It was a cold and frosty morning, Lupin had been sleeping nearly all day when he finally woke up to face the shadowy sky. He looked by the window and muttered a couple of things about how bad was living in London at those winters. He reluctantely got up to find an owl and a messagge attached to it. Instantely he felt nothing good could came out of that little piece of parchment. He untied it and read it to his insides. It was from Mr and Mrs Weasley, they were urgently in need of his presence that same night. He didn't know what was going on, but judging by the handwriting, the several ink stains and the quickness which was the note written, he could guess it was definetely important.

He got properly dressed in minutes and managed to apparate a couple of blocks from the Weasley's place. He rushed to the house and knocked on the door. He did not want to apparate inside of the house because of pure cortesy, he didn't feel it right to intrude into someone else's place.

" Remus! Finally! We've sent you that owl two days ago! We didn't know wether you had received it or not.. please come in." Said a very nervous and tired Molly Weasley. Remus obeyed and stepped inside the house, carefully following Molly around. He was expecting some members of the order of the phoenix sitting in the living room where we was allowed in, but instead, he only found Arthur Weasley, several of his children and Minerva Mcgonnagall. Curious about what was all about, he took a place on one couch as Molly had indicated him to do.

" Remus, I'm glad you're here." Minerva said as she greeted him. There was something about her eyes which showed him sadness and lament. Of course, he took some credit on the the situation, it was obvious that nobody would be gladly jumping up and down, after all, it had been only two months after Albus Dumbledore's burial.

" I'm sorry I didn't get earlier.. is something wrong?" Lupin asked clearly because of the odd situation he was in. He had been called not to attend an order of the phoenix meeting, he was one of the priviledged to be invited, since he found nobody else from the orther than the Weasleys and Mcgonnagal herself.

" Yes, indeed there is." Minerva replied distantely. Suddenly, Molly began crying hardly. Fleur, who had been sitting next to the recent healed and much better Bill, stood up and approached her to try to comfort her. Both women were whipping and hugging each other tightly. Arthur tried to avoid Lupin's staring, he focused all his energy into looking at Ginny and Ron, who were sadly giving him back his looks.

" What is it? How may I help?" Lupin asked once more taking into account that nobody seemed to speak further. Minerva took a few seconds to think of the best way of putting the situation, or at least that was what it had seemed.

" It's Nymphadora.." Mcgonnagall started. Suddenly, Lupin's eyes widened and change relevantely.

" What's with her?" He asked in such a worried tone that even Ron realized what was going on around them.

" She's been.. She's fallen into.. She's gotten a.." Molly tried to explain but each time she was going to finish a sentence, she began crying all over again. Lupin was begining to feel irrate since nobody was telling him anything. He was growing desperate.

" What? What happened!" He asked in an angrier tone demanding an explanation. Arthur met eyes with Minerva and seizing that she would not be able to communicate the man the recent news, he spoke at least.

" She's ill. Very ill." Arthur replied sadly.

" What do you mean ill? What kind of illness? Is she going to be all right? Speak Arthur!" Lupin was begining to lose his well known patience as nobody answer him. His face was turning red and his rage was rising by the second.

" I believe you've heard of "Creptius... haven't you?" Arthur asked Lupin in the same sad tone he had showed before.

" Yes. When somebody's defenses are low, usually because of a great pain caused or great sadness involved, the person in cuestion lies into a sleeping state where most of the cases, show no sign of awakening. Since the body is too weakened to react, anything that might attack it during Creptius, may also kill the person involved... wait a minute... she doesn't.. does she?" Lupin asked concerned. The worst thought had just entered his mind and was not leaving it.

" Yes. She does have it." Arthur muttered bluntly.

" No.. No you can't be right.. Where is she? When did this happen? How do you know she's in Creptius? Might be something else!" Lupin nearly shouted that time. Neither Arthur, nor Minerva spoke. The Weasley's children were as silent as they could possible be, the only noise was Molly's crying and Fleur's whipping. " TELL ME DAMN IT!" Lupin yelled ragely. Everybody accross that room saw his true feelings, his true concerns.

" You do love her, don't you?" Bill Weasley said as more of a statement than a question. Lupin did not answer. He remained in silence, for he was to blame for everything that was happening to her. Always. He was always hurting people who cared about him.

" I want to see her." Lupin said as bluntly as Arthur had said minutes before.

" You can't.. Creptius is a very dangerous disease, they won't let you even get close to her room in St. Mungo's.." Arthur said matter-of-factly.

" I don't care how DANGEROUS it is, I just want to see her." Lupin said again. He was not going to change his mind, that, everybody could tell. " You're working for the ministry of magic for a while now, can't you pull up some strings?

" Well.. maybe.. I could fix something up for you.. I don't know, say it's really important.. Let me try I don't promise anything.. and.. Remus.. I am indeed very sorry." Arthur said mourningly. Lupin did not like that whatsoever. It was as if Tonks was dying or something and everybody was paying her respects. No, he would not let her die. He couldn't.

" You do that.. and don't feel sorry, she'll be fine.. I know she will." Lupin said dissapparating from the Weasley's house quickly.

" I hope he's right. Nymphadora is a great woman, very important to the order and to me as well. I've known few people half as brave as she is." Minerva Mcgonnagall said sadly as everybody moaned a " yeah".

The next day, Remus Lupin was allowed in Nymphadora's room. Arthur had contacted some people and managed to get him in no matter what it costed, as Lupin explained to him. He entered the little white room where she was staying. He quickly saw her, lying on the bed as if she was dreaming the most interesting thing. He approached softly and looked at her. Even though she was a little tired, her hair mousy-coloured, she was still as beautiful as he knew she was. Sharing all those times along with her, seeing the woman inside, it made him ache the fact that he could do nothing than watch her. Despite the disease he knew she was going to beat soon, he could not afford himself to be with that exquisite woman. He was too frightened of hurting her, but again, he had done that and very well since she was lying on a bed without any signs of awakening.

" Tonks.. What have I done to you? So sweet.. so beautiful.. so forbidden.." Lupin began saying out loud. " I promise I'll bring you back.. No matter how." He leaned to put aside one strand of her once so vividly hair, and framed her face with his hand. He was not mistaken, she was indeed the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Leaning closer and closer, he kissed her softly, nearly pressing his lips against her. " Next time I do that.. you won't be sleeping." He said as he exitted the room and saw Arthur Weasley on a corner, apparently, waiting for him.

" I'm sorry Remus.." Arthur said again.

" Stop saying that." Lupin replied sort of angrily. Everybody acted as if there was nothing else to do, as if she was dead or something and he knew very well she wasn't. There was an antidote for that disease, he had to find it before anything worse attack her. She had her defences low and it was the right time for any other illness to kill her. He had to find the antidote, and thinking of antidotes only reminded him of one person. One person who was excellent at antidotes and potions. But there was no chance he was going to help him, not after what he did to Dumbledore. And Tonks had never been much of his appreciation.

" What are you thinking about, Remus?" Arthur asked worried. His friend had not spoken in several minutes.

" I'm thinking of doing the right thing.. Arthur, I'm the one to blame for this. I harmed her so badly that she fell into such depression.. some months ago and a couple of months before again. I'm always hurting her.. I said nasty things to her.. things I, of course, did not feel at all." Lupin felt that he needed to take the burdain that was killing him. He had to talk to her, but first, he had to wake her up and he had thought of just the perfect person to do it.

A/N:

Well here's chapter two.. Comments are well taken.. what will happen next? Oh yeah, you must have figured it out by now.. yup, Lupin is going to Snape for help...

Paris BYK