Never fall in love with a Werewolf

Chapter Five- Pursue Passion?

Tonks stayed at the Weasleys for a rather silent dinner, far from the exuberant dinners of last year at Grimmauld Place. The tension around the table was incredible. Harry braved everyone and was sitting in-between Ron and Hermione. Ginny was sitting beside Hermione picking at her roast chicken, her head resting on her left hand. Molly and Arthur were at the opposite ends of the table eating their food quietly. Fred and George sat, rather squashed beside Tonks. They'd never looked so miserable… The only sound to be heard was the occasional scratch of a knife and fork on the ceramic plates, and the clunk of glasses, mugs and goblets on the wooden table. It was painfully quiet, not at all like normal dinners, where Tonks would be changing her nose to the delight of Hermione and Ginny, where Fred and George would be entertaining Harry and Ron, with Arthur looking on proudly, Molly almost disapprovingly… Sirius and Remus would be here, reminiscing about old school days… But without Sirius… Everything was just wrong…Nothing would ever be right again…

Hermione broke the awkward atmosphere. "He was amazing." Everyone dropped their knifes and forks, took their glasses from their mouths, and looked up at Hermione, who was staring into space. "He died for Harry, he was a hero, and, at least now, we know he is with James…" Harry rose from his chair and left the table, he silenced Hermione with a deadly stare, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but thought better of it. Everyone watched Harry leave the kitchen, everyone heard him thump upstairs and slam Ron's bedroom door. Hermione looked apologetically around the table, she obviously didn't mean to stir Harry, she was going to raise her glass to Sirius… "I didn't mean to Ron." She whispered to Ron, biting her lip, tears filling her eyes. "I just wanted…" But it became to much for Hermione, her own grief, and now the dreaded feeling that she's hurt Harry's feelings beleaguered her, so she stood up from the table just as Harry did. Ron held up his hand to try and stop her, but she ignored it and stormed off into the garden. Ron made to follow suit, but Arthur shook his head warningly at him.

Another apprehensive silence followed. Everyone continued to scrape their cutlery on the plates, and chew the roast dinner quietly. Neither Hermione or Harry returned to dinner, however, Ron took Hermione's plate and went out into the garden with it. Tonks could only presume he was taking her dinner to her. He did not return to take Harry's up.

Half an hour later, after tea and biscuits, Tonks made to leave, but Molly stopped her as she turned towards the fireplace. "Stay the night, the kids like you, and I don't like to think of you in your flat alone tonight. It's been a tough night for all of us." Molly smiled maternally at Tonks.

"Remus is alone!" Tonks said protectively, she wasn't susceptible, she could manage to stay in her maisonette alone, she had done for the last three years. Who was looking after Remus Lupin? No one.

"Yes, but he needs to be alone, he won't want people intruding in on his grief."

"How do you know that?" Tonks folded her arms. "He might want someone to be with him tonight."

"If you're talking about yourself, then there's another reason as to why I think you should stay here. I don't want - you cant, go to see Remus, not tonight."

"You were the one who said to follow my heart." Tonks whispered, she didn't want the whole house to know about her feelings for Remus.

"I know I did, but, not tonight, promise me Tonks." Tonks couldn't promise Molly anything. She wanted to help Remus like she did before on the day after Sirius's death, but, her she had a longing ache to tell Remus her feelings now. It was very difficult not exploding with pleasure and warmth at the very thought of Remus, and she was sure this hunger for Remus would only settle down once she placed her lips on his…

"I can't promise you anything Molly." Tonks sighed, Molly put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

"Then you're staying here tonight! You can stay in Percy's old room…" Tonks raised an eyebrow.

"Is it clean? With fresh bed sheets and things?"

"Of course it is! Do you think I left things how they were when he buggered off to the Ministry?" Molly spat, Tonks stepped back, Molly never forgave Percy for betraying the family's values, and wasn't allowing him to come back to The Burrow as punishment. "I'm sure Hermione has a spare nightdress or some pyjamas, she's grown a lot recently, burgeoning into a woman. I'll go and ask her." Molly muttered. She hurried out of the kitchen to find Hermione, leaving Tonks on her own for the first time since she had arrived at The Burrow.

Tonks started to pace around the room nervously, she desperately wanted to talk to Remus, but Molly was holding her back… Small pulses of anger drove through her veins and arteries, but all impulses vanished when Molly returned with a pale green nightdress wrapped in her arms.

"Got it! Hermione was glad to lend a hand, she's much better now, Ron cheered her up. Ron and Hermione said, they dare not go near Harry for a while… Poor boy…" Molly sniffed, she handed the nightdress to Tonks and gestured to her to follow her up the stairs. The stairs creaked loudly, as they ambled upstairs, no sound came from Ron's room, where Harry was still grieving - Like Remus… "Right here we are!" Molly piped up, beaming at Tonks. "Goodnight!"

"Thanks Molly," Tonks smiled, fiddling with the hem of Hermione's night dress. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes, and breakfast is at ten, later then usual, but I suspect everyone will want some sleep."

"Yeah, they will…" Tonks yawned, and it suddenly dawned on her that she was really tired, and her eyes were starting to sag with sleepiness.

"G'night." Molly yawned, and with that, she walked off to her own room.

Tonks sat down on Percy's old bed. The room didn't smell musty, it didn't have a linger of old yellowing spell books, it was clean. The curtains and window were open; it overlooked the Weasley's Orchid, and she was sure, she could see a tall redhead and a brown haired girl lying down amongst the apple trees…

Tonks slipped of her black robes, and slid into Hermione's nightdress, which fitted almost perfectly… She yawned again and slipped between the dark blue sheets. Tonks was asleep in seconds.

*

Tonks's cubicle at the Ministry was a cluttered mess. She had pictures of old school friends stuck to the wall in front of her, a poster of The Weird Sisters, wailing in their gothic greatness, a scruffy picture of the original Order of Phoenix, and beside that, a gilded picture of the new Order of Phoenix. Remus and Sirius's faces shone out in particular…

She sat down at her desk, running her hand along the deep groove around the perimeter of the desk. She stared at the papers that littered her inbox, then her eyes fell on the empty outbox. Tonks couldn't concentrate on the report she had to write about; something about Death Eaters… It was dull, tedious, tiresome work, luckily the theoretical side of being an Auror was only a small part of the job. Tonks felt like bashing her head against the desk to try and get Remus out of her head. She was going to tell him - how, she didn't know, but she'd have to move her lips and let out words.

She eventually, just put her head down on the desk, as if to sleep, but she was just mentally exhausted, from just thinking about Remus. "Molly told me." Came a voice from behind her. She sat bolt upright and whizzed around to see Arthur leaning on the doorframe of her little cubicle.

"Oh! Arthur, good morn-"

"Afternoon. It's two o'clock." Arthur smiled at Tonks. Tonks rumpled her black hair and yawned.

"Bloody hell." Tonks muttered, Weasley whims were rubbing off on her. "I think I just dozed off."

"Why are you here?"

"What? Work to do Arthur!" He narrowed his eyes and moved across the cubicle to sit opposite her.

"Molly told me." Tonks's eyes widened, she realised what Arthur was now on about.

"Oh, she did, did she?"

"Yes. Tonks you shouldn't be here" Arthur whispered, taking his glasses off and rubbing his tired eyes.

"Because I've fallen for Remus Lupin, I shouldn't be at work?" Tonks spat, she didn't mean to, but she had PMT, and was still rather sleepy.

"No… Well, yes. Remus isn't at work, I told him not to come in for a week."

"But I wasn't Sirius's best friend. I was his cousin, now I've fallen for Remus. Well, it's not now, but, it's complicated since Sirius died."

"And you can't concentrate because of it, Tonks. Go home, please. I can manage here, I've sorted the toilets out, and I'd quite like to get my hands into a report." He said, reading the header on a piece of parchment.

"Are you sure?" Tonks asked, looking up at Arthur, with unsure eyes. "If you can manage-"

"I can manage." Arthur smiled, and with that, Tonks picked up her tattered orange briefcase and was gone in the swish of an pea green cloak.

Author's Note - Wow! Oh my god, these reviews! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate these reviews! I love you all! You have no idea how much I love you all!! Hugs and biscuits!

Shayna, you're entitled to give your opinion and advice, and I'm ok with that, but in defence, I think if Remus was in this situation where he was grieving for his best friend, and also had feelings for a friend/colleague surfacing, he'd be mixed up and feeling sudden jolts of emotion…

Sorry for the delay too, but it's been rather hot in London, causing lethargy all round! And I went through a phase of hyperness, and if you've read my two recent fics, both Marauder ones, you will know what I mean!

Review again please!! I Love you all!!