Tonks was fairly disappointed when she opened her eyes slowly and saw no one in her room.
Keeping her breathing even, and forcing herself to stay alert despite how bloody tired she was, she glanced around until she was content that she was right: she was alone.
Ready to close her eyes once more and accept that no one had been rallied around her, she heard her door open.
Her breath caught in her throat as Remus walked in as quietly as possible, a heavy blanket draped over his arm and a handful of flowers.
"You're awake!" He beamed, setting everything down quickly and rushing to her side. He knelt by the bed and brought a hand to her forehead to stroke it lovingly.
She reached for the front of his shirt and smiled tiredly.
"Thought I was alone." She murmured, watching him adoringly. He moved to grab her hand now and kissed the back of it gingerly.
"Merlin, no. We've been here for a few days now. But you were shivering so I went in search of another blanket and I got sidetracked by the flowers on the way." He shrugged, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks.
Her hair weakly shifted to a soft pink from dark brown. It was murky and slow, but an attempt no less.
"Gave us quite the scare, you know."
She shook her head and chuckled. "It'll take a lot more than a hex to take me out. Been hit by that one before; bloody inconvenience."
Remus laughed and rested his lips once more against her hand.
"Remus?" Her eyes shifted to concern and he furrowed his own brows in response.
"Hmm?"
"Emeline, she… Bellatrix is-"
"-dead." He nodded slowly. "We have yet to talk about it. I'm not sure it has sunk in. We've been so worried about you, it took precedence."
She nodded and sucked in a slow breath.
"It sticks with you." She whispered. "Last thing the poor girl needed now: more thoughts crowding her brain."
"Sticks with you? Have you killed anyone?"
"Hazard of the job." Tonks replied sadly. "I've had a few. Rough time, even if they are the ones trying to kill you."
Remus swallowed thickly and rested a hand on her thigh over the blanket.
"She'll be alright. I'm waiting for her to open up."
"That's for the best." She said quietly, closing her eyes once more. "Can I have that blanket?"
"Right! Ofcourse, love." He stood quickly and grabbed the blanket, pulling his wand from his jacket to cast a warming charm. When he turned to her, he was taken aback to see her crying.
"What's wrong?" He asked gently, fanning the blanket over her.
It sunk gently through the air until it rested to lay across her body, enveloping her in warmth.
"Love?" She questioned the pet name and Remus' ears went red.
"Is that alright?" He ventured.
She grinned widely and opened her arms to embrace him.
"Yes, love. Ofcourse it is."
•
Later that night, Emeline offered to head back to the Cottage with Sirius alone.
He was already there and she didn't want to impose on giving her father alone time with Tonks in recovery.
They both begrudgingly agreed to this, assuring her that he could come home or she was welcome to stay, but she fancied some time to herself, too.
It had been another monumental whirlwind of a week.
God, she was tired of it.
As she walked the corridor alone to head back to the front entry, knowing full well how to apparate on her own now, she shot a smile in the direction of her grandfather's room.
Opal was just leaving and put a finger up to her lips.
"Sound asleep already." She assured Emeline, who simply nodded politely as she continued on her way.
•
When Emeline arrived at the front door of the cottage, she ran forward and knocked quickly.
It was eerie being outside alone and she felt off.
Sirius opened the door without hesitation and she bolted inside, moving immediately to the small fire and resting at the hearth.
"How's everything?" Sirius asked absentmindedly, grabbing his mug of ale off the table and taking a seat next to her.
Some of the ale sloshed onto her knee and she brushed it off quickly.
He was fairly under the influence already, but Sirius held his own well.
"Alright. Wanted to give the lovebirds some alone time and I needed my own time too, I reckon."
It was then that Sirius glanced at her and she saw the terror dripping into his eyes.
She hadn't seen this madness in him since the first night they met, but somehow, she still felt peace.
He was not mad, in fact.
He was afraid.
"I almost died!" He choked out, dissolving into shaking in front of her.
He trembled with anxiety as he inched closer to the fireplace.
"I know, Padfoot, but you didn't. You're alright." She reached out a hand to his back and he flinched momentarily, so she retreated.
"You killed her. For me."
Emeline was silent a moment and she continued to stare at his back.
"Yes. I killed her." The words dripped off her tongue unnaturally. She felt the room spin slightly.
"My cousin."
"Your cousin." She reiterated, unsure where this was going.
Deafening silence aside from the crackling of the fire pursued.
He reached out his hands to almost touch it and she yanked them back instinctively.
He turned to her now, his face softened but still with a stare that was somewhere else.
"I killed your cousin." She wasn't sure if it was a statement or question.
He reiterated now, and her heart sunk. "Yes, she's dead."
"Because of me." She whispered. "I didn't know I coul -"
"-we are capable of anything for family, pup."
She bit her bottom lip nervously and found comfort in the pet name.
"Capable of killing?" She asked thickly.
"Perhaps." He nodded. "What if this happens again? Your father is in my place? Tonks? George?"
Emeline nodded, scared of herself as she stared into the embers of the fire.
"I'd do it again. I'd do it again without hesitation."
"As you should." He assured. "You didn't kill someone, Emeline. You saved someone. Say it that way."
"Alright." She relented, the heaviness sinking her soul down.
•
Emeline was awarded some quality alone time that evening when Sirius passed out drunk on the hearth.
For what it was worth, he seemed in decent spirits aside from shaken-up.
At the very least, he was not angry that his nightmare of a cousin was dead, nor that Emeline had done it.
For some reason, Emeline was drawn to the cellar and she headed down the cold steps carefully, pulling the jacket she'd stolen from George tighter around her.
She opened the squeaking latch of her cell and moved to sink into her disaster of a bed.
It clicked, then.
This was the only bedroom she had.
As Tonks and Remus crept closer together, she knew she wouldn't be able to push everyone off to the couch on the nights she just wanted to lie in a bed alone. She felt bad enough, already, truth be told.
She let out a calming breath as she closed her eyes, feeling completely at home.
She resolved to do some editing to the cellar tomorrow, perhaps cozying up her side and enchanting it so that it would not be utterly destroyed every full moon.
She fell blissfully asleep on that thought, clutching her wand at her side.