A week after the death of Dumbledore, Remus found himself basking in the sunlight beside a Scottish lake. He'd always loved the outdoors. And he'd never worked out why that always surprised people about him. He was well aware that as a teenager he'd had a tiny bit of a reputation as a bookworm, but in his adult years he hadn't and people were still surprised that he enjoyed the outdoors somehow.

This was proved by Tonks' reaction to his choice of location.

"I didn't think you'd be much into the outdoors!" she said, almost right on cue when they'd arrived.

"Why do people always say that?" he asked her. He kept his tone playful, rather than accusing. He knew he hadn't always been the nicest to her, he didn't want to come across pushy.

"Because, I dunno, you're Remus and Sirius said you were into books at school. I've never heard you talk about liking the outdoors. You complained of the cold on so many watch duties."

"I don't like sitting around in the cold, no. Nobody likes that."

"I think the real reason people always say things like that is because you don't tell people much about yourself," she said. "You tell a lot of stories about things you and your friends got up to at school, but they're mostly about what Sirius and James and Peter did. Sirius told the ones about you. And these little facts, your likes and dislikes and hopes and dreams, you don't tell anyone."

"I used to tell Sirius, and James, and Peter. They went, and I think I lost the habit of sharing."

That was the best assessment he had of what had happened, anyway. She was right. He didn't tell people much about himself. He'd found it easier that way. Sharing with her, well, it was hard. Even now, a large part of his brain was shouting at him to shut up, to stop talking and to run away. He ignored it. Years of hiding away and avoiding becoming close to people had not made him happy, and he was going to give this being happy thing a go. Even if part of him still felt like he didn't deserve it.

"So what do we do here?" she asked. She'd noticed him disappearing into his thought process and decided to snap him out of it. This woman was perceptive.

"We look at the view. We walk. We find a nice pub and share a glass of beer or something."

"I snog you senseless under that tree?"

He looked at her, and the tree, and back to her. Her face was playful, eyes glistening in the sunshine. He did want to kiss her, but he also had big plans for today and if he didn't get moving now he was likely to back out.

"Maybe after the walking part," he said. "If we go round the other side of this lake, there's a wizarding tavern over there. We could get lunch."

"How do you know this area so well?" she asked as they set off. Remus was leading them down a footpath that skimmed the waters edge.

"Used to come here on holiday with my parents," he said. "Mum is, was, a Muggle. We needed Muggle friendly holidays, so we stayed at a Muggle campsite just over there. Dad didn't like to be too far from some wizarding civilisation, so me and him could go for meals at the tavern or visit some of the wizarding attractions in the area."

"We went on a wholly Muggle holiday once," said Tonks as she navigated around a bush that was straying onto the footpath. "Something of a nostalgia trip for Dad. He's Muggleborn. Mum hated it. Said it was the worst holiday ever and she Apparated home after two nights. I didn't think it was so bad. You'd never have got her camping at all."

"We didn't have much money," Remus said. "It was usually camping or nothing."

"See, I always wanted to go camping. My Muggle cousins went. Sounded amazing. All that running around, making friends with the other kids on the campsite, getting into adventures, being free."

"I wasn't allowed to make friends with the other kids, in case I let something slip."

He heard her stop on the path behind him and turned around to look at her. She looked startled.

"What is it?" he asked, rushing back to her. "Did something get you? That bush?"

"No," she said, confused. "It's just… you. I didn't realise you weren't allowed friends as a kid. That's really sad. I just want to go find tiny Remus and sweep him up and say that everything's going to be alright."

"He wouldn't have believed you," said Remus. He gave her a hug, in some vague attempt to squash the sadness out of her or maybe just stop her looking at him in that way that pitied him. "Tiny Remus was sure things were not going to be okay. And a lot of the time he was proved correct."

"Bet he was adorable though."

"I was. There's pictures."

"Do you reckon your dad would show them to me?" she said, pulling out of the hug. There was a small tear on her cheek. Remus reached up to brush it away.

"Not happening," he said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Aww, I so want to see tiny Remus," she said. Her nose wrinkled. "This is a bit ridiculous isn't it. You're comforting me because of how rubbish your childhood was."

"I accepted it some years ago," he said. "Most of us with childhood trauma do." He thought of Sirius, who never really had.

"See," she said, growing herself a few inches to look him square in the eyes. That was going to take some getting used to. "I don't think you did. Without wanting to play therapist, I think your childhood of not belonging has led to a whole lot of issues. Some massive inferiority complex for starters, and a real knack for hiding your true self from other people. Essentially you don't trust anyone else and you don't think they'll like you. But you like them, and you want friends. More I think about it, more I think you need a psychologist."

"Wizards don't have psychologists," said Remus, knowing he was dodging her main point. "We prefer to wallow."

"Maybe they should," she said. "Dad's sister is one. She used to give me good advice."

"Shall we keep walking?" he asked. "I've got somewhere I want to show you."

"Okay," she said. "But don't think you're getting out of this. We're going to play a game. I know enough about you to know I love you, you're kind hearted, brave, selfless and even a little bit funny. But I don't know any of the little things. So you're going to tell me one happy secret about you, a fact I don't already know, and I'll do the same for you. So go, Mr Lupin."

"Alright," he said, as they started off again following the path as it curved around the lake and up a slight slope. "My dad taught me at home as a kid, and when I was nine I won a Muggle children's art competition."

"What did you paint?"

"A landscape of the Irish hills. We were living there at the time. Your turn."

They played Tonks' game as they climbed the slope, going higher and higher above the calm lake. They passed one other couple going the other way and traded greetings. Tonks stumbled over tree roots twice. They laughed and joked with one another, and Remus started to feel relaxed. He didn't want this walk to end. It was like being a normal wizard, on a date with his normal witch, without a war waiting for both of them again at the end of the day.

The trees had grown thicker as they climbed and they lost their view of the lake for a few moments. Remus wondered if he'd remembered his way correctly. The path turned a corner and the trees opened out, revealing a perfect clearing with a truly impressive vista of lake, trees and hills.

"Wow," Tonks breathed from beside him as she took in the view. "This place is amazing!"

He led her over to a roughly hewn wooden bench placed at the edge of the clearing, so as to give those sitting on it the best possible viewing space. He indicated to her to sit, and took a seat beside her.

"Tonks?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"I don't have much experience with being someone's boyfriend, you know. We discussed that before. But I want to tell you again just what being in a relationship with me is going to entail for you."

"Remus, come on, I know your doom and gloom. Don't spoil this day. I'm having fun!"

"No, I need to say this now. I need to know you understand. I'm not going to try and persuade you to end this, and I'm not ending things with you. I've never loved anyone before, but I don't doubt I love you. I think losing you now would be worse than never having had you, and that made me feel like I wanted to throw something every time I thought of you and what I was missing out on.

Tonks, I can't promise you money or anything like that. You'll probably have to earn most of the money for us, forever. I can't promise that I'll be an easy partner. I hate an intrinsic part of myself with a passion equal only to that with which most of us in the Order hate Voldemort and his followers. I will be down a lot of the time. I will try and tear myself apart from time to time, physically and mentally. I won't be kind to myself, and I won't always be kind to you either. I'll apologise every time, and I promise I'll genuinely mean it, but it will most likely happen.

I can promise I'll never hurt you physically, though. I'll stay as far away from you as I can on a full moon. I'll protect you from anyone else who'd want to hurt you if you want me to. I'll also stay well back and let you protect yourself when you don't want me to. I know you're not a woman who needs saving.

I won't want children. I'm not going to be much good for showing off to friends and family. I'm a lot older than you, and I don't look good. People will likely shun you when they find out about our relationship. Probably not the others in the Order, but your friends from school and work might not want to know you any more. But for what I am, I'm yours. But I need to know you understand my downsides and you can live with this life that I'll be throwing you into."

"Remus, what is all of this? You know I love you, and I know everything you just said already. Seriously. You never stop bloody going on about how shit you are, and I never believe you. A lesser witch would have run away screaming by now, I hope you know that. Remus?"

He slipped off the bench onto the grass, fumbling in the pocket of his robes. Even before a full moon, before running down to confront Sirius in the Shrieking Shack three years ago, before his first day at Hogwarts, before any battle, he'd not been this nervous. He thought he might be sick on her boots. That would spoil the moment. Oh Merlin on a broomstick. Was he actually going to do this?

Remus Lupin, werewolf, pulled a ring box out of his pocket, opened it up, and held it out to his normal, non-werewolf, girlfriend. Well, probably girlfriend. They'd never established that. Maybe they should have before he did this.

"Nymphadora Tonks, will you marry me?"

Her answer was a shriek of joy. She half leapt, half fell off the bench and wrapped her arms around him, almost knocking the ring box out of his hand. He grabbed onto it as she kissed him.

"Hang on," he said, pushing her up so he could get the stone out from under his back. "Don't you want to try on the ring? If you don't like it you don't have to use it, but…"

She'd grabbed the ring box from him and was trying on the ring before he had finished his sentence. It fit perfectly. The ring was gold with a central stone of a ruby, circled with smaller white stones.

"It's not new," he said as she held it up to the light. "It was my mothers. Didn't know my dad had hung onto it all these years, asked on an off chance really. Couldn't afford one new."

"It's perfect," she said. "Bit Gryffindor, but I love it. I can't wait to tell Mum and Dad! When were you thinking of getting married? I don't want a big do. Unless you do? We can have a big do if you want one?"

"Actually," he said, with a nervous smile, "I was thinking about right now. I've arranged for an officiant, and we can get some witnesses from the tavern, or Floo for your parents, or whatever you want. I can cancel it, though?"

"You're something else, you know that?" she shrieked, playfully hitting him on the arm possibly slightly harder than she intended to. "You go from refusing to have anything to do with me to setting up a wedding in a week and a half! I have no idea how to react to this!" He thought she was saying something else, but her voice had turned into a slightly strangled scream and he couldn't make out the individual words.

"It's okay," he said, "I'll cancel it."

"No, you absolute idiot! You massive buffoon! I want to marry you now, I'm just saying that the way you act could be seen as confusing to an outside observer."

Perhaps she had a point.

"I wouldn't argue with me too much," he said. "I might run away again. I still only sometimes believe I deserve this, deserve you."

"Of course you do," she said, taking his hand. "Everyone deserves happiness, even if they're a bit too hairy at certain times of the month."

"Even if they're a big bad Auror who turns into a screechy girl at the slightest hint of romance."

They walked down the hill together. At the bottom, the officiant Remus had booked was just arriving. He dashed into the tavern to find them a pair of witnesses to sign the register, while Tonks dealt with some of the more aesthetic concerns. She found some flowers to make a bouquet ("I was never one to fantasise about weddings, but I do want flowers," she said), persuaded a wizard she'd found taking photographs of his family by the lake to take a wedding photo ("I want at least one photo to remember this day by," she said) and spent no small amount of time changing the length and colour of her hair in front of a mirror ("it's a big decision, when you've got my skills!"). Finally, they were ready.

They stood at the end of a makeshift aisle through some bushes together. It was not a traditional wedding, nor were they a traditional couple, so they had decided to walk down together. She plucked a flower from her bouquet and fixed it to his jacket with a wave of her wand.

"Ready?" she asked him. "Last chance to run."

"I wouldn't want to for a minute," he said. "Are you sure you're happy to do it like this?"

"Yes," she said. "Weddings are a bit of a farce, really. All those fancy clothes are uncomfortable. You're permanently tatty, and to stick you in a fancy suit just wouldn't be right."

"I can scrub up if I want to!" he said, but his moment of outrage was over when he saw her almost doubled-up laughing it his cross face.

"Let's do this," she said, when she'd calmed down.

They turned and walked together down the little path between the bushes. The officiant was at the end waiting, and said a few words. Remus wasn't really listening. He was looking at his wife, taking in every inch of her face and watching her smile as she listened to their ceremony.

The vows were short, promising to love each other and support each other. As they exchanged rings, again that Remus had been given by his father, he felt as though someone had cast a Hover Charm on him. He was practically floating with happiness. This wasn't something he ever thought he would do, but he was so incredibly happy that he had.

Tonks dashed into the tavern afterwards, to see if they had a room for the night. She'd decided it was only fitting. Remus followed her slowly, twisting his new wedding ring around his finger. It felt odd, although not uncomfortable. The wizard who'd taken the photograph offered to buy him a drink, and he was sucked into a crowd of well-wishers plying him with mead and Firewhisky before long. Tonks joined the crowd shortly after, waving a room key happily to him as she came in.

She looked in her element. With her hair pink and short, which she'd decided on after twenty other styles had been tried, and her old denim jacket, she looked like no other bride he'd ever seen. But then he looked like no other groom. Except for the look of sheer happiness on her face, lighting her eyes and magnifying her smile, which he could feel was mirrored on his own. They might not be normal, but they were right together.

A very small part of him was niggling away saying he shouldn't have done this. The larger part, and the sight of his wife clutching his arm and smiling, pushed the thoughts of that away. He should have done this ages ago. She had the right to this, even if he didn't, and he'd be damned if he'd let his wife be unhappy.

His wife. Oh Merlin. He, Remus John Lupin, had a wife. A wife!

"To Mr and Mrs Lupin!" shouted the barman, passing out the drinks.

"Fuck off is it!" shouted Tonks. "I might have agreed to marry the man, but I'm not taking his name! The happy couple, Mr and Mrs Tonks!"

Remus laughed, and so did the rest of the crowd around the bar.

"Mr Lupin and Mrs Tonks," he said, "and call it quits."

"To the happy couple!" tried the barman again, and this time everyone cheered and drank.