?"

"I'm well," he replied, smiling widely at Tonks. He had, of course, heard about what had happened, and didn't ask her how she was. Instead, he asked her if they could talk alone for a moment.

Tonks led him to her room, shutting the door. "What's up?" she asked, rather confused.

Charlie took a deep breath. "I don't know if you know this, Dora, but I really like you. In fact, I've loved you since we were at school together, but I never had the nerve to tell you." He said nothing more, letting Tonks take in the sudden information.

"Uh," she said, not knowing what to say. "You're a great guy, Charlie, but I'm just not ready for a relationship. I still love Remus. I'll always love him," she told him. She hoped he would understand. In truth, Tonks felt nothing but friendship for Charlie, and didn't want to see him hurt. "I'm sorry, Charlie," she added, seeing the disappointment in his eyes.

"I understand, Dora. I'm sorry," he apologized, seeing the hurt in Tonks's eyes. There would never be anyone else for Tonks.

On September first, Tonks brought Teddy to King's Cross by herself for the first time. She waved to Teddy as he went off to his fifth year at Hogwarts, crying silently. She was the last one left on Platform nine-and-three-quarters – or so she thought. She turned around to leave and ran into someone. She looked up and saw a most familiar face.

"I couldn't stay away," said the man. "Can't believe he's in fifth year already. . ."

"Remus!" screamed Tonks, crying so loudly that the owls in the rafters hooted and flew away. "Remus!"

"Ssh," he said, taking Tonks in his arms, holding her tightly, never wanting to let go. He promised himself that he would never let her go again.