CHAPTER 2
THE DOOR
The smell of Roasted Lamb, seasoned potatoes, Rosemary spices and Red wine filled their noses upon their entrance to the kitchen. Molly smiled sweetly as the pair entered the room handing a stack of plates to Remus, and a handful of cutlery to Tonks. The plump little woman with fiery red hair continued cooking what looked like whole other feast on a frying pan as the sweet smell of fried squash now filled the room. "Set those down on the table if you would please, dearies" she remarked jovially, not taking her sideways cast eyes off of Tonks and Remus. "Molly" Lupin said with a slightly furative nod. He had been used to this. He had suspected that Tonks had told Mrs. Weasley of her feelings for him, considering Mrs. Weasley now dedicated a considerable amount of her time giving him knowing glances, or talking about what a "lovely young woman" Tonks was every time they were alone together. He was sure: either she had been told about the situation, or she had taken a page from Fred and George's book and hooked up a pair of extendable ears into every room of the house. As Tonks and Lupin set the table, the front door opened to let in a shifty looking Mundungus Fletcher, Arthur Weasley, and Mad-Eye Moody, soon after followed by a rather unpleasent looking Severus Snape and Kingsley Shacklebot. Tonks had furrowed her brows and began to head for Snape, her hands both clenched into tight fists. Remus grabbed her tight arm and subdued her. They exchanged glances- her's an angry glare and his that overpowering look that a father would give a spoiled and tempermental toddler. After a moment's staring contest, she yanked back her arm and continued placing knives and forks by the plates on the table with utter conviction. Though Remus had learned to restrain himself, he couldn't help but feel his face redden at the thought of Severus entering the house of his friend who was so badly missed. Trying to calm his nerves, he turned on the radio to drown out the sound of Snape's drawling voice. After a moment's conversation, Snape left, not acknowledging those who were in the kitchen. "Ah, Molly, this smells wonderful!" came the ragged voice of Mad-Eye Moody as he took his place at the table. "Thank you Alastor" she said beaming. She took a kiss on the forehead from Arthur as she sat at the table to join the rest of the group. "Right. Well, as it turns out Remus, we have a mission for you" said Arthur, cutting to the chase. He took a quick nervous glance at Moody who was surveying his steak (as though it were possible for it to jump up and crawl off his plate) before continuing. "As for Guarding the door, Mundungus and I -" BANG. Moody slammed his fist on the table, startling everyone as Molly gave a slight scream. He looked up to find everyone staring as he slowly peeled a broken extendable ear off the table. "Constant Vigilance" he grumbled as he picked up his knife and fork, and began to eat again. A bit shaken, Arthur continued. "Anyway, as I was saying, Alastor and I will look into it. As for you... Let's just say I would suggest you get all the rest you can before tomorrow's full moon" he finished apprehensively. Lupin nodded as Tonks looked down at her plate now, fighting strongly the urge to say something. Arthur noticed this, but said nothing. "What is it exactly that I have to do" said LUpin in an almost overly bored tone. Arthur looked worried. Kingsley Shacklebot looked up and finished Arthur's thought for him. "Rumor has it that Greyback's got a meeting going on down under. Greyback's got lots of info on exactly who the death eaters are, and where to find them all. Rumor also says that... in his quarters he takes notes from Voldemort as to where he's hiding something. Now while he's at this meeting, you'd ahve to go into his lair-" "NO!" interrupted Tonks, now rising. "You send him into Greyback's Quarters and he'll never come out of there alive. The last time you sent him on a mission as a werewolf was just into the ministry and he would have died there if Dumbledore hadn't saved him. You can's just sit there and expect-""NYMPHADORA!" bellowed Lupin slamming his fist on the table so hard that one of the plates fell to the floor and shattered. His face was purple. "They certainly can expect that from me, and they will for that is exactly why I am a member of this Order. James died for it, Lily died for it, Sirius died for it, as I am prepeared to die for it, as anyone in the order should be. And if you are so concered about what I can or can not handle, I would advise you to test your judgement first and stop being such a child!" he raved. Tonks blushed, pushed her chair in, and without a word strode out of the kitchen and up the stairs where she slammed the door locking herself into her room. The tension in the room was thicker than anything imaginable. "You musn't be so harsh with her Remus" said Molly quietly. "She's only trying to protect you because she loves-""Molly, I'm sure we all care about Remus very much, just as we did James and Lily, and especially Sirius. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and I'm afraid we have no other alternative" finished Arthur. "Enough" said Remus rising from his seat. "I will go to Greyback's lair tomorrow evening as assigned, and try to retrieve the papers we are all looking for. Until then, I shall say goodnight. I'm tired and know that I need my rest. If that's all then-- Arthur. Molly" and he excused himself. As he climbed up the stairs and past Tonks' bedroom, he could've sworn he heard her crying. He stopped at the door for a moment, and rested his head against the wood. He had not meant to be so short with her, but her concern for him was getting in the way of the Order's commands, and this, he felt, was interfering too much. He wrapped his long, rough fingers on the doorknob and debated a moment whether or not he should open the door. He took a deep breath and opened it. Tonks lay still, undoubtedly pretending to be asleep as to avoid further confrontation. "lumos" he mumbled softly, lighting a candle with the tip of his wand. He walked over to where she lay, pretending to sleep, and squatted down so they were face to face. He ran his fingers through her hair a moment, then leaned foreward and kissed her, a little longer than the previous time, on the forehead. Withough another sound, he blew out the candle, and closed the door behind him. He continued walking up the stairs, and as he did could have sworn he had heard her say 'goodnight'. He took off his old grungy boots, and undid his tie. As he sat on the edge of the bed unbuttoning his shirt, an immense pain filled his heart."Goodnight my Darling... and I'm sorry".