Tonks caught sight of Charlie before he saw her. She'd known he'd come to the wedding of course, but with everything else going on, she hadn't thought much about what it would feel like to see him again.

They hadn't been best friends in school, but they had been friends. At least, she'd like to think so. It was as close as two students from two completely different houses typically got at least.

They'd also been something of rivals on their respective Quidditch teams, though Tonks had thankfully not had to be seeker against Charlie. For a second, she almost worried that he wouldn't recognize her. After all, it had been years since they'd last seen each other.

But when he caught sight of her, he grinned and wove through the tables between them to get to her.

"Tonks!" he said, holding out a hand. "It's nice to see you!"

His grip was firm in a way that was clearly born of enthusiasm rather than a power play. Tonks was thankful that the last remaining bits of her nausea had left during the ceremony, leaving her to more easily enjoy the reception.

"You too!" she said. "I was impressed to hear that you'd made it to Romania. That's incredible. Your mum says that you love it there."

Charlie laughed. "I do, but I'm guessing she told you that she's not too fond of it herself."

Tonks shrugged. "Are parents ever completely happy? My mum's still annoyed that I became an Auror, and I didn't leave the country to do it."

"Mum would have gone mental if I became an Auror in this day and age," Charlie said, shaking his head. "Though I guess dragons aren't much better."

"It must be gorgeous out there though," Tonks said.

Charlie's gaze grew wistful and far away as he thought of it. "It is," he said. He focused back on her. "You should come visit someday. Don't worry about the dragons. There's plenty to see while staying far away from them."

Tonks nodded, but she was already running through the countless responsibilities both she had Remus had at home. "Maybe after the war we should," she said. "It will be nice to relax once it's all over."

Charlie's smile turned into a grimace. "Of course," he said. "Well, we'd be happy to have you any time."


Tonks' stomach dropped when Kingsley's patronus arrived. One hand instinctively covered her abdomen, but the other party guests were too frantic to notice. Remus found her before she could even begin looking for him, his wand held tightly in his hand.

They shared one look, and Tonks knew it was decided. They would stay and help the Weasleys.

She intertwined her fingers with his and forced her other hand away from her stomach. Whatever came next, they would face it together.