Tonks was sitting on her sofa, petting her little ginger cat, and drinking a cup of tea, watching the November fog sweeping down the narrow street outside. It was early on a Saturday morning and she didn't have anything to do that day.
She went to put her tea down on the table but as she leant forward she heard a faint knocking noise. Perplexed to what it could be, she got up to go inspect.
She peered out of her viewfinder on her front door but couldn't see anyone. But, then she heard the noise again, it was definitely coming from outside her front door.
Hesitantly, Tonks unlocked the door and peered out. 'No one's there.' She thought, confused.
Then, she heard a small gasp and something just grazed her foot, causing her to look down.
If she hadn't, she'd have completely missed that he was there.
He was almost unrecognizable. But, it was undoubtedly Remus.
And, he was gravely injured, and was covered in his own blood.
Tonks gasped, she almost screamed but was too shocked to really make any noise.
"Merlin, Remus!" she yelled, as speech returned to her.
Remus groaned. "Help." He croaked weakly.
"Remus, Remus. What happened?" She asked, as she tried to help him up. But she couldn't move him. Remus could barely speak at all.
All he could say was "Grayback."
Tonks gasped,
She ran and got a blanket from her couch.
She wrapped Remus in it, and tried to pull him to his feet again but failed.
She had no other choice but to levitate him over to the sofa.
Remus groaned in pain when she did this.
"Hey. Hey. Look at me." Tonks tried to keep his attention.
"Hey." He said back, hoarsely and barely audible.
Tonks ran and got all the medical supplies she had in her flat, it wasn't much but it was better than nothing.
"Hey, wake up!" She cried desperately once she got back to him.
"Don't sleep." She told him. And at that moment she realized she was crying.
"m sorry." He groaned as she tried to look at his arm. But, Tonks waved her hand in annoyance at his apologies.
"R-Remus. H-how did this happen?" She asked horrified.
"Grayback." He said again.
"I need to look at this." She said, indicating his arm.
"Here, I'll help." She helped him readjust himself so he was laying on his side.
She tried to tread carefully, trying not to touch him unless she needed to.
She gasped when she realized half of his skin had been ripped off his arm.
She didn't know how to fix an injury this severe.
She figured she had to try at least. Or else he'd die in her living room.
She took a cloth out of the pile of things she had grabbed from the kitchen.
She wrapped the cloth around the belt on his upper arm, but the second she adjusted the belt blood spurted from his arm.
"No. No." She said, panic stricken. Grabbing his arm to stop the blood. But at this Remus yelled out, and arched off the sofa in agony.
"Oh. I'm so sorry." She sobbed.
She grabbed some ditany and dropped many dropper fulls onto his arm.
This seemed to stop the active bleeding. but did nothing for the chunk of his arm hanging off of his frame.
Remus gasped out as the ditany stung his wounds.
"I'm so sorry." She told him again.
Remus reached out to her, his bloodied fingers fell across her face. Before he lost consciousness.
This gave her the ability to look more closely at his arm.
She was able to remove the dirty belt on his arm thanks to the ditany and replaced it with a cloth just in case.
She moved down his arm to the worst area, moving the loose skin aside, to see underneath.
Tonks gasped. The tendons and muscles below were exposed. She had no clue how to fix this. She was going to need help.
She couldn't just put potion on this and then bandage it up. she was certain that all the extra skin that had been separated from the rest of his arm would become necrotic if she just left it detached, it had almost no blood supply. She also couldn't just remove the skin either. His muscle couldn't just be left uncovered, and she didn't know how to do a skin grafting charm.
The skin would likely need to be reattached but she was not skilled enough to do that.
For the next hour she attempted to fix what she could. But if she moved Remus too much, he would start to spurt blood again.
During this time, Remus would occasionally jump awake, not aware of where he was.
"It's okay, your with me." She'd tell him.
And, Remus would quickly pass out again.
Tonks wrapped up his broken ribs and put some ditany on a few other scrapes he had.
After an hour, Tonks had stabilized him as much as she could, but she knew she was going to have to get them more help.
"Remus." She said, delicately.
Remus eyes opened a fraction.
"Remus, I can't fix what's wrong with you." She said, tears running down her face.
"It's okay." He croaked.
"Ha, no it's not, don't say that." She said brushing his hair from his face.
"I'm gonna need to get you more help. Whose safe? Who can help?" She begged.
He started to close his eyes again.
"Hey." She yelled, startling him.
"We need help." She reiterated.
He made eye contact with her this time.
"M-my d-dad can help." He said, putting his hand out as to write something.
Realization dawning, Tonks jumped up.
"H-hold on. I'll get you something to write on." she said quickly, running to get a quill.
"Here." She ran back to him, giving him a quill and paper.
And he roughly scribbled down an address.
It was barely legible but it was the best she had.
Remus started to fall back asleep again.
"Hey, I need you to stay awake!" Tonks told him.
"Do you think you can stand?" She asked
Remus groaned.
Tonks helped Remus put a long sleeve shirt on, it was freezing outside he couldn't go out without more clothes. He was already shaking.
"We have to stand. I can help you." She told him.
She sat down next to him, helping him to sit up.
When he sat up, he turned a horrible green color and vomited all over the floor. his vomit was black and stringy.
"Remus-." She gasped.
"It okay. ate a bat. normal." He croaked. barely able to put two words together.
She sighed, trusting him.
"Okay, we have to get you up." She said, vanishing the vomit on the floor.
with great difficulty she got him to his feet.
"Hold on." She whispered to him. "We're gonna disapperate."
Holding on to Remus as steadily as she could, and disappeared on the spot. Re-emerging on a small country lane.
Remus swayed where he stood, and Tonks looked over realizing that Remus had started to profusely bleed again. The apperation must have been too much for him.
She attempted to staunch the blood as they stumbled towards his fathers front door. Tonks bsnged on the door once they reached.
"Remus this is the right house, right?" She tried to ask, but he was barely conscious.
"Y-yah." He breathed.
Just then an old man opened the door.
"Please help." Tonks cried.
Lyall looked like someone had hit him on the head.
"Merlin, get inside." He said, quickly ushering them into the house.
"C-check." Remus mumbled. "Check it's me."
"It's you." Tonks said angrily.
"This way." Lyall helped bring them into the sitting room, helping Tonks put Remus on the sofa.
"How did this happen to him?" He asked Tonks in a panic, as Remus had passed out again.
"I-I don't know. He showed up at my door like this. He said someone hurt him." Tonks told him through unshed tears.
"His arm-its so bad." She said, harrowed.
Lyall started to bark orders to Tonks as he attempted to stop his son from bleeding to death.
For twenty minutes, Tonks and Lyall barely spoke. they ran around trying to help fix Remus.
After they had gotten Remus to stop bleeding. Tonks sat next to him on the floor and Lyall sat on the coffee table across from them.
"What did he say happened?" Lyall asked, looking at his son.
"He didn't say a lot, he said something about Grayback." Tonks said.
Lyall gasped. "Merlin." He whispered. Looking horrified.
Tonks nodded solemnly, looking down at her blood stained clothing.
"I can get you something else to wear, if you'd like?" He asked her.
Lyall got up to go upstairs and when he returned he had a black sweater.
"here, this should fit." Lyall handed her the sweater.
"O-Oh thank you. You sure it's all right?" Tonks asked, It had probably been his wife's sweater.
"Its okay, you shouldn't have to be covered in blood." Lyall said sadly.
Tonks nodded and went to go change.
After changing she moved back into the living room.
Lyall was writing a letter on the coffee table when she walked in.
"I'm writing to Dumbledore, I'm hopeful he might have the right potions to help his arm." Lyall explained, sadly.
Tonks nodded. Realizing that meant that Lyall couldn't fix his sons arm either. Lyall got up and went to the kitchen to send off the letter.
leaving Tonks alone with Remus. Tonks went to sit on the floor beside Remus who was unconscious on the sofa.
She stared at him, feeling so badly for him. He had suffered far too much pain in this life.
His skin was ghostly white and had a horrible green tinge to it. He looked like he was dying.
Tonks wasn't sure if it was because she thought he was going to die, or because she had missed him so much, but in a moment of weakness she grabbed his hand tightly and kissed it. He didn't stir, but someone in the doorway did.
Tonks looked up. Lyall had come back into the room, and he'd clearly seen what she had done.
She wasn't sure what he'd say or do. But, he just looked at her for a few seconds silently before going to sit down.
"You're Nymphadora, right?" Lyall asked her, hesitantly.
Tonks chuckled a little. "Merlin, when he told you about me he called me Nymphadora?" She mused.
"Well, yes. Ha. he told me you two were friends."
Tonks smiled and shook her head.
"Nobody calls me Nymphadora. Except, well maybe Dumbledore, or my mother when I'm in trouble, or Remus when he introduces me to people." She chuckled, ruminating on her memories of him.
"What do people typically call you?" Lyall asked.
"Tonks will do."
"Tonks it is." Lyall said kindly.
"What will happen with his arm?" Tonks asked quietly, looking over at Remus.
Lyall sighed. "I'm hopeful Dumbledore will have the potion we need. But, his arm probably wont ever look the same again." He said gravely.
Tonks didn't want to know what would happen if he didn't get the potion. She hoped Dumbledore would reply quickly.
Tonks grabbed his hand and squeezed it.
"You two are close, Then?" Lyall asked.
"We use to be." she said, with a small half smile. "not as much lately."
"not now?" Lyall asked, quizzically.
Tonks shook her head.
"I know things have been difficult for him since Sirius died." He explained.
Tonks nodded. " yeah we've not really spoken much since then."
"Well, my son has very few people he trusts. he trusted you enough to go to you for help."
Tonks nodded, appreciatively.
Just then, they heard a noise from the porch and Lyall rushed to the front door. Seconds later, Albus Dumbledore was striding across the hall into the living room.
"What happened to him?." Dumbledore asked quickly.
"Were not completely sure." Lyall explained.
"Hello, Nymphadora." Dumbledore greeted her gravely. "wish we were seeing each other under fairer circumstances."
Tonks nodded curtly. She somewhat blamed him for this whole situation. Remus wouldn't have even been out living with other werewolves if it hadn't had been for him asking him to.
"He said something about Grayback. I think it must have been him who did this to him." Tonks told him, moving out of the way so that way Dumbledore could see him properly.
Dumbledore waved his wand and uncorked a small bottle. He poured it over Remus' arm and Tonks watched the arm begin to mend itself.
Dumbledore also mumbled a few incantations and what looked like stiches wrapped around the loose areas of skin on his arm.
"I believe, that he should be okay now." Dumbledore explained. "but, he should probably keep that arm in a sling for at least two weeks just to be safe. I think his arm could be broken. He probably shouldn't travel either." Dumbledore told them, looking at Lyall.
"that's fine, he can stay here!" Lyall explained.
Albus nodded. "He should rest."
"Well, Remus is clearly well cared for, I'll leave you three here. Please let me know if he needs anything else. I unfortunately do have to get back to the castle." He told them gravely.
After Dumbledore left, Lyall and Tonks were left together, with the sleeping Remus.
"Thank you for helping him." Lyall said, handing her a cup of hot tea in appreciation.
"Oh, it's alright. it was nothing." Tonks said casually.
"No really. you probably saved his life." Lyall said.
Tonks nodded, looking over at his sleeping form.
"ill always help him." Tonks said sadly.
"I- I hope it's not too forward to say so, but I hope you know, from what Remus has told me, you do make him very happy."
"I sure hope that's true." Tonks told him, getting up to stand. "But, I should probably go now that he's okay." She explained.
"A-are you sure, you can still until he wakes up if you'd like." he explained
"Oh that would be nice, but I should leave him be. He's made his feelings about us pretty clear." she put a lot of emphasis on the word us.
"Oh." Lyall said, slightly taken aback. "I don't really know what you mean?" He questioned her.
"You should probably ask your son about that then." Tonks explained.
"Okay, I'll go get your shirt, I cleaned it for you." He told her uncertainly.
Tonks nodded kindly.
Tonks bent down one last time, and brushed Remus' hair out of his eyes. He looked a little better then he had before.
Remus shifted and coughed a little, opening his eyes just a fraction.
"Hey." She said to him. "we fixed you, with a little help from Dumbledore." She told him softly.
Remus murmured. "Mhm" and looked up at her.
"don't worry, I know this doesn't change anything." she told him cynically.
He kept looking a her. And, for a few seconds Tonks thought that maybe he had a change of heart, but he didn't.
He shook his head. "I'm sorry." He croaked.
"Everything is still the same, huh?" Tonks asked him.
"I've told you, and this just proves it to be true. I'm too old, too poor, too dangerous. And, too burdensome." He said, in the same gravely voice as before.
Tonks nodded sadly.
"go live your life unburdened, away from all of this." He gestured to himself.
Tonks looked so sad, and he had just noticed how different she looked then she used to. With a pang of guilt, Remus couldn't help but blame himself for this change in her appearance.
Tonks just nodded. "Ha, easier said then done." she told him dryly.
It just about killed him to tell her what he did next.
"Just give someone else a chance okay. Y-You'll be happier with someone else." Remus told her sadly.
Tonks didn't say anything, but just looked at her hands in her lap. She didn't know how to respond to that.
"okay." she said in a small voice, still looking at her hands. She really didn't know what else to say. Afterall, this was him telling her to move on, that he wouldn't change his mind, that he thought shed be better off with someone else. Perhaps it was time for her to try to start moving on.
"I'm gonna go. feel better, okay." she told him quietly, before getting up to stand. Then, his father came back into the room holding her shirt.
"Here, it's good as new again." Lyall said, handing her the shirt.
"thanks, I appreciate it. ill get this back to you soon," she told him, indicating the sweater.
"Alright, thanks again for all the help Tonks, I can see you out." Lyall said following her.
Tonks nodded as she left the room. "Bye." she called to Remus as they walked out.
"Bye." he said back in a small horse voice.
Remus' eye stung with unshed tears as he listened to Tonks leave, because deep down he didn't want her to leave.
He wiped at his eyes before his father came back into the room alone.
Remus could see his father looking over at him out of the corner of his eye, as he went to sit down in his chair across from him.
"Look." he said after what felt like forever. "I didn't mean to hear, and it's not any of my business but I -" he stopped talking.
"So, how much did you hear?" Remus asked him.
"Pretty much everything." Lyall admitted.
Remus nodded. 'Of course he did.' he thought to himself.
"You cant really believe all those things about yourself." His father questioned him.
"The things I said are true."
"I think the things you said were a matter of perspective. You think you are those things so, but perhaps others disagree." He trailed off.
"like I said, it's not really any of my business, but, if it matters. Or, if - If you ever wanted my opinion - " Lyall trailed off again before directly addressing him.
let her love you, son."