Remus leaned his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. Taking three deep breaths, he desperately fought the urge to sob as he played back the night before. It had all happened so quickly and as he tried to remember all that had happened, it came back to him in a bit of a haze, a series of pictures and flashes.

Sirius was gone.

Remus remembered running down the stone steps in the Department of Mysteries, shooting out curses and shielding spells. Moody was down and out, his glass eye rolling around the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tonks hit by a spell and slide down the stone steps. His heart stopped and he froze. But then he heard Sirius call out,

"Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville, and run!"

Remus snapped out of frozen terror and began throwing spells at McNair as Sirius took up the fight with Bellatrix. As much as it pained him, he knew he would have to wait to worry about Tonks.

Dumbledore arrived and Remus felt a sudden relief. All was not lost. He looked up when he heard Sirius laugh and his words echo around them,

"Come on, you can do better than that!"

It all happened in slow motion after that. The spell hit Sirius square in the chest and he fell, almost gracefully, through the veil. For one, unbearably painful moment, Remus knew he had just lost the two most important people in his life.

"Sirius! Sirius!"

Remus ran after Harry, calling out his name. But the boy either didn't hear him or was ignoring him, but he was able to catch Harry before he reached the dais. Throwing his arms around his friend's son, he held on as tightly as he could as Harry fought to escape his grasp.

"There's nothing you can do, Harry—"

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"

"It's too late, Harry—"

"We can still reach him—"

"There's nothing you can do, Harry…nothing…He's gone."

Remus could still feel Harry struggling in his arms. He was afraid he would lose his grip, but he couldn't let go. If Harry followed Sirius, all would be lost and Remus didn't think he could handle losing him as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Moody had crawled across the room and was tending to Tonks. He pulled Harry away by, holding him by the arm as the fight had left the boy.

The rest of the night was a blur. He knew Dumbledore had taken on and fought Voldemort back. Several members of the Ministry had arrived and saw that the Dark Lord had indeed returned. Dumbledore stood up to Fudge and demanded he remove Umbridge and reinstated himself as headmaster. Harry was sent to Hogwarts and once Remus knew he was safe, he allowed himself to worry about the others.

Moody still sat beside Tonks when Remus arrived. She was breathing, shallowly, but she was alive.

"How is she?" Remus asked, kneeling beside them.

"She'll need to get to St. Mungo's," Moody grumbled roughly.

"How're you?"

The old auror groaned. "Not as young as I used to be."

"You put up a good fight," Remus said, his eyes shifting to the fluttering, tattered veil.

Moody laid his hand on Lupin's shoulder. "He was a good man and he went the way he wanted to, fighting for what was right and protecting his godson."

Remus nodded, unable to speak around the lump in his throat.

Dumbledore then snapped into action. He sent the rest of the children directly to the Hogwarts infirmary and Tonks and Moody to St. Mungo's. He then called Remus and Kingsley over where he quickly explained that now that Sirius was gone, unless a will was found saying otherwise, 12 Grimmauld Place would go to his next living relative, Bellatrix Lestrange. They needed to clear out everything to do with the Order, if their work fell into the hands of the Death Eaters, it could be disastrous. And Buckbeak needed to be removed as well.

Kingsley sent Patronus' to the Weasleys, Hestia Jones, and Emmeline Vance, asking them to meet them at Sirius' home. The next hour was spent in silence as they all cleaned out the house. Remus quickly packed up his belongings, filling his battered briefcase and suitcase. Kreacher was no where to be found, but no one seemed too upset about that.

Remus was the last to leave. He opened the front door as the sun was rising on the new day. Turning, he faced the foyer and swallowed hard. With his voice cracking, he spoke to the empty house.

"Good bye, mate, I…I hope you've finally found the peace you need."

That had been an hour earlier. Now, completely exhausted and broken, Remus sat in a waiting room at St. Mungo's. Moody had already been sent home, he was told to rest and that he would be fine. But there was still no word on Tonks. None of them were sure just what spell she had been hit with and so it was taking the healers a little more time to figure out what was wrong with her.

"Remus."

He lifted his face from his hands and took a moment for his blurry eyes to focus on the kind, concerned face of Arthur Weasley. He stood stiffly. "Arthur. How are you? How are the children?"

"They'll all be fine. They're at Hogwarts and don't even need to come here. How are you doing?"

Remus shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Any word on Tonks?"

"No, not yet."

"She's young and strong, I'm sure she'll be fine." Arthur looked down at the old cases on the floor. "Where are you planning to go now?"

"I…I haven't really given it much thought."

Arthur nodded understandingly. "Molly has sent me to fetch you, we'd like for you to stay at the Burrow."

A bit more of him broke at the kindness of his friends. "Thank you, Arthur, but I…"

"No buts, Molly would have my head if I don't bring you home for a warm meal and a bed."

"That's very kind of you."

Arthur laid a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Ron and Ginny will be all right, as well as Harry and Hermione. We owe you all so much."

Remus nodded. "Thank you. But I…I can't leave right now."

"Of course, I understand. But please know that there is always a place for you, when you're ready, just come through the backdoor."

"Thank you."

"Would you like me to take your things so you don't need to worry about them just know?"

Remus looked down at the battered cases. "Thank you, Arthur, I'd appreciate that."

"Don't push yourself too hard," Arthur warned as he leaned down to pick up the bags. "We'll be watching for you and we'll want word on Tonks."

"Thank you, Arthur, for everything."

The patriarch of the Weasley clan hesitated a moment. "I'm truly sorry, Remus, he was a good man and while he and Molly tended to butt heads, she did think very highly of him, if for no other reason than because of how much he cared for Harry."

Remus swallowed hard and nodded, unable to speak.

Arthur apparated, leaving Remus alone in the waiting room again.

"She needs rest, it'll be a few days, but she should be fine."

Remus looked down the hall as a healer and a nurse accompanied Tonks' gurney to a room. He hurried down the hall and followed them into the room.

The healer appeared surprised when he entered. "Can I help you?"

"I…I'm a friend," he croaked. "I've been waiting for word."

"Oh, of course." The healer floated Tonks' still form from the gurney to an empty bed while the nurse tucked her in. "She has not yet regained consciousness, but she should soon. I'll need her to stay for two or three days for observation and to administer medication. There will be pain and she'll be quite weak, but she should be fine in a few days."

Finally, there was some good news and Remus felt tears of relief fill his eyes.

The healer took notice of the look on his face and attached her chart to the foot of the bed. "If you'd like to sit with her a bit, you may. Talk to her, it might help bring her around."

When he was alone with her, Remus pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down. She was frighteningly pale as she laid against the stark white sheets. Her chest rose and fell steadily, giving him hope as she breathed life. Her left wrist was wrapped in a bandage and there were a few bruises and cuts from her fall.

He picked up her limp right hand in both of his, curling his fingers tightly around hers. "Tonks."

He hadn't really expected a response, but he had hoped. When nothing happened, he continued, his voice breaking and trembling a bit.

"The…the healer says you'll be fine. I can't tell you how relieved I am. When…when I saw you fall—it was one of the most terrifying moments of my life." He stopped, squeezing her hand. "The children will all be fine and Moody, he had taken a nasty hit, but he's already gone home."

Try as he might, Remus couldn't bring himself to tell her about Sirius.

"Please wake up," he pleaded quietly. "I need to hear your voice, I need to know you'll be okay."

But she continued to lie quietly, breathing slowly.

With a heavy heart, Remus laid his forehead on their joined hands and closed his eyes, waiting.

Tonks heard a groan, not realizing it had come from her own mouth.

It was dark. Very dark and quiet. Her entire body ached, every breath was like a dozen burning knives jabbing at her chest. She fought to leave the darkness, but it was too much, she was too tired.

Just as she was about to slip back into the quiet comfort of sleep she heard someone say her name.

"Tonks."

She knew his voice and she desperately wanted to catch up to him. But her throat was painfully dry and she couldn't call out. Another quiet groan slipped past her dry lips.

"Come on, Nymphadora, wake up."

Remus. She wanted to call out his name. He sounded so far away and she wanted to tell him to wait for her, but she couldn't.

"I know you can hear me," he said sternly. "Now, wake up."

He didn't sound so far away now and she knew she could catch up to him if she could just see him. But she was so tired, so weak. Tonks tried to raise her hand to get his attention, but she couldn't lift it. Whimpering in frustration, she fought to pull herself from the dark, painful place in which she was hidden.

"Come on now, love, you can do it."

He called me love! A voice called from deep within her mind.

Beyond the pain, beyond the weakness, she felt something. Something gentle and kind. She felt his hand as he caressed her cheek with a tender touch.

Her eyelids felt as though they weighed two tons as she fought to open them. Remus leaned over her, directly in her line of vision. His face was darkened with stubble and circles under his red eyes. He looked terrible. And concerned.

"Nymphadora," he said quietly as he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers.

She dragged her dry tongue over her cracked lips. "Don't call me that," she croaked.

A smile that didn't quite reach his wet eyes crossed his face. "I'm going to get a healer."

She realized he was holding her hand and she clutched his convulsively. "Don't…don't leave me."

"I'm not," he promised, carefully laying her hand on the bed. "I'll be right back, I promise."

Tonks looked around the room. Finding that she was too weak yet to lift her head, she moved her eyes. It was a stark white room, very quiet, very clean. St. Mungo's.

She hated being in the hospital. While she enjoyed have time to lie about a bit, she preferred doing it in her own home.

"Good morning, Ms. Tonks," the healer greeted her as he entered the room, Remus at his heels. "How're you feeling?"

"Pretty shitty," she grumbled.

The healer smirked as he examined her. "Can you be more specific?"

"I ache all over," she said as he pried her eyes open and peered in with a small light. "I'm very weak, my head is throbbing terribly and it hurts to breathe."

"Mm hm." The healer stuck a thermometer in her mouth as he checked her pulse. "I understand it hurts, but you're not short of breath?"

"No."

"Good, good." He released her wrist and pressed his fingers along her throat. "You sound a bit hoarse, your throat dry?"

"Mm hm," she mumbled around the thermometer.

He took the tube from her mouth and checked it. "You do have a bit of a fever. I want you to stay here for a couple more days for observation, oh, don't grumble like that, you're quite lucky. I'll be right back."

Tonks turned her head slowly to see Remus standing with his back to her. He was leaning against the wall, staring out the window. "Remus?"

He hesitated a moment before taking a deep breath and turning to face her.

"What happened?"

"You don't remember?" He asked quietly.

"Well, bits and pieces," she admitted softly.

"We'll talk about it later."

"Remus, there's something you're not telling me."

Before he could answer, the door opened again and the healer entered. He carried a small beaker filled with a dark purple liquid that bubbled.

"Drink this up, all of it," he instructed, handing her the glass and pressing the button that lifted the bed so she was in a sitting position.

Tonks groaned as the movement of the bed caused more pain and discomfort.

"Drink that, it'll help."

She looked at the thick, dark liquid. Although it bubbled as though it was boiling, it was cool to the touch. She sniffed it and found that it smelled quite pleasant. But when she sipped it, she gagged at the horrendous taste.

"Drink it quickly, it's easier that way," the healer said. "Trust me, the taste doesn't stay with you long and it will help you feel much better."

Tonks looked at Remus who was leaning against the wall, watching her. He nodded and winked.

Closing her eyes, she brought the glass to her lips again and chugged it as quickly as she could. "Oh, bloody hell! That's awful!" She cried, shoving the now empty beaker back at the healer.

The healer chuckled quietly. "You'll be fine. Rest now and I'll be back to check on you soon."

Tonks nodded, rubbing at her mouth with the back of her hand. But he had been right, the taste didn't last long and she noticed that she felt a bit stronger and the pain was dulled to discomfort. Her mouth and throat were no longer dry and while she was still weak and quite tired, she felt better.

"Your color's coming back," Remus observed.

She touched her cheeks. "Really?"

He nodded. "You were as white as a sheet."

"What happened?"

"What…what's the last thing you remember?" He asked, stepping closer to the bed.

"I—I remember going to the Ministry with you and Sirius and Kingsley and Moody. The children were there and Death Eaters. I remember fighting Bellatrix and….and that's it."

"Bellatrix hit you with a spell, I don't know which one, but you took quite a spill down the steps."

"Was anyone else hurt?"

"Moody, but he's already home, he'll be fine. The children were pretty beat up. Ron and Hermione were both injured and Ginny had what appeared to be a broken ankle and Neville had a broken nose. But they will all be fine, they're back at Hogwarts, as is Dumbledore."

"Harry?"

"He's fine."

Tonks gnawed on her lower lip, thinking that something wasn't right. Sudden fear washed over her as she realized he hadn't mentioned Sirius. Had he been captured? "Remus, what aren't you telling me?" She asked nervously.

He lowered his head. "You need to rest, Tonks, we can talk about it all later."

"Something happened to Sirius, didn't it?" Her voice shook.

He lifted his eyes to hers as a tear he couldn't control slid from his eye.

"No," she groaned, tears filling her own eyes. "No."

"Don't upset yourself more," he said quietly, sitting on the edge of her bed, taking her hand in his. "Calm down. You need to rest."

She dabbed at her eyes with the edge of her sheet, unable to stop the tears. "What happened?"

"We'll talk about this later."

"No, Remus, what happened? Who did it?"

He sighed, his shoulders slumped. "It was Bellatrix. He took over your duel after you were injured and they ended up in front of the dais. She…she hit him with a spell and sent him falling back through the veil."

Remus released the hand he held and she buried her face as the sobs ripped from deep inside her. He leaned closer, wrapping both arms around her in a comforting hug. Tonks leaned heavily against him, drawing strength from his closeness and comfort from his embrace.

He gently stroked her hair, waiting for her to calm herself.

"He was like a brother to me," she whispered, her cheek still resting against his shoulder.

"I know," he replied quietly, a tremor in his own voice.

She lifted her tear streaked face to his. "Yes, I suppose you do know. I miss him already."

He gently cupped her cheek, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. "So do I."

"How's Harry?"

"I haven't seen him. Dumbledore sent him directly to Hogwarts."

"He must be devastated," she whispered, another tear falling out of sympathy for the boy.

"I'm sure he is now, but he'll get through, we all will. If it was Sirius' time to go, he went the way he wanted to go, fitting the Death Eaters and supporting Harry."

"Do you suppose he's with James and Lily now?"

"I like to think so," he whispered.

"And the three of them are looking after Harry."

Remus smiled softly and she could very clearly read every emotion on his face. Her heart raced and her head throbbed with each heartbeat.

"What about you?" She asked quietly.

"What about me?"

Tonks leaned against him again, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her face into his throat. She felt him sigh before bringing his arms around her again, just holding her.

"I'll be fine," he whispered, ruffling her hair with his breath.