a/n: these characters are the property of j.k. rowling and warner brothers. i merely live vicariously through the exploits i invent for them. no copyright infringement is intended. m rating for adult situations, language, and mild violence.

Chapter Four: The Company You Keep

Disappointed with the lack of information, Remus took out his wand, muttered "Incendio" and burned the letter. By now, Lavinia could be anywhere in Britain, or perhaps had managed to escape to the continent. She was smart, careful, and tough, so much so that Remus had been shocked to learn that she had been captured. It would be hard tracking her down. He hoped she might have returned to the pack, whose location would be easier to find, but knew that Greyback might not be so forgiving to reinstate a member who was wanted by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Last time Remus had been with the pack they were located in Devon, near the caverns. It was an ideal spot for Greyback because it was remote, the caverns were deep and parts remained unexplored by humans, yet Muggle tourists were never in short supply as unwilling victims.

Checking his watch, Remus had not realized just how much time had passed and knew he was running behind meeting Tonks at the Burrow. Apparating to the Weasley's home, Remus landed in the field, but found himself face to face with Ginny Weasley.

"Oh, Professor Lupin!" She said, startled by his sudden appearance. "I didn't realize you were coming over." She looked despondent, as though she had been crying since the funeral.

"Your father invited Tonks and I over for dinner. Ginny, is everything all right?" He asked compassionately, not wanting to see the girl upset.

"Oh yes, everything is fine. Well, not fine, I'm just still a little upset over... over everything that has happened."

"It's hard to believe he's gone, isn't it?" Remus asked, thinking she was talking about Dumbledore's funeral.

"Gone? He already left?" Panic constricted Ginny's features and renewed her tears. "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye!"

"Well, yes, that is what happens to those who die-"

"Oh, you're talking about Professor Dumbledore." Relief washed over Ginny's face.

"Who else would I be talking about?" he asked, very confused.

"No one, I suppose." She looked out beyond the horizon, where the night sky was bright with stars, her eyes glazing over, lost in thought. Remus found her behavior odd, but he understood that grief could do strange things to people.

"Ginny, are you saying that someone is planning on leaving?" Remus asked, but the young woman didn't say anything else. It seemed her grief had taken over the use of her voice. Who would be leaving… but then it dawned on him. Harry. Harry would want to leave, to seek out Voldemort on his own. This was surely what McGonagall had wanted him to probe further into. "Ginny, is Harry planning on leaving?"

The young woman remained silent, but her tears were renewed, falling down her face, eyes still staring out into the night. He knew it was futile to ask her such a question while her grief was still so raw. But he didn't need an audible confirmation. Her face said everything. Who he really needed to question was Ron and Hermione before confronting Harry himself.

"Well, why don't we head in?" he said kindly, trying to bring her out of her reverie. "I'm sure your mother has been hard at work preparing a delicious feast. And food can be an excellent remedy for grief and a broken heart."

"I'll be in soon," she said quietly. "I just needed to be alone. That house... it can be so overbearing at times, and nobody really understands. Ron certainly is no comfort."

Remus gave her what he hoped to be a comforting smile before walking toward the house alone. He looked back to see her silhouette shaking with renewed sobs.

Knocking on the front door before letting himself in, Remus entered the warm and cozy house. The Burrow was the epitome of what a home should be, and the antithesis of his own home. He saw Nymphadora talking animatedly to Bill Weasley at the kitchen table, which had been set for eight. Fleur was "helping" in the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley, while Mr. Weasley and Ron were nowhere to be found.

"Remus!" Mrs. Weasley called out, and ushered him in and sat him down at the table next to Tonks, who smiled at him and took his hand in hers underneath the table. "So glad you could join us for supper dear. Did you see Ginny on your way in?"

"I did, she was out in the field where I Apparated. I think I gave her a bit of a fright actually."

"She's been down ever since we picked her up from the station." Mrs. Weasley said frowning. "I know this has been a terrible few days, but I have a feeling there is something more to it all."

"It's just grief, mum," said Bill. "The last couple of days have been hard on all of us. It's not everyday the greatest wizard of the age dies."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. I'm sure I'm fussing over nothing. Bill, dear, would you go tell Ron and your father that supper is ready? I'll try to fetch Ginny." And Mrs. Weasley hurried from the kitchen, while Bill headed upstairs calling out that supper was ready.

"What kept you?" Tonks asked.

"Lost track of time," Remus said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"So, you 'ave resolved all ze issues?" Fleur said, who had been watching the pair before sitting down at the table. "I am telling Bill's muther that love does not discriminate, bien sûr. It is somezing that is blind to all faults."

"Ah, the French," said Bill, kissing his fiancée on the cheek, "such romantics. And speaking of romance, you two back on then?"

Remus looked to Nymphadora who looked back at him beaming. "I should certainly hope so," she said.

"How was Harry when you saw him off?" Remus asked, wanting a change in the conversation, as he began to feel himself blush.

"Fine," Tonks sighed. "I don't know how he goes back to those Muggles every year. I would have run away by now, if I were him."

"Did he seem upset at all? I'm regretting that I didn't speak to him at the funeral."

"He seemed a little depressed, but considering everything that has happened, I think he is more determined than ever."

"Harry is one hell of a brave kid," Bill said. "Everything that he's been through in his lifetime is enough to make one throw in the towel."

"He'd never do that," said Ron, who had just come downstairs and sat down at the table next to Bill. "When Harry has a mission to do, there's no stopping him, no matter how much the deck is stacked against him."

"He's like his father in that regard," said Remus. "When James wanted something, he would stop at nothing to have it. Stubborn, is what I called it."

"Well, he is going to need all of our support soon enough," said Mr. Weasley who took his place at the head of the table. Looking around, "Where's Molly and Ginny?" he said looking around.

"They'll be here in a minute. Molly went to get Ginny from outside," said Tonks.

"Tonks, you don't think you could talk to Ginny for me?" asked Mr. Weasley. "Molly and I tried talking to her earlier, but she doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone."

"Leave her alone dad, she's got her own shit she's dealing with," said Ron.

"Language, Ronald," said Mrs. Weasley, who was followed a little later by Ginny, who sat down next to Tonks. Her eyes were still swollen and red from crying, but Remus saw with a hint of compassionate humor, she looked annoyed. No doubt she wasn't in the mood to socialize. With a wave of her wand Mrs. Weasley sent the trays of food from the kitchen to land neatly on the dinning room table.

"To Albus Dumbledore, one of the most respected and beloved Headmasters Hogwarts has ever seen." Mr. Weasley said, holding up his glass in salute. The rest of the table held their glasses aloft and mutter "Dumbledore."

"Well, dig in everyone, while it's still hot." Mrs. Weasley said, and Remus could see her eyes were a little watery.

The Weasley children, having grown up with so many siblings and a limited supply of food, eagerly filled their plates, while other members of the party simply watched fascinated at the speed they exhibited.

"So, Tonks, you're going back to the Ministry on Monday?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"I am," she said, helping herself to shepherds pie. "Mad-Eye already has been threatening me with all the paperwork I need to hand in about my time patrolling Hogwarts. You'd think with everything that was going on, filing the correct forms would be the least of everyone's concern. What about you Arthur?"

"Of course," said Mr. Weasley.

"Why wouldn't people be going back to the Ministry?" asked Ron with a mouth full of chicken.

"People are scared," his father said. "New laws and new management have people thinking that You-Know-Who has found a way to infiltrate the Ministry. There are some who want to get out while they still can. Though, of course, I don't know how much longer my department will be around if You-Know-Who really does take over the Ministry."

"It's the same at Gringotts," Bill chimed in. "So many families have been pulling out their entire savings thinking of the last time You-Know-Who was in power. The goblins are going insane with the lack of business."

"It is beginning to feel like the last time," said Remus. "That sensation in the pit of your stomach, like something horrible is about to happen around every corner."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded. The others were too young, or not even born, when Voldemort was last in power, so they did not understand the utter dread each day brought. Remus suddenly felt very old.

"So are the two of you still set on the first of August for the wedding?" Tonks asked.

"We are," said Fleur, looking happily to Bill, who smiled back at her. "It is a good time for both of us, we 'ave decided. I would 'ave wanted somezing sooner and in France but, c'est la vie."

"It was also the only time we could get Charlie away from his dragons." Said Bill, who was having Charlie as his best man. "Though, maybe if I mentioned Tonks was always hanging about here, he might be persuaded to come back sooner." Bill grinned, and Tonks blushed bright scarlet.

"Sod off, Bill," she said quietly, giving him a swift kick under the table, but missed and kicked Ron instead.

"Ow, whatcha do that for?" Ron said, rubbing his shin.

"Sorry, Ron, I was aiming for your git brother," Tonks said, sticking out her tongue at Bill who had made a face at her.

"Now, now, kids, play nice," Mr. Weasley said good naturedly.

"Tonks," Ginny said, who up until now was silently poking at her food. "How did you and Charlie meet? I think I remember him coming home for the Christmas holiday one year talking about you."

"Woah, Tonks, that was you who dated Charlie?" Ron said, staring disbelievingly at Tonks, as though he had never really seen her properly. "You looked real different back then. He had this one picture he used to keep in his sock drawer-" It was Bill this time to punch is brother in the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For being a complete idiot," said Bill. Remus could sense Nymphadora growing uncomfortable as she shifted in her chair. Remus never really asked about the time she had dated Charlie Weasley and was equally as curious.

"Well, it was our sixth year," began Tonks. "We were playing in a very heated Quidditch match. Charlie was the seeker and captain for the Gryffindor team, and of course everyone knew Charlie because he was ace at Quidditch. I was one of the beaters for the Hufflepuff team. As dead clumsy as I am on land, I'm loads better on a broom, but I had an unfortunate midair collision with your brother and we both were in Hospital Wing together. We got to talking, and before long we were spending all our time together."

"Charlie always said you were the one that got away," Bill said, still grinning over how uncomfortable he was making Tonks.

"Bollocks," Tonks said, and Remus couldn't help but notice that her cheeks were still red with embarrassment. "Two weeks after we broke up my friends were all too eager to tell me he was, uh, snogging a fifth year Ravenclaw." Tonks looked sheepishly at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who did not usually hear about any of their children's sexual exploits.

Ginny looked down at her food. "Why did you break up? He seemed so happy with you."

Tonks, looking at the girl next to her with something like sympathy and understanding, answered the question slowly. "I guess it was complicated. We still liked each other, but mostly it came down to the fact he wanted to move to Romania to study dragons and I wanted to stay here to start my training as an Auror. There was no possible future together unless one of us was willing to sacrifice our dreams."

"Oh," Ginny said, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "May I be excused, mum?" she said, but before Mrs. Weasley could answer Ginny ran from the table and up the stairs to her room. Mrs. Weasley stood up to follow her daughter, but Ron said, "Don't mum, I'd leave her alone just now."

"I don't know what's gotten into her," said Mrs. Weasley taking her seat again.

"Do you want me to see if I could talk to her?" asked Tonks, who looked alarmed and a little guilty.

"After supper, dear, but for now, let's give her a moment." Said Mrs. Weasley.

"So Tonks how is your old man? It's been ages since I've seen him last and I never did get a straight answer about those spark plugs," said Mr. Weasley and Tonks began to talk excitedly about the goings on of her family and Muggle contraptions.

Molly Weasley leaned in closer so that she could speak with Remus privately. "So, Remus, is everything going well between you and dear Tonks? It seems the two of you are right back where you started, and Tonks certainly has never looked happier." She said, indicating to Tonks' hair, which she had morphed back to bright pink. "It's been a long time since I've seen that shade of candy floss pink."

Remus smiled appreciatively at the loving matriarch. "We are finding our way back together again, but I still have my reservations, Molly."

"I know you do, Remus, but there is no greater force in this world than love. It certainly has pulled Arthur and I through many rough years. Especially now, during this time of crisis, it's love that is going to see all of us through the storm, mark my words. I know you and Tonks will find your own life together, one that is just as safe and happy as any other couple. On another note, I hope your mission with the werewolves is at an end." Molly's voice was not quite as low as it had been and was quickly heard by Tonks who looked curiously over to their conversation.

Remus chewed and swallowed his food slowly, giving himself time to think of an answer. He hadn't told Nymphadora what McGonagall had asked him to do, and contemplated that perhaps lying would be the easiest solution, but decided against this. The truth always had a way of coming out. "Unfortunately, it is not entirely finished. Minerva asked me to try and reestablish a connection with the pack so that we may be able to understand Greyback, and therefore Voldemort's, goings on." He tried to avoid Tonks' eyes, but he could see in his peripheral vision the look of concern she had.

"Has McGonagall gone mad?" Tonks protested. "You'll be killed, Remus! Once Greyback sees you-"

"I'll be fine, Dora. I'm not going back underground, I just need to establish connections with some of the more understanding members who would be willing to act out the part of spy."

"Still, I don't think that McGonagall knows the risks she puts you through." Tonks said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I guess we are all putting ourselves in danger," said Bill. "We knew what we signed up for when we joined the Order."

"But Dumbledore was still its leader then…" Tonks said quietly.

"You don't trust Mad-Eye?" asked Remus.

"It's not that I don't trust him, it's just, I trusted Dumbledore more." Said Tonks. "Mad-Eye's a brilliant Auror and all that, can be scarier than anyone I know, and can drink you under the table, but he doesn't seem to have the calm reasoning Dumbledore always had. Mad-Eye's a little, well, mad."

The group was silent, thinking about their fallen leader and what it meant for the Order. Remus personally thought Tonks had a point, but he also knew that Alastor Moody was an extremely powerful and intelligent wizard who was more than capable of leading the Order, especially with his years of experience hunting down Death Eaters.

It was Ron who broke the silence. "Well, I don't know about you lot, but it's been a long day. So I'm going to say goodnight. It was good to see you, Professor Lupin, and you, too, Tonks."

"You're leaving already, Ron, without dessert?" Mrs. Weasley said looking shocked.

"I'm just not in the mood, mum," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'd never thought I'd see the day," Mr. Weasley said, laughter in his voice.

"Oui, I am feeling tired as well. Bill, you should come to bed soon, vous avez besoin d'obtenir repos." Said Fleur, magically clearing her and Bill's dishes from the table into the kitchen sink.

"Yes, dear," Bill grumbled.

"Bill, before you leave, might I have a word?" Remus asked.

"Sure," said Bill, eager not to leave the company too soon.

"Do not keep 'im up too late, Loopin, he needs to rest." Said Fleur sternly.

"I won't, don't worry, this won't take long."

"I'm going to go check on Ginny," said Tonks, also waving her wand to clear her place setting. "Dinner was delicious as always, Molly," she said, before heading upstairs.

Remus and Bill went outside to walk around the gardens, as the night was crisp and clear. Remus wasn't entirely sure where to begin.

"You don't have to look so serious, Lupin, I know you're here to tell me about all the wonders of lycanthropy." Said Bill, defusing the tension that had formed between them.

"Your father was concerned that you were worried about what transformations might be like." Remus said sheepishly.

"I know everyone keeps telling me that in all likelihood I won't become a full werewolf, but that still doesn't mean I'm not anxious for anything that might crop up."

"Full lycanthropy would be rare, Bill, but you may experience some of side effects, especially during full moons. The week before the moon, like this week, can bring some of the worst effects. All of your emotions are heighten, your senses become heighten, and your, well," Remus didn't know quite how to put this. "It's uh, like your sixteen years old again, if you know what I mean."

Bill laughed. "Ha, well that doesn't sound so bad."

"Trust me, sometimes its all you want to do that you can't think, you can't function." Said Remus, looking down at the ground.

"So it's just like when you're sixteen?" Bill grinned but knew how private Lupin was and decided to change the subject. "So what else should I look out for? Or more importantly," he said grinning, not able to keep the cheek from his voice. "Should Fleur look out for?"

Remus grinned. "Well, you start to have cravings for odd things, especially raw meat. I wasn't entirely joking when you'll want to have your steaks rare from now on. The taste of blood, it's something you become accustom to, and even start to crave."

"Blood?" Bill said, looking repulsed.

"Well, like I said, you won't become a full werewolf, so that's something you won't need to worry about."

"Are you telling me that you have cravings for blood? Like some kind of vampire?"

"It is not the same manner as vampirism, where their greatest desire as well as life source is blood. But when we are in our wolf form, we want to bite and scratch and kill and eat. We crave the greatest of all animals: humans. Sometimes the urge to kill is so all consuming that it simply cannot be controlled. The greatest prevention measure is the Wolfsbane potion, which allows you to keep your mind when you transform so that the animalistic urges are not nearly as strong."

"Do you think it would be wise for me to take some before the full moon this week?"

"You won't need to, and beside, Wolfsbane can be deadly to non-werewolves. It's also devilishly tricky to make and very expensive. Should something happen, and you would be in need of it, brew it yourself, if you can, or trust your source. Wolfsbane is easily tampered with, and the ramifications of such a tampered potion can be very serious, even fatal."

"Do you take it before you transform?"

Remus sighed. "Sadly, I don't have the funds to afford it. I take every precaution I can to make sure that I do not harm any living creature while I'm under the influence of the moon. Most of the time, I simply bite or scratch myself, and that is enough. But other times…"

Waking up to the sounds of a bird chirping, Remus moved his sore and naked frame off the soft earth. Not surprisingly, he found himself covered in blood. Checking his body for the source, he found only minor cuts and scrapes. There was nothing to indicate that these would have the ability to produce the amount of blood that now caked and stained his skin. Looking around for clues, thinking he might have killed a poor animal in the night, Remus found a trail of dark rust colored spots leading to a crumpled bloody heap a few yards away. Examining the creature further, Remus was startled by how disturbingly gruesome the animal's body had become. Holding a hand to his nose to look even closer without taking in the putrid smell, Remus was hit with fresh understanding of what this creature was. It wasn't an animal at all. It was a man.

Waves of nausea flooded Remus' senses, which had nothing to do with the smell of decaying flesh. Turning his head away from the scene, he vomited, expelling the remains of his kill. Steadying his breath, controlling his tears, he looked again to the man. He saw how he had ripped his intestines from his body, the entrails spilling out from the abdominal cavity. The vital organs had been removed and shredded to bits, spread throughout the surrounding area. The heart was completely gone. Great chunks of his flesh had been removed on his arms and legs, and Remus could see the teeth and claw marks up and down the length of the man's body. His face was torn beyond recognition, but he could still make out the man's eyes, which were opened wide in fear.

Bill hesitated. "What is it like? Turning into a wolf?"

Remus didn't even know where to begin an explanation. Bill looked worried, and telling him the truth would only scare him further. But, if there was any chance he could transform, he needed to know what he was facing. Remus wished all those years ago when he was a boy, someone would have told him how the pain would be unbearable, that he would want to die than to continue to live with such agony.

Remus shivered, which had nothing to do with the temperature, as he recalled the all too familiar way he lost his humanity every month. "At first, you know that it is coming when everything feels still, as though your body has fallen asleep. It's almost peaceful, in the beginning. But then you're hit with sharp stinging sensations, which are followed by feeling every one of your bones breaking to then reattach themselves into unnatural positions. At the same time, your skin feels like it's burning with an intensity that you think 'surely this is what it is like to be on fire' as it starts to sprout fur. Your screams then become howls as you lose your mind and are no longer a man capable of rational thought and feeling. In short, it's agony."

"And you go through this every month?" Bill, who until this point kept a playful demeanor, now looked petrified.

"I tell you this not to scare you, or for you to pity me. But I tell you this in the rare chance that if you do turn, you know what will be coming. I wish someone would have told me what I might expect on my first transformation."

"Mum said you were bitten as a little boy. I can't imagine what it must have been like going through that as a kid."

"It was frightening, I won't deny that. And my parents tried to do everything they could for me, but there really was nothing they could do. The Wolfsbane potion had not yet been invented. My father spent his entire life searching for a cure, but never came close."

Bill was silent, thinking about everything Remus had told him. Remus, too, began to think about the early days of his transformations. Over the years, it hadn't gotten easier, but it had become something predictable, a pain Remus knew to expect.

"And can I spread it? If I do have lycanthropy, could I spread it to Fleur?"

"You would have to bite her under the influence of the moon."

"What about our children? Could they be infected by it?"

"There is still debate about this topic, although there is no conclusive evidence proving one way or another. In fact, there is very little research on most topics of lycanthropy because of the prejudices surrounding our kind. There are those who believe that the carrier of lycanthropy now has mutated genes that would be passed along to their offspring. Others debate that it is something that comes from the saliva of a werewolf and therefore can only be spread through biting. While I was underground with the pack, Greyback encouraged the mating of werewolves, as werewolf offspring are more common when both parents are infected. However, carrying a child to term when the mother would shift proved to be highly difficult and if it was achieved, the child rarely survived past its first moon. It was a horrible sight to watch." Remus shook his head. "This is one of the reasons I did not want Nymphadora and I to be intimate with one another. I couldn't risk the possibility of children who might inherit my condition."

"I'm sorry, Remus, for teasing Tonks earlier about Charlie. I know it can't be the easiest conversation topic for you, ha, or her for that matter. It was all in good fun. We go way back, Tonks and I, so I know how much she loves you, and things between her and my brother never would have worked out. They used to fight like cats and dogs, all the time. Wicked stubborn, my brother, won't admit when he's wrong."

"Stubborn also seems to cover Nymphadora in spades."

"She really was a mess without you this past year. Always so worried about your safety when you were away. Come crying to mum when she'd hear about how Greyback would attack someone and think it was you."

"I put her through hell, I know. And I've been an absolute fool not trying to make her happy. But a future with me…" Remus shook his head. "I had resigned myself to a life of loneliness many years ago. The risks for falling in love with someone were too great."

"But if you love each other, why-"

"Think about it. Would you want Fleur to see or hear you each month screaming in agony only to help you the next morning weak and covered in your own blood? Every month have her fear that you might get loose, or dangerously harm yourself?" Remus touched the delicate scar on his throat that had nearly ended his life. "To love her so much, but never be able to give her children for fear of harming her, or harming them? Of watching your child die from a disease you gave them? No, that is not a life I would wish upon anyone, especially Nymphadora."

"But Tonks is tough. If anyone could handle it, she could. Plus, I think she's seen way scarier shit in her time as an Auror, especially with Mad-Eye, than anything you could possibly dish out."

"It's true that she is highly skilled witch, and she's been through much in her life. But I don't want her to wake up one morning and regret that she wasted her life away on a man who cannot hold down a job and cannot give her a family."

"She doesn't care about those things."

"Not yet, but she will."

"Listen Remus," Bill said looking him square in the eye. "You love her don't you?"

"Of course, more than anything."

"Marry her," Bill said simply.

"What?"

"Marry her. It's as simple as that. No really, hear me out," Bill said because Remus had started to laugh. "We're in the middle of a war, a war that is going to define generations to come. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to wake up tomorrow to find that everything that was good in my life is gone, and that my chance at any happiness was a distant memory. Look at Dumbledore; we just buried one of the greatest wizards of our time. If that doesn't prove the delicacy of life, I don't know what does. Besides, if you love her, marry her and be happy. We all could die tomorrow, so why not live for today?"

"Didn't you hear anything I just told you? What kind of life could I give her?"

"One where you make her happy and she makes you happy."

"But how can anyone be happy living in poverty?"

"You don't need to have money to be happy, Remus. Look at my parents. They've spent their entire marriage floating somewhere between bankruptcy and having a few savings. But I have never met two people still so completely in love and blissfully happy in my entire life, it's sickening, really. Now I'm not saying it was always an easy life, but they always did their best to provide for their children and they made sure we never realize the dire straights they might have been in. Besides, being an Auror, she's one of the top paid employees at the Ministry. She certainly can provide for the two of you."

"But she shouldn't have to," Remus said.

"You aren't going to be all 'chivalrous' and say that the man should provide for this wife? Because I've got to tell you, mate, you fell in love with the wrong witch."

Remus smiled. Bill had a point. Tonks always was telling him he had such foolish notions of how their relationship was suppose to be instead of letting it be what it was. "You're right, Bill," Remus said, clasping a hand on the young man's shoulder. "You know, I suppose I'm just as stubborn as Nymphadora."

"Probably more so, though I have to say, you are a brave and lucky man to be able to call her by her first name. Charlie tried once and got socked in the face."

"How long were they together?" Remus asked. He was starting to grow a little tired of hearing about Charlie Weasley, but his curiosity in their relationship was still peaked.

"For close to a year, I think." Said Bill with a shrug.

Nodding, Remus, looking down at his watch, said "Well, we had best be getting back inside."

"Yeah, Fleur will start to fuss about me being outside for so long. And, Remus, thank you for talking with me. I know that can't be easy for you, to talk about something so personal."

"It's alright, I only hope that I might have been able to alleviate some fear, instead of adding to them. Besides, the chances of you shifting are rather slim, so I wouldn't be building a safe room just yet."

Bill and Remus walked back inside the warm house where Molly had brought out a homemade strawberry tart, which was being enjoyed by Tonks, Ginny, and Ron over cups of tea.

"So you decided to have dessert after all." Said Bill laughing. "I thought thestrals were going to fall from the sky when you said you wanted to go to bed with so little to eat."

"Yeah, well…" Ron said, giving a sheepish look over to Ginny.

"Bill, you might want to go calm down your fiancée, I can hear her pacing from here." Ginny said, who seemed to be in better spirits than she was earlier.

"Alright, alright, I'm on my way. Tonks, it was good seeing you again, I'll let Charlie know that you are still pining after him."

"You'd better watch yourself, Bill Weasley. I still could kick your arse if I wanted to."

"Ha, you wish. Remus, you might need to teach your girlfriend some manners."

Remus grinned, sitting down next to her. "I've given up trying to convince her of anything."

"Because he knows it's pointless." Tonks said smugly.

"I think I might say goodnight as well," said Ginny, taking her cup of tea with her. "I'll see you soon?" she said looking at Tonks.

"Definitely. I just need to see about my schedule at work, but I'll send word with an owl soon." Tonks said, getting from her chair to give her a warm hug. "Goodnight, Ginny, and remember, everything will look better in the morning."

"I know, thanks, Tonks. Goodnight, Professor Lupin."

"Goodnight, Ginny." He said. They all watched her climb the stairs as Tonks sat back down. There was an awkward moment, as Ron, Tonks and Lupin all seemed at a loss of what to say. Ron simply didn't know how to act as Tonks was unconsciously rubbing the small of Remus' back with her hand and looking at his former professor in such an intimate manner.

"Well," he said standing up and pushing in his chair. "I, uh, should probably get going to bed as well."

Remus then remembered what McGonagall had asked him to do. "Ron, if you could wait a moment." Remus said, also standing up. "I know that Dumbledore asked Harry to do something before he died. A mission of sorts." Tonks looked from Remus to Ron with concern and curiosity. "I have no doubt that Harry has confided in you and Hermione. Am I right in thinking this way?"

"Maybe," Ron said, but his not so subtle manner gave him away.

"Is it possible for me to know what Dumbledore had asked him to do?"

"I'm sorry, Lupin, but that's for Harry to say." Ron said.

"Can I assume, then, that the three of you won't be returning to Hogwarts next term?" Remus suspected that Harry might attempt to do something foolish, because chasing after Voldemort while he should be in school would be exactly something James or Sirius would have done.

"Look, please don't tell my mum, she'd have a field day if she knew I wasn't going back to school." Ron pleaded.

"I have no intension of telling your mother. I'm simply asking so I know if Harry will have some protection and he's not foolishly risking his life."

"We have a plan," Ron said cryptically and did not elaborate further.

"Does it involve Voldemort?" Remus asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'm sorry, Lupin, but like I said, you'll have to ask Harry about it. He swore Hermione and I both to secrecy because Dumbledore told him not to tell anyone."

"But he told you and Hermione?"

"Well, Dumbledore said we were okay, but no one else." Ron said plugging the hole in his logic.

"Alright, it was worth a shot." Remus said, conceding the point. Tonks this whole time was patiently observing the scene, looking curious, but did not say a word. "You ready to leave?" Remus asked her.

"Absolutely. I suddenly find myself very ready for bed." Tonks said, and the double meaning was not lost on Ron, who went beet red and hurriedly said goodnight to both of them. Tonks smiled, laughter in her eyes, standing up to pull her arms around his waist. Pulling her close within his own arms, Remus gave her a light kiss. "Well, then, let's not waste anymore time."

Not knowing where Molly and Arthur had gone, but seeing a large basket of leftovers and other treats Molly had magically cooked up for both of them, they decided to leave the Burrow. Walking the length of the yard until they could Apparate, Remus found himself content in the cool night air, the sorrow he felt just a few hours ago seemingly leaving his body as he walked hand in hand with Nymphadora.

Remus Apparated them both back to his house.

a/n: a bit more exposition, a few more clues, the start of a beautiful friendship between remus and bill, and next we'll see what horrible memories can be found in remus' childhood home.

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