They arrived in a small village built beside a great forest.

"So this is Tinworth," Tonks said interestedly. "I always wanted to live in a wizarding village like this when I was a child. It must have been great living here! I don't know why you ever moved into a muggle street."

"Everyone knew what I was around here," Lupin said simply. They pitied me, stared at me, were frightened of me. When I left school I couldn't take it any longer so I moved away. Lets get going," he added. "It's not safe to linger outside for too long these days."
Still holding on to Tonks's hand he began making his way down the main street of the village. They passed a small shop and made a right turn, now walking down a narrower street with houses on either side. Lupin nodded to a wizard wandering up the street dressed in grey robes.

"Son of the church minister," he muttered to Tonks. "Although he has grown up quite a bit since the last time I have seen him. Oh look here we are!"

He had stopped and was now looking up at an old house with dark bricks that were starting to crumble slightly. The house was identical to the rest in the small street apart from the door which was painted a blue colour while the rest were an assortment of colours. The garden was messy and unkempt. The grass looked as if it hadn't been cut in years and was entangled with weeds.

Lupin shook his head sadly. "This used to be a beautiful house you know."

He opened the rusty gate at the side of the path and walked up through the jungle of a garden to the front door which he chapped loudly.

There was shuffling footsteps from inside and the door opened slowly with a creak. An elderly woman was standing there. Her pale skin as white as her dazzling short hair. Her blue eyes were concealed by a pair of old fashioned glasses. Her wrinkled face broke into a delighted smile when she saw her son.

"Remus!" she said softly. "I thought you had forgotten about me."

"Don't be silly mum. I just haven't had time to come and visit. Haven't you been getting the letters I have been sending every few weeks though?" Lupin asked as he pecked his mother on the cheek.

"Yes, but I…" Mrs Lupin broke off as she spotted Tonks standing grinning behind her only child. "And who is this charming young girl?" she asked pleasantly.

"I'm Tonks," Tonks spoke before Lupin got a chance to say anything. "Well Nymphadora really but most people just call me Tonks," she held out her hand which Mrs Lupin gingerly shook.

"Come in, please," Mrs Lupin showed them into the house.

Tonks and Lupin followed her as she made her way slowly down the hall and into a spacious living room.

Mrs Lupin gently lowered herself on to a large comfortable looking armchair leaving the other two to sit together on the flower patterned couch.

"Tonks, the auror?" Mrs Lupin asked once they were seated. "I remember reading about a Tonks in a paper at one time. Would that have been you?"
Tonks looked startled.

"I may be old and my body run down but my memory is in excellent condition," Mrs Lupin said rather smugly.

"Well that's good," Tonks replied as she could clearly think of nothing else to say. "Yes I am an auror so perhaps it was me you read about."

As they spoke Lupin had been gazing around the room with a slightly dreamy look on his face.

"Yes I am sure it was," Mrs Lupin said. "Now to what do I owe this pleasure of a visit from my only son?"

Lupin came out of his dream with a start and turned to look at his mother.

"I've come to tell you that I am getting married," he told her. "To Tonks."

"Oh my, what a surprise!" Mrs Lupin exclaimed. "Why that's wonderful news my boy and you too my dear," she added to Tonks.

Lupin smiled and put his arm around Tonks.

"We are planning on doing it next week," he said. "We are just keeping it quiet."

"Just the way I like it," Lupin's mother smiled. "I'm not one for big celebrations not that you can have any right now with You Know Who and his crowd."

"Yeah about that Mrs Lupin," Tonks said tentatively. "Shouldn't you have some protection up around the house?"

"Tonks is right mum," Lupin agreed. "It isn't safe anymore. Especially here in Tinworth where it's known that wizarding families stay. The Death Eaters could strike any day now."

"Well yes I probably should," Mrs Lupin said matter of factly, "but I can't perform magic the way I used to. Old age is catching up on me. Well you saw the state of the garden out there. I can't even find the energy to sort that out."

"I'll sort it out for you then mum," Lupin offered. "How about I go get the garden looking neat again and then I shall put up some protective spells for you."

"Very well," Mrs Lupin said. "I shall stay here and chat with your charming young fiancée."

It was not until Lupin was out in the garden that Mrs Lupin spoke again.

"He worries too much that boy," she told Tonks. "The Death Eaters are hardly going to want to recruit an old woman like me are they? I'm pureblood too so that should give them a reason not to attack me."

"They don't need a reason to attack," Tonks said quietly.

"Of course they don't but all the same… You Know Who has been back for a few years now and hasn't come anywhere near me has he. I reckon I'll be allright. I'll feel safer now that Remus is adding protection to this place though. Some nights I go to bed and lie awake worrying."

Couldn't you have gotten one of the villagers to help you sort out some protection?" Tonks asked.

"No, they all have their own families to worry about. No one cares what happens to a lonely old lady like me."

"I'm sure if you had asked someone would have helped," Tonks said reasonably.

Mrs Lupin smiled. "How about a cup of tea?" she offered. She made as if to get up from her chair but Tonk's beat her to it.

"I'll get it," she said hurriedly before entering the small square shaped kitchen. "Where do you keep the cups?" she called through. "Oh never mind. Accio cups!"

Three teacups zoomed towards her, two she managed to catch but the third sailed straight past her and smashed into the opposite wall.

"Repairo," Tonks muttered hastily.