The smell of chocolate wafted in his direction "Can I help you, sweetheart?"

"Huh? No." the woman answered absent-mindedly "I have everything under control."

"Are you sure?" Ted frowned, looking at her who was standing on the chair searching for something on the top shelf "What are you looking for?"

"My recipe books."

The man looked around. It was like being in the middle of an unusual battle field. The dished were piled up in the sink, the kettle was whistling, the oven was turned on. "Do we have dinner guests?"

"No." Andromeda answered putting back a box of sea salt "Why?"

"'cause you've been cooking for hours." Ted looked at the bowl of mashed potatoes, the pork roast with apple sauce, the herbed Yorkshire Pudding on the table. "There is enough food for ten people."

"Your daughter spends all day at work and I wan…"

After 28 years of marriage Ted knew when she was stressed out. "You need to take a rest, love. "he said holding out his hand to her. "I know you are worried about Nymphadora but she…"

"She is my child, Ted." Andromeda interrupted him "She will always be the little girl who used to climb the apple tree in the back garden. "

A sad smile appeared on his face "Nymphadora is no longer a child." He tucked a lock of her black hair behind her ear "She is back home, but she will not hide under her bed during a storm. She will no longer call your name after a nightmare."

"I know that, but…"

Someone rang the doorbell.

Ted looked at the clock on the wall. It was too late to receive visitors.

"Hi." the man on the porch said, "No. Don't do this, please." he hurried to add as he saw the other man about to close the door. "Please!"

Ted had never met him before, but he knew exactly who the man on the porch was. He stared him up and down taking note of his grey hair, of his scars, of his old cloak. It was all Lupin's fault, Ted thought. Because of him his daughter had lost part of her powers. Because of him Nymphadora hadn't laugh for months, her hair had become grey as her mood. But something in Lupin's eyes stopped him from chasing him away "What do you want?"

Lupin breathed a sigh of relief. "I need to talk to Nymp…"

"She doesn't want to talk to you." Ted could no longer contain his hostility.

"I know I've made a mess of my life. I got everything wrong." Lupin lowered his gaze to the floor for a second or two then he looked up at Ted "But I'm in love wit…"

"Shut up!" Ted cried out "How dare you say such a thing?" he regretted not having his wand in the pocket of his jeans "I've never understood what my daughter saw in you. Nymphadora would have done everything for you. For a werewolf! And you…" He showed his contempt for Lupin "you've broken her heart!"

"I've broken my heart too!" Lupin replied realizing he had never said those words to anyone before "For all my life I believed I did not deserve to be loved but then I met Nymphadora. You're right. I am a werewolf and I will never be worthy of her, but..."

"She doesn't even want to hear your name."

"Well," He knew Ted hated him, but he was so afraid of seeing the man closing the door that he couldn't stop talking "if she doesn't want to talk to me, I'll go away, and you will never hear my name again. But let her know I am here, please. Please!" he took a step towards Ted touching his arm "Tell Nymphadora I need to talk to her. I beg you!"

Lupin seemed so hopeless that Ted didn't have the heart to say no. "She is not at home."

"It doesn't matter. I'll wait." He sat on the steps, his heart began to run. He didn't know if she would talk to him but now he had hope. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me." Ted turned his back to him. He took a step but then stopped again. "Come inside. I don't want my neighbours start asking questions about you." The wooden steps creaked when Lupin stood up "I'm warning you, my wife won't welcome you."

"Mom?" Tonks closed the door and dropped her bag on the floor "Dad?"

It had been a long day. Dozens of wizards and witches had crowded the Atrium of the Ministry demanding explanations for what was happening. At least nobody had tried to stop her. People were still afraid of the small silver 'A' on her uniform. The good smell of roast and chocolate cake made her stomach growling. She followed the smell. The lights in the kitchen were on but there was no one in the room. "I'm home." Tonks took a small slice of cake, it was still warm. "Mom?" she called again listening to the odd silence. A little shiver ran down her spine. "Dad?" she called fingering the wand on the right pocket of her trousers as she went back in the corridor.

"Dora," Ted appeared from the dining room "when did you come back?"

"Five minutes ago." she couldn't help but notice the strange look on her father's face. He seemed concerned about something. "Did you not hear me?"

The man glanced briefly back at the dining room then apologised "No. I am sorry, dear." he come up to her "How was your day?"

Something strange was happening, Tonks had no doubt. "My day…" she looked at him standing in the middle of the corridor, blocking the way. He was trying to hide something. "What were you doing?"

"I was reading the newspaper. The radio was turned on and…"

Her father had never been able to lie "What's going on?"

Ted took a deep breath. "Sweetheart…" he called, trying to keep her from coming in the dining room.

For a long moment Tonks looked at the man who was sitting at the fireplace saying nothing. "What is he doing here?" she asked in a softly inquisitive voice.

Lupin stood up "Ton…"

"Why is he here?" the girl asked again turning her back on him. She could feel his hurt glare on her shoulders, but she ignored it. Her pulse quickened, her head was fuzzy.

"Your father let him in." Andromeda answered in a flatly voice then she turned to face out her husband showing her disapproval.

"Dad…" Tonks whispered, completely baffled. She couldn't believe her ears.

Lupin took a step towards her. "He tried to kick me out…"

"Well," Tonks replied looking at her father "he should have tried harder!"

"Love," the man whispered running his hand through her short hair "you have all right to hate him and I'll cast a spell on him right now if it is what you want." He put his finger under her chin and made her look at him "Do you really want me to do that?"

There was a sinking sensation in her stomach and for a moment Tonks thought that seeing him suffer would make her feeling better "No."

"I think you should talk to him." A faint smile creased Ted's lips. "If you change your mind, I'll be happy to kick him out." He added, holding her hands "But don't let your anger control you or you'll regret it for all your life."

"Dad…"

"I'll be in the kitchen with your mother." Ted kissed her forehead "Come with me, Andromeda."

"What?" Andromeda exclaimed, astonished.

"They need to talk. Give them some privacy."

Lupin looked at Ted in surprise. He didn't know what the man had said to Tonks but, whatever it had been, Lupin was grateful for it. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me." The man replied glancing at his daughter for the last time before leaving the room.

There was a deep silence broken only by the ticking of the clock on the wall. Lupin had never felt so uncomfortable. For days he had thought of what he would have told her, he had feared she would not have given him the chance to speak. Looking at her back, his whole-body trembling, he couldn't find his voice.

"What do you want?" she asked harshly.

"I…" he said clearing his throat but then he stopped again "can you look at me, please?"

Her father's words echoed in her ears, but now that they were alone it would have been hard to control her feelings. She tried to shut out the thoughts that came crowding in on her "Say what you came to say."

Lupin took a deep breath then cleared his throat again. "When Dumbledore asked me to spy…" he shifted his weight from one foot to the other feeling ill at ease "I…I can't" he snorted then he came up to her and touched her shoulder "Nymphadora, ple…."

Hearing that name, feeling his hand on her shoulder, it was the last straw. She turned and slapped him in the face. "My name is Tonks."

She looked at him with such eyes that Lupin had to avert his gaze. Neither said anything for a second or two until he broke the silence "I'm sorry."

"You are sorry." She echoed. "What are you sorry for? For calling me Nymphadora? For preferring a suicide mission to me? For…"

"I told myself that you would have had a better life without me, that you would have found a man worth of you." Lupin said starring at her fingers which she was wriggling. "I am a werewolf…"

"Yeah, I know." She exclaimed laughing nervously "You are a werewolf. You are too old for me, too dangerous for me, too poor for me." She walked back towards the door "I should have listen to you when you first said it."

"I was wrong, Tonks! I can't change what I am, I can't turn back time, but I wish I could." Lupin replied fearing she would open the door and tell him to go away "I tried hard to get over you, but I can't. I can't forget you. I don't want you t…"

"You're a liar!" she cried out, choking, fighting back the tears. "In almost a year you have never sent me a message. You made me think you were dead!"

"Love…"

"Don't call me love, Ted!" Andromeda hissed at her husband taking another stalk of celery from the fridge. "How could you do that to our daughter?"

"She is unhappy and…"

"I know it!" she cried out starting to chop celery "I can feel her sadness, her nerves. All she needs is to forget that…that man" she looked at him, her eyes full of anger "And you let him in. You let hi…"

Ted sighed. He hated arguing with her but sometimes Andromeda was overprotective "Dora is talking with him 'cause she wants to. Maybe he'll get what you think he deserves. Maybe not. But…"

"How can you stand up for him?"

"I'm not defending him."

"Yes, you are!" Andromeda replied, astounded. "If I were you, I would never let him speak. I wouldn't have hesitated before chasing him away. I wouldn't have hesitated before casting a sp…"

"Do you even listen to yourself?" Ted asked as he approached "You sound like your father. The first time I met your parents you mother refused to speak to me. Your father told me I was not worth of you. He told me that people like me are like spots of mud on a new pair of leather boots. He pointed his wand to me and…"

"My parents are crazy." She remembered well that day. She left home with Ted and never came back "I'm not like them."

"Of course, you're not. Otherwise I wouldn't be here now." Ted replied, smiling "You have a big heart Andromeda and you will never judge somebody by his appearance."

"I'm not judging him by his appearance. I'm judging him by his actions."

"It's not up to us to judge Lupin. Let's Dora do it. "

Ted was talking sense, but she was too angry to understand. "Why are you giving him this chance?"

From the very first moment they had put his beautiful little girl in his arms Ted had vowed to do everything he could to make her happy even if it meant putting aside his hard feelings. Lupin was too old for Nymphadora, he had nothing to offer to her. "I don't know." He answered running his fingers through his hair. Lupin knew that he would not have been welcome in that house, but he had gone there anyway. He had thought it was worth trying. "Lupin had run away. Why did he come back? For what he knew Nymphadora could have cast a stunning spell on him or worse, but he begged me to let him talk to her. Why?" he asked and felt she was understanding where his thoughts were.

"Maybe you're right." He had always had the ability to calm her down. "But if I'll see Nymphadora crying…"

"It will be my fault." Ted kissed her quickly "If Lupin hurts Dora, I'll made him pay for it. Trust me."

"I've always trusted you." Andromeda said, taking a carrot and sitting at the table as he started cutting the vegetables.

Only a few hours before he had been there, looking up at the house which he had known had to be Tonks', trying to find the courage to ring the bell. When he had seen Nymphadora turning her back on him his heart had sank. He hadn't ever been so scared in his life. There had been angry tears in her eyes. A feeling of emptiness had followed like he had been falling down a pitch-black hole.

His cheek was smarting from her slap. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't even think. "I wish things were different" Remus whispered, looking away while wearing his cloak.

She kept frowning at him as he walked towards the door but then a shiver went down her spine. Suddenly she realized she couldn't bear the thought of him leaving again. She couldn't bear the thought of being the one who was sending him away. "It's true?"

Her voice was little more than a whisper, but it echoed inside his head "What?"

"All that you've said." Her eyes lingered on him, on his hair, a bit too long, on his pale face, on his shaking hands.

"Every single word." He could feel his heart bumping, a knot in the pit of his stomach. "I have no right to ask you to understand my choices, but" he seemed to gather his courage and lifted his gaze to meet hers. "I thought I had no other way to protect you."

"Protect me…" she muttered feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins clouding her mind "I didn't need your protection then, and I don't need your protection n…"

"I know. But I can't help doing it." Lupin said, "When I heard what had happened to Bill, when I saw him lying unconscious on the bed, I thought th..." he took a step towards her then he stopped again "If only Greyback had known about you, he would have searched for you and …" Lupin sighed closing his eyes for a moment "I have always thought that leaving you was the only way to protect you. Now I realize that I was wrong." He cleared his throat trying to control his breath. "Greyback took everything from me: my family, my childhood, my friends…but it was me. I allowed him to take you from me…"

"Have you come here to apologize?" He looked real pale and sad. The corner of his mouth turned down, his arms folded as if he was holding himself. Looking at him, she realized, was like staring into a mirror. "I've hated you for leaving me without a word, for making every single decision on your own. I've hated you for so long…" Her head felt like it was going to split in two, her heart was heavy, her stomach twisting into knots. "I can't forgive you."

Lupin opened his mouth but couldn't find his voice. Tears filled his eyes, blurring his vision "I understand." He whispered in a dull tone of voice.

Her mind was saying one thing, but her heart was telling her another. Tonks shook her head and silenced them. Perhaps it would have been the biggest mistake of her life, but she had to try. "I can't forgive you" she reached out and grabbed his arm keeping him from going away "because I've already forgiven you. From the moment I saw you running down the hallway." She could feel his pulse racing "All I wanted was to know that you were alive. It was enough." Tonks took a deep breath, her heart beating fast "I' m mad at you. I've never been so angry in my life… Last week, when I saw you, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. I told you that I love you and you ran away as fast as you could." She touched his cheek gently, making him meet her eyes. "I love you Remus and I don't mind if you are a werewolf. I don't mind if Greyback will chase me. I don't need your protection. I need you by my side."

Lupin stared at her for a moment amazed and puzzled at the same time, asking himself if it was real. The touch of her hand was so soft that it could easily have been a dream. He knew he didn't deserve a second chance. He knew he would never deserve her. She was clever, talented, kind, funny...beautiful. She was all he had ever longed for, Lupin thought sighing and rubbing his cheek against her palm. His arm went around her, hugging her tight, his mouth pressed into her grey brown hair as he whispered, "I'm sorry, love. I'm so sorry for what I've done to you."

It was not the first time he was hugging her but that time his hug was different. He had always been too afraid of… Tonks had never really understood of what until that moment. "Say it again."

Lupin had always taken under control his emotions and had never understood how much he'd missed this, the sense of freedom. Surrendering to his feelings, saying the words he had been holding back for too long, he felt alive like never before "I love you, Nymphadora." He rested his forehead against hers and looked straight into her eyes. "I'll never leave you again. I promise you."

In that moment Tonks liked even how her name sounded coming from his lips. A smile appeared on her face. "Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus."

The dining room's door opened again. Andromeda recognized the unmistakable sound of Tonks' approaching steps on the wooden floor and she turned towards the door just in time to see her daughter appearing at the door.

"I asked Remus to stay for dinner."

Ted put down the knife. He can't help but notice Tonks had called Lupin by name. Maybe he had been right, the man thought. "As you wish, darling."

"I…" the girl hesitated, looking at her mother who was sitting with an inscrutable look on her face "I asked him to move in here."

The wooden legs of the chair make a scraping noise on the floor as Andromeda stood up. Her lips compressed into a thin line.

"Andromeda." Ted whispered fearing his wife reaction. He thought he knew what she was thinking about. Perhaps she could tolerate Lupin for a couple of hours, but she would never let him play with her daughter feelings again. "Dora, I th.."

"I'm going to get the guest room ready." Andromeda said leaving the room while Lupin was entering "Your room will be ready in five minutes." She added glaring at him like a dragon at a cage, making no attempt to hide her discontent.