One Long Day

Chapter 25

"Remus… Remus. You need to read this."

Remus struggled to pull himself out of his deep slumber. It was dark, but warm, he remembered, he was at Tonks'. It was her hand on his shoulder, her voice that had woken him. "Hmm." For a moment he took in the pleasure of waking in a warm bed next to her. He turned and looked at Tonks, he could see her face was pale even in the dark. He pushed himself up on to his elbow, a sense of dread filling him. "What is it Dora?"

"Author Weasley was attacked tonight."

Remus sat bolt upright. In one shaky hand Tonks held a small piece of parchment, the other hand was holding her face as if she expected it to fall apart. He reached out and slipped the parchment from her hand. It was a letter written in a neat print.

Miss Tonks,

Unfortunately I must inform you that late last night Arthur Weasley was gravely injured while fulfilling his duty for the Order. He has now been moved to St. Mungo's where he has been stabilized.

The Weasley Family as well as Mr. Potter have been moved to the Headquarters. They are planning to visit Author this afternoon, if you are able accompany the Weasleys and Mr. Potter for this visit your help would be much appreciated. Please inform Alastor Moody if you are available.

Professor Minerva McGonagall

As Remus finished reading the letter, he could hear Tonks fumbling for a quill and parchment next to the bed. She popped up shortly after holding a scrappy piece of parchment and a self-inking quill. Hastily, she lent the parchment against the wall and scribbled a note to Mad Eye. Remus, squinting through the darkness, read it over her should.

Moody,

I can help this afternoon.

Tonks

Tonks turned and looked at Remus. "You can't get out of your plans?"

Remus thought about the old farmer who let him stay in the shack on his land for free, all he had to do was keep an eye on the sheep that grazed that far up the hill. How would he explain why he couldn't keep their plans to fix his shack up. "I really shouldn't, sorry, let them know wont you."

Tonks nodded and scribed once more on the parchment.

P.S. Remus is sorry that he is unable to help.

Tonks rolled up the note and attached it to Gaston's foot. As she opened the window so that the bird could fly out, another owl flew in. this owl landed in Remus lap and had a piece of parchment identical to Tonks' note from McGonagall. Remus took the note and the owl followed Gaston out the open window.

Remus opened the note. "Same as before, but addressed to me."

"I just can't believe it, I saw him just last night. I wonder what happened?"

"Well he's safe and that's what counts. I'm sure we'll hear the story. For now, lets just try and get a bit more sleep."

Remus shut the window and Tonks crawled back under the covers and shuffled up close to him. He looped his arm around her reassuringly. Neither of them could go back to sleep, but both lay there in each others silent company.

"We searched everywhere; the snake was well and truly gone by the time we got there."

"And the prophecy?"

"Still there. Nothing touched except for Arthur."

Tonks was eating her way through a stack of toast at Kingsley's house. Remus sat to her left, a cup of tea in hand, listening to Tonks ask her questions. He had learnt that it was easiest to let her talk then to interrupt.

"And you say it was Harry that sounded the alarm?" Remus asked when he was sure Tonks had run out of questions.

"Yes," Kingsley replied in his deep voice. "Apparently Harry dreamt it. I was still at the office and I got down there as soon as I heard. Emmeline wasn't tpo far behind me. It was Emmeline who got Arthur to St Mungo's, I stayed behind and searched the area."

The door bell sounded through the house. Kingsley excused himself to answer it.

"He dreamt it," Remus muttered to himself. He reached across and stole a piece of Tonks toast.

"Oi. That was mine," Tonks said with a smile.

"It was going to get cool," Remus said as he took a large bite.

"Oh really. Well you watch out, too many pieces of toast and you might put on some weight."

Kingsley re-entered the room with Mad-Eye in toe. Mad-Eye'\'s magical eye swiveled round the room, satisfied that no one was hiding in wait for him, he sat down, his eye came to a halt.

"Toast, Alastor?" Kinsley offered. "Tea? Pumpkin juice?"

"No. Can't be too careful." Mad- eye replied his eye began to once again scan the room.

Tonks looked suspiciously down at the toast she had only moments ago be all too happy to eat. Slowly she took a cautions bite. When nothing happened she shrugged and powered on through the last slice.

"Tonks," Mad-eye turned both eyes on to her, "now we'll go and pick up the Weasleys 2pm sharp. I expect to meet you there then. Sure you can't help Remus?"

Remus gave the small sad smile that Tonks adored so much. "My land lord really is so nice to give up his time for me today. I really can't throw it back in his face."

Tonks glanced at the clock hanging up on the kitchen wall, "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be getting on?"

Remus ran a hand over Tonks back, "Knew you would try to get rid of me."

"Oh!" Tonks looked shocked. "Never!"

Remus lent over and kissed her. "Right, I'll see you later tonight."

Tonks nodded and watched Remus pick up his cloak and head for the door. Mad-Eye's eye followed Remus as well.

"You watch yourself there Tonks, He is a werewolf." Mad-Eye warned.

"Rubbish, Alastor. Not many men better the Remus Lupin. You hold onto him, Tonks." Kingsley looked at Mad-Eye with a look of cautioning.

Remus Lupin stood outside his small stone shack on the side of a hill in the Yorkshire dales. Bits of heath could be seen here and there where the sheep had disturbed the snow. A low fog still crept across the ground even though the morning was almost half gone. Not far away a sheep barred. It sounded ghostly against the silence.

Not for the first time, Remus wondered what a muggle could do to the shack that he, a wizard, had not. Whatever it was he hoped that it worked. He could not keep imposing himself on Tonks, and there was no way he would last the winter with the shack in the sate that it was.

A low rumble broke his train of thought. Louder and louder the sound became. Soon the lights of Farmer Edwards truck came into sight. He pulled up next to where Remus stood.

Edwards got out of the Truck. He was a tall man, skinny, with a lined weathered face. He was an older man, yet he walked over to Remus with the energy of a man much younger.

"Couldn't help but think of you last night. Bitter cold it was. Sooner we get this place a bit warmer for you the better, aye?" Edwards spoke with a thick dales accent and Remus had to listen hard to understand him.

"Yes," Remus said, "And I really have no idea about home repairs, so thank so much for helping."

He shook his head, "I've never got, Lad. You and your posh accent. You sound well educated to me. What are you doing on my farm?"

Remus laughed nervously, "Sometimes one just needs a safe place to hide; to be free."

"Oh Lad, don't you know if you're hiding, you're free." Edwards old eyes priced Remus'. "Any roads, let's get work."

With out warning Edwards turned and walked to the back of his truck. Remus followed after him.

"What I thought, lad, was we'd start by patching the holes in the walls with some cement." Edwards pointed out the large white sack, that Remus could only describe as heavy looking. "Then this afternoon, we'll get in to that there roof and roll out some of this insulation."

"Right, well what can I do first?" Remus asked pulling the sleeves up on his jumper.

"Believe it or not, I'm not as young as I look, so if you want to jump up on the truck there and help me lift the cement bag out."

Remus pulled himself up on to the truck and began what was looking like a day of hard work.

"That is one truly awesome hat." Tonks was standing in the Hallway of number Twelve. Mad-Eye stood next her with a bowler hat sloped over his magical eye. Even as Tonks spoke more Weasley's poured down the stairwell to meet them.

"As long as it's not green…" said Fred.

"….like Fudges?" added George.

Ginny giggled, "Oh, you're all crazy it looks ridiculous."

"Well he can't walk through London with that eye scaring the muggles half to death," Molly said slipping on a jacket.

"Yeah, well, he's plenty scary without the eye, if you ask me," Tonks pointed out.

Mad-Eye only grunted.

"I think were all here - Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Harry. Yes all here. Ready when you are Alastor."

On the way through London, Tonks asked Harry about his dream. It really was odd and Tonks wanted something to tell Remus later. Unfortunately Tonks found that Harry really wasn't as receptive of her thousands of questions as he usually was.

No one tried to attack them on there way to St Mungo's, and on there arrival Tonks giggled to herself as she watched Harry's eyes widen with amazement. They walked through the hospital with little fuss. The family went in to their father first and Tonks and Mad-Eye waited outside the ward.

When the group of teenagers remerged, Tonks and Mad-Eye walked into the ward. Mad-Eye closed the door behind them. Briefly Tonks glanced at the man in the bed opposite Arthur. The cart on the end of his read 'Werewolf bite'. She resisted the urge to run over and tell him that every thing was going to be alright.

After a brief run down of events with Arthur that where on there way back to number twelve before Tonks knew it. Tonks noticed that Harry looked even more approachable then before the visit. She wasn't the only on to notice the Weasley children all kept shooting Harry nervous glances.

Remus arrived at the Headquarters just after dark. He was still damp, from sweet or the general misty weather he wasn't quite sure. Quietly he made his way down to the kitchen.

In the kitchen Molly was hard at work over the stove. Sirius was helping slice and dice. Mad-Eye sat with a guard roster in front of him reassigning Arthur's shifts. Tonks sat alone flicking through one of Molly's Which Weeklys.

Remus went over and gave one of her pink locks a light tug. "Good evening."

"Wotcher." Tonks closed the Magazine. "You look bugged. Old Farmer Eddie or whatever his name is, get you working hard?"

Remus nodded wearily, "Got a hole in my jumper as well."

Remus lifted his arm up so Tonks could see the tear that ran from his elbow almost to his cuff. Tenderly Tonks ran her fingers over the hole. Slowly her eyes came to the colored strips around the cuff. The faded gold and red were unmistakable. "Remus Lupin, is this your old school jumper?"

Remus jerked his arm away from Tonks. "Some people don't have the money to spend on cloths all the time." He snapped.

"I didn't mean it like that." Tonks looked at Remus with distaste, "Just because your tired doesn't mean you can snap at me."

"I didn't snap." Remus shot back. "And I'm not grumpy."

"Uh ha. Right. No not moody or grumpy at all," Tonks said sarcastically.

"And what are you getting at?" Remus struggled to keep his voice down.

"Oh, you're impossible when your moody. And as far as I know it wasn't a full moon last night, so what's your excuse? Feeling older today or is it poorer or then again is it the dangerous werewolf thing? Because I've lost track of where were up to in this conversation." Tonks looked away from Remus and noticed that the other occupants of the room where now all looking at the two of them.

Remus sat staring at the wall across from him. "Been holding that one in for a while then?"

"Yes I have." Tonks sat grumpily for a moment. Then her eyes travelled back to Remus. He was thinking she could tell. She watched as he went to talk several times but stopped before he made any sound. "Are you actually thinking about answering my question?"

Remus nodded. "Yes, but not in a room full of people."

Tonks reached out for Remus hand, pulled it away. "I don't care about the jumper. Or your lack of money. What I care about is the man inside the jumper. And if I didn't know that you could mend your jumper far better then me, then I'd be demanding that you gave it to me to fix immediately."

Remus looked sideways at Tonks. "I'm sorry I snapped." He whispered.

Tonks smiled, "Now loud enough for the rest of the room to hear, since they hear the argument."

"Oh, you really are insistent," Remus moaned, but with a smile on his face.

"But that's why you love me," Tonks said as she rested her head on his arm. "Isn't it?"

"One of the many." Remus bent his head and kissed her on the forehead.

"You two are disgusting." Sirius shook his head at the two of them.

"Sickening." Growled Mad-Eye.

"Oh, shut up the both of you it's lovely," Molly said holding back a small choke of emotion.

Eager to change the subject Remus asked about Harry. "So do we know why Harry was dreaming what he was dreaming?"

Moody looked up from his work. "He saw it happen through the eyes of the snake. If you ask me You-Know-Who's possessing him somehow."

"We don't know that for sure," Sirius jumped in.

"Whatever happened it was enough to get Dumbledore worried," Molly said as she took the cut vegetables from Sirius and added them to the stew.

"If Dumbledore's worried then it could be something as bad as possession." Remus said looking apolitically at Sirius.

Sirius stabbed the knife in hand into the table. "That doesn't matter. Harry doesn't nee to be worrying about. Dumbledore will think of a solution, and that will be the end of it."

Realizing the end of the conversation, Mad-Eye passed the amended roster over to Tonks and Remus. "Give that a look over; tell me if you can't do any of the dates."

Remus looked down at the parchment. Glad that Christmas was just around the corner, hopefully that would bring a bit more joy for the residents of number twelve.

A/N:

Hey guys, bit of a longer chapter for you all. Hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you thought?

Oh and how terrible was it that the Remus/Tonks story was left out of HP&HBP, very sad. At least the rest of the film was brilliant.