Chapter 55: A Rubbish End

Tonks sat in the room she called hers in Grimmauld place. She staired down at the box of prank that her Uncle Sirius had left her. She didn't want or need them seeing as her prank day were long over. She felt so conflicted about everything. Before she had went to stop Cassie from running after Sirius, she had got hit in the chest by some curse. She suspected it was Bellatrix trying to stop or slow her down. The whole time her chest had been on fire but she made play nothing was wrong. She took herself to St. Mungo's already. Three cracked ribs is what they said. Once she was patched up, she came back to headquarters for the will reading. Tonks gave the box in front of her a kick just as Remus walked into the room.

"You know I wouldn't ick that too hard. You never know what you might set off. Sirus was quite the prankster." Remus said grabbing a chair to sit opposite of her.

"Must run in the family then. I was too for a while." Tonks said giving Remus a pitiful smile. "So, what can I do for you today, Mr. Lupin"

"Well," Remus looked very uncomfortable speaking to her "What happened between us the other night. It shouldn't have happened.

"What?" Tonks looked shocked at the man before her "You joking."

"Tonks people like me don't get happy ending. I would bring you nothing but grief at this point. It's best to stop things between up before it starts."

"You can't serious right now. When did I say no to you. I told you I wanted it. I agreed to sleep you. I….I think I slowly be falling for you ever since that day we met two years ago. Far be it you have been avoiding me a lot but what does it matter."

"I'm telling you there cannot be an us. I will not drag you down with me. I'm no good for you. I'm too old, too poor, too…dangerous"

"You really think you are dangerous to me. You have never hurt me once, not even your wolf side."

"How do you know I won't in the future. I can't take that risk" As Remus spoke, he went to reach for something in his pocket.

"No, Remus don't" Tonks said, suspecting she knew what he was going for.

"I'm sorry, but it's best if you just forget—" Remus had pulled out his wand but before he could point it at here Tonks hand shot up first

"Expelliarmus!" Tonks shouted and Remus's wand flew out of his hand. Tonks looked at him with anger in her eyes. "YOU DO NOT GET TO DO THAT TO ME AGAIN! YOU TOOK MY MEMORY AWAY ONCE; YOU DON'T GET TO DO IT TO ME A SECOND TIME."

"Tonks—"

"NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME REMUS LUPIN. I MAKE MY OWN DECISION. YOU DO NOT MAKE DECIIONS FOR ME. YOU HAVE DONE THAT ONCE AND LOOK WHERE IT LEAD ME. A TARGET OF GREYBACK AND HIS PACK AND THE MINISTRY HOLD THE MURDER OF CHILDREN OVER MY HEAD. IF YOU HAD JUST LISTEN TO ME ALL THOSE YEARS AGO NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING!" Tonks looked close to tears at this point. "I chose the other night! Doesn't that not mean anything to you?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot be with you." Remus said standing up.

"Fine." Tonks said getting up for her seat "Then get out"

"Tonks—"

"I said get out" Tonks glared at Remus until he went to pick up his want and quitted the room. Once she was alone again Toks fell on the bed. She turned to look in the mirror and saw her hair was no longer it's vibrant color but a dead looking mousy brown. She tried to morph it to look better but to no avail. She was quite certain Remus Lupin had just broken her heart and spirit. She then laid down now feeling quite ill. All she wanted to do at this point was sleep.

It had been a few days since the will reading and Cassiopeia did not know how to process her new found freedom. She was still grieving the loss of Sirius. Yet her grief had to be pushed aside for the sake of her children. As Cassiopeia sat in her bedroom, Tonks entered. She looked ill and her hair was a mousy brown instead of its usual shade of bubble gum pink.

"Did Dumbledore see you?" she asked tonelessly.

"Yeah," Cassiopeia replied.

"What about?" Tonks asked, pretending to be interested.

"Oh, let me know that I'm a free woman, not that it matters now," Cassiopeia replied indignantly. "I don't want that elf around me or the children."

"Don't worry, I think the elf feels mutual," Tonks replied. "I'm sure Dumbledore will know what to do about the elf."

"Bloody fool," Cassiopeia snarled, "If he had only taught Harry Occlumency himself, this never would have happened. Sirius would still be here."

"Please Cassie, no offense, I'm not in the mood for this," Tonks said grumpily.

"What's up with you?" Cassiopeia asked.

"It's nothing. I just miss Sirius, too," Tonks said dismissively.

Cassiopeia squinted suspciously at Tonks. She knew her own cousin better than that and did not need Legilimens to know she was lying. "Don't make me use Legilimens to get you to tell the truth."

"I've been working hard since that night," Tonks replied. "It's nothing. I'm tired and I've been having trouble morphing is all."

Cassiopeia put the pieces together immediately. "What did he do?"

"Who?" Tonks asked.

"You know bloody well who I mean," Cassiopeia replied. "What did he do this time?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tonks replied.

"Nymphadora, don't play dumb with me, I know you better than that," Cassiopeia replied wisely.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!" Tonks snapped. "He's such an idiot. He won't be with me. Why doesn't he want to be with me? What did I do?"

"My dear Tonks, he's a hairy git," Cassiopeia comforted. "Half the time I think his tail is planted firmly up his a**."

"I want to be with him like you and Sirius," Tonks replied. "Why won't he be with me?"

"He just hasn't had some sense knocked into him yet," Cassiopeia replied. "You leave that hairy git to me."

"You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Tonks asked.

"I won't bite...much," Cassiopeia laughed.

Remus entered Grimmauld Place, exhausted. Before he could breathe, Cassiopeia grabbed him by the ear and dragged him into the kitchen.

"Ow! Ow! Cassie, my ear!" Remus whined.

"Oh, I'm about to rip your ears off, wolfy!" Cassiopeia snapped.

"Why? What did I do?" Remus asked.

"Don't play dumb with me, you hairy little git!" Cassiopeia sniped. "You're lucky Sirius isn't here but it's just me and I'm chewing you out, wolfy boy."

"An explanation for the chewing would be nice," Remus commented.

"You know what you did," Cassiopeia replied. "And who you did it to."

Remus knew immediately what she was talking about. "I told her I am wrong for her. I'm too poor, too old, too dangerous."

Cassiopeia promptly smacked Remus on the back of the head.

"Ow, Cassie! What the bloody hell was that for?" Remus complained.

"You know, for a former Hogwarts professor, you really are thick," Cassiopeia commented. "You can't see love when someone is waving it right in your face. Tonks loves you and you are breaking her heart. You continue to do that, and I will continue to make your life Hell."

"Cassie, you know why she and I can't be together, and you wouldn't," Remus replied.

"For your sake, I hope you see differently because if you hurt her, you'll wish you were dead, my friend," Cassiopeia replied with a sly smile.

At that moment, Remus wished it was Sirius chewing him out as a chill ran down his spine.

"Sweets! Sweets!"

Cassiopeia could barely register her new found freedom as her toddler gaped at Diagon Alley and gawked at all the treats in the window as she pushed a stroller through the streets with her infant.

"Aunt Tonks, chocolate frog!" little S.J. cried.

"Yes, S.J, that's lovely," Tonks replied, barely paying attention to the boy.

"Mummy will get you a chocolate frog, love," Cassiopeia simpered to her little boy. "Why don't we get your sister something, hmm? Do you think she would like a stuffed owl?"

"Like Hedwig," S.J. replied.

"Yes, just like Hedwig, smart boy," Cassiopeia replied.

Cassiopeia and Tonks journeyed on purchasing treats and stuffed animals for Andromeda Lily and S.J.

"Mummy, will Daddy come home to play with me?" S.J. asked.

Cassiopeia shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sure he will soon."

Just then, the group ran into a familiar face. "Harry!"

"Cassie!" Harry cried as he ran forward to embrace his godmother. "How are you enjoying freedom?"

"It feels good after all these years," Cassiopeia replied.

"S.J, you're getting so big," Harry commented to the little boy in front of him. "And so is your little sister. She's growing so fast."

"You getting some shopping done before school?" Tonks asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"Why don't we follow you?" Cassiopeia asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Harry replied.

The group journeyed on to Flourish and Blott's to collect books for Harry's schoolwork when they came across an unwelcome guest.

"Potter, and who is this? I thought your felon godmother would be rotting in a cell in Azkaban," Draco laughed.

"Draco, there is no need for that with these people," said a woman with white blonde hair.

"Hello, Narcissa. How is Lucius doing these days?" Cassiopeia laughed.

"Oh I'm sure he's fine. Oh, how is you're darling Sirius? Oh, he's dead!" Narcissa chortled.

The temperature in the alley dropped to a frigid temperature. Tonks knew this was not going to end well so she took the children aside. Without hesitation, Cassiopeia's fist flew across Narcissa's nose, coloring it purple. Cassiopeia jumped on top of her, landing several punches to her face. Narcissa and Cassioeia rolled across the ground, screaming and pulling at their hair before Cassopeia bit down on Narcissa's wrist, drawing blood. Narcissa screamed and clawed Cassiopeia in the face, cutting her lip.

"I'm going to make you wish they put you in a cell, you b****!:" Cassopeia cried as she clawed at Narcissa.

Before any more blows could land, Tonks pried Cassiopeia off Narcissa and Apparated them away.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" Tonks asked. "You do that again you're likely to get chucked in Azkaban again!"

"You didn't hear her! You didn't hear what she said about Sirius," Cassiopeia cried.

Tonks sighed. "Sometimes I know you and Sirius were made for each other. You're both incredibly stubborn."

"And you love me all the more for it," Cassiopeia laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Tonks groaned. "Did you really bite Narcissa?"

"In my defense, she tasted horrible," Cassiopeia laughed.

Tonks smacked her head. She's worse than Sirius.