Hey guys! Guess what? This is the last chapter. And you might hate me just a lot after this, but it had to be done. So, please stick with me. I promise it gets better. Anyway, this is the last chapter of this installment of the series, but the sequel, called "Animal I Have Become", will be posted after semester exams are over. Which is in like, three days. So bear with me. Leave a review, whether you like or not. (:
Tonks had been lost for words for a good long minute now, at least. Alfred was still on the floor, on his knee, holding out the most beautiful ring that she had ever seen. And all she could do was gawk at him. It was the most unexpected thing ever. Alfred hated her…or, at least, she thought that he hated her. But apparently he didn't. Her brown eyes were wide and gazing, and she bit down on her lip hard, almost drawing blood. What was she supposed to say to him?
"Well?" Alfred said after the silence had gotten completely unbearable for him. His dark brown eyes were narrowed and looking up at her, and he appeared to be kind of…hopeful? Sad? Confused? It was a mixture of feelings.
"Um…" Tonks hesitated, eyeing the huge diamond ring in the box again. It was seriously the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen. If only she could just take that ring and leave Alfred…no. That was wrong.
She and Alfred had been friends when they were at Hogwarts. They had gotten along just fine. They had even gone on a couple of dates before their seventh year ended and Auror training began. So why was everything so different now? Why was she so confused and he was such an ass? Only two years had passed. She could pretend that no time had passed. She could live in the past forever, live like she and Alfred were just school friends all over again. He had made her happy back then. And besides, when was she going to get another opportunity like this? Who else was going to deal with her messed up behavior? She was lucky that she had even gotten Alfred to look at her.
"Tonks?" he asked when, once again, she had been quiet for far too long.
Tonks was pulled out of her thoughts at his word, and her eyes widened in a mixture of horror and happiness. "You called me Tonks." She smiled. For the first time in their entire relationship, he had made her smile.
Alfred frowned for a second, and then a small smile crept onto his face as well. "Yes, I believe I did. Sorry-"
"No, please call me Tonks. Or Dora. But not Nymphadora." She was seriously incredibly relieved.
Alfred stared at her for a second, a clear look of confusion on his face. It was obvious that he was debating on whether or not he should argue with her, but then he nodded. "Fine…Dora. Listen, if you want to say no, just go ahead and say it-"
"No," Tonks said, the word slipping out before she could think. And then she was talking nonsense. Her mouth was working faster than her brain. "I didn't mean that. I mean…I wanted to say yes." She mentally kicked herself. Why, why did she say yes? It was a spur of the moment thing. She could change her mind, right?
Alfred looked so happy. It was the first time that she had seen him truly smile around her. For once, he had made her happy, and she had made him happy. Maybe they could start over now…maybe things will get better from here on out. He wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Tonks frowned, still thinking over her sudden decision, but when she slipped the really beautiful diamond ring on her finger, she knew that she had made the right choice.
"I think I need to go home now," Tonks said, still gazing at the ring. She turned the doorknob and started to walk out of the closet, but Alfred pulled her back.
"You could stay the night," he said hopefully.
Tonks wasn't ready for that. She wasn't even sure if she was ready for a stupid engagement. After all, she was only nineteen years old. She had plenty of time…no, she had made the decision. It was clear. She was going to get married. Her parents would be happy, Alfred would be happy, and maybe she would be happy eventually. "I think I need to tell my parents. I'll see you tomorrow." She waved a little bit, watching as the light caught the edge of the ring, making it shine like no other, and then she smiled and left Alfred's house, feeling a hell of a lot better than when she walked inside three hours ago.
...
Remus was packing away his things in his suitcases, preparing for the journey to the Weasleys' house for the summer. Once again, he would have to rely on Molly to get him through his miserable life. Once again, he would be stuck babysitting the five Weasley children still in the house. And once again, he would hope against hope that Ron would bring Harry Potter home for the summer. He wanted more than anything to meet James's son.
And then someone knocked on the door. Who could possibly be there? Kingsley was in the living room, and apparently he got up to open the door. Remus listened from his bedroom, hoping that it wasn't Mad-Eye. He just couldn't deal with him right now. But to his surprise, it was a low, soothing voice that sounded all too familiar to him. What was Dumbledore doing here?
"Lupin!" Kingsley yelled as he walked down the hallway to Remus's bedroom. "Dumbledore is here-" Before he could finish, Remus was already out of his bedroom and heading toward the living room. What could Dumbledore possibly want with him?
"Ah, Remus," Dumbledore said as his astonishing blue eyes landed on the person that he came to talk to. "Just the man I needed to see. I understand you're planning on staying at the Weasleys' house this summer?"
"Yes, sir," Remus replied. "I'm packing right now. I was going to leave in just a few minutes."
Dumbledore held up a hand, signaling for him to stop speaking, and he did as he was told. "Not so fast. I have an offer for you that you certainly can't turn down." He paused, waiting for a reaction, but there was none. He sighed. "How would you like to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts this year?"
An offer he couldn't turn down? Was Dumbledore mad? Remus immediately shook his head. "No, I can't do that. I'm sorry. Too dangerous."
But a small smile turned up on Dumbledore's lips. "It's not dangerous at all. I've already thought all of this through, Remus. You'll continue taking your Wolfsbane Potion, and if necessary, you will use the Shrieking Shack like you did when you were in school." His blue eyes were twinkling.
Remus had always respected Dumbledore, but this was just insanity. He wasn't supposed to hire a half-breed. It was way too risky, even with the Shrieking Shack and the Wolfsbane Potion. He desperately needed a job, but this was too hazardous. Once again, he denied it. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I need to put anyone else in any more danger. I'll just stay with the Weasleys-"
"Remus, I'm offering you this job because I know you can do it." Dumbledore frowned, but he didn't look the least bit disappointed. His eyes were still twinkling. "You're an intelligent young man, and you will not be putting anyone at risk. Severus has already agreed to keep you in constant supply of potion, and I guarantee that you'll be the safest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that we've had in the past several years. You can think about it, if you'd like. But do get back to me soon."
Remus ran a hand through his graying hair and sighed heavily. Dumbledore was such a respectable man. Without him, he wouldn't have even been able to attend Hogwarts. He owed something to the man, right? And if Dumbledore thought that Remus was fit to teach and it wouldn't be too dangerous, then he might as well take the job. Protesting with Dumbledore wasn't going to get him anywhere. And besides, Dumbledore was incredibly wise. He wouldn't hire someone if he thought that he or she was too dangerous, right?
"Alright, I'll do it," Remus answered after a few seconds of thought. "If you believe that I can do it, then I believe I can do it too."
Dumbledore nodded, and another smile formed on his face. "I do believe that you can do it. I'll be in contact with you later this summer to discuss lesson plans and housing arrangements. I would discuss them with you right now, but I sense that someone else is requesting your attention."
Remus was confused by the statement, but he looked past Dumbledore and saw Tonks standing in the open doorway, her eyes wide and a small smile on her thin lips. Dumbledore smiled as well and said a quick goodbye before walking briskly out the door.
"Remus…" Tonks said, taking a step into the apartment. She wouldn't look him in the eye. She was going to tell her parents about the recent events first, but it would be much harder to tell Remus. She might as well get the hardest over with first. "I have something to tell you."
Remus grinned at her. His conversation with Dumbledore was finally starting to sink in. He was going to have a job. He was going to get paid. He was going to have a home. He was going to finally see Harry Potter after all these years. But he also had to be around Snape for an entire year. He frowned at that, but it would most definitely be worth it.
"I have something to tell you too." Tonks opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her. It was the second time that she had been interrupted that night. "I'll go first. Dumbledore just offered me a job at Hogwarts, and I accepted it."
Tonks smiled up at him, although it was a little shaky and hesitant. She didn't want Remus to go away for the year. She wouldn't get to see him…maybe that was best after what she just did. "That's great!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding entirely too high to be real. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, and surprisingly, he hugged her back. "But you'll be gone all year…"
"Yeah, I know. But I can visit on holidays," Remus said. "Or you can visit, maybe…"
Tonks laughed dryly. "Right, I'm not coming back to Hogwarts any time soon." And then a pain shot through her chest, and she was reminded that she had to tell him what just happened. She frowned deeply, crossed her arms, and looked down at the floor. "Listen, Remus. I just made the biggest decision of my life, and I think I'm going to go through with it."
"What did you decide?" Remus asked, amused by her shyness. She was probably being overdramatic, just as she always was. And then his eyes landed on that huge diamond ring that was on her finger, and he felt a stab in his heart. An engagement ring? "You…you got engaged?"
Tonks bit her lip and nodded a little, still not looking up at him. Now that she was with him, she wondered why she had even considered saying yes to Alfred. And now she was engaged, and she could quite possibly be stuck in a miserable, rich lifestyle for the rest of her days. "He proposed tonight. I think we can make it work."
Remus was so confused by the sudden plot twist. He had never dreamed that Tonks and Alfred were going to get married. He thought for sure they were going to break up any time now. And then this happened, and he didn't know how he was supposed to react. Was he supposed to be happy for her? Was he supposed to try to talk her out of it? It was like someone had literally stabbed a sword through his body. He wanted to protect her, make sure that she didn't get hurt. Make sure that she made the right decisions…but she thought that she had made the right decision. He couldn't argue with her.
"I'm happy for you," he settled on saying, although it was a complete lie. He wasn't happy at all. He was disgusted with her.
"Thanks," Tonks replied. Her brown eyes finally moved to meet his, and a small smile traced her lips. She shuffled her feet nervously and waited for him to say something else, but it was clear that he wasn't going to. He had a way of making her feel stupid about this whole thing, even though he hadn't said a word against it. She wanted him to beg her not to marry Alfred, to tell her that he was in love with her. That was what would truly make her happy. But it wasn't going to happen. So she would have to settle for second best.
"I need to tell my parents," she said, taking a step toward the door. "They'll be so excited. Well, my mom will. My dad might go snap Alfred in half." She laughed a little, although her eyes held no happiness. "I just thought you should know. After all, you're probably my closest friend." Remus still wasn't responding. She sighed and turned on her heel, almost running right into a potted plant and knocking it over. She hesitated, waiting for Remus to say anything, anything, but he didn't speak. Her heart almost broke in half, but she put on that fake smile and walked out the door.
Remus watched her as she pulled the door shut, and he listened as her big boots thudded against the floor just outside the apartment. When the noise had dulled, he sighed and sat down on the couch. When that door shut, he knew that she had walked right out of his life, and he didn't know when she would walk back in.
