Disclaimer: The usual.

Chapter Six: The Discovery

Day Two:

9:05 AM

Made breakfast. Didn't burn Lupin's sausages. My heart just wasn't into it.

9:10 AM

Ginny asked me to change noses for her. I said no. She looked sad.

9:12 AM

I changed my nose for her.

9:13 AM

I'm such a sucker.

9:19 AM

Lupin is looking at me. He looks really, really tired.

9:20 AM

Maybe he's sorry.

9:21 AM

I don't care anyways.

9:22 AM

Breakfast was getting really quiet. Molly tried to start conversation.

"Lovely day, today," she commented with a smile.

I looked out the window. It was raining.

"How sad, though," she said. I looked up. She was staring right at me. It was really quite creepy.

"Er … yeah," I agreed, totally lost.

"Full moon," she continued, nodding sadly. I could see Lupin shake his head beside me. "Always puts a damper on everything." She sighed, and smiled broadly. "How are you today, Tonks, dear?"

Oh-kay.

9:30 AM

Left table to go upstairs. Met Sirius halfway. He was holding my Hating Lupin plan. Oh, dear.

"What is this?" he screeched, his arms folded over his chest.

"A…piece of paper." I smiled innocently. Work, work, work!

He scowled. Perhaps it only has effect on straight men. "Stop being funny. You're not funny."

"But you just said I was," I pointed out, stretching my innocent smile further.

"What are you, a clown?" he taunted, and I mirrored his scowl. Stupid sod. "Why did you write this?"

What was he doing, interrogating me? "Why did you go in my room?" I shot back, scowling and feeling about two years old.

He narrowed his eyes. "I have my reasons."

"Like?"

Ignoring me, he shoved the paper in my face. "Why'd you write this?"

"Why do you think, genius?"

"But why am I on it?" He looked a bit panicked, honestly. He lowered his tone, his eyes huge and worried, "You're…you're not going to tell him…are you?"

I almost giggled. Almost. Then I remembered a lovesick, tortured soul with a six-pack and huge arm muscles to boot was not a person to be messing with.

"I won't tell him," I said, finally. I might, still, anyways.

Sirius smiled and walked away. Ah, the lovesick ones are always so gullible. Mwahaha.

10:15 AM

Saw Lupin. He opened his mouth. I walked away.

11:58 AM

Went to go visit my grandma. Our conversation went a little like this:

Her: Got a boyfriend yet?

Me: No, Grandma.

Her: Like anyone?

Me: No, Grandma.

Her: What good are you, then, eh? What good's a girl who can't even land a stable bloke? You're disgracing this family, I tell you, disgracing!

Me: I know, Grandma. I'm an embarrassment.

Her: Too right you are, young missy! Now, where's my tea?

Me: Right here, Grandma.

Her: Ah … thank you … Have you at least got your eye on someone?

Me: -sigh- No, Grandma.

We don't always see eye-to-eye, her and me. My mom always told me I was just like her. I always told her to piss off. As anyone could probably tell, I have a very close relationship to my family.

2:34 PM

Got back to Grimmauld Place. Was very hungry. Grandma refused to feed me until I got a boyfriend.

2:45 PM

Charlie Weasley walked in on me stuffing my face. He looked quite disgusted, and then began to stuff his face as well. Hypocrite.

2:55 PM

I told Emmeline Vance Lupin was a virgin. I couldn't help it. She told me to go buck a fuffalo, to put it nicely.

Am thinking that I should just let Lupin talk to me, as he seems to be following me around now.

2:56 PM

Nah.

3:04 PM

Molly Weasley cornered me, and starting dropping major hints. About what, I know not. She's a very confusing woman.

"Have you spoken to Lupin lately?" she was saying.

"No…" I squinted at her. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought she was matchmaking. Actually, I don't know better, so anything's possible.

"Has he, oh, I don't know, let you in on anything …particularly interesting yet?"

I raised an eyebrow. "No…"

"All right, dear," she said, sounding cheerful but looking murderous. "Have a nice day."

Things were just getting stranger and stranger.

4:41 PM

Kingsley stopped by. He was finally someone I could relate to. I love Kingsley.

5:50 PM

God, Kingsley is. So. Boring. Remind me to never bring up our profession when speaking to him. Egad.

Dinner was boring. Everyone seems to have forgotten about Lupin being a virgin, save Hestia, whom I'm sure was obvious enough with her gazes that Lupin picked up on me.

And he is still following me around. It's getting creepy.

7:09 PM

Am very bored. Waiting for the moon to rise. Perhaps I'll finish Lupin's manicure tonight.

9:46 PM

Molly was right. Full moon. It's really beautiful outside.

9:57 PM

Am getting very freaked out. I swear to God I'm hearing howling.

Hold on, that sounds like Sirius –

9:59 PM

Went out into the hallway, and have discovered it is indeed Sirius. He's yelling down the hall in the opposite direction, to Molly, I think …

He's gone now; he went back into his room…hold up, Lupin's room.

I froze. I just heard another howl. Oh, my God, oh, my God. It's coming from in here.

Molly just ran up the stairs. She looks frightened. I spread myself against the far wall. She didn't see me, and ran into Lupin's room behind Sirius.

10:00 PM

And now she's back in the hallway, looking extremely freaked out. Another loud howl. It's coming from Lupin's room, now, I'm sure. Molly's yelling something …

"Sirius, are you sure?" she was saying. She looked like she was close to tears. My mind raced. What was going on? "Are you going to be all right?"

"Do it!" I heard a hoarse reply. It barely sounded like Sirius, but he sounded hurt. Why was Molly just standing there? What was going on?

Molly took a deep breath, and pointed her wand at the door.

"Wait! Wait!" I ran out of the shadows and up to Molly. Her already pale faced whitened when she saw. "What's going on?" My own voice sounded weak and scared, and I mentally cursed myself. It was nothing. It had to be nothing.

"Tonks …" she gulped loudly, wincing as we heard another piercing howl.

"What's going on?" My eyes flooded with nervous tears. I told myself to stop it. I was strong. I was being stupid.

"He's transformed," she croaked, her lip shaking from suppressed sobs. "This wasn't supposed to happen, I brewed the potion just right, I did everything I was supposed to…"

My mind spun, and I suddenly realized I had seen that potion before. Snape had brewed it in my sixth year for the whole class.

"Wolfsbane," he had whispered softly, sneering as per usual. "A potion that doesn't cure lycanthropy, but prevents the drinker from fully transforming mentally into a werewolf."

Oh, my God.

"No!" I shrieked, and tried to run towards the door. I had done this; I had prevented the potion from fully working. This was my fault.

Molly held me back. "Arthur!" she cried, and like magic, her husband appeared. "Take her back to her room, please!" Arthur looked confused for a moment, but she elaborated, "the Wolfsbane didn't work."

Still struggling, Arthur took me to my room, much to my protests.

"You don't understand," I cried, as he meant to close the door behind him.

"Tonks, you mustn't be prejudiced," he said with a sad smile. "He's still the same man underneath."

And he left me alone.

I fell back against my bed, my breath raspy and labored. He thought I was prejudiced? I wasn't. I was guilty. This was my fault…my fault…

Turning to my side and shutting my eyes tight, I tried to ignore the distant howling from down the hall. I couldn't.

I had almost fallen asleep when the full realization hit me.

Lupin was a werewolf.

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A/N: Just warning, next chapter will be a bit more serious, but it'll all lighten up from there on out ... :)