Title: Something For Nothing

Author: Saiya-Jin Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to JK Rowling. The plot came from my crazy mind.

Chapter Four: December

It was plain to see, Remus Lupin was in a dilemma. He walked down a snow covered street, listening to the sounds around him. People shouting, his shoes against the cobblestone, the wind blowing around him, they all seemed to have some sort of rhythm. Something he wished he had in his life--Stability. Normal people didn't know how lucky they were. To live one month without any disruption. Every month, his life was brutally ripped from him, and he became something that was not him, he became a creature so different from his true nature.

He knew Tonks and Hermione meant well. Hermione, he was sure she only wanted to help him. Ever since he had met her, she had always shown a bit more compassion to him than others. Since she was the only student who had actually known he was a werewolf while he was teaching her, he was surprised that she had not told someone. She hadn't even confided her findings to Harry and Ron, and she had acted completely normal around him, which made him appreciate her even more. She was a rare gem.

Tonks on the other hand, had seemingly fallen head over heels for him from the moment he had walked through the door. Nymphadora, was what he had liked to call her. She had a beautiful name, and a beautiful way about her. She was naturally funny, and outgoing, and loved to talk to those around her. Add that to her abilities to morph her appearance, she too was a rare catch. But Remus was not interested in love. She had continuously tried to catch his attention by doing all sorts of things. One of them had been to simply tell him straight out that she was interested, and that, clearly, hadn't worked.

He felt guilty at times that he did not return all the feelings that Tonks was sending his way, but during those times, he wasn't really in the mood at all to burden someone with his problems. He had survived so far alone, he didn't need anyone else to complicate his life. The last time he made lasting friendships, they had all perished. He had no desire to embark upon a new journey.

But now he needed a child. He needed someone who would mother his child, so he could be cured of his disease. He knew he had other options, he knew he could wait for someone else to come along, no strings attached, but there was the mysterious allure of Hermione. He knew that if he had to choose between Nymphadora and Hermione, he would choose Hermione. Despite the fact that she was much younger than he was, and even younger than Nymphadora, she was more wise, and definitely more mature than Nymphadora could be. There was one thorn in his side however, and that was Nymphadora. He knew that he would never forgive himself if she slumped back into a depression or did something drastic.

With a sigh, he stepped into a small coffee shop on the side of the street. The aroma of fresh coffee immediately filled his nostrils and he smiled despite himself. He walked over to a small table close to the window and sat down. A waitress came over to him and smiled.

"What will you have?" she asked.

"A coffee, please, no milk and sugar," he said. She smiled and nodded. Within seconds, a cup appeared on his table and he stared out the window. It was common to magick the orders to the tables. He grasped the handle of the cup and lifted it to his lips. He took a sip. It was strong.

:xoxo:

Tonks plopped down in the snow. She felt the wetness of it seeping through her pants, but she didn't move. There was no reason to. She hated herself for crying in front of Remus, she felt weak, and pitiful that she did something so stupid. She grabbed a handful of snow and began crunching it into a snowball. Soon enough she had a tightly packed ball of the white stuff in her hand and she hurled it as hard as she could at the nearest tree. Seeing the snow splat against the wood gave her a good feeling, it made her relax. The wind blew around her and she sighed and leaned back fully on the snow. She was shivering now. She felt the coldness seep into her body, and soon enough, she did not have the will to even move. A calming darkness was coming over her, crowding out all of her other thoughts. First, Hermione disappeared, then the baby, then finally, Remus. All that was left was a peaceful darkness.

:xoxo:

Hermione had walked out of the Hospital in a rush, she did not know her destination. She would go where her feet would take her. Was she now the one being rash? She pondered. Why was she so eager to do this for Remus? What was in it for her? She sighed and continued walking out into the snow. She thought of Tonks and how eager she seemed to do this. Then the thought hit her, Tonks had fancied Remus for years, and here Hermione was, taking it all away from her. Maybe she should just go away and leave them alone. Maybe she should find a job somewhere else and relocate where Remus and Tonks, and no one else would ever find her. Was that right? Was it fair?

:xoxo:

Remus stepped into the living room, only to be slightly startled by a crack. He looked up and saw a flushed Hermione staring at him. She smiled.

"Remus," she said. He smiled.

"Hello, Hermione," he said. She averted her gaze and sighed.

"Remus I have something to say to you," she began when the door opened. It was Luna and Ron. Their faces conveyed distress.

"Ron, Luna, is everything alright?" Remus asked immediately. Ron shook his head as he tried to catch his breath.

"No…Tonks…we found her…in the snow…" he managed to get out.

"What?" he said. Luna's eyes shone with worry.

"We found Tonks, in the snow, she's unconscious, I tried a warming spell, but we came to get someone, quick!" she said. She turned around and ran back from where she came. Hermione and Remus immediately made their way out the door and followed Luna. They found Tonks lying on the ground, her face almost blue. Remus cursed lightly under his breath. Hermione dropped to her knees and pulled out her wand, she murmured a curse and passed her wand over Tonks and she began to warm up. Remus cradled her head in his arms as her eyes twitched and opened.

"Re…Remus…" she said hoarsely. He shook his head.

"Come, let's get you inside," he said.

"We should take her to St. Mungo's, Remus," Hermione said gently. He looked at her and nodded. Hermione smiled at Luna. "We'll take her, Luna, stay with Ron, and tell the others when they get home, ok?" she said. Luna nodded and waited for them to apparate until she went back inside. She found Ron on the couch, pulling off his boots.

"I wonder what happened to her," she mused. Ron shrugged.

"I dunno, it was weird though, I never thought I'd see Tonks like that," he said quietly. She sighed and began to take off her boots.

"I just hope she'll be okay,"

:xoxo:

A/N: Here you guys go! LOL another chappie. I did my best. it's a bit short but that's because there's not too much dialogue in this chapter. I hope u enjoyed it. Thanks for ALL the reviews!

LOVE,

Saiya-Jin Girl