Chapter Thirty-Six – The Wedding

'Oi!' said Nora Millstone. Tonks looked up from her desk in the Ministry. 'Your shift ended. A while ago, might I add. Why are you still here?'

'Just need to get some more work done,' muttered Tonks. She looked down at the paperwork in front of her. She was overwhelmed.

The day after she saw Severus again, she requested a transfer of teams, not wanting to be on the Snape Snatching Team any longer. Of course, the powers that be wanted a legitimate reason why she would want to change teams, a reason Tonks couldn't give. Therefore her request was denied.

It was difficult, doing her best work as an Auror when it completely conflicted what was best for her personally. Tonks didn't want Severus found. By Aurors, at least. If it was just her, that would be different. She took some comfort in the fact that all Aurors were told that Snape was to be brought in alive at all costs.

'I want to drink away some of my sorrows,' said Nora. 'Care to join me?'

Tonks considered it. Nora, an Auror with over twenty-five years experience, had just taken over as the Lead for the Snape Snatching Team. She was one of the women Aurors that Tonks had admired greatly, but had never worked with much before.

Putting away the report she was reading, Tonks stood up and stretched her arms over her head. It had been a long day. 'That's my girl,' said Nora, nodding her head sagely.

They walked companionably down the streets of London, garnering many stares from muggles. Tonks with her bright pink hair and Nora with her eye-patch and beautiful salt and pepper hair caused quite a stir. When they went into the bar, Nora insisted on buying the first round, seeing as Tonks saved her from drinking alone and making herself look pathetic.

'So how many Snape sightings were there today?' asked Nora in a bored voice, taking a long sip of her butterbeer.

'Easy day,' snorted Tonks. 'There were only five.'

'Why does everybody and their mother think they've seen Snape?' asked Nora, sounding annoyed. 'Snape's not going to be found until he wants to be. I can't imagine that's going to be anytime soon.'

'Maybe,' said Tonks absently as she started to peel off the label on her bottle of butterbeer.

'How's your fellow?' asked Nora suddenly.

Tonks looked up in surprise. She hadn't mentioned anything to anyone about anything. 'I don't…what…I mean…'

Nora laughed at Tonks' discomfort and ran her hand through her short hair. 'It's not a crime to have a fellow, Tonks,' said Nora wisely. 'Is it the same bloke that you were with in the beginning of the year?'

The half peeled off label of butterbeer was forgotten. 'I don't talk about my personal life at work,' said Tonks shortly. She certainly hadn't told anyone that she was sleeping with someone at the beginning of the year. 'So why would you think-'

'Everyone else does,' shrugged Nora. 'We're Aurors. We all talk about each other. Look, I like you. I like you a lot, Tonks. What is said at this table, stays at this table. Agreed?'

'Agreed,' said Tonks instantly. Though she wasn't about to tell Nora anything that resembled the truth.

'You remind me of myself when I was your age,' said Nora. She sighed loudly. 'Which was forever ago.'

Tonks couldn't help but smile. 'How so?'

'I always worked better when I had a fellow,' said Nora with a wink. 'So I'm working very well now.'

'You have a fellow?' asked Tonks interestedly, Auror gossip mode switching on. 'Can I know who?'

Nora pursed her lips together. 'I'm sure you heard some stories from my first few years as an Auror…'

Tonks grinned. She certainly had. Nora apparently had a legendary affair with Mad-Eye Moody of all people during the first war. 'Not Mad-Eye,' said Tonks in astonishment.

'I normally don't revisit the past, but I'm quite glad that I did,' said Nora, smirking. 'He might not have all of his limbs but he's still got all of his pieces if you know what I mean.

Tonks did know what she meant and had absolutely no desire to hear anymore.

'But who cares about two ancient Aurors like Moody and me?' asked Nora, waving her hand dismissively. 'I'm more curious about you. You're a different person than you were a month ago.'

'Am I?' asked Tonks curiously.

Nora nodded. 'You hold yourself differently. More importantly, you've got your confidence back. You had lost it for almost a year. Thought you might have lost your nerve, I did,' said Nora. She grinned slyly. 'So all I want to know is it because of a fellow?'

Tonks thought about that for a moment. Her depression was certainly under control. Ever since she had seen Severus again, she had been able to morph her hair every single day. Could it really have been that easy? The answer seemed like it had been right in front of her for so long.

She was loved.

Tonks knew that somewhere out in Britain, there was a wizard named Severus Snape who loved her. And apparently, that was better than any Mind Healer, cheering charm or journaling could ever be.

The irony was not lost on Tonks. This is what she had wanted for so long. To be truly loved and to love in return. And it just happened to be with the man who was accused of killing Albus Dumbledore in cold blood.

Instead of shouting about love off of roof tops, everything needed to be secret.

'Sorry to disappoint,' said Tonks softly. 'But there's not a fellow.'

No fellow that she could ever talk about, anyway.

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'Remus, hurry up!' called Tonks up the stairs. 'We're going to be late!'

Just then, Remus scurried down the stairs. 'Sorry about that,' he said apologetically.

'And they say witches are the ones to take their time getting ready,' teased Tonks. 'Honestly.'

'You're sure the suit looks all right?' asked Remus, looking down at the suit he was wearing underneath a plain black robe.

'You look very nice, Remus,' said Tonks not able to keep herself from smiling. 'I'm glad you let me take you shopping.'

'I can't believe I spent twenty quid on a suit,' said Remus, shaking his head. 'I can't remember the last time I spent that much money on clothes.'

'Yes, but you said yourself that it was cheaper buying the suit at the muggle store than converting the money to buy it in a wizarding shoppe,' said Tonks.

Last week Tonks dragged Remus to a muggle thrift store to look for something to wear to Bill and Fleur's wedding. They found a very nice dark grey suit that fit Remus perfectly, so he didn't have to spend extra money on getting it tailored.

'You look nice yourself,' said Remus.

'You don't think I look like a grape, do I?' asked Tonks, biting her lower lip. Tonks was wearing a bright purple dress that fell just past her knees. It had a lovely scooped neck with capped sleeves. Her hair was in corkscrew curls that matched the color of her dress.

'Grapes are darker,' smirked Remus. 'You look more like that character from that muggle fast food store.'

Tonks' mouth dropped open. She knew exactly who he was talking about. 'Remus Lupin, that has got to be the…' she trailed off when she saw how hard Remus was laughing.

'I'm only joking, Clumsy,' said Remus, still laughing softly. 'You look lovely.'

'Better be,' said Tonks grumpily, remembering the character's name. 'Grimace, indeed.'

Tonks went to pick up her wedding gift to the couple, a tea kettle Bill and Fleur had registered for. A moment later, both she and Remus had apparated to the Burrow, which was decorated to the nines for the big day.

Originally, it was supposed to take place in France, but Bill explained to Fleur's parents that with the war, everyone was uncomfortable leaving Britain for an extended amount of time. Fleur's parents understood and so the wedding was moved to the Burrow.

She took in the surroundings. A gazebo was out in the field, with all the white chairs facing it. It was trimmed with roses that must have a color charm on them; roses weren't the lightest of gold like these were.

There seemed to be a surplus of witches and wizards on the groom's side, so Tonks and Remus decided to sit on the bride's. She looked around. A finer day couldn't have been conjured up. Big, fluffy white clouds nestled in against the bright blue sky. A gentle breeze seemed to take the bite off of the heat.

'So what kind of wedding did your parent's have?' she asked suddenly.

Remus shrugged. 'My mum insisted on the whole big, white wedding, I think. I remember seeing pictures,' said Remus. He gave her a mischievous grin. 'It's not like I was there or anything.'

'I was there for my parent's wedding,' said Tonks, enjoying the flicker of surprise on Remus' face. 'In spirit, anyways. Mum was three months pregnant with me when she married Dad. She claimed she didn't know. How don't you know you're three months pregnant?'

'I wouldn't be able to answer that with confidence, seeing as I've never been three months pregnant,' said Remus seriously. Tonks lightly punched him on the shoulder.

The chairs were filling quickly. She saw the majority of the Order along with numerous workers from the Ministry. There were even a few Goblins in the back, connections from Bill's job at Gringotts, no doubt.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting near the front. The three of them seemed inseparable. Except something was different.

'Remus, look,' whispered Tonks. 'Ron and Hermione are holding hands.'

'Really?' asked Remus in surprise, looking over. 'I always thought she'd end up with Harry.'

'Guess not,' said Tonks. She gave Remus a grin and started looking around again. In the two and a half months since Dumbledore's death, they had become friends once more. She was doubtful they'd ever regain the easy friendship they once shared. But for now, she was content with what they had. And also knew that she had no right to ask for anything more.

They started chatting about inconsequential things until Bill appeared at the front of the gazebo. Charlie Weasley and a man that Tonks recognized from when she was at Hogwarts stood next to him. Tonks had heard all the drama regarding choosing groomsmen. Fleur only wanted two bridesmaids and Bill had five brothers. The math didn't work in their favor.

Molly and Arthur were standing proudly at their seats. Molly looked lovely in a light green dress robe, her hair in a neat French twist. As the procession began, Tonks had to stop herself from giggling. So many people on Bill's side had red hair!

She watched Ginny and then Fleur's little sister walk down the aisle, wearing stunning light gold robes. They reminded Tonks of the color of baby unicorns. Then Fleur appeared, holding her father's arm lovingly, wearing the infamous Great-Auntie's tiara. Her dress was not white, but a pale ivory.

A lump in Tonks' throat formed when she watched Fleur take Bill's hand. Even with his face disfigured like it was, Fleur looked at Bill like he was the only man in the world. And for her, he was.

Tonks wasn't able to pay attention during the ceremony. All she could think about was Fleur's face. Severus had looked at her just like that, a month and a half ago. Six weeks and she hadn't heard from him, touched him, tasted him…

When Tonks was at Hogwarts, either her sixth or seventh year (they sometimes blended together as she grew older), she would read the muggle detective novels that her father would owl her when he was done with them. Occasionally, there would be a female protagonist that would fall in love with a man wanted for murder. There would be steamy rendezvous and the man's name was always cleared by the last page. They made it seem so easy.

They had it all wrong.

It was harder than Tonks ever thought it would be, being in love with a man wanted for murder. Every day when she went into the Ministry to start her shift, she looked over the reports carefully. And every day that she found out he was still alive, she was able to breathe again.

She stole away as many hours as she could in her flat, always with paperwork, never empty handed. Tonks kept her promise to herself of not just waiting around for Severus. When she was in her flat, she was working.

An elbow in her ribs caused Tonks to jump. Bill and Fleur were sharing their first kiss as husband and wife. She joined quickly joined in on the clapping.

'Where are you, Clumsy?' asked Remus with a look of concern on his face. 'You look a million miles away.'

She shrugged, not wanting to cause any concern. 'Just thinking,' she said thoughtfully. Then she gave Remus a grin. 'I'll stop that now, I promise.'

The Weasley and Delacour family spent the next fifteen minutes or so taking pictures while the yard was being set up for the reception. During this time, Harry walked up to Tonks and Remus. Tonks hadn't seen him since Dumbledore's funeral, but he looked older somehow. Like he had finally accepted the weight of the world on his shoulders.

'Remus, can I talk to you?' he asked urgently.

'Of course,' said Remus, looking slightly surprised. 'Let's move out of the way.'

Remus indicated to Tonks to follow, so she did. But then Harry cleared his throat. 'Tonks, I would prefer to speak to Remus alone. I'm sorry,' he said apologetically.

She was about to move away when Remus said, 'If this has anything to do with the Order, Harry, Tonks should be present.'

Harry flushed slightly and nodded. They walked towards the hen coup. When Tonks realized where they were, she blushed slightly, remembering the moment she and Remus shared here on New Year's Eve. A quick glance at Remus told her that he was thinking of the same memory.

'I have some questions, and I don't want many people knowing about this,' said Harry seriously.

'Go ahead,' said Remus. 'Ask away.'

'Do you know someone that might be able to teach me Occlumency?' asked Harry, crossing his arms over his chest. 'Properly? Like the murderer should have done?'

Both Tonks and Remus looked at Harry in surprise. They both knew he was talking about Severus, but the hate and vile in his voice was unmistakable. She hadn't believed Severus when he said that Harry might be capable of killing him, but perhaps Severus was right. Beneath Harry's calm exterior, this was one of the angriest young men she had ever seen.

Remus took a deep breath. 'I have a good working knowledge of Occlumency myself,' said Remus finally. 'Perhaps I could assist you.'

'Why couldn't you have taught me then?' asked Harry angrily.

'Because my knowledge is nothing compared to Snape's-'

'Don't say his name,' hissed Harry.

'I will not have you turn Snape's name into one that isn't spoken, Harry,' said Remus heatedly.

'We have enough of that with You-Know-Who, don't you think?' said Tonks, trying to lighten the tension between the three of them.

Harry seemed to relax a bit. 'Will you have time to work with me?' he asked coolly.

Remus nodded.

'Good,' said Harry, smiling for the first time in the conversation. 'What about non-verbal spells? Could we work on that, too?'

Remus held out his hands towards Tonks. 'An Auror would know much more about that subject than I would,' he said.

Tonks couldn't help but grin. She sort of liked the idea of playing teacher. 'Up for the challenge, Harry? I'll gladly work with you.'

Harry agreed and walked away quickly to rejoin Ron and Hermione. Tonks bit her lip, wondering if she could some how try to deflate the hatred he felt for Severus. Harry was stubborn, she knew that much. She had a feeling that he wouldn't be willing to listen to her words.

But she could try.