Chapter, 9, Darkness.
Tonks knew the battle with the dark lord was close but never did she imagine it would be just a couple days after the visit to her mother with Teddy.
She felt her heart sink as her son slept wrapped in her arms as she looked back at Remus from the step, how he talked her into staying behind with her mother and Teddy was a mystery to her but she was sure it had to do with him reminding her that Teddy needed her.
She opened the door handing Teddy over to her mom before running to Remus hugging him tightly tears staining her cheeks.
"You better come back alive Remus Lupin I'll never forgive you if you don't."
She looked up at him her tears falling faster as he kissed her quickly.
"You know I can't make any promises Dora."
She whipped her eyes taking his face in her hands looking into his eyes.
"Then come back for Teddy he needs you just as much as he needs me please promise you won't do anything stupid and get killed for his sake."
Remus looked at his wife fear over taking him as he held her tight.
"I promise I'll come back for both you and Teddy."
With a final kiss to her head he stepped out of her hold and appeared away.
Tonks went back to the house whipping tears from her eyes as she walked to the living room where she could hear Teddy crying, she took him from her mom holding him close rubbing his back as he calmed down she could feel her heart shatter in her chest.
Andromeda put a hand on her daughters shoulder.
"Nymphadora, I know it's hurting you to not know what is happening there and I'm sure they could use your help, my daughter is not one to sit back and let things happen without her."
Tonks gave her mom a soft smile handing Teddy over after kissing his head.
"Mummy will be back she promises be good for grandma."
Tonks hurried out the door apperating quickly to the school, it took her a minute to figure out where she was and once she did she ran toward the Great hall running into Bill on the way grabbing his sleeve nearly tripping both of them.
"Bill wait! Where is Remus?!"
Bill looked at her dumbfounded for a moment then blinked shaking his head.
"East tower between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff dorms, but what are you doing here we all though you were staying behind."
She turned on her heel glancing back at him with the same mischievous smirk as when they were in school.
"When have I ever sat something like this out Weasly!"
She took off taking a short cut to the Hufflepuff dorm dodging students as she ran finding the stair that would lead her to where Bill had told her.
Her heart pounded agents her chest as she ran down the steps drawing her wand as she neared the bottom stopping on the floor of the two way hall looking to her right then left a smile spreading across her face at the sight of her husband with Kingsley watching out the window of the hall.
Remus heard her foot falls and turned to attack but his eyes widened in horror seeing his wife.
"You shouldn't have-!"
His words were cut short as she hugged him tightly around the neck.
"Teddy honey, Teddy."
Tonks shook her head with a small smile on her lips as she pulled back to look at him.
"He'll sleep till dawn and snore like his father, it's you that needs me tonight."
Remus looked into her eyes before kissing her head.
"What am I going to do with you?"
His voice was soft as he pulled her close again just holding her as she nuzzled his shoulder closing her eyes.
The sound of one of the other members yelling to be ready for an attack ripped her attention from the moment and she pulled away from Remus and pulled him by the hand up the tower as Kingsley went to help the younger members, she fired spells as they went up striking down a few death eaters and sending off a few dementors before they reached the top.
She panted looking around the area growling as two death eaters appeared and Tonks spat at her aunt's feet as she cackled darkly.
Tonks pulled Remus down in time to miss a wayward spell from the masked death eater before blocking one from her aunt while Remus fought the other.
Tonks growled shooting spells at Bellatrix relentlessly only to have them blocked or sent back making her jump aside helping as she was hit in the shoulder sending her back.
She got to her feet sending a killing curse at the death eater looming over her disarmed husband hitting him in the back and sending him back but her victory was short lived as her aunt hit her in the back with a spell sending her to the ground next to Remus then both screamed in agony as their bodies felt like they were lit on fire from inside out from the Cruciatus Curse.
Tonks' vision became blurry as the blackness came and went but she managed to stay awake long enough to see Bellatrix be chased off and a silhouetted figure fill her vision before she fell into the darkness she heard someone calling her name.
"'Tonks! Come out where ever you are.'"
Her cousin's voice rang as she found herself watching the seen she held close to her heart, she was 5 and Sirius was babysitting with Remus while her mother and father were at work and Sirius kept her entertained by playing hide and seek with her while Remus took care of things round the house, but in this memory Tonks had abandoned the game with Sirius and took the spot in Remus' lap as he read her the tail of Romeo and Juliet.
Sirius threw open the door his eyes filled with panic as he made his way to the couch.
'Moony have you seen Dora anywhere? I've searched the house and can't find her anywhere."
Remus chuckled and the young girl in his lap giggled looking up at her cousin who looked at Remus.
'How long has she been in here with you?'
Sirius demanded and the young Tonks smiled up at him.
'Since Romeo snuck into the ball and danced with Juliet'
Tonks didn't miss the gleam in her younger selfs eyes as she glanced at Remus who chuckled closing the book and got up holding her pretending to dance about the room.
Remus...Remus..."
She felt her chest tighten as she looked at the young man's face as he danced about the room with her as she giggled her hair turning bright pink, where was Remus now? Was he dead like she was?
She looked at the memory again as it changed to the night she and Remus got married with just her mother and father present in the church, it hadn't been much but it was one of the happiest days of her life.
She reached out to touch her husbands arm but the image disappeared like smoke between her fingers as she fell to her knees sobbing into her hands, then it reached her ears crying, the crying of a baby a cry she knew so well already, Teddy.
His cries pieced her ears making her chest hurt more knowing she couldn't stop his heart breaking sobs in this state.
Just as she was about to give up and let the impending darkness take her again her son's cries became fainter and quieter before being replaced with someone saying her name calling her forward with a shaking voice.
She fallowed the sound and found an archway flooded with light, the voice as well as her son's faint cries seemed to be coming from the other side of it so biting her lip she stepped into the light.
Things came into focus slowly and her mind slowly realized she was in the hospital wing of the school Bill leaning over her calling her name.
She blinked her eyes trying to clear the fuzziness around the edge of her vision, she tried to speak but nothing came out though Bill gave a small smile seeing her awake.
"Welcome back Tonksie, we thought we'd lost you."
She tried again to speak this time the words came out in a slurred whisper that made her throat hurt.
"R-Remus...T-Teddy."
Bill looked over his shoulder giving someone a small nod and then left her sight being replaced by Molly holding a crying Teddy in her arms, Teddy's hair was red as cloud be as he cried reaching for his mother.
Tonks tried to lift her arms to pick up her son but they wouldn't move, she couldn't feel her limbs at all.
"S-shh your okay Teddy...m-mummy is okay."
Teddy's sobs stopped for a moment as she spoke and he reached for her again.
"N-no sweety you stay with Aunt Molly...mummy c-can't hold you yet."
Teddy gave a small whimper but seemed to understand as he watched her.
She looked at Molly and her heart hurt because she was hoping to see Remus.
"Where is Remus?"
Her eyes swept what she could see of the room but it didn't revile anything so she looked back to Molly as she handed Teddy over to George who was standing quitly with Ginny and even Tonks' battered mind noticed the absence of his twin.
"He's alive dear but you both are really hurt, the dark magic was not kind to your bodies, if Kingsley hadn't found you both when he did you wouldn't be laying here now."
Molly had tears in her eyes as she looked at the bed next to the one Tonks was in and suddenly Tonks felt sleep pulling at her eye lids and as she closed her eyes the darkness consumed her again.
