Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
AN: I just came to the realization that Remus and Tonks were together on the platform at King's Cross after she was released from St. Mungo's. . . I'm going to go on without fixing it, though. This is just for fun, please don't be alarmed at my disregard for cannon! Or how long it may take me to update. . . job and life sometimes get in the way.
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Approaching the Burrow, Tonks immediately noticed that the wards had been increased. The haze of strong charms blunted the straight lines of the fence and house, blurred the foliage in the garden, and masked the movements of the house's inhabitants. She sighed. This was obviously some of Moody's best handiwork; she recognized the marks of overkill. Well, perhaps it was no more than was necessary to protect those he loved, she admitted to herself. Ever since Moody's own family had been shattered by the Death Eaters, the Auror had been hyper-cautious. She couldn't blame him. She would do anything to protect Molly from more heartbreak. Not to mention Remus, Harry, and the whole rest of the world. To think that one twisted man could create this kind of fear! She clenched her teeth and grasped Remus' hand firmly in hers. She felt an uncanny confidence flood her body. They would beat Voldemort – there was no other choice.
Remus had noticed the same eeriness surrounding the Burrow. However, instead of seeing the wards, he smelled the paranoia of the man who had set them. An undercurrent of fear had settled around the once-cheerful Weasley home and no number of protective wards could shield its occupants from the events going on in the larger world. He knew that the Weasley children would feel a nostalgic tug whenever they imagined the Burrow as it had been before the war; he knew what it had felt like to return to his own home, realizing that it would never again be the safe, inviolable haven it had once seemed. He glanced at Tonks, beside him, and knew that she had probably never been that innocent; dark, evil things lurked in her family like the dust on old picture frames. Despite Andromeda's defection from the Black family proper, there were too many ways in which Nymphadora had probably been subjected to their hatred, prejudice, and malice. Like Sirius, she was probably scarred in ways that were invisible on the surface, but cut right down to the bone.
Tonks could feel the tenseness in Remus' hand, clasped in hers. When would they be able to hold each other gently, without the fear that one or the other of them would disappear? They approached the front door and found themselves immediately paralyzed until, after a minute, Molly peered through the front window with her wand at the ready and demanded, in a halting voice, "What is your patronus, Tonks?"
Her face momentarily unfrozen, Tonks grinned and rolled her eyes toward Remus. "Looks like this bloke on a bad night, Molly. But let us in and you'll be the first one to hear our good news!" The smile that broke out on Molly's face was priceless to Remus. She would probably be one of the few people who would cheer their relationship. The cryptic remark Tonks had made, though, unsettled him a little.
They quickly found themselves being unfrozen and ushered into the kitchen for a bite to eat and a dozen questions about how Remus had finally seen reason. She then led them to the bedroom where Bill was convalescing. Molly's cheer almost imperceptibly lessened as she gazed at her son, but Remus recognized the same look that his own mother had had when she looked at him as a child. It was a carefully guarded mask that was meant to show only unconditional love and hide the fear and pain she also felt. Bill, on the other hand, seemed wholly happy to be alive and surrounded by his family and friends. Of course, the doting Fleur had become a permanent fixture at his side. She had already given up attempting to assist Molly in the domestic duties of the household. Remus would be willing to bet it was as much because Molly was dissatisfied with the results as because Fleur disliked the idea of housework on principle. She had most certainly had a house elf at her disposal until now. However, Fleur had thrown herself entirely into the care of Bill, reading volumes of dubious information on lycanthropy and the healing of dark creature bites of all kinds. Remus would make it a point to join the two of them privately to impart what wisdom he had gained through a lifetime of living with the curse, though Bill would probably not suffer quite what he had to. The full moon was only a few days away, and Remus assumed that he would arrange to spend it at the Burrow with Bill to monitor his progress. Even if the young man did not change form, he might need to be placed under safe wards to prevent him doing damage to himself or anyone else.
Tonks was also aware of the coming of the full moon. She had not made any mention of her secret project and was afraid of what Remus' reaction would be. During her recovery from the curse she suffered in the Department of Mysteries, Tonks had applied herself to the task of learning a skill that could be quite useful to her, both professionally and personally. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement had been quietly seeking volunteers for its elite covert intelligence unit. Each candidate would submit to extensive examination and screening. If they passed the first battery, they would then be given permission to become an animagus. Those whose animal forms were deemed useful to the team would, then, be trained in the imitation of their species' behavior, habits, and other particulars so as to seamlessly blend into the field environment. While Tonks was a metamorphmagus, she still retained her human scent when transformed and was limited to the general confines of human form in her morphing. As an animagus, she would be doubly useful not only to the Ministry, but also to the Order. Shacklebolt seemed particularly pleased by her decision, given that the department was considering placing her on unpaid medical leave for the duration of her absent from active duty. While she was discharged fairly quickly from St. Mungos, the mediwitch had not been exaggerating the fact that she would be out of commission for some time. She had been directed to refrain from any serious physical exertion for a good two months at least, automatically precluding a quick return to work either for the Ministry or for the Order. With Remus gone, Tonks needed something to keep her mind engaged. And if or when he did return, she might be allowed to keep him company on the full moon. Sirius had once explained to her that, even without wolfsbane, a werewolf was driven to kill humans and not other animals. This was how he, James, and Peter had kept Remus company during his transformations while remaining safe. Perhaps she could do the same one day.
Tonks threw herself into this effort with all her energy. Even when she had lost the ability to morph her features, which she attributed in equal parts to Remus and the stress of her injury, she remained focused on her new goal. She passed her preliminary screening, studied the manual, and practiced relentlessly. She even took supplementary lessons from McGonagall and, finally, when she felt she would break either her body or her mind from the effort, she managed a transformation. She had been working with McGonagall in her office at Hogwarts when it happened, and the look of surprise on the face of the old tabby cat caused her to change back without even determining what it was she had become. McGonagall resumed her usual appearance and invited Tonks to have a seat on one of the bare armchairs by the fire.
"Nymphadora, you seem to have managed it at last. You have my congratulations on some very difficult work. However, I might advise you to consider carefully how you use your gift. Do you know what form you took just now?"
Tonks had a sneaking suspicion that she did. She had not mentioned to anyone but Molly that recently, her patronus had changed shape entirely. It was no longer a great, lumbering bear but a werewolf. The message she read in the professor's eyes confirmed her suspicion. She took a deep breath.
"After so many years of teaching transformation, I understand well enough the transformation of the human heart. I hope you can convince him to transform his bachelor habits; good luck to you. But I would think carefully about what this revelation could do to your position among the Aurors. They might see this as an indication of some dark leaning on your part, or disloyalty to the Ministry. You may want to tell them that you simply lack the ability. Only one in ten wizards or witches has the potential and given your more obvious talents. . .
"But I can't morph anymore!" Tonks cried, as she stood and walked to the mirror on McGonagall's wall. "I've lost my ability!"
"Nymphadora, you are morphed, even now. You fail to notice, but the color of your hair and eyes are not those I remember you having as a girl. Didn't you have brown hair and grey eyes?"
Tonks stared at her reflection. It was now obvious to her that the sandy brown hair and hazel eyes looking back at her were not really her own. They belonged to Remus. She felt like some kind of obsessive freak! Everyone must have noticed by now.
"Don't worry, Nymphadora, I assure you that I happen to be more perceptive than most when it comes to the art of transformation. I suspect that the only one who might have noticed besides myself is Molly. She is also unusually perceptive when it comes to her family. And that is what she undoubtedly considers you and Remus now. Don't make any rash decisions. Sleep on it and come see me in a day or two when you've had a chance to think."
She had thought about it until her head hurt as much as her other physical injuries and decided that she would wait until Remus returned to reveal this to anyone. The Ministry would be none the wiser, thinking she was still trying, and McGonagall could be trusted to keep her secret. Now that Remus was back, she'd have to find a way to bring up the subject.