AN - Well, here we are! The final chapter, this is part one, I'll post part two over the weekend. Sorry it has taken awhile to get this up - I wanted to edit it carefully - hopefully you'll spot why it took me awhile!

Chapter Fourteen - A Wonderfully Weasley Christmas. Part One -

The snow swirled, fluttered, flurried and did about four other obnoxious things that snow does. She walked as quickly as she dared, not wanting to tempt fate, which if experience was anything to go by, didn't really like her. It was slippery underfoot, with not enough snow yet to make it crunchy, she couldn't risk falling and drawing attention to herself, not until they were safely inside the Burrow wards. She wondered for the umpteenth time if it had been wise of them to accept the invitation to spend Christmas Eve with the Weasleys. Christmas at the Burrow had been a tradition since she was a teenager, but everything was different this year. With her Father gone, she had been dead set against leaving her Mother alone, but Andromeda had insisted that she and Remus needed this – a few hours with some friends around a fire, a reminder of what it was they were all working so hard to protect.

Tonks felt Remus' gloved hand squeeze her own, she tightened her grip on the wand she held in the other. They were both on edge, ready and waiting for an attack at any moment. After what felt like an all-night trek, but in reality, had been just a few hundred feet, the pair passed through the Burrow safety enchantments and Tonks felt her jaw unclench a little and saw Remus' shoulders relax.

The rough wooden door at the front of the Burrow opened and Tonks glimpsed a flash of red hair, before being dazzled by the light from the tip of a wand pointing at face height.

"Identify yourselves."

Remus stepped forward, "Molly, it is I Remus Lupin, werewolf and member of the Order of the Pheonix with Nymphadora Tonks, Auror and member of the Order of the Pheonix. You invited us to spend Christmas Eve with you, just as we have every year since we met at your home 4 years ago, when spending the holidays with you and your family."

The light lowered, leaving Tonks with ethereal floating globes moving across her line of vision.

"I'm sorry. Can't take any chances you know… anyway, come on in dears, let me take your coats. Ginny, take Tonks and Remus' coats will you."

Stepping inside, Tonks caught her first glimpse of Ginny. Taller than her by a good foot, she stood next to Molly, skinny looking, dark circles under her eyes, looking weighed down by more than any 16-year-old should have to bear. Quietly she took their coats and flicking her wand, put them on the hooks at the bottom of the stairs before turning back and smiling at Tonks.

"Wotcher Ginny." Tonks said, attempting to sound cheerier than she felt.

Ginny stepped forward and engulfed Tonks in a hug, "Hey Tonks. I've missed you."

Tonks leaned back out of the hug but kept hold of Ginny, rubbing her arms. "I've missed you too Gin. We've got some catching up to do tonight. It's so good to see you." The smile that spread slowly across Ginny's face, made her look almost like herself.

"Remus, er Professor Lupin… it's good to see you too."

She stepped away from Tonks to hug Remus, "Please Ginny, Remus is fine. And it's lovely to see you."

Molly stood quietly, a most un-Weasley like trait, watching her daughter. Remembering her manners, she shook her head, "I'm sorry dears, you must be freezing. "Can I get you both a drink. Tea? Hot Chocolate Remus?"

Remus smiled, "A hot chocolate would be lovely, thanks Molly."

They followed Molly and Ginny into the kitchen. With her long legs, resembling the twins more with every passing day, Ginny jumped up on the kitchen counter, letting her legs swing.

"You're the first to arrive," Molly said as she busied herself filling the kettle and fetching mugs from the cupboard. "Arthur and Bill should be home soon, and the twins promised me they wouldn't be too late. They are doing inventory at the shop. I do wish they'd close for now," Molly stopped, standing stock still at the kitchen sink, her back to everyone, she spoke barely above a whisper, "No one else is still open in Diagon Alley. It's so dangerous…" suddenly switching the tap on, she continued in a cheerier tone, "anyway, they'll be here soon and then we can all sit and have a lovely Christmas Eve dinner together."

Once everyone had hot chocolate and Molly had placed another three pies into the oven, the group settled in the living room. Tonks noticed Remus staring at the tiny Christmas tree stood on a coffee table in the corner, a few decorations hanging on the branches. Though Molly had clearly done her best to make the house feel cosy, it was a far cry from the usual pomp the Weasley's exhibited each Christmas.

Soon Arthur and Bill arrived home and Tonks took the opportunity, whilst Remus spoke with them to find Ginny, who was sitting in the window seat on the first-floor landing, looking out over the Burrow garden. Tonks sat on the other side, slipping her feet under the blanket Ginny had over her legs.

"Hey Gin. You okay?"

Ginny smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes, "Yeah, I'm okay. Better than okay really, now you and Remus are here. It's good for you to be here, for Mum you know. She so desperately wants to pretend nothing is different." She went back to staring out the window. "But nothings the same, don't think it ever will be."

Tonks reached for Ginny's hand. "It will Gin, one day. That's what we're all working for."

Ginny squeezed Tonks hand, "I want to believe that, really Tonks I do, I try, for Mum if nothing else, but this year, since, Dumbledore and then Harry, Ron and Hermione…"

Tonks rubbed the younger woman's hand with her thumb, lowering her voice she asked, "Have you heard from any of them? Had a note or anything?"

Ginny looked down at their hands and shook her head, "Nothing. I thought…" She cleared her throat, obviously trying not to allow the emotions she was feeling to get the best of her, "I thought once they were safe, Harry would contact me somehow, let me know they were okay. Tonks what if they aren't, what if…"

Tonks learned forward placing her other hand on top of Ginny's, "Gin, don't go down the 'what if' road. I did it when Remus was with the packs and it does no one any good. The truth is, if anything had happened to Harry, Ron or Hermione, we'd know, you-know-who would want everyone to know. No Ginny, honestly, I think no news is good news for now. It can't be easy, being the girlfriend of the chosen one."

Ginny scoffed, "I'm not technically his girlfriend anymore."

Tonks brow furrowed, "But when we talked at Bill and Fleur's wedding, you were so happy, I thought you said you'd worked things out…"

Ginny nodded, "I thought we had. We did. He kissed me, we danced, we laughed, it was lovely, but then just before the de… well before everyone left, he asked me to take a walk with him and told me we needed to end things. I'm not stupid Tonks, I know he only did it to protect me. He thinks they'll come after me if people know I'm with him. I couldn't get through to him that I don't care if they do. I won't deny it, won't deny my feelings for him." Ginny looked out the window again.

"I never thought this would happen you know…"

Tonks still clasping Ginny's hands spoke gently, "That he'd leave?"

Ginny shook her head, "No, that I'd fall in love so young." She looked at Tonks, "I used to laugh at my friends, when they were always busy chasing boys and looking for their next boyfriend, all I wanted to do was get out on to the Quidditch pitch, to train then train again, then train harder. Of course, Harry was right there beside me pushing me to be better, telling me that he was learning as much from me as I was from him and I dunno, it just, happened. I realised that day in the garden, when he was saying goodbye that I'd do anything for him, including letting him walk away from me without a fight. I love him Tonks."

Tonks didn't know what to say. She followed Ginny's gaze out the window. The snow continued to fall, covering everything in sight, yet still somehow, Ottery St Catchpole didn't have the glittery white glow it'd had every other year she'd spent Christmas here. It was darker, greyer, as though the village was reflecting how they all felt. Tonks felt a familiar heat in the pit of her stomach, a fury that she'd become used to over the past few months. It was all just so bloody unfair. She usually felt it when she saw how Remus was treated, or how he had to hide, skulk and scrap to make money when he was one of the smartest, kindest, most hard working men she knew. Tonight it wasn't that which had ignited the fire in her gut. It was seeing Ginny, this once bubbly, loud, vivacious young girl, forced into being a seasoned, weary woman way before her time.

Ginny already knew at 16 what it was to love and fear losing that love to war. She'd had to grow up much too quickly, much too soon. Tonks scoffed; she supposed the same could be said for herself. Here she sat, in her mid-20's, war weary and battle scarred. She'd already lost so many people that she loved and lived in constant fear that each day she could lose more. When she'd first joined the Order, every victory had felt like such an immense achievement. She'd been naive, believing each time that they were truly making a difference and each triumph was a step closer to defeating Voldemort, but now older, wiser – the naivety comfort blanket she'd enjoyed living under had been ripped away from her. It felt as though the Order hadn't accomplished anything and now with Dumbledore gone, though no one had said it out loud, she knew they were all thinking the same thing – how could they win anything without him? All their hope seemed to be in the hands of a 17-year-old boy and his two friends. No matter how skilled they had proven themselves to be, what chance did they stand against such surmountable evil. It all seemed utterly hopeless.

Tonks could feel the despair, like a black vice pushing the walls in around her, tightening, squeezing until she felt as though she could no longer breath. It was overwhelming, taking the light from the room and replacing it with darkness. Closing her eyes as the feelings of despair washed over her, she heard a deep chuckle, it reverberated around her head, pushing the darkness back, like light seeping in through a pinprick sized whole, devouring the dark and flooding her head with white. She opened her eyes and saw Ginny smiling too.

"Remus' laugh is so great. It just always makes me chuckle, it's such a mischievous laugh, it doesn't suit the Professor-like Remus he tries to exude."

Tonks laughed too, "Oh Ginny, you so have him pegged. He isn't remotely Professor-like 95% of the time, he is utterly mischievous, that and that laugh of his are just two of things I love most about him."

Ginny sat forward, crossing her legs and looking, just for a moment like the old Ginny, excited to be gossiping with Tonks. "You really love him, don't you?"

Tonks beamed, "I really, really do. It's like you said, I never expected to fall in love so fast and so hard, but I don't think we choose love, I think it chooses us."

Ginny smiled, stood and took Tonks' hand. "Come on, lets go roast some marshmallows and see if we can get Remus to laugh so much that he does that breath hitching thing – that always makes Mum smile."

Sitting downstairs with Bill, Molly, Arthur, Ginny, Fred, George and Remus, eating biscuits, pie, marshmallows and drinking butterbeer, Tonks couldn't help but feel that though this subdued, quiet little party was nothing like any other Christmas she had spent at the Weasley's, it was still pretty wonderful

AN - I promise Part two is happier! Let me know what you think about part one :) Obviously timeline wise we've gone a little AU - Tonks and Remus are still just dating, not married and not pregnant!