Lupin awoke the next morning to find himself on the mattress beside Tonks and Molly Weasley sitting in the chair he had made the night before. He stood up suddenly.

"Name?"

"Molly Weasley, wife to Arthur Weasley and mother to 6 boys and one girl, the last time I saw you was yesterday when you sent for me because Tonks had been poisoned."

Lupin put his wand back in his robes.

"How did you get in?"

"The door was unlocked, Remus, which I suggest not doing in the future, though it was rather useful this time. Tonks appeared to be in pain, so I levitated you beside her, and she seemed to relax." Mrs. Weasley's eyes twinkled mischievously. "There's breakfast for you on the table."

Lupin went through that day in a daze. Tonks seemed to be coming to, but she was in pain for most of the day and the only thing that seemed to help a bit was too have Remus beside her. Mrs. Weasley could do nothing, though she didn't appear that worried as she looked at Remus' hand clenched tightly in Tonks'. She left after dinner time, when Tonks seemed to be the most relaxed.

The next morning Remus awoke to the sun shining through the open window. He sat up, careful not to jostle Tonks, who had curled closer to him during the night.

"Remus?" her voice was hoarse and low, she didn't open her eyes.

"Nymphadora!" he said in relief. "You're awake? How are you? Don't you dare, ever do that again!"

"Bloody hell I'm awake." she mumbled, keeping her voice slow. "Else-wise I couldn't talk."

"Tonks…Nymphadora… Dora. Do you want anything to drink? To eat?" Lupin was so relieved that she had woken that he hardly had any idea what he was saying.

"Water..." she croaked, barely lifting her eyelids.

He meet Mrs. Weasley at the door, told her "She's awake" over his shoulder while rushing to the kitchen. A rather bemused Mrs. Weasley went down the hallway to his room. She found Tonks trying to sit up weakly.

"Molly, why are you here? What happened? All I remember is a stomach ache and then, faces." She squinted, trying to remember.

"You were poisoned, Nymphadora. We don't know how, but we didn't want to take you to St. Mungo's in case it was a Ministry official under the Imperius curse."
Lupin came in then, carrying a cup of water, which he gave to Tonks, making sure she drank. Mrs. Weasley continued.

"Lupin found you in the garden when he came home; you were unconscious, so he called me."

Tonks looked vaguely surprised. "And here I thought that it was rancid chicken!"

Lupin growled slightly.

"Tonks, dear," Mrs. Weasley said. "We need you to tell us what you can remember about that day."

Tonks nodded and closed her eyes, lying back down.

"I went to work; it was paperwork day, nothing unusual. I was home late, made supper, ate a bit of it but the meat tasted off. Then I went into the garden and it started to hurt, and then I couldn't breathe or see and then there were only…only… memories." Her voice had grown hoarser as she talked and Remus held the water out to her again. He didn't notice the red marks where his hands had gouged each other.

"Was there anything unusual that day Tonks? Anyone stop you, any strangers talk to you?" Molly's face was full of sympathy, though Remus could swear there was a satisfactory gleam in her eye whenever she looked his way.

"No, Molly. I stayed late doing paperwork. I was alone." Tonks seemed to sink within herself.

"She's tired, Molly. Couldn't this wait until she's better?" Remus was afraid of what might happen, he didn't want her to be in any more pain than she had already gone through.

"Yes, I can see that. Nymphadora, dear, is it alright if I bring Arthur when I come tomorrow? The Order will want to hear about this."

Tonks nodded her head.

"Good bye then, Remus, you can give her some soup or broth if she wants it, otherwise just let her sleep."

Remus let Molly out, remembering to lock the door behind her before going back to his room. He thought Tonks was asleep, and sat down in the chair and picked up a book from the chest of drawers beside the bed.

"Lupin, how long was I unconscious?" Tonks' strained voice startled Remus.

"I thought you had gone back to sleep."

"Would I be talking if I were asleep?"

Remus felt a wan smile cross his face. "Probably 3 days by now. I don't know quite how long you were unconscious before I came." He moved closer to the bed, smoothed the hair of her forehead without being able to stop himself. "Do you remember anything else?"

She seemed to be drifting to sleep, except for a small jump when he had touched her, she lay so still he might have thought her dead if she wasn't speaking. "Just what I told Molly. Just blackness…and memories…" Her voice trailed of at the end.

Remus nodded, "Go back to sleep Nymphadora."

"Don't call me Nymphadora." She said it with a weariness that seemed unrelated to her exhaustion. Remus felt a pang as he remembered the days when her hair would have turned red in anger. Back then he had thought that perhaps she didn't mind it so much when he said it, (after all, she never threatened to jinx him.) It didn't seem to be the case anymore.

********

Nothing is ever truly simple. Nymphadora had thought she had learnt that while at Hogwarts. At that point she thought the rest of her life was supposed to be full with her job, whoever she chose to marry. It was not supposed to be filled with new lessons. Nothing is ever simple, not love, not life. She had learnt that again when Remus had broken her heart. Nothing is ever simple; she had decided when she realized that she didn't care about anyone else.

Simple wasn't something Nymphadora was particularly used to. And nor did she want it to be.