Full Moon
When Tonks woke the next morning, she felt more peaceful than she had felt in what seemed like a long time. She rolled over and reached for Remus . . . he wasn't there. She sat up suddenly, careful to hold the sheet to her chest.
Remus had conjured a chair and was siting in it beside the bed. He was fully dressed and in the process of tying his shoelaces. He was looking down, so he didn't see her.
"What are you doing?"
He looked up, startled. "I was watching you sleep," he told her.
She studied his muggle clothing. "Are you going somewhere?"
"You do realize what day it is, don't you?" he inquired seriously.
She shrugged. "It's the full moon tonight." She ran her fingers in small circles on the bed sheet beside her. "But you don't have to go right now." She glanced at the clock and nearly jumped. Holy Merlin on a pogo stick! Was it really eleven o'clock? "You have a handful of hours at least."
He shook his head and went back to tying his shoes. "No, I really need to get going."
She stared at him, hurt and confusion welling up inside her. So that was it? He was going to pretend nothing happened and just walk out as fast as he could?
"Were you going to wake me up before you left?"
"Honestly," he said, still not looking at her. "I hadn't thought that far."
There was long moment of silence. Then Remus heard something between a choke and a sob and looked up. Tonks turned away from him, but not before he saw the look on her face.
He cursed inwardly. "Nymphadora-" He reached for her but she shook her head and pushed him away. "No, don't-Don't be like this. Come here." He grabbed her and pulled her to him. "I'm sorry. Nymphadora, I am so sorry. I didn't mean it like that. God, I'm an idiot!"
She said nothing, only let out a sob against his chest.
"Don't cry, please," he begged. He held her more tightly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean - Nymphadora, look at me." He cupped her cheek in his palm and it nearly killed him to see the tears running down her face and know that he was the cause. "You will never be just another one night stand. I swear it, Nymphadora. You mean too much to me."
She gulped down her tears and he wrapped his arms back around her. "I'm so sorry," he repeated. "So much is on my mind right now, I didn't stop to think . . . I'm such a git."
She shook her head against him. "You're not a git." Her voice sounded watery.
"Yes, I am," he told her, clearly angry with himself.
"You're just a prat," she said.
"Oh, is that all?" he asked. "Fine, then I'm half a git."
She uttered something between a laugh and a sob. Then she pulled away from him, trying to dry her tears on the blanket but she couldn't get them to stop falling. It still hurt.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I wish I could tell you . . ." He paused. "The words," he explained. "I can't . . . find the right ones."
He reached forward, wiping the tears from her face. She found a comforting reassurance in his touch. She sniffed and finally got her tears to stop flowing.
"I really do have to leave," he told her regretfully. "I wish I could stay, but I can't. When I come back," he promised. "We can talk about this . . . about us . . . and where we go from here. But right now, I really have to go."
She nodded silently.
He apologized again and kissed her softly in goodbye, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. He pressed his lips to hers a second time, momentarily forgetting that he had to be somewhere. Her mouth claiming his, she pulled him down to lay on the bed. Only when she went to remove his jacket did he suddenly remember.
He pulled away from her and chuckled. "Nice try." He kissed her on the forehead this time. "I'll see you later. Promise."
He left her reluctantly, still apologizing as he closed the bedroom door behind him.
He headed downstairs and almost made it out the door.
"Remus."
He turned and spotted Kingsley coming toward him. He didn't know what it was, but one look at the man told him everything. He knew! He knew that he and Tonks had . . . Christ, did they all know?
His fear must have shown on his face because Kingsley told him not to worry. "I kept it under wraps." He looked tired.
"Thank you." Remus said sincerely, glancing at Balaquer.
"Well . . ." said Kingsley. "Take care of yourself."
Remus nearly scoffed. Considering that he was probably going to spend the night unintentionally beating the crap out of himself . . . "I'll try." He glanced at the stairs, thinking of Tonks. "Take care of her for me, will you?"
Kingsley shrugged. "That's what I'm here for."
They shook hands, and Remus slipped outside.
He had been wrong last night. Tonks hadn't broken down his defenses, she'd destroyed them. It was unnerving and yet wonderful at the same time, like there was a brilliant light he hadn't been able to see until now. It was going to take some time to get used to.
She had told him she loved him . . . He realized that deep down he had always known, but hearing her say it out loud . . . it still blew him away. Yet, at the same time, the knowledge of how she felt made him feel really good, like her arms were still wrapped comfortably around him and always would be. It was something else that was going to take some time to sink in.
He walked down the street, heading for the florist he had noticed last night. He could hardly believe it had been only one night ago. It seemed like weeks.
Such an unusual place for a florist to open shop. Right next to a pub . . . not that it really mattered. He stepped inside and had just enough money to buy four white roses.
Carrying his purchase, he walked outside and continued down the street. He would have to apparate eventually, but, for now, he fancied a stroll to clear his head. He kept going over what Tonks had said to him the night before. As he thought of every excuse he had ever given her, they all now seemed pathetic and pointless. Maybe . . . they could be together after all.
Tonks made it downstairs a little over an hour later dressed in jeans and one of Remus's shirts. Kingsley had been a little worried about her, but now he realized there was no reason for him to be. She seemed happy, and she hummed softy as she made herself breakfast . . . or was it lunch by now?
Balaquer was eyeing her strangely, as though he knew the shirt didn't belong to her. Kingsley kept his wand at the ready. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at the thought of what Molly would say if she knew Remus and Tonks had finally worked out "all that sexual tension" she had always claimed they had between them.
Tonks ate her lunch silently, but she was in a good mood. She began to wonder why Remus had been in such a hurry to leave. The full moon was hours away, so he had plenty of time. There must have been something he had wanted to do before then. It was bothering her because she felt like she should have realized what it was.
She gave Marcus a call. She asked him how he was and he told her he was fine.
"Full moon tonight," he pointed out carelessly.
"Yes," she said. "Remus already left."
"Where does he go?"
"Somewhere safe." She thought the full explanation would take too long. "Listen, did he happen to stop by to see you?"
"No," said Marcus. "Why? Did he say he was going to?"
"Well, no," she told him. "It's just that he left rather early and I feel like I'm missing something that I should-" She gasped suddenly. "Lily and James."
"Who?" asked Marcus.
Tonks cursed as what Remus had said rang in her head. You do realize what day it is, don't you? It was October 31st, the anniversary of Lily's and James's deaths. "Merlin, now I'm the prat!"
Forgetting Marcus, she hung up the pone and raced upstairs for her jacket.
Remus combed the cemetery. Despite coming here once a year, he never could remember where the stone was. Eventually, he found it and placed the four white roses solemnly before it like an offering. "Well," he said as he straightened up. "Here I am again."
Four roses. One for Lily and one for James. Another went to Sirius. Since there wasn't a body, Remus liked to come here to remember him. The last rose went to Peter. Although he was still alive, the Peter that Remus had known was long gone.
During the first decade after Lily and James's deaths, Remus had still brought four roses. The only difference back then was that the reasons for Peter's and Sirius's roses had been switched. When Remus had learned the truth, he and Sirius had come here together.
Remus had only brought three roses at that time, but Sirius had thought there only should have been two. Remus had disagreed. They'd had some good times with Peter. He doubted Peter had always planned on betraying them, but Sirius never was able to think of Peter kindly. Remus left him be and kept the thoughts of the Peter they had once known to himself. After all, Lily's and James's deaths had unhinged Sirius even more so that it had Remus.
And then Sirius had died . . . and Remus was back to four roses. God forbid he ever had to carry more than that.
"Perhaps you remember me mentioning Nymphadora Tonks last year," he said. To anyone else, it would have seemed like he was just talking to stone, but Remus could almost feel his four friends circled around him. "If not, then I'm sure Sirius has told you all about her."
He put his hands in his pockets. "By the way, Sirius, she told me about that plan you had to lock us in the closet." He grinned. "I'm not ashamed to say that I'm glad you never got the chance to carry that one out." He shook his head. "You and Molly were always plotting. You'll be happy to know that she's still plotting. In fact, she lent Nymphadora a bottle of Veritaserum." He laughed to himself. "You'll be disappointed to know that she chose not to use it."
He sighed and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet for a moment. "There's been some . . . rather interesting developments between us." He was silent for a while. "So, Sirius, you can stop putting ideas in Marcus's head. And stop egging him on, James, because I know you are. Lily, I expect you to keep the two of them in check. And Peter . . ." He paused. "I wish I knew what happened to you, I really do."
He fell silent again. "Dumbledore died," he said absent-mindedly. "Though, I'm sure you lot know that already. Tell him we miss him, will you?" He shuffled his foot against the ground. "After he died . . . Nymphadora and I dated for a little while, but . . . I broke it off."
You stupid arse, said Sirius's voice in his head.
"Her parents died," he continued. "But I suppose you know that too. Severus-" He stopped himself. That was not the track he wanted to go down. "I've been staying with her this past month to . . . watch over her, I guess. Anyway, long story short, things have happened and the more I think about it, the more I realize . . . that I was wrong.
"I kept hoping she'd find someone else, but now I know I'd go crazy if that happened. I used to think that I was protecting her by pushing her away, but she said some things and now I realize that the real reason I pushed her away was because . . . I didn't think I was good enough . . . and I didn't think anyone could . . . ever really love someone like me."
It was hard to admit, but he felt better somehow once he said it. He could almost see Lily smiling at him sadly.
"You're right, Lily," he said. "It was wrong of me to think that. Nymphadora - she's amazing - she told me . . . she said I deserved happiness, and she . . ." He shook his head and laughed. "I still can barely believe it, but she said that she loved me. And I-" He stopped and didn't say anything for a long time.
"I think . . . I've fallen in love with her."
Tonks stumbled through the cemetery in the high-heeled shoes she'd nearly broken Remus's toes with. She really wished she'd been able to grab something else but they were the only things she could get to without having Kingsley see her. She probably could have levitated her trainers across the room, but it hadn't been worth the risk. He would kill her for sneaking out the back door, but she couldn't help it. She had to see Remus.
Finally, she found him. He looked like he was talking to someone, but she couldn't see whom. As she moved forward, she realized he was talking to the dead. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but she didn't want to. This was a private matter.
Unsure of what to do, she turned and succeeded in tripping on the corner of a tombstone and landing flat on her face. Damn those shoes! Remus turned at the sound, then rushed over to help her to her feet.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm sorry," she said as he brushed the dirt off her. "I didn't want to interrupt-"
"Don't worry about it. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
He took her hand. "Come on. There's a couple people I want you to meet."
He pulled her over to a stone with Lily's and James's names on it. Below their names were the dates of their births and deaths, and below that was inscribed a quote: Only the good die young.
"You would have liked them." Remus told her. "Especially Lily. The two of you would have gotten along very well."
"How do you know?" she asked curiously.
He was quiet for a moment. "Remember when I told you that there are only two kinds of people that I meet?"
She nodded silently.
"There's a third kind," he said. "But only two people fit in it."
"What's the third kind?"
"The third kind," he told her as he turned and met her eyes. "Is the kind that when I look into their eyes, I don't see pity or fear. All I see is unconditional love staring back at me."
She beamed knowingly.
"You're one of those people." He turned back to the stone. "And Lily was the other." He supposed his parents had fit into that category too, but it had been so long that he'd forgotten until that moment.
"Grace-" Tonks started.
Remus laughed. "Poor Grace." He shook his head sadly. "I hope she's happy, wherever she is."
"After what she did to you?" she asked incredulously.
He shook his head again. "No, Nymphadora, it's what I did to her. Grace was Lily's look-a-like at school," he explained.
"Then," she said slowly. "It wasn't Grace you thought you were in love with . . . It was Lily."
He nodded guiltily. "James was crazy about her from day one. The moment he saw her, he couldn't have any other. He tried to get her to go out with him many times, but she wasn't interested. She saw him as nothing but a bully and we, as his friends, weren't any better in her eyes.
"One day, Lily and I were paired together for a class project. She wasn't too thrilled about it, but once she discovered that I wasn't as horrible as she had thought, we became fast friends. James didn't talk to me for weeks."
He smiled softly. "I thought I was falling for her, but it was just a flame, a crush. It wouldn't do for me to fall for James's girl, though. Close up, Lily and Grace looked nothing alike. Lily had dark red hair, Gracey's was warmer, brighter. Lily's eyes were emerald, Grace's were olive. And Lily had many more freckles. But, from a distance you couldn't tell them apart. They were often mistaken for one another."
"So you turned to Grace," said Tonks. "Pretending she was Lily."
He nodded slowly. "It's not something I'm proud of. And I've never told anyone about it. So you're the first to know." He indicated the stone with his foot. "And now they know too."
He had this god-awful look on his face. "If it makes you feel any better," she said. "Then I hope Grace is happy too."
He looked at her. "You're not just saying that but secretly hoping she rots in hell, are you?"
She hesitated. He rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.
"I can't help it," she told him. She loved him too much and Grace had been horrible to him.
"Try," he pleaded. "For me."
She nodded. "I'll try." For him, she'd do anything. Especially if he asked her like that. And when she thought about it, if everything had worked out with Grace, then Remus wouldn't have been available today. In a way, she realized she probably should be thanking Grace for dumping him.
They were silent for a while.
"Maybe that's another reason," Tonks said, breaking the silence. "Why you couldn't believe me when I told you how I felt. You thought you loved Lily, and then she chose James . . . someone who was whole. That's why you thought I would do the same thing."
Remus stared at her. He had never thought of it like that. "You should be a psychiatrist," he told her. "Or is it a psychologist?"
She laughed. "Oh, no, I'd be horrible!" She took his hand and gave it a playful squeeze. "I just know you too well."
He smiled and took her other hand so that they were facing each other. "And I'm thankful for that."
"I love you, Remus Lupin," she told him.
He moved in to kiss her but paused to take her face in his hands. He tried to say the words back, but they stuck in his throat. He still wasn't sure. "I'm falling for you," he whispered, but it was only half of the truth.
However, it was more than enough for her, she who had thought he would never show any interest in her beyond friendship. She kissed him fully on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss, and vowed to never let her go.
Marcus went into the kitchen for a glass of water. He had tried calling Tonks back, but she had either hung up the phone improperly or had left it off the hook deliberately because he couldn't get through. She and Remus were always hanging up on him and it was really starting to get annoying. He wondered if witches and wizards carried cell phones . . . Probably not.
He heard the sound of the door closing, and Marcus spun around to see a hooded and cloaked figure standing in the room.
Marcus recognized the man imeadiately. "H-h-how did you get in here?" he stuttered as he backed up against the sink.
Snape said nothing. Marcus looked around and seized a knife out of the sink, holding it before him like a sword. "Stay away from me." What was he thinking? This guy knew magic. A knife wasn't going to do him any good.
Snape pulled something out of his pocket. His wand.
Marcus suddenly had the strangest feeling of déjà vu, as though this had happened before.
"Wait," said Marcus, concentrating with all his might. "You . . . I know this." He knew, somehow, that Snape had come to him before. He had stood in almost exactly the spot and had worn the same clothing. As Marcus looked at the wand, he knew Snape was going to make him do something he didn't want to do.
Something clicked in Marcus's mind as he started to remember. "No," he objected.
Lightening, white hot and prickling, exploded in Marcus's head. He dropped the knife and fell to his knees, pressing his hands to his head in an attempt to shut out the pain as Severus Snape raised his wand to interrogate him for the fourth time.
Remus and Tonks eventually parted. Remus looked up at the sky and noted how much time he had left. Not much . . . but enough.
"I'll walk you to the end of the village," he said.
It wouldn't be a very long walk considering that the cemetery was on the outskirts of the village, but it was the least he could do. Holding hands, they found their way out of the cemetery and onto the gravel road.
"I wish I could stay with you," she told him.
"No, you don't," he almost said, but he bit back his tongue and gave her hand a squeeze. "I wish you could too."
They hadn't gone very far when Tonks cried out and her hand was ripped from his. Remus spun around, automatically reaching into his pocket for his wand . . . and there stood Snape. His hand was fisted in Tonks's hair, forcing her head back in an unnatural angle, and his wand was at her throat.
"Don't move," he said unnecessarily. "And take your hand out of your pocket, Lupin."
Remus slowly did what he was told.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?" Snape jerked on Tonks's hair and she gasped in pain.
"Leave her alone!" shouted Remus before he could stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth.
"Or you'll do what?" spat Severus.
Remus said nothing. There wasn't anything he could do but pray that someone would see them. However, the chances of that happening weren't very likely. It would be dark soon and he doubted anyone would have a need to come by the cemetery at this hour. Then, of course, if someone did happen to see them, Snape would kill them on sight. No, the only chance Remus had was to send a message for help, but he needed his wand to do that and he couldn't risk Tonks getting hurt. He had to wait for an opening.
"Let her go," he tried, knowing it wouldn't work.
Snape sneered. "You know I can't do that, Lupin."
"What would Voldemort want with her anyway?"
"You mean you don't know?" Snape laughed maliciously and turned his attention back to Tonks. "You never told him? Answer me when I'm talking to you!" He pulled on her hair again.
"Leave her alone-!"
"No." Tonks gasped. "How would I know why you were after me?" She was trying desperately to think of a way out of this. She was mentally reviewing her auror training, looking for anything that might help. One thing she did know was that she had to keep Snape talking.
"Don't play dumb with me, girl." Severus snarled. "You know why. You must have realized a long time ago. Now, are you going to tell him or do I have to?" He pressed his wand into her throat.
Tonks shifted her gaze to Remus. She knew she didn't have a choice. "Scrimgeour choose a select group of aurors to take part in an investigation to find out what Dumbledore had been doing the night he died. Kingsley was chosen, I was too."
Remus nodded silently. He knew this already. He remembered Kingsley mentioning it to him shortly after Dumbledore had died, but he didn't understand what it had to do with what was going on. The Order had known for a long time that Scrimgeour was trying to discover what Dumbledore had been up to.
"Go on," ordered Snape.
"Scrimgeour wanted weekly reports on what we had found, and Kingsley and I just made stuff up. I don't think Kingsley even bothered looking for anything . . . but I did. I know I shouldn't have," she added quickly. "But I was curious, and I didn't understand . . . ." She trailed off.
"It took a long time," she continued. "But I figured it out. I know what Dumbledore was doing."
For a split second, Remus's mind was completely drawn away from the current situation he and Tonks were in. "You . . . you figured it out?"
"Dumbledore didn't want anyone to know," she told him. "And for good reason, which is why I never said anything. No one was suppose to know. But if I had figured it out, then someone else could too if they looked hard enough. So, I destroyed what evidence I could."
"You weren't very careful." Snape hissed. "In fact, I'd say you were almost clumsy about it."
Tonks caught the insult but said nothing.
"The Minister's not the only one interested in what Dumbledore was doing." Snape continued. "I had a spy in the ministry following your little group, who reported that you were destroying certain records. They suspected that you might know something. The Dark Lord requested that I find out."
Well, you've done a piss poor job of it. Tonks bit down on her tongue.
"The spy also happened to overhear you telling Kingsley that you'd be staying at your parents' residence."
Tonks felt the tears spring unexpectedly to her eyes.
"It wasn't your fault."
She looked up at Remus. Merlin, he looked so calm . . . but there was an air about him that suggested he was on the alert. She could tell he was waiting for the slightest window he could use to snatch her out of harm's way . . . a window she was sure Snape would never give them.
But Remus was right. It wasn't her fault. It was the fault of the bastard who's wand was pointed at her throat.
"They need not have died," said Snape. "If they hadn't been such light sleepers I could have been in and out of there without causing them any harm."
"Then you would've tried my place." Tonks supplied.
"And you would've been dead a long time ago." Snape agreed. "But, as it were, I had just killed two people. I had to get away before the ministry showed up, and I had no doubt they would contact you immediately. I had to wait.
"However," he went on. "Since you would be taking leave from the ministry, my spy was useless. I needed to go somewhere else for information."
He turned his gaze on Remus, who had to fight hard not to curl his hands into fists. "Took you hours to realize I was sitting right behind you in that pub at Hogsmeade. I made sure you followed me toward the outskirts of the village, and we had ourselves a duel on the mountainside . . . though I doubt you remember any of that." He sneered. "You took quite a tumble . . . I was afraid you'd died before I could get anything out of you. I should have killed you afterwards, but those boys were walking down the road and if they had found your body, I would've had to give up my hiding spot."
Tonks felt him grip her hair more tightly, as though he were going to rip it all out at once. She gasped again in pain as he hissed in her ear. "I really liked that hiding spot. It smelled like dog, but it was rather convenient."
"What did I tell you?" asked Remus shakily, ignoring Snape's comment about Sirius and hoping to drawl Severus's attention away from Tonks.
"You told me that Tonks-" He gave her head a shake.
"Stop it!" Remus wanted to shout, but he didn't because he knew that was what Snape wanted him to do.
Tonks felt pained tears swell up in her eyes. She knew she was going to have blisters . . . if she lived through this. She saw Remus grimace as though he could feel what she was feeling.
"-Was now living in her parents' home . . . and you told me about Marcus."
Tonks saw a look of horror pass over Remus's face before he quickly composed himself and said, "He has nothing to do with this."
"Are you sure about that, Lupin? I told you my spy was useless. If I needed information on Tonks, I'd have to find it elsewhere. I couldn't go to you; you'd realize I was placing Memory Charms on you eventually. But if I used a Muggle, someone who would refuse to believe in magic even when they were staring it in the face . . ."
Remus shook his head. This couldn't be true.
"It was perfect." Snape continued. "Marcus was your roommate, surely you would've mentioned Tonks to him. . . . After all, something had been developing between the two of you by the time I'd gone."
He looked between the two of them, searching. Remus averted his eyes . . . but not soon enough.
"Make her your bitch yet, Lupin?"
The only thing that stopped Remus from wrapping his hands around Snape's throat and strangling him to death was remembering that he still had Tonks. Remus couldn't risk her safety, but neither could he stop himself from balling his hands into fists.
Tonks couldn't see his face, but she knew Snape was smirking. She wanted to smash his nose in as she had done with Balaquer's.
"Marcus proved useful quite a few times," said Snape, picking off where he had left off. "The first time I interrogated him, he said you were visiting Tonks but would be returning later that night. The phone was ringing when I left . . . I didn't think about it then, but I suppose that was you calling to say you'd changed your mind."
He turned his attention to Tonks, again gripping her hair tightly. "I suppose light sleepers run in the family. You woke up not a moment after I had apparated. I didn't think it would be a problem until you screamed and I heard Lupin come running up the stairs."
Remus thought back. He'd gone to Tonks for assistance after the full moon. She had wanted him to stay longer than he had originally planned, and he'd been too unsure of her intentions to consider it. He had called Marcus and had told him that he was coming over, but, in the end, he'd realized that Tonks had needed someone with her. He'd tried calling Marcus back several times but no one had picked up the phone. Snape must have left the apartment before he, Remus, had given up and left a message.
"I had orders." Severus said, still speaking to Tonks. "I was to deliver you to the Dark Lord so he could interrogate you himself. And I was to do it inconspicuously, make it seem like you had just disappeared. If I had to kill Lupin before I could disapparate with you - although I would be particularly pleased - the Dark Lord wouldn't be happy."
So he had fled. He'd disapparated before Remus had gotten into her room.
"The Dark Lord has a limited amount of patience," he told her. "My orders changed and I was told to kill you if nothing else. So, the next time I questioned Marcus, he said you were going to a concert together. It would be easy to perform a murder and make it look like an accident with a crowd like that."
But he hadn't timed it right. They'd left before he'd started the fire. Undoubtedly frustrated, he'd tried to drown her in the tub the next day . . . but Remus had saved her from that.
"I had no idea you'd be able to revive her, Lupin," said Snape. "Or I would have stayed and killed you along with her."
Yet again Tonks felt his fist vise her hair. He held on this time. The pain was so intense that tears began falling down her face. She nearly fell to her knees, but he forced her up by her hair, which only hurt even more. She brought her hands up to his, ready to pry him away, but he pressed his wand warningly into her throat and she lowered her arms. It hurt so badly, and she wished it would stop. Then, all at once, it ended.
"I said, stop it!" Remus was shouting. "There's no need for any of that!"
"I think there's plenty of need for it." This time, he hardly tugged on her hair, but her head was so bruised that it sent fresh tears down her face. "Payback for all the crap I've had to go through."
"H-how many times have you questioned Marcus?" Remus asked, again trying to drawl Snape's attention away from Tonks.
"Well, let's see," said Severus. "The third time I questioned him, he explained how he and Tonks had left the concert early, but other than Tonks getting a guard from the ministry, he had nothing useful to tell me. And then the phone rang." He turned back to Tonks and she waited for him to grip her hair again, but he didn't. "I waited this time. And it was your voice I heard on answering machine telling Marcus you thought you knew where I was hiding and that your guard were coming to bring me in." He smirked. "Excellent warning, Nymphadora, I thank you . . ."
"Don't-call-me-by-that-name," said Tonks through gritted teeth. He had no right to call her that, not after he had killed the two people who had refused to call her by her last name. To her parents, she had always been Nymphadora.
Snape pulled sharply on her hair.
"Severus!" barked Remus in protest.
"I don't think you're in a position to be making orders," hissed Snape in Tonks's ear. He turned to Remus and continued. "I had to find a different," Another tug on her hair. "Place to hide out. Needless to say it was much less convenient. But I made my way back into Tonks's house. You were becoming quite the nuisance, Lupin. I decided to go after you . . ." He pulled viciously on her hair.
Tonks had to bite her lip to prevent herself from begging. Please . . . please just stop doing that.
"But he wasn't in his room, was he?" growled Snape.
"No!" Tonks shouted in answer, fighting back the tears.
"No," repeated Snape, turning to Remus. "She was in your room."
Remus blinked. He hadn't known that. After viewing the pensive, Remus had gone back to the apartment with Marcus. He had assumed Snape had attacked Tonks in her room while he'd been away. . . . But none of that mattered now, it wasn't important.
"I was surprised," continued Snape. "And I'll admit that I forgot myself for a moment and lit my wand to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Tonks awoke and we dueled. But then Marcus," Again, a tug to her hair. "Had to barge in." He turned to her. "I tried to kill you before your guard arrived, but no such luck."
He paused for a moment and then smirked. "I went to Marcus again today . . . and he actually broke through one of my Memory Charms. I was impressed. The strain on his mind, though . . . it's such a shame . . . If it's of any comfort, I could tell you what his last moments of life were like."
Again Tonks saw a look of horror pass over Remus's face . . . but it stayed this time, mirroring what she was feeling. "No," said Tonks. "He's not-" Her voice broke.
"He is," said Snape in mock gravity, focusing his attention on Lupin. "The last words I got out of him were 'Lily and James,' and I knew I could find the two of you here."
Remus's had his fists clenched so hard that his nails were digging into his skin. Not Marcus too. It just couldn't be.
"Now that we're all caught up," continued Snape, turning to Tonks. "Here's the predicament I'm in. I could take you back to The Dark Lord . . . or I could question you myself."
"I won't tell you anything," she said defiantly.
"No," he agreed. "I'm sure you won't . . . but I'll enjoy the look on Lupin's face as I torture you."
So that was the reason. Snape could've - should've - killed her by now. But he hadn't done it because it was too enjoyable to know the pain he was causing Remus. That was what all this was about. He wasn't pulling on her hair to inflict pain on her. No, he was doing it because he enjoyed Remus's reaction. Yes, he had a service to pay to the Dark Lord. He was going to kill her, but he was also going to take every chance he had to make sure Remus suffered in the process.
"You're bleeding, Lupin."
Remus looked at his hands. He'd dug his nails in too deep.
No, thought Tonks. It was not going to be like this. Snape could kill her if he had to, but she was not going to let him hurt Remus as well. Forget about putting herself in jeopardy. If Snape had to kill her sooner than he wanted to, so be it. At least Remus wouldn't have to suffer because of her.
She tried to release herself from Snape's grasp, but her foot twisted in her high-heeled shoe and she fell at least an inch, causing her hair to pull on Snape's fingers. Again, tears came to her eyes. Damn those shoes! She'd never wear them again if she had the chance. They were the most useless footwear on earth! . . . And then she heard a voice speaking to her from the past.
"Mum, why do I have to wear these?" Tonks had complained many years ago. "They hurt my feet. I don't care if they look nice or make me taller. I don't want to wear them."
Snape's attention was on Remus. "Why don't you just say it, Lupin? Just this once."
"Oh, Nymphadora," said her mother. "There are more uses to high heeled shoes than looking nice and making you taller."
"You're a bastard," said Remus.
"Really?" asked Tonks curiously.
"It takes one to know one." Severus retorted.
Her mother nodded. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I never did anything to you." Remus objected.
"Like what?" Tonks urged . . . and her mother answered . . .
"No," agreed Severus. "You just sat there and ignored what was happening."
Tonks brought her foot up as hard as she possibly could between Snape's legs. The moment she felt his grip loosen on her hair, she shot forward. It had all happened too fast for it to register with Remus. Tonks grabbed his arm and pulled him as quickly as she could toward the cemetery where they could find some cover.
"Did you just do what I think you did?" he asked in awe as she pulled him down behind a large tombstone. He whipped out his wand and a silver animal erupted from it. Someone from the Order was bound to get the message.
"Yep." She pulled off her shoes and broke off the heels against the stone before she slid them back on. "Much better." At least she could run properly now.
She pulled out her wand, but Remus put his hand on her arm.
"You're going back to the house, Nymphadora."
"What? No! I can't-!"
"It's you he wants. Apparate to the house where it's safe and then send someone-"
"No!" she shouted at him. "As soon as he finds out I'm gone then he'll disappear too! I'm not going to give him time to hurt someone else! First it was my parents and then it was Marcus! No one else is going to die at my expense! I'm ending this!"
She moved to stand, but Remus pulled her back down.
"This isn't up for argument." A jet of green light blasted away the stone above his head and he jumped. "Shit!"
He hesitated and then peered around the stone for a moment before turning to her. "Go back to the house," he ordered. Then he hurried to his feet.
"Remus!"
She reached for him, but he slipped through her fingers.
"Expelliarmus!" he shouted as he headed for Snape.
"God damn it!" cursed Tonks.
Remus ducked another jet of green light. His primary goal at the moment was drawling Snape away from Tonks. After that, he just had to try to stay alive. With a little luck, help would arrive soon.
He dove behind a large statue of an angel. Peering around it, he spotted Snape and shouted, "Stupefy!" He hit nothing but stone. It was impossible to get a good aim. There were too many large stones and statues around. Though, if he was having trouble aiming, then Snape surely was too. He had a better chance of living if he stayed in the cemetery.
Remus peered around the angel again, but he couldn't see where Severus had gone.
"Impedimenta!"
The spell hit the wing of the angel and it came crashing down. Remus dove out of the way. He looked up to see Tonks not far off wearing an apologetic expression. It wasn't Snape who would had hit the angel's wing.
"Who's side are you on?" he asked incredulously once he had reached her. He knew there was nothing he could do. She was staying with him . . . and a part of him preferred it that way.
"Yours," she told him.
"So act like it."
"Reducto!"
Tonks and Remus scrambled out of the way as the stone they were taking shelter behind exploded. Remus cursed again. The two of them scrambled to their feet and pointed their wands at Snape.
"IMPEDIMENTA!"
It was Tonks's turn to curse as Snape ducked behind an oak tree. The spell ricocheted off the tree and came back towards the two of them. Remus pulled her down to the ground.
They scrambled to their feet.
"Reducto!" shouted Remus.
The statue he had just seen Snape move behind exploded. What he hadn't expected was for Snape to still be standing there when the dust cleared.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Remus saw it all in slow motion. The statue exploding. Snape emerging from behind it. His wand pointed directly at Tonks.
All Tonks saw was the flash of green light . . . right before she hit the ground.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Order members were apparating all around the graveyard. Stunning spells were fired in every direction and ricocheted off gravestones. For a while, everything was chaotic . . . and then everyone moved to the two bodies lying on the ground.
Dark. Everything was dark. Tonks couldn't see a thing . . . but she could smell the grass beneath her nostrils. She could feel the air in her lungs flowing slowly in and out. She could feel the presence of the people standing in a large circle around her and could hear their incoherent whispers.
Her face was pressed into the ground. She opened her eyes. She could see several blades of grass and the soles of someone's shoes. She wasn't dead. . . . But why couldn't she move? Her limbs felt so heavy. . . . Then she realized that something was on top of her.
No . . . not something . . . someone.
Dear God, no.
"Remus!" she shouted hysterically, pushing his lifeless body off her and startling the people standing around them. "Remus!"
She shook him.
He didn't respond.
She shook him again. "Remus!"
Again, she got nothing.
"No . . ." She felt a hand on her shoulder but she pushed it away. "Remus," she said more softly but still in that hysterical pitch. No, this wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. "Remus!" she shouted, giving him another shake.
Remus could hear someone calling his name hysterically, but the voice sounded far off. He opened his eyes and it took a minute for the scene to come into focus.
Remus's eyes appeared to be crossed, and Tonks knew he'd gotten hit with one of the ricocheting Stunning Spells. She felt the vise of fear around her heart release its hold, and tears of relief filled her eyes as she sent up a silent prayer of thanks.
She helped him sit up and he stared at her in wonder and disbelief. He brought his hand to the back of his head where he'd felt the Killing Curse ruffle his hair. He couldn't remember consciously thinking of pushing Tonks out of the way. He had just done it. He'd thought he was dead . . .
He looked at Tonks and a slow smile spread across his face. He let out a nervous laugh. He was alive. She was alive. They had made it. It was unbelievable! This kind of thing never happened.
At last, Remus burst into laughter and Tonks burst into tears and they both threw their arms around each other.
"I'm dreaming." Remus told her, hardly daring to believe his luck. One of them should have been killed, and yet neither of them had. He must have done something right to deserve this moment with her.
"Then I'm dreaming with you," she said. She knew just as well as him that one of them shouldn't be there.
After a moment, they parted and helped each other to their feet. The Order stood around them, looking as unbelieving as the two of them felt. The lot of them had probably thought both of them had died.
"Impeccable timing." Remus commented.
Tonks giggled uncontrollably.
"What did I tell you?" Balaquer suddenly shouted loudly to Kingsley. "It's all an act! The werewolf's been planning this all along!" He pointed. "Look-!"
He didn't get to finish his sentence Remus grabbed him and slammed him up against the nearest headstone. "I've had just about enough of you," he warned through gritted teeth.
Remus was at the end of his rope. He'd had enough on his plate as it was with the full moon, the anniversary of his best friends' deaths, and the newest development in his and Tonks's relationship. Then sodding Severus Snape had come along and had nearly tortured Tonks in front of him. He, Remus, had had killing curses flung at him and at the woman he cared about most in the world. Both of them had nearly been killed. Add Balaquer on top of all of that and . . . Remus ready to rip the man's bloody head off.
Balaquer struggled to break free but Remus was stronger than he'd realized. "Take your hands off me, werewolf."
"I have a name." Remus growled.
Balaquer glared at him defiantly, as though trying to stare him down, but Remus glared right back. He wasn't taking crap from Balaquer - or from anyone - any longer. He wasn't going to stand for it. He'd had enough . . . and Tonks had helped him to see that he had the right to feel that way.
"Remus," said someone tentatively.
"What?" he snapped, turning to face whom had spoken.
Tonks pointed silently. She watched as all the color drained from his face.
Remus let Balaquer go as he stared at the rapidly setting sun. The full moon was winking down at him mockingly from its patch of clear sky.
"Everyone get out of here," he said hoarsely. When no one moved, he shouted. "Go! Now!"
They didn't need telling again.
"Remus-" Tonks started as everyone began disapparating around them.
"Go," he told her.
"I don't-"
"Go," he repeated more urgently. "You can't help me." He pushed her insistently into Kingsley's arms. "Take her."
"Remus-" she tried again.
"I'll be fine," he told her. "Don't worry about me."
Kingsley disapparated with her. At last Remus was alone. Dumbledore had let him use the Shrieking Shack for transformations even after he'd finished school, but he didn't have enough time make it there tonight. He ran down to the gravel road and looked down it. There was a forest at the village's end. If he could make it there, then perhaps he'd stay in that area once he transformed. He had to do what he could to ensure he wouldn't be a danger to the villagers.
He ran as fast as he could toward the forest. He had almost reached the shelter of its trees when a searing pain ripped through him and sent him to his knees.
"Snape-" Tonks began.
"It's alright," said Kingsley. "We got him. The others have him." He and Tonks were the only ones who had returned to the house. The others had apparated to take Snape in to the proper authorities.
The good news didn't register with Tonks at that moment. "No, Marcus." She was having trouble making complete sentences, and she paused to take a deep breath before going on. "Snape said he . . . He said that he . . ." She couldn't say it, she just couldn't. "You have to check on him," she insisted. "You have to make sure he's all right." Even though she knew he wouldn't be.
"Okay," said Kingsley quickly to calm her. "I'll check on him. Do you want to come with-?"
Tonks shook her head. She didn't want to see Marcus like that. "I'll stay here . . . if that's alright with you," she added, trying to sound calmer than she felt.
Kingsley hesitated, but thought better of it. The danger was over right? "You'll stay here," he repeated.
She nodded.
"All right then. I'll be back." After removing the Anti-Apparition Charm from the property, he turned on his heel and disappeared.
Tonks paced nervously. So much was going through her mind at the moment; Snape, Marcus . . . Remus.
The transformation she had witnessed in the pensieve kept running through her mind. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair. He shouldn't have to be alone. She wanted to be there . . . even though she knew it was impossible.
And yet, she worried. She knew he'd be fine, but she feared that they weren't out of the water yet. She had to make sure . . . but it wasn't safe. She couldn't. But she had to. She'd only be gone for a few minutes - that's all - then she'd come back.
Her mind made up, she disapparated.
It was dark in the cemetery now, and it took a minute for Tonks's eyes to adjust. She didn't dare light her wand since she had no clue where Remus had gone, but thankfully the full moon was giving off enough light for her to walk by. She walked down to the edge of the cemetery, careful to keep off the gravel road.
She just wanted to see Remus, just to ease her troubled mind. It was a stupid thing to do, but she told herself that she knew what she was doing. After all, she was smart enough to realize that there was a full-fledged werewolf out there somewhere. She didn't want to give away her presence if she could help it.
She thought she heard whimpering coming from the direction of the forest. Deciding that was a likely place for Remus to go to, she headed quietly that way. Then she thought she heard sniffing - the kind a dog would make - and she quickly hid behind a tombstone. Peering around it, she saw the wolf - Remus - come slowly padding up the gravel road. It had its nose to the ground and was walking away from the forest in the direction of the village.
Tonks bit her lip and peered up the road. There was nothing she could do but hope that there wouldn't be people out of their houses at this hour. She could see lights on in the houses but no people outside . . . not that that meant anything.
She turned back to watch the wolf as it searched for a scent. She knew she should get out of there, but the crouched position she had adopted was not an able one to perform apparition in. She didn't dare stand up lest the wolf see her. She held her breath as it neared and kept perfectly still.
All at once, the wolf paused in its tracks and sniffed the air. Tonks hid herself completely behind the stone, praying that it wasn't her scent the wolf had caught. She heard growling. She peered around the stone cautiously to see what the wolf was growling at . . . two amber eyes met hers.
Tonks didn't even have time to curse. All thought of apparition forgotten, she turned and ran toward the village. The wolf was practically snapping at her heels. She pointed her wand behind her and muttered a silent apology.
"Stupefy!"
There was a yelp and she knew she'd hit it. She couldn't apparate now, though. She had to stay. She had to warn the villagers, make sure everyone stayed safe. Remus would never forgive himself if he bit anyone. Eventually, she made it to the first house and pounded on the door.
Suddenly, she heard the sounds of a massive animal running up the gravel road. She couldn't see the wolf, but she knew it wasn't far off. She pounded on the door harder.
All at once, the door opened, a hand reached out and pulled her inside. The door closed and Tonks heard the thud as the wolf slammed its body into it. The wolf scratched at the door angrily, but there was no way for it to get in.
"Thank you," said Tonks as she turned to face her savoir.
The man was large, almost as wide as he was tall. He said nothing to her, only moved to the side and walked away. A smaller, but still large, woman had been standing behind him. She held out her hand.
"I'm Abba," she said politely.
"Tonks." She took Abba's hand and shook it.
"I don't think I know you. Do you live around here?"
"Uh, no," said Tonks. "I was just visiting the cemetery and it," she pointed behind her at the door. "Came after me out of nowhere."
"Irma!" shouted a voice from upstairs. "Keep those crazy sons of yours in the house! We've got a werewolf on the prowl!" There was the sound of a window shutting.
Tonks turned to Abba questionably.
"You'll have to forgive my husband, Ethan," she sighed. "I'm afraid he's obsessed with horror movies." She shook her head. "However, he is a respected hunter. If he said - God forbid - that there was a Yeti running through the village, everyone would know that at least something was out there that they wanted to stay away from." She paused. "Irma's boys are not going to be happy. They had been planning a walk through the cemetery. They thought it would be 'cool' considering there's a full moon and it's Halloween and all."
"You're husband's a hunter?" asked Tonks nervously.
Abba beamed proudly. "Let me show you." She led Tonks into the sitting room.
Tonks stared. Hundreds of animal heads were mounted on the wall: deer, moose, elk. There was even a bear skin rug. There was a cat like animal that had been stuffed and was sitting near the sofa, and also a stuffed squirrel was mounted in the corner of the wall. Hundreds of animals, all stuffed and on proud display. Tonks stared dumbfounded for several minutes.
"He caught all of these?"
Abba nodded.
"Not here, surely."
"Oh, no, dear. Ethan does a good bit of traveling."
"Admiring my collection?" asked Ethan from behind them.
"Er . . . yes," said Tonks quickly, eyeing the rifle in his hand. "It's quite impressive."
Ethan strode into the room and over to the telly. There was a large bookshelf (atop which sat a stuffed mouse like creature of some sort) that housed only horror movies. One of the titles stood out for Tonks: The Wolf Man. Ethan shifted the shelf so he could get behind it. Bending down, he pulled out a small matchbox that apparently held something other than matches.
"I told you these would come in handy someday, Abby," said Ethan as he took a seat on the sofa.
Abba nodded politely but Tonks swore she saw her roll her eyes a minute later.
Ethan opened the box, and began loading the ammo into his gun.
"Silver bullets?" breathed Tonks.
"That's right," said Ethan. "Only way to stop a werewolf."
Tonks was confused.
"Oh, come on!" shouted Ethan. "You must have heard the stories! Silver is the only thing werewolves are vulnerable to. They can't abide it - can't touch it even."
Tonks had never heard of such a thing. Remus could touch silver (plenty of the goblets at Grimmauld Place had been pure silver). And she may not have known much about guns, but she was sure any kind of bullet would stop Remus. "You're really going to shoot it?" she asked, trying not to sound alarmed.
Ethan stared at her. "You're not one of those animal rights people, are you?"
"No, no." Tonks assured him. "It's just-"
Ethan cocked the rifle. He then got off the sofa, brushed passed the two women and headed for the stairs.
Tonks scrambled after him. "But-wait a minute! If you really believe in werewolves - and there's nothing wrong with that, believe me - then you should know that it's an actual person, not an animal."
"Then I'm putting the poor bastard out of his misery."
Tonks bit her lip. As soon as there was room, she ran passed Ethan to the window that overlooked the village, peering out of it for the wolf that was Remus and praying that she wouldn't see it.
"Out of my way." Ethan pushed her roughly aside and threw the window open. He positioned the rifle on the sill.
Tonks glanced at the stairs, checking to see if Abba had decided to come after them. She hadn't.
"Ah, there it is!" Ethan got into position, peering through the sight. "Sniffing around the Potters' old house."
Tonks registered the name but could've cared less at that moment. She pulled out her wand and muttered a quick spell. Ethan pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.
"What?" He took the rifle and shook it. Then he pulled the trigger once more. Again, nothing happened. "I just cleaned the blasted thing yesterday!" He shook it furiously. "Abby!" He headed for the stairs.
Tonks ran to the window. She spotted the wolf somewhere near the other end of the village. "Get out of here," she said as though it could not only hear her but understand her as well. "Before he comes back."
Then, almost as though the wolf had heard her, it paused, howled, and shot off away from the village. Tonks hoped it was chasing after some small animal and not an actual human being.
She headed back downstairs. Ethan was sitting at the table with some kind of kit, vigorously cleaning out his rifle. Abba stood by and watched.
"It's gone." Tonks told them.
Neither of them said anything. After several minutes Ethan reloaded the gun and cocked it. He pointed it at the floor.
"Oh, dear, not in the house!" Abba objected.
He pulled the trigger to no avail. "Blast!" He threw the rifle across the room. "It's jammed somehow." He thought for a long moment. "Abby," he said, turning to his wife. "Where did I put grandfather's old rifle?"
"In the attic, dear."
"Yes, but where in the attic?"
Abba shrugged. "Honestly, daring, I haven't a clue where it would be. It's a jungle up there. You'll have a hard time finding it," she added as her husband got up from the table and headed for the stairs again, taking the bullets with him.
"Does he honestly think it will come back?" asked Tonks, worried.
Abba shrugged again. "Who knows? Ethan can stay in one spot without moving for hours, and I mean hours, just waiting for an animal to cross his path. I suppose that's one of the reasons why he's done so well. He's a very patient man - well, with animals. When it comes to people . . . well, I could tell you stories . . ."
Tonks let her ramble on. She looked out the window, studying the scene before her and praying that the wolf would stay as far away from here as possible.
"I think it would be safe for you to go outside," said Abba after a long while, taking Tonks's diligence for hesitance. "I don't think the wolf's about . . . However, if you'd like to stay here for the night, you are more than welcome."
"Thank you," said Tonks, not taking her eyes from the window. "I think I'll do that." She was determined to stay awake all through the night just in case the wolf came back.
BANG! Yelp!
Tonks awoke with a start. She couldn't remember falling asleep, but apparently she had. She was seated at the table with her head in her arms.
"Oh!" said Abba, looking up at the ceiling. "It sounds like Ethan found his rifle."
Tonks leapt from the table and ran to door, flinging it open and running outside. It was lighter than she had remembered it being, but it was still night.
"Oi!" shouted Ethan from the open window. "Careful! I got it!" He pointed between two houses. "But I don't think it was a fatal shot! It's still dangerous!"
Tonks turned and ran to where Ethan had pointed. She noticed droplets of blood. There were more and more of them as she moved forward. At last, she found the wolf standing in a defensive stance, holding up an injured front leg. It started growling at her, but it was whimpering too. Blood was slowly trickling from the wound.
She approached it slowly, unsure of what to do. With dogs, she knew to approach with a hand gently outstretched, yet she was sure that was the correct way of going about getting bitten when dealing with werewolves. The closer she came to it, the more furiously the wolf growled. It didn't seem keen on attacking her, however.
"Remus," she tried. She knew he was lost to her in this state, but it didn't matter. He was still in there somewhere, if only she could find a way to reach him. "Remus, it's me. It's Ton-Nymphadora." She took another confident step forward, being careful not to back down when the wolf - no, not the wolf. Remus. They were one in the same - let out a vicious bark. Dogs could smell fear. She doubted werewolves were any different. "I just want to help you, Remus." She gazed into those amber eyes, searching for the brown ones she knew so well. "Just let me help you. He'll kill you if you don't let me help you."
She took another step, but this time he took a step back. "No," She shook her head. "Don't do that. I'm not here to hurt you. Remus, I love you." For one miraculous moment, she swore she had seen those amber eyes darken and soften to brown, but it was gone once she took another step forward.
"Stay there," she told him. "Don't move. I love you," she tried again because it had seemed to work last time. She kept her eyes locked with his, hardly even blinking, and somehow she knew he wasn't going to hurt her as long as she stayed like this.
"I love you," she repeated. Another step and then another. She was so close.
"Stand aside, girl."
Tonks didn't hear him, neither his voice nor the cock of the gun. All her concentration was on Remus. "Don't move," she whispered.
"Stand aside," ordered Ethan threateningly. "Before I shoot you too."
Tonks reached her hand out slowly, passed his muzzle and over his pointed ears to the top of his head where she buried her fingers in his fur.
The gun fired . . . but the bullet missed its query. Tonks had disapparated.
She appeared back in her house. She jumped swiftly away from Remus as he barked furiously and tried to bite her. She pulled her hand away just in time. He left her alone after that and limped away to whimper in the corner. Apparently, the pressing, pulling, and pressure akin to being forced through a very small tube during apparition wasn't that great a feeling when you had a bullet wound.
Tonks cringed. "Sorry," she muttered.
She thought wildly for a long moment, then hurried to her room. She found Healer Morgan's card and flipped it over to the phone number on the back. She was about to dial it when she realized that Morgan probably worked late night to early morning. He wouldn't be home at this hour.
Tonks thought again. She couldn't owl him. No, it would take too long. She needed him, though. She hardly knew anything about Muggle weaponry and she had no clue what to do about a bullet wound. Making up her mind, she raised her wand and a giant sliver werewolf erupted from the end of it: Her patronus.
She went back downstairs to keep an eye on Remus, hoping Morgan would get the message. Time went by, but at last the doorbell rang.
Remus began to growl, low and warningly in his throat.
"Shush," she said to him. "He won't hurt you."
She opened to the door.
"Sorry to bother you," said Morgan nervously. "It was the strangest thing . . . this werewolf-looking patronus found me in my office and I couldn't help but feel like you might need something." He looked up at her and shrugged as though to say, "Isn't that the weirdest thing you've ever heard?"
Tonks just smiled thankfully. "I wasn't sure you'd remember me. It's been a month."
Morgan shook his head. "You're the one with the pink hair who talked down Vorderman. How could I forget?"
She opened the door wider. "Please, come in. Try not to make any sudden movements."
"What?" he asked as he stepped inside. He caught sight of Remus and jumped. "For the love of Merlin!"
Remus was on his feet, barking and growling viciously.
"Remus!" Tonks shouted as though she were disciplining a small child.
Morgan stared at her in wonder as the wolf quieted and backed up. He noticed it was bleeding.
"Don't make any sudden movements." Tonks repeated.
"Well, I wasn't expecting . . . er." He indicated Remus. "You said he was your bother, didn't you?"
"Yes," she said thoughtfully. "I did." She shook her head. No time to correct that now. "I need your help." She moved slowly toward Remus.
"Tonks . . ." Morgan warned.
"I know what I'm doing." She put her hand on Remus's head and began brushing his fur with her fingertips in an attempt to keep him docile.
Morgan's mouth dropped open in amazement.
"He was shot," she told him. "I don't know what to do." She got too close to the wound and Remus snapped at her. "Remus!" she said again in that disciplinary tone, snatching her hand back.
Again, Morgan was amazed as the wolf hung its head.
"Well?" asked Tonks, turning to him as soon as she was far enough away from Remus.
Morgan hesitated. He couldn't do this, could he? . . . Oh, what the hell? Why not? He thought quickly. "We can . . . we can take him . . . there's a private ward close to my office . . . he can go there. You should come too," he added.
"Vorderman-" she started.
"I'll take care of him." Morgan assured her. "Now, I can apparate us to the spot . . . if you can handle him, that is."
Tonks nodded. She made her way over to Remus, entwining her fingers in his fur. She smiled softly at the thought of how strange it was that, in his human form, Remus wasn't very hairy at all. Well . . . he was normal, she supposed, as far as hair went. It was just that you'd expect a werewolf to be hairier. But that was completely beside the point.
Morgan moved toward them and Remus began to growl.
"Remus." Tonks established eye contact with him. Again, she swore those eyes had blinked brown for just a second. "He won't harm you, Morgan," she assured him, reaching out a hand.
Morgan let out a nervous laugh. "Right." He swallowed his fear and took Tonks's outstretched hand.
They apparated into the private ward Morgan had mentioned, Remus landing conveniently in the hospital bed.
Morgan pulled out his wand. "He should be restrained, for safety's sake."
"What?" asked Tonks alarmed. "No," she said. "No restraints."
"I really must insist. For everyone's safety."
Tonks shook her head again. She couldn't stand to have Remus restrained like some animal. He was dangerous in this state; she knew that, yes. But he wasn't going to hurt anyone. She'd make sure of it. "No," she repeated.
Again, Morgan hesitated. "It would just be until he changed back."
"No," she said defiantly. "He's not going to hurt anyone."
Morgan stared at her. She was doing that eye thing again, staring at the wolf as though daring it to move. It seemed to work, whatever it was.
Defeated, he pocketed his wand. "I'll be back. I'm locking the door. Don't open it to anyone." He left.
Tonks stared into those amber eyes, searching for brown once more. She examined the wound, and Remus whimpered. "Shhh . . ." She stroked the fur on his back. "You're going to be fine. In fact, I'm the one that should be complaining." She smiled. "You're going to kill me when you're back to yourself."
At length, the door opened. Morgan walked in with another Healer in tow. Tonks didn't see his face. He jumped back behind the guard of the door as soon as he caught sight of Remus.
"Morgan," he hissed. "That's a-"
"It's all right, Jeffrey."
"Morgan, I-I can't. I just can't. I've got kids, Morgan."
Morgan stepped closer to him. There was no use fighting. "Do two things for me. Just two. Get the incoming record. Name's Remus Lupin. Got that? Good. I want you to get to it before Vorderman does and I want you to destroy it. Got that? And then once you've done that, I want you to keep Vorderman as far away from here as possible. Is that clear? . . . Good. Now go." He closed the door and locked it magically.
Morgan shook his head, stepping closer to Tonks but keeping his distance. "It's a shame. I really thought Jeffrey could help . . . he shares much of the feelings I have about that Werewolf Protection Act . . . but I suppose when you have children . . ."
He sighed. "No matter. I can handle on my own." He checked his watch. "Sun rise just began. Give it a minute or two and I can get started."
Tonks nodded, turning her attention back to Remus. The minutes seemed to take forever to pass. Tonks swore those eyes really were brown for a moment before they closed.
Remus breathed deeply and Tonks noticed that little things were changing. The fur on his face was fading, his nose shortening. His ears were shrinking and becoming more curved. His paws shortened and separated, looking more like hands. His tail shortened and then disappeared all together.
Morgan stood transfixed. He'd never witnessed anything like this before. It was amazing. And then he realized that Remus was going to be completely naked once he changed back into himself. Raising his wand, Morgan quickly conjured a sheet that gently fell from the air and covered the dozing figure on the bed.
The transformation complete, Tonks ran a hand lovingly down the side of the face she knew so well. Forgetting herself, she pressed her lips ever so gently to Remus's.
Morgan saw all of this, of course, and stopped in his tracks. Wait a minute. He looked between the two of them . . . and realized for the first time that they looked nothing alike. They were not brother and sister. But why would Tonks lie about something like that?
And then he remembered . . . family privileges. Clever, Tonks. Very clever.
He moved forward, perfectly comfortable now that there wasn't a potential for him to be bitten. The night was over and the shadows were receding. The nocturnal creatures had finished their nighttime prowl. The sun had risen and the full moon had come to pass.