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Chapter 50: Promises
"How is she?" Andromeda looked up from her cooking as Sirius descended the stairs.
Sirius paused at the counter of the kitchen, running a hand through his thick black hair, "the same," at Andromeda's panicked look, Sirius corrected, "same as yesterday and the day before." Andromeda relaxed. It has been two days since Tonks regained her appetite for food. She hadn't shown any signs of fattening up anytime soon but she was holding her own pretty well. A little of her colour had returned to her cheeks and she wasn't bone thin, as she had been. However, her hair was still black as night, reflective of her mood.
"Anything in particular she wants to eat?" Andromeda asked.
Sirius shrugged, "she didn't say a single word. She smiled a little though,"
Andromeda sighed, "she shouldn't be so quiet. It's worrying. Merlin knows I had a lot to complain about when I was pregnant with Nymphadora,"
Sirius scoffed, "tell me about it," Andromeda glared however a smile turned the edge of her lips upwards.
"Do you really have not a clue where Remus would be?" She spoke, "not that he deserved to be here for her but she needs him. Just as I needed Ted when I had Nymphadora," Andromeda's voice hitched upon the mention of her deceased husband.
"Andromeda, I already went by James' and Lily's graves late last night and no, he's not there," Sirius sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose, "there's no place he could've gone, especially now that the werewolf legislations are coming up stricter than it usually is,"
Nodded with a sigh before Sirius left her to her cooking and wandered to the window. He shifted the curtains aside and peered out. The weather was quickly progressing into winter but it was a nice day with a little rare sunshine. He was wondering if he should drag Nymphie out for some sunshine when three men appeared on the outskirts of their house. Sirius frowned, retreating from the window, drawing his wand.
"MISS TONKS, WE'RE FROM THE WEREWOLF CAPTURE UNIT AND WE UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A WEREWOLF LIVING ON YOUR PROPERTY. WOULD YOU KINDLY ALLOW US ACCESS TO YOUR PROPERTY TO APPREHEND THE CREATURE BACK TO THE MINISTRY FOR SOME SAFETY PROCEDURES," A magically amplified voice boomed. Sirius cringed, glancing upstairs and hoping Nymphie would stay in her room.
Andromeda dashed out of the kitchen, her wand in hand and her face paled, "Sirius, you have to hide, you can't let them find you and throw you back into-"
Sirius grabbed her shoulders, "Hush, Andy. It'll be fine, I'm an animagus, remember? I'll just be the family dog," Andromeda nodded frantically, "Just tell them Remus isn't here and hopefully they'll just leave it, he isn't anyway,"
Sirius made to shift but Andromeda grabbed his arm, "if they don't leave, promise me, you'll protect Nymphadora, no matter what," Sirius locked eyes with his cousin for a couple of seconds before he clenched his teeth and nodded.
With that, Sirius shifted and barked at Andromeda. She nodded and opened the door. With a wave of her wand, the three men walked past the outermost wards without trouble. As they marched across the greens to them, Sirius planted himself right beside Andromeda, glancing back at the window of Nymphie's room, praying she wouldn't trouble herself.
They paused outside the inner ward and Andromeda glanced at Sirius as she walked out to meet them, "Ma'am, we would appreciate if you would allow us to access your property-"
"He's not here," Andromeda snapped.
One of them raised a brow, "We have information that he is,"
"He's not," She stared at them coldly, "He left,"
The one in charge, tall and lean with a mop of brown hair, seemed to consider this for a moment, "Then I suppose you wouldn't mind us going in to have a quick look before leaving?"
Andromeda regarded them suspiciously.
"Isn't this awfully a lot of protection for a regular household?" One of the lackeys remarked.
Andromeda glared at him, "We need these wards since ministry personnels like yourself seem to find it in your right to trespass people's property like that. No doubt if I didn't have these wards, you'll have knocked my door down,"
A brown headed man smiled, "In fact, we do have the rights to do so," he drew out a rolled up piece of parchment; a warrant no doubt, "and you are? I've seen Auror Tonks once or twice in the ministry and you're not her,"
Andromeda stared at him haughtily, "Nymphadora is my daughter,"
"Mrs Tonks, then," He smiled again, "if you would please,"
Andromeda stared at him for a couple more seconds. She glanced behind him at his two lackeys when they folded their hands into their coats, no doubt drawing their wands. Pursing her lips, Andromeda waved her wand and the three men stepped past it.
Sirius barked and ran ahead of them, into the house.
"Family dog?" the brown man gestured. Andromeda nodded stiffly, walking in after the men. When they entered, Andromeda positioned herself with her back to the wall, watching them like a hawk. One of them entered the kitchen, another walked around the living room.
The one leading the mission paused as he spotted the picture, face down, on the mantelpiece and when he propped it up, it was a picture of Remus' and Tonks' wedding, "You said he left?" Andromeda nodded, "Why would he leave his 'wife' I wonder, although of course, the ministry does not recognize the marriage. You understand, we believe such creatures shouldn't be associated with witches and wizards-"
"He abandoned this family," Andromeda interrupted curtly.
The man stared at Andromeda a second longer than necessary before nodding. He resumed his walk around the sitting room, "I understand this was Alastor Moody's property previously?" Andromeda nodded again, glancing thankfully at Sirius who seemed to have planted himself at the bottom of the stairs, watching the men closely, "Is Miss Tonks in?"
Andromeda opened her mouth to reply.
"He's not here," Andromeda's eyes widened as she heard a voice she had been praying she would hear but not in current situation. She turned to see her frail and pale faced daughter perched on the stairs. She had a hand on the rail, another hand clutching her wand.
"Ah, Miss Tonks," The man smiled but it quickly turned into a frown when he noticed her swollen stomach and he paled.
Tonks watched him with cold stony eyes as she descended the stairs. Andromeda muttered under her breath as she quickly joined her daughter. Sirius barked and met her midway down the stairs, blocking her way, "I'm fine, Snuffles," Tonks forced a smile as she buried her fingers into his long black fur. Sirius barked his objections.
"Are you- well, Miss Tonks?" The brown haired man gulped as he stared at her belly.
"Get out of my house," Tonks snapped, her wand raised.
"Miss Tonks, we hope you would understand procedure-"
"I. Said." She glared, "Get. Out. Now."
To his credit, the man recognized the threat that an Auror posed, even a pregnant one as he glanced at her raised wand nervously.
"Lower your wand Miss Tonks-" One of the lackeys, young wizard said, his wand raised as well.
Andromeda acted, her wand raised at him, "don't you dare point that thing at my daughter," She growled.
The brown haired man kept his eyes on Tonks, specifically her wand, "Miss Tonks, there is no need for violence here, we just want to have a look if the werewolf is here-"
"Remus is not here, I already told you," Tonks' voice was even but threatening; the professional tone she used at work, "you can take my word for it, or I kill you and bury you in the backyard,"
The man's face, if possible, paled even more. The younger wizard snorted, "Solely for threatening an officer of the ministry will be enough reason to take you in as well Miss Tonks-"
"Even if the both of you come me at once, you wouldn't stand a chance and he knows that," Tonks jerked her chin at the more experienced one between the two, her lips twisting into a small smirk as the younger one glanced nervously at his senior.
Sirius began growling and Andromeda turned her wand to the last wizard who came back through the kitchen, after scouring the back of the house and the kitchen. He stared owlishly at the end of Andromeda's wand. His wand was drawn, but not raised.
"So what will it be?" Tonks shifted, almost lazily, "Bryan?" The brown haired man licked his lips, staring in shock as she said his name, "your badge, sugar," He blinked and turned red, obviously not taking mockery well.
"Your insolence will cost you everything," Bryan hissed.
"Wrong answer," Tonks scowled and Bryan dug for his wand just as Tonks fired swift double stunners. Bryan ducked down. The poor boy behind him barely had time to whimper before he hit the floor.
Sirius barked as Tonks and Bryan exchanged hexes back and forth. Andromeda was dueling the other in the doorway of the kitchen, ducking behind the plaster wall as a stunner came too quickly for her.
Bryan scrambled to the side, the hex skimming his coat and setting it alight, only to run into another. He stumbled and crashed to the ground, swiftly firing hexes to the general direction of the stairs, most of them missing Tonks, a stationary target.
Tonks had failed to feel an invasion in the two wards outside their house and suddenly, the door opened loudly. She looked up, expecting backup for the hit wizards but it wasn't. She stared.
A stunner flew straight for her but Snuffles barked and dove in front of her. The curse rebounded off the shield charm Snuffles casted on himself and smashed into the plaster wall.
Tonks felt her knees buckle beneath her and she clutched at the railings, barely holding herself up.
"Lupin!" Bryan snarled, turning to meet the man he came to apprehend. He stood with increased vigour but Remus rained spells over him at a speed that was, if possible, quicker than Tonks'.
She had never seen him like this. His blue, normally, gentle eyes were burning with fury, his lips twisted into an angry snarl. Tendons and veins stuck out on his neck and temple as he pushed his body to its limit, ducking and cursing at every moment. He looked ready to kill. She clutched the rails painfully firmly as Remus parried away a curse at the last minute and fired a curse back; the latter happening so swiftly she hardly saw it.
Snuffles whimpered and Tonks turned to see Andromeda clutch her injured hand to her chest. Without missing a beat, Tonks attempted to hit the wizard in the side of his head with a jet of red. His eyes widened as he casted a shield charm that was only partially effective. It singed a brow.
Tonks turned unwittingly as she heard someone shout in pain. She saw Bryan clutch his chest and sagged to the floor limply. Remus was running to her. He looked relatively unhurt, "Dora!" He yanked her to him. She slipped off the step and down the stair but into his steady arms. His hand palmed her head to his chest and she panicked when she realised what he's trying to do.
An explosion was heard and she hardly felt it but only felt Remus tense his body in anticipation for pain. A thump was heard before Remus released her from the safety of his arms and turned. Andromeda had her wand raised and the man was lying on the floor on his face, unmoving.
"Are you alright?" He breathed out, his hands scouring down her arms from her shoulders as he gave her a once over.
She stared.
Remus froze in the middle of taking her hands and looking them over. He let her go, locking eyes with her testily.
"Get away from her!" Sirius hissed and Remus jumped, stepping back as Sirius wedged himself between them.
"Sirius," Remus muttered as he glanced at Tonks. She was not looking at him anymore, but staring down blankly. Remus then turned to Sirius. He was furious. Remus flinched as the grey eyes, that his wife had as well, was now looking at him with nothing less than murder, "Sirius please,"
Andromeda gaped as Sirius lunged forward, his fist colliding with Remus' jaw soundly. He stumbled back onto the floor. Sirius marched forward, fisting the front of Remus' shirt. He withdrew his fist and threw another punch into Remus' gut, knocking the wind out of him. This time, Sirius let go and Remus sagged to the floor, his eyes locked on his wife.
Tonks averted his eyes and turned away, "Dora," Remus spoke, his voice cracking. She paused upon his call but eventually, she carefully walked up the steps, one hand on the railing and one of her stomach.
Remus turned to Sirius when Tonks was out of sight. His entire frame was shaking with rage.
"You left her, Moony. When she needed you the most," Sirius hissed, "How could you?"
Remus averted his eyes. He hardly flinched when Sirius took a step to him before seemingly thinking better of it and instead, Sirius ran upstairs. Remus stayed where he was until he saw Andromeda levitating the man who had fainted in the kitchen. He stood and picked up his wand, "Andromeda, let me," he muttered, tensing as the woman turned on him.
"You deserve what you got from Sirius," Andromeda told him before she dropped the man and proceeded to tidy the house and fix the damage instead. Remus knelt and cleared the man's memory before levitating his body out of the house. He did the same with the other two. He left the bodies in an alley far away from their house before returning. He had half expected the wards to repel him when he walked through them but they didn't. The house was already fixed and deathly quiet when he stepped back into the house.
Andromeda appeared from the kitchen, levitating a tray of food. She spared a glance at Remus, "there's food in the kitchen, help yourself," She told him curtly. Then she marched the tray of food straight up the stairs. Remus watched her go, envying her rights to be around his wife; rights that he knew he had lost the moment he left. So instead, he settled down onto the couch, wringing his hands.
He had heard the crack of apparition in the air when he was in the middle of lunch; which consisted of some potatoes. Remus stood and peered out from behind the shadow of the tree. Three men were there. He frowned as he heard what they said. He watched the exchange with Andromeda and Sirius with pursed lips, his wand firmly clenched in his hand. All the while, his eyes flinted nervously to the window of the master bedroom.
He watched Andromeda let the men in and he muttered a curse. Remus watched the youngest of them open the curtains and looked out the window. He could glimpse the one leading this capture pick up a photo frame and speak. His breath hitched in his throat when he saw Tonks through the window. He couldn't hear what she was saying but she was thinner than he had last seen her and it broke his heart.
He toyed with the idea of dashing in there and chasing away those men, like he should be doing, but hesitated. He watched the exchange for a while longer and when two jets of red left her wand, Remus' feet made up his mind for him, leading him through the wards and straight to the front door.
Tonks walked soundlessly down the stairs, her heart almost leaping out of her chest as she stumbled over the tip of the carpet but collected herself. In the darkness, she could see him lying on the couch, on his side. His arms were folded across his chest, his hands tucked under his arm, and his long legs curled up uncomfortably on the couch which was too short for his tall frame. On a closer look, she saw that he had his wand clutched in one hand.
She stood beside him. His fringe has fallen into his face again, like it always did when he slept. She couldn't help herself as she crouched, awkwardly accommodating her belly and reached for him. She swept aside his fringe gently, her finger tips barely touching his forehead. Not for the first time, she felt that her husband was an attractive man. He wasn't the devilish handsome type like her cousin but his soft features drew her in; especially his kind beautiful eyes. In his sleep tonight, his lips were turned down into a frown. Her eyes lingered on his lips a second too long before they noticed the beard that he had grown over these two weeks.
Then she saw a discolouration under his beard. Tonks eyed the bruise on his jaw with a frown. It was swelling up. She traced the bruise gently and then his cheek. He was freezing.
She frowned and conjured some covers with her wand. Tonks stood awkwardly and draped the covers over him, resisting the urge to tuck the edges in to keep him warm and comfortable.. She touched his hair with the tip of her fingers once more, wistfully, before tearing her gaze away from him and turning to go back to bed.
"Dora," His cracked voice whispered in the quiet of the night and she froze. Tonks didn't turn to look at him, she couldn't. But she didn't proceed upstairs all the same, "Dora," She heard the blanket stirring the wind and stiffened, half expecting him to touch her or even embrace her but he never did. She couldn't decide if she was relieved or disappointed, "Sweetheart,"
A lump formed in her throat, "Don't call me that,"
"Okay," He complied softly, ever the gentleman. The pregnant silence in the air was deafening, "I kept my promise," His voice was so soft she hardly heard it.
"What?" She furrowed her brows in confusion as she turned around to look at him. Remus was sitting on the couch, looking up at her with those eyes; the very ones she couldn't resist from since the very beginning.
He swallowed, refusing to break eye contact as he spoke, "To come back to you," He paused and Tonks could still remember that moment, that felt like a lifetime ago, "I did it, perhaps, an hour after I left but I couldn't just walk in like I never left you so I stayed outside. I have no excuse for what I did. Even if I think I'm protecting you… it was…cowardly of me, to leave you like this," He ran a hand through his hair, "I don't deserve you, Dora, and maybe after this, even more so,"
Tonks stood and listened, drinking in his every word and the velvet that was his voice, all the while trying very hard not to look it.
"But I know now that this is the only way I can protect you; to stay here with you," Remus finally broke eye contact but only for his eyes to flicker down to her belly and holding his gaze, "And with…our baby. I would understand if you cannot forgive me for what I did but please, just let me stay here. I wouldn't be in anyone's way. I'll do anything. I'll watch the exits, notice any disturbance in the wards-"
"Stop," Tonks interrupted and Remus did so dutifully, looking almost relieved she was speaking to him, "Are you asking stay as a father, or as a bodyguard?" She almost feared the answer.
Remus moistened his lips before locking eyes with her and replying, "I'm asking to stay as a man worthy to love you, to have you, to hold you and to father your child," Tonks didn't seem to have anything to say to that so Remus plowed on, "if the child has- lycanthropy and I would then fail to be a father, I, hopefully, wouldn't fail to be a husband as well. So I will stay. Will you have me?" Tonks was mesmerized by the look in his shockingly blue eyes; so fierce, so vulnerable, so full of love, "Will you both have me?" He corrected, his voice becoming softer.
"Remus," She said his name, for the first time since he left. She hesitated on her reply but when she felt a strong definite kick against her, she knew what she would say, "You are wrong, you didn't keep your promises,"
Remus tensed. He knew there would be a chance she couldn't forgive what he did, after all, he did just leave his pregnant wife, defenseless, in the middle of a war. So he would understand completely but it tore his heart to shreds that he had destroyed everything they had in that moment of cowardice.
Tonks was appalled when his beautiful eyes seem to moisten and he looked down, dejected. She resisted the urge to take him into her arms and kiss his woes away only because, those steps were the ones he had to take, "You promised me two things, if you remember," She bit her lips when Remus looked up, surprised and a flash of puzzlement crossed his visage. When he recalled, his face split into a wide smile that made him years younger.
He stood and walked purposefully towards her, slowly. All the while, his gentle eyes caressed her face, so lovingly it made her blush, while his lips were set into a small smile. When he raised his hands to cup her face she thought she could and would melt into his painfully tender touch once and for all. His hands were cold and her blushing cheeks made them feel even more so.
"Dora," He whispered as he ducked his head down, his face inching closer to hers, "do you remember our first kiss?" Remus stopped just short of her lips, his nose brushing hers and making her heart almost burst in anticipation and thus being incapable of speech, "I remember it, vividly," His warm breath on her lips made her eyes roll to the back of her head and he kissed her.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! References of the promise to 'come back to' Dora is in Chapter 22 and the kiss is in chapter 18.
Thank you to those amazing people who reviewed the last chapter! You guys are really an inspiration; Guest, Remusdora, moondoll33 and Wotcher98!
Please do feel free to leave a review for this chapter!