Sorry! So, so sorry that it took longer than expected! I feel terrible. My director in the play that I'm in scheduled unexpected play rehearsals, and that consumed my time. Plus, I got suckered into another play and had double rehearsals. But, I'm trying to get this written faster. I hope you guys don't stop reading because of slow updates. :( But on a brighter note, did anybody go see the Deathly Hallows? What did you think? Did you feel cheated on Tonks and Lupin scenes? I sure did. Leave a review, tell me what you thought. (:

Ch. 7

For days after that, Remus woke up every morning to see Alfred trudging through the village, spear in hand, waiting for any sign of any creature that didn't belong. He was accompanied by Heinrich and Mad-Eye, who sat on the hill and watched over the village for hours at a time.

One day, Mad-Eye decided to walk down to Remus's house, just to check out some things. Remus thrust the door open as quickly as he possibly could and pulled him in, shutting the door behind him.

"What. The hell. Are you doing?" he hissed. "There's only one monster around these parts, and I'm fairly sure you know who it is."

Mad-Eye stared at him, blinking his one eye slowly, as if he didn't understand.

Remus sighed in exasperation. "Are you mad?"

"Obviously," Mad-Eye replied. "I just don't understand why you're so upset."

"Alfred is after a werewolf, am I right?" Remus asked. Mad-Eye nodded. "I am that werewolf. You can't let him find that out."

Mad-Eye nodded again, slowly. "Well, I knew that you were a werewolf in the area, but I didn't know he was talking about you-"

"Do you know of anyone else?" Remus interrupted. Mad-Eye shook his head. "Good. Then get them out of here, and don't bring them back. He could have caught me the other night."

Mad-Eye left, and with him he took Heinrich. Alfred, however, refused to leave. He hung around constantly, throwing his spear in nearby trees and making sure his aim was good. Remus watched him out of his back window, making sure that he didn't wander too close to the house.

Around the middle of January, Remus was informed that he received the job in the village, and he would be starting the next day. He was so excited by this news that he contemplated on whether or not he should pass the word on to Tonks. She would be excited for him as well. He finally decided, after much debate, that he would go. As he grabbed his thin, shabby jacket and opened the door, he jumped in surprise. There was Tonks, with her hand balled into a fist, prepared to knock on the door.

"Remus…" she said, walking into the house without invitation.

Remus shut the door, although that did not keep the chill out of his house. Tonks shivered, and her hair turned a soft, subtle blue, as if it was showing just how cold she was.

"Tonks…" he said, clearing his throat.

She sat down on his couch and examined the torn arm of it and the stuffing that was lying all over the floor. "Thank you," she said, not making eye contact with him.

Remus shuffled his feet nervously and sat down next to her. The couch creaked, threatening to break at any given moment. "For what?"

"For my Christmas present," she said. "I found it when I got home. It meant a lot to me, you know." She smiled at him and glanced out the window, which was covered in a thick layer of frost.

Remus had completely forgotten about the present that he planned on giving her. He was so focused on pissing Alfred off that he didn't even remember. He smiled a little at her and nodded, still not meeting her eyes. "Well, er…you're welcome. It's not much, but-"

"I loved it." She finally looked up at him, her eyes a deep, stormy blue that matched her hair. The corner of her mouth twitched, as if she was nervous. She stared at him intently, thoughts flooding through her head, but none of them could be said.

"I got a job," Remus finally said, breaking the silence. "I'll be starting tomorrow."

Tonks smiled widely. "Oh, congratulations. You needed something to occupy your time."

Remus nodded. "Yes. Maybe in a year or so, I'll be out of this place."

Tonks didn't seem to hear him. It was as if she didn't care about what he was telling her, like she had more important things to discuss. She ran a finger over the loose wallpaper hanging from the wall, and then she looked back at him, tilting her head slightly. "How do you feel about Alfred?"

Remus felt his eye twitch. How was he supposed to answer that? He couldn't honestly tell her that he hated him with a burning, fiery passion. He couldn't share with her his biggest secret, the worry about losing his life. He could share any information with her besides this. "He's alright," he finally settled on saying.

Tonks nodded and started playing with the fabric on the couch, which was unraveling badly. "He's…unique, isn't he?" She laughed, though it didn't seem to have any feeling. "He keeps me under control. I'm starting to learn a few things from him."

Remus could hardly hold it in any longer. He wanted so badly to tell her his true feelings, but he was battling with himself. Did he care for her? Did he want to be more that friends with her? It was the most difficult problem he had ever had to solve in his life. He finally decided that, no, he did not. It was too risky, and she was too young. It wasn't worth it. All of these feelings that he felt must have been protective, fatherly instincts. Yes, that was it.

"Remus," Tonks said suddenly, her voice turning to urgency. She moved closer to him, her hands on his shoulder and her mouth right next to his ear. "I have to tell you something."

Remus gulped, his eyes widening, and nodded.

"Mad-Eye decided that it's time to put us to a task. He's sending us away for a few months. Three, to be exact. He won't tell us where we're going, and he won't tell us what we'll be doing. He wants us to learn on our own for a while." Tonks moved away from him, her eyes filled with tears. "I'd be a liar if I said that I wasn't scared. What do I do, Remus? What if I can't accomplish the task? I'm so clumsy! I don't know why I even wanted to be an Auror! I can't do it-"

Remus grabbed her shoulders and turned her toward him, causing her to look up at him again. "I don't know what you're doing, either. I don't know where you'll be going, and I don't know how he plans on you surviving in an unknown place for so long. But you know what I do know? You can handle it. You don't need someone to take care of you all the time. I, unfortunately, do. If I were sent on this task, I wouldn't survive the first day. You'll be fine, I promise. I have faith in you."

Those seemed to be the magic words. Tonks wiped her eyes and sniffled, and then a watery smile crept onto her face. "Thank you, Remus. I'll be leaving in a week. Be sure to write me every day. The owl will surely be able to find me."

Remus nodded. "I will. Every day."

"And be sure to come see me before I leave."

"I will."

Tonks shivered again and got up from the couch. "Thank you. You're a great person, Remus, really."

As she walked toward the door, Remus followed after her to see her out. She opened the door, and a chilly breeze blew into the already cold home. Tonks turned to look at him one last time. She couldn't resist. She wrapped her arms around him and clung closely to him, resting her head on his chest. She was afraid that he would shove her away. He didn't.

Remus was actually taken aback by the gesture. He glanced down at the top of her head, and then he carefully wrapped his arms around her as well, pulling her close. Although the hug was long, it seemed like it was only seconds when Tonks finally let go. She looked at him awkwardly and walked out into the snow, without saying goodbye.

….

Remus found himself up early the next morning, eager to go to his first day on the job. He got dressed and ate a piece of stale bread before heading out into the freezing cold. He realized that he still had an hour to kill before the shop opened, and he decided to walk through the village, and once again, he would visit James's and Lily's graves.

Alfred had apparently decided that he needed to be up early as well. He was patrolling the cobblestone road in Godric's Hollow, examining almost every inch of land there was to see that wasn't covered in thick snow. Remus watched him as he ran a finger over his spear, and then he stopped mid-step and glanced in the direction of the graveyard. He darted through the deep snow and froze when he reached a tree close to the entrance. Remus didn't have to even see the tree to know that that was the one he had brutally attacked only a couple of months ago. Hesitating only a moment, he quickly fled the village and went back into his house.

After hiding out for almost half an hour, Remus made his way back outside, carefully scouring the area for Alfred first. There was no sign of him, so he proceeded to walk into the village again, this time more cautiously. He couldn't afford for Alfred to know anything about the werewolf running loose in the area.

He walked past the graveyard, not even bothering to glance in its direction, and continued to walk down the cobblestone road until he reached a dilapidated, old, rundown house. The roof had caved in, and there was ivy creeping up along the side of the house. Icicles clung to the edge of the roof, and snow had covered the used-to-be floor of the cozy, little home. He put a hand on the wooden railing that had been set up around the house, and that was when he noticed all the writing on it. "We miss you dearly, Lily and James"; "Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived"; "You'll always be in my heart"; and other such messages were scrawled in all different handwritings. He then glanced at the golden plaque that was hung on the fence, announcing to anyone that cared that that building was the place where the Dark Lord was defeated, and where a mother gave her life for her baby boy, who was the only person known to survive a Killing Curse.

He peered over at the miniature shops in the village commons, and he noticed that other people were making their way to work. He took one last look at the Potters' old home, and then he headed to the commons and walked into the open door of the book shop that he was now working at.

The atmosphere was rather soothing. There was a place in the back where they brewed coffee and other drinks, and there were shelves filled with books of all shapes and sizes, some old and some new. There was soft music playing, and there were tables set up so people could sit and read for as long as they wished. Remus found himself for once at peace. That is, until Alfred barged in, his wand in his hand and his spear tucked into what looked to be a leather pouch.

"Alright, I hate to ruin your day or anything," Alfred said, glancing at the small young woman who managed the shop, "but I need some questions answered. On the night of a full moon, have you ever seen anything suspicious around here? Anything at all?"

Remus rolled his eyes. It was clear that the woman was still startled by the sudden entrance, and she didn't look as if she understood the question all too well. "Alfred, don't you have better things to do? Shouldn't you be packing for your task? Or maybe spending time with Tonks?"

Alfred turned to face him, and his lips curled into a malicious smile, although his eyes looked confused. "Why, whatever do you mean, Remus? Nymphadora and I will be spending loads of time together for the next three months, while you're stuck here in this old place. And please, don't call her by her surname. That's not very classy, you know."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the woman, named Sarah, finally replied. "There aren't any werewolves or vampires or goblins or anything else running loose in these parts. I think you're wasting your time."

Alfred snorted and looked at Remus. "What about you? Noticed any werewolves lurking around lately?"

Remus shrugged. "Not at all."

Alfred paused for a moment, as if he was deep in thought, and then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. As he stared at Remus, his hand found its way to the top of the spear. He looked, for just a moment, as if he was going to whip it out and throw it, but instead, he harrumphed and stalked out of the store.

Sarah glanced at Remus with an utterly bemused look upon her face, but she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she pretended to be preoccupied with sorting books.

…..

Days passed by, and Remus could feel the time crashing in on him. Tonks would be leaving tomorrow, and he might not hear from her for a while. There was no clear way he could know for sure that he could send her a letter successfully. But maybe that would be best, he thought. Maybe he shouldn't write her. Maybe, if he completely extinguished her from his life, then he could be at peace again. Maybe he wouldn't feel his stomach drop whenever he thought about her, and maybe he wouldn't feel like he was seeing her for the first time every time she walked through his door. Maybe he could sleep again, without dreams invading his head and without worrying about her or Alfred finding out his secret. Maybe he could keep her and himself out of danger.

Yes, he had to. He had to completely act as if she never existed, as if they never met. He wanted her to be safe. Even though he still didn't approve of Alfred, he knew deep down that she was better off with Alfred than she would ever be with him. So it was decided. Even though he was breaking a promise that he had made to her, he would fail to show up at her house to bid her farewell, and he would cut off all communication with her. It was for the best, right?

…..

The next morning, Tonks woke up late. No one had bothered to wake her up, and she only had about thirty minutes before Mad-Eye was planning on leaving. She hadn't even packed yet. As she started throwing all of her necessaries into the small bag that she was permitted to take with her, she rushed into the living room, where Alfred was sitting and talking to her mother.

"Did anyone think to wake me up?" she asked, running a hand through her badly messed up purple hair.

"Sorry, sweetie. Thought you were already up," Andromeda said.

Like any other teenager would, Tonks rolled her eyes and rushed back into her room. Getting ready in the morning was not such a big deal for her, since she was a Metamorphmagus, but she still needed to take a bath and get dressed. Surprisingly, that only took her about fifteen minutes. As she rushed back into her room, she changed her hair back to her natural mousy brown color, and it was neatly pulled back in a ponytail, looking as if it had already been brushed. This looked bored Tonks beyond belief. As she looked in the mirror at herself, she felt disgusted. It was unusual, her hair not being a bright, vivid color, but if that was what Alfred wanted, then so be it.

"Do you have everything ready?" Andromeda asked as her daughter flounced into the room, looking more exhausted than she looked before.

Tonks nodded and tossed her bag onto her shoulders while shoving her wand into her jacket pocket. It was just like her to wake up late and almost miss out. It would not be the first time that this had happened to her.

The door busted open only a few seconds later, and Mad-Eye barged in, carrying his walking stick and a bag filled with potions.

"Alright, are we ready here? Heinrich and Kadir are meeting us here. We'll give them another five minutes."

Tonks looked out the window anxiously, but all she saw was snow and frost. She waited for a tall figure to come walking down the snow-laden hill toward her house, but there was nothing.

The door swung open a couple minutes later, and she heard Heinrich and Kadir speaking in low voices with Mad-Eye. She could hear their voices, but she was barely conscious of what they were saying. She was about to leave, right at this moment, and he hadn't even come to bid her farewell. He had lied to her. It felt like her whole world was crashing down around her. He was the one person that she had run to so often, the one that she could trust with everything. And he had lied to her.

"Tonks, will you get away from the bloody window and let's get going?" Mad-Eye said in his gruff voice, walking over to her. She could hear his wooden leg clinking against the floor toward her, and she knew that she was about to have to go. But she thought maybe, in those five seconds that she had left, he might appear.

"Honey, are you alright?" Alfred said, wrapping his arms around her waist. His voice had no concern in it at all. "Are you going to be up to the trip?"

"She better," Mad-Eye grunted. "Otherwise, she won't pass."

Tonks could feel tears welling up in her eyes as she turned away from the window, but she quickly flicked them away before anyone could notice. "I'm coming," she murmured. "Bye, Mum. Tell Daddy I said bye too."

Andromeda rushed to Tonks and hugged her tightly, bidding her farewell. Tonks grabbed her bag from the living room and walked outside with the four men. She checked the snowy hill just one more time, but she already knew that there would be nothing there. She turned back to Mad-Eye, who was going on about the spells he had recently taught them, but she wasn't hearing him. She had been hurt too deeply to care anymore. The one thing that was keeping her hanging on to hope was maybe, just maybe, he would write her sometime.

Mad-Eye stuck out a worn boot to them, and they had to grab on. As she placed her hand on it, it felt as if her feet were jerked out from beneath her. She was rising, rising into the air, and everything was a blur. She felt like she was twirling in midair, and then she flopped onto hard ground, right next to Heinrich.

When she rose, rubbing her head from where she had hit it, she saw hundreds of trees surrounding her. The sky was bright and blue, and the sun hung overhead. "Where are we?" Alfred asked, wrinkling his nose. There was a smell of dead animal in the air.

"Welcome to South America, kids," Mad-Eye said, rising to his feet. "You'll be spending the next three months here. This forest we're in now, it's possibly the most dangerous forest you will ever come across, minus the Forbidden Forest. I'll be leaving, and you'll be left on your own. We'll see who can conquer over the Dark Arts lying in this place. I'll be back in three months. Don't go looking for others wizards or witches to take care of you, either. Not unless it's absolutely necessary. Got it?" He paused for only a second. "Good. Any questions?" Another pause. "Alright, I'll be leaving now."

"Wait, I have a question-" Tonks began, but he had already Apparated. At that, she knew that it was over. The next three months of her life would be more lonely than she had ever imagined.