Anything or anyone recognizable do not belong to me

Spring came on that year with a series of furious storms. For three weeks everyone and everything was permanently soaked and Mr. Filtch could be seen muttering in an infuriated state as he constantly moped out the halls of the water and mud brought in by the wind blown students. It was weather that no one would want to be out in.

And so it was a surprise to Tonks, one Saturday evening, as she passed a window that looked out on to the grounds and saw two people hurrying through the driving rain.

She had just come from a detention with professor McGonagall. Personally she thought that Shannon looked infinitely better with buckteeth and green hair, but McGonagall had not found it all that amusing when she had come upon them in the corridor. She had given an impressive lecture, reversed Shannon's appearance and warned Tonks that she would be sending a letter to her parents. Tonks didn't really mind. Her father would shake his head, but would really think it was amusing, if only slightly, and her mother would write her a letter that would lament her behaviour and suggest it was a by-product of letting her listen to that Muggle punk music and her cousins influence. The same thing occurred every time.

Now, after two hours of scrubbing scorch marks off the desks in the charms classroom, by hand, she was standing at a window in the 4th floor corridor, her eyes straining to see in the weak light of the storm. Who would be going outside in this weather?

She pressed closer to the window;they were now directly in her line of site. One seemed shorter than the other and walked with two quick strides to keep up with one of the others. They were headed toward the whomping Willow and walked with what appeared to be urgency. They can't be headed there, she told herself. Must just be headed toward Hagrid's. Yes that's it. Besides it's none of my business really. With that thought she started to turn away. Just as she was pulling her eyes from the window, a flash of lightening illuminated the sky and the grounds at which she had just been gazing and she was able to catch site of the two hurrying figures.

What she saw made her snap her full attention back to the window instantly. It was definitely Madam Pomfrey, she surmised. She knew the matrons profile well, having spent many days in the hospital wing over the years due to her clumsiness. It was who was accompanying her that made Tonks stare. Tall, lanky, broad shouldered. Could she be mistaken? She stared harder as they got nearer to the tree. No, there could be no mistake.

"Excuse me, but it's almost curfew, you should be in your common room."

Tonks whipped around and came face to face with Lily Evans, who smiled when she recognized who she was.

"Tonks right? It's almost time for everyone to be back in their common rooms, you should go before a teacher comes."

"Oh, right. I was headed down there I just…" her eyes strayed back to the window.

"What are you looking at?" Lily came up beside her to look out the window too. There was nothing there now except the rain pounding the ground and the twisted movements of the Whomping Willow. Whoever had been there before was gone.

"I thought I saw somebody that's all."

A startled look passed through Lily's eyes before she could mask it. "Oh? Who did you think it was?" her tone was curious, but again Tonks sensed that there was more then idle curiosity there.

She shrugged. "Don't know. Probably nobody, the light in these storms can play tricks on the eyes. I'll just be going then." She smiled, and Lily seemed relieved somehow, as if expecting her to say something else.

Tonks turned and began walking down the corridor again, as Lily walked in the other direction, before she reached the corner she turned back. An idea had struck her. "Lily?" she called back.

Lily stopped and turned back.

"Isn't Remus supposed to patrol with you?"

"Yes," She answered quickly.

"I haven't seen him in a while, can you tell him to come find me when he has time?" She asked, studying her face for any look that would give anything away.

"I won't be seeing him for a few days," Lily supplied. "McGonagall came and got him earlier, his mother is very ill and he had to go see her."

Tonks recalled that McGonagall had left shortly before the end of her detention, saying she would return shortly. Could this be what had taken her away?

"When he returns I'll be sure to tell him though," Lily assured her, as she silently hoped she hadn't given too much away. She was sure she knew what Tonks had seen at that window, but she also knew that Remus hadn't told her yet. If this girl was as smart as Remus said she was than any comment not made carefully could alert her to the fact that all was not as it seemed.

Tonks smiled at her again. "Thanks. Well goodnight then." She began walking again, all the while thinking. Lily knew what was going on. Of that she could be certain. If she knew then so would James, Sirius and Peter. Remus would never disclose something to another before telling them; they were like his brothers. Could she go to Sirius with this?

Immediately she knew the answer was no. He would scoff at her fears, for they were fears. If what she suspected was true…his mother was ill. Hmm.

Tonks had entered the Hufflepuff common room now. Cally waved to her, but she was in deep conversation with Nathan Conner her fellow chaser and Tonks didn't really feel like joining in. Not when she felt she was finally on to something. She waved back and ascended the stairs to the Girls Dormitory where she lay on her bed and stared at the hangings.

What Lily didn't know was that two months ago Tonks had been looking for Remus whom she had noticed was looking ill again, and had run into Peter in the library at Remus's usual table. When asked where Remus was Peter had stammered that someone had come to get him; his mother was deathly ill and he had to go see her.

Tonks had accepted the explanation and if not for Peter's odd behaviour she would have left it and not said anything to Remus when she saw him, looking thinner and grey in the face, four days later. When she had expressed her hope that Mrs. Lupin was feeling better he hadn't seemed to know what she was talking about. Then he smiled that guarded smile of his and simply thanked her. Later when she had tried to ask if he had been sick again, he skillfully changed the topic like he always seemed to.

Tonks was not stupid, despite what a lot of people thought of Hufflepuff being duffers. She was a Black, if only half, and the Blacks where nothing if not shrewd. It had not escaped her attention at what time of the month Remus always seemed to disappear and looking out the window tonight, coupled with her meeting with Lily, had only served to confirm her suspicions. Despite the rain, the glorious full moon could still be seen in the sky.

After an hour of staring at nothing she came to two decisions. The first of which was she would not confront Remus. Yet. If by this summer he had not said anything to her then she would consider it. The second was that it didn't matter; no matter the outcome it wouldn't change anything. He would still be Remus Lupin, the most considerate and compassionate person she had ever known. He would still be her friend.

Before him she had had no one; not even Cally had been her friend then. She would not abandon him. As she thought this, words he had spoken to her over three years ago echoed through her mind.

"You really have nothing to be ashamed of," He had said. " Everyone has their quirky traits…"

No. He would still be Remus and she would still be Tonks. They would go on as they always had. And she had a feeling once the truth was aired between them, things would be a lot more open.