Eating as fast as possible didn't help Tonks escape in the end. Molly insisted that she stay after dinner but also wouldn't let Tonks or Fleur help her clean up the table. Instead, Arthur and Bill had been recruited for the job, and Tonks had found herself in the back garden with Fleur. The chairs they were sitting on had already grown cold in the autumn chill, but Tonks was relieved to have the space to breathe.

"How are you?" she asked Fleur, eager to have the attention of herself and truly curious about the answer. "Are things still busy with the wedding and stuff?"

Fleur shrugged, shifting around on the chair until she decided she was comfortable. "The wedding planning isn't going too badly, especially since you started helping sometimes. We have a better idea of what we actually want, which has been a big help."

"But?" Tonks prompted, sensing that there was one.

Fleur tilted her head back to look at the stars. "The house is a lot quieter since the kids went back to school. Arthur works most of the day; they're swamped at the Ministry. It's strange, but even though technically we have more space, I feel far more smothered. I even wish they'd let me work more hours at Gringotts."

"I understand that," Tonks said with a bitter laugh. "I take every shift the Ministry lets me have, and I take on every mission the Order will give me on top of that."

Fleur turned to look at Tonks. "I can tell that Molly bringing up Remus upsets you," she said gently. "I can imagine that you would rather not think about him at all."

Tonks shrugged. "Sure, yeah, but obviously it's not that simple. I can't stop thinking about him, even when I try to think of other things."

"That's why you wanted to ask me about myself," Fleur said with a smirk.

For the first time in ages, Tonks found herself laughing. "That's not the only reason why!" she insisted. "I do care. Promise! But yes, it's a nice distraction." She trailed off, raking at the grass below her toe.

"I understand," Fleur said, and it was true that she didn't sound the least bit disappointed. "Though my problems really aren't that dire in the grand scheme of things. While I wish Molly would give me a chance, she's not directly rude."

Tonks snorted. "Not rude? Fleur, we might have to agree to disagree on that. She cut you off at least three times during dinner."

"You're right," Fleur admitted with a shrug. "But it could be much worse. I do think there's hope of her coming around eventually. Bill believes so too. And aside from her and Ginny, the rest of the family has been welcoming."

"You might just be a better person than me." Tonks shook her head. "I'd have exploded at Molly by now if she was treating me the same way she's treating you."

Fleur bit at her lip as she considered it. "In most cases I would have too," she admitted. "But I've never met anyone like Bill. This might be surprising considering," she motioned at her body and tilted her head back and forth, "but I don't have much experience with dating. When I was in school, boys would dare each other to ask me out or kiss me. They never asked me out because they liked me. Even when they weren't dared to do it, I'd hear them bragging to their friends like the whole thing was a game.

"Right away I could tell that Bill was different. I guess that's why I want to give Molly the benefit of the doubt. If she can raise someone like Bill, then she has to come around eventually."

It was something Tonks wished she could believe too, but she'd met too many people with terrible parents—or the other way around—to think the same way. Still, she did know that Molly could be a caring person. Maybe Fleur's hope wasn't in vain.

"Whether she does or not, she should," Tonks said. "She should realize that her son made a great decision."

Fleur actually blushed. It was astonishing to Tonks, who had been mocked by several girls who looked similar to Fleur when she'd been at school. She was sure that was the real reason behind Molly and Ginny's distaste for her, even if Tonks didn't agree with it.

"On the bright side," Tonks said, slumping down in the chair, "earning Molly's affection might be overrated. I don't know how much more of it I can take. If we could trade off, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"She's committed to getting you two together," Fleur said with a giggle. "After meeting Remus at the last Order meeting, I understand too. He's a very nice man."

Tonks snorted. "He stopped talking to you as soon as you said hello to me."

"Yes," Fleur smirked, "but I understand why. I perhaps shouldn't have tried so hard to pull you into our conversation." Her smile dropped. "I didn't overstep then, did I? I never thought to ask."

Tonks tried to smile. It had been uncomfortable at the time, but Fleur's attempts at conversation had sounded so natural that Remus probably thought Fleur didn't know a thing about what had happened between them.

"It's fine," Tonks said. "It's not even that I dislike Molly intervening so much. It's more that, whenever we talk about Remus, she goes on and on, and I don't get to say much. Which seems rather odd considering I'm the one with the problem."

Fleur hummed thoughtfully. "Yes, I can see that. If you ever want someone just to listen let me know. I'll be happy to listen."

"Thank you, Fleur."

"It's really not a problem. You're one of the best friends I've made here in England."

The smile on Tonks' lips was one of the most genuine she'd smiled in months.