"You gave us quite a fright there, Potter," Sirius said, his voice laced with relief as he watched his nephew gain awareness.
Harry blinked over at his visitors once Remus placed his glasses back on his head, looking pleased at the fact that both his uncles were in attendance.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, attempting to shift up a little before being thwarted by two pairs of hands.
"You want to sit up?" Remus asked as he reached for the bed's remote and pressed a button that raised the patient into a sitting position.
"Thanks," Harry croaked, licking his dry lips. "Could I uh... have some water... or ice chips, whatever they give you?"
Sirius chuckled. "You're not in labour, you can have water," he said, grinning at Harry's slightly groggy smile.
"Was I out for a long time?" Harry asked after greedily downing the cup of water Remus handed him.
"It's well into the morning but this whole process has been relatively quick. You have woken on and off all night," Remus admitted, leaving out how long it really felt. He was physically and emotionally drained, but needed to see Harry awake before he even thought about getting sleep. Although, he knew trying to get rest in a hospital was going to be near impossible for him. Especially considering what he might start thinking of if he allowed himself a moment's rest.
"Feel any pain, kid?" Sirius asked, leaning over Harry and mothering over his blankets, only stopping once Harry gave him an incredulous look.
"Nah, I'm fine," Harry muttered, shifting a bit to stretch what limbs he could. He glanced at his hands and assessed the few scrapes before tugging at the blanket to look at his leg. "What's the verdict?"
"The surgery went well, supposedly," Remus relayed. "You'll just need to rest. So you won't be leaving the house too often for the next month or so."
"Your hands'll heal quickly enough. That cut on your forehead looks like it might scar, but we can deal with that," Sirius said, gesturing towards his head.
Harry lifted his hand to feel at his forehead, frowning slightly. "I... I wouldn't mind," he mumbled.
"Think Ginny will like it, eh?" A voice piped up from near the door. Harry turned and saw Tonks in a heap in a chair.
"Dora! You're here?"
"Of course I am, silly. King and I were the first to arrive after getting the call. And I haven't left since," Tonks said, standing and walking closer to the bed, giving Harry a kind smile.
"Oh." Harry relaxed further into his pillows, looking rather pleased at how much Tonks cared. Obviously his uncles weren't going anywhere, but Harry quite liked Tonks making their duo a trio. "Thanks."
"Although... Harry, do you remember what happened? The details?" Tonks asked tentatively, trying not to get her hopes up.
All three visitors turned to Harry as he frowned, glancing up at the ceiling in order to think. He scrunched up his face, causing Sirius to smile slightly.
"It was a black car, I remember seeing that when I heard the tires screech," Harry finally said after a few moments. "Nothing unique, just one of those posh town cars, I guess. I remember being hit and falling off my bike... and the pain of that, you know. Then..." Harry trailed off, frowning again.
"If that's all, it's fine, cub," Remus started before Harry shook his head.
"B-E-L-L-A. Pink. That was the plate, I think. It was bright and it stood out in the dark. A bit silly though, yeah?"
There was a sudden, sharp inhalation of breath and Harry looked over to see Tonks' face going dark, her jaw clenching. Her arms, previously crossed casually, now looked menacing.
"Dora? You think..." Sirius started, his gaze meeting Tonks', both hard.
"We'll sure as hell find out. Your bike was red, Harry?" Tonks asked suddenly.
"Er... yeah, mostly," Harry shrugged, looking a bit flabbergasted as Tonks' usual demeanour transformed.
"Right. I'll be back," Tonks said firmly, giving Harry and Sirius a nod each. She glanced at Remus a moment longer than the others, her eyes shifting slightly until they regained their coldness. "I'll bring news and food." She started to the door, pulling out the emergency phone Kingsley had handed her, and stalked out of the room.
Remus frowned.
"Bellatrix," Sirius practically spat out. "I will kill her!"
"Please don't," Harry mumbled. "Having to visit you in jail would be awfully inconvenient."
Sirius stared for a moment before he chuckled. "For someone who just got hit by a car, you are awful cheerful."
"I think I'm drugged up," Harry confessed. "Nothing hurts!"
"It will, but hopefully not for a while," Sirius yawned loudly.
"You should go home and sleep," Remus frowned.
"I should?" Sirius laughed suddenly. "Rem, you haven't left the hospital for nearly fourteen hours!"
"You flew from France."
"Maybe you should both go and sleep?" Harry suggested only for his two uncles to glare at him.
"Not happening, there is no way we are leaving you on your own!"
"Why? It's not like I can do any more damage here."
"You really are your father's son." The cheery voice boomed from the doctor and Sirius' eyebrows shot up.
"Anderson operated on Harry?"
"Sirius," Remus' voice was soft. "Please."
Dr Anderson swallowed visibly and glanced warily at the nurse who stood to the side of the room. "How are you feeling, Harry? They said you slept most of last night."
Harry frowned as he looked between the doctor and Sirius. "Yes, sir," he agreed.
"Good. Any pain?" Dr Anderson gently felt along the boy's ribs and hesitated when Harry winced and Remus shot to his feet.
"Is that necessary?" Remus' voice was strained.
Sirius rose and rested his hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Are they broken?"
"No, the x-ray showed no breaks so it is only bruising, you will be fairly black and blue, Harry. I am sorry about your forehead, it will scar. I can have a plastic surgeon come down if you want?"
Harry shook his head. "I don't care about a little scar."
Sirius smiled approvingly at him.
"The scrapes will heal fairly quickly but that leg might cause you some grief. We will give you painkillers to take home with you and I suggest staying in for a week or two just until you are able to move a bit more freely, you will need help getting in and out of the shower."
Harry looked horrified. "I don't want help!"
"We will talk about it later, kiddo," Sirius spoke firmly. "If he does decide to go home, how long…?"
"Tomorrow or the day after, other than needing help there is no reason to stay, you will need to see a doctor in a week or so."
Sirius nodded curtly.
"Thank you, Doctor," Remus' voice was polite.
Dr Anderson nodded before he turned and strode out the room.
"Couldn't you have been a little more civil?" Remus sounded tired.
"No. If he hadn't been such a damned fool then…." Sirius frowned heavily before taking a breath. "Anyhow. Harry, we could manage at home if you don't want to stay."
"But I don't want help!" There was panic in the boy's face.
Remus stepped forward and gently cupped the boy's face. "When I was released from hospital I was as weak as a kitten," his voice was soft. "Sirius had to practically carry me into the bathroom until my leg was strong enough, crutches and wet tiles are lethal. It doesn't matter to us if you need help, cub. What matters is where you will heal better, and if that is here then we will support you and be here every day."
Harry nodded slowly. "I will think about it. Has... has anyone called the Burrow? Mrs Weasley usually likes for me to call her so she knows I got home safe. And well... since I didn't..."
"Dora said she called last night," Remus told him, glancing at Sirius. "They can visit you once you get home, whenever that shall be. I'm sure they are very worried about you."
"Good thing girls love blokes in bandages," Sirius winked, causing Harry to chuckle sheepishly.
"Good thing you aren't in school or Hermione might take this as an opportunity to actually get work done," Remus corrected, biting back a smile at Harry's wrinkled nose.
The rest of the morning passed in a similar manner. Sirius and Remus attempted to keep the mood light, despite their location, and Harry followed their lead after he was forced to stop suggesting both men get some sleep when Sirius offered to give him a sponge bath before they left.
The exhaustion was clear in both Sirius and Remus but the sight of colour returning to Harry's face and the lack of any discomfort (even if only because of the medications) kept their energy high, and all three were reluctant to ruin the camaraderie that existed in the room. There was talk of calling for take-away when the door opened too loudly for it to be another nurse.
"That bitch is going down," Tonks announced as she strode into the room and dumped two large bags onto the table attached to Harry's bed, the handles falling open to reveal a wonderful spiced smell.
"Language, Dora," Harry snickered as he leaned forward with a wince to pull the table closer to him so he could begin to delve into his gifts.
"Eat your food, Potter," Tonks ordered, sticking her tongue out at the teen as she pulled a chair over to the bed. "Take as much as you need but try and share some."
"Was it Bellatrix?" Sirius demanded to know, pulling her attention away from Harry. His usual mischievous expression fading into a frown.
"Oh yes. Most definitely. We went by her... estate and had a warrant to get on her property. She wasn't home but we found the town car in the garage. There was a large dent in the bumper and it had flecks of red paint on it," Tonks told them, pressing her lips together in a hard line.
"She didn't get the car fixed right away?"
Tonks glanced at Sirius and shrugged in response. "Too cocky, too sure of herself. She doubted Harry would be able to catch her plate name, or even remember it. But there's a group of cops waiting for her return. I'm not sure how she'll be charged since she probably wasn't driving, but she obviously was the one to order the driver to keep going."
"This... this is someone you know?" Harry finally voiced, looking a bit confused.
"Bellatrix Lestrange. Formerly Bellatrix Black," Tonks sighed, snatching some naan from Harry's pile and leaning back into her chair, looking less out of place now that she was in jeans. "My mum's older sister and Sirius' eldest cousin."
"Do you believe she did this on purpose?" Remus spoke up, his voice showing the concern he was feeling.
"Nope, probably not. She'd hate to get bad publicity, which is why she fled. That slimy husband of hers is running for some office position. That side of the family wants nothing to do with ours," Tonks snorted. "Mum still sends her sisters Christmas cards and whatnot but she never gets a reply. Nothing, since she married Dad. He was working in the shops when they got married and had me. Caused quite a scandal that did." There was a rather smug smile on the young woman's face as she spoke.
"They cause their own scandals, that's for sure. But they don't want to associate themselves with... commoners, if you want to call us that. Shop workers or blokes in the service. Especially ones convicted of treason," Sirius muttered, crossing his arms.
"Well, that's dumb," Harry said around a large piece of curried goat, wrapping up years of familial dysfunction in one word and causing Tonks and Sirius to huff in agreement.
"We may not be the most normal clan, but we do alright compared to most, especially the Blacks," Remus murmured, looking a bit surprised as Tonks laughed at his remark, a slight smile sliding onto his face before a shadow entered his eyes and he focused on the food shoved at him.
Harry scowled at the crutches the physiotherapist had given him, close to burning a hole in them from his position in the front seat of Sirius' car. The instructions from all the staff had been the same: make sure you keep moving, but don't over-do it. Well, not over-doing it wouldn't be hard! It hurt to breathe let alone move!
Sirius glanced at the boy's scowling face and laughed. "Lighten up, Harry. It will be all right, you should enjoy the attention. Remus is cooking all your favourite foods and I have no doubt that within a week you will have an onslaught of visitors."
Harry brightened. "Can Ginny and Ron and Hermione visit tomorrow?"
"Don't see why not. Run it past Remus and see what he thinks since he's going to be the one at home with you."
Harry nodded and glanced out the window at familiar London streets. "He waited with me while you were getting back from France," Harry spoke slowly. "He didn't leave once."
"That surprises you?"
"No. It's just… He can't stand hospitals. When you finally made him go home…"
"He looked like death?" Sirius was quiet a moment. "It wasn't just fear of hospitals that did that, Harry; he was terrified of losing you. I saw you when you were cleaned up and looking semi-decent but Dora said you were a bit of a mess when they got there."
"He didn't let me go."
Sirius frowned; he was unsure where this was going.
"And he is still blaming himself."
Sirius relaxed. This he could handle. "Do you blame him?"
Harry stared at his godfather like he had grown two heads. "No! Do you?"
"Absolutely not! But... do you know, Remus still holds himself responsible for your father's death?"
Harry took a moment to consider this. "Why?"
"He says that he should have known that Pettigrew was up to something. So, unfortunately, blaming himself is quite high on the normal Remus Lupin to do list."
Harry snickered before sobering again. "But he can't look at me!"
"Oh, Harry, that's not true at all. His heart is breaking because you were hurt. It kills him to see you in pain. It kills me too, but… Remus knows the pain you are going through."
"But his was worse!" Harry objected. "I don't remember much but…" His voice trailed away.
Sirius nodded. "Perhaps it was. But in his opinion it's the same, you are in pain and we both swore we would never let you be hurt."
"That's stupid."
Sirius chuckled. "Quite possibly, but you were very small when we got you, and the idea of anything hurting your adorable little self was quite horrifying."
Harry rolled his eyes as they pulled into the car-park of their apartment building. "You are both huge teddy bears."
"Course we are. Come on, Remus will probably have made a five course dinner and be hovering around like a mother hen."
"Says you?"
Sirius grinned shamelessly. "Harry?" He waited till the boy had awkwardly struggled from the car. "Remus would do it all again if he knew that him being there helped you. He would do anything for you."
Harry sighed with relief as he entered the front door and slowly manoeuvred himself towards the lounge room. Remus appeared, his dark eyes taking in the boy slowly. "You are doing well with them."
Harry scowled and collapsed onto the couch, where he assumed he'd be spending a lot of time. "I don't feel like I am! They are impossible."
Remus smiled and gently smoothed back the hair from Harry's face. He frowned at the cut that was now uncovered but ignored it, there had been too many arguments over that scar.
"Are you hungry?"
Sirius laughed suddenly. "Told you! I told Harry that you would have been cooking all day."
"Least someone loves me!" Harry shot back with a cheeky grin. "Does food mean I have to move again?"
Remus looked amused. "No, it does not."
"How long are we going to let him get away with his 'woe is me' act?" Sirius followed Remus into the kitchen and Harry grinned as he heard Remus' light-hearted reply.
"Oh, give him a week before we burst his bubble."
Harry leaned back and looked around, it had only been four days since he had last seen his lounge room and he had never been happier to be home.
"Harry's worried about you," Sirius spoke in a low tone so only Remus could hear and the man frowned.
"Me? He told me yesterday he was worried about you!"
They looked at each other and smiled slowly unfurled across their faces.
"Silly kid," Sirius muttered. "He should be worrying about himself, not us."
Remus shrugged. "He is like his parents. They were the same."
"Yeah. Dora said that you said that seeing Harry that day reminded you of—"
"Don't!" Remus pleaded. "Please, Harry is home, let us just be happy."
Sirius nodded. "Ok, ok. Let's feed the starving teenager."
The faces that were presented to Harry showed none of Remus' inner turmoil or Sirius' concern, only warmth, affection, and preparation to tease the boy unmercifully about the large cake Ginny had sent.
"Remember, be quiet and try to control yourselves, please," a stern voice said from the doorway in a carrying whisper. "No need for anything loud or overly exciting, boys."
"Mrs Weasley, I just broke my leg, I'm not dying," Harry called from the couch as he pulled himself into a sitting position, grinning widely at the small crowd that appeared in the living room. "Well, I am dying of boredom, so please bring something loud and exciting."
There were cries of greeting from the group that caused Harry to brighten up even more. As much as he loved being doted on but his uncles, he had definitely missed his friends.
They all stumbled into the room, chattering over each other before being interrupted by a loud sob. Harry suddenly, but not very surprisingly, found himself engulfed in a large hug from Molly Weasley. He blushed slightly but patted her on the back, knowing she meant well.
"I'm fine, Mrs Weasley, I promise. I'll be playing football in your backyard in no time," Harry said, chuckling at the long-suffering looks on her son's faces. But Harry received no reprieve when Molly went to go attend to the food she had brought and set in the kitchen as, once she pulled away, Harry was attacked by a large amount of bushy hair.
"Let the man breath, Hermione," Ron sighed, attempting to pull her away as Harry laughed.
"Miss me?" He asked, his smirk changing to a smile when she stepped back and he saw the tears on her cheeks. "Aw, c'mon, Hermione. I'm fine. No need to cry in relief. I won't die and leave you to deal with this chump by yourself."
Harry and the rest of the group snorted in laughter as Ron reached over to punch him in the arm. He pretended to be in pain while Ron rolled his eyes. They had been friends long enough to not need to show relief in the other being alright. Their relationship with Hermione was similar but they knew she needed to show it all the same.
Harry looked around and saw more Weasley's, a bloke or two from his team, and Dean and Seamus. Harry had not forgotten about their comments to his uncle but decided he'd wait to say something until there was less of an audience. He allowed himself to relax into the couch as he listened to the exaggerated stories of what he had missed in the last few days, happy to be around his friends once more. He wouldn't have minded if it was just him, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, but appreciated the rest visiting still. At the thought of her, Harry glanced around and found her standing on the edge of the room oddly. As if feeling his eyes on her, she looked up and, seeing him looking, she smiled a bit shyly. He jerked his head, inviting her to come closer, not wanting her to be so far away. He tried to ignore the feeling in his stomach as he shifted on the couch in an attempt to make room for her to sit with him.
Harry watched Ginny glance at her brothers before walking purposefully over to the couch. She sat on the edge beside his hips, being wary of the large stack of pillows that supported his leg.
"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked softly, glancing at the scar on his forehead before looking back to his eyes.
"Good. Better now," Harry answered before making a rude gesture to the twins when they paused their story to make loud vomiting sounds.
"Lunch!" Mrs Weasley marched into the room with a large tray of sandwiches and various sides. She began divvying up the food onto plates, handing the largest to Ginny, obviously meant for Harry. "Eat up, you lot! And if I see even a crumb left on your plate, Harry, you will not be getting dessert. I made your favourite, treacle tart."
"Yes, ma'am," Harry grinned, snickering at Ron as the redhead rolled his eyes. Harry turned to Ginny and opened his mouth as if to be fed. The room erupted in laughter, led by Harry, as Ginny shoved a handful of crisps into his face, signifying that she would do no such thing.
"In your dreams, Potter," Ginny huffed, trying to bite back a smile as Harry continued to laugh. He reached for the plate in her lap, grabbing his own sandwich. He smiled around his bite as Ginny discreetly reached for his free hand, squeezing it without meeting his eye.
"... and then we labelled them one, two, and four, yeah? So they'd think there was one more!"
"But they wouldn't be able to find it!"
This caused uproar in voices, most commenting on the twin's latest prank. Harry happily ate and listened, trying not to choke on his sandwich as he laughed. He was just about to turn around to see where his uncle went when a voice came from over his shoulder.
"I need to run by the pharmacy, will you be alright?" Remus asked from behind the couch, speaking to Harry only and trying not to draw attention to himself.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Mrs Weasley is here, and everyone else," Harry shrugged, looking behind him to see his uncle. His face was pale and strained so Harry knew getting out of the house would probably be good for him. "Oh, we might be out of tea, too, so you'll need to get some to avert a household crisis."
"Will do," Remus said, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I'll be back soon. Be good."
Harry nodded, giving his uncle a wave as Ginny beamed up at him as he walked to the door, making his quiet escape.
Remus closed the door behind him and breathed a sigh of relief. There had been too many bodies in his home and Molly had seen the colour bleeding rapidly from his face. He was grateful to her, her gentle hand cautiously resting on his arm. Go for a walk, Remus, dear. I will watch the children and make sure the others are all gone in three hours; then it will only be my lot. I can call Sirius if I need anything, and I will watch over Harry, don't you worry.
Bless the woman, she was a saint. He glanced around the street before squaring his shoulders and plunging into the myriad of people that hurried onto the sidewalks. He needed to go to the pharmacy, and then he could escape. The last week had been exhausting and he was grateful Harry had decided to come home, the idea of spending every day in a hospital room was worse than spending it in a crowded living room. That first night after Harry had woken Sirius had forced him to go home but he had barely slept, tortured nightmares keeping him awake until he had finally gone back to the hospital more exhausted than when he had left.
He walked the familiar streets, eyes flitting about warily. It was the first time he had been on his own for more than an hour or two, and he knew he needed to think over the revelation that had shocked him to his core.
Remus ignored the looks he was given as he collected the painkillers for Harry from the pharmacy. People would look at him, look away, and then turn their eyes back to the scarred, silent man in curiosity. He could feel the familiar panic clawing its way up his throat and he breathed in deeply. He had never been more desperate to get to the gardens in the open air, surrounded by nature and no people. To be alone.
He limped across the expanse of grass, straight to where he knew most people avoided, his little slice of heaven. He relaxed visibly, there was no one in sight, and his steps slowed as he moved over the uneven ground, his leg still ached unrelentingly from the hours spent on his feet while Harry had been in hospital. Sinking gratefully to the ground, Remus leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. He inhaled shakily as finally the events of the past week caught up with him. They had come so close to losing Harry. The very idea of Harry being killed sickened him. He was meant to be protected from all harm, and now, the teenager lay with a cast on his leg because some fool had been stupid. He buried his head in his hands. Harry meant the world to him, he had no doubt that if Sirius had not brought the child into the hospital room and blatantly used him as leverage, then he would be dead. There had been a time when his only thoughts had been of death.
Remus let his head drop back and allowed relief to slowly seep into him. Harry was safe, he reminded himself, his boy was safe and he would stay that way. He could see the cheeky smile in his mind of the boy who had somehow ensured that Sirius was jumping up whenever Harry called, much to the boy's amusement.
Remus breathed in deeply, there was only so much he could blame his fear and edginess on Harry's accident; the real reason was different, now Harry was alive and well. The real reason was a woman, a girl whose hair was the colour of fire and whose grey eyes sparkled with life, a girl who was not afraid of his scars or of the fact that a single touch could reduce him to a shaking mess. She had been so gentle, never leaving his side, her hand soft but firm in his. She fit into his arms perfectly. She was so precious and patient, he could talk to her about anything. She made him smile. She didn't care about his maimed hand, or his scars, or his limp. She was beautiful and radiant. Her smile lit up his soul. He loved her and the knowledge made him shudder. How could he love her? She was young, beautiful, filled with life, energy, and overflowing with joy. How could he love such a perfect creature when he was anything but?
A dry sobbed escaped Remus.
He couldn't. He couldn't. But, how could he not? He had not felt this way for years, if ever. Not even Jessica made him feel this way. Dora brought radiance and light into the room, she brought love and laughter. She sought him out and told him that he was not worthless, that he had people who loved him. She teased him, not afraid to joke with him when most wouldn't dare. He wanted to make her happy, he loved bringing her smile to her face, and he loved making her laugh. But could be? Could he actually make her life better in any way?
Remus closed his eyes. How could he have been so stupid as to let this happen? He breathed in deeply, slowly. There was only one thing to do: bury the feelings for this incredible woman and avoid her. He had seen her eyes and knew, with a gut-wrenching agony, that she felt the same. It was all wrong. She was young, someone would come and she would forget about him. She had to, and until then, he would become silent around her, the way he always was around anyone but Sirius and Harry. It was the only way. The only way for her to get what she deserved, to find someone who would be enough for her. Because that's what he wanted, her happiness. She had to move on, to leave him alone. Alone.
Suddenly, that idea seemed much more painful and endless than it ever had before…
"If it isn't my favourite cousin!" Sirius straightened and wiped his grimy hands on a rag. "Moody finally set you free, did he?"
Tonks picked her way over pieces of engine until she was beside her cousin. "Something like that. We've been working ridiculous hours to make sure we got dear cousin Bella," her nose wrinkled. "Apparently Mad-Eye has quite the soft spot for James Potter's son."
Sirius snorted. "Good old Moody. Has he been letting you sleep?"
"Course. How about you? You look a little more alive than when I last saw you."
"Harry is home so we are reminded how brilliant sleep is."
Tonks laughed. "How is Harry?"
"Good, he is getting used to the crutches, absolutely hates them, and the idea of being helped terrifies him so he takes forever in the bathroom," Sirius smiled fondly. "But he is healing well, his ribs still hurt him sometimes but he tries not to let that show." Sirius' voice reflected pride, Harry knew it tore Remus apart to see him in pain and so he hid it. The actions did not fool Remus but the pride he felt for the boy who was growing into a man grew deeper.
"How is his leg?"
"Goes back to the doctors in two weeks for a check-up but otherwise he is good. Thanks to you."
"Oh rubbish, I just did my job. Young Harry is a fighter."
"He has set his heart on becoming a police officer," Sirius had begun to pack away his tools as he spoke. "I blame you."
"Sorry," she grinned, completely unrepentant. "He will be good at it. He is passionate."
Sirius snorted. "Come for tea tonight?"
A brief hesitation before Tonks nodded. "Sure."
"I got the bus in today, wanted to leave the car in case it was needed but Molly called me and said Remus had escaped to the gardens. Mind if we swing past and see if he is still there?"
"Of course not."
Sirius locked the now empty shop and they headed along the footpath towards the botanical gardens.
"How is he?" Tonks' voice was soft, worried.
Sirius half smiled. "Remus?"
She nodded.
"He is ok now Harry is home. Still pretty shaken up. Remember how you said that it reminded him of James?"
She nodded and looked up at her cousin curiously.
Sirius swallowed. "He... he must have seen him when they dragged him into the truck. I didn't notice it happening until too late, I was half deaf and Jamie was dying right in front of me. It wasn't until I heard Remus screaming his name that I realised, and by then it was too late."
"Why didn't he run? Or fight?"
"Explosion shattered his leg, and blew the gun out of his hands," Sirius' voice was bleak. "James died knowing that one of his closest friends had been kidnapped and we knew the information Remus had, we knew what they would do to him."
Tonks shivered, suddenly cold. "He is so brave."
"Don't let him hear you say that, he doesn't think it's true."
"So he is ok... now?"
"He is better, since Harry is home he can sleep again and not be so worried. Though, from what Molly said there was enough people to make a football team at the house so it's no wonder he escaped."
"Can I ask a question?"
"Sure."
She hesitated for a long moment before speaking softly. "His leg… You said it was shattered?"
Sirius frowned. "Yes."
"So it was only the explosion that did that? Not…?"
"Ah. No, it was them too. It was easy to use his leg to hurt him, and they made sure it never healed, always injured because he wouldn't be able to escape," Sirius' voice was bitter.
Tonks swallowed. "Does it still hurt him?"
Sirius studied her upturned face for a long moment before replying. "Would it make a difference?" He sounded reluctant, only relaxing when his cousin shook her head firmly.
"No! It doesn't… I…"
"Yes, it hurts him. Some days more than others, more often than not it's bearable, just an ache really."
She nodded, relief filling her.
"You were worried about him?"
"He has gone through so much, it seems unfair that his leg should be unbearable."
Sirius grinned. "You'll keep, kid." He wrapped his arm around her and jerked his chin up. "There is your prince charming now."
Tonks glared at him but he ignored her as he raised his voice. "Oy! Remus!"
The man in question paused and half turned on the sidewalk. His eyes flitted from Sirius to Tonks and his shoulders stiffened.
"How was the escape?" Sirius' smile was mischievous.
"Fine," Remus mumbled as he fell into step beside his friend. He studiously refused to look at the red-headed girl on the other side of Sirius.
Sirius glanced at him quickly and frowned.
"You must be glad to have Harry home," Tonks smiled around her cousin but, to her surprise, Remus glanced once at her, a bleak look in his brown eyes before he nodded and looked away.
"Are you ok?" Sirius was frowning.
"Fine."
"I was just telling Dora about how Harry is quite keen to follow in her footsteps and become a police officer. I am sure he will have Ron and Hermione doing a rather large amount of research on how to be accepted into the academy."
"I might be able to help with that, with your permission of course?" Tonks offered.
"That would be excellent. Even if I don't much like the idea of Harry being hurt. Bring... what's his name, Kingston?"
"Kingsley," Tonks corrected.
"Him; bring him around one day, I want to meet the man that Harry has apparently decided to hero worship."
Tonks laughed. "Has he? I don't blame him. Kingsley is a force to be reckoned with!"
"Molly said that Harry's friends were over?" Sirius glanced back to Remus' silent figure. "Who was there?
"Ask Harry," Remus' voice was brusque.
"Rem, what is it? Are you sure you are all right?"
"I am fine," Remus spoke sharply. "Forgive me for not being the life of the party but I think you should be used to that by now!"
Sirius blinked. The look on his face would have been funny if the situation had not suddenly turned tense.
"Have I done something to offend you?" Tonks spoke suddenly, unable to stop the hurt from creeping into her voice.
Remus swallowed as he continued to stare straight, and regret filled him. How could he do this to her? "No, Tonks. You haven't. I need to go to get tea."
And with those words he turned sharply and vanished into a store leaving the cousins staring after him.
"Dora…"
Her face was pale as she stared after him. "What did I do? He... didn't call me Dora..."
"Nothing, this is all about him," Sirius looked furious. "I'll talk to him tonight."
"No. Don't. It doesn't matter. He's probably just having a bad day. I… I just remembered I have to meet Kingsley to… go over a report. I'll come by later in the week."
Tonks smiled thinly and, before Sirius could argue, vanished into the crowd of people returning home from work. He scowled. Remus better have a damned good reason for his behaviour.
Harry retreated to bed early that night, the frosty atmosphere obvious to him, and as his gaze flickered between Remus, who had barely said three words since returning home, and Sirius, who glared coldly at his longtime friend, Harry found himself wondering exactly what had happened outside of the apartment.
Sirius waited until the door had closed behind Harry before rising and stalking into the kitchen where Remus was. "What the hell was that?" His voice was harsh, but attempting to be quiet, as he cornered his friend.
Remus flinched visibly at the unexpected sound and the glass that was in his hand fell, shattering on the tiled floor. Sirius winced and softened immediately as a shudder passed through his friend.
"Sorry, old chap." He retrieved the broom as Remus very slowly turned to face him.
"What are you talking about?" Remus' tone was even, emotionless.
Sirius sighed as he swept the glass into a pan. Remus' whole body was tense and Sirius wondered exactly what was going on with him.
Disposing of the glass, Sirius reached out cautiously and placed his hand on Remus' shoulder. "You called her Tonks."
Remus couldn't meet his friend's eyes. "It's what she asked us to call her."
Sirius' frowned deepened. "Yeah, until you started calling her Dora and Harry and I followed suit."
Remus' head bent a little more.
Sirius sighed heavily. "Remus?" He marched to the cabinet that was rarely opened and pulled out a bottle of dark liquid, half filling two tumblers he thrust one at his friend. "Come on."
Remus mutely followed Sirius to the lounge room where he collapsed into a chair.
"Right. What is going on? Is this about Harry? Because he is fine, Remus. His ribs will heal quickly and his leg was a clean break."
"I know."
"Well then? Why are you biting Dora's head off? I thought you liked her."
Remus stared at the tumbler before setting it aside. "I will apologise to her but, like I said then, you should be used to my silence."
Sirius hesitated. "Remus, you are… You are yourself around her, what happened? Did she do something? Say something?"
"No. She has been so wonderful," his voice cracked.
Sirius frowned. "Then why were you such a prat to her? She looked miserable, and she cried off coming for dinner because of it."
Remus winced. "She… I am sorry, I will be more civil to her."
"Civil? Remus! You like her! She is your friend, what changed?"
Remus didn't reply and comprehension dawned on Sirius.
"You fancy her?"
Remus flinched as if Sirius had struck him. "Don't," he whispered, putting his head in his hands.
"Why is this bad?" Sirius sounded gleeful. "This is brilliant!"
"No!" Remus lurched to his feet. Agony was etched into his face. "No, it's not! Leave it alone, please, Sirius. She is young and beautiful, she just needs to find someone else. Please, just leave it alone."
"Remus, what if she cares?"
"She won't," Remus whispered. "I don't want her to. Let me get over this, Sirius. I won't endanger yours or Harry's relationships with her, but let me… get over it."
"You don't have to get over it. You... you don't have to be alone, mate..."
A bleak look was sent towards Sirius. "Maybe I want to be. Goodnight."
Sirius stared at Remus' closed door for a long time. He hadn't seen his friend like this for a long time, a very long time, and his heart sang. Now all he needed to do was ensure Dora knew how Remus felt. He was sure that if his friend knew how the bright girl felt then he would change his mind. Sirius smiled smugly; it was about time, Remus deserved a chance at happiness.
