Chapter Two: So You Thought

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters

The sound of the clock ticking was almost driving her to madness. It had been just over half an hour since Remus had left. Her mother now sat opposite her in an armchair reading a book. She had not spoken to her daughter since the argument. Tonks had expected maybe a few kind, sympathetic words from her, reassurance that her husband would return to her, but there had been none. Not that she'd been particularly fond of Remus anyway, she thought, and her contempt towards her mother grew.

Teddy was awake again. He waved his chubby hands through the air, catching strands of his mother's hair, which had turned from purple to black within the half hour. His large eyes, which searched his mother's face, as though looking for the answer to her grief, reminded her so much of Remus's. If anything happens to me, tell Teddy that his father died fighting! She sighed, and tell him that his mother did nothing to save him? She couldn't bear it; she couldn't bear the thought of it. If Remus was to die tonight, she would die with him.

She stood up and walked over to her mother's armchair. "I'm going to put Teddy to bed and then turn in for the night, okay?" Her mother made no response. Tonks turned and walked up the stairs to the bedroom she shared with her husband and son. "Goodnight." she called behind her. She thought she heard a muffled response, but she knew it was just the wind outside. Once inside the bedroom, she closed the door. Placing Teddy carefully inside his crib, she wrapped his blankets around him tightly so that he wouldn't get cold during the night, and drew the curtains on the window. Then, quietly, she opened the draw of the desk, taking out a thick piece of parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink. She uncapped the ink bottle, knocking it over accidentally and then siphoning the contents back into the bottle with her wand, dipped her quill and wrote:

Teddy Remus Lupin

17 Mulgrove St., Upper Flagley

Yorkshire

Teddy,

Courage is not sacrificing yourself. Courage is not sacrificing the ones you love. Courage is sacrificing both yourself and the ones you love, and still fighting until the very end. Know that, no matter what other people say, your parents died fighting bravely and heroically for the greater good. And know that, no matter who you are, what you are or what you will become, we will always be proud of you. Never give up hope.

N. Tonks and R. Lupin.

She finished the letter and rolled up the parchment. Looking around the room, her gaze fell upon the photos on the dresser. Her and Lupin on their wedding day, surrounded by the rest of the Order of the Phoenix (Guess we won't be able to call you Tonks anymore),in the hospital with a newborn Teddy in her arms, Lupin smiling awkwardly at the camera beside her ("I think he looks like you, Dora."

"No, he has your eyes, Remus."),the entire Order of the Phoenix smiling at the camera, just before Harry's evacuation from Privet Drive, when Mad-Eye was killed…

Carefully, she took the picture of her, Lupin and the newborn Teddy out of its frame and placed it carefully inside the rolled up parchment. She placed the letter in Teddy's crib and put a finger into one of his tiny, open hands. His fist closed tightly around it, as if pleading for her not to go. She pulled her finger from his grip and stood up, blinking away tears and fastening her travelling cloak around her neck. She took one last look at the room she shared with her husband and son. Mother won't find out until morning, when she finds the letter. If I survive, I'll be back by then with Remus. I'll burn the letter and she'll never know. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and disapparated.

**

Remus walked swiftly through the corridors of the castle, followed by the group of fighters that he had been ordered to take down to the grounds. Most of them were from the gang of teenagers calling themselves Dumbledore's Army and were no older than seventeen. They were too eager, like boys going off to war, unaware of the unprecedented danger that would follow. Among them were Dean, Seamus and Neville, students he remembered teaching in their third year, while he was Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.

The corridor through which they were walking was surprisingly empty, and their footsteps seemed too loud to be safe. Shadows appeared at the other end of the corridor; two Death Eaters who were talking loudly as they approached the group. "Get down!" Lupin whispered to the rest of the group. He pressed his back against the wall and whispered instructions to Neville behind him, "Get out of here, all of you. Go quickly and silently, don't let them see you." Neville passed the instructions to the rest of the group as the Death Eaters walked towards them. Seamus lifted his wand and mouthed "Stupe-"

"No!" Lupin whispered, knocking Seamus's wand out of his hand. "You'll give away our position."

The two Death Eaters, who were now recognizable as Yaxley and Macnair, had stopped not two metres away from Lupin. A low woman's voice came from the other end of the corridor. Bellatrix Lestrange had blocked their only exit. The only way to survive now was to fight. Bellatrix laughed – a cold, cruel sound, "Remus Lupin? Here, at the castle? He should be home with his wife, that disgusting little niece of mine!" Lupin remembered Tonks's words all those months ago, "She wants me quite as much as she wants Harry, Remus, she tried very hard to kill me."

His feeling of guilt was almost completely lost. He was so glad that she was safe right now.