Author's Note: First, I changed the rating to T by demand (probably should have been T to begin with). Secondly, sorry for making you wait. I updated as soon as another idea came up in my head, but I'm sure that my recent problem with shampoo might have slightly scrubbed my brain as well. Thus, I do not hold myself accountable on this week's delay. I hope you don't either… But, whatever you think please let me know: flame or review!

Disclaimer: Simply having a disclaimer kind of gets the idea across that I'm not claiming ownership to this, doesn't it?

Wailing

If her life were a storybook, Nymphadora Tonks would have been extremely happy just a page ago. Consequently, the uncontrollable wailing might not have happened at all.

The facts were, however, that Moody was definitely dead, and that she was decidedly crying.

In her head, not five minutes had passed since they'd left Number 4, Privet Drive. Of course, with her history of time-dissociation, she knew better than to trust her internal clock. She could swear she had just stumbled off of her broom and into Lupin's arms, but she was aware that there had been a short lapse of time, during which everyone was filled in on the night's events, before Bill's thestral had landed…

Remus' face instantly changed from worried (or was it angry?) to tragic at the news, and Tonks felt her heart break as they all walked from the yard to the Burrow's living room. Moody was dead… And she felt her insides whimper just one word–

Why?

Yes, Dumbledore was dead, but he had had a target on his back since long ago. Yes, Harry was basically born under Voldemort's attacks, but he had survived the dark wizard every single time. So why did Moody have to die? What had he done other than–
"–Mundungus disappeared?"

She held back a colorful array of curses after hearing Remus' question, focusing all her energy in trying to compress the handkerchief in her hand into a string. That bast–
"–But Mundungus couldn't have betrayed us." – She faintly heard Bill say.

She didn't need to know his reasons for that assertion. Merlin, why should she, if she hadn't even been listening to him in the first place? All she needed to know was that Mundungus wasn't dead while Moody was…

But why?

Why did Dung deserve to live more than Moody did? He was a petty thief, nothing more, not a great Auror who had made "Constant Vigilance!" his life's motto, and keeping wands out of back pockets his crusade. He wasn't the man who had noticed she was worth the effort, who had put in the extra hours needed to improve her Stealth and Tracking so she could become an Auror herself. He wasn't the incomparable mentor that had suggested her to Dumbledore as a valuable member of the Order of the Phoenix. He wasn't her teacher; he wasn't dead…

The burning sensation that the firewhisky left in its wake did nothing to reduce the prickling in her eyes, and her mind, which kept repeating that his death was stupid, didn't help. She couldn't avoid thinking like that. If this was indeed a book, whoever had penned when and how Alastor Moody's life would end was an idiot, and deserved to be– Why was Remus standing?!
"Where are you going?"

Tonks noticed the urgency in her voice, but still wondered why it sounded like it had echoed. Then she saw Fleur anxiously looking at Bill and understood: they were going to search for the body. She could see their mouths moving (was Molly also speaking?), but couldn't hear a thing. Was this a new symptom? What else with her was wrong?

In a second, both men set out for their mission, and she felt completely abandoned. Why was Remus always going away? When would they come back? A wave of nervous nausea rushed up her throat, but she tried not to make things worse and controlled herself – it would not do to have her adding to their worries.

Harry, however, seemed to think differently: he was suddenly announcing he was leaving.

Tonks tried to make him stay with a "Mad-Eye wouldn't want–", but he screamed her into silence. She noticed Molly continued attempting to calm him, but she went quiet because she knew it was pointless. If Harry wanted to go, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it, just like she couldn't do anything about Remus' parting…

And, surely enough, the Boy Who Lived walked out the door. She sighed and stared at the floor, wondering how many deaths would be enough. Didn't he see how much everyone wanted him alive? How much they were all willing to risk for him? She had no doubt the whole Order would die for him to survive.

But no one had died for Moody…

Tonks' tears, which hadn't lessened, slightly cooled her warm face. If she kept crying, she knew she'd get a terrible headache. However, it didn't matter to her. Dung might have thought Moody wasn't worth his life, but the barely late Auror was certainly worth her discomfort. He had helped her; she would mourn him. It was that simple.

When Harry came back in, he looked somewhat out of sorts, but no one commented on it. She desperately wanted to talk to him, to explain that she wasn't in this war because she hoped he'd save her – them – everyone. She was on his side because he merely deserved to live, just as Moody had been on her side just because he thought she deserved a chance…

The words died in her throat, though, and she kept her eyes trained on the floor, waiting patiently for Remus until her eyes started to run dry. She thought she would attain some serenity by the time Remus returned, but was forced to tug on her short hair to confirm that she wasn't ill and that it was still bright pink: her husband was back before she expected.

It took her a minute to shift from relief at his well-being to horror at the finality of the situation–

They hadn't recovered Moody's body.

And, before Tonks could feel her silent crying restarting, she noticed she was openly, audibly wailing.

Author's note: On the topic of Tonks' illness, it's not the ague that plagued her in the last chapter what she fears, but what afflicted her in the sixth or seventh chapter of my story "A dog, a nymph and a werewolf" (shameless plug, really…). Since it is possible I will include small details from that fic in the next two chapters of this one, you might want to consider reading the whole thing anyway. Either way, I hope not to delay the next chapter much. Until then, flame or review! Cheers!