An unending sense of doom had enveloped Tonks, and she'd been too busy pushing through to know when it happened.
Had it been when she first joined the Order and had known she was going to fight to the end?
Or maybe it had been when Sirius died and she'd learned the true extent of sacrifice.
It might not have been until Bill and Fleur's wedding and the Ministry's fall or when she'd learned about Bellatrix's threats to her family.
At some point, it had snuck up on her and become just another part of her life. Looking back, she suspected it had been there for a while, but she'd been doing her best to ignore just how oppressive it felt.
She couldn't ignore it anymore. In a few months' time, there would be a baby that she had to protect, and she wasn't sure that she could guarantee that.
Remus was as pale as he was after a full moon when they arrived home. They were quiet as Remus went through the motions of making tea. Tonks stared at the day's iProphet/i that had been tossed on the table unread.
She should read it. There might have been something important she needed to know, but the idea of hearing even more bad news made her want to crawl into bed and hide under the covers instead.
Remus slid a cup of tea in front of her, and Tonks gave him a grateful smile as he slid into the chair beside her. He took his hand in his like he needed to reassure himself that she was still there. Tonks squeezed his fingers, as grateful for the reminder as he was.
"You've been living in this place a while," Remus said, glancing around the kitchen. "What are the odds of Bellatrix learning about it?"
Tonks cringed. It wasn't the first time she'd thought of it, but there were enough protective spells on the place that she'd mostly shrugged it off.
"Anything's possible," she said. "Especially now that You-Know-Who controls the Ministry. They probably could track us down if they tried."
She pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, hoping that it would ease the deep lines in his forehead. It didn't.
"Others are going into hiding," he said, his eyes on his tea. "It would be difficult with the baby, but…"
"I could do it if we need to," she told him.
He turned to her. "Are you sure?"
She kissed his cheek. "Yes. As long as we're together, we can make it. I'm an Auror. We had survival courses during training. I've been lucky enough not to put any of it into practice yet, but have some faith in me."
She nudged him in the shoulder, trying to be light-hearted, but she got little more than the ghost of a smile. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her thumb rubbing against the back of his hand as silence overtook them once more.