The spring chill coming in from the slightly open window woke Tonks from what had been a fitful sleep. She was exhausted. For two days she had traipsed around across the country with Moody as he tracked down a few of Voldemort's supporters that had decided to band together. They were young, and easily caught once he had found their location. He had also brought in Igor Karkaroff two days before. It had taken months to find him, but once found bringing him in hadn't been particularly hard, he told her. Death eaters such as the Lestranges were still on the loose though.
Sighing she pulled the blankets more tightly around herself and automatically reached over to her left only to find the space empty and cold. This caused her to let out a fresh sigh, although this one was more wistful.
It's your own fault she told herself as she gave up on sleep and threw the blankets back lurching to her feet and wincing at the cold of the floor. You sent him away. If you don't like sleeping alone you shouldn't have told him to go.
She found a pair of jeans and pulled them on leaving the shirt she had been sleeping in, one of Remus's, on. It was only 4 a.m. She didn't need to be in to the ministry until 7 a.m. Grabbing a pair of trainers from the floor she went to exit the room and immediately tripped over her discarded boots.
"Bugger!" she cursed as she lurched forward and landed in the hall. Rubbing her elbow she got to her feet, glaring at the offending footwear. Your own fault again, she reminded herself. If Remus were here then the room wouldn't be disorganized. She allowed herself a small smile as she descended the stairs. How he put up with her mess she didn't know. He wasn't a neat freak, not like Cally had been, but he did like everything in its proper place. He always said that if you knew where to find it then it wasn't mess, but she suspected that if he saw the state that his house was in then he might change his assessment.
Once on the main floor of the house she pushed her feet into her shoes and exited the house, locking it with a flick of her wand. Instead of walking to the beach or going into the garden she perched on the fence hooking her legs around one of the boards so she wouldn't fall.
Merlin, I miss him, she thought dejectedly as she watched the sun staring to peak in the distance. Remus had been gone since the beginning of February. It was now May. Four months he had been gone and she wasn't sure when he was coming back.
After the funeral they had tried to get on with their lives, tried to go on as they had been, but it had proved to be a vane attempt. She had known it wouldn't be easy for him, but hadn't really known what to do to help him. He was the one that always knew the right thing to say, to do. She was blunt and to the point, she'd never seen the point of being otherwise. Lily had commented once to her that they balanced each other, and she supposed that this was one of the reasons. But when it came to knowing the right thing to do to get him back to himself she had been at a lose. Always before he had James, Sirius and Peter to poke, prod, tease and generally nag him into a better frame of mind. Her way, when he was acting particularly morose, was to simply confront him. That wouldn't work this time she had known.
The answer had come in the last week of January just when she was becoming desperate and to the point of tears. The fact that it came from a complete stranger was, she found, amusing to say the least.
It seemed Remus had a second cousin, a cousin of Sarah's who hadn't seen him since he was a child. She had written him, inviting him to come visit her in Belgium where she lived. Tonks hadn't learned of this until one night when they had been at a Muggle pub; they were avoiding the wizarding ones, all anyone wanted to talk about was Sirius Black the murderer or Harry Potter. He had mentioned it in passing somewhere around his fifth drink and she was sure had he been completely sober he wouldn't have said anything.
She had formed a plan then, not above taking advantage of his inebriated state. With a little bit of needling she had convinced him to go, that maybe spending time with someone who had no idea what had befallen him would do some good.
A week later had found them at the international floo station. She had held onto him for a long time, trying to memorize the feel of his arms around her and the light brush of his lips on her forehead. I'm doing the right thing, she had repeatedly told herself.
He had seemed to want to say something to her before he stepped into the floo, had started to a few times but in the end he simply gave her one last weary smile, said he loved her to which she had replied with the same, although she wasn't sure he had heard her.
Now here she was four months later, alone, sitting on his fence, or their fence she supposed, watching the sun come up and feeling like she should never had suggested he go.
He wrote to her constantly, messages that as they had gone on had started to reflect his personality, one that had been significantly lacking in the past months. Still there was a long way to go, and she knew he would never be the same. You didn't go through such a lose to come out as you had been before. Hopefully though when he came back they could try and move on. And perhaps he wouldn't be so distant. The only thing she feared more than Remus dying, which had decreased somewhat since the war ended, was him pulling away and leaving her.
Not that he would, she forcefully told herself as she hopped off the fence and turned back to the house. But still with the way he had been acting, perhaps she was not unfounded in her fear that he was unconsciously trying to push her away.
Enough of this feeling sorry for myself, she scolded unlocking the door and closing it behind her with a little more force than necessary. Am I self-sufficient witch or not? I don't need him here constantly so I can feel good. I'll be fine; he'll come back and that's that. I just wish he'd hurry up.
"Remus? A letter has arrived for you."
Remus was standing in front of an old wood cupboard wand in hand watching quizzical as it rattled. He was sure there was a Boggart in it, but Angeline had forbidden him from looking into it until that moment, stating that if it was she could easily take care of it herself.
He turned at the sound of her voice to find her standing in the doorway smiling expectantly at him. He smiled back as he stepped forward to take the letter. He found that over time it had become a little easier to smile genuinely, especially since his mother's cousin had no idea of his relationship with Sirius, Peter or the Potters. She didn't look at him with Pity and only once had she brought up the war.
"You certainly are popular. Someone must be missing you." She said with a smile and eyebrow raise as he took the letter. Seeing the untidy scrawl his smile became more genuine.
"Yes, I daresay she is."
Angeline laughed, it was a rich sound, one of someone with very little sadness in their life.
"You have not told me very much of this Tonks, was it? I still think that is a very strange name." She leaned against the doorframe pushing graying brown hair out of her blue eyes.
"It's her last name. I'm afraid if I told you her first name she would curse me. She doesn't really like it." Which was of course an understatement he knew. Saying Dora juts disliked her first name was like saying Snape only had feelings of mild annoyance toward James.
Thinking of James, his smile disappeared. Sighing he pushed the thought back and instead tried to focus on his conversation with Angeline. He had started to come to terms with his friends deaths and Sirius's betrayal, but it still hurt too much to think of them. He wasn't ready for that yet. He suspected he wouldn't be for some time.
"You miss her," she said mistaking his change in mood.
"Oh, yes, I do. Very much. I have been here for quite a while I suppose." Not for the first time a flash of guilt went through him. Even though she had insisted he knew Dora hadn't really wanted him to go. But the time apart had done him some good he had to admit. Put things more in perspective. A lot of things had become more clear since his friends the last week he had begun to research a few things.
"Yes, but I'm glad that you came Remus." Angeline said fondly. "You remind me of your mother you know." She smiled again, "I'll leave you to read your letter yes?"
Without waiting for an answer she left the room and Remus turned his attention to the letter. Reading it, he couldn't help laughing. It was full of the latest antics of Old Mrs. Down the lane, how she had come pounding on their door at 1am and been nearly attacked by Dora who thought it was a Death Eater in the garden. It turned out the woman was looking for her cat and had let into a speech to rival any made by Moody, on the impropriety of brandishing ones wand at a neighbour whilst wearing only a t-shirt and knickers, when Dora had whipped open the door.
At the end of the letter was the now very familiar, "Miss you like Crazy".
After he finished reading the letter a resolve came over him. He had been very distant before he left and knew that he was hurting her with his apparent apathy. It was time for him to go home; there was something very important he had to discuss with her. But first, he would get rid of the Boggart.
"Turn back around."
Tonks looked quizzically at her mentor as he pushed her towards the apparation point followed by Kingsley and Mark.
"Reports of Death Eaters in Cheltenham. We don't know how many, but Moody says you know one of the people we need to question." Kingsley told her.
She was even more confused now. Who did she know that-
"How'd you know I know Shannon Finnegan?" she demanded, but Moody was already apparating. With an irritated sigh and a bemused look from Kingsley she followed him. She righted herself in time to see Moody charging down the street. Again she followed him, hearing Kingsley and Mark behind her.
"How'd you know I know her?" she asked again catching up to him.
"Heard you and Lupin talking once. You mentioned how she's Semple's girlfriend. Well he's been spotted. She lives here. So we question the girlfriend."
"You sure it's a good idea to bring her?" Mark asked nodding at Tonks. "Trainee's aren't supposed to-"
Moody rounded on him. "I know what I'm supposed to and not supposed to do, thank you. How else does she get experience if we don't bring her with us?! Would you rather she dies the minute she meets some low life scum on her own? I saw this girl take on a death eater single handedly when she was only 15 years old. If I were you, I'd be more worried about myself!"
With one last glare he strode down the street again, leaving them to follow. The house that they came to was large and spoke of pureblood. Without hesitation Moody pounded on the door. It was opened a minute later by an old house elf who beckoned them in after conferring briefly with someone.
Shannon Finnegan herself greeted them. She hadn't changed very much in the two years since Tonks had last seen her. She looked at them all haughtily and when her eyes rested on Tonks they widened and then she glared.
"We need to ask you a few questions Ms. Finnegan." Kingsley was saying.
"Four of you to question me?" she asked coolly, still glaring at Tonks.
"Standard procedure," Moody told her gruffly. "It'll only take a moment." He turned to Tonks. "Go search upstairs Nymphadora. Remember-"
"Constant Vigilance," she cut him off, trying not to laugh as he muttered, "Impertinent lass," under his breath.
"What do you mean search?" Shannon demanded as Tonks mounted the stairs. She could here Mark saying how it was standard procedure again, and their voices faded as the three men persuaded Shannon to go into the sitting room. Footsteps thudded up the stairs behind her and Mark passed her. "Take that way," he said pointing to the left side of the hall. He quickly went to the right; clearly annoyed that Moody had chewed him out.
She gripped her wand tightly, a spell ready as she whipped open the first door. The room was empty and just to be sure she cast to see if any human presence was revealed. There was nothing, so she moved on to the second door. She quickly kicked it open and was just in time to see a very familiar body disappearing out the window.
"Semple's here!" she yelled as she ran across the room. She could here Mark running down the hall as she peered out the window. Liam was climbing down the side of the house. Cursing she ran back across the room, pushed past Mark and half fell down the stairs as she ran down them.
"I've got Semple!" she yelled into the sitting room as she rushed past. "He's escaping down the side of the house!" Not waiting for their response she whipped open the door and outside in time to see Liam getting ready to disapparate.
"On no you don't!" she sent a stunning spell at him, forcing him to duck. Seeing her and the two Aurors who had just exited the house he seemed to decide that running was his best bet and took off.
Again Tonks took off after him. She owed Liam Semple and there was no way he was getting away from her.
He was sending spells over his shoulder but all missed except one, which caused a deep cut in her shoulder. She ignored it and continued to chase him sending spell after spell at him so he wouldn't have a chance to disapparate. Whoever was behind her was doing the same.
The chase continued until he took a turn into a dead end. Whipping around he sent an Avada Kedava at her that barely missed.
"It looks like it's just you and I Nymphadora," he sneered as they eyed each other. She didn't dare look to see if the others had fallen behind. Knowing Moody they were probably covering any way he could escape. Nor did she answer him, which seemed to enrage him more. They began to duel fiercely, at times coming very close to one another.
"Give up Liam." She told him as she sent out a counter curse to the one he had just sent at her. "You're surrounded."
"I'll give up when you're dead Nymphadora!" Suddenly he charged while at the same time sending an "Impedimenta" at her. She managed not to be hit, but lost her footing as he barreled into her. They tumbled to the ground, and it became a struggle to get the upper hand.
Tonks could here Moody and Kingsley, but she tuned their voices out as she punched Lima in the face sending him reeling and freeing her wand arm.
"Give it up boy." Moody's voice came from right behind her. She had her wand pressed against Liam's neck and he glared maliciously at her.
"Expeliaramus!" Liam's wand flew out of his hand and to Kingsley who had cast the spell.
"Move back Tonks." Moody told her.
Without lowering her wand Tonks stood and moved back. Liam stayed on the ground. Clearly he knew that it was over. Without his wand he was not getting away from the three of them.
"Want to do the honors?" Moody asked her.
In answer she cast an "Incarnus". The ropes wrapped tightly around Liam and he spat at her. The look on his face was one she would not forget. It said that if he ever got free he would come after her.
Kingsley strode forward and pulled Liam to his feet and Moody clapped her on the shoulder. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. She knew he was proud.
Remus had looked through the whole house, a task that took very little time considering how small it was, and was amused at the disarray it had fallen into. Not that he really cared, at that moment he was trying to figure out where Dora would be at 2 am on a Friday, when she clearly was not home. It had taken him an hour to get through all the requisite forms that went along with a return from another country by portkey. Should have just taken the floo, he told himself distractedly as he wracked his brain as to where his girlfriend could be. Suddenly he thought he had an answer and so he exited the house quickly locking it before apparating to the Park down the street from the Tonks' house. He hurriedly left the park and was soon outside their house.
He stood there for a few minutes, glad that it was dark and no one would have to wonder why he was apparently scoping out the house at 2 am. That's all he needed was the Muggle Police being called.
He knew he should figure out a way to see if she was there without waking everyone, but he suddenly felt nervous. Should he just wait until a more decent hour? It had been four months, a few more hours wouldn't really make that much of a difference. Yet he felt that he could not wait now that his resolve was so strong and he knew she wouldn't care if he woke her.
Deciding that sending a Patronus into her room would be best, he thought of the first time he had kissed her and cast. It disappeared through the window and he waited, looking around the street in what had become an automatic action to make sure no one was watching him.
The door cracked open and a tousled pink haired head appeared. As she peered around his heart gave a jolt of happiness. Finally her eyes settled on him. She pushed the door open fully and barreled out barely getting it closed behind her as she rushed down the steps and jumped into his waiting arms.
It was all he could do to brace himself so they didn't fall back onto the concrete. She had her arms and legs wrapped around him and now grabbed his face in her hands so that she could pepper it with kisses. After four months that wasn't enough though so he closed the little distance there was between them and kissed her properly, trying to convey how much he had missed her. She responded in like and it was some minutes before they broke apart breathlessly.
"I take it you missed me then." He said lightly, readjusting his hold on her so she didn't fall.
She hit him in the side with her foot, but laughed and beamed at him. Oh, how he had missed that laugh. "Of course I missed you, you git. Why didn't you tell me you were coming home? I would have gone to meet you."
"Yes well I find I quite enjoy your reaction when you're surprised."
This caused her to laugh again and he moved over to her parent's house steps, sitting with her in his lap.
"Why are you staying at your parents?" he asked gently twisting a strand of pink hair around his finger.
She rolled her eyes. "Mum insisted, said I hadn't been to see them in months and that being antisocial just because my boyfriend had vacated the country was not acceptable. I didn't really feel like arguing, so I agreed to stay the night after dinner. I've been healing as well."
"Healing?" he asked worriedly.
She hesitated and then said, "We took down Liam Semple yesterday. He caught me with a curse in the arm, there was a lot of blood but it was nothing the healers couldn't fix. It was worth it to catch him."
He simply nodded, glad that she hadn't been hurt more seriously.
She nestled her head against his shoulder and sighed in contentment. "Merlin I missed you." She said quietly. "Did it help? Going to Belgium?"
He held her more tightly resting his chin on her head. "It did. Thank you for making me go." He hesitated for a moment and then continued. "It was also very informative. Did you know that ancient witches and Wizards used to use blood magic to bind themselves to each other?"
She looked up at him questioningly. "Really?" she sounded as if the idea repulsed her and he tried not to laugh.
"Yes, they thought it would make them stronger."
"Did it work?"
He shrugged. "Perhaps, to varying degrees."
"Is that all they used it for?" she asked interested.
"No," he said slowly. "It was also a form of marriage. Angeline is an expert on old world rituals."
She raised a pink brow and he smiled. "That's a pretty morbid way to get married, I mean when there are less nauseating ways available."
"Yes, I liked the Pagan ceremony she told me about better. So much so that I looked into it further."
"It didn't involve blood too did it? Wait, why were you looking into it?" her voice had taken on a hesitant tone and she looked at him with eyes that held a spark of hope. He had hoped she'd catch on.
"Well, I thought I should." He said seriously as he reached into his pocket feeling only slightly less nervous then when he had arrived. Her eyes followed his movement and widened disbelievingly as he pulled out a faded box. "Seeing as werewolves are not allowed to and I'm about to ask you something that will lead to that particular ceremony."
She seemed to have stopped breathing and her disbelieving gaze never left the box as he opened it.
"Nymphadora Tonks," he said as her eyes flicked to his. They now had a dazed cast. "Will you marry me, and keep me from turning into a lecherous old werewolf? As I surely would with out you."
She seemed to have regained her ability to breath and was now trying to do the same with her ability to speak. "I…sure….I mean yes! Yes! I will marry you!" She kissed him soundly then, cutting off his laugh at her reaction. When she pulled away, it was only for a moment before she pounced on him again. She seemed to be resisting the urge to get up and dance crazily in happiness.
"As if you even need to ask me." She said some minutes later grinning up at him, her large dark eyes shining.
"Well Dora, that it generally how these things are done."
She simply shook her head and looked at the ring. Remus slipped it out of the box carefully and taking her left hand in his slipped it on to the appropriate finger.
"It fits." He said feeling relived. He hadn't been sure if it would, but had hoped it wouldn't need to be resized too much.
She stared at the gold band that was inset with two diamonds under two Celtic knots. Between them was an emerald. She wiggled her finger. "It's gorgeous. Very unconventional. I love it."
"It was my mothers," he said softly. "My father searched for days to find her a ring that she would like, but non of them seemed right. So he finally went to his Vault and got his grandmother's birthstone ring. He figured that it would work for the time being as my mother's birthday was in May, and he would get her a proper ring later. She loved it though and even after he got her a different ring she still wore this one on her left hand. She used to say that when I found a girl that would have me she would give me the ring to propose with. The only time it was ever off her finger was when I removed it before her burial."
She continued to stare at the ring as if it would disappear if she looked away. Finally she looked at him. "How long have you been planning this?"
"Honestly, I wanted to ask you the day we went to your uncles and you're great aunt wanted to know when we were getting married. I just had to find a way to get around the ministry rule about werewolf marriage and unfortunately it fell to the wayside with everything else that was going on."
"This ceremony gets around the law?" She asked worriedly.
He smiled; the sadness and turmoil that had been so present in him fading slightly at how happy she seemed and smoothed her hair back from her face. "It does. The ministry does not recognize it, but it's still an actual marriage ceremony. So technically we won't be breaking any laws."
She sighed happily. "I think we should stay out here for a bit more. Mums going to flip her lid when we tell her. Be prepared for at least one crying jag and incoherent mumbles about how she never thought it would actually happen. I swear she's wanted me married off since I was 14."
Remus agreed whole-heartedly. He was in no hurry to move, content to just be holding her.
They stayed there until the first rays of sun lit the sky and then went to tell her parents the news.
Well that's it for a bit i'm afraid. :( i hope it doesn't seem too rushed. They've been together for about five years by this point so i figured it was about time Remus made an honest woman of her. Ha! I thought about holding off on him asking her for a bit more, and just having this chapter about how they were coping and the like, but when i got to writing it, it seemed right for him to ask now. After loosing so much, i thought he should gain something for once. Hopefully i'll be able to update sooner rather than later.