Disclaimer: The usual. I don't own them. Wish I did. Cause then I'd be rich.
Remus stood by the window, shoulders hunched, hands thrust deep in his pockets, staring gloomily out at the waxing moon. With his burgeoning relationship with Tonks, the coming full moon had amazingly slipped his mind.
Snape's delivery of the Wolfsbane potion had brought it back into focus. And had plunged him back into despondency.
He sighed, his breath fogging up the windowpane. What had he been thinking, getting involved with her?
Thinking you might get laid, a devilish little voice, which sounded a lot like Sirius, whispered.
"Shut up." Remus told the voice. There was more to things with Nymphadora than that.
So, you don't want to jump her bones? The voice asked slyly.
Remus growled under his breath. "That's not the point."
Isn't it?
"No. I care for her more than that."
Then he shook his head. Great. Just bloody fantastic. Now he was arguing with a voice in his head.
He could feel the beast rising up within him, the higher the moon rose. But years of keeping it at bay had him focusing on the sounds of the night around him; to bind it back into the tidy cage it was usually locked in.
He forced his breathing to slow and focused on the sound of the breeze outside, the barking of a dog down the street, the creaks and groans of the house around him. Then his keen hearing picked up another sound, a soft muffled cry.
He stiffened, turning his head, listening carefully now.
Silence…
And then, there it was again. A whimper. Coming from somewhere in the house.
His first thought was that Harry was dreaming again. The boy had been plagued with nightmares since the events at the Ministry of Magic. He went to his bedroom door and quietly opened it, stepping out into the gloomy hall.
Nothing.
He had hardly taken two steps toward the end of the hall where Harry and Ron slept when he heard it.
"Remus."
Someone whispered his name, and it wasn't Harry.
It was Tonks.
Breath caught in his throat, he crept to her door, knocking gently.
"Tonks?" He called softly.
He was answered by a silence so thick it seemed almost palpable. The whole energy of the house seemed to shift around him, closing in on him, pressing down on him.
Something was terribly wrong.
The air around him grew cold, damp. He knocked again, more forcefully, then tried to open the door. It wouldn't budge. "Tonks! Open the door!"
When she screamed, his heart stopped. Whipping his wand from his belt, he blew the door open with a shower of red sparks and leapt inside.
The vision that greeted him froze him in his tracks.
A tall, elegant dark haired man was standing over a dark haired boy on his knees.
Sirius. Remus realized when the boy lifted his bloodied rebellious face. He was watching a teenaged Sirius. The man, Sirius' father, drew back his hand and slapped his son across the face.
Sirius' head was thrown to the side by the blow, but he recovered quickly, spitting at his father. "Is that the best you can do?" He sneered.
"You will not associate with those boys any more. Do you hear me?" The man seethed. "Especially that werewolf."
Sirius stared up at him, resentment burning in his eyes. "I'll associate with whomever I please. You can't stop me. And Remus is a better man than you are."
With a sound of rage, Sirius' father lashed out, kicking his son in the stomach, knocking him over. As he continued kicking him, the vision faded, the sounds of the beating lingering a fraction longer.
Remus was sickened by what he had just seen, but pushed aside his own feelings to look to Tonks.
She was huddled at the head of the bed, her eyes wide and frightened in her too pale face. She stared at the place where the vision had been, just by the foot of the bed.
"Tonks? Are you alright?"
She turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Remus…" She whispered, her voice breaking.
He went to her, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "Are you all right?" He repeated.
She shook her head, tears spilling out of her eyes.
Molly appeared suddenly in the doorway, wand in hand, dressing gown thrown haphazardly over her nightclothes. The kids, who were yawning and scratching their heads, trailed her closely. "What happened? What was all the shouting?" She asked, concern in her voice.
Tonks glanced at Remus and sniffled. "I had a nightmare." She lied.
Remus narrowed his eyes at her. She gave an imperceptible shake of her head.
"And the door jammed." He added. "Sorry we woke you."
Molly looked unconvinced. Remus gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He was still shaken by what he had seen.
"Do you need anything, dear?" Molly directed the question at Tonks.
Tonks shook her head. "No. I'm alright now, thanks."
"I'll look after her, Molly." Remus offered. "You go back to bed."
"Well, alright, if you're sure." She said, turning away and shooing the kids back to their beds.
When they were alone again, Remus turned to Tonks. "Why did you lie to her?" He asked quietly.
She shrugged. "Molly already has enough to worry about."
He nodded. "Do you need anything?"
She bit her lip. Her tears had dried, and the color was returning to her face. "Not. Not really… just…"
"What?"
"Would you, um, just stay with me for a little?" She asked in a small voice.