A/N: Wotcher, guys! Here is my special thanks to all the ones that take their time to review my story, it means so much! And please, please, would leave what you thought in the box down there? ;) And I assure you I'll post the next as soon as I can. :)

And Amelysse, your Tumblr adress was eaten by the ff . net, but I'd really rather if you left me your email, it would make everything easier for me since I don't log on Tumblr everyday and try to put it with spaces between the words like that so the site won't eat it. :)

CHAPTER 25: Between The Two Of Us

Nymphadora Tonks was not one to take no as an answer. Especially when she thought that whoever was saying it, should not be saying it. And that was precisely the case on that evening, Remus had denied more than once her invitation to go out and have one nice night chatting and having a few drinks to thank him for saving her life and taking care of her when he surely could be doing something that interested him more than a wounded Auror.

With the tip of her wand, she touched the door of the Grimmauld Place number twelve and waited for a minute until all the magical locks had unlocked and she let herself in. She did not even bother to take her layers of clothes off for she did not plan on staying for too long. Therefore instead of putting another coat upon the hanger, she took one. A shabby-looking one, worn in several places just like her favourite clothes that looked like as though she had been living in them for years; along with the coat, she got the equally tattered scarf and headed upstairs.

Reaching the second floor, she stopped at the third door on the right, the one that had become so familiar to her, and knocked thrice before saying "Remus, it's me!"

Remus frowned inside the room, having forgotten for a moment why Tonks had suddenly came and gradually his mind remembered how unbending was her position on taking him out to a few drinks the night before.

"You ready to go?" asked Tonks with a mischievous grin the instant his head appeared in the opening of the door.

"Where?" Remus pretended not to remember, but in seeing her glare, he added immediately. "Tonks, I mean it. We don't have to ... Why don't we stay here for the night?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, entering his room without being invited and hiding the garments behind her body.

"Because you already stay here far too much," she reasoned. "You need to get out, some fresh air, you know."

"I spent the whole night out yesterday," he pointed out. "Moreover it's brass monkeys out there ―"

"Am I such a bad company?" She furrowed her brows, faking a hurt expression and rolled her eyes before he had a chance to answer her. "Quit the lame excuses, com'on!" She threw his coat and scarf on the bed and grinned. "It'll be hot inside the pub, but you'll need to warm up 'til we get there."

Remus was thrown aback for a moment. Had she really dared to assume that he would agree to go with her if she blackmailed him with his clothes? However, staring at the ragged garment, he realised he could not say no to her. Mad-Eye had been right, she had the strongest determination he had ever seen and she would not back away, he could even imagine her knocking all night long on his door still trying to convince him to come with her and that image equally pleased him greatly and annoyed him.

Tonks could see his resolution shattering when he sighed and smiled amused at her and she returned it, gladly to perceive the bright twinkle in his eyes that indicated to her that he wanted to go with her above everything, he was not simply going because she had insisted, he wanted to and that realisation brought her an indescribable joy.

"Fine."

He got the coat from the bed, still with a small, but nonetheless amused grin at her whilst putting an arm inside it and she grinned back at him. Her eyes lingering upon his lips for a longer instant, he undeniably had a beautiful smile.

"Meet me downstairs," she asked and rapidly climbed another flight of stairs, reaching her cousin's closed room and knocked. "Sirius?"

"Yeah?" came his voice from inside.

"Remus and I are going out, d'you need anything?"

"Where you going?"

She could almost see him frown through the wooden door and hesitated.

"Three Broomsticks."

"Um." The discontent was clear in his tone and in the following sentence, the coldness was as well. "No, thanks."

"'Kay," she bit her lower lip for a second. "Bye."

After a moment without hearing any answer, she started to walk away.

At the ground floor, Remus already awaited her. He had tucked his hands inside gloves, the scarf was well tight around his neck and his coat buttoned right up to the last one.

"Shall we?" he asked, showing the way with his open palm.

"Sure."

The wind was cold upon the exposed skin of their faces when he opened the door and immediately she pocketed her hands. They pulled their arms closer to their body, trying to protect themselves against the cold whilst they walked to the alley nearby. Although, they doubted that someone would be paying attention to two people outside on such cold weather, let alone hear the loud pop their apparition made, but they could not take any risks. The last thing they needed was the Ministry of Magic looking for infringers of the Statute of Secrecy in the street in which the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix was located.

The Hogsmeade village was empty save for a group of wizards chatting nearby the Zonko's Joke Shop. Remus and Tonks entered the Three Broomsticks and were glad to realise that the pub was somewhat less empty; its only occupants were three young wizards sitting near the fireplace, two witches by the counter and an old guy on the table on the corner. They cheerfully welcomed the warmth of the inside and whilst they took off a layer of clothes, they did not perceive the slight grimace that appeared on Madam Rosmerta's face and her hesitation on coming to talk to them.

"So, what's gonna be?" she asked with a remarkably good fake smile as they chose a table on the centre of the pub to sit.

"A shot of Firewhisky. Um, you?" Tonks looked at Remus who gazed back at her clearly surprise for her choice.

"Just a butterbeer. Thank you," he addressed to Rosmerta before she left to fetch the drinks.

Remus continued to look at her with curiosity.

"What?" she asked with a phony innocence. "Just wanna warm up. You know there's nothing better." She winked.

"Most likely not," he agreed.

"So, tell me," she put her elbows upon the table, leaning closer to him, "since when have you been saving girls?" she grinned, watching as he vacillated.

"Um. Well, I ― I haven't done that a lot..."

"Rubbish!" She shook her head. "Bet you were quite the hero the other time around."

Remus inhaled deeply, looking down to the table and smiling slightly. A werewolf ... being a hero?

"That role doesn't really suit me."

"But why not?" she questioned as Madam Rosmerta approached with their drinks.

"Thank you," he addressed to the pub's owner wondering if he had indeed seen the falseness in her smile, but honestly, what did he expect? "I'm ... just ... Sirius is that kind of man, he's the one meant for this life, you know."

Tonks sipped on her drink, feeling her throat warming up immediately.

"Can imagine," she grinned, resting her glass upon the table. "Bragging about every time he put his life on the line, right?"

Remus nodded, bringing the bottle to his lips and swallowed the warm beer.

"James as well, until Lily threatened to hex him if he didn't stop, so he did. Not that she gave him much of a choice there," he chuckled along with her.

Tonks drank the rest of her Firewhisky and rose Remus's bottle to the counter, indicating Rosmerta to bring her a butterbeer.

"I know he doesn't seem like now," Remus let his gaze travel through the pub, "but Sirius was ... a ladies' man back then, ever since Hogwarts. He always had one girl with him, or two." He looked back at her when she thanked Rosmerta for her drink.

"Willing to share?" asked Tonks with a smirk.

Remus lowered his eyes to the table once more, feeling somewhat bashful.

"Sometimes," he lifted up his gaze to meet hers. "Not really." He drew in a breath and looking at her, he finally admitted, "Rarely."

Tonks giggled, glad that she had chosen to not sip on her butterbeer at that moment, and at the same time pleased, unsure of why she did not like the idea of Remus dating girls back then.

"Possessive of them, was he?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Didn't he fancy any of them to stay for a bit longer than a shag?" enquired Tonks with a grin.

A small smirk played on the corner of his lips whilst he shook his head lightly.

"James used to say that he fancied equally anyone who sat while peeing." He chuckled as she laughed.

Gradually, however, Tonks felt something in him change. For a moment, she stared at him as he golden eyes were lost somewhere behind her; frowning he seemed distant. All too similar from the couple of times she had seen him ― felt him so far from her despite being just across the table, when he had told her he was a lycanthrope and the day after she had kissed his cheek. She wondered if he would close himself from any further contact once more, if he would lock himself in his private world, build up his barriers and put up an extremely convincing mask in order to let whoever was with him feeling as though things were exactly as they should be.

"...Remus?"

He remained in deep thought for a while longer and she had an urge to reach out for his hand and ... and ... and what? Let him know that she was there with him? Well, that was for sure beyond stupid, she had brought him there. Assure him that it would all be all right? She did not even know what was going through his mind at that moment. If he was simply missing James and Lily once again and if that was the case, how could she tell him that everything would be all right if they were both dead? In a heartbeat, her mind went through millions of possibilities, the worst and most terrifying of all being the one in which she wondered if he did not want to be there with her anymore, maybe she was the problem, maybe she had indeed pushed him over the edge on bringing him, he had said countless times that he did not want to go. Why did she have to force that situation upon him? Although, deep inside she tried to convince herself that that was a daft thought, that she had nothing to do with the way he was feeling, but as the silence grew longer, it became more and more difficult to be sure of it and find a way to lure him out of the torpor he seemed to be in for she needed him to say something, open up, just like he had done almost a week before.

Finally, he sighed and moved his eyes to his hands upon the table, utterly oblivious to the apprehensive state she was in.

"It's just that― I'm worried about him," he murmured. "Every day he's getting tired and tired of it ... Getting more ... temperamental. Whatever is in his mind is ... unforeseeable." What had happened on Halloween was the proof, he should not be kept locked up in that house, no one knew exactly what he was capable of. Remus continued to stare downwards, as if he had to choose carefully every word he would say. "I wouldn't be surprised if he acted like a berk."

Grinning, Tonks stopped mid-way on bringing the bottle to her lips.

"Berk for Sirius, right?"

She chuckled, putting the butterbeer down whilst Remus sipped on his own.

With a half-smile, he took the bottle from his mouth and gazed at her eyes for an instant and she could see concern clearly in his.

As the bottle of butterbeer became incredibly interesting to him, Tonks fought to find a way to bring him back. Perhaps apologise for having mocked even though she had not meant to, she wanted him to open up for her and it seemed as though she had just pushed him away even more.

"Probably 'risky and reckless' is a better wording," he pointed out. "Sirius is actually a very clever man."

Tonks narrowed her eyes for a brief second. It amused her how Remus could dwell for so long over his choice of words, she was sure she would never have the patience to do so.

"See, we're best friends, I've known him for years." Remus seemed more excited about his say, but it was almost as though he barely acknowledged her. "Even after twelve years … He hasn't changed at all. Sometimes I wonder if― It's like he's stopped in time. He's not … He's jealous of me, of you, of the whole Order. He doesn't want to, but it's just who he is."

She frowned. She did not know much about Remus's life, but as far as she knew, he was not doing anything apart from the Order and that meant only a few shifts a week watching the Prophecy at the Ministry. Sure she did not think of her life as boring, but it had not been the most exciting one either. Her beloved work had not been the same for months, the only real mission she had received from the Order had failed because of her and she barely had time for her friends. It did not seem to have a reason for Sirius to be jealous of either of them.

"Mind you, we're getting just the things he wants," he began, but paused for another long moment in order to cull the best way of saying it. "I trust you remember him from before, don't you? So, add this to your image: disowned heir of a wealth, traditional family, member of the Order of the Phoenix, risking his life at any chance and new scars every week, keen to tell another war story. Not to mention the women..."

It appeared that he had at last realised her presence before him and looked at her; by the way his cheeks had reddened slightly, Tonks realised that to be the reason for him to have finally looked at her properly.

"Gagging for it?" she offered, taking the opportunity to try and show him that she was indeed there, even if it was by saying a simple euphemism for a sexual activity. "Doing the business all night. Cockteasers, I bet."

"Not quite the wording I'd have used for a lady's ear," his lips curled upwards in a small smile, "but yes, that is the idea."

Lady? Tonks could barely believe what she had just heard. When was the last time someone had called her a lady? Well, Mad-Eye was forever calling her a young lady, but she did not suppose it counted and neither did her professors at Hogwarts. Just like Remus had done, though, a bloke referring to her as a real lady. In fact, she could not recall, probably had never really happened. Inside the Auror office, they simple refer at one another by their surnames, no one there had ever really called her a lady. It had certainly caught her by surprise and she nearly missed the continuity of his say.

"Apart from … that last part, I'd say we've got it all," he reaffirmed. "We're both receiving missions, assignments, putting our lives at risk, coming back wounded, ostracised by society one way or another…"

Whereas his mind was sure that being the daughter of a Black in exile was nothing compared to being a werewolf in the world they lived in, hers wondered how cultured he must have been to be aware of the things Metamorphmagi had to go through every once in a while. Her first impulse was to make a comment on how she understood, she realised she did not want to talk about it, not when he was so open before her; she wanted him to let her know everything that was going through his mind then.

"And he forces himself to close his eyes and not see it everyday. Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be better to leave him by himself … But then again Sirius is not the best bloke to be bored."

Biting her lip, she furrowed her brows. Talking about her cousin was not exactly what she had in mind when she first invited him to have a few drinks. However, now that they had gone down that road, she could not wish for anything else. Somehow, the way Remus had opened up for her was addictive and she did not want it to end any time soon.

"Yeah, but, Remus? Look..." She got a hold of her bottle, analysing it for an instant and wondering if she should really say what she had in mind, but seeing the obvious flaw in his supposition, she could not let it pass and she looked up to him. "Si―"

"Padfoot," he corrected her smiling.

"Right … Sorry."

She shook her head. How could she have forgotten that they were not at the Headquarters anymore? Whatever they said there could have been heard by someone and reported directly to Voldemort. And suddenly, it was all too clear for her, why he had taken such long moments between sentences, why he had thought so deeply on how he was going to speak his mind. One step ahead of her, he always seemed to be. Although, she doubted the secrecy was the sole responsible for it, the way Remus seemed so lost in thought indicated that there was much more behind and she found herself keen to unravel his mysteries.

"He was in Azkaban for twelve years, right? And he learnt to occupy himself. Had to. And he did incredibly well. Everyone always said how it did not affect him the way it affected the others. And he has us, Remus. We won't let him get bored. He's got all of us to entertain him," she reminded him.

Remus took his time to drink the last gulp of his butterbeer and sighed. Tonks took the opportunity to order Rosmerta a refill for both their drinks and watched him chew his bottom lip in a way that made her want to look at him for the whole eternity; for some reason, that simple action made him look very, very well.

"That would only shut him up, force him to stay quiet in his domestic prison," he brought forth. "I am sure that you understand this more than the average person, you and he are alike in many ways, personality-wise being the most prominent for me. He's not that kind of man. He needs to fight. He needs to be in the frontline." He ran his hand over his face. "Furthermore, there's Severus, reminding him of it every chance he's got." Remus sighed once again. "Don't let him know I told you all this, please. Do keep it between the two of us, will you?"

Tonks swallowed hard, nodding. She had never spared a deeper thought on how Sirius was indeed feeling locked up in the house he despised the most. She had never considered comparing how he had felt and acted back in the First War with how he was now. Thanks to Remus, it was clear for her now that it was simply a matter of time to when her cousin would do something dangerous and impulsive as Remus had put. And even though, she wanted to see Sirius free from that prison, she did not wish to see him setting himself free whenever the urge to leave became stronger than his sense of need to stay. She needed to do something, anything that could help him see that it was a transitory state, that they would catch Pettigrew sooner or later and he would finally be free.

"But it's temporary, right?" she noted once Rosmerta had left their drinks upon their table and taken the empty bottles. "If we could only make him see…"

"It certainly is temporary," he agreed. "We simply lack the knowledge of until when it will remain so. It could easily last for years since it does not seem likely for Pettigrew to show himself or–" He lowered his voice to pronounce the following word. "Voldemort to come out of the shadows any time soon."

Tonks sighed. He was right. Again. If everything went accordingly the Dark Lord's plans, he would only leave once it was safe, with a fallen Ministry and having the Wizarding Community in his hands, Pettigrew would definitely follow the same path. But of course not everything would go the way Voldemort wanted them to, the Order existed with the prime mission of not allowing that to happen. They had to find a way to get them before. Well, of course she had no hope of getting the Dark Lord himself; Pettigrew, however…

"What if" she began smiling, unable to contain all the excitement that started to fill her, "we managed to arrest Pettigrew?"

Remus's lips curled in what seemed to her to be an incredulous smile.

"And how do you propose that we do that, exactly?"

"Plant ourselves outside the Malf – their headquarters," Tonks shrugged, "wait till he leaves and when he does, you help me do my job." She grinned, pulling her Auror badge from her inner robes and putting it back.

"Tonks, that's barking!" he exclaimed. "We'd need–"

"Great disguises, yeah. Think we can manage it, though. Must be somewhere around the house we can hide."

Remus could barely believe what she was suggesting. That was most likely the riskiest mission a member of the Order of the Phoenix could be assigned with and she was simply asking if he would like to go along with her.

"But we don't have enough free time to be there!" he argued. "He could easily leave whilst we were not there."

"We'll use all time we have then," she replied. "And hope for the best."

He sucked in a breath to question her if she really thought that it was worth the risk, but let it out when he was reminded that they would be doing it for Sirius. His best friend that had risked so much for him when they were younger, he owned him that, it was more than worth the risk. Of course Sirius was far from being a perfect man, but he was a great one nonetheless.

"Fine." He sighed, looking around the pub that had precisely the same occupants from when they first entered. "We shouldn't talk about it here, though…"

"Course," agreed Tonks, searching for her bag and getting a golden coin before leaving it upon the table. "Come on!" She stood up and started to walk towards the door.

Remus followed her closely and they donned their coats before going out the door. He was unsure of what exactly had been the effect of mixing two kinds of alcoholic drinks on her so, not wanting her to splinch herself, he took her hand and vanished both of them into thin air the next instant and reappeared inside the usual deserted alley. Upon entering the Grimmauld Place, they headed straight to the drawing-room and got as comfortable as one could be sitting upon those threadbare cushions.

"Do you know their address?" she questioned and seeing him shake his head, she added, "I'll find it at the Ministry, can't be hard."

"You can ask Arthur," he said. "If I'm not mistaken, he's been there as well and it would be safer than illegally going through Ministry files, moreover we would not need to talk with Snape."

"Great idea."

A half-smile appeared upon her lips and he could not help but to notice that he liked it, he liked that smile quite a lot.

"So, I suggest a recon mission before we really start our shifts – In fact, I think we probably could make it tonight if we –"

"Tonks," he called with a warning tone, "we're not going to stop at his house at nearly eleven just so we can go on a reconnaissance mission tonight."

"But –"

"I know," he stopped her. "I want to see him free from here as much as you do, but we must take our time. You know that perfection has only one enemy," a slight grin started to come to his lips when he saw her quizzical face, "hurriedness. We only have one chance at this, if they somehow discover that we're there, it'll be impossible to go on. We'll talk with Arthur as soon as possible, get the biggest amount of information on the area surrounding their property before actually going."

Remus smiled satisfied when he saw her exhale heavily and frustrated.

"You're right," she admitted, recalling some of her Auror missions in which the same thing had happened; she really wished she could control her temperament better, "completely right." She rubbed her hands anxiously upon her face a few times. "Ugh!"

"Calm down," advised Remus still smiling and sliding closer to her on the sofa. "It's all right."

Tonks nodded, taking a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down and she had managed to do so quite well, until she looked at him. The reassuring gaze he was offering her had been more effective to bring her to a serene state than anything else she had ever experienced.

"Do you want to spend the night?" he asked softly. "Plenty of empty bedrooms now; you wouldn't need to share mine."

A quiet chuckle escaped her lips and despite it, Remus continued as though he was apologising for inviting her to stay.

"It'd be easier to go talk with him and…"

"Sure," she agreed with an encouraging smile and he seemed to finally allow himself some relief.

Tonks stood up and Remus mimicked her. Her gaze fell upon the Black Family tapestry behind them and she frowned. There should have something they could do about it, the last thing Sirius needed was a reminder of his complicated family, but the Permanent Sticking Charm made any action towards taking it out impossible and she sighed sadly, closing her eyes and walking out of the room with Remus following her. They climbed a flight of stairs and stopped at the corridor.

"Take your pick," offered Remus, gesturing to the several closed doors before them.

With a slight smirk, Tonks walked to the Remus's room, but opened the door right opposite to his, waving her wand to light a candle. The room was pretty much like any other in that ancient house. An old bed on the centre, most likely made by Kreacher with an incredibly worn duvet whilst the elf chatted with his late mistress; a wardrobe that probably had not been used in decades; an armchair on the corner and tattered curtains covering a window that she did not know the last time it had been opened.

"This is choice," she stated with a grin.

"Very well," he said. "Do you need anything? Something to eat, perhaps? I haven't got a clue as to where Kreacher is, but if you want I could –"

"Thanks, Remus," she stopped him, "but I got some scoff before coming."

"Oh, um, in that case, I'll just…" He stepped back, indicating his room's door. "If you need anything else, though, let me know and I'll fetch for you."

Smiling slightly, she wondered why he was acting as the host of the house. It could not be just due to the fact that she would spend the night, could it? After all, she figured that lately she had spent more time at Grimmauld Place than at her flat, it was almost as though she used it with the mere purpose of sleeping and showering before heading to the Ministry.

"I'm really all right," she assured him.

Remus gave a couple of steps backwards, feeling, at the same time, somewhat ashamed and unwanted. What made him think that she would want him to do anything for her? The only thing he was good for her was to help her free her cousin from the prison he was in, absolutely nothing else. Well, maybe saving her life on a mission that by the way, he put her in which would make them even at the end of the day. He smiled bashfully at her, nodding.

"Thanks, though!"

He nodded once more, his heart racing as he took another step backwards and raised his right hand in farewell, but not noticing that the door was immediately behind him, he hit his elbow on the doorknob in the process and grunted in pain.

"You okay?" asked Tonks concerned and moving forward as he held his elbow.

A brand new situation for her, it was. Remus being the clumsy one and getting himself hurt whilst she went to aid him.

"Mhm." He started to massage the bruised area. "Don't you worry." He opened the door with a bit of difficulty. "It's been known to happen." He entered the room, trying to smile.

"You sure?" she questioned finding it hard to believe him. Several times she had done just what he did and none of them was free of pain. It was clear as day, however, that he did not want her beside him and she bit her lip anxiously, awaiting his answer as if it was the last hope she had to help him anyhow.

"I'm sure," he guaranteed. "Good night, Tonks." He closed the door to his room without waiting for another word from her.

"Night," she wished to the empty hallway.

The door to her new room was leisurely closed by her. What had just happened? Everything seemed to be perfect until he suddenly became uneasy. Was it possible that the Remus Lupin she knew was not completely in control of his actions? Well, of course not. That was utter rubbish. Most likely she had yet again said something that made him feel that way. She had offered to be nice to her more than once and she had declined them all. She had ruined it all once again, she should have accepted something, even if it was a tiny little thing, just so he would not think that she hated him, though she wondered how someone could actually hate him. Such a nice bloke, he was.

Remus exhaled heavily once the door was closed, a single thought occupying his mind: What was he thinking?

Tonks, on the other hand, smiled despite it still thinking that situation to be rather odd. It certainly had been an endearing scene to see him so disconcerted before her, but maybe she did not have to lose all hope, right? Perhaps, he had something else in his mind, who was she to assume that she knew what he was thinking of then anyway?

Both their nights, almost in opposite to the way they went to bed, was smoothly. A dreamless night that was filled with one main wish to set Sirius free and the wonderful satisfaction of doing something that could actually lead to his liberty.

Nearly too fast, morning came and the mysterious workings of her inner clock woke Tonks up. She threw the duvet aside and stood up, analysing the room. It did seem slightly different from what she remembered from the night before. All the colours were lighter due the sunbeams that entered through the pane, she was sure it did not seem so full of dust – or due the nature of that house, something worse – and it certainly seemed bigger now. She walked barefoot towards the wardrobe in order to see if there was a mirror in which she could check her appearance and choose the one she would use for that day.

Across the corridor, Remus had just closed his room's door after leaving and was stretching his robes when he heard a yelp coming from a voice he could never mistake, what seemed to be some furniture being overthrown and the distinct sound of searing wood. The accelerated speed of his heart met only the pace his mind was on, it certainly could not be anything good. Lengthening his stride, he opened the door to Tonks's room a second later.

"Ton –"

Beside a fallen bedside table, he saw the Auror on the floor, supporting herself on her elbow, half sitting, half lying on the floor and pointing her wand weakly to the burning wardrobe, she seemed to be murmuring something he could not understand. Most likely she had unwillingly set it on fire, waking up with a not so good mood could cause the spells to have a different effect of the one it would normally have. Walking towards the wardrobe, he drew out his wand.

"Aguamenti!"

A thin stream of water came from the wooden tip, he directed it to the fire in several different directions, but it was not affected by the water as he thought it would have; in fact, the flames seemed to increase at every instant. Remus lowered his wand somewhat, his gaze falling instinctively over his colleague nearby. The clear fear in her eyes was enough for him to nearly hear the switch in his mind click, making it all perfectly clear and he did not need to see her shaking her head next to understand precisely what was happening. He stepped forward, standing right in front of the wardrobe and the blazes were instantly gone, a shining full moon taking their place.

"Riddikulus!"

The silvery orb vanished in a puff smoke after he waved his wand.

Remus turned on his heels and saw Tonks now sitting and hiding her face in her hands. Merlin, how much she hated that stupid creature! If she could choose a single magical creature to disappear once and for all from the face of the Earth, she would not need to think twice, she would choose the Boggart in a heartbeat. Honestly, what kind of sick creature would become what the person fears the most? If that was not the darkest of creatures, she did not know which one would be.

"Hey," he called, crouching near her.

The sight of that girl nearly pulling off tufts of her colourful hair was making his heart sunk. She remained silent, rocking her own body.

"It's all right," he soothed her with his hoarse voice. "It's gone now."

He saw her nodding and automatically reached for her shoulder, but stopped himself before he had touched her. He was not what she wanted at that moment. Werewolves were not the kind to be soothing people, they were what made them need the soothing. Her gaze, however, lifted up to see his hand being withdrawn and she bit her lip nervously.

Next, before he had really understood what had happened, he had been thrown backwards and fell sitting on the floor, her body clutching to his as though her life depended on it. Tonks looked up to him and he was surprised to see that she was not crying and he was instantly reminded by her mentor telling him that he had never seen Tonks crying, not even close to it.

"Just a Boggart," he hesitated, placing one hand on the small of her back and the other upon her head. "Just a stupid Boggart."

Tonks nodded against his chest and he tried not to relish on the fact that he could indeed bring her something good, even if it was a hug after failing to defeat a Boggart.

"Godric, what must you think of me!" She let go of him, going back to sit a foot away and avoiding his gaze.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly, moving closer to her.

"I can even end a Boggart…" She locked her gaze with the wardrobe in front of her; it was not scorched on a single inch to prove that what she had just gone through had indeed happened.

"It's your biggest fear, Tonks," Remus pointed out.

"It's stupid," she stated. "And even after all those years I still can't –" She stopped herself, sighing and looking to the wooden floor beneath her bare feet.

"You're not the first one to have problems with Boggarts. Once you have the amusing image of it, all you ne –"

"Then tell me, Remus!" she stormed, finally meeting his eyes. "Tell me! How can a wall of fire before you, turning every tiny little thing into ashes ever be amusing? Huh? Tell me!"

It would never be amusing or funny. It was impossible.

He sucked in a breath to respond, but his reply never made it to his lips. He did not know. Every image of fire that came to him then was frightening to say the least. He stood there, trying to find an answer to her, numerous kinds of fire emerging for him, but never an amusing one. Tonks standing up beside him brought him back and he looked up at her.

"Do me a favour, will you?" She put the bedside table back in its place and pretended to be completely interested in it. "Keep it between the two of us. Last thing I need is Mad-Eye nagging because of it…"

"Sure," he stood up, "Marauder's honour." He crossed his heart twice with his fingernail.

"Thanks." Despite finding it slightly diverting, she did not smile.

"Come on." He let the tips of his fingers brush her shoulder. "Let me cook you some breakfast."

Tonks turned around incredibly surprised, she would never expect for him to offer her food at that moment, but the smile she saw on his lips and the soft gaze in his eyes made her smile back at him. Maybe, for now, she could not defeat a stupid Boggart on her own, but she had Remus and it was clear as day that he would be there whenever she needed him. After all, what are friends for?