A/N: This chapter takes place in early to mid-July 1997. The DH timeline is annoyingly vague but the comments at the Death Eater meeting suggest that Remus and Tonks got married around the middle of July.

Chapter 18

Tonks knocked on the simple white door. Remus stood beside her, fidgeting nervously with his hands.

"Who is it?" inquired an imperious female voice from inside.

"Wotcher, Mum. It's your daughter to whom you subjected the worst name imaginable, Nymphadora Tonks, Auror, Metamorphmagus; favored hair color is pink, but I wear black when I'm really angry. And I'm here with my- boyfriend Remus Lupin, werewolf, Marauder."

"Come in." Andromeda opened the door and let them enter. "We really have to come up with a shorter password to identify ourselves."

"I agree. Where's Dad?"

"He's getting the tea things ready. Hello, Remus." She settled her eyes on him for the first time since they went in the house. Her tone was polite, but not overly cordial.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Tonks." He was still wringing his hands, so Tonks took one of them and laced her fingers with his.

"You really may call me Andromeda." Remus smiled slightly and nodded. They moved to sit in the parlor. Just as the lull in conversation could begin to be termed awkward, Ted Tonks brought in tea and biscuits.

"Hello, Dora, Remus," he greeted heartily. Remus tried to stand to shake his hand, but Ted eschewed such formality and simply sat in his armchair. "I'm glad you two could take a break and pop over to see us."

Andromeda said, "I am curious, though. Why have you been unable to come over for the past year, and now you can?" She was looking directly at Remus.

He reddened a little. "Well, I've been… away, and now I'm not. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you much more than that." Andromeda pursed her lips, but did not pursue the subject.

"These biscuits are really good, Mum. Did you add extra chocolate?" Tonks spoke up in a rather transparent attempt to change the subject. Andromeda appeared mollified and detailed her recipe.

They fell into surprisingly easy conversation. However, they eventually stumbled on the topic of safety. Andromeda was understandably concerned that her sister would go after her and Ted and Tonks.

"The Order will do anything it can to protect you," reassured Remus. "I can't promise you complete security, but, with the Order's defenses, you should be as safe as is possible in these times." His calm steady tone did more to comfort Andromeda than his words.

"What about the Ministry?" asked Ted.

Tonks and Remus both grimaced. "We have strong suspicions that the Ministry will not last through the summer."

This news frightened Andromeda. "What will you do, Nymphadora? Are you going to continue working there? They must know you're involved with the Order."

Remus gave Tonks a pointed look; they had been discussing that for the past few weeks. "I don't know. Kingsley, Arthur, and I are in a bind. If we keep working there, we're in danger. If we resign, it looks like we're fleeing, and we're in danger. There's no good solution." Tonks glared back at Remus because he had been trying to convince her to quit while she wanted to stay and attempt to spy on the Death Eaters who were infiltrating the Ministry.

"But you're not in immediate peril, are you?" Ted sounded genuinely worried for the first time.

Tonks shook her head. "No, they should hold out for at least a few more weeks. But I think we've talked enough about war for now." She clasped one of Remus' hands. He almost seemed faintly green. "We have some good news." Tonks' free hand fingered the ring in her pocket.

Ted beamed and looked at them expectantly. Andromeda looked like she was bracing herself slightly. Remus took a deep breath. "We're engaged," he said, and he couldn't stop a huge grin from spreading across his face. Tonks' expression matched his.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Ted. "I figured that's why Dora asked to come over."

Andromeda managed a small smile. "How nice. Have you set a date yet?" Her tone was like her smile, polite but cold.

Remus and Tonks glanced at each other a little guiltily. "Well, Mum, with the war the way it is, we've decided to have a very small wedding. We're planning to go to the Ministry sometime this week or next." Andromeda's smile tightened into a line.

"Whom are you inviting to this 'small wedding'?" The last two words were said with obvious disdain.

"You and Dad, of course, and Mad-Eye, and Molly and Arthur Weasley, and Sirius." Andromeda made no comment. Ted looked at his wife pointedly and the tight set of her mouth curved slightly at the corners. Tonks' mother's reaction was not going as well as she had hoped, but she thought it could have been much worse. "And hopefully at some point we'll be able to have a reception to celebrate." Her mother's smile became a little more genuine.

Remus, who had looked like he wanted the couch to swallow him, relaxed slightly. "Our circumstances are unfortunate, but we are happy." He smiled warmly at Tonks. They left awhile later, with Tonks promising to stop by sometime that week to make the few necessary plans with Andromeda.

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A few days later Tonks was sitting once again in her parents' parlor.

Andromeda sat across from her, frowning slightly. "Are you sure about this, Nymphadora?"

"Of course, I'm sure. I wouldn't get married on a whim."

"It's just that…sometimes people make rash decisions in wartime. They let fear rule their better judgment."

"If I recall correctly, you and Dad got married during the last war. Besides, Remus and I have been together for a year and a half. We love each other, and that will be enough."

"Are you absolutely certain that he's not trying to take advantage of you?"

Tonks was really starting to get angry. She refused to dignify that question with a response. "Mother, I thought you were going to be fair. I thought you were growing to like him."

Andromeda pursed her lips. "I don't necessarily have a problem with him, although I will tell you again that the fact that he's a werewolf still gives me some pause. I just don't think he's right for you."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mother, but you're not going to change my decision."

Andromeda knew she was pushing her luck when her daughter kept calling her "Mother," but she felt she had to continue. "He can't even afford a proper engagement ring for you." She glanced disdainfully down at Tonks' left hand.

"I happen to love the one I have. It's special, not just like everyone else's. Besides, you and Dad have always told me stories of your first years together after you ran away. You were poor in material things, but you always say that they were some of the best times of your life, that you wouldn't trade them for anything. You've told me repeatedly that you hoped the same for me. That, despite the hardships, the growth and love would be worth it," She huffed indignantly.

Andromeda felt cowed. She had never been easy to intimidate, but she suddenly felt as if her worst fears were coming true. That she was turning into her family. Who was she to judge her only daughter, whom she loved more than Nymphadora would ever know? Who was she to deny the value of the love she obviously felt for her fiancé, when she experienced the same pain at the rejection of all her relatives?

Her daughter's words brought her back to the heady days of her new marriage. She truly had felt that love would conquer all and that the only thing she needed in the world was Ted. She had quickly wised up when they could barely afford the rent for their shabby flat or even any groceries. But Nymphadora was right; she wouldn't trade those days for anything. She and Ted worked through them, and the bond between them only strengthened because of those difficulties. The perseverance and sense of self-worth that she gained in those times buoyed her through many an adversity over the years.

Then, she recalled the times that she had encountered Remus Lupin. While she had to admit that she was still worried about a man who turned into a monster once a month spending the rest of his life with her daughter, she trusted her to be careful. Andromeda also had to concede that, if she were honest with herself, she had never sensed anything but sincerity behind his professed feelings for Nymphadora. The fact that Ted trusted him, indeed welcomed him with open arms, went a great way to convince her to give him a chance.

Suddenly, she noticed Tonks' gaze, which had shifted from angry to curious to concerned about Andromeda's lack of response to her speech. "You're right, Nymphadora. I can't say that I'm completely pleased with your choice of a husband or your timing, or that I ever will be, but I have been unfair. I did always want you to find someone that you could love enough to know that you could face the entire world as long as you stayed together. You seem to have that now, and I will try to get to know and accept Lu- Remus."

Tonks beamed. "Thank you, Mum. It means a lot to hear you say that. I wouldn't have changed my mind if you refused, but I want us to remain close." She wondered what had caused her mother's change of heart, but she didn't care; she was simply glad for whatever had.

"I do, too. I do, too." Andromeda and Tonks embraced in a more genuine way than they had in months. Then, they finally got down to the business of settling the details of the wedding.

A/N: The review bribe for this chapter is: a Remus to come and have dinner with you and your parents.