Chapter 19 – Forgetful Moon, Innocent Man
Before she left, Tonks took one last glimpse at Remus once she reached the stairs. Turning around, her eyes immediately met with his, as if they'd been waiting to meet the entire time. Gentle soft blue met mysterious dark green and for that moment, Tonks wished time could have stopped. Looking into his eyes, Tonks felt that there was more between them than simple friendship, much more. But she didn't dare to wish for too much. To Tonks, she didn't dare hope for more, being as young and reckless as she was. She thought Remus would want someone more mature, more caring. Tonks took a soft breath and smiled at him once, a gentle, barely there smile. His lips quirked upwards as well and after she memorized his kind smile inside her mind, Tonks finally turned around and descended the stairs. She passed through the foggy barrier that separated Remus from the rest and couldn't help but turn around. She saw Sirius' back to her as he bent over, seeming to help Remus with something. She could faintly see his face through the foggy barrier and was so tempted to step back through to him.
She'd seen him transform once before, but she knew it was nowhere near as painful as what he was about to go through. As she took the last few steps down to the landing below, Tonks' heart throbbed and pained when she heard a low groan. That was Remus, trying to hold back his scream with as much dignity as he could muster, she knew. Her eyes snapped shut as she stood on the last step of the stairs. She wanted to pull herself away, to detach herself from the world for a moment just so she didn't have to hear him scream. But it didn't happen and the low, painful groans turned into a loud shriek of pain. Soon that shriek turned back into a low groan, a growl, and Tonks knew that the transformation was over.
"He'll be alright," Tonks reminded herself and took a deep breath.
Inside what seemed to be the living room that was literally falling apart of the Shrieking Shack, Tonks could see that Lexi had already set up a heating charm around the shack, downstairs and up. She sighed and walked over to them. Suddenly, a bright flash of white light caught her eyes from outside the window and without a word, Tonks immediately rushed over to check. She looked outside to the dark surroundings. All she saw was grass and some low shrubs.
"What's wrong Tonks?" Alexis asked, standing up and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come on, he'll be fine," she spoke softly.
Tonks nodded. "I know he'll be," she sighed. "I just thought I saw a flash of white light."
"Something touched the barrier, that's what caused the white light. But it may just be some small animal. I warded the whole place off here and a little bit off the landing too. No one's going to get in or out until sunrise. We'll worry about it then," Lexi spoke to her cousin.
"Is…is Professor Lupin going to be alright transforming in his current condition?" Hermione's voice asked softly.
She patted Lexi's hand on her shoulder and turned to face the others. Tonks saw that Ron and Hermione were seated beside the cold mantle while Harry stood beside the rat cage containing Peter Pettigrew, in the middle of the room to face Tonks. Snape was seated in the far corner on a collapsed armchair, looking at her with a gaze softer than his usual sneering eyes.
"The transformation had stopped," Tonks took a breath and spoke. "I told Sirius to come down immediately if something's wrong. Remus, Professor Lupin will be fine."
"Is it wise to leave Lupin alone up there?" Snape asked from where he sat.
"I've set it so that the orb there will pulse waves of blue light if Remus' injuries become a worry," Alexis explained, gesturing to one of the two orbs floating above them, emanating a faint light that casted a dreary glow over the cold room. "Curious things from the Department of Mysteries," she managed a small smirk.
"B…but this place is haunted. Will Professor Lupin be alright up there alone once Sirius comes down?" Ron asked, looking around with fear in the mixture of emotions in his eyes.
"This place was never haunted," Tonks explained as her cousin and she sat down on the barely stable settee by the window. "Remus told me that the shack had been built because he came to Hogwarts. It was built for his use," she spoke softly. "Every month during the full moon, he would come here to transform. Back then they didn't have the wolfsbane potion. It hadn't been invented yet. So here, he'd ward off the shack with Dumbledore's help and transform. He'd scratch and bite himself out of frustration…and his shrieks were heard by the residents of Hogsmeade. So this became the haunted Shrieking Shack."
"Oh my god," Hermione gasped, covering her mouth, looking like she was about to cry.
"Poor Lupin," Ron spoke.
"You'll be glad to know Harry," Sirius' voice suddenly sounded. "That it was your father's idea to promote the thought that this shack was haunted. He was the creative mind behind all the silly ghost stories of this place," he smiled and walked over to them. Sirius smiled in return to Harry's soft grin and then he turned to Tonks. "He's fine little cuz. He's a bit sore and irritated because he's bloody bleeding everywhere, but he's fine. I tried closing some of the wounds too," he smiled and hugged her tightly. "I left my cloak up there with him to keep him warm. Don't worry," he assured her.
Tonks' arms tightened around Sirius' still boney frame and she took a deep breath, speaking into his shoulder. "Thank you Sirius," she breathed.
"No problem Nymphie," he smiled and patted her back. "He's my best friend too."
"Padfoot, we have the orbs to monitor him but do you think you can go up and check on Remus in your animagus form every hour?" Alexis asked, giving Tonks and Sirius a pat.
He looked up to his other cousin, one who had close resemblance to him, and grinned. "My animagus form has a name. His name is Snuffles, and Snuffles would love to help."
Tonks managed an airy laugh. "Thanks Snuffles," she smiled.
"You're welcome cuz," he hugged her again, briefly and then turned to give Alexis a hug too, apparently just for the heck of it. Then Sirius turned back to look at the three kids and Severus Snape who were watching the little family. "You all must be freezing," he spoke and used his wand to start a small fire under the mantelpiece. Sirius then glanced at Peter and narrowed his eyes at the rat. "I'm awfully tempted to roast him," he mumbled. "So…I guess we're all trapped here until morning," he pulled away from the rat and looked around the room, clasping his hands together with a smile on his face. "We might as well get to know each other."
"Leave me out of this Black. I already know enough," Snape spoke up.
"Which Black are you speaking to Snivelly?" Sirius teased, giving Alexis a playful push.
"Give it a break Padfoot," Tonks sighed and smiled a bit wider.
"You might as well kill me now if I have to spend a night with you," Snape retorted.
"Why so bitter Snivelly?" Sirius teased, grinning at Harry who returned with a grin too.
"People change Black, but apparently not you. You're still as immature as ever I see."
"At least he didn't call you a complete and utter git," Alexis smirked.
"Whose side are you on Lexi?" Sirius turned to her.
"I'm not on anyone's side," she laughed. "Yes Severus is downright dreary, but you're pretty annoying too Padfoot."
Sirius gasped dramatically and gripped his heart, feigning a dramatic cry. That caused Hermione and Ron to laugh and Tonks to laugh out loud at his reaction. Alexis smirked and for a moment, she swore she saw a ghost of a smile on Snape's face.
"I disown you," Sirius teased and stuck his tongue out at Lexi.
"But Paddy, you were disowned before her. How can you do that now?" Tonks grinned.
"Oh bloody hell please don't call me Paddy," Sirius pleaded and Harry laughed.
"It's a rather suitable name for you Black. Makes you sound like a little girl," Snape teased. That definitely surprised his students and former students. Tonks couldn't help but laugh loudly again and Alexis smirked mischievously, finding out exactly which buttons to press with these men. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were having a hard time stifling their laugh as they realized that the dreary old potions master is actually quite human too and can manage a joke.
"I plead you to keep your abnormally large nose out of other people's business Snivelly."
"Oh for Merlin's sake, I know you dislike each other but…" Tonks began.
"Hate," Snape corrected.
"Despise is more like it," Sirius added.
"Tonksie this is going to be a long night," Alexis sighed.
"Right you are Lexi. And stop bloody calling me Tonksie, and you too with the Nymphie," Tonks replied, mock glaring at her two cousins while Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat back, laughing. They were surprised to see that Snape wasn't as cold anymore. Perhaps his impression of Sirius has changed?
Harry couldn't take his eyes off of Sirius, now clearly seeing all the differences between the man in front of him and the man he'd seen in the many wanted posters. Sirius didn't look as mad. And around his family, beside Alexis and Tonks, Sirius looked like a worn and tired man who needed a good night's sleep. Harry continued to look at the man intently, looking at his godfather and slowly developing a feeling of comfort around him. Sirius noticed that Harry was staring at him and turned to the boy. He smiled kindly at Harry who responded back with a genuine and almost shy smile of his own.
Their footsteps cascaded the soft white snow on the ground. From the night sky, soft snow continued to fall to the ground. Silvia rolled her eyes and pulled her robes tighter around her small frame. She thought she could finally take a break from work after her patrol with Augustus Rookwood. The Unspeakable was bound to secrecy with his work, but any chance he got with silly gossip, he'd spread it with lightning speed. Silvia couldn't stand hearing any more of his news. But after her patrol had finished, she was dragged out again, that time by Moody.
"Great. At least I don't have to hear pointless gossip anymore. But Mad-Eye tends to grumble…shit." She brushed the snow off her shoulders as she continued walking. "Why are we out here?" Silvia asked and drew a sharp breath trying to keep up with Moody. He suddenly pulled her down, hiding behind a bush. "What the hell Mad-Eye?"
"Hush," he commanded. "You didn't think I was going to let Nymphadora and Alexis handle a feral werewolf all by themselves did you? Even if it is Lupin," he grunted, pushing aside several branches of the shrub to get a better view of the shack.
"Come on," she sighed and rolled her eyes again. "You said so yourself that we shouldn't underestimate them. Not to mention they're working as a team. They never fail as a team."
"You can't be too careful. Constant vigilance Silvia, always keep constant vigilance."
"Merlin's beard," she sighed. "Wait…is that…is that Severus?" she asked.
They both looked closer, trying to make out what they could see from the large open window on the bottom landing of the shack. Both Silvia and Moody were able to see a tall man, dressed entirely in black with greasy looking hair and a large Roman nose. The man really was Severus Snape. She was sure of it after a moment of looking at him.
"What the bloody hell is Severus doing there?" Moody grunted, his eye spinning madly.
She leaned forward and pushed a few more branches aside. Soon she saw Alexis standing up from beside the window, her pretty face marred with dirt wearing a melancholy expression. "There's Alexis," Silvia nodded. Following behind Alexis were three others, students since they were a tiny bit shorter than the pixie-like Unspeakable. She spotted a boy with flaming red hair wearing a brown knit sweater, a girl with bushy brown hair in a pale pink muggle sweatshirt, and finally she saw a boy with glasses and unruly black hair in a navy blue sweatshirt. "Bloody hell."
"Potter," Moody growled and immediately got up, clonking quickly towards the shack.
"What are they doing?" Silvia asked, following after Moody. "Mad-Eye!" she called after him in a hushed whisper as he was suddenly pushed back by the protection barrier the girls had set up. When his body came in direct contact with the barrier, there was a flash of white light and he fell back to the ground. It must have been something even Moody couldn't counter. "Get back! Tonks might have seen us!" Silvia spoke, pulling him back just as she saw a flash of bright, bubblegum pink approach the window.
"What the bloody hell are Potter and his friends doing?" Moody growled, irritated.
Silvia let out a sigh as Tonks turned back away from the window, sitting on the settee beside Alexis, her back to them. "I guess the rumors were true," Silvia spoke. "Harry really has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"How are Nymphadora and Alexis going to handle a feral werewolf while keeping three kids safe at the same time?" Moody growled. "And still what the hell is Severus doing there?"
"Mad-Eye…Mad-Eye look!" Silvia pointed just as they saw a lanky man appear.
The man had a small, comforting smile on his face. He had raven black hair the same color as Alexis, however his were curled and framing his face with an untrimmed beard. He wore a tattered prison uniform and his chest revealed many tattoos from the infamous cell.
"Black!" Moody growled louder. He was really mad now. "Nymphadora…"
"Wait, sit down will you?" Silvia urged and pulled him back down behind the bush. "Look, he's hugging her," she pointed as Sirius wrapped his arms around Tonks. "They're friendly with each other. And look, he just smiled at Harry."
"Constant vigilance! He's just tricking them! I can't believe Nymphadora and Alexis would allow him to walk about like that, with a wand!" Moody growled as Sirius used his wand to start a fire within the room. "Wait till I get my hands on them."
"There's nothing we can do right now," Silvia groaned. "Alexis and Tonks really outdid themselves with this protection barrier. No one's coming in or out. And look, it seems Black's friendly with them. They're laughing together. Even Snape is talking to them…look, look, look!" she shouted excitedly. "Did you see that ghost of a smile of Severus' face? Maybe we should sit still and see what's going on. Can you hear what they're saying?"
She heard Moody grumble something incoherent and rolled her eyes. "I'll be able to hear what they're saying if you be quiet," he spoke, turning and his mechanical eye making an odd sound as it spun in its socket.
"This is going to be a bloody long night," Silvia thought and groaned inwardly.
Soft, ember lights cascaded the small and disarrayed living room of the Shrieking Shack. The small fire danced under the chimney, bringing soft warmth that radiated throughout the room. Closest to the fire was Sirius who gave Harry, his godson, a kind smile as the boy finished a story of what had happened to him in his first and second year at Hogwarts. Hermione sat beside Ron and Tonks who were in awe watching Alexis down another bottle of whiskey without stopping. Sirius and Harry soon joined, their eyes holding looks of awe and wonder as well. Severus Snape seemed to have fallen asleep in the collapsed armchair, looking peaceful and less dreary in his sleep. Lexi handed Sirius a half empty bottle of firewhiskey with a wide grin on her face as she sat down beside Tonks, nearly toppling onto her cousin.
"Lexi you're the only person I know who can down two and a half bottles of firewhiskey in one take," Sirius laughed, his laughter sounding much like a bark. "That's my little cousin."
"Didn't you know Padfoot?" Tonks teased. "Drinking's in our blood. Lexi's the best drinker in the entire school when we were still at Hogwarts. Look she's not even drunk now."
"Maybe," Alexis hiccupped. "Or I'm just a real good actress. Who wants to finish this?"
"I do," Harry and Ron announced together.
Sirius shot his godson a questioning glance, narrowing his eyes. Tonks smirked when she saw Harry grin at his godfather and she had a feeling she'd know what Sirius was going to say next. "Fine," Sirius sighed, not putting up much of a fight. "We'll pretend you're old enough."
"Yes," Harry grinned as Lexi handed him the half empty bottle and he shared it with his friends. "Do you want to try some Hermione?" he asked when the girl shot him a look.
"You and Ron don't go much by the rules do you?" Hermione sighed.
"Well you have no room to talk," Ron replied and handed her the bottle after he took a large gulp, making an odd face as the whiskey burned his throat. He smirked when Hermione took the bottle and tried a small sip.
"While you people allow the kids to be exposed to terrible influences like us," Lexi smirked. "I'm going to go to sleep. Good night."
"Is Lexi…really so lazy?" Sirius laughed and pulled a winter cloak over his cousin.
"She's the laziest Unspeakable I've ever met," Tonks sighed.
"You never told us what an Unspeakable is," Harry spoke up. "What do they do?"
"I know what they are," Ron spoke with wide eyes. "My dad told me about them. He said they work for the Department of Mysteries. Their work is very secretive, said to be the most confidential information of the Ministry. He said most Unspeakables aren't very talkative people. Some are just downright dreary like him," he spoke, gesturing to Snape as the others laughed.
"But Lexi doesn't seem like she'd be an Unspeakable," Hermione spoke. "She's too…"
"Too sociable?" Tonks laughed. "Yeah it seems odd, but she actually knows when to keep her mouth shut. My cousin's very complicated. And you've never seen her at work. She has a lot of respect from the other Unspeakables. A bit odd if you ask me. It's as if they're all afraid of her, like she's their supervisor or something."
"That's Lexi for you," Sirius smiled. "What about you Tonks? How's being an auror?"
"My job's more fun," Tonks smirked. "I get to hunt down dark wizards."
"Weren't you trained under Alastor Moody?" Hermione asked. "I've read about him, how he's one of the best aurors there is and he only ever accepted one student. That's you."
"Blimey Hermione," Tonks smiled. "You're a brilliant witch," she complemented as Hermione smiled shyly. "Yeah the old codger trained me. Paranoid he is, always screaming constant vigilance in our faces. We all get heart attacks thanks to him. But Mad-Eye's a good mentor. Taught me everything I know and even helped me out pretty often too."
"I want to become an auror," Harry smiled. "Aurors catch dark wizards, right?"
"It might be a bit early for you to think about your future career choice already kiddo," Sirius laughed. "But being an auror is a good job. That's what I wanted to be too, and your dad."
"Don't think it's all fun and games," Tonks warned them. "Most of the time you're stuck in an office cubicle, writing reports until your hands fall off."
"Aren't aurors supposed to oppose werewolves?" Ron suddenly asked.
"Yes, but only if they're feral and dangerous. Professor Lupin is not feral, or dangerous. In fact, a reckless auror like me is more dangerous than he is," Tonks smiled.
"Sirius how did you and my dad discover Professor Lupin's secret?" Harry wondered.
"I admit, it was mostly your father," Sirius explained. "He was the first one who noticed that Remus always looked ill and we kind of felt bad for him. Remus was real nice you know, he'd help us with our homework and he'd catch us causing mischief all the time, but he never told on us. So we liked him. Your father felt bad when Remus kept sitting alone and seemed too shy to talk to anybody. So we hung out with him and soon he began to open up. Remus is just like any other man, it just takes him a while to trust someone," Sirius smirked and winked to Tonks. "Hanging out with him, we soon pieced it together that he's a werewolf, so we helped him out," Sirius grinned. "Turns out that Moony was a real Marauder after all. He may seem shy and friendly, but his secret Marauder side still exists. In fact, he came up with some of the most brilliant plans and we never got caught. And Prongs and I made sure to instill a sense of dark humor in Moony," Sirius grinned proudly, turning to Tonks again.
"And Tonks how did you and Lexi know about Professor Lupin's secret?" Harry asked.
"Yes Tonks," Sirius grinned. "Lexi never told me how you knew."
"It was that night during the Full Moon Festival," Tonks explained, turning to Hermione and Ron. "When the Weasleys dared me to go into the Shrieking Shack. I walked in after Remus sealed all the wards, and I was trapped there until sunrise. I saw him transform and everything. To be honest, at first I was terrified, had no idea what was going on. But spending the night with him, turned out he was still nice and kind as a werewolf," Tonks smiled towards the end.
"Seems like someone fancies my dear old friend Moony," Sirius smirked.
Tonks chose to ignore his comment, even when Harry, Ron, and Hermione too were smirking at her. "Think whatever you want," she commented, morphing away her blush.
"Sirius," Hermione began. "How are you related to Tonks and Lexi exactly? They helped you right away when they caught you correct? Wouldn't it harm your jobs?" she asked Tonks.
"Lexi and I knew perfectly well that we could lose our jobs for helping Sirius," Tonks replied in an uncharacteristically serious voice. "We knew that if we somehow messed up, not only will we lose our jobs, but we might end up joining him in Azkaban too."
"So why'd you do it?" Sirius asked softly for even he didn't know why they helped him.
"Because you're our cousin Padfoot," Tonks replied simply and Sirius smiled.
"Cousins?" Harry asked. "I thought you were brother and sisters or something. You seemed…seemed closer than cousins. My cousin Dudley, he'd never do anything for me."
"We all have something wrong with our family Harry," Sirius smiled. He then turned to Tonks and looked down at a soundly asleep Alexis. "You may not get along too well with your pig of a cousin, but to me, my cousins are all I have."
"Our family is rather…messed up," Tonks explained to the kids who had bemused looks. "As you know, we're from the Black family, Lexi and Sirius more than me. My aunt is Bellatrix Lestrange and she tortured my mother, her own sister for marrying a muggle, my dad. So, sisters are out of the picture. And Bellatrix Lestrange killed Lexi's parents. Lexi's father was my mum's favorite brother. He was a bit…loony but brilliant. It destroyed her when her own sister killed her brother," Tonks spoke as Hermione gasped and covered her mouth. "And Sirius…"
"My mother hated me," Sirius spoke conversationally. "My father, I never really knew him. He died before I really got around to getting to know him. My brother Regulus, we grew apart after he came to Hogwarts. I'd say Remus is closer a brother to me than my own brother. Our family is obsessed with blood purity, and that caused them to be so deranged. I think Ron here might have heard how the Black family is one of the biggest supporters of Voldemort."
"Yeah, my dad told me about them," Ron nodded. "But you aren't like them."
"Guess we're all black sheep of the Black family," Sirius smirked. "Speaking of black sheep, when can I see Andromeda again?"
"I don't know but my guess is most likely after your trial," Tonks replied.
"And Harry," Sirius smiled. "You know…if you'd like…since I'm your godfather you could…well maybe you could come stay with me now and again if you wanted a different home," he suggested rather shyly and softly.
"You mean I can come and live with you?" Harry asked eager with a smile on his face.
Sirius nodded. "If you ever wanted a different home you could…"
"That's brilliant! I'd come with you in a heartbeat!" he grinned.
"But after things settle down first," Sirius smiled and he turned to look at Tonks who has a smile on her face as well. "Right after the trial, I think I'll still have to stay with my cousins for a while. It'd be unfair to ask them to let me freeload already."
"We don't mind," Tonks spoke up. "The more the merrier. Besides, you may not know this, but Lexi and I get paid pretty well with our jobs. My vault is empty, but Lexi's filthy stinkin' rich," she grinned. "We can afford to have two more family members living with us."
"Now you can finally get away from your aunt and uncle, Harry," Hermione smiled.
"Yeah," Harry nodded happily. "Tonks do you think I can come live…"
"No more questions, you're welcome whenever," Tonks smiled.
"What about Lexi?" Harry asked, gesturing to the sleeping girl beside Tonks and Sirius.
"She wouldn't mind either, as long as you don't go into her office," Tonks smiled. "There are things in her office that could be lethal if you don't know what you're doing," she warned in a dramatic whisper, smirking when she saw the curious glint in Harry's eyes.
"You know he'd be tempted to probe," Sirius spoke and pushed her playfully. "Harry's just like his father. You do know that?" he asked the boy. "You look just like James but…"
"I've got my mother's eyes," Harry smiled. "Professor Lupin told me."
"Figures, sentimental Moony," Sirius scoffed. "But with all honesty Tonks, don't tempt him into doing something that could hurt him. Who knows what an Unspeakable would have in her office. If I lose my godson I'm going to come to you and demand another one," Sirius spoke.
"How will I give you another godson?" Tonks retorted as Harry, Ron, and Hermione laughed together, watching the two cousins tease each other.
"Oh I don't know maybe you and Moony can create metamorphmagi werewolf babies and make me the godfather," Sirius teased innocently. "And Harry can be the god brother."
"Sirius I am going to kill you," Tonks growled at him, her cheeks blushing mad.
Sirius laughed, his laughter sounding more like a bark of amusement as he broke out into fits of humorous hysteria. Harry leaned back, laughing softly as he watched the lanky man laugh freely. It must be doing Sirius some good, having more and more reasons to laugh and smile after escaping from a place as terrible as Azkaban.
Her eyes opened to stare at a dark and empty ceiling with little light showing through. Tonks turned and rolled over to her side, groaning softly. She must have fallen asleep a little while ago. Slowly she pushed herself up, looking around in the now dark room. The fire had gone out, but luckily the heating charm was still active around them. Everyone else had fallen asleep it seemed, Hermione with her head on Ron's shoulder while the red haired boy slept with his mouth hanging ajar. Harry was curled up in a corner beside Sirius. Snape was still as a statue in the collapsed armchair, and Alexis was still in the same position, sound asleep. Tonks yawned and looked outside. The moon was still high against the dark horizon, casting a silvery glow over the land and into the shack.
"No one's probably checked on Remus yet." It was the first thought that registered in her still foggy, still sleepy mind.
Tonks stretched slightly as she pushed herself up onto her feet, being careful to take slow and cautious steps out of the living room and up the stairs to the second landing. The old shack was creaking and squeaking under her feet and every step she took made her sleepy mind dizzy as she felt like the shack was swaying side to side. No matter, she still made it up to the second landing safely and quietly. Tonks stopped short in front of the foggy white barrier that separated Remus' area from theirs. She didn't know exactly how well Alexis warded off the place, but Tonks was sure that even as a human, she could at least take a look at Remus and not stir him to growl or try to attack her.
Only faintly could she see through the foggy, wispy veil that was the barrier. Inside she could see the figure of Remus' wolf, lying on his stomach with his muzzle rested on his front legs. His eyes were open however. She could faintly see the golden amber eyes that had replaced those gentle and soft blue ones of his. Wanting a better look, Tonks moved a little closer. She stumbled as she shifted over and her hand briefly glided into the barrier, causing ripples to pulse through it. Tonks quickly pulled her hand back. The barrier felt like a wall of water on her hand and though her hand wasn't wet, it felt as if she'd just pulled her hand out of water.
She held her breath when Remus' head suddenly quirked up. His eyes met hers, even through the veil. Wild amber met soulful dark eyes and the feeling that surged through Tonks' body was very similar to the same one she'd feel whenever her eyes met Remus' blue ones. The werewolf was still Remus after all. Tonks was frozen in her spot, watching as the supposedly feral wolf slowly, tiredly got up on all fours and walked over to her. He took slow but wide steps and in no time, his face was merely a foot away from hers, a wispy veil in between them.
He had a long, jagged cut across his face, still red and visible through all the fur. On his large werewolf body she could see more wounds, perhaps his old scars that he caused himself, ones that refused to close. They all looked deep and painful and as he moved, he seemed careful not to touch them and cause himself pain. It was as if even the werewolf part of Remus was tired and worn, done with the painful lifestyle of a feral. This werewolf seemed controlled, even though it wasn't under the influence of wolfsbane. Looking at him, Tonks wondered if the pain and sufferings of the man were reflecting upon the wolf, and the wolf too seemed tired and in need of some care and tenderness. She held her breath, watching and waiting.
"Wotcher Remus," she spoke softly, unsure of what to do or what to say. She didn't even know if he could see her. It could just be a coincidence.
Tonks swore she saw his ear move a slight bit as his eyes widen when he heard her voice. She sat frozen where she was, looking at him. Remus' nose twitched. He looked like he was sniffing her. Tonks wondered what she smelled like to him. She sat still, the palm of her hand barely grazing the foggy barrier that separated them.
Silence…that was all he heard. He heard nothing, saw nothing, and smelled nothing for so long. The werewolf part of Remus, though without the control of wolfsbane, still seemed no different from the other moons with wolfsbane. He was bored, lying there, unable to fall asleep with the many pains running through his body. There were deep gashes on his body and one particularly deep one on his face that still stung, but he'd forced himself to ignore it. His eyes rested lazily on the broken and claw filled wall across from him, waiting for the morning sun to rise so that the man could take over again. The werewolf grew tired of the lifestyle. It didn't want to fight for control or dominance with the man over his body anymore. It simply just wanted to rest, or find a warm place to cuddle up to. After all, it was only an animal. Animals have feelings too. Though those feelings and thoughts are much simpler than humans, they still exist.
The noise came to his ears like a sudden strike of thunder. He grew so used to the silence that when he heard the noise of someone shifting softly, his head suddenly perked up. His eyes looked around quickly and fell on the wispy veil like wall just a bit outside of the doorway. He could see a figure on the other side, but he couldn't recognize what exactly the figure looked like. So he slowly got up on his all fours and walked over, taking slow, cautious steps in case he was attacked. The wolf came to the veil, his amber eyes falling upon the face of a girl.
Immediately he recognized the pink hair, and the pale, heart shaped face of the girl. He knew her. Or at least, the man knew her. The werewolf didn't move for a moment. He stood and watched her. She looked at him with soft, trusting eyes. He recognized those eyes too, at least the man would. He remembered the man had fallen in love with those eyes. The werewolf leaned in a little closer, feeling entranced by the mysterious dark green eyes of the girl with pink hair. She seemed harmless. She didn't want to harm him. And the unspoken law of nature said that if she doesn't hurt him, he wouldn't hurt her. The werewolf lowered his body and sat. His muzzle was very close to her. He sniffed her closely.
With one long sniff, he immediately recognized her scent. Her aroma was that of lavender and chamomile with a little bit of violet, a sweet, soothing scent that made his eyes sleepy. He felt like he could let his guard down with her, which he did. He rested his body, his head still perked up to face her. Another sniff and he smelled the scent of new parchment and fresh ink, a very familiar and cozy scent. His nose traveled to where her lips were and he could faintly smell butterbeer, a sweet, sugary scent. All those scents combined to be her scent, the scent of the woman that the werewolf knew the man fell in love with. She was the woman the man loved. The werewolf made sure not to hurt her, respecting the man, for even the wolf was quite fond of her. He could never forget the past two moons, when he fought for dominance over the man, an internal battle, and he came across her. The first time, she hugged him tight and made the wolf back down from the fight for dominance. Her arms around him made him feel warm and the wolf was content with letting the man have control, just as long as he was around this woman. The second time was during the Blood Moon, the Hunter Moon, when the man was weaker. The wolf fought for dominance again and almost won, but during that fight he exposed himself to a hunter and nearly got hurt. The woman, this woman, the one with pink hair and clairvoyant green eyes, helped him. He wouldn't forget that night, how for the first time in his life, he willingly allowed the man control and gave up the fight for dominance. He was content, as long as he was around the girl, and that night the girl curled up asleep in his arms.
"Wotcher Remus," he heard her say in her familiar and soothing voice.
His ears perked up. She was calling the man, but the wolf remembered that it was his name too. He saw that she held her hand up to him, resting her palm on the veil. The veil was transparent to her but it was solid to him. He turned his head to the side, his eyes still on hers however, and he rested his head on the veil that was like a solid wall to him. He could feel her, her warmth on him and he snuggled closer to the solid veil. He felt warm. His ears perked up again when he heard the woman laugh. He's heard that laugh before. The wolf's eyes softened and he closed it, finally able to rest. This woman, he knew this woman. The man called her Nymphadora. The man loves this woman. Even the wolf admitted he was fond of this woman. As he drifted off to sleep in the warmth that radiated off the woman, he wondered if the next time that they meet, the wolf would be able to call her mate.
Morning lights escaped through the cracks and windows of the Shrieking Shack, casting a golden glow across the room and its residents. It was sunrise, or maybe a little bit after and Alexis had just woken up from a very uncomfortable position on the floor. She turned and rolled over, her neck aching from sleeping wrong. She cringed and yawned, opening her eyes slowly to adjust to the morning light.
"Finally someone's awake," she heard a soft voice speak. "I was so bored. Who would have thought it'd be the lazy Unspeakable who's up first," he scoffed.
Alexis sat up and had to take a second glance at her lanky Azkaban escapee cousin. It wasn't everyday you wake up in the middle of the Shrieking Shack, accompanied by an Azkaban escapee, she turned, the boy who lived, a brilliant witch, a Weasley, oh and Severus Snape. And Alexis nearly forgot about her metamorphmagus cousin and the werewolf on the landing above. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, drawing her legs up to her chest and yawning again, shaking her head and adjusting to her rather odd morning and life.
"Morning Padfoot," she spoke through another yawn. "Up so early?"
He crawled over to her. "I think it's because of Azkaban that I can get up early. Never could have a good night's sleep in there. I'm hoping I could get one when we go home."
"We'll be home soon. Why didn't you wake us up if the sun rose already?"
"Well just look at them," he smiled, gesturing his head to the three kids lying close together, asleep on the ground. "They look so peaceful sleeping. And I didn't want to wake Snivellus up, I prefer him asleep too, less dreary you know," he smirked, gesturing to Severus Snape who laid asleep on the collapsed armchair with its stuffing falling out.
"What about Tonksie?"
"Do I look like I have a death wish? Never wake a sleeping auror, even if she is your cousin," Sirius scoffed. "By the way, I don't see Tonks anywhere."
She turned and looked around, spotting no traces of the reckless auror on that landing. "Maybe she's awake already and went to check on Remus. It's a bit past sunrise, he should have transformed back by now," she yawned and pushed herself up.
"Come on let's go check on the lovebirds," Sirius grinned as he helped Alexis to her feet.
The two cousins slowly made their way up the stairs onto the second landing, expecting two very awake shape-shifters waiting for them. However, when they got up there, the sight they saw was a slight bit different. Alexis and Sirius exchanged two very similar smirks, both darkly handsome/beautiful smirks. They looked down and saw Remus who was now in his human form, lying asleep with his head on Tonks' lap, his body snuggled up against her legs. Tonks was sitting with her back resting on the wall while her hands were holding onto Remus, one on his face and the other holding his hand. The two shape-shifters laid right on the dividing line where Alexis remembered she'd set the barrier for last night.
"Look at them," Sirius smiled. "Too bad they won't ever admit their feelings for each other," he sighed and shook his head.
"We shouldn't wake them. Savor the moment you know," Alexis replied.
"Or we could save this moment, and show it to them while we scream 'told you so' in their faces when they're married and happy together," Sirius suggested with a wistful sigh.
"What do you mean cuz?" she asked, looking up and smirking at the mischief in his eyes.
"Well," Sirius began with a mischievous smirk on his face as he took out his wand. "Let cousin Padfoot show you how a real Marauder works," he told her. "Accio camera," he spoke and waved his wand once.
"You know it won't work," she told him as-a-matter-of-factly. "None of us has a camera and you can't just summon one from somewhere in Hogsmeade…" she stopped short when a small, old-fashioned muggle camera suddenly flew towards them from down stairs and landed in Sirius' hand. "Oh my god it worked. How the bloody hell did you do that?" she asked him quickly, sounding like an excited and curious teenager.
"That brilliant Marauder right there," Sirius grinned and pointed to a sleeping Remus who laid beside Tonks with a large winter cloak covering his frail body. "Taught this brilliant Marauder here, how to use the summoning charm in a greater way. I've been keeping myself amused summoning random things from Hogsmeade while you, Nymphie, and Moony were busy at Hogwarts," Sirius explained. "Moony's brilliant. I'm going to enjoy this," he laughed as he held the camera up to his eyes and snapped a picture. A brilliant flash snapped once, but Tonks and Remus were unfazed, still fast asleep, cuddled against each other.
"Maybe we should take a second one, just in case," Lexi smirked and took the camera from Sirius, snapping another photograph. She then opened the camera and took the film out, waving it in Sirius' face once and shoving it into her pocket. "Remind me to get it processed once we're done and out of this mess cuz."
"No problem, as long as you join me in the song and dance when Moony and Tonks gets together," Sirius replied. "Now what do you think we should do? Give them a final push?"
"That wouldn't work. It'd be unnatural if we help them out in their relationship. Since they're practically each other's already, we'll just let them work it out themselves," Alexis told him, crossing her arms as she looked down at her sleeping cousin and friend.
"It's going to take a long, long time cuz, knowing Moony," Sirius sighed.
"I know Tonks. She'll give it a right hard kick in the arse. Now let's go wake the others," Alexis smirked and pulled Sirius away, handing him the camera as they left the sleeping couple be. They took careful and quiet steps down to the landing below and saw that the kids and Severus Snape were just beginning to wake up. Sirius took a deep breath and walked over to the open window, watching as the morning sun rose higher into the sky. He glanced over at Alexis who had picked up Peter's rat cage, the rat still inside and scurrying around like mad. His little cousin was taunting the rat and Sirius couldn't help but smirk. He drew another deep breath, waiting for his freedom to come.
I was trying to add an author's note up there ^^^ but somehow it didn't work for me. My laptop and fanfiction thing is getting glitchy. Anyways, I completely forgot what I initially wanted to say for the Author's Note. So I just want to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting. Thank you! And just a warning I might be slow to update the next chapter because I'm trying to work something out with the plotline. Thanks ^_^