"Can you at least pretend that you're looking forward to going?" Dora asked in exasperation.

"I am!" he protested but his fidgeting said otherwise.

He just couldn't leave the cuffs of his shirt alone. He would also have been tugging at his collar but Dora insisted that he keep it unbuttoned and very much without a tie. Apparently, it was one thing looking like a Professor but a completely different thing to look like some over-eager office clerk. Remus still wasn't sure whether or not he should be insulted at that or not.

Dora gave him an exasperated look. It was fine for her; she wasn't nervous at all. They were her parents after all. He, on the other hand, had plenty to be worried about.

"Don't lie, I know you're not."

He was about to open his mouth and lie again but Dora raised her eyebrow at him. Deflating, Remus sighed, hands twitching to fidget with a tie that wasn't there.

"Okay, I'm not. But do you really blame me?"

"You are blowing this completely out of proportion," she replied, carefully skirting the question.

He wasn't prepared for this at all. Not even a little bit. And that was Dora's fault. It really was. She was the one who had given him no warning at all. Just told him that they were going to her parents' house and that was that. He had no choice in this decision.

"It's not that I don't want to go," he began even though he very much didn't. "I just don't think it's prudent for me to go."

Dora did not look impressed by his response. "That's just a fancy way of saying that you don't want to go."

"Not exactly..."

She threw her hands up in the air. "Come on, they're just my parents!"

"Exactly! They're your parents!"

That earned him a confused look. Remus sighed and ran a hand over his face. Was he going to have to spell this out for her? Apparently so.

"I hurt you," he said slowly, earning himself a thump on the arm. "They probably don't want me in their house."

"But we've got over it now," Dora dismissed. "We're good."

Remus was sure that that wasn't how it worked. Parents were extremely protective of their children, as they should be.

"Pretty sure they're not my biggest fan right now."

"You don't know that."

But she looked away which was all the confirmation he needed. Not that he blamed them. He was to blame for her emotional state this last year, something he really would never forgive himself for. And no one else should. Not even Dora. Even though she had.

"Maybe you should just go," he said gently.

She shook her head vigorously. "No! We have to show them things have changed! For the better!"

"I don't know, Dora..."

"But I do!"

With a resolute expression on her face and reflexes Remus wasn't even aware that she had, Dora grabbed him by the arm and apparated them both away.

That had to be the most horrible sensation he had ever felt. It felt like a tube was trying to flatten him. Remus had forgotten just how nasty sidealong-apparation was. Merlin, it was just awful.

Then he could suddenly breathe again. And what a lovely thing it was. He gulped down mouthfuls of it in thankful gasps. Dora was sniggering next to him.

"Don't do that, Nymphadora."

"Hey, it got you here, didn't it? And don't call me Nymphadora!"

They both rolled their eyes at each other. Remus took the opportunity to look around him. The Tonks' house had definitely not changed much since he last came (over far better circumstances he couldn't help but think enviously). Maybe some different flowers and were those new curtains?

"Come on, let's go!" Dora said eagerly, grabbing him by the arm yet again.

She used his brief distraction to her advantage and he actually found himself being led towards the door. Before he could stop her, Dora was knocking quite loudly on it.

"Wait-"

But it was too late. He could hear footsteps coming towards them and, sure enough, the door was flung open.

"Dora!" Andromeda greeted her daughter with a hug and then pushed her back by the shoulders. "Your hair! Ted!" she called over her shoulder. "It's Dora!"

"Dora?" Ted head popped out from the kitchen. "Dora!" he gave her a hug too. "Hey, your hair!"

"I already said that," Andromeda said with a fond eyeroll.

"Well, I can celebrate it too!" He replied, sticking out his tongue. "It's amazing!"

"Amazingly bright, you mean."

"Oh, you missed it, Annie..."

Dora coughed nervously. "Um, mum, dad? I, uh, I brought a guest."

"Oh? That's good, who did y-? Oh."

Andromeda's eyes fell on him and her whole expression changed. And it was not a good expression.

"Remus."

Well, that definitely wasn't the best of greetings. Or much of a greeting at all. More of a statement really. A cold, biting statement.

"Hi, Remus."

Ted wasn't exactly cold but that certainly wasn't a friendly tone either.

"I suppose you should come in."

Both he and Dora flinched. That actually managed to sound colder than her greeting to him. Impressive.

"Mum..." Dora tried as they entered the house.

"Don't you 'mum' me, Nymphadora! Are you not aware of what this man put you through?"

"Yes, of course, but it's all sorted now!"

That just made Andromeda snort derisively. She was very good at it. Better than McGonagall, actually.

"Uh, why don't we all sit down?" Ted suggested.

"Maybe I should leave?" Remus offered.

"No!" both Tonks women shouted at him, which was surprising.

"You are going to stay and explain yourself."

Leaving sounded much better than that. But he really didn't have a choice here. Mainly because of Dora's pleasing eyes being thrown into the mix.

"Yes, of course," he agreed nervously as he was led into the living room.

Dora immediately dragged them over to the sofa and curses up into him quite blatantly. Literally staking her claim, not that he was arguing.

Especially since the next hour of his life was dedicated to getting grilled by Andromeda and Edward Tonks. Remus had to answer questions from "what the hell was he thinking" to "are you really that much of an idiot?" to "I can't believe you're that much of an idiot!".

He explained how he felt, his feelings of inadequacy, disgust and how he thought he was no good for Dora. Then he outlined the missions he had been on and how being alone (or apart from him in Dora's case) should have made life easier. Finally, both he and Dora told them what happened at Hogwarts. They were quite out of breath at the end of it and Dora was practically on his lap.

Andromeda and Ted seemed somewhat satisfied by all of this as the conversation was swiftly turned to everyone's work and how Ted had to drain the pond but ended up with the water all over him.

Ages later but yet too soon as well, he and Dora were leaving. She made the excuse of having the early shift at work tomorrow, which was a lie but he wasn't going to call her out on it.

"Don't you dare leave her again, Remus Lupin," threatened Andromeda, fingering her wand as Dora gave her parents final hugs at the door. "Or it won't just be Ted's anger that you'll have to worry about."

Remus nodded his head jerkily. Forcing his legs not to back away and show weakness.

"Scared of mum?" Dora teased him, smiling cheekily.

"But of course," he replied making everyone laugh.

He was completely serious, though. Who in the right mind wouldn't be scared of Andromeda Tonks? She had been a Black and, more importantly, she had been a Black who broke free of them and defied them at every turn. You would have to be crazy to not be at least a little bit intimidated by her.

"Good," Andromeda told him.