Sitting alone after Alex was bathed, tucked in and properly entertained by a bedtime story… Sarah began to think again. She never in a million years saw her life becoming this complex, mostly because she'd grown used to the idea of it just being her and her son. This younger witch, bright, playful, beautiful… It made her heart sink. Tonks, as Sirius and the girls had called her, was normal. Maybe not in a traditional sense, but she wasn't wolf born like Sarah.

She looked down at her hands, scared from years of her own transformations, fights with other lycans and the struggles of raising a young lycan. Her whole body showed these signs, and she'd aged more than she cared to admit. Worry and pain and marked her, and for the first time in years she was ashamed. She really had no way to compare to Tonks. Her friends used to say that she and Remus were good together because of their furry similarities and personalities. However, Tonks brought forth a new thought in her head…

"What if he doesn't want someone like himself anymore? What if he wants to be normal?"

As this thought sank into the deeper reaches of her mind, silent tears began to fall. In less than two weeks' time, her life had gone from completely content and in control to one of the biggest messes she'd ever had to deal with.

Just then the air shifted and the faint scent of aged alcohol filled her nose. She was about to have company. Wiping away the tears as best she could, she tried to compose herself as she was joined by her host.

"Bit late for you to be up, eh love?" Sirius asked, smiling. "I'd offer you a glass but you don't seem like the drinking type."
Sarah smiled in return. "Not so much, no. Being a lycan, I see what it can do to those who a need a place to escape to and I cannot afford to fall into that trap. Thank you though."
Sirius sat down in an aged yellow armchair across beside her and sat his glass down. The two sat in silence for a moment then he decided to speak.

"Care to talk about it? I know you think you're alone in your situation, but I promise you, you are not. I see the pain you hide as you go about the house cleaning with Molly, watching your son bond with his father. I wish I had more experience there. Remus and I used to be such good friends, but I'm afraid that time has taken the Moony I knew from me. He and I still talk, confide in one another, but he's not the same anyone, and it hurts me too. And I promise you anything said between you and I shall remain as such."

Sarah stared ahead out the window at the waxing summer moon in the London sky. After a moment she spoke. "I must sit and think too much. As a girl in school, people often made fun of me. My teeth being the more complicated thing to hide. My housemates were all supportive as you'd expect Hufflepuff to be. I had friends, sure. But I was still alone. I never received owls from secret admirers or invitations to Hogsmade. There were no boys who followed after me. No one ever told me I was beautiful. Once in fourth year, two Ravenclaw girls in my potions class stuck a note to my back that read "Beware of Dog".
Tears flowed more freely than ever.
"After I graduated, one of my aunts gave me her book store, for me to run on my own. I found peace there. And it was there I met Remus."

Sirius gave a slight laugh. "That sounds about right. He always kept his nose in a book; I met him that way too. On the train to school, James and I barged in on him where he'd hidden out along in a compartment, reading a book called "The Grapes of Wrath" I believe he explained it was an American tragedy."

"It's a classic." Sarah smiled.
"He came into my shop about six months after I'd taken it over and redecorated it. Business was doing pretty well, and he approached me as I was about to close up the store. I didn't even realize, but he had been on a sofa reading for about two hours. He wanted to request I order him some books from other countries, and a few in different languages. I placed the order and didn't seem him again for two weeks."
Sarah sighed.
"Sirius?" She asked cautiously.
"Hmm?"
"Who is Tonks?"
Sirius swallowed hard, and looked away for a moment.
"I was afraid you'd ask me that."