Chapter Eighteen

Thy love is such I can no way repay

Tonks awoke from a blissfully sensual dream with the dawning realization that the hands running up and down her body, making her writhe, were very real, indeed. She turned to face Remus, who brushed his lips against hers, then bit down gently on her lower lip.

"I thought you said you were going to get started without me," he murmured.

"Who said I didn't?"

Even in the dark, she could sense his amusement. "You can't fool a wolf, little girl. You are, as you indicated earlier, 'all worked up,' but nowhere near sated. Which by the way, leaves me in a position to make you regret being such a brat to me, earlier."

Her eyes narrowed. "A brat?"

"Oh, you don't like that word? Would you prefer tease? You goaded me into sneaking into your bed under your father's nose. You couldn't allow me to remain true to my sense of honorable behavior. So now, I believe I need to teach you a lesson." There was half a smile on his face, but his eyes were deadly in their intensity.

She giggled and asked, "So are we going to play the naughty detention game after all? Are you going to force me to copy lines, starkers?"

"Tempting, but no." With another kiss, he rolled on top of her, pinning her to the bed.

She wiggled beneath him, saying, "Ooh, this is going to be fun."

"We'll see how you feel about it, my dear, in an hour." He began to kiss and caress her body slowly, with astonishing restraint. She responded with happy sighs and shivers, but when she tried to touch and kiss him in return, he pulled up to meet her eyes, and said in a pleasant but firm tone, "No, Nymphadora; unless you want me to stop."

She grinned and relaxed, allowing him to continue his ministrations. After a while, she began to wish idly that he would pick up the pace a little. It had been a long time, after all. His leisurely progress continued and her skin became sensitive almost to the point of discomfort. He seemed to be deliberately ignoring the body parts that cried out for his attention the most. It was even slower than their first time together, when he had been somewhat unsure as to how much she would let him get away with. But, she continued, as instructed, to fight her impulses to touch him, to direct him toward what she wanted, as the easy pace he was setting grew more and more deliciously agonizing.

When one of his hands finally cupped a breast, the pleasure was nearly painful. Long minutes later, as he hovered over the same breast with his mouth, he looked up at her with an expression of wry amusement. She would have smacked the smile off his smug face if she hadn't been terrified that he would stop completely, and leave her in this state. Instead, she found herself stifling a whimper in her throat, and instead arched her body up in invitation. With a chuckle, he took her nipple in her mouth and tugged gently, too gently. It felt maddeningly good and yet it wasn't anywhere near enough to send her over the precipice that she knew was somewhere in front of her.

The urge to grab him, to pin him down and torture him in the same manner fought with the urge to pin him down and impale herself on him, riding him into the headboard. He seemed to be reading her mind, because he said, in an impossibly calm and pleasant voice, "Don't even think about it, Nymphadora, or I will stop the whole thing."

"Bastard!"

"Brat." He moved to the other breast, pulling it between his lips, circling it with his tongue, biting gently, always stopping just short of that elusive something that seemed just out of her reach. He moved his mouth down to her belly, spending long moments focused on it with his hands and lips and tongue. It had never occurred to Tonks that her stomach could be such an erogenous zone. His maddeningly slow exploration of it, especially after his hands slipped under her, lightly massaging her lower back made her consider interesting future possibilities. One intriguing one involved the liberal application of warm honey, or maybe even melted chocolate.

Remus seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the taste of her skin unflavored, and, damn him, he had to know that he was torturing her by staying stubbornly on her stomach when he knew what she really wanted. Finally, his hands slid back around and fluttered over her hips, playing with the strap of lacy elastic which stretched over her hip bone. Just as she began to pray that he would tug it down, he slid his fingertips along the length of it, halting momentarily on the spot where it met the cotton of her knickers.

She held her breath, watching him as he gazed down at his hand and her knickers with an as if trying to determine what to do next. He slipped two fingertips under the cotton and she pulled her knees up in invitation. With his other hand, he pushed down a knee and then met her eyes, shaking his head. As his fingers began to inch downward, he continued to gaze unblinkingly at her. Finally he reached the fevered, slick flesh between her legs, and as he explored it with his fingertips, she moaned and shut her eyes, thrilled at his touch. When she managed meet his eyes again, he was practically smirking; something she didn't think Remus was capable of.

"I don't think you're quite ready yet, Nymphadora," he said, as he slipped a finger inside of her.

"Yes I am, you sodding bastard, now hurry up and get inside me before I hex you!"

"No," he said, after seeming to take the matter under consideration. "I don't think so. Life has taught me quite a bit about self-restraint, you know. Do you have any doubt that I am capable of stopping right now, and just going back to my room for the night?"

"If you do that, so help me…"

"Would you throw a tantrum with your parents sleeping down the hall, Nymphadora?" As he spoke, his fingers had been further exploring the skin beneath her knickers. Just as she glared at him, trying to determine which was the best hex to throw his way, he hit a particularly sensitive spot, and she ruined the whole effect by crying out in bliss.

"Like that, do you? I think I'd better save that spot for later."

She growled in frustration, and he added, "Unless, of course, you'd rather I stopped altogether? No? Well, then…"

He removed his fingers from her knickers and slid both hands down her thighs. With a deep breath, Tonks swallowed her frustration, relaxed her muscles, and allowed herself to really enjoy his caresses. She closed her eyes and sighed, gripping the sheets in her hands to prevent herself from attempting to touch Remus. After making his way down her legs, caressing her calves and massaging her feet, he moved up to concentrate on her inner thighs, occasionally, she suspected, leaving a love bite on the sensitive skin there. The further he made his way up her legs, the more she writhed, and the slower he went. Finally, he tugged down her knickers. She waited with baited breath as he slid his hands back up her legs, finally bending down to blow gently on her most sensitive areas. He raised his head to look at her wickedly and she fought the urge to scream in frustration. He lowered his head again to give her the barest of caresses with his tongue. She fought the urge to scream then, but tampered it down to a sharp cry of joy. He raised his head again wearing an inscrutable smile, and slid slowly up her body, finally resting, poised above her with a challenging gleam in his eye. "Had enough, Auror Tonks?"

She was about to tell him to go fuck himself when he stopped her words by covering her mouth with his own. This time, he let go of some of his restraint, kissing her somewhat savagely, though still holding the rest of his body under tight control. He rolled over onto his back, taking her with him. After breaking off the kiss he lay back on her pillow, watching her complacently.

She panted, glaring at him. "Yes, Professor Lupin, I believe I have had enough. And so have you, actually. Your face may be calm, Remus, but I can see that your hands are shaking. Not to mention, the vein that is throbbing on your temple, and oh, my, it looks like something else is throbbing, too!" As she slid her hand down his belly to take his erection into her hand, she watched him close his eyes in reaction, then his body arched up involuntarily, which only made him move within her grasp.

"Hands off, Nymphadora," he growled.

"Oh, I suppose that means you would prefer that I use my mouth then?"

She heard him make a strangled sound in the back of his throat, and taking it as an invitation, she closed her mouth around him. He made a remarkable attempt to control his reactions, but she became merciless; teasing, tormenting him, always stopping just short of completion. Finally, she raised her head, meeting his eyes with an angelic expression, and asked, "Had enough, Remus?"

In answer, he pounced, pinning her to the bed and sliding into her in one seamless move. This time she really did scream, but his groan was very nearly as loud. Neither of them was quite ready to admit defeat in the battle of wills, so by unspoken agreement, the war continued, with slightly different rules. Both of them kept trying to gain control of the situation, both wanting to be the one to finally make the other lose control altogether. At the same time, both were desperately trying to hold onto their own sanity for as long as possible. When they finally shattered, together, eyes locked, minds and bodies connected, neither could be sure who let go first.

Tonks was the first to break the silence. "Hot damn!"

He reached for her hand. "Not exactly the words I would choose, but, I agree, nevertheless."

"I won, you know."

"You most certainly did not."

"Yes, I did. I got you here, didn't I?"

"Yes, but I had you nearly begging for it."

"So did I."

"By going for the obvious," he pointed out

She laughed. "Something works, I stick with it…"

"Very funny. And completely lacking in subtlety. You, my dear, have a lot to learn about patience."

She looked at him incredulously. "Patience? I am the queen high priestess of patience, Remus Lupin! An impatient person would have given up your sorry arse as a lost cause months ago!"

Remus turned to her, reaching out to touch her face. "That's not what I meant at all. I just…really feel guilty about being here while your parents are in the house. I wish you would have been willing to wait."

"I waited over six months for you Remus. And what my parents don't know won't hurt them. That's what silencing spells are for."

"I think they were invented for a nobler purpose than disguising sexual antics."

"Nope. I disagree. I think they were invented precisely for that. Probably one of the first spells invented, too. The trouble would have been thinking up other uses for them. In any case, would it be the end of the world if my parents found out?"

"It would upset them."

"I wonder if it would. Or rather, I wonder whom it would upset more: them or you?" She propped her head up on her elbow, watching him warily.

"I don't want to ruin your relationship with them. Clearly, you have parents who love and support you. You have no idea how rare and precious that is."

Her eyes flashed. "So I should live my life to make my parents happy just because they are good people? That's not the way that they raised me."

"That is not what I meant. I just…"

"You just want to keep me as a dirty little secret," she said, sadly.

"I don't want to do that at all, you know I don't! I just don't want to ruin your life."
"My life is ruined when we are apart. Just to see your face, to talk to you, makes everything better. I don't care about anything else, Remus, I just need you." she reached up to skim his face with her fingers.

He sighed. "You really ought to care more about everything else. You are a remarkable person. You have so much potential. And you would be throwing it all away."

"I have no intention of throwing anything away. I am trying to tell you that you make me better, stronger."

He shook his head and looked at a spot on her pillow, rather than her face. "That, my dear, is something that we could debate endlessly, and it is dangerous ground to tread upon. I have no wish to say anything which would undoubtedly and incorrectly be interpreted by you as an insult." He made a bad attempt to smile, then took a deep breath and continued, "So I am just going to change the subject. You managed to get me into bed with you against my better judgement. So what are you going to do with me now?"

Tonks let her head fall back on her pillow. "Sleep?"

"And here I thought you were going to abuse my aged body all night. What good is landing myself a hot young thing if she is so easy to wear out? In any case, I plan to fall asleep in my own bed." He leaned over to kiss the tip of her nose, playfully.

With a cheeky grin, she said, "Okay, then, I'll meet you there. And just before, we can climb into that tub together."

His voice went into long-suffering teacher mode. "I am going to sleep alone tonight, Nymphadora. I refuse to wake up with an angry father's wand sticking into my jugular vein."

She persisted, "I guess I will just have to wear you out until you pass out from exhaustion, then, if I am to have any hope of sleeping in your arms."

"I've been resting all day, and from the look of things, you will wear out long before I do."

"Well, I could enjoy the effort, anyway."

"I have a better idea. Why don't we stop making this a battle of wills and just enjoy each other?" He picked up her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers.

"As long as I get to sleep in your arms."

"Will you settle for falling asleep in my arms?"

"I hate settling," she grumbled.

"What if I make it worth your while?"

"How are you going to do that?"

"Like this…" And, enfolding her in his arms, he kissed her, over and over again, with gentle restraint. Where his earlier kisses had been calculated to slowly kindle her desire into what would later turn into a conflagration, these kisses were all about tenderness. He was using his mouth, and then, later, his hands and his body to tell her, without words, how he felt, how much he missed her, how much she meant to him. His pace was still excruciatingly slow, but the intent was to stir up her emotions, rather than lust. By the time they came together a second time, Tonks, who had been waiting for just the right moment to bring up the things he had said in his letter, decided that she didn't need or want to. She knew, more than ever, that he loved her, and the words could wait.

For now, she had him back, he was safe, and he had called on her first for help. Having miraculously survived his ordeals of the last six months, he was only pushing her away as far as trying to keep their relationship from her parents, which was certainly understandable. However, the seemingly insurmountable obstacle of her parents' potential objections had been overcome, with unimaginable ease, whether Remus knew it or not. They loved her. They had made it clear that they were willing to give him a chance.

She lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "I think I'm going to keep you, Remus. You're dead useful."

"Glad to hear it." He cupped her face with his hands, fingering the curls above her ears. She closed her eyes in response. "Er, Nymphadora?"

"Hmm?"

"Your hair."

"What about it?"

"It's…pink."

"Is it?"

"It is."

"That's nice." She turned over, scooting back until she was spooned against him, pulling his arm around her waist

"But…"

"I told you that you were dead useful, Remus," she said, yawning.

"I don't understand."

Tonks laughed. "You make me happy, you silly man."

"You have to change it back."

"Why should I?"

He continued, carefully, "If you wake up in the morning wearing pink hair for the first time in months…your parents… they're not stupid."

"You think they'll give you the credit for making me happy?"

"Well..."

"They'll assume you shagged me into bliss?"

"Something like that."

"And you don't think they will want to buy you a drink for making their daughter smile again?"

"I don't think they'll see it quite like that. Please think about it before you leave your room tomorrow, won't you?"

"So you'd prefer I look miserable and depressed."

He coughed. "Well, given the circumstances…"

"Maybe you'll get lucky. Maybe I'll report for work to find a massacre and get all sad and ugly again."

"Now, that is not funny, Nymphadora."

"Yes it is. Now hush up and let me go to sleep. And you'd better be here when I wake up, or I'll keep my hair pink and tell Mum that I gave you half a blow job."

He said, sternly, "I'm not going to give in to blackmail. I have to go back to my own bed."

"Good. I'll give her details."

"Not funny. Now you be a good girl, change your hair back, go to sleep, and I'll see you in the morning. Then we'll work on convincing your parents that they can go back to their own place, and tomorrow night we will spend some time in that bathtub." He kissed her shoulder and slid his hand down to rest on her hip.

"Mmm, don't go just yet. Stay until I fall asleep, will you?"

In answer, Remus nuzzled her neck and began to draw a light pattern of circles on her hip.

"You know, Remus, there is one way to get rid of the issue of my parents for good."

"A hit-wizard?"

"No."

"Imperius?"

"No. Marry me."

His hand stiffened on her hip, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a long time after that. "Nymphadora…" he finally said in a carefully neutral voice. "I…"

"Just wanted to make you squirm a little, Remus. Forget I said it." She burrowed into her pillow, and after a few minutes, her breathing evened out into the unmistakable pattern of sleep. Remus stayed awake for what seemed like hours, alternately staring at the ceiling, at the night sky from her window, and the rhythmic movement of her shoulders as she slept. When he began to see the first hints of dawn lightening the sky, he reluctantly left the warmth of her bed to Disapparate into his own room, where he finally fell into an uneasy sleep.

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Tonks had gone to work by the time he woke up. He met her father in the kitchen. Remus made his best effort to meet Ted in the eye and pretend that nothing had changed since last night.

"Sleep well, Remus?"

He had a ready answer. "Not really. I suppose I am feeling anxious to get back to my normal routine, to find out what has been happening with the war and all that. I think I am going to stop by the castle or headquarters and see if I can't set up a meeting. Have you looked in on Julie yet?"

Ted inclined his head in the direction of the library. "Yeah, she's doing even better than yesterday. She was still asleep a few minutes ago. I reckon we are at the point where she doesn't have to be watched over as carefully, so Andromeda and I will probably be staying home tonight, though I imagine my wife will keep on stopping by to check her progress. When Julie is ready, I can arrange an interview with my dad's firm's human resource manager. Merely a formality, of course."

"Oh, my…wow. I am really grateful, Ted."

Ted waved his hand in dismissal. "She's a good girl. It's a shame what's happened to her. Not her fault, though, so why should she be deprived of a job because of it? As long as she's careful…"

"I'll make sure she understands what she needs to do," Remus hurriedly assured him, and then added, "I will probably get back to my old place myself, tonight. I just need to meet up with Dumbledore, make sure it's safe."

Ted nodded his head, looking only slightly gratified. "Which reminds me: Dora left a knapsack full of clothes for you. Anyway, I'd better get going. Andromeda will be back later. I'm sure I'll see you again soon, Remus."

"Thank you, again, Ted, for everything." He watched as the older man picked up his potions case and left the room, then turned to the cabinet, taking out a teacup.

After tea and a scalding hot shower, Remus opened the knapsack that Tonks had packed to find a few of the clothes that he had left at Grimmauld Place and a note:

Dear Remus,

Thought you might be getting tired of pajamas. I will not take it kindly, however, if you decide to pull a 'Lupin' and leave, getting yourself settled at Headquarters or elsewhere. I did manage to convince Mum to go home tonight, and you owe me some time in that tub.

Love, Tonks

He eventually made his way into the library, holding a breakfast tray in front of him. Julie was sitting up in bed, watching the morning news.

"I thought I heard you stirring in here."

She looked up at him and beamed, asking, "All the way from the kitchen?"

He took a breath, and sat down, explaining, "Yes, and that shouldn't surprise you. If you concentrate, you also could learn to identify noises from long distances away, particularly this close to the moon. It is a skill worth cultivating. We have few enough advantages, so we need to work with the ones we have."

"I could tell all the way in here that you were frying up bacon. That's what woke me up."

"Ah, but that is smell. One of the strongest senses we have. That was probably one of the first things you noticed in that first month."

She sat up eagerly. "Oh, yeah, I did! Everything was stronger. The girl who sat next to me at work wore musk and it was awful! Made me want to throw up. I was afraid I was pregnant, because Mum always told me how much stronger smells became to her."

He went on, unconsciously settling into his 'teacher' mode. "You can still cultivate your sense of smell even further, though. For example, with practice you might be able to tell, merely through scent, what kind of a mood I am in."

She snorted. "Well, that's easy! You're in a brilliant mood. You got laid last night, after all."

"Excuse me?" he said, with a cough.

"Oh, come on, Remus, it's so obvious!"

He looked away, wondering if he was blushing. "Tell me, something, Julie. Is this the wolf talking or the woman?"

"Mostly the wolf. But, as your friend, I noticed…well, I don't think I've ever seen you look so…cheerful."

He looked back at her, raising his eyebrows in amusement. "Cheerful?"

"Hard to believe, isn't it? Gloomy Remus, grinning."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not gloomy."

"Not today, you're not."

"But, usually…" he began to ask.

"Well, I have to admit, the circumstances were unusual. But most of the time…I guess I should say you were more focused and serious than gloomy. And then, when I saw you here, right after I woke up, I could tell that you were relieved, but still a bit nervous and edgy. Today, however, you're just…relaxed. You seem younger."

"Younger?" he squirmed in his seat.

"Much younger."

"Well, I certainly hope…I mean, her father, this morning…do you think it would have been…well, obvious?"

"Dunno. But if it was…I mean, you're still here. And he could have broken you like a twig if he wanted to," she teased.

"You're not half as funny as you think you are Julie," he said sarcastically.

She grinned. "Yes I am. So, how was it?"

"How was what?"

"The shagging, stupid!"

He stiffened, saying, "I'm not going to discuss…"

"Ah, well. No pity for a girl who hasn't gotten any for months…"

He grabbed at the chance to change the subject. "Well, I am working on getting you back into the real world. I give it about two weeks before you have some poor Muggle bloke wrapped around your finger. And if you play your cards right, your monthly disappearances will only make you seem mysterious, and therefore irresistible."

"Is that how you reel 'em in, Remus?" she asked with her eyebrows raised.

His reply was caustic. "As yes, the ladies are all just lining up to be with me. I have so much to offer, you know."

"Well, Tonks and I got to snarling and spitting over you a bit last night."

"Did you, now?" he asked, amused.

"Oh yes. I threatened to rip her to shreds if she didn't give you up, but then she threatened to turn me into a dung beetle. She doesn't scare easily."

He smiled. "No, I must say she doesn't. But somehow I don't believe you about the dung beetle. Tonks could have come up with something far more creative. One time a man by the name of Mundungus pissed her off and she cast a hex which made him spill out his sexual fantasies in great detail to anyone who said a word to him."

"That's not so bad."

He snickered. "The trouble is, this guy had a fairly lurid and active fantasy life, most of which involved him being dressed like a baby and spanked."

"Oh, dear."

"Which meant, that Tonks had to have known it beforehand. It made a lot more sense later, after I found out how skilled she is at Legi…that is to say, mind reading."

She apparently found this very amusing. "Your girlfriend can read minds? Oh, you poor, poor sod."

"She's not my girlfriend. And I can do it, too, so…"

"There must not be too much point in speaking out loud between you two."

"Well, you can learn to block it, and with Andromeda as a mother, I imagine she must be a master at that skill."

"Andromeda reads minds?" she asked, her mouth agape.

He nodded and she continued, "So, in effect, you are trying to have a secret relationship with a girl whose mother reads minds and whose father is skilled at making poisons and…what did he call it…potions…one of which is sort of a truth serum?"

He laughed wryly. "I suppose that I am."

"Why hide it? And for that matter, why insist to me that she is not your girlfriend? You love her, she loves you, what's the problem?"

"I've already tried to explain to you, there are more than a few problems separating us."

"Name one."

"How about Lycanthropy?" He used a tone of voice that he had perfected in his attempts to teach Gregory Goyle.

She caught the subtle insult to her intelligence and spat back at him, "So does that mean that none of us get a chance at a normal relationship?"

Realizing that he was not doing Julie any good by displaying his bitterness, he tried to mollify her. "No, but…its different in the magical world. In your world, most people don't believe that people like us exist. So no one is likely to suspect the truth, but in my world…well, people figure it out, eventually. And in my case, well, due to some stupid mistakes on my part and through the efforts of one malicious woman, well, I might as well have a great big sign on my head."

"But if Tonks doesn't mind…" she began to point out.

He interrupted, saying forcefully, "She ought to mind, more than she does. She doesn't realize how much damage it could do. I've told you about her job."

"She's like a police officer, right?"

"More than that, it's rather like…someone who looks for…terrorists is probably the word you'd use."

She replied slowly, "Ok…and, so…"

"Well, imagine in your world, if someone like her were to have an affair with someone…I don't know, affiliated with terrorists."

She started at that, asking, "Are you affiliated with terrorists, Remus?"

"What would you call that lot we just left?"

"Yeah, some of them were dreadful…but, you…didn't you say you were assigned to go to them, to try to stop them, or change things?"

He shook his head. "Not many people would believe that. Most are just happy to think of me as joining up with my kind, giving in and becoming what I have always been destined to be… a monster."

"But you're not!" she protested.

He looked at her sadly. "Do you really believe that, Julie?"

She replied fervently, "Yes, I do. There were monsters there; I'll admit it. But you were not one of them. And the people that sent you there, they ought to stand up and acknowledge you as a…not exactly a patriot…more of a hero."

"Well, they can't. And Tonks, well, she can't be compromised. She's too important, too valuable to our fight. So this, what we have, is the best that I can hope for. And even then, well…I am wrong, selfish, to let her risk it. I keep trying to tell her, but she just won't be reasonable."

She stared at him incredulously. "So, what would be reasonable to you?"

"To move on; to find someone better."

"Fuckwittage, Remus!"

"What?" he asked, a little unnerved by her outburst.

"You shagged her last night, and you want to chuck her today?" her eyes were blazing with indignation.

"I don't want to chuck her…I just…I know I should. And as for the other, well…I didn't mean to…well I meant to, I suppose, but…she did sort of insist…" he finished lamely.

"Ha! You can't have it both ways, Remus. You can't shag her and then push her away at the same time. It's just cruel. If you really want her out of your life you've got to stop letting your cock call the shots."

He averted his eyes, mortified, and she continued, "But, clearly, you don't want her out of your life. You've got someone who loves you enough not to let all the other bullshit get in her way, you ought to be thanking your lucky stars, not rejecting her! I'm surprised she puts up with it."

"I'm not rejecting her, not really," he said defensively.

"You corrected me when I called her your girlfriend," she pointed out.

"That's because she isn't…"

She dismissed his words with a wave of her hand. "Listen, the way I see it, you love her, right?"

"Well…"

"Of course you do, you stupid man! And she clearly loves you. The pair of you are exchanging bodily fluids on a regular basis. She's the one you want to talk to, at the end of the day. You aren't seeing anyone else, and you don't want her seeing anyone else, do you?"

He answered slowly. "Well…no, not really."

"Oh, come off it Remus! You're a wolf. You would be ready to tear rip out someone's throat, if you saw her with another man. So, tell me, why are you afraid to call her your girlfriend?"

"Well, we can't…I mean, if it were known…"

She blew out her breath in exasperation. "You don't have to take out a bloody notice in the paper, Remus! I mean there is such a thing as keeping your private life private, after all. But to simply acknowledge your feelings for her, and not hide your relationship from those that care about you both…how much harm would that do, really?"

"What about her family?"

"They seem pretty cool to me."

He shook his head in denial. "But, they wouldn't be, if…"

She leaned toward him, speaking earnestly. "Listen, Remus, you're not going to get a better reaction from any parents of an only child. Nobody is going to be kind enough to say, 'Well, hello there, why don't you feel free make the beast with two backs with my little girl as often as you care to, old chap?' I mean, I certainly didn't go discussing my sex life with my mum, though I'm sure she was aware that I had one. It was just, 'Hey, Mum, I'm moving into a new apartment,' and when she came to visit, Mike's trainers and copies of 442 were left lying around. I let her draw her own conclusions."

"It's a little different in the wizarding world," he replied stubbornly.

"Excuses, excuses. All I can say is, I was here, and I met her parents. I will add that I wouldn't want to be in your position if you broke their daughter's heart; I reckon that either one of them could get pretty frightening. But as far as their response to the pair of you, well I think you've already gotten all the reaction you're going to get, at least until the day that you go to ask for their daughter's hand."

He shook his head vehemently. "I'm not going to…"

"You know what I mean."

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Remus left the castle where he spent the best years of his life a few hours later, emotionally drained, but feeling a lightness of spirit. His assignment was done. He had been interrogated thoroughly, but also gratefully commended.

Dumbledore, after expressing his relief that Remus had return unharmed and assuring him that his work had been invaluable, told Remus to take a few more days to recover, then he wanted him to continue to assist in the search for Tom Riddle's cave. The need for information, Dumbledore declared, grew more pressing with each passing day.

After exiting the gates of Hogwarts, Remus, instead of Disapparating on the spot, took the time to try to locate Tonks on her patrol route. He finally found her, breaking up a scuffle outside a crystal store between an obviously inebriated wizard and an angry shopkeeper. He watched in fascination as she managed to intimidate them into obedience, though both of them were at least a full head taller than she was.

"Good afternoon, Auror Tonks," he said, once she had chased away the drunk.

She lit up visibly upon recognizing him. "Wotcher, Remus! Fancy meeting you here! What's going on?"

"A meeting. But, I thought, for some strange reason, that if I didn't come into town and look for you, that you might be a trifle annoyed."

"You're beginning to learn, Remus Lupin," she said as she linked her arm with his, steering him down the street and away from the crystal shop, whose owner kept eyeing them curiously them through the glass. "Did the meeting go well?"

"It did."

"And where are you off to, now that you are done?"

"Here to see you, obviously, and then, home. Or, rather, your house," he amended as she gave him a dirty look. "Really, I wasn't planning on going anywhere. Julie is there, after all."

She glared at him, and he, with a laugh, suddenly and sharply turned a corner, dragging her with him.

"What the…" she sputtered.

Once they were out of sight of the street, he turned again, backing her into the wall of a nearby shop. He met her wide eyes with humor and purpose. "Has anybody ever told you, Auror Tonks, that you tend to jump to conclusions too easily?"

He ground his body against hers, pinning her to the wall and covered her laughing mouth with his, kissing her until she had difficulty in forming a coherent sentence.

"Yeah, well, I would trust you a lot more if you didn't have a habit of taking off with very little notice," she managed.

"I always keep my promises."

"You've never made me any promises," she pointed out.

"I promised you time in that tub tonight," he insisted.

She sighed, relaxing visibly. "Yeah, that has really kept me going, today."

"Good, because I am looking forward to it. You fell asleep too quickly last night," he murmured, kissing under her ear.

"And you left me to wake up alone," she said petulantly.

"You won't, tomorrow."

"Promise?"

He laughed. "Yes, that I'll promise. You changed your hair back, Nymphadora. Thank you."

"Actually, I didn't. It just went back on it's own."

"But…"

"I'll explain it to you later. As much as I'd love to stay here, snogging you, I have to get back to work."

"Later tonight, then." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her one last time, then watched as she disappeared around the corner. A moment later he, too had disappeared, with a small 'pop'.

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When Remus returned to Tonks' house, her mother was there, having returned to make a final check on her patient. She was in the process of putting away groceries when Remus entered the kitchen. She looked up at his greeting.

"Oh, good, you're back. I can leave with a clear conscience, now."

"Excuse me?"

She explained, "Now that I know that someone will be here to take care of my patient."

"Oh, of course. You're going home?"

"Yes, we are finally getting out of our daughter's hair, which ought to make her dance a jig. She does hate it when I try to mother her," she said, with a slight note of irritation in her voice.

He replied gently, "Somehow, I doubt that. I know that she really appreciates what you have done here." He added, "Not as much as I do, though."

She seemed not to have heard him, for she continued with the same line of thought, asking, "Have you ever tried telling her what to do, Remus?"

Remus responded carefully, "No, why would I…" He changed his mind, saying, with a note of amusement, "You know, I suppose I have."

"And?"

"It really depended on whether she agreed with what I wanted her to do or not."

"And when she didn't?"

He smiled wryly. "The most polite response I have gotten is, 'shut up, Remus.'"

Andromeda sighed, saying, "It's a strange feeling, Remus, to go from being the person they needed the most in the world to someone who sits on the sidelines, afraid to offer an opinion, or advice."

"I imagine it would be," he said.

She took a deep breath, then began to pack up, saying, "Anyway, these past few days have given me a chance to spend time with her, to mother her a little. I owe you for that."
"Me?"

"Well, if you hadn't called on her, and if we hadn't been there…"

He interrupted, "Oh, but it's me that is grateful…"

"No, Remus," she said gently. "You've done more for our family than you may realize. Now you take care of yourself, and that poor girl in the library, and my daughter. I imagine I will see you again, soon."

He suddenly remembered his meeting. "You will, actually. I am told that we will be working together again, soon."

Andromeda brightened at this. "Really? Is there any new information?"

"No. But I have been asked to redouble my efforts toward the project. Perhaps we can meet in a day or so, with Sarah, and you two can bring me up to date."

"I'll look forward to it. Goodbye, Remus, dear." And after a hug, she gathered up her things and headed toward the door. He walked with her, and watched, waving, while she spun in place and disappeared.

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Tonks came home to find Remus in the library with Julie, who was catching up on her television programmes while Remus read a book in the chair next to her bed. She said, with a laugh, "You two look like an old married couple, sitting there ignoring each other."

Julie looked at her, grinning, and said airily, "A lot you know. If you had only arrived a few minutes earlier you could have witnessed a very torrid scene indeed."

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Oh yes. We were re-enacting the jungle scene from Hungry like the Wolf."

Both Remus and Tonks looked at Julie with puzzled expressions. She laughed and explained, "You poor deprived magical people completely missed out on Duran Duran. Trust me, it if you had know what I was talking about you would have found it hilarious."

"Yes, well it sounded like a very lame wolf joke to me," said Remus, sarcastically.

"Is he always this much of a curmudgeon?" Julie asked Tonks.

"Only when you make wolf jokes. Sensitive subject, you know." She smirked at Remus.

Julie seemed to find this extremely amusing. "Oh, he's a sensitive werewolf is he? Sounds like the hero of a cheesy romance novel."

Tonks laughed, adding, "Yeah, well, a romance novelist would have come up with a better name than Remus. Much too obvious. She would have called him…Bryce, or Mason or something like that."

Julie giggled; clearly enjoying Remus' pained expression. "Or made him a highlander and called him Connor or Duncan."

Remus said, pleasantly, "Are you two quite done making fun of me? Or shall I leave and let you get on with it?"

They looked at each other, grinning, and said, "Sensitive," at the same time.

Tonks added, "that time of the month, too," which made Julie shriek with laughter.

Remus stood up. "Oh for the love of…I'm leaving!" With a significant look at Tonks, he quickly amended, "To go to the kitchen. To get started on dinner."

Julie said, in a high pitched gush, "Aww, and he cooks, too!"

As he left the room shaking his head, Tonks called out after him, "Now, Remus, don't go off brooding and writing poetry, ok?"

"Sod off, Tonks."

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Dinner turned out to be a lively affair, eaten in the library while a game show blared in the background. Afterwards, Remus managed to convince Julie to turn off the television, which had begun to annoy him, and join them in a game of cards. Afterwards, Tonks, who rummaged through the library closet, came out with a stack of ancient board games. They finally chose to play Cluedo, and neither of the girls could believe how good Remus was at it until Tonks realized that he had been cheating by the use of Legilimency.

"I expected better of you, Remus!" she said indignantly.

He was completely unapologetic. "I had to get you girls back for making fun of me earlier, didn't I?"

Tonks insisted, "We weren't making fun of you!"

"Oh, yes you were." he replied in a firm tone.

"We were just pointing out what a lovely sensitive man you are," Tonks said, cajolingly.

Julie added, "Every girl's dream man, actually."

Tonks giggled. "A romantic hero."

"Stop it." Remus said threateningly.

Tonks continued, meeting Julie's eyes with an innocent expression. "He doesn't like compliments, apparently."

Julie responded, "Can't imagine why."

"Embarrasses easily." Tonks said.

"Too bad." Julie shook her head in mock confusion.

"Better that than a big giant ego, though." Tonks pointed out.

Julie added, "True. But we're never going to be able to talk him into that threesome if he's this easily embarrassed."

"His loss." Tonks grinned as Remus hastily gulped his Scotch in order not to have to respond.

"Too bad," Julie sighed

Remus choked on his drink, finally saying, "You girls are going to be the death of me. I ought to have agreed then and there, just to see the looks of horror on your faces. In any case, if the conversation is going to go back around to tormenting old Remus, I think I am going to opt for sleep, instead. Goodnight, Julie, Nymphadora. It's been…amusing to say the least."

He arose, and with a slight bow, left the room.

Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on his door. "It's unlocked, Nymphadora," he called out softly.

She entered, grinning mischievously, "Wasn't sure you were going to let me in."

"Why would you think that?" he asked his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I made you uncomfortable."

His eyes softened. "No, you didn't. At least, no more so than normal. But, the evening could have dragged on interminably, with both of us trying not to announce to Julie that we are in a hurry to be alone together."

Tonks laughed. "I think she already figured that out."

"Well, there was no need to make it obvious."
She moved toward him, with a devilish look on her face. "So, you were anxious to get me alone, eh Remus?"

"Don't be too smug, Nymphadora. You came to my room, after all," he pointed out, highly amused.

"And you came to my room last night," she countered.

"I did. Are you trying to make a point?"

"No, just trying to get you to tell me you want me. Love me would be even better, but I'll settle for want."

"I thought you said you hated settling."

"I do."

He stepped toward her, cupping her face in his hands and looking directly in her eyes. "Well, my dear, let there be no doubt. I do want you, very much. In fact…well, come and see what I've done. It's more than you deserve actually, with all your talk about my supposed 'sensitivity,' but, lucky for you, I decided to go ahead with my plans."

Remus opened the bathroom door, revealing that he had managed to conjure hundreds of candles around the bathtub. There was gentle music playing, and beside the tub sat a chilled bottle of wine and two glasses. "Romance novel-ish enough for you, Nymphadora?"

She sighed, "It's lovely, Remus."

"Well, it's got nothing on the Prefect's Bathroom, but it will do."

She looked at him curiously, "Oh, did you bring a girl to the Prefect's Bathroom, Remus?"

"No comment." He looked away.

"Because Charlie and I had a couple of snogs in there."

He looked back at her pointedly. "Are you determined to ruin the mood?"

She smirked. "Oh, you know me, verbal diarrhea."

"Let's add a disgusting mental image to the mix, why don't we? Am I going to have to shut you up with my mouth?"

"That was the general idea," she said, laughing, as he brushed his lips over hers.

"Let's see if I can't distract you." He moved behind her, breathing against her ear as he reached around to begin unbuttoning her robes with deft fingers. With a sigh, she leaned against him. Once unfastened, he slid her robes open, allowing them to slide down her arms and pool at her feet, and he planted light kisses over her neck and shoulders.

He murmured against her ear, "Your skin is remarkably lovely in the candle light. The Muggles can keep these electric lights of theirs. I have always enjoyed watching the flames dance in your eyes." He moved his fingers up and down her back, tracing her spine and skimming over the spot where her waist widened into her hips and bottom.

She shivered, and asked, "Are we ever going to get in the water, Remus?"

"I just want to look at you a bit. You're beautiful."

She let out a snort of derision.

"You are beautiful, Nymphadora, and I have been dreaming about your body for months." He slid his hands around her waist, cupping her stomach and pulling her against him while biting gently on her neck. "I have this image of you, standing naked in the early morning sunlight, that first morning, reading your letter. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I remember thinking that despite everything, I was the luckiest man on earth."

She turned her head, meeting his mouth with her own and kissing him voraciously. She wanted to turn completely around and face him, but he held her fast with one hand while the other skimmed up and down her body. Itching to touch him in return, she raised her arms to reach behind her and thrust her hands in his hair. He responded by reaching up to cup her breasts, and with a low moan, she turned in his arms, kissing any spot of him that she could reach. With shaking hands, she began to clumsily remove his clothes, tugging him back toward the water.

"Get in," he ordered, and she complied, watching him expectantly while he finished undressing and then gazing pointedly up and down his body, biting her lip. He slid into the water, and even though there was hunger blazing in his eyes, he deliberately made his way to the wine that had been set up at one end of the tub, pouring two glasses and handing her one. He then leaned against the tub wall opposite her, draping his arms over the edge of the tub and stretching his legs out on top of hers.

"You're going to torture me again, Remus?"

"This was supposed to be relaxing. Drink your wine and enjoy the bubbles for a bit. You're wound too tightly right now."

"Whose fault is that?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Well, I didn't mean to get you so turned on in such a hurry. There's no need to rush this. We have all night. So, why don't you tell me about your day."

She sighed and resigned herself to chit-chat. "You saw the most exciting part of it. Basically, I am just a glorified security troll, these days."

"But a very pretty one."

She blushed and rolled her eyes. "I just make the rounds of the town and castle. I must have walked a thousand miles in the last six months."

"Good for the heart," he pointed out.

"But murder on my feet."

"You see, there is something that I can do for you." He picked up her foot, which had been stealthily creeping up his thigh, with two hands and began to massage it, deeply. She groaned, and slipped a little further into the water, in order to give him better access,

"You see, now those jets have a better chance to hit you on your shoulders. Now, hurry up and drain that glass, I'm way ahead of you already." "

"Trying to get me drunk?"

"No, just a little more pliable."

"Going to contort me into strange positions?" She giggled.

"Well, I did bring my Kama Sutra with me."

That caused her eyes, which had been closed in bliss, to pop open. "Really?"

He laughed wryly. "No. But I want you to feel absolutely boneless. I want you to know, just a little, how wonderful that potion you put on me makes me feel."

"I could have gotten some more."

"Ah, but then you would go to sleep to quickly and I wouldn't be able to shag you until you're purring.

"I don't purr!" she protested.

"Yes, you do."

"Well, you growl!" she threw out.

"I do not," he said firmly.

Tonks grinned. "Yes you do. It's dead sexy, too. Makes my toes curl."

"Next you're going to tell me that I howl." He raised his eyebrow, watching her in amusement.

"No, not yet. I'm still working on that one. But one of these days I am going to manage it."

"Werewolf groupie."

"Nah. I'm just a Remus groupie."

"Oh, really? Are there many of you?"

"Well, there's that bird down the hall, anyway."

"Who only liked me because I was kind to her," he pointed out.

Tonks snorted. "You keep telling yourself that. And, I imagine there are more than a few girls, and possibly boys, who went to Hogwarts around 1994 that were utterly devastated by your sad, tortured eyes and ratty cardigan."

"The same ones who also sighed over that lilac-robed poof with the wavy hair whom I replaced, I am sure," he said wryly.

"Well, they would have matured by the next year. Learned to appreciate a manly man. Oh and there is at least one more groupie. I'm fairly certain that Hestia Jones sighs over your arse when you're not looking."

"Very funny, Nymphadora."

"It is, isn't it? Makes me want to shout out in meetings, 'Hands off, he's mine!' But I reckon you would be a little miffed if I did."

"Just a bit."

"Oh, and my landlady thinks you are cute."

"Does she?"

"And Molly called you a 'sex god'."

"She most certainly did not."

"Did so. But she called Arthur one, too."

"Well, Arthur must be one or else she wouldn't have spent half her adult life pregnant by him. Still, it's not something I care to think about at this particular moment."

Finished with her feet, he had begun to work his way up her legs, moving between them inch by inch and making certain to keep her drink topped off while she continued sipping and babbling happily. With her eyes closed in relaxation, she barely noticed that he kept moving closer until his body brushed against hers. She opened her eyes to find him leaning over her, bending down to lick the steam off her jaw. Her body felt lighter than air and she allowed herself to float onto her back, tightening her legs around his waist. He slid his hands up her thighs, over her hips, and up to her ribcage, where they stopped, while he circled her nipples with his thumbs. Letting out a happy sigh, Tonks leaned back further, immersing her hair in the water. With her ears submerged, and her eyes closed, she felt as if she was suspended in a peaceful cocoon. Her skin tingled as though the bubbles were a thousand fingers caressing her skin.

He took advantage of her arched back, leaning down to lap up the drops of water which were rolling down her skin. Her nipples had contracted in the cold air, and he took each of them in his mouth in turn, while moving his fingers down her body. He caressed the fevered flesh between her thighs, impossibly warmer and wetter that the water surrounding it. With a gasp, she lifted her head out of the water, clutching the side of the tub for support while he stroked her, in gentle circles, sliding his fingers in and out of her. He watched her reactions intently, the pulse pounding at his neck. Eventually, after a great deal of writhing and calling out his name, along with a few obscene words and suggestions, jerked away from his fingers and sat up, collapsing against him.

But he wasn't quite through with her; as he, in spite of his earlier jokes, used his imagination to think of many different ways to join their bodies, aided by the buoyancy of the water. When she finally climbed into his bed, soaking wet and exhausted, the hum of contentment that she made sounded remarkably like a purr. He pointed that fact out to her as he thoughtfully performed a drying spell on skin and hair and the sheets that she had heedlessly dampened. She, unamused, pointed out that some of the sounds that he had made in the tub had certainly bordered on howls.

It may have been exhaustion, or possibly the effects of the hot water, but both of them had the deepest and most restful sleep that they had experienced in over six months. Remus would never have freely admitted that he no longer slept well without her in his arms, not even to himself. Tonks, however, had never been in the habit of trying to fool herself. She knew she needed him, and for more than just a good night's sleep. He was part of her; without him, she no longer functioned properly. Without him, well, certainly she could survive, but living was another matter entirely.

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A/N: Longest delay ever, I think. Real life does tend to interfere, and for some reason this was a very hard chapter to write. You would think that all that sex would have just come flowing effortlessly out of my typing fingers, but...

Things seem to be going well for our pair at the moment, but anyone who has read HBP will know that there is a bad patch coming. Tonks seems to be a little less satisfied with what Remus is willing to offer and he may decide to be more stubborn in reaction to what he sees as people pushing him into something he's not ready for. Tonks may also (unwisely) choose to give Remus an idea of how he would feel if she took his advice to find someone more worthy.

I am beginning to see the end of this story approaching, I see less than five chapters more to come.

Anyway, (shameless begging) please let me know what you think so far.

And, to my readers, thanks for all of your praise and support.