"Finally got rid of the Mudblood husband, did we?" Bellatrix cackled at Andromeda. Tonks looked from the fireplace to see her mother and aunt in a duel in the parlor. Her father was nowhere in sight.
"You finally did something right, dear sister. Now to just rid yourself of your abomination of a child and replace it with a more worthy one, as I—" Bellatrix was mocking Andromeda, but Tonks cut her off.
"MUM!" Tonks shouted rushing ahead. To her surprise, Remus moved her aside hastily. He placed himself in front of Tonks and Andromeda, and began to duel Bellatrix.
"Beastie to the rescue, is it?!" Bellatrix sneered, dodging another stunning spell from Remus.
"Stupefy!" cried Tonks and Andromeda simultaneously. Bellatrix ducked from the spells and the damage was inflicted on the parlor wall, causing it to be smashed in.
Remus was now growling as he cast curse after curse in Bellatrix's direction. Tonks attempted to get a jinx or hex in, but her mother stopped her. "You might hurt him," she whispered anxiously. Tonks felt beads of sweat on her brow, but was determined to protect her husband and mother.
"I know what I'm doing, mum," Tonks grumbled, and she attempted to join Remus' side, but he sent her back to her mother. There was a gleam in his eyes she had never seen before, and it sent a shiver down her spine.
Andromeda and Tonks both fell to the floor as jets of green light came their way.
"Dog wants a fight, does he?" Bellatrix jeered. "Everyone knows what we do with dogs – we take them out!"
Remus growled and the intensity of his spells increased, as Bellatrix began to appear as if she were struggling to keep up with him. Tonks stared, speechlessly, as her husband and her aunt dueled for their lives.
"GET – OUT – OF – MY – HOUSE!" Remus roared, casting a Dark jinx towards Bellatrix. Both she and Tonks were surprised at Remus' use of Dark magic.
"The half-breed knows how to do tricks!" Bellatrix mocked. She sent another Dark curse towards Remus, which he blocked at the last moment.
Bellatrix shrieked, her face contorted with rage. Jets of red and green light issued from the tip of her wand effortlessly.
"THEY. ARE. MINE!" Remus bellowed, as he blocked the curses sent his way. "MINE!"
Bellatrix advanced towards Remus and cast "Crucio!" Tonks jumped in, quick to lift the curse from her tortured husband.
Remus stood and moved Tonks aside, despite her attempts to cast shields between her aunt and Remus.
He snarled at Bellatrix and returned the curses with his own hexes and jinxes, which Bellatrix matched with apparent ease.
Tonks and her mother were surreptitiously casting shields to further protect Remus. Each of Bellatrix's spells were just barely missing him, and Tonks continued muttering incantations to keep Bellatrix at bay.
"Avada Keda—" Bellatrix began, but Tonks stood and cast "Protego!" more directly, shoving Remus out of the Killing Curse's way.
"WHERE IS SHE?" cried a man's frightened, harried voice. Tonks saw a short, heavy-set man appear in the parlor. He had small, beady, watery eyes and his hair was thinning. The man's right hand, his wand hand, was entirely silver, as if it were a glove.
Remus was red with rage and his eyes flashed amber yellow. Torn now between Bellatrix and the intruder, Tonks decided to take on the intruder so that Remus could focus on Bellatrix.
The intruder was casting spells only to stop Tonks and protect himself, but not to hurt her. Andromeda joined Tonks in her duel against the new intruder. The flashes of light caused glass, splinters of wood, and broken bits of furniture to fly throughout the air, making it harder for Tonks to see what was happening.
The intruder was no longer dueling against Tonks and Andromeda; he was instead dragging Bellatrix away from Remus.
"NO! I WANT TO FIGHT, YOU RAT!" Bellatrix screamed. Flashes of light were still emerging from her wand as she continued to cast hexes, jinxes, and curses in Remus' direction. His face was more wolfish than Tonks had ever seen it, with a predatory, calculating stare upon his targets.
"Nymphadora, stay away," growled Remus, upon seeing Tonks approaching him. She felt the pull immediately and retreated towards her mother, who was looking at the scene with astonishment.
"GET OUT, BOTH OF YOU!" Remus screamed at the Death Eaters. He continued casting curses, hexes, and jinxes at Bellatrix and the intruder, as Bellatrix and her companion were dodging them. The intruder had managed to remove Bellatrix by sheer force. Tonks saw Remus running out the front door in an attempt to chase them.
"REMUS, NO!" Tonks yelled. "You can't follow them!"
"Stay back, Nymphadora," grumbled Remus, as he went out to the front of the house. Tonks stood back again and returned to her mother.
"I thought he was going to kill them, mum," Tonks said quietly, amid the rubble that was once their parlor.
"I did too," Andromeda replied. "I've never seen him so…"
"Unhinged? I've never seen Remus like that before."
"He called us his," Andromeda murmured. "Both of us."
"Also called it his house," Tonks said. "Wait – mum, where's dad? Is he alright?"
"I told him to leave as soon as Bellatrix arrived," Andromeda said sadly. "He had all his things packed. Bellatrix wasn't here for my life. She was here for his, yours, and Remus' lives."
"I didn't get to say goodbye," Tonks lamented, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.
"He loves you very much, darling," Andromeda said, stroking Tonks' currently emerald green hair. "He left to keep us alive."
"Mum, can you go check on Remus? I'm afraid for him, but I c-can't go," Tonks said. "I know he meant well, but I don't like being told to stay away."
"I'm glad he did so," Andromeda said nonchalantly, to Tonks' offense.
"How could you say that?"
"Nymphadora, you're pregnant with his child. Imagine how he would feel if he lost not just you, but both of you. I'm surprised he didn't tell you to stay away from the beginning."
"Poorly managed self-control," Remus said dryly, as he navigated his way through the rubble of the front rooms of the house.
"REMUS!" Tonks shouted, running into his arms. "Are they gone? What happened? Where are they?"
"Disapparated before I could get to them," Remus replied tersely. "It took all my self-control not to murder them on the spot."
"I've never seen you duel so—"
"—Aggressively?" Remus suggested hoarsely. "Thank Merlin I had a wand or I might've attempted to murder them both with my bare hands."
"Mate instinct?" Tonks said.
"Yes," Remus replied bitterly. "I'm sorry for destroying the parlor."
"Easily mended," Andromeda said airily. She began casting charms and other spells upon the parlor. Tonks thought to join in, but her ability with repairing or household spells was limited. Remus joined her, and several minutes later, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
"Ted isn't here, is he?" Remus asked gloomily.
"He left when Bellatrix arrived," Andromeda replied. "He wishes us all his best."
"Who was that man? With the silver hand?" Tonks asked. "He looked familiar."
"That was Peter Pettigrew," Remus said angrily. "The one who betrayed the Potters. The one who let Sirius rot in prison for twelve years."
"Why didn't he try killing us?" Tonks asked. "All he did was block my spells and drag Bellatrix away."
"I'm not certain. I thought it was odd as well," Remus said slowly. "Before they Disapparated, he told Bellatrix that the Dark Lord would be angry with her for leaving him again."
"You-Know-Who wants Bellatrix with him?" Andromeda asked. "Why?"
"I haven't the foggiest," Remus said. "Peter was adamant that Bellatrix had to come back to wherever You-Know-Who is in one piece, or they'd both be punished."
"Why did she come here at all then?" Tonks asked. "Mum, what did she say to you earlier?"
"She came to see if it was true – apparently she knows the goings-on at the Ministry and found out I had my marriage to your father annulled," Andromeda said. "She was in a frenzy at first, excited that I'd abandoned him. My sister was under the impression, at first, that once I'd annulled my marriage, I would be willing to join her cause and kill my own daughter," Andromeda explained, a disgusted look on her face. "When she saw Ted in the house, as if nothing had happened, that's when she began attacking. Your father managed to get away just as you two came in."
"Did she say anything else to you?" Remus asked sharply.
"No. Anything she said was just before you two arrived, or as you were arriving," Andromeda replied.
"Thank Merlin you're safe now, mum," Tonks said. "We were right to move in with you."
"I agree," Remus said. "I'm sorry I was so aggressive."
"You did what you had to, Remus," Tonks said. "You protected us and kept us safe."
"I'm adding more protective charms," Remus promised. "Now." He turned on his heel and stepped outside, eagerly placing additional charms on the house.
"I was impressed with him," Andromeda said softly. "Not many witches or wizards could take on my sister singlehandedly."
"At the Department of Mysteries last year, it took both of us to duel her," Tonks said. "I was still nearly killed." Tonks' chin began quivering, feeling the weight of the day's events on her shoulders.
"Nymphadora. It will be the three – now four – of us," Andromeda said, gesturing to Tonks' abdomen. "We'll manage. I miss your father terribly already, but we made this decision together."
"Mum, what if something happens to him?" Tonks asked. "I don't want to lose him, either."
"He'll do his best," Andromeda assured. "He said communication might be difficult, but I have hope that he'll make it home."
"I hope so too, mum," Tonks said grimly, hoping she'd convince herself it was the truth.
…
One week after Bellatrix's visit, Tonks was awoken abruptly from her kip when she heard the loud pounding on the front door of the house. She looked out the window to see lower-level Magical Law Enforcement workers waiting impatiently outside the house. Tonks was ready to hex the workers, but before she was able to do anything, Remus had opened the door to permit them entry.
"What the fuck are they doing here?" Tonks asked angrily. "We haven't done anything wrong."
"Dora," Remus said, an exasperated look in his eyes. "We must cooperate. Please."
Tonks glared at him, but remembered that it was vital to her father's safety that they cooperate with the Ministry's latest nonsense.
"Please, come in," Remus said politely. He directed the workers to the parlor, where Andromeda was seated with a cup of tea. Tonks followed the workers through to the parlor, clutching her wand tightly in case either of them tried anything suspicious.
"How can we help you?" Remus asked, in the same polite tone. It was eerily similar to the 'welfare check' she and Alfie had done just two years prior, when they were investigating Dark creatures.
"I'm Wheeler, and this is Denbright," the worker called Wheeler drawled. "We're here to investigate the absence of Edward Tonks."
"Absence?" Andromeda said blankly. "Whatever do you mean?" Tonks smiled; her mother's inner Slytherin shone when it came to protecting her family.
"Your, err, ex-husband did not appear for his summons today," Denbright said gruffly. "Where is he?"
"Why would you expect my ex-husband to be living here?" Andromeda asked coldly. "We've annulled our marriage. I made it clear that I would be remaining here and he was free to live elsewhere."
"We'll be the judges of that," Wheeler sneered. "We've an order to search the home."
"Even though my dad doesn't live here anymore?" Tonks interjected hotly. "Why don't you just cast a Homenum Revelio charm?"
Denbright grumbled but cast the charm; as Tonks suspected, it only revealed Andromeda, Remus, and herself, though she felt the swooping sensation last longer over her own body, perhaps due to the pregnancy.
"There's no one else here," Denbright said bitterly. "Just this lot."
"Search the home anyway," Remus said. "I would like to help the Ministry." He eyed Andromeda and Tonks, and Tonks felt it better not to oppose his idea, even if she was frustrated with the scheme.
"Why don't I go with them?" Remus offered. "Dora, you and your mother can stay here. I'll make sure we cooperate fully."
"That is a very good idea, Remus," Andromeda said. "My son-in-law is a thoughtful young man," she continued, speaking to Denbright and Wheeler.
"Son-in-law?" Wheeler asked blankly.
"Oh yes," Remus smiled. "I am Remus John Lupin, and this is my wife, Nymphadora Lupin. And, as I'm sure you're aware, my mother-in-law, Andromeda Tonks, née Black."
"You're the werewolf?" Denbright asked uncomfortably.
"I am a werewolf, yes, and I'll be happy to show you around the home, per your Ministry order," Remus smiled.
"Why can't they do it?" Wheeler asked irately.
"I prefer for the wizard of the home to do such activities," Andromeda said blithely. "My daughter and I will remain here."
The Ministry workers looked at each other and at Remus dubiously as Tonks stifled a laugh.
"If you'll follow me, gentlemen," Remus said politely, as he led them upstairs to investigate the bedrooms.
"Mum, that was brilliant," Tonks beamed. "No wonder you were Sorted into Slytherin."
"I do what I must for the family," Andromeda replied. "Those imbeciles upstairs won't find anything. Your father was very careful to remove any trace that he lived here."
"It's rubbish you had to do that."
"We do what we must to keep each other alive, darling."
Remus came downstairs in a hurry, looking slightly alarmed, prompting Tonks to stand abruptly.
"What's happened? What's wrong?" Tonks asked anxiously.
"They want to search the cottage for your father," Remus said quickly. "They believe I might be hiding him there due to my 'Dark' nature."
"That's fucking stupid," Tonks said. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to go there now. I stunned and obliviated them both. I'm going to levitate them down here, and when they wake up, I should be back from the cottage. I'm removing the enchantments and Fidelius Charm."
"Are you alright to go alone?" Tonks asked. "I can help—"
"—No, Dora, stay here with your mother, please," Remus said quickly. "I won't be long."
"Okay," Tonks agreed. "Come back soon, please." Remus had a peculiar expression on his face; it had been two months since his attempt to leave her again, and Tonks' words to 'come back' must have reminded him of the offense.
"I'm always going to come back, Dora, I promise," Remus vowed. He took both her hands in his own, and kissed her goodbye, before he levitated the Ministry workers down to the parlor and left for the cottage.
"I've noticed you don't keep your bedroom door closed at night," Andromeda said, after a short silence.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Are you not…?"
"Merlin, I'm not having this conversation with my mother."
"That is a no, then."
"Fine, yes, err, no, we're not doing – having sex," Tonks said lamely, feeling the blush creeping up in her cheeks. "We're sleeping in the same bed, but we just haven't, err, done that in a while."
"Since before he left you?"
"Yes," Tonks said through gritted teeth.
"Why not?"
"Mum, this is humiliating—"
"—Nymphadora, you're a married woman," Andromeda said impatiently. "You and your husband are welcome to be intimate with one another, if that's what you choose. You don't need to be chaste for my benefit."
"Mum, please, this is so embarrassing—"
"—what is it, then?"
"I'm just not ready, okay? I just want to know he'll be back for good before we do that…again." Tonks felt the blush burning at her face more furiously than before. "I thought you didn't like him!"
"I never said that, darling," Andromeda replied airily. "He's working very hard to make it up to you, and he's proven himself capable of protecting you against my sister."
"He's useful, so suddenly he's likeable," Tonks said flatly.
"These pregnancy hormones remind me of your teenage years," Andromeda said fondly, while stroking Tonks' currently azure waves. "Remus has made many errors, but he's trying. As long as he continues trying his best to stay with you and make you happy, we'll manage."
"Full moon is next week," Tonks said abruptly. "Are you sure you'll be saying that when he's wandering the house as a wolf?"
"If he's taken his Wolfsbane Potion, then yes," Andromeda said. "It appears as if he's returned."
Remus walked through the front door, looking frazzled, but resolute. "I've taken care of it," he announced. He took a moment to compose himself, and then came to the two stunned Ministry workers. He cast "Rennervate!" on them both, and began chuckling, as Tonks and Andromeda joined in.
"What's happened?" Denbright said suspiciously.
"What were we doing?" Wheeler asked, scratching his head.
"I was showing you my noses!" Tonks said happily. She began morphing her nose to her favorites – a duck's bill, a pig's snout, a dragon's snout – and the Ministry workers were laughing alongside the rest of them.
"We were here to search the house!" Denbright said suddenly, as Tonks returned to her human nose.
"Allow me to lead you, sirs," Remus said politely. He mouthed "thank you" to Tonks and her mother, before disappearing upstairs with Denbright and Wheeler for the second time. It took several minutes, but the Ministry workers appeared happy with their investigation.
"Your cottage next," Wheeler said, eyeing Remus suspiciously. "You're a Dark creature. You could be harboring the Mudblood there."
Tonks felt her hair morph to an angry red upon hearing the slur, but Andromeda put her hand on Tonks' arm to keep her seated. "Calm down, Nymphadora," she whispered. "This isn't worth a duel."
Tonks fumed in her seat, but said nothing as Remus led the Ministry workers out of the home and presumably to his cottage. They were only away for a few minutes before they returned.
"We've seen all we need to see," Denbright said firmly. "Expect another visit from us in the future regarding your ex-husband's whereabouts."
"Thank you, Mr. Denbright," Remus said graciously. "We look forward to it." Denbright and Wheeler turned around and Disapparated just outside the house.
"What happened at the cottage? You came back really quickly," Tonks said.
"I, er, destroyed it," Remus said sheepishly. "Blasted the entire thing apart."
"Why in Merlin's name did you do that?" Tonks asked. "That was your home!"
"Was, Dora," Remus said. "It was held up largely with magic, and I had no fondness for the place. The land is mine, and we can rebuild one day, but the structure was barely habitable. We're here now, Dora, and you've inherited Mad-Eye's home too. There's no reason for us to return to Yorkshire."
Tonks' jaw dropped upon hearing Remus' actions. He had just destroyed – literally, destroyed – the only place he called home before he met her.
"You're really staying with us, then?" Tonks asked quietly.
"Dora, I'm never leaving again," Remus said firmly. "This is my home. You are my home."
Tonks beamed brightly and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Remus passionately, before her mother loudly cleared her throat.
"Shall we have dinner now?" Andromeda asked coolly. Remus was blushing, but Tonks didn't care. He had just shown her, in no uncertain terms, that he wanted to be nowhere but with her. Grinning, she followed her husband and her mother into the kitchen to prepare for dinner.
…
"Remus," Tonks said softly, as they lay in their bed that evening.
"Yes, love?" Remus was holding Tonks against his chest, as he did most nights. Though their relationship had been paused physically, Tonks finally felt comfortable to return to their previous intimacy.
"Would you, umm, be open to having sex again?" she asked tentatively. Tonks felt his body tense immediately.
"It's okay if you don't," she said hurriedly. "I just wanted to let you know I feel ready now."
"Dora, you have no idea how badly I've been waiting to hear you say that," Remus said, his breathing now erratic and heavy. "But only if you're certain. Only if you're absolutely certain. I know I've disappointed you in the past—"
"—never in bed, mind you," Tonks teased.
"Where's this coming from? I want to make sure you're ready, sweetheart," Remus said. "This isn't out of pity, is it?"
"No, Remus, it's not out of pity. I want to be with you, for you. I'm sure, before you ask." She turned to her other side to face Remus.
His honey-brown eyes flashed amber momentarily, and Tonks felt the shiver go down her spine. She brought her lips up to meet his, as he took his wand out and closed the door with it, casting a Locking Charm and a Silencing Charm in the process.
"Presumptuous, are we?" Tonks said with a sly smile. Remus responded by pinning her underneath him as he kissed her face, up and down her jawline, and back to her lips.
"You're really sure?" Remus asked, a flash of nervousness passing over his face.
"Abso-fucking-lutely," she said enthusiastically, as she brought her hands to the back of his neck to bring him down into another kiss. They frantically tore each others' clothes off, and within minutes, having been starved of one another's affections for weeks, they were crying out in pleasure for one another.
…
It was finally the night of October's full moon. Remus had dutifully taken his Wolfsbane Potion each night in the preceding week. Tonks and her mother agreed to have Remus transform inside the house. Remus would transform inside the spare bedroom, and Tonks would wait outside while he tapped on the door in a pattern they had practiced and memorized, to ensure that his human brain had remained intact after the transformation. If all went well, Remus could wander throughout the house or go out into the garden, as a means to protect the family.
"Are you and your mother going to stay in another room while I transform?" Remus asked nervously, as Tonks was preparing the spare room for his transformation.
"Do you want us to?" Tonks asked, laying out a thick blanket on the floor to make it more comfortable for Remus.
"I'd prefer if you didn't hear my screams of terror," Remus said flatly.
"I'll need to be able to hear you for the tapping on the door." Remus grimaced.
"It's alright, love," Tonks said. "I've seen you transform, and now I'll hear it. Mum can be in her bedroom and I can place a Silencing Charm on her door. I'll have to hear you though."
"I don't like this."
"I know, but you should stay inside. We've put on every enchantment and protection possible on this house, short of the Fidelius Charm. We have you, me, and my mum."
"We all thought moving Harry over the summer was going to be easier," Remus grumbled.
"Yes, but someone divulged our plan, somehow," Tonks said impatiently. "It's just the three of us and none of us have been anywhere lately. My parents don't even know how to send Patronus messages."
"I should teach your mum," Remus interrupted.
"You can do that tomorrow, after you've rested."
"I really don't like this."
"Mum and I agreed you belong inside. You're an indoor werewolf," Tonks grinned. Remus frowned and rolled his eyes, but began undressing.
"I'll close the door and put a Locking Charm on it. When you're all done, just do the taps," Tonks said. "I'll be waiting right outside."
"I love you, Dora," Remus said. His eyes had noticeable dark circles underneath them. He was paler than usual, and the lines on his face were more pronounced. Tonks hated what the full moon did to him, but he had assured her that he was used to it by now.
"I love you too, Remus," Tonks said. "I'll be right outside." She closed the door to the spare bedroom and cast a Locking Charm on it, as she awaited the final few moments before moonrise.
A piercing, agonized scream screeched from behind the closed door. Tonks' eyes watered slightly at the sound; it was as bad as the screams Remus had when he had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse by Bellatrix just weeks prior.
Amid the screams were noises that were inhuman to Tonks' ears. Snap, crack, snap were heard simultaneously as Tonks imagined Remus' bones were breaking, shifting, and growing to accommodate the wolf's skeleton. There were muffled sounds of gagging and choking, as Tonks assumed Remus' canine teeth were growing out of his elongating mouth.
It was only a few minutes, but the screams and inhuman breaking stopped abruptly. Tonks felt her heart hammer as she approached the door.
"Remus, are you in there?" Tonks asked tentatively. "Please tap to let me know."
Several tense moments later, Tonks could hear the sound of the wolf's heavy breathing on the other side of the door.
"Remus?" she asked. "Are you there?"
The wolf began scratching at the door, but in a pattern similar to that of the tapping that she and Remus had established. The wolf made a low whine as it attempted to make noises through the door.
"Remus, if you're there, try scratching to the same tapping pattern," Tonks suggested. "I had forgotten it would be harder to do this with clawed paws."
The wolf was silent for a moment before it began scratching in the requested pattern: three short taps, two long taps, one short tap, one long tap, two short taps.
"Can you scratch one more time, Remus?" Tonks asked. "Just to be sure?"
One more scratch was heard through the door, and Tonks exhaled a breath of relief. She lifted the Locking Charm on the bedroom door and opened it to see Remus, in his wolf form, staring up at her with his amber-yellow eyes.
Remus sat up awkwardly from his spot and approached Tonks carefully and slowly. If she wasn't sure that he was her husband, she'd have found the move rather predatory.
Tonks kept her hands at her side, in case Remus' wolfish instincts came out. Remus padded up to see her and placed his snout into one of her open hands. His nose was cold and wet, and Tonks could feel him inhaling her scent deeply.
He proceeded to sniff her body, lingering on her abdomen and pelvis, before rubbing his face on her abdomen.
"That's still your baby in there," Tonks murmured. Remus whined as he pressed his snout into her abdomen. She now had a small, but visible bump there. He whined as he rubbed his face against it.
"I dunno what you're asking, Remus," Tonks said. "I don't feel anything unusual in there at the moment."
Remus looked up into her eyes and stuck his tongue out slightly, before returning his snout to Tonks' abdomen.
"I'd like to check on mum," Tonks said, as Remus gave a low growl.
'What was that for?" Tonks asked. "She's part of our pack too you know."
Remus looked embarrassed; or, rather, Tonks recognized the look in his eyes as one from a dog that knocked over a vase – remorseful and anxious.
"I'm going to check on her. You'll stay here?"
Remus bobbed his snout up and down in understanding, so Tonks closed the door to the spare room to see her mother.
"Mum?" Tonks called, undoing the Silencing Charm from earlier.
"Is it alright?" Andromeda asked.
"Everything seems to be fine, mum," Tonks said happily. "Are you going to stay in your room all night?"
"Unless you need me for something, then yes," Andromeda replied. "you and your husband can have a pleasant evening."
"Thanks, mum," Tonks said gratefully. Andromeda closed the door behind her, and Tonks felt the magic as her mother cast a Locking Charm and a Silencing Charm on the door.
Feeling more confident, Tonks returned to the spare bedroom.
"Wotcher, Remus," Tonks said brightly. "Mum's going to be in her room for the night, so it's just you and me."
Remus trotted towards her, and she helped him downstairs. Evidently, Remus was not fully accustomed to descending stairs on four legs.
As soon as they came downstairs, Tonks heard a piercing howl outside. Remus growled and placed himself in front of Tonks, perking his ears to find the source of the noise. As the outdoor howling continued, Remus gravitated towards the picture window in the front of the house.
Tonks carefully followed him to the window. From the window, Tonks could see the outline of another wolf pacing the edge of the protective enchantments, about 100 meters from the house. Remus was growling at the other wolf and baring his teeth.
"Remus," Tonks said softly. Remus looked up at Tonks, his amber eyes still predatory.
"Is that Fenrir?"
Remus bobbed his snout up and down to indicate the affirmative.
"Our enchantments are holding," Tonks murmured. "I'll cast more?" Remus bobbed his snout up and down again in confirmation.
Tonks cast several more charms and protective spells upon the home, including on herself and Remus.
Fenrir continued to howl loudly outside, and Remus' growls only grew deeper and more aggressive.
"Remus, should I stay with you?" Tonks asked tentatively.
Remus moved his head from side to side.
"Does that mean I should go up?" she asked. Remus bobbed his snout again.
"You'll be okay?" Remus bobbed his snout once more.
"Okay, Remus," Tonks said softly. "I'll go up." She put her hand on his furry head and kissed him. His fur was coarser than she imagined it to be, but he didn't flinch with her touch. Instead, he kept his focus on the wolf pacing outside.
"I'll see you in the morning, love," Tonks said. Remus stole one quick glance for Tonks before he returned, unblinking, to the scene outside the window.