ANDROMEDA
After dinner, Tonks hurried off in a rush to get to the Leaky Cauldron to meet Snape. Her Auror robes were flapping around her in time to the sound of her flip-flops. She called over her shoulder as she left, "Finish all that potion, Remus. I'm not letting you get me in trouble with Poppy! I expect to be back soon."
Lupin lifted the glass that held the potion in salute and drank it down in one gulp. The taste never improved over the years.
After Lupin finished his restorative potion, he tossed his wand on the nightstand and put on a record. He lay on the short bed enjoying the music, but realized he missed his hostess. She was so vibrant that she brought life and light into any situation.
He stood up and walked aimlessly to the living room where he was drawn to the bookshelf. He recognized several volumes that were standard issue for Auror training. But he was most intrigued by a slim black book whose spine was labeled DADA for Dummies.
Lupin settled on the sofa to find it was a personal journal with Tonks' notes about her Auror training. As it had been in the bookshelf and not hidden away in some drawer, he didn't feel he was invading her privacy to read it. Soon he was laughing at her observations about instructors, fellow students and her own self-deprecating comments.
His reading was interrupted when the door flew open. He began speaking without looking up, "I really think you should publish this, Tonks..."
Lupin's voice fell away as he realized he was addressing Andromeda, Tonks' mother. Lupin was uncertain how to respond to this latest meeting since their previous ones had been contentious. He opted for being polite as he stood and put the book away. "Hello, Andromeda."
"Where is she? What have you done to her?" Andromeda sneered at the man.
Lupin was puzzled by the question and the hostile tone. He stepped away from her cautiously to find he was pinned on one side by the bookcase and the other by the wall. Still, he said calmly, "I assume you dropped by to see your daughter, but I'm afraid she's out."
"Don't lie to me! It was full moon last night. Oh, yes, I know what you are," said Andromeda as she faced him.
Lupin became very alert. He could predict what was coming, but not when. He had sufficient power to perform wandless magic, but it would not be controlled. He refused to inadvertently hurt Tonks' mother.
"I ran into Dolores Umbridge just this afternoon. She was happy to tell me all about you, you disgusting Dark Creature! You've done something to my baby, haven't you?"
"Andromeda, don't get upset. I wouldn't hurt Nymph--"
"Don't you dare say her name! You're not fit to look at her, let alone touch her, you filthy beast." Then Andromeda lashed out her rage and made it real. "Lacer!"
Lupin barely had time to raise his arms to protect himself from the Wizard's whip. He murmured Protego. The defense would be incomplete, but he was quite familiar with enduring pain.
"She's my only child!"
The lash fell on him to emphasize each of Andromeda's words and he felt the welts rising on his arms as he fell to his knees to decrease the size of her target. He kept his arms protecting his head not so much from vanity, but because the lash could permanently damage his eyes.
"Do you think a mother wants to see her beautiful girl turned into some monster?" Andromeda stopped for moment, but still didn't register she was attacking a defenseless man.
"No," Lupin managed to say, but the witch thought he was pleading for mercy. How could her daughter have fallen for such a pathetic being?
"And all for some--" The sting became sharper.
"Indigent--" The lash now went deeper.
"Intellectual--" The blood ran freely.
"Who gained her pity!"
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Tonks entered her flat and didn't even register who was attacking Lupin.
She grabbed the wand she had seized with her left hand as she hurried to Lupin who was now kneeling on the floor. She bent on one knee as she arrived at his side. "Remus!"
"I'll be all right, Tonks," murmured Lupin while she staunched the blood flow. "See to your mother."
Tonks looked at him clearly puzzled. She turned with her wand at the ready to deal with his attacker when she finally recognized the figure who was stirring. "Mother?"
Andromeda merely pushed her hair away from her face and stood up on shaky legs. Her proud posture made her an imposing figure. "Nymphadora, get away from that--thing, that werewolf!"
Tonks eyes opened wide. "This is Remus Lupin, not 'that werewolf.' What were you doing, Mother? Why this?"
"I'm all right, Tonks, she has a right to--"
"NO! My mother has no right to come into my home and injure you like this," said Tonks quickly.
"I thought he'd harmed you when I didn't find you here. Dear Merlin, he's a werewolf and it was full moon last night! Don't tell me you're now consorting with Dark Creatures, Nymphadora. I thought I taught you better than that." Andromeda stood with regal composure now as she faced her daughter.
Tonks didn't bother to stand up, but remained on one knee by Lupin. Still, she raised her eyes to meet her mother in a stony gaze. "You taught me that being different didn't have to mean I was ugly. You taught me that being ashamed of having special talents was a waste of time. You, Mother, taught me that hurting the innocent for your own amusement was evil. Have you forgotten those lessons? I haven't!"
Andromeda couldn't speak for a moment, but when she found her voice, she was outraged. "Innocent! Do you think that--that he has lived this long without killing someone? Or creating another werewolf? How do you know he doesn't have his own wolf pack that he serves?"
"Because he serves with me," began Tonks, but caught herself before she said the Order of the Phoenix. "Remus helps out on Auror missions sometimes. Do you think Moody would trust him if he were a Dark Creature?"
Andromeda looked at Lupin again. He remained silent and returned her gaze cautiously, but there was no fear in his eyes. He almost looked as if he understood her distress.
The witch shook her head and this time used a pleading tone. "Nymphadora, think about your future. This relationship can't possibly end up well. What happens if you get pregnant? Do you think I want to see my baby girl torn up from the inside when she births a wolf cub?"
"Who told you that lie? Werewolves are completely normal except during full moon. There is no baby eating up a mother from the inside to worry about."
"You'd actually mix your bloodline with his?" asked Andromeda incredulously.
For a moment she could only echo, "His bloodline."
Tonks shook her head and emitted a bitter laugh. Venificus primo not good enough? If only her mother knew the truth, but she settled for saying, "Yes, Mother, I would proudly mix my bloodline with his."
Andromeda closed her eyes in seeming defeat. She had no options left, she had to use her last resort. "Nymphadora, years from now you'll see this was for your own good. You have a choice to make. Him or me."
"What?" Tonks couldn't believe her ears. Even when they had competed for the same men in her youth, they had never been brought to this extreme measure.
"It's a simple decision, Nymphadora. Your own flesh and blood or your new lover. Which is it? I promise you, I won't have anything to do with you while you're with him."
"Tonks, don't be rash. I can leave--" began Lupin.
"No, no, you're not going anywhere," she said urgently to Lupin.
"Tonks--" he tried again.
"No!" Tonks turned to Andromeda and said, "Fine. You're right, it is an easy decision. You see, regardless of whether Remus is my lover or just my friend, I won't tolerate anyone treating him less than human."
"Nymphadora, I--" began her mother.
"I love you, too, Mother." Tonks now rose with one purpose in mind and ignored the tears that began streaming down her face. She tossed Andromeda's wand back to her. Then she pointed her own and said, "When you can walk in that door--"
"Don't do this, Tonks, I'm not worth it," said Lupin.
Tonks just put her hand on his shoulder and he fell silent.
"When you can walk in that door and accept Remus Lupin in my life, then you can return." Tonks voice held no room for argument. All Andromeda could do was stand there in stunned silence.
"Exsilium mater."
Tonks cast the banishment spell that would send her mother to her own house. Further, the spell would prevent Andromeda from coming near her until the requirements to lift the spell were met.
As she watched her mother vanishing, Tonks finally fell into Lupin's arms and sobbed for a long moment.
The wounds on his arms were nothing compared to seeing her emotional pain. He rocked her gently as they knelt on the floor. "I'm not worth this. Call your mother back, Tonks."
"Damn it! You just broke rule number five: You are never to say you're not worth it! You're exactly why we stand against the Darkness, Remus. All that can be good in man I've seen in you."
Lupin touched her cheek gently and wiped away her tears. "My dear Aurora, I don't want to be the source of any pain you bear."
Tonks sniffed and said, "She's the one who caused me pain when she hurt you. I offered you a safe haven, but that's been violated. I haven't been able to do anything to help you recover."
Tonks nuzzled closer to him as he whispered, "You are helping me, Tonks. You're better than chocolate."
"Really?" asked Tonks.
"Really. And I've been hit with a lot worse from the Wizard's whip. This was a small thing."
Tonks pulled back a moment and rubbed her eyes. "This isn't the first time?"
Lupin just shook his head, but Tonks was drawn to the scars on his face. She realized for the first time that they would have been made while he was a human, not a werewolf, to have left the continuous marks they presented. She traced the scars lightly now and closed her eyes. "These aren't self-inflicted? Someone did this to you. How can people be so cruel?"
"I grew up with the same prejudices, Tonks. For centuries my family only sought to kill the beasts, not to understand them."
"But the last real Wolf Hunter was your grand..." Her voice died away for a moment, but as she pulled back to look at Lupin, he wouldn't meet her gaze. "How old were you when your grandfather did this to you?"
"We, my mother and father and I, hid the truth from him about me for five years. They had only been going out on hunts twice a year by the time I got bitten. Father used my 'illness' as an excuse to give up the hunt. He'd bundle me off to a cave for the nights when Grandfather had to use the Arsenal. Then, when I was ten, Grandfather discovered our little secret. Really, I'm surprised we kept it from him for so long."
"I think you refuse to see what's right in front of you sometimes," said Tonks. "What happened?"
"Grandfather waited until I had recovered from the full moon before confronting my parents, but I think the wait only fueled his rage. He came after me--" Lupin closed his eyes for a moment before murmuring. "I remember thinking to myself that at least he wouldn't see me crying."
"What did your parents do?" asked Tonks.
"They used the banishment spell on him just like you did to your mother. Grandfather died a few months later, but he never saw us again." Lupin shook his head. "We were a family of Wolf Hunters and the methods that were used were even more brutal than the Wizard's whip. I think about that whenever something like this happens. Perhaps my curse is a way of making up for the sins of my legacy?"
Tonks shook her head. "No, as a child, we are all born innocent. You have nothing to atone for, Remus."
Lupin let his head drop onto her soft hair. She really was better than chocolate.
Tonks inspected his arms again and said, "My mother didn't know the lacer curse before this. How could she--"
Lupin closed his eyes as things fell into place. "Umbridge. She said she met Umbridge. That's how she discovered I was a werewolf."
He opened his eyes and looked at Tonks. "There are ways other than an imperious curse to get someone to do your dirty work."
Tonks only nodded. She felt quite drained at the moment, but had to put things into perspective. "All right, I'll go see my mother in a few days and lift the banishment, but I'm setting wards on my flat so that no one I know can just barge in like I've always let her do."
"I think that's a good compromise," replied Lupin. He was silent for a long moment, but he felt compelled to broach the subject. "Tonks, this sort of thing is what you can expect if you get involved with me. I've learned to live with people pointing to me and calling me a monster. But you become one by association."
Tonks turned and clasped both his hands in hers. She took a deep breath and tried to explain. "Remus, I'm not defending you so you'll feel obligated to sleep with me. I'm not standing by your side because I think it's a quick way to seduce you. I meant what I said to my mother. Friend or lover, I won't abide your being mistreated. And people have been pointing to me all my life because I can morph. That's nothing new to me."
Tonks leaned her forehead against his and said, "Now this is where you say something really sappy."
Lupin smiled lightly. "You are better than chocolate, Nymphadora."
Tonks giggled and replied, "And you're better than a duck."
"I am so proud," said Lupin solemnly as he put a fist to his chest.
Tonks waited patiently as the smile left his face and his eyes moved to her lips. She met him halfway to share the kiss. Cherish. It would do for now.
"Let me see to your wounds. I need to get them wrapped up before Dung gets here," said Tonks once they broke the kiss.
They stood up as Lupin asked, "Mundungus Fletcher? Why is he coming here."
"I ran into him while Snape kept me waiting at the Leaky Cauldron. I arranged a, um, purchase from him."
Lupin gave her a dubious glance. "Purchase? Using Dung as your agent is a bit extreme, isn't it?"
"You'll be pleased. Now, come on."
- - - - - - - - -
Two hours later, Lupin was lying comfortably in a kingsize bed as he read his book. Tonks had threatened to rip out Dung's tongue if he told anyone about her purchase. The whole transaction had gone rather smoothly after that. His phonograph was playing an instrumental in the background. All in all, Remus Lupin looked like he was recovering just fine.
Tonks was now lying next to him but was using his feet, which now fit inside the bedframe, to prop up her book. Her own feet were snuggled next to Lupin's warm body with one of his arms holding her legs. Occasionally he offered an absent stroke to her calves.
Tonks smiled. The man was completely clueless, but he was learning. And he was definitely better than a duck.
The End
Author Notes:
I used Andromeda rather harshly here to present the prejudices that Remus has likely faced in his life. It also gave me chance to enhance his background. I wasn't after angst; I'm more interested in coping with the emotional turmoil rather than extending it.
Exsilium and lacer are not canon. I wanted a banishment spell and something nasty that wasn't cruciatus (?) so we have the Wizard's whip.
Lupin hasn't moved in with Tonks. His phonograph will be back at Grimmauld Place, but now he has another "safe house" and no excuses for not feeling comfortable at Tonks flat. Smart woman.
Thank you for reading. Special thanks for taking the time to review. I'm working on my take of the Advance Guard chapter without trying to rewrite it, just fill in gaps, but it'll be 10 days or so before I get it posted.
