The Worst Possible Scenario

He was running.

He was running for his life.

Not even only for his own, but for hers in the first place.

3 Minutes before…

He and Sirius were sitting in the library, bored out of their minds. The day had been duty-free in his case and uneventful in both their cases. Tonks had just left for her apartment, after paying a brief visit in between shifts at he Ministry.

She had looked tired, even paler than usual and he had thought she'd looked like he felt.

So their sat in library, unenthusiastically flipping through books and though not seeing anything.

And then a shout ripped them from their stupors.

"Sirius! Sirius!"

They both looked up simultaneously, horror-stricken and white-faced.

Scrambling to their feet they raced up the stairs and burst into the room where Harry and Ron had slept only a few weeks ago.

The picture frame on the ugly wall featured a grey bearded and black-and-green robed wizard.

"Is Nymphadora Tonks here?" Phineas Nigellus Black asked hurriedly.

Their hearts sank.

"No." Sirius gasped.

"Bring her back! Severus's just been told about an attack-"

Remus Lupin never heard the end of the sentence. He already dashed down the stairs and out of the front door of #12, Grimmauld Place. He almost fell down the steps and apparated hurriedly around the corner from where she lived. He started running, praying to Merlin that she had not yet reached her apartment.

The sun was just setting and Remus' only thought was 'Don't let her die.'.

He was ery much out of breath but he kept on running. Halfway to Tonks' apartment, he pulled out his wand and sent his patronus to find her.

It was faster.

So when he turned into the street where Tonks' apartment was, he saw the Dark Mark hovering above her building, which had somehow, apparently, been blown apart.

He would never be able to find words to describe the feeling of dread that possessed him in this instant.

He was too late.

He heard faint screams and explosions. He saw his patronus, floating between friend and foe and trying to protect her.

'Nymphadora…'

The young Auror stood amidst the poor remains of her home, wand raised high.

Remus started breathing again. His heart resumed beating.

She was alive.

It was two against one, and Tonks was losing.

Remus could see her left arm dangling limply at her side.

He raised his own wand from where he stood a good two hundred meters away, and shot two well aimed Stupors at the Death Eaters.

Tonks Disapparated only to appear one second later at Remus' side, breathindg heavily and bleeding from her shoulder.

She reached out for him but tripped on her own shoelace, falling right into Remus' arms.

He quickly rehearsed the three golden rules of Apparition and they were gone, leaving two stunned Death Eaters behind.

He didn't let go of her even when they were safely back at headquarters…

End.