Waxing Crescent Moon

Marcus scratched his head as he listened to Tonks's voice on the answering machine. How had he missed her? He'd been home. Why hadn't he heard the phone ring?

There was the sound of a key turning in the lock and Marcus turned to see his roommate walk through the door. "Glad to have you back, mate."

"Glad to be back." Remus told him. He could relax here. Here, there was no Snape to worry about. Here, there wasn't an entrancing nymph to confuse him. And he was confused, very. Ever since Tonks had nearly drowned in that tub, he'd realized how important she was to him. And it was disquieting. He needed to be away from her for a little while.

"So," said Marcus. "When you called earlier to let me know you were coming . . . you didn't exactly explain why you were coming back."

Remus shrugged. "It was just time to come back. She doesn't need me over there anymore."

"Right." Marcus said slowly. That didn't make sense. "There's a murderer after her, but she doesn't need you for 'emotional support?'"

Remus invented quickly. "She was worried that having me with her placed me in danger."

Marcus nodded thoughtfully. He supposed he could see Tonks saying that, but he sensed there was more to it. He decided not to ask, however. He knew Remus wouldn't tell him. Damn, that got his nerves! Why did everything have to be so secret? He hated feeling like he was being left out of the loop.

Remus stayed up and watched TV for a while with Marcus, but he found that he couldn't focus completely. His mind kept drifting to Tonks. She'll be fine. She's got three other men to watch over her. Don't worry about it. But he couldn't help from wondering where Snape was now and when he'd make his next move.

He went to bed and tossed and turned for hours. He hated not knowing what was going on. The thought that something could happen to Tonks and he wouldn't be there was driving him mad. He half expected the phone on the bed stand to ring with bad news. He wanted to go back, just pack up his suitcase and go back. He needed to know that she was safe, and he needed to be there in case something happened. But he knew couldn't leave.

Eventually, he fell asleep.

He was standing at the door, fiddling with the gold ring on his finger that didn't mean anything anymore. A part of him was determined to stop her from leaving, but another part of him knew there was nothing he could do. He couldn't force on her a life that she didn't want. "You said once," he told her slowly, trying not to show how much this hurt him. "That you didn't care."

She was sitting on the bed, closing her suitcase. Tonks stood up, and he turned away from her, not wanting to hear what she was going to say. "I was wrong, Remus. I'm sorry."

And then suddenly, he was gone from their bedroom and in another place. He was at Hogwarts, running his fingers through Grace's red hair. She pushed herself away from him angrily.

"Gracey, please," he tried. "I love you."

She turned to face him, and it was Tonks, not Grace, who was talking to him from the past. "Well, I don't love you, Remus."

"You said-"

"That was before I knew!" she shouted back at him. "Merlin, if I had known that you were a . . ." She couldn't even say the word.

"Gracey . . ." He reached for her.

Tonks slapped him away. "What would make you think anyone could love someone like you?" she spat. "Girls don't fall in love with werewolves, Remus!"

The moon came out . . . and it was full. Pain swept over him, and then his mind was gone. The wolf having overtaken him, he leapt at Tonks, sinking his teeth into her arm as she screamed.

Remus woke with a yell. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. His body ached all over, and he had no idea why. He was breathing like he'd just run a marathon.

"Girls don't fall in love with werewolves, Remus." He put his hands to his head, trying to block out the words Grace had said to him. "What would make you think anyone could love someone like you?"

"Stop it," he said, fighting to shake off the memory.

There was a knock on the door, Marcus's signal that he was coming in. This wouldn't be the first time Remus had woken him up due to a nightmare. "Are you alright?"

Remus nodded, not looking at him. "I'm fine."

Marcus always asked the same question, and he always received the same answer. Remus would never tell him what he dreamt about, and Marcus often wondered what the bloody hell had happened to him to make him wake up screaming in the middle of the night. "Just thought I'd make sure."

Remus nodded again. "Right. Thanks."

Marcus left.

Remus tried, but he couldn't fall back asleep.

Kingsley kept a close eye on Tonks the next day, but she seemed fine. She went about the house as though nothing had changed. He thought this was strange considering how that one time when Remus had left her, she'd gone into a sulk and her hair had been that mousy brown color for months. Then again, maybe she was getting used to Remus leaving her. . . . Oh, that was just sad! He was going to have to talk with that man, again. But Tonks kept throwing herself in front of Remus, so . . . she had to be aware of the risks.

Later that night, Tonks went missing. And none of the three aurors who were there had any clue where she'd gone. They did a quick search of the house, which took less than a minute. Kingsley was about to have a nervous breakdown when he happened to look out the window.

"Bleeding Muggle Christ!" Kingsley cursed as he walked outside. "Get back in the house!"

"It's nice out here." Tonks told him. "I wanted some fresh air."

"So open a window!" he exclaimed. "I thought you were . . ." Her eyes were fixated on some spot in the sky. He waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you even listening to me?"

She shook her head as though coming out of a trance. "Sorry, what?"

He stared at her. "What are you doing?" he asked again.

She shrugged awkwardly, glancing back up at the sky. "The moon's pretty."

Kingsley chanced a look. It was . . . nice tonight, but that wasn't what this was really about. "Tonks, don't you think you're over doing it a little? You knew he was going to leave eventually."

She nodded. "It's just . . . I need him here, Kingsley." She turned to him. "I could die tomorrow-"

"You're not going to-" he interjected.

"It's possible," she said. "I mean, no one knows when they're going to go. Usually, we don't think about it and just go on with our lives. But, if Voldemort sends his number one after you, well, you tend to wonder how much time you have left."

"Tonks-" Kingsley tried.

"No, just listen for a minute." She was so calm and that was the only thing that kept him silent. "Everyday, I wake and up and wonder 'is today the day he'll come for me?' and 'will I be ready?' And the fact that I just don't know the answers was easier to handle when Remus was here.

"I've nearly died once already," she continued. "And I was only going to take a bath! That made it pretty clear to me that I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Having Remus here just made it easier to keep going."

Kingsley was speechless. He didn't know what to say. Being an auror, the chance for death was always there, but one never really thought about it. To think that she thought about it every day . . .

"I'm still going to keep going," she assured him. "It's just harder now, and I wish it didn't have to be."

Kingsley had half a mind to find Remus and drag him back here. How could he leave her like this? "Can you come back inside?" he begged. She was making him nervous. It was too open an area out here, and Snape could come from anywhere. "It'd be easier for me to keep going if you'd come back in."

She laughed. "Well, okay, Kingsley. Merlin knows I wouldn't want to make anything hard for you."

She was smiling, and he knew she was going to be fine.

Remus dreamt again the next night.

He was back at Tonks's house and they were sitting at the table in the kitchen.

"Nymphadora, there's something I need to tell you-"

The door burst open and there stood Snape. Remus immediately leapt from his chair and stood protectively in front of Tonks. "Leave her alone."

"I'm not going to do anything, Lupin." Snape sneered. "But you are."

Remus didn't understand. Suddenly, he was feeling the pains of transformation. Tonks was beside him. He tried pushing her away, but she wouldn't leave. And yet, when the pain ended, he was still himself. Instead of transforming into the wolf, the wolf separated from his body. It turned and lunged for Tonks. She screamed and ran toward the other end of the room, but there wasn't anywhere for her to go.

Remus staggered to his feet, watching the scene in horror. He tried to move but couldn't. He shouted at Snape. "You can stop this! Make it go away! Leave her alone! Take me instead!"

Snape only continued to sneer.

The wolf finally caught Tonks, biting her.

"NO!" Remus screamed.

Tonks fell to the floor and the wolf kept going at her. She tried to fight it off, but it wouldn't relent. It was biting her again, tearing at her flesh, and Remus couldn't do anything but watch. It was going to kill her.

He shouted franticly. "No! Stop it! Make it stop!"

"Remus!"

"Don't do this! Please!"

"Remus!"

"I'll do anything! Please! Make it stop! Don't-"

"Wake up, damn it!"

Something hard hit him across the side of the head. He snapped out of it, rolling into his pillow to hide the tears that were threatening to come through. He clutched at the blankets, making sure that he was awake, that this was true, that what he'd dreamt hadn't happened. It had felt so real. "Oh, god." He was drenched in cold sweat.

Marcus stood beside the bed. "Are you alright?"

Gaining control of himself, Remus sat up and put his face in his hands. He shook his head.

"You've never done that before." Marcus said slowly. "I've never had to come in here and wake you up."

Remus swallowed hard. He was still lost in the terror of the dream. She's fine. It wasn't real. Nothing happened. Snape isn't anywhere near her. It was just a dream. Get a hold on yourself.

"You were screaming like a mad man."

Remus was pulled from his thoughts. He brought his hands down, worried. "What did I say?"

Marcus ran a hand through his hair. "Nothing I could make sense of."

Good. Remus thought. He sighed in relief.

They were silent for a long moment. Marcus felt like he couldn't hold himself back any longer. He had always respected Remus's privacy and had never asked before, but now he couldn't help it. "What the devil do you dream about?"

Remus was quiet for a moment. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Marcus stared at him. "Try me."

"I'd rather not-"

Marcus jerked his head in the direction of the wall. "If you're going to wake the neighbors up, I at least need an explanation when they come to the door."

Remus realized he wasn't going to be able to get out of this. Marcus deserved an explanation anyway. He'd been putting up with it since they'd moved in together. "C-Could you . . . get me some water?" he croaked. "I-I-"

"Sure." Marcus left the room. He had a feeling Remus was trying to buy himself some time, but there was no way he was going to let Remus get out of this. It had gone on long enough. Sure, it didn't happen often, but it was just ridiculous. He shouldn't have to wake up in the middle of night wondering if something had happened to Remus or if he was just dreaming again.

He took a glass out of the cupboard and filled it at the sink. Then he went back into the room and handed it to Remus.

"Thanks." He took a long sip.

Marcus waited patiently.

"You're going to think I'm crazy." Remus said when he finally brought the glass from his lips.

"Doubt it," said Marcus after he'd thought for a moment. "I've had my share of nightmares."

"You don't wake up screaming in the middle of the night." Remus pointed out.

"I did once." Marcus told him. "Scared the hell out of my parents."

Remus frowned. "That was a long time ago."

Marcus nodded. "True, but if I wake up in the middle of the night because you're going on like a mental patient and I don't think you're crazy . . . there's not much more you can do to convince me otherwise."

Remus sighed. He had a point. "It's just that . . . In my dreams . . ." He trailed off, trying to think of the best way to put it. "I dream that I . . . hurt people . . . physically," he added so that Marcus got the point.

"People you know?" he asked.

Remus nodded. "People I . . . people I care about. . . . and I mean, I would never intentionally hurt them but . . . it scares me to death," he admitted.

Marcus was a little confused. "Why would you dream about hurting people you care about?"

"I don't know, Marcus." Remus lied. He knew why. It had something to do with that furry little problem of his. "I've had dreams like these since I was just a little kid. You'd think I would have gotten over it or something." He was suddenly angry with himself, though he wasn't sure why exactly. "Look, I'm sorry to bother you about this. Try wearing earplugs. I'm going back to sleep."

But even after Marcus had left, sleep didn't come.

"Maybe I'm being selfish." Tonks told Molly the next morning. "I only place him in danger by keeping him here."

"Dear," said Molly's head from the fireplace. "Remus didn't leave because he felt he was in danger, or he would have left a long time ago. Nor did he leave because he felt he was endangering you. 'Giving Snape information,' that's ridiculous. What could he have possibly said that would have been significant? I mean, honestly."

"Then why did he go?" asked Tonks skeptically.

"Really, dear, why is it that you and him are the only ones who can't see just how much you two care for one another?" Molly rolled her eyes. "Love really is blind."

Tonks stared at her. "You think he left because he cares for me . . . that makes no sense."

"Well, I believe it scares him a little, dear. But, if you don't believe me, you should ask him yourself." Molly's hand reached out of the fire and held up a crystal clear vial of just as equally clear liquid.

Tonks took it from her. "Wait . . . this isn't . . . Molly, where did you get this?"

"Arthur was promoted, dear, remember? He confiscates more . . ." She searched for a word. "Interesting items and I just happen to . . . take a few souvenirs every now and then."

"Molly!" Tonks lowered her voice. This was a potion controlled by very strict ministry guidelines. The others couldn't know she had it. Arthur could lose his job if they knew Molly had gotten hold of it. "Have you thought this through? This is Veritaserum!"

"Yes, and I think it would behoove you-"

"I'm not talking about me! I'm talking about Arthur!"

"Dear, no one is going to find out. And Arthur said it was perfectly fine-"

"He agreed to this?"

"Of course," said Molly as though it were obvious. "He and I are very interested in seeing that you and Remus-"

"I'm not going to use it." Tonks declared. "And Arthur should know better. And the both of you should mind your own business."

"You really should consider-"

"I'm not going to use it," she repeated.

"That love potion is still available, by the way."

"And I suppose Arthur agreed to that too?"

"Dear, I just think you should-"

"I'm not going to use this on Remus." Tonks told her. "If I did, it would mean that I don't trust him."

"Can you tell me that you trust him enough to tell you if he cares for you or not?"

Tonks was silent. She trusted Remus with everything . . . everything but that.

"Then you don't trust him," said Molly. "So if you use it, there's no harm done."

Tonks shook her head. "I'm not going to use it, Molly." She held out the vial. "Take it back."

"I really think you should hold on to it, dear."

"Molly, take it. I don't want it."

"You'll thank me later."

"Molly, no-"

She disappeared. Tonks frowned. Sometimes she really couldn't stand that woman . . . and her husband was no better. Well, at least now she knew where the twins had gotten their sense of humor, not to mention mischief.

Marcus had to wake Remus up again the next night. This time Remus couldn't even remember what he'd dreamt about. Tonks had been in it, that he knew for sure.

"Are you sure you don't know why you have these dreams?" asked Marcus. "'Cause they've been happening an awful lot lately."

Remus put his face in his hands. "I just can't get her out of my head." Did I just say that out loud? Judging by the look on Marcus's face, he had.

"Tonks," he said slowly. "You're worried about her, right?" Was that where the dreams were coming from? Because he was worried about her?

Remus let out a laugh. There was more to it than that, no matter how badly he refused to accept it. He didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't fool himself any longer. "I have feelings for her," he said, more to himself than to Marcus. "Romantically," he added.

He had needed to say that out loud, and now that he had, it all made sense. He'd realized earlier that he felt something for her and that complicated things. He wanted her to find someone else, but that wouldn't work out too well if he began to fancy her. So, he'd left her house in the hopes of cutting himself off. But now he worried about her endlessly. She was all he could think about, and that's where the dreams were coming from. He was worried that something might happen to her, and he was worried about the way he felt toward her. Obviously, those two worries didn't mix well.

"Oh," said Marcus quietly. "Well . . ." He knew that him and Tonks would never be, and he knew he had to get over it. Remus was his friend, and if he liked her that way . . . Marcus wasn't going to turn into someone on one of those soap operas and try to steal her from him. That would be ridiculous.

"Don't tell her I said that."

Marcus was jarred from his thoughts. "What? Why?" So what if he wasn't overly excited about the whole prospect of Tonks and Remus. The point was that they fancied each other. Marcus knew he'd be jumping at the chance if Tonks fancied him, so he didn't understand why Remus wasn't.

"Marcus, she just can't know."

"But . . . if she fancies you and you-"

"That's just the way it has to be. She can't-"

"What is it with you?" Marcus shouted suddenly. "It's like . . . like you can't run away fast enough! I don't get it!" He started pacing. "I mean, it's not like you have a terminal disease or something. . . . You don't have AIDS, do you?"

Remus actually laughed. "No, Marcus," he said, shaking his head. "I don't have AIDS."

"Well, then what is it?"

Marcus watched as the laughter left Remus's face and he struggled for the right answer. Every time he opened his mouth he closed it again and fell silent. At last, he sighed and said, "I-I want to . . . I want to be able to give her . . . more than just the things that she needs." He looked away from Marcus. "But I can't do that. She . . . she deserves someone who can."

Marcus stared. " . . . You want to run that by me again?"

"Marcus-"

"You're being ridiculous."

"I am not being ridiculous!" If he had a galleon for every time someone had told him that . . . "I'm being realistic."

"Look," said Marcus. "I don't pretend to be an expert on girls, okay? I'm not. But . . . she is clearly smitten with you and-"

"Marcus-"

"Just listen for a minute. I-" Marcus stopped. Why was he trying to talk sense into Remus? He was the one who wanted to be closer to Tonks. He was the one who clearly deserved her. "You know what? Never mind." He turned and left the room.

Remus sighed exasperatedly and put his face back in his hands.

Marcus was distracted during work. He couldn't stop thinking about what Remus had said. Sure, he could understand . . . to an extent. What bloke wouldn't want to take his girl out to a fancy restaurant every now and then? He could understand Remus's conflict with wanting to do more than he could afford, but that was no reason to pass up a chance with a beautiful girl like Tonks. She didn't seem like the kind of woman who wanted to be showered constantly with gifts anyway. Surely, she would understand. Of course she'd understand! She did fancy Remus, after all. She must have known him long enough to know his income.

Was there more to it? Had Remus not told him everything? Knowing Remus, he'd probably held something back. Yes, there had to be something else. Either that or Remus was just an idiot. It was probably a little of both.

Those dreams Remus had been having were starting to get annoying. Marcus didn't like being woken up in the middle of the night and he needed sleep if he expected to work in the morning.

Remus hadn't worked since he'd gotten back, which was understandable since he'd undoubtedly lost the job he'd had from staying with Tonks. He'd have to look for a new one, but he'd need sleep for that and he probably hadn't slept more than six hours since he'd arrived. He'd need those dreams to go away first, but Marcus didn't see that happening any time soon. Remus insisted it was something he'd have to work through, that he'd get over it eventually. But Marcus knew emotions couldn't be turned off that easily. And if Tonks really was the cause of those dreams . . .

Marcus sighed. He knew what he should do, but his own emotions were holding him back. He shook his head. This wasn't about Tonks (no matter how he felt about her). This was about Remus. If there was one good lesson he'd learned over the years, it was that, in situations like these, you always put your best friends before your newly aqcuired girlfriend.

"She's not even my girlfriend anyway." Marcus said to himself. "I just wanted her to be."

It was dark by the time Marcus made it to Tonks's house. He hadn't thought this through. He had no clue what he was going to say, but he knew he needed to talk to her . . . for Remus's sake.

He reached the door and rang the doorbell. It wasn't Tonks who answered, but one of her bodyguards. "Um . . ." said Marcus. "I know it's late, but I really need to speak with Tonks."

"She's already gone to bed."

Marcus bit his lip. This wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought. "Look, I know I should have called or something, but Remus doesn't know I'm here. And I don't want him to find out, which is why I really need to talk to Tonks. It's important."

Kingsley scrutinized him. Marcus showing up at this time of night was very suspicious. The fact that he hadn't called first gave Kingsley more reason to be cautious. And then, of course, there was Marcus's insistence that Remus didn't know he was here.

Something didn't feel right, and Kingsley had learned that if you expected to survive as an auror, you had to trust your instincts. Yet, something else was telling him that Marcus was speaking the truth. He seemed genuine . . . but so did any other Death Eater in disguise. The way to solve this, of course, was to ask Marcus a question to prove his identity. But Kingsley didn't know him well enough to do that.

Marcus could sense that this wasn't going the way he had hoped it would. It was probably best that he left. "Um . . . I guess I'll just put it in a letter."

Kingsley was about to nod when a scream split the air. He spun around, his eyes becoming fixed on the door where Tonks slept. Damn! He knew something was wrong. He had just targeted the wrong person.

There was a sound like an explosion and Kingsley was jarred from his thoughts and into action. Somehow, Marcus had gotten ahead of him.

Marcus alighted up the stairs, all of his attention focused on the door the sounds were emitting from. He grasped the doorknob and flung the door open.

A jet of red light whizzed passed his head. Everything became surreal. He couldn't hear anything. Tonks was on the far side of the room, brandishing a stick. Another jet of light shot out at the man closest to Marcus. He was hooded and cloak (and also brandishing a stick), but Marcus had no doubt who he was. Jets of light were fired simultaneously and the bed in-between Tonks and Snape was raised up into the air and then sent tumbling down again.

Marcus felt a hand reaching for him (probably to pull him back), but his legs were moving him forward and, doing the first thing that came to his mind, he jumped onto Snape's back and wrapped him arms in a choke hold around the man's neck. Snape stumbled. Then he pointed the stick in Marcus's face and the next thing Marcus knew, he was blasted into Tonks's mobile full-length mirror.

"Marcus." Tonks gave his arm a shake, praying that he wasn't dead. He was cut and bleeding from falling through the glass. "Marcus. Marcus, come on. Wake up."

Marcus could hear someone calling his name, and he opened his eyes. Tonks was kneeling beside him. Her bodyguards were there as well, but they appeared to be blurry and far off. He couldn't remember what had happened just yet.

Tonks pointed her stick at him and muttered something he didn't understand. He winced, feeling sharp jabs of pain all over his body. But then it was gone and Tonks was holding several bloodied shards of glass in her hand. She turned to the shattered and broken mirror and muttered something else. Marcus felt his eyes widen as he watched the broken wooden frame of the mirror repair itself and the glass fall back into place.

Tonks studied the mirror. It looked completely renewed. Content that there weren't any pieces of glass still embedded in Marcus's skin, she gave the mirror a push and it rolled away on its wheels.

Marcus flinched as Tonks turned back to him and placed a hand on his arm. What was going on? How had the mirror done that?

"It's alright, Marcus."

She lowered the stick and ran it slowly over his wounds, muttering things as she went. Marcus watched in fear and amazement as his skin pulled together and healed without any sign that a million little pieces of glass had sliced his body.

"Can you stand?"

Marcus stammered. This wasn't normal. "H-How-?

"I'll explain later. Can you stand?"

Marcus didn't know if he could stand or not, but he gave it a try. He stumbled and Tonks took hold of his arm, pulling him up.

"I-I don't under-understand-"

"Later, Marcus," she said softly. "Right now, lets just get you downstairs."

She sat him down on the couch and he looked at her. "I'm dreaming, right? That's what this is. I'm just dreaming."

She smiled. "That's right, Marcus. You're dreaming."

"That's good." His wounds may have healed but he could still feel the affects one had after having one's fall broken by a wooden frame and a five-foot sheet of glass. He closed his eyes.

Tonks put a hand on his shoulder. "You just rest for a minute. I'll be back." She left him to talk to Kingsley.

"I hope," he told her. "That when you said you'd explain, you didn't really mean it."

Tonks was taken aback. As far as she was concerned, Marcus had just saved her life. She felt he had earned an explanation. "Kingsley, he's a friend. Both Remus's and mine. He's been in this whole thing from the beginning. I think he has a right to know what's really going on."

"You know that's not the point," he said. "There are strict ministry guidelines. We have to follow The Muggle Protection Act to ensure the wizarding world stays hidden-"

"I think he's safer knowing the real danger than staying in the dark, don't you?" asked Tonks. "I mean, would he have attacked Snape if he'd known we were casting spells at each other? A Killing Curse nearly hit me. Kingsley, that could have been him!

"I know the guidelines," she continued.

"Then you should know-"

"He has a right to know."

"I'm not arguing that. What I'm saying is this: Do you really have the authorization to tell him? I agree that he would be safer. But how well do you really know him? If he doesn't take it very well, you'll have to wipe his memory anyway. And the longer you wait-"

"The greater the risk there is to him." He had a point. "I don't think he'll . . . freak out or anything. No, I know he won't."

"You better be sure," he told her seriously.

She stared at him. "You're going to leave the decision up to me?"

Kingsley shrugged. "I don't know him. I can't make an honest judgement, but I trust that you can." He sighed and lowered his voice so the others wouldn't hear. "I've got to report to the ministry about what happened. If they ask, and only if they ask, I'll tell them we wiped his memory."

"You're going to lie to them?" she asked, surprised.

"I'm not sure we're authorized to make decisions like this," he admitted. "That's one thing I've never looked in to. I'm used to obliviating memories, not deciding whether or not I should. Besides, it's not like I've never lied before. I did that loads with Sirius."

She smiled. That was another good point. She forgot about stuff like that sometimes. She was used to having Kingsley recite the rules to her. She was also used to him bossing her around since he was a higher rank than she was. She was glad that he trusted her with something as important as this. "Thanks, Kingsley."

Remus had just managed to get some sleep when the phone rang. He rolled over and picked it up. "Hello?" he asked groggily. "Kingsley?" he sat up, suddenly very awake. "What happened? Is-is she alright?" He shook his head. "No, I-" He waited. "Marcus is there? What's Marcus doing-?" He listened. "I'll be right over." He hung up.

Remus was in a kind of haze when McKinley opened the door. He asked a question and Remus answered promptly but none of it really registered. Then McKinley stepped aside and he saw her.

His first thought was how pretty she looked. Her hair was still that wonderful pink color, and she had her mother's bathrobe wrapped around her. She looked radiant for someone who had just been attacked in her own home. Her dark and twinkling eyes caught his and he couldn't help but smile lightly. She was okay. Kingsley had told him over the phone that she was fine, but he'd still rushed like mad to get to her. She smiled back at him, and he felt the feelings he'd been trying so hard to repress hit him in a mad flood of emotion. It was a struggle to fight off the sudden urge to take her into his arms and hold her.

He didn't look well. That was her first thought. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face appeared to be thinner than she remembered. Then she noticed how tossed and unkempt his hair was, but, instead of giving her another indication as to how he hadn't been sleeping well, she was merely filled with a desire to run her fingers through it. She could tell he had been in a hurry to get out the door because his clothes were lopsided. His shirt hung out of his pants on one side and he hadn't taken the time to button it all the way, leaving a bit of his chest visible and sending another jolt of desire through her. Tonks's second thought was that he looked down right shag-able.

Suddenly, they were standing before each other and Remus felt the light touch of her fingers on his arm. His hands lingered at her waist, and he realized he had left his suitcase at the door, though he didn't remember doing so. He took hold of her other hand.

"Are-are you-?"

"I'm fine," she said.

It was awkward and, at the same time, it was the most comfortable thing to be standing there and looking into her eyes. Neither one of them seemed to have much to say to each other, but then, what really was there to say?

"I'm-"

Glad you're back. "I know," he said before she could finish. "I'm-"

Sorry I left. "I know," she said.

He brought a hand up to lightly caress her face. He hated to think Snape had tried to hurt her yet again. He wasn't going to let his emotions scare him away this time. This time, he was here to stay, and he was going to do all that he had to do to protect her.

Tonks was thinking about how nice his touch felt against her skin and how badly she wished she had the courage to reach out and brush the hair from his eyes. She couldn't do it, but she told herself he just looked so damn good that it would be a shame for her to change anything.

Balaquer gave an almighty grunt and both of them snapped out of it, shaking their heads and pulling away from each other a little.

"H-how-how is Marcus?" asked Remus a little awkwardly.

"He's alright," said Tonks, gesturing toward the couch with a nod of her head. "I think he's a little shaken. He barged right into the action . . . saved my life, though."

Remus was impressed. He apparently didn't give Marcus enough credit. Then again, he realized he shouldn't be surprised. Marcus always had reminded him a little of Sirius, and jumping right into the action without really thinking about it first was exactly what Sirius would have done. "Wait a minute. You mean you haven't-?"

Tonks kept her voice lowered. "Remus, I think he has a right to know the truth."

"Well . . ." Remus hesitated. Marcus certainly had the right but . . . Remus lowered his voice as well. "Are you allowed to do that?"

Tonks was saved from answering when there was a flash and Kingsley stumbled through the fireplace.

"Did they ask?" Tonks inquired quietly once he had joined them.

Kingsley shook his head, grinning, and flashed Tonks the thumbs up sign.

"Are we allowed to do that?" asked Remus again.

"Allowed to do what?" asked Kingsley, confused.

"Allowed to . . ." Remus gestured toward Marcus's sleeping form. "Isn't there some kind of Ministry guideline?"

Kingsley shrugged.

Remus was surprised he was taking this so lightly. Then again, he was talking to the man who had kept the Ministry off Sirius's trail for a year so . . .

"He has a right to know." Tonks said again.

"I'm leaving this up to you two," said Kingsley, clearly indicating that he didn't want involved in this conversation. "And I'm making sure those two don't catch on. Especially that one." He left them to pester Balaquer.

Remus turned back to Tonks. It didn't seem to matter whether or not they were allowed to do it but he was still concerned. "How much do you want to tell him?"

"Well, you know . . . that you and I can . . ." She trailed off, suddenly realizing what seemed to be bothering him. "Oh, no, Remus. I didn't have any intention of telling him that you're a werewolf. I mean, that's for you to decide."

He seemed to relax a little. "So, we'll just tell him that we can do magic and Severus can too and that he needs to be careful."

"Right." Tonks nodded.

Remus nodded thoughtfully. He apparently agreed it was the right thing to do. He pointed to Marcus. "Should I wake him, then?"

"Yeah, that's probably best."

Remus knelt in front of Marcus and gave his arm a shake. "Marcus?"

Marcus opened his eyes and gazed around the room looking confused. His eyes finally landed on Remus.

"How are you doing, mate?"

"I'm okay . . . I think." He looked at his hands and his arms. Remus didn't have a clue what he was looking for, but he knew Marcus hadn't found it when he looked up and said, "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Remus shook his head. "No, you're not."

"What the hell happened?"

Remus realized he had the same question. Tonks hadn't told him anything yet, but he trusted she'd explain everything later. "That's what we're going to find out. Come on." He helped Marcus up from the sofa and led him into the kitchen. Tonks shut the door behind them as Remus settled Marcus into a chair at the table.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Tonks looked at Remus. He scratched his head and looked down at the floor. Tonks realized she had the duty of breaking the news.

"Marcus," she said as she walked up to him. "You know how I healed you after you fell on the mirror?"

Marcus shook his head and looked down at his arms again. "I'm not sure what you did."

Tonks bit her lip. This was going to be harder than she'd thought. She looked back at Remus.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," he said.

But Tonks was determined to make Marcus understand. She pulled her wand out of her pocket. Marcus stared at it in terror.

"It's alright," she said. "Just watch." She moved to the cupboard, took out a glass dish and threw it to the floor where it shattered. She pointed her wand at it. "Reparo!"

Marcus recoiled as though a snake had leapt at him. His eyes were glued on the newly repaired dish. She'd fixed it just as she had fixed the mirror. "How are you doing that?" he asked, clearly alarmed.

"It's alright, Marcus." Remus moved toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He stepped behind Marcus, hopping he could stop him if he made a sudden decision to run for the door.

Tonks pushed forward, thinking it was better to just get it all out in the open. "I'm a witch."

"A what?" Marcus practically jumped out his chair. Remus gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze while shaking his head at Tonks. This was not working.

"Not the kind that you're used to thinking of," she said quickly. "I'm not Wicca. But I can do magic - real magic like . . ." She cast her mind around for something Marcus could associate her with. "Like Merlin."

"Merlin?" Marcus repeated. Bloody hell. The whole world had gone crazy. He had to get out of here. But Remus had a firm grip on his shoulder.

"You've heard of Merlin, haven't you?" asked Tonks hopefully.

"Of course I've heard of - Magic isn't real!" Marcus shouted suddenly.

"It's not?" asked Tonks. "Think, Marcus. Think of what just happened."

"I don't know what just happened," he said, shaking his head. He didn't want to think about it. It didn't make sense. It defied all logical explanation.

"Just think for a minute," she pressed. "Think of before, of what happened upstairs. Think of what you saw. What did you see?"

Marcus thought wildly. "There - there were jets of - of light and - and the . . ." The bed had gone flying into the air as though an explosion had gone off, but there hadn't been any explosives. He'd been cut and she had healed him. She'd fixed the mirror and the dish . . . and she'd done it all with only a word and a gesture. He had seen it, but he couldn't believe it.

Lost in thought, Marcus relaxed slightly and Remus loosened his hold a little bit.

Tonks came up to Marcus and placed a hand on his arm. He flinched. "I healed you. You know I did."

Marcus looked at her and noticed the stick she was holding. "What is that thing?" he asked quietly.

"It's a wand," she said simply.

"A magic wand?" Marcus's mind was spinning.

Tonks nodded. "Magic is real Marcus."

Marcus put his face in his hands. "This doesn't make any sense."

"Because of what you've been told," she said. "You have forget about that. Didn't you believe in magic when you were little?"

"Dad took me to see a magician once." Marcus told her, clinging to the memory. It was the only thing that made sense at the moment. "I was amazed by all the things they did, and then dad took me back stage to show me it was all just smoke and mirrors."

"Magicians just do tricks," she said. "But this is magic - real magic. No strings attached."

Marcus just sat there, shaking his head. This couldn't be real.

"I can make something levitate across the room if you want."

"No!" said Marcus quickly. "No more . . . magic. I-I just . . ." His head swam. Oh, why couldn't he wake up from this nightmare? He kept waiting for someone to tell him this was some sick joke, but no one was saying anything. The more he thought about what had happened in Tonks's room, the more he came to realize . . . but no . . . it just couldn't . . . Magic wasn't real. It just couldn't be. But then, what other explanation was there? "On-on second thought," he said to Tonks, deciding that he needed more convincing. ". . . maybe you should . . ."

Tonks gave her wand a flick and the cupboard door sprang open. "Wingardium Leviosa!" A cup raised from the shelf and began floating slowly but steadily in Marcus's direction.

He stared at it, not in fear but in wonder. Floating before him was everything he had ever wanted to believe in. His father hadn't approved of his ten-year-old son believing in such nonsense, but his dad had been wrong. Magic was almost within Marcus's grasp. All the stories he'd heard about dragons and Merlin and King Arthur came to life before his eyes.

He reached out and the cup landed in his upturned hands. He stared down at it and knew he was now a believer. "This is insane."

"It wasn't insane to that little boy." Tonks pointed out.

Marcus was silent for a long moment, but there was excitement in his eyes when he looked up at Tonks and said, "Can you make it go back?"

Both Tonks and Remus laughed. At sound of his voice Marcus turned to Remus. "You knew? This whole time?"

"Well . . ." Remus hesitated. "I can do magic too."

Marcus blinked. Then his eyes widened to the size of Quidditch hoops. "And what does that make you, a warlock?"

"Well," Remus shifted uncomfortably. "Wizard is the preferred term, but-"

Marcus cursed and lay his head on the table with a hard thunk. His own roommate! "I'm all right!" he professed, holding his hands up when Tonks and Remus moved to comfort him. "I'm all right! I just need a minute! A very long minute!"

"Listen," said Tonks quickly. "The reason we're telling you all of this is because Snape can do magic as well and-"

"And them?" asked Marcus, jabbing his thumb at the door where the aurors were waiting on the other side.

Tonks nodded.

Marcus ran a hand over his face as though ironing it. He was going to need some serious therapy, but he got the point. "Next time I run into Snape, I'll let the magic people handle it."

Tonks smiled. "Good. . . . Do you still need a moment?"

"Please," said Marcus as though they couldn't leave him alone fast enough.

They went to the door, but Marcus changed his mind. "Actually, Tonks? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Remus left and Tonks sat down at the table across from Marcus.

"I want you to know," he said. "That . . . well . . . this is a real turn-off."

Tonks laughed. "Can't date a girl who can perform magic?"

Marcus shook his head. "Nah, she'd be too far out of my league."

Tonks smiled. It didn't look like he was going to be chasing after her anymore. "There are plenty of muggle girls out there for you, Marcus."

"Muggle?"

"It's a word for people who can't do magic."

"Oh."

"Listen, if you ever have any questions about the wizarding world, don't hesitate to-"

Marcus stuttered. "W-w-w-world? There's a world?"

"I mean, there's people like me and Remus all over the planet. We're all hidden, trying to make sure you don't notice us-"

"W-wait. Just stop. I don't . . ." He put his face in his hands. "I don't want to hear anymore. I mean, it's cool. But my brain is just . . . I don't even have a word . . . in overload. You know?" He looked up at her. "As long as it's just you and Remus. I mean, those guys," He pointed at the door. "I don't know them, so I don't really care. And Snape . . . I guess I'll have to watch out for him. But that's it.

"And, yeah, I have questions," he continued. "I don't know how you learned all that stuff, I don't know who those other guys in the living room are, and don't know why Snape is after you. But don't tell me. Because I just don't want to know."

Tonks hesitated, reaching for the wand in her pocket. "Marcus . . . if you want, there is a spell . . . I can make you forget that we ever told you about this. I can make you forget the whole night."

"You mean like . . . you'd erase my memory?"

Tonks nodded. "Yeah."

Marcus thought for a long moment. Oh, did that sound wonderful. No witches or wizards. No magic. But then, he didn't like the idea of having his memory wiped. It just seemed . . . wrong to let someone do that to him. Marcus shook his head. "I'm not afraid of the truth . . . even if it's crazy."

Tonks released her wand and then suddenly remembered something. "Why did you come here in the first place?"

It took Marcus a moment to remember. "Oh! That . . ." He hesitated. Remus had asked him not to say anything. But then, maybe he didn't have to. Maybe tonight's events had convinced Remus to come back here. "Do you know if Remus is staying?"

"He brought his suitcase, so . . . I think so, yes. But what does that have to do with-?"

"He hasn't been sleeping well lately." Marcus interjected. "He said he has these dreams where he hurts people, and . . . well, don't tell him I told you, but he's woken me up a few times because of them. I thought maybe you'd know something about it." There was certainly more to it than that but if Remus was staying . . . mission accomplished. There wasn't any point in saying what Remus didn't want him to say.

Tonks was thoughtful for a moment. She felt that she knew exactly what Remus dreamt about, but she'd had no idea it could get that bad. "Maybe I can do something."

"I need to go home," said Marcus suddenly.

Tonks was shaken from her thoughts. "What? Oh, no. You're more than welcome to stay here-"

Marcus held up a hand. "No. Thanks, but I really need to go home."

Tonks didn't like the idea of him going alone. "Well, I'll get someone to escort you or Remus could-"

Marcus got up from the chair. "I'd rather not-"

They argued about it all the way out the door, and then Remus heard what was going on and joined in as well. It ended with Marcus simply walking away from them and out the front door, all the while insisting that he'd give them a call once he got home. Remus and Tonks stared after him.

"He'll be okay . . . right?"

Remus shrugged, looking worried.

"I'll watch him." McKinley sneaked out the door, tapped himself with his wand, and vanished before their eyes. Remus wondered if Marcus would have been a little more enthusiastic about magic if they had mentioned invisibility . . . but somehow he doubted it would have made a difference.

"Hey, it's me." Marcus said from the other end of the line. "I'm alive . . . obviously."

"You going to be okay?" asked Remus.

"Oh, yeah. Sure. I'm just going to watch the telly, get drunk, go to bed and then maybe in the morning the world will make more sense."

Remus cringed. He still wasn't sure if telling Marcus had been the best idea. "Just take care of yourself, mate."

"Me? Oh, I'm just dandy. But what about you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Here, I'll give you a hint. It starts with a 'T' and ends with an 'onks.'"

"Are you drunk already?" asked Remus, slightly amused.

"Nope. Haven't even opened a bottle yet."

"Get drinking, then." He hung up the phone.

Kingsley cursed loudly from the other room and Remus went to investigate. "What's going on?"

"I don't believe it!" he shouted. "After what happened last time . . . I ought to chain her to the wall!"

"You're rambling." Remus pointed out.

"Tonks!" said Kingsley, clearly upset. "She's disappeared again-"

"She's disappeared before?"

"-She's got to be outside somewhere." Kingsley began frantically checking the windows.

Remus strangely wasn't worried. He felt that he'd know if Tonks was in danger, and somehow he knew she was fine. Funny how he hadn't been so confident when he'd been back at his apartment with Marcus.

He didn't really know where he was going, but he walked through the living room, passed the stairs and turned to the left where he found an inconspicuous door waiting for him. He opened it and stepped outside into the backyard of the house. Tonks was standing at the edge of the pond, trying and failing to skip rocks across its surface.

"I never was very good at this," he said as he came from behind her and picked a pebble off the ground. He flung it across the water and it skipped five times before sinking.

Tonks gave him a look.

"Beginner's luck." He picked up another pebble. It skipped across the surface six times before vanishing under the water.

Tonks laughed and shoved him. "You are such a liar!"

Remus chuckled and returned to his spot beside her. "I try," he said casually.

Tonks gave her pebble a throw, but it sunk with a plop. "I need to get out of the house some times," she said, picking up another stone. "There's too much testosterone in there."

Remus smiled and shook his head. "You better watch it. Kingsley might have a nervous break down."

Tonks nodded in agreement. She hefted her stone before throwing it. It skipped once.

"You going to tell me what happened?" Remus asked.

"Not much to tell," she admitted, throwing another rock. That one sunk too. "I woke up - for some reason the prat had his wand illuminated. So then . . . I don't know, we just started throwing curses at each other." Another rock sank. "Marcus comes in and jumps on his back. A Killing Curse went right past my head . . . probably would've killed me if the slimy git had been able to aim properly." She got her pebble to skip twice. "He blasted Marcus into the mirror, realized he was out numbered when he noticed the rest of the party had arrived and threw some kind of powder into the air. Everything went pitch black. We couldn't see anything. When we finally got it all to clear, Snape was gone and Marcus was lying in a bloody mess on the floor." She went to throw another pebble but Remus grabbed her hand. He was about to say something, but paused as he noticed how quickly her hand had healed since she'd punched Balaquer's face in. She must have found something to put on it.

"Am I missing something?" he asked once he'd recoved his thoughts. She seemed upset.

"You weren't there," she said, dropping the pebble.

"I told you I was-"

"I know."

"I would've been there if I could have-"

"I know."

"Then what's wrong?"

She shrugged. "He got away again. I have a whole Merlin knows how many days ahead of me full of worrying and wondering when he'll show up again." But there was something in her tone and her manner that suggested that wasn't what was bugging her. "And Marcus-"

"Marcus will be fine." Remus assured her. "He just needs some time, but he'll be fine."

She threw her hands into the air. "Well, alright then!" She headed for the door.

Remus grabbed her wrist. "Nymphadora-"

"Don't call me that!"

"-What is it?"

"Hormones!" she shouted. "I'm PMSing! I don't know!" She pulled her hand from his and headed for the door once again.

Remus blinked. Several times. "W-w-wa-wait, what? Are you?" he asked.

She turned at the door. "Do you really want to know the answer to that?" Her tone implied that he didn't.

"Well, not really," he admitted. "But I would like to know what you're so upset about."

"So would I!" she said and slammed the door behind her.

Remus stood outside, feeling extremely confused. After what seemed like several eons, he shook his head. "Women are insane." But he smiled knowing that there was one particular insane woman inside the house whom he was absolutely crazy about.

Remus was sitting on the bed and unpacking when Tonks gave a knock and walked in. "Sorry about . . . earlier."

Remus shrugged. "That's okay." He was more than content to just forget about it.

"I was frustrated," she said.

"About what?" he asked, still very confused.

She shrugged again. "It's a woman thing. Give me a few days and you won't have to worry about me going through crazy mood swings. Here." She put something in his hands. "Marcus mentioned that you hadn't been sleeping very well."

Remus looked at the object in his hand. It was a large ring that leather had been bound around. Three feathers hung off the one end and there was a loop on the other end for hanging. An intricate web of thick string was dotted with beads and had been spun inside the ring. At the center of the web was a small hole. "What is it?"

"It's a dream catcher. Dad got it for me when I was little and it never worked for me but . . . well, it's kind of childish but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try."

"How does it work?" he asked curiously.

"Well, supposedly bad dreams - worries or anxieties - have sharp edges and get caught in the web. Good dreams - happy thoughts - have smooth edges and pass through the hole in the middle. You're supposed to hang it near where you sleep."

Remus studied the strange object in his hands.

"I just thought . . ." said Tonks nervously. "You know . . . humor me."

Remus shrugged. It was the thought that counted, right? Besides, it wasn't going to hurt anything. "Well," he said. "I guess I'll give it a try." He stood up. "I mean, I wouldn't want you to go into another one of your mood swings."

Tonks laughed.

"Is the window alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think that's fine."

He hung it up and walked back to her. "I guess we'll know if it works by tomorrow."

She nodded.

"Goodnight, Nymphadora." And without thinking, without meaning to, he kissed her on the cheek. He froze once he realized what he'd done.

Tonks seemed to hesitate. Then she kissed him on the cheek as well. "Goodnight, Remus." She hurried off down the hall.

Remus touched the spot where she'd kissed him, noting that it was same spot where she'd hit him a couple weeks ago. He stuck his head out the doorway. Was she skipping down the hall or was it just his imagination?

"What the bloody hell was that?" he asked himself once he had closed the door. He slapped a hand to his forehead. Smooth, Remus. Real smooth.

He collapsed onto the bed. That hadn't been stupidity. No, that had been insanity. What on earth had made him do that? "We're both off our rockers," he said aloud. "We both need to be checked into a mental hospital." In his mind's eye he could see Tonks doing a silent victory dance in her room.

At length, he shook his head, finished unpacking and went to sleep.