A Change of Perspective.

Chapter 21:

Remus woke. The ground underneath him was wet. He shivered from the cold. His whole body hurt. Slowly he pushed himself up so that he was sitting. He didn't know where he was, just that he was in the forests near his shack. The forest was dense here. He could barely see the morning sun through the trees.

Standing, Remus was glad to find that he still had enough of his pants left to keep him decent. No shoes, that was normal. As he took a few cautious steps on his bare feet, pain shot through his shoulder. It was covered in blood. Being a werewolf was not easy.

It was noon before Remus made it home. He sat on the edge of the bath using well learned healing charms on his shredded feet. He hoped that Tonks could help him with his shoulder that night.

After a warm shower, Remus sat down to rest with a sandwich and the Daily Prophet. He nearly dropped his sandwich when he unrolled his newspaper. There looking at him, was Dolores Umbridge. The story that followed was enough to put him off his food.

How could the Ministry have forced themselves into Hogwarts so completely. As long as Dumbledore was there, thought Remus. But he couldn't shake the feeling that things were going to get a lot worse.

Feeling disheartened, Remus moved his sore body on to his bed and fell into an uneven sleep.

Tonks had walked into Remus' Shack about an hour ago. She was only now looking at his shoulder. Her eyes where puffy and red from her tears. Remus watched them as she placed a healing charm over his shoulder. He still didn't know what to say to her.

"Umbridge is Horrible." Tonks said suddenly.

"It was Umbridge, that wrote the anti-werewolf legislation that was passed a few years back. Would have been worse if she had had her way." Remus said, "Did you meet her today?"

"Yeah, it was because of her that we could apprehend Snape."

"At least now you know why you had to go to work on a Saturday."

"Yeah so there would be less people around to see what we did."

Remus grabbed hold of Tonks hand. "You had no part in it. Don't think you're to blame."

"Your shoulder's better." Tonks returned the grasp on Remus hand.

Slowly Remus pulled his shirt and jumper on. "How about we go get some take out?"

"Sounds good. There's a great curry joint round the corner from the headquarters?" Tonks supplied.

"Ah, I know one." Remus suddenly thought of Sirius; he hadn't seen him for at least three days. "Do you think we should get enough for Sirius?"

"Great plan."

Amazingly Tonks made it down the Hallway without waking Mrs. Black, less amazing was the stale alcohol smell that welcomed them in the kitchen. Sitting at the large wooden table, surrounded with empty bottles was a barely conscious Sirius.

"Perhaps we should not have come. It appears you're having a pretty good party by yourself, Sirius." Remus said. He put down the take out bags as Tonks pulled plates out.

Sirius looked over at them with his blurry eyes. "Nnno one assed you's 'ere!" Sirius yelled.

Tonks dropped all three plates, quickly she waved her wand and the plates reformed themselves and landed softly on the table. "Did you drink all those bottles?" Tonks asked.

"Fork off!" Sirius slurred. "Leaveee the foooo."

"When did you start this drinking session?" Remus asked as he began to clear away the empty bottles.

"Lasssst night."

"Last night! When 'last night'?"

"Affffterr I … err … I … err … tallked toooo 'Arey."

"You talked to Harry last night. How?" Remus guessed he had used the flue network, but Sirius might have done something more stupid.

"He'sss not James." Sirius's voice croaked not just with drunkenness, but with emotion.

Remus sat down next to his friend. He put his hand down on his shoulder. "James is gone, and no matter how much Harry is like him, Harry can never replace James."

Sirius moved his hand over his mouth, covering his trembling lip. His eyes glistened with restrained tears. Remus took a deep breath. He wasn't sure he could handle both his girlfriend and his best friend losing it emotionally, on the same evening.

"Hungry?" Asked Tonks from across the table. She pushed two full plates of food over to the two friends.

Amazingly Sirius laughed. "Yeah. I'mm starvvvving."

"Is there any left of - well whatever your drinking?" Tonks stood up and moved towards the cellar door.

"Hmmm. It's a hommme Brewww." mubbled Sirius. "Errr… low shef."

"Found it." called Tonks.

"Dora, can you get me one?" asked Remus a little stunned at the turn of events.

"Dooorrra!" Sirius began to laugh.

"Not now that you called me that in front of Sirius." Tonks said as she remerged from the cellar, two bottles in her hand despite what she said.

Sirius shoveled food into his mouth, barely chewing. Remus looked over at Tonks, and as she passed him a bottle of the home brew, she gave him a smile that didn't quite meet her sad eyes.

It wasn't long after dinner that Sirius was fast asleep, head on the table. Remus moved so that he sat next to Tonks. He put his arm around her waist, and with his free hand he swept away a lock of hair from her eyes, he gazed in to them wishing he could take the sadness away.

"I'm sorry. I fear this outing did little to lighten your mood." Remus said softly.

Tonks rested her head on Remus' shoulder. "It's alright really. It took my mind off things, gave me a bit of perspective."

"Perspective, how so?"

"You, Sirius, even Snape, you've all lived through this already. You've all lost so much. But you all see that there is still so much to save. Snape sat thought a beating today, just to fight for the cause. As for Sirius, he's going stir crazy just for the chance to do something, anything. And you've turned the Order into your whole life."

"We'll lose more before this is all over." Remus tightened his grip around Tonks waist.

"I know. But that's why we fight, if we do nothing we will lose everything."

"Your parents didn't fight and they lost nothing."

Tonks stiffened in Remus arms. "They fought a different fight. And lost everything but each other."

"You consider being ex-communicated from the Black family a loss?"

Tonks sat up straight and pulled away from Remus. "No matter what they were they were her family. The loss of that support, that love, that respect. It was a lot for my mother to face without standing up to fight against them."

"Sorry. Years of hearing Sirius say that the Black family was no loss to him. I just never thought of it that way." Remus reached out his hand to Tonks. She let him take it.

"You're forgiven. Besides I don't think it's the people that she misses, it's the idea of parents. Does that make sense?"

"I think I know what you mean. As if she misses the idea that parents are infallible, people to imitated. It was giving up that childlike idea that your parents have it all together. Is that what you mean?"

"Yeah"

Tonks rested her head back down on Remus shoulder and together they sat in silent contemplation on the things that they had already given up.

A/N: Hey guys, so here is a little Christnmas gift for you! Tell me what you think?? And have a Happy Holiday season!