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"You can feel it, can't you?" Remus whispers. "The unrest. The sense that something is about to happen."
Tonks appears at her husband's side, holding a wine glass. She takes a sip before handing it to Remus. The pressure in the air, that crushing sense that everything around them is about to shatter makes she think she should have opted for something stronger. Still, Remus doesn't complain as he sips.
"Tell me a secret," she whispers because she wants so desperately to pretend that things are normal, if only for a moment longer.
"I ate the last slice of cake." Normally, Remus would have smiled. Tonight, his lips remain fixed in a seemingly permanent frown.
Tonks sighs and turns away. They entered into this war knowing something would give eventually. How many battles has she fought in, guided by her own determination and will to keep her loved ones safe? She wishes she could go back to the world she knew once, but she knows that world is just a distant memory.
"Hey." Remus turns to her, taking her hand gently in his. "It's going to be okay."
She laughs, the sound dry and bitter, without humor. "When will you learn? My beautiful optimist," she says, kissing his cheek. "We are pretty far from okay. I'm not sure we'll ever be okay again."
"I know." Remus wraps an arm around her, pulling her close. "I'm scared too."
"I never said I was scared."
But she is. After everything she's seen, this war still leaves her trembling and hoping against hope that something good will somehow come from it, that they will find a way to heal.
"You are so much like Sirius," Remus laughs, stepping back and affectionately stroking her cheek. "He never liked admitting he was scared either. Must be a family thing." His expression softens. "We'll keep fighting, okay? That's all we can do. We will fight to make a better world for our son."
"No matter the cost," she agrees.
She is terrified in a way that she has never been, but maybe she can find a way to stand tall and proud. This isn't the life she wants, but it's the one she has. What can she do, except to make the best of it, to keep pushing forward, to be a wife and daughter and mother?
"I love you," she whispers.
Remus kisses her head. "I love you too."
At least she doesn't have to face her fears alone.
