Summary: Remus finds a solution to his relationship with Tonks. Looooong final chapter.

Nymph vs Wolf
Sunsets

April 27
Grimmauld Place

At the end of her shift at work, Nymphadora Tonks intercepted the arrest warrant as it came through for additional validation and immediately headed to Order headquarters. She threw the warrant onto the kitchen table at number twelve.

Remus Lupin and Sirius Black looked up as she entered. Their necks swiveled in synchrony as the parchment settled onto the table top. "Read this."

The men quickly reviewed the charges:

::::::::::::Fugitives: Fred and George Weasley:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::Offense: Unlicensed Swamp Creation in violation of the Water Conservation Act::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::Location: Heading away from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry on broomsticks:::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::Caution: Armed with wand; therefore, DANGEROUS!:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::Authorized by: Dolores Umbridge, Headmistress, Hogwarts:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The laughter burst forth from the men as they finished reading. In fact, Sirius was wiping tears away from the corners of his eyes. It was up to Lupin to explain, "We had a chat with Harry just a while ago through the floo."

"What? That's dangerous; Umbridge could have--ooooh!" The giggles couldn't be suppressed and soon Tonks was joining the men for another round of laughs as she sat down. She finally sobered up and said, "So Fred and George created a distraction for Harry. I bet they're on their way to Number 93 Diagon Alley."

"Where's that?" asked Sirius with a grin.

"They've leased a store on Diagon Alley with a flat above it. They're now the proprietors of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, a joke shop," informed Lupin as he put his arm around Tonks' shoulders.

"We should go intercept them," said Tonks, "although I don't see how the arrest warrant can stick. They're eighteen now, right?"

"Yes, their birthdays were on the first of April," confirmed Lupin.

"Of course, why didn't I realize they had to be born on April Fool's," murmured Sirius.

"They've been independent for a year now, so they can't be made to go back to school if they've quit. Fred and George didn't sign a conditional consent for their return to Hogwarts. Dumbledore accepted them on their own promise of good behavior. Even the little fiasco on the Quidditch pitch didn't shake his faith in them."

Tonks grinned and shared a glance with Lupin. "Want to bet that the Toad didn't do her homework on the Twins?"

"All right, you two. What else is going on here?"asked Sirius.

"Not only are they not under her jurisdiction, but they have an allowance for taking NEWTs on demand with two weeks notice from any qualified examiner. Dumbledore saw to it when we told him about their enterprise, so the documentation was filed before he was removed as Headmaster."

"So they can make their NEWTs and have the equivalent of a degree from Hogwarts," said Sirius with a nod. "Clever. But what about the arrest warrant?"

"I snatched it out of the reject bin. Seems Umbridge forgot that once she was declared the Headmistress of Hogwarts, her position at the Ministry that allowed her to authorize arrests was suspended."

Lupin squeezed her shoulder and chided, "You could take this through the proper chain of command, of course, if you deem it was a matter worth pursuing."

Tonks took the warrant and fanned herself with it. "All this paper is good for is stirring up some wind."

"When you see them, tell Fred and George, 'Bravo!' for me," said Sirius. "It's nice to see the Marauder spirit has not deserted the hallowed halls."

"The spirit lives," said Lupin in echo of Sirius as they clasped their hands in a high grip. Lupin then turned to Tonks and said, "We should go to the Burrow first to tell Arthur and Molly."

"Sirius, let me take a bottle of that good firewhiskey you have. I think Molly's gonna need fortification." Tonks caught the bottle Sirius sent her way, gave a sharp salute and followed Lupin out the kitchen.

As they left, Sirius settled back with a smile. Things had been so tense since the DA club had been discovered at Hogwarts and Dumbledore had been forced into hiding. Sometimes he felt he could never shake off the gloom of Azkaban, but an evening like this made all the difference. Hearing about the Twins' escapades, reliving the memories when the Marauders were at Hogwarts--

"James, you'd be so proud of Harry," sighed Sirius. The boy was as dear to him as his own son would have been. His thoughts turned fleetingly to Emmeline Vance and her last request of him, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He would live for Harry Potter; that was enough.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A few hours later, the silhouettes of the three wizards and the spikey-haired witch could be seen from the window of the flat at 93 Diagon Alley. Hands were waving wildly and peals of laughter wafted down to the street.

The noise caught the attention of a rat who poked his head out of a rubbish bin. The rodent slipped out awkwardly and a metallic clink accompanied the movements of his paws as he crept forward. The creature lifted his head and twitched his whiskers.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

The rat scurried back into the shadows as a tall wizard walked out the front door of the shop in the company of the witch. The witch hugged the young wizards, but then moved to stand closely by the tall, older wizard. The Twins finally closed the door and the couple turned The rat could clearly see their faces and became perfectly still when he saw the smile they exchanged and registered how their hands clasped before they disapparated.

The rat shook his body, then began nervously gnawing on his paw. There were plans to be made; he mustn't be hasty. Lupin had a woman? Not for long.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

April 30
Diagon Alley

The rat's surveillance of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes paid off. He saw Remus Lupin land on the sidewalk and dismount his broom as he completed his circuit around the joke shop. The Professor suddenly looked in the rat's direction, so the creature scurried away under the protection of the shadows. Patience.

"See something?" called Tonks as she swooped to land beside Lupin.

"Just shadows," replied Lupin with a shrug as she dismounted. "Let's do a final inspection of the ward." He waved his wand and looked quite satisfied. "It's a perfect celtic knot."

"It's beautiful work. Fred and George are naturals at shield charms," agreed Tonks. "I wish we had more Ministry employees with their talent."

Lupin nodded, but then had to hold onto the feminine bundle that jumped into his arms when two more riders came in fast and low. "Eek!"

Fred and George Weasley laughed as Tonks literally jumped into Lupin's arms and hung on for dear life. She shouted, "That's a poor way to show your gratitude!"

"We'll give you first run at our inventory, Tonks," assured Fred as he leapt off his broom.

"The shield charm couldn't be stronger," called George when he landed.

The four of them had used a very advanced spell to protect the property from the Dark Arts, although preventing petty theft was a matter of vigilance. George stood beside his brother and both young men beamed with pride as they gazed upon their new enterprise.

"Quit gawking at the property and give me this preview of your wares, gentlemen," said Tonks as Lupin set her feet on the ground.

"Certainly, but first," said Fred as he grabbed a robe off a hook inside the door, "we have to put on our company robes."

Lupin looked at the bright yellow robes the Twins were donning and observed, "You know, if all you were selling were your Canary Creampuffs, that would work, but you might want something a bit less blinding."

George was unfazed as he flicked his wand and their robes became a deep magenta. "I thought this color would be more appropriate for the proprietors of this fine establishment."

The Twins looked to Tonks and Lupin for judgment and both agreed, "Magenta."

Having established the proprietary color, the Weasleys then began explaining their full inventory to Lupin and Tonks. They were duly impressed with the Skiving Snackboxes, the assortment of quills and the fireworks. Then the Twins mentioned their special section for the ladies.

"There's not much variety yet," said George.

"Just thought we'd dabble a bit, then see what happens," added Fred.

"Show 'em the Gushy Goo-goos. It's a frightful way to tease your friends," said George.

Fred threw a glance at Lupin and Tonks before quirking an eyebrow at his brother, who immediately nodded. He seemed to whisper to the box before offering it to Tonks. "The girls we tested got a laugh from bugging their friends over a boy they fancied."

Tonks took the heart-shaped box and opened the lid. A gelatin heart floated into the air and seemed to beat as a high-pitched, feminine voice kept squealing, "Nim-nim wuvs Weem-Weem.."

Tonks took one look at Lupin and doubled over in laughter. "Great stunning spell you've got there."

She turned to Lupin and waved her hand in front of his eyes. The stupefied expression remained. "Weem-weem, er, Remus? It's just a joke."

"It's a nightmare! Make it stop," he pleaded as his hands rose to cover his ears. "They've captured Moaning Myrtle's voice."

Lupin looked so chagrined that Tonks patted his arm comfortingly and used her wand to burst the heart. The droplets fell back into the box with a plop. The Twins were trying not to smirk at seeing their old Professor so put off.

"And how did you come to know Moaning Myrtle?"asked Tonks of Lupin.

"She was always hanging around the Prefect's bathroom," murmured Lupin with a shudder. "I developed a great appreciation for bubblebaths and earplugs after fifth year."

"Percy and Bill both found her annoying, too," muttered Fred.

"The girls at school liked it; we tested it on Lavender Brown and Romilda Vane," added George. "But perhaps we should find a new model for the voice?"

They looked at Tonks expectantly, but she said, "Try Fleur Delacour. She makes anything she says sound elegant."

"Oh, great idea," the Twins replied.

Lupin had finally recovered to the point where he took a deep breath. He turned with a satisfied nod to the Twins and said, "I think you've outdone Zonko's."

For once, the Twins seemed abashed and could only grin at the compliment. Then Tonks' eye was caught by a splash of pink just visible from their storeroom. "And what have we here?"

Fred and George suddenly looked at each other in accusation. "I told you to put her away--" "I thought you said you'd do it."

Tonks and Lupin walked forward and pushed the curtain to the storeroom open further.

"Oh my," said Tonks as her gaze fell upon the object.

Lupin merely quirked an eyebrow and whispered in her ear, "Definitely not the woman of my dreams."

In the meantime, the Twins were still stammering. "We didn't, actually, we're just testing--."

There before them, propped against a shelf, was a life-sized, Muggle blow-up doll complete with a pink wig of spiky hair. The doll stared blankly at the humans, although she seemed a bit smug about her endowments.

"It's Dad's fault, really. He, he found this, this Muggle artifact, see?"

"We'd been playing with hair for the Instant Metamorphmagus kit."

"Get Tonksified, you know?" Fred waved his wand and the hair color on the doll changed.

"But it was a joke--"

"We NEVER touched her, I swear!" The Twins ended with the synchronous proclamation.

"Well, we did dress her," admitted George.

Although Lupin quickly ascertained it wasn't a naughty sort of doll, he could see the twinkle in Tonks' eye that indicated she was going to have some fun with the boys.

"Then you won't fret if I check for residues of--" began Tonks.

"Okay, maybe we touched the, er, torso."

"But nothing else." The Twins looked to each other in confirmation and nodded madly to assure each other.

Lupin merely covered his mouth and tried to look stern. It just wouldn't do spoil Tonks' fun and laugh at the dilemma, but men had to help each other. He observed, "She is dressed."

"Yeah, Gryffindor uniform--I was a Ravenclaw, by the way," Tonks informed the Weasleys. "And while I appreciate the chance for, er, notoriety, as an Auror, I can't let you use my name for your tricks. Why, we'd have a Mad-eye Moody action figure if that were allowed."

"Bugger! And we worked so hard on this model," moaned Fred as he grabbed a doll from their worktable and tossed it in the rubbish bin.

"We can still sell the fake magic eye," admonished George as he grabbed the doll and plucked out the eyeball.

He was rubbing it like a marble against his shirt as Tonks wrinkled her nose and said, "I'll just have to confiscate this, boys."

Tonks grabbed her polyethylene twin around the shoulders before adding, "By the way, just how did you get a hold of the uniform? It's a bit large for Ginny."

"Probably one of Molly's," offered Lupin, although he thought it was more in proportion of Angelina Johnson. "But we best leave Fred and George to finish preparing for their big day tomorrow."

"Er, Profes--I mean, Remus," began George in a serious tone. "Fred and I were wondering if you'd help us out with the store in the first few weeks?"

"Just when you can; we know you're busy with missions for the Order," added Fred. "But we haven't had a chance to look for a clerk and, well, if our shop doesn't do well--"

"We'd hate to hire someone then have to let them go." George admitted this rather glumly, but then added, "But we intend to pay you, of course, or at least as much as the new werewolf restrictions allow. We don't want to take advantage of you, although you would have to wear one of our business robes."

Tonks surreptitiously squeezed Lupin's hand, but couldn't hold back her smile. She knew the Twins' simple request meant a lot to the Professor.

"Thank goodness it's not a canary yellow, then. I think I could help out as I can until you're confident of hiring permanent help," said Lupin. "I'll be here bright and early in the morning then."

Lupin shook hands with the Weasleys, then turned to Tonks.

"Let's introduce Nim-nim to Wimples," she said as she waved farewell by moving the doll's arm vigorously.

"Wimples might decide to deflate her, you know," murmured Lupin as they walked away.

"Wimples only attacks annoying men," assured Tonks.

And that's how a new resident came to be seen at Tonks' flat. "What do you think, Wimples? This is Nim-nim, she'll be a constant companion for you." Tonks pet the vorpal bunny who still looked suspiciously at the doll.

Wimples cocked his ear at his strange companion and looked up at Lupin as if the wizard could explain this new acquisition.

The Professor merely looked sympathetically at the bunny and consoled him with the words, "She might be an airhead, but at least she'll be quiet--unless you bite her, then she'll have a hissy fit."

Wimples seemed to consider his options, then hopped away with clear intention of ignoring Nim-nim.

"Good idea, Wimples. Now, why pay attention to a fake when you have a real woman?" Tonks chided as she grabbed the front of Lupin's shirt and brought him toward her.

"Why, indeed?" asked Lupin as he followed through with the kiss.

He was letting it happen again, he thought. He was indulging in the fantasy that he could have an ordinary life. Even though his temporary employment with the Weasleys was a menial task, the fact that they had asked him for his help made him feel--normal. And the woman in his arms responded to him so passionately, he could almost believe that he deserved to have her love.

Nim-Nim was soon left alone with her unchanging, vacant expression and her constantly changing hair color. Thereafter one could find her propped against the kitchen stool. But if the blinds on the kitchen window of Tonks' flat were left open, one could mistake the doll for the Metamorphmagus herself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Merry Month of May
Diagon Alley

Wormtail couldn't sneak away to check Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes every day, but he was relieved to find Lupin at the shop each time he did. The rat couldn't approach any closer than the opposite street, but he could see the activity through the large, storefront window.

It delighted Wormtail to see the noteworthy scholar at such a menial task. What a waste of talent that was. Surely Lupin would feel degraded, but whenever the man left for the day, he was smiling. It was the same smile that Wormtail remembered when the Marauders had developed a new tool for mischief.

Worse, when there was a lull in customers, Wormtail often saw the Professor's head bent over a drawing or set of notes that the Twins had presented him. The sight made Wormtail's stomach lurch. Instead of seeing the Weasleys' red hair, Pettigrew remembered two black heads bent over as they stood on either side of Lupin. James and Sirius had always favored Lupin's opinion over Pettigrew's. The old rage began to build in his heart.

The rat gnawed on his paw as the memories flooded him, but then he perked up. The witch with the pink hair was approaching the joke shop. Lupin's woman.

This time the rat could hear one of the Twins call out, "Remus, it's Tonks!"

Tonks? What an odd name for a girl, but then, a werewolf was an odd sort of man to fancy. As luck would have it, it took little time before the couple was standing outside of the joke shop. Wormtail strained to catch their words.

"...beautiful day but I've been cooped up inside writing reports," grumbled the witch.

"We can walk to your flat," suggested Lupin, "and stop at the grocer on the way."

"Perfect! I need fresh veggies for Wimples..."

Their voices drifted off, so Wormtail hurried to keep up with them. Luckily their stop at the grocer gave the rodent time to catch his breath. Damn Lupin and his long legs, although the little witch seemed to be able to keep up with his stride.

At one point Tonks saw him and stopped suddenly so that she yanked Lupin's hand. The wizard asked, "Tonks? Did someone cast a gumshoe spell on you?"

"No, I just, well, it must have been a rat."

Finally they arrived at a candle shop that was closed for the evening, but around the back they went. Soon Wormtail saw a light emanating from a window on the second floor. He caught sight of the silhouette of the spiky-haired witch. Satisfied that he had identified Tonks' flat, Wormtail fled into the night. Pettigrew mustn't rouse suspicions from his master; it was important to avoid distractions. Still, a man who had spent twelve years as a rat learned something about being patient.

Inside the flat, the couple was oblivious to the creature that stalked them. The door had opened and a familiar snarl from Wimples greeted them. The vorpal bunny was immediately distracted when Tonks dangled a tasty carrot in front of him.

They sat down to supper by using sitting cross-legged by the coffee table when Tonks pointed to Nim-Nim with her fork. "Fleur came by yesterday and changed her outfit. What do you think?"

Lupin glanced quickly behind him at the doll who was now dressed in a formal gown. "That's a rather fancy dress for Nim-nim."

"It was the one Fleur wore at Otto and Gretchen's wedding. She wanted to make sure Heidi never got it."

"Heidi? Oh, yes, the man-eating maid of honor?"

Tonks nodded, then grimaced. "Fleur and I are going shopping for dresses tomorrow."

"Why do I get the feeling this was Fleur's idea and not yours?"

"Because you know I hate shopping for girly things," said Tonks. "But St. Mungo's Ball is only two weeks away now, so I can't put it off any longer."

Lupin shrugged. "The dress won't matter; you'll look lovely regardless of what you wear."

The man took the next bite of his supper and so was surprised to find the breath being squeezed out of him in the next moment. He swallowed as best he could and patted the arms that were wrapped tightly around his neck. "Tonks? I'd like to breathe."

"Oh, sorry, Remus, it's just--D'you know that you actually make me feel like I'm pretty?" she whispered in his ear.

He closed his eyes as he felt her warm cheek resting against the his ear. He rather enjoyed these intimate attacks and soon they would just be a memory. Lupin turned around so he could see her face. He touched her cheek gently and replied, "You are beautiful, Nymphadora Tonks. No matter what happens between us, remember that."

Tonks merely kissed the tip of his nose before sitting down to resume her supper. St. Mungo's Charity Ball was drawing near and Lupin seemed intent on preparing her for an end to their relationship. The man still had a few lessons to learn about the tenacity of the pink-haired witch.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

May 30
Tonks' Flat

It had only taken a few subtle hints for Fred and George to begin a more serious line of goods with their abilities to create shield charms. This venture had proven to be quite lucrative for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The proprietors of the joke shop had soon begun interviewing potential employees, but were rather picky about about hired help. It came as welcome information when they had finally agreed on someone. Lupin had spent his last day yesterday at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes by training Verity, the new clerk.

It was a time of transitions as the night of St. Mungo's Ball arrived. One benefit of helping at the joke shop for the past few weeks was that Fred and George insisted on paying wages. The meager funds would do little to change his financial status, but as his third date with Tonks approached, Lupin had an interesting dilemma on his hands.

The Professor actually had the funds to give the young lady flowers. Because he expected that this third date would be their last, he wanted something special that he could preserve for her. Something that would help her remember the best of him and not the worst. He had spent the past week considering what he should order and had pestered Sirius unceasingly about the potential choices. Tonight he would find out if he had made the right selection.

Lupin knocked on the door of Tonks' flat with one hand while the other held a corsage behind his back. His collar suddenly seemed tight and he felt warmth flushing his face. Oh, this was ridiculous! This was Tonks! She was just, just--beautiful!

Tonks opened the door and stood there for a moment unable to say a word. Lupin was likewise left speechless. He was looking at an angel with a pink-tinged halo. Tonks wore a white sleeveless gown that seemed to shimmer around her body. For his part, Sirius had convinced Lupin to wear the Roman cassock that signified his status as a Scholar. It was considered formal wear in the wizarding world and was the nicest set of robes he had. The black robes accentuated his lean body nicely.

Lupin was the one who moved first when he suddenly thrust the corsage toward Tonks with a stiff arm. "Uh."

"Mm," was all Tonks managed to say, but then she looked down at the flowers. "Oh! They're luminescent! Are they really Wolf Flowers?"

"Mariphasa lupina lumina." Lupin cleared his throat and said, "They're to remind you of Wolf Rock, not, not the other."

His voice fell off a bit as he realized his big mistake. How could someone not associate the Wolf Flower with his lycanthropy? What had he been thinking?

But Tonks brought the flowers to her face and inhaled their delicate scent. "They're precious, just like the lighthouse.

Lupin exhaled as he realized she understood why he had presented her the flowers, but with his relief came a certain loss of verbal control. "They're specially preserved so they won't spoil and rot and Sirius said I should get you a wrist corsage instead of something that looked like a growth on your, uh, never mind, and since I've never, I mean, I thought he'd know--You look so beautiful."

Tonks' eyes were shining brightly and a smile touched her face at Lupin's uncharacteristic rambling. She slipped the corsage on her left wrist since her right one held the bracelet of pink shells Lupin had given her for Christmas. She said shyly, "Thank you, Remus. No one's ever given me flowers."

She stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips, but soon found herself swept into his arms for a proper kiss. There was a certain desperation there, but Tonks didn't let that dampen her response. She was determined that this would not be their last night together.

"You deserve so much more than I can give you, Nymphadora," admitted Lupin as he entwined his hand in hers.

"But all I want is you," sighed Tonks as she leaned against him. She closed her eyes for a moment and just listened to his beating heart. Tonight there would be no decoy dates or distance between their public appearance and the Wizarding world in London. She took a deep breath and said, "Let's go."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Lupin.

"Not everyone will be out to shun us, Remus. We survived the Grimball," Tonks said as she straightened his already perfect collar. "You look very handsome tonight. Bill and Fleur will be there as well as Kingsley. Have a little faith."

They walked out into the street, but Tonks stopped for a moment and frowned at the edifice across the street. "I hate it when Muggles just abandon a building. All kinds of vermin start showing up."

Lupin's gaze fell across the street. He could see the tail of a small rat disappearing into the shadows, but felt relief rather than concern. It was an ordinary rat, nothing special. "Crookshanks would have fun over there. Perhaps when the term is over, you can ask Hermione..."

They walked for a time before disapparating to St. Mungo's Charity Ball.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Two hours later they were back at Tonks' flat with the young witch practically in tears. Lupin maintained his stony silence, but was determined to see her safely home. Neither one noticed the rats in the alley this time, especially one who had sniffed the air as soon they apparated to the candle shop.

The couple entered the building, but when Tonks opened the door to her flat, she stopped abruptly before entering when Lupin said, "I'll say good-bye now."

Tonks stiffened. "You mean good night, don't you?"

"It's best that I leave," began Lupin, but he couldn't look at her.

At this point, the familiar snarl could be heard emanating from Wimples as he stood in the doorway.

Snerf, snerf.

Both humans turned to find that the vorpal bunny had raided Tonks' drawer of unmentionables again.

"Wimples!" cried Tonks, but the bunny ricocheted around the entry hall.

"Up to old tricks, I see," muttered Lupin as he tried to help Tonks nab her errant pet. He couldn't leave Tonks to deal with her furry little problem alone.

"Got him!" But Tonks soon learned that Wimples could be quite amorphous when he set his mind to it. "Oh, bloody hell!"

The were-rabbit managed to wriggle out of her grasp and again was off.

"Here he--damn!" Lupin had managed to anticipate Wimples' trajectory, but a few strategic wiggles had liberated the furball again.

"In there!"

Wimples drew both of them into Tonks bedroom before they realized it. He leapt onto the bed and taunted them both as the fluorescent green bra dangled off his ears.

Snerf, snerf.

But before Wimples could bounce away, Lupin and Tonks took opposite ends of the bedcover and threw it over the vorpal bunny so that he was caught within a tunnel of fabric. They sat on opposite ends of the bed to secure the exits.

Suddenly Lupin and Tonks exchanged a glance then burst into laughter. The were-rabbit was hopping within the tunnel rather vigorously, creating little lumps as he went along.

As they sobered up, they looked at each other and leaned forward. Only their lips met, but in that one touch, the obstacles they faced were diminished by a sense of hope, by the knowledge that in a world that would be against them, they worked best when they were together.

Lupin finally pulled back with a howl and rubbed his ribs. "Ow! He kicked me."

"I'm sure it was accidental," said Tonks as she reached under the blanket to pull out Wimples.

The bunny looked rather unrepentant to Lupin, but the Professor managed to remove the lime green bra from the long ears and tossed it on the bureau. Wimples immediately scampered away and they could see him jumping into his top hat in the living room.

Silence. Lupin told himself to be strong, that he had to end this romance if he were to salvage any of their friendship. But Tonks was determined not to let him walk away from her. She scooted closer when he would have risen from the bed.

"Stay." She looked directly into his eyes as she gave her command.

"This isn't, nor has it ever been, a good idea." Lupin's voice grew harsh as he reminded her, "You heard them. Their insults weren't just directed at me."

"People have been calling me names all my life, Remus." As she spoke, she took his hand in hers. "It hurts, but I won't let them define me, certainly not someone like Rita Skeeter."

"She won't write a word about us," assured Lupin. He had overheard the little chat Rita and Tonks were having and had felt no qualms in executing a pre-emptive strike. "She wouldn't want the world to know she's an unregistered animagus."

"I expected Rita's attitude. I was more surprised about the others like Madam Malkin, but I'm not a regular customer for her," observed Tonks as she tried to shrug that off. "It's not like being barred from her premises is going to change my life."

"But Scrimgeour could. He practically threatened to fire you for being with me."

"Let him try. I'm good at my job, Remus," said Tonks a bit stiffly. "With Death Eaters on the loose, the instability at Azkaban, and the odd incidents happening, the Ministry needs every one of its Aurors. I may never get promoted, but I will still do my work."

"And your parents? Don't tell me that tirade didn't hurt," said Lupin as he finally brought up the worst encounter of the night.

Tonks averted her gaze and brought her arms to wrap around her knees. She blinked away the tears that threatened, but her voice was firm. "They had no right to say those things to you. I never--I never expected them be so horrible."

"Nymphadora, they are your parents. Of course they'd worry about you," began Lupin in a half-hearted defense of Ted and Andromeda. "You weren't expecting them at the ball?"

"Mum never said a word to me about getting tickets," sighed Tonks. She laughed bitterly. "Some surprise, eh? They're good people, Remus, and I was hoping you'd meet them, but not like this. And I never realized that Mum thought you had corrupted Sirius."

"It was easier for her to blame the Werewolf than to lose faith in her beloved cousin," said Lupin quietly. He understood the reasoning quite well. "If I were Fenrir Greyback, she would probably be right."

"But Mum doesn't even know that Sirius is innocent! And I can't tell her without, without--What a bloody mess!"

"Now they see you as my next target." Lupin turned his face away from her as he added, "And even touching you is a violation."

Tonks' voice held her anger. "I can't believe how they accused you of, of--"

"Rape? That was a new one for me," confirmed Lupin. He couldn't stop the shudder that ran through his body. It had cut him deeply to think of the beautiful intimacy he shared with Nymphadora Tonks being reduced to something so ugly and violent. But he was a werewolf, so the assumption had been obvious. He had forced himself on the young witch and she was too afraid to defy him now.

"Damn it, I'm the one who's always jumping on you!" muttered Tonks as she wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his back.

"Yes, but sometimes I just lose control and--," admitted Lupin. Although Tonks initiated them, Lupin quickly became the aggressor in their sexual encounters. "And I have worried that I've hurt you."

"You are the gentlest man I've ever known, Remus. You are not some monster; you're the man I love."

She moved so that she could kiss him gently and Lupin allowed the contact to chase away the shadow the accusation had brought. Her kiss was passionate, willing; she held nothing back from him. When she released the kiss, Tonks murmured again, "Stay, Remus."

Tonight was not the night to end things. His need for her was too great when he was so wounded. Only Tonks could make him feel whole and human when people had thrown the monster in his face all night.

"I'll stay," Lupin whispered. "Tonight, I'll stay."

Tonks understood that he was promising no more than that, but still felt relieved. She had to believe her love was strong enough to endure this test. She accepted this, but also defined a way to continue their relationship.

"One day at a time," she agreed.

Lupin took her hand and gently kissed her palm before removing the seashell bracelet. He touched her other hand and inhaled the sweet scent of the Wolf Flower before removing the corsage from her wrist. She brought her arms around his neck and melted into him.

He woke up in the morning startled. His daughter had been crying and the voices of the boys had been fading. Lupin wiped his hand across his face. No, it was a dream and that family could never be his, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was threatening the children in his dreams. Was he losing his mind?

"Shoo, rat," murmured Tonks as she lay in against him. Her eyes were closed and the movement under the lids indicated she, too, was dreaming.

Lupin felt the hackles rise at the nape of his neck at her words. His dislike of rats had risen immensely since his last encounter with Peter Pettigrew. Surely it was just coincidence that Tonks had been dreaming about some rat while he had felt the sense of danger? It was easily explained by the rats in the abandoned building next door.

He tightened his arms around her. He made up his mind to try to search for Peter Pettigrew and to try to find a way to end this relationship with Tonks for her own good.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

June 15
London

Remus Lupin was walking toward the Kensal Green cemetery. He had spent the past few days avoiding Tonks because whenever they were together, the witch managed to distract him from his intention of dissolving their relationship. He had put his time to use by exhausting any magical devices that might help him locate Pettigrew. Moody had suggested focusing on a trace of the Death Eaters that had attacked him at Kensal Green. It was a rather rainy day and Lupin had his doubts this would prove fruitful, but on his trek his attention was drawn to a Muggle coffee house.

A woman was standing and her profile clearly indicated she was heavy with child. What had caught his attention was the woman's face: Emmeline Vance! Lupin stepped away from the window into the cover of the awning as Emmeline walked away.

Emmeline had wasted no time getting pregnant, Lupin thought. He closed his eyes and shook his head as he vowed to himself to never tell Sirius. But when he opened his eyes, another familiar figure was leaving the coffeehouse.

"Tonks?" Her name escaped his lips before he could think. Although her hair was brown, he knew her profile intimately.

"Remus, what--Wait. You've been dodging me for days. Why are you following me now?" Tonks' voice suddenly grew urgent. "Has Sirius found out?"

"I was on an errand, the same errand that's been keeping me busy the last few days," explained Lupin, although he was reluctant to admit he had been avoiding the witch. Even now he had to curb the impulse to just hold her, but he kept his thoughts focused on his recent discovery. "Sirius doesn't know anything and I'm certainly not about to tell him that Emmeline wasted no time finding an alternate sperm donor."

Tonks opened her mouth to say something, but then pressed her lips together. She had made a vow to Emmeline Vance and although it wasn't an Unbreakable one, she felt compelled to uphold it until she could talk some sense into the other woman.

"Well, good, because Emmeline didn't want him to find out. And it's best if she's the one to tell Sirius so she can explain everything," said Tonks a bit defensively.

"Emmeline looks healthy enough," said Lupin. "I don't wish her or her baby ill; I just wish she weren't so fickle."

"Sirius made it clear he didn't want to be a father--"

"He didn't want to be reduced to providing stud service," said Lupin. "And I don't blame him. Besides, I thought you were on his side on this."

"That was before I knew more about--" Tonks stopped abruptly and said, "Emmeline is not a bad woman, Remus. She's just trying to do what she thinks is best for her baby."

"And how do you fit into this, then?" asked Lupin.

Tonks fell silent, but then murmured, "I can't tell you, but, just trust me. I wouldn't do anything to hurt Sirius."

Lupin took a deep breath. Perhaps it would be best to use this situation as a way to distance himself from Tonks. It would be simple to just exaggerate how upset he was and--

It was at that point that Tonks touched his hand and whispered, "I've missed you."

Fools rush in, and he was the biggest fool of all. Lupin had no control over his body as he leaned in to kiss her right there in public. Her lips were sweet, so as he pulled out of the kiss he asked, "Chocolate?"

"Cocoa, I had an urge," confirmed Tonks with a grin. "Will you come see me tonight or do I have to hunt you down?"

"I--yes, I suppose we should talk," agreed Lupin. It would give him a chance to survey the area around Tonks' flat as well.

"No more talk about Emmeline, though. I think we have enough to discuss without that. I'll make supper for us." Tonks was about to walk away when Lupin called to her.

"Wait. You can't cook," reminded Lupin.

"Didn't say I was cooking," pointed out Tonks. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly before running off.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tonks' Flat

Tonks was rather pleased with herself. She had not cooked a thing, but had still managed to make dinner. In fact, her mood had been so bright that she had removed the bridesmaid dress from Nim-nim and had decked her in one of her oldest Weird Sisters t-shirts and an old pair of denim shorts.

"Down, Wimples, I already gave you your own salad, now run along and attack those veggies," admonished Tonks. She turned to survey the Greek salad she had for them. She looked at Nim-nim and said, "And you, don't give me that look. The grilled chicken I got from the deli is not cheating."

Tonks turned to look out the window to see if Lupin was on his way when she noticed him leaving the abandoned building across the street. She opened the window, but stuck Nim-nim's head out of it as she called, "Hello below!"

Lupin looked up to find the torso of the blow-up toll protruding from Tonks' flat as one hand waved at him. "I'll be right up."

"What were you doing next door?" asked Tonks when he made it up to her door.

"Just taking care of the rat infestation. Muggle rodents can be so stubborn, but I got a nice bagful for Buckbeak."

Tonks frowned at him and said, "You're not hauling a bag of rats into my flat, are you?"

"No, no, I'll pick them up on my way to number twelve," assured Lupin as he turned his hands palm up. He had been a bit relieved to find that all of the rats were common rodents. Of course that didn't exclude the possibility that Wormtail had been there on another night.

Lupin put the thought aside for the moment. He had to convince Tonks of the futility of their relationship, so he had prepared his arguments carefully. He was convinced he could persuade the young witch to see the wisdom of parting as friends.

Although his intention was that this would be the night for breaking up, Tonks was cheerful as she led him to the coffee table in her living room. As usual they were sitting on the floor while they ate their supper.

"I think Wimples has had undue influence on me lately. I felt like a Greek salad, so I hope you like it."

Lupin was duly impressed with the meal that Tonks had prepared. He was about to finish the last bite when he said again, "This is delicious."

"Even the peas?" asked Tonks with false sweetness.

Lupin about dropped the fork that was heading to his mouth, but the sudden grin that lit Tonks' face gave her away. "Payback?"

"I admit I was tempted to toss a few of your favorite legumes into the mix," began Tonks, but then her voice became serious. "Remus, if you're going to dump me then do it face-to-face. And don't try to deny you've been avoiding me. I told you I'd abide by your decision after the third date, but I think it's a mistake to be hasty about, about abandoning our relationship."

Tonks took a large swallow from her wine glass because she had lost her bravado as soon as she had made her proclamation. Still, she preferred to deal with it than to not know where she stood with him.

Lupin set his fork down and took a large gulp of the wine that had accompanied dinner. Then he captured her hands in his. He kept his gaze on their clasped hands as he said, "Tonks, I'm too old, too poor, and too dangerous for you to throw your life away on me."

"You're still young enough to fall in love with me, Remus," sighed Tonks. "Or have I been nothing but a tumble in bed for you?"

As much as he wanted to agree with that statement, he couldn't lie to her. "No, I couldn't use you like that. You are everything I've ever wanted."

"Then isn't that all that matters?" pleaded Tonks.

"Life isn't ruled by our heart's desire, Nymphadora. You'll get tired of having to weigh every purchase. The cost of the Wolfsbane alone is a drain, but I couldn't afford not to take it if we were to be together."

"You don't think I can make that sacrifice?"

"I don't think you should have to make that sacrifice. It's likely I'll never hold a real job, so do you think I like the idea that one day you'd resent all the freedom that being with me has cost you? My debts become yours, my curse might as well be. And what happens when I can't afford the Wolfsbane? What do you think it would do to me if I hurt you?"

"I'm not some weak woman, Remus." Her hands were now clenched at her side.

"No, we'd never have come this far if you had been. I can't tell you how precious our time together has been for me, but I'd rather have you safely as my friend than wake up to find my wife is dead because of something I've done or failed to do."

Tonks nodded, but then his words struck her. "Wait. Wife? You're saying you--you'd marry me?"

"No, I was explaining that as much as I might want to, I can't marry you," explained Lupin patiently.

"You want to marry me?" asked Tonks in wonder again.

Lupin was now confused. How had this conversation about breaking up turned into one about marriage? "That's not the point. We can't get married--"

"But you want to!"

Why was the woman smiling at him when he had just told her--

That was his last thought before she attacked him passionately. "Tonks." She had straddled his lap and only let him up for a breath before she-- "Tonks, we need to end this."

"Mm, right, the bed would be much more comfortable." She hopped off and tugged his hand.

"Yes--no! No, we can't--"

"I understand, marriage is not on the present agenda," explained Tonks patiently as she led him to her bedroom.

"Right, so--"

"I understand. No marriage," assured Tonks.

"Good," sighed Lupin as he felt himself being pushed back onto her bed before she added, "Yet."

"Uh huh, mmm, no! No marriage."

"Right, that's what I said," replied Tonks as she slipped off his shirt.

"Oh." Somehow it all made sense or as much as he could logically put ideas together when she was doing this to him. "Oooh..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Grimmauld Place

Lupin was leaning the chair back on two legs and staring glumly at the ceiling when Sirius walked into the kitchen at number twelve.

"Feeling tipsy? Wouldn't firewhisky be better?" observed Sirius.

Lupin just looked at him. "She's gotten to you, too, hasn't she? The puns, I mean."

"My little cousin does have a way of getting under the skin. So what's your problem now? You've had your third date weeks ago and, judging by how early it was this morning that you came in, you're still together."

"That's the problem. I need to find a way to break it off with Tonks without breaking her heart. That's what I intended to do last night."

"But you wound up doing more than just talking, I assume."

"I thought I was presenting sound reasons why our relationship can't work. Then somehow we wound up talking about marriage instead. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened," murmured Lupin as he rubbed his chin.

Whack!

"Ow!" Lupin was now rubbing the side of his head at the spot where Sirius had popped him.

"Moony, you moron! You're heart's not in it, don't you see?" Sirius sat down by his friend and shook his shoulder roughly. "You love Tonks. Don't make it complicated."

"But it is complicated, Padfoot. She'd be shunned by society, place her career in jeopardy, and even become estranged from her own family, all on account of me."

"Estranged from her family? What the hell are you talking about? I'm her family and I approve. To hell with the Malfoys and--"

"Andromeda thinks I'm responsible for turning Sirius Black to the Dark Arts, Padfoot. She doesn't know you're innocent," reminded Lupin.

"How ridiculous!" Sirius sat back with a look of disbelief. He shook his head, then offered his solution. "Well, soon the truth will be out and I can vouch for you myself. See, problem solved."

"We have more problems than that, Sirius." Lupin stood up and said firmly, "Tonks deserves better than me and she's young enough to--to forget about me and get on with her life."

"Remus, don't underestimate the stubbornness of love," said Sirius quietly. "You know as well as I do that it's not something you can just turn off." He shook his head and this time put a placating hand on his friend's arm. "Look at us, will you? At our age, we finally fall in love and it's with a woman we both think we can't keep."

"Emmeline?" asked Lupin as he sat down again. He kept himself from saying anything but her name.

"Emmeline," admitted Sirius. "I thought we both knew how to play the game, but this time my winning meant losing her, forever. When she brought up the idea of having a child together, I laughed, Moony. I found the idea absurd because of what Azkaban had done to me. Why would any woman want a child tainted with my blood?"

Lupin frowned at this new information. It was not the story he had first heard from Sirius. "I thought Emmeline wanted you to father her child, but nothing else?"

"It was after I laughed that she said I wouldn't have to worry about raising the child or even acknowledging the child as a Black. I was hurt that she thought she could convince me to conceive and then abandon my own flesh and blood, so I just told her to go." Sirius looked at his hands on the table for a moment. "I wonder what would have happened if I had told her that I fell in love with her this time, that I wasn't playing the game anymore?"

Lupin thought about the pregnant woman and his heart broke for his friend. It was best not to increase his heartache. "You're right, we are quite the pair, aren't we?"

"Don't make the mistakes I've made, Remus," pleaded Sirius in a quiet voice. Then he tossed his head and assumed an arrogant posture. "Besides, if you break my little cousin's heart, I'll have to seek revenge for compromising her honor--and being a self-sacrificing git."

Lupin laughed at the threat and shook his head. He admitted, "Tonks did say we should take this one day at a time."

"Good. That's all anyone has, right? A day at a time? Merlin, sometimes I feel as if I have few enough days left, as if I never should have survived Azkaban."

Lupin was surprised to see tears shining in his friend's eyes. He hugged him close and as he held Sirius in his embrace, he knew the other man was crying.

After a time, Lupin said quietly, "You did survive and we're all the better for it, Sirius. I never would have acted on my feelings for Tonks if you hadn't been there to knock some sense into me. And you mean the world to Harry."

Sirius regained control and voiced his thoughts as they coalesced. "That's what I'll do. I'll write my will and make sure Harry is the heir to my estate."

"Good, if it will make you feel better, then do it." Lupin gave him an encouraging pat on the back and released him. "It could be tricky to designate Harry as your heir, but we should be able to create a magically binding document."

"Right," said Sirius, then blurted, "But I want to leave something for you--"

"No." Lupin's refusal was simple, but sincere.

"But, the Black fortune--"

"I want you alive and well, so bugger your wealth if you go off and die on me," insisted Lupin.

Sirius laughed before making his final request. "Fine, then bring Tonks over in a few days so she can serve as a second witness.

"It's a date," agreed Lupin.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

June 18
Grimmauld Place

Two nights later the Order held a limited gathering. Kingsley Shacklebolt had accompanied Alastor Moody to add their magic to the magical seal on the last will and testament of one Sirius Padraic Black.

"Well, let's get this done," urged Moody.

"Oh? Do you have somewhere to be, Mad-eye?" asked Tonks saucily. "You're not seeing Hestia Jones again, are you?"

"My private affairs are none of your business, you cheeky little witch," huffed Moody.

Shacklebolt's rich, deep laughter soon filled the room. "Tonks is too observant. And what was the problem with Buckbeak you mentioned, Sirius?"

"Got his foot injured somehow. I spent most of the day upstairs tending to him except when Snivellus decided to check up on me. Snape really likes to rub it in that I'm stuck in this house." Sirius shook his head and took the quill. "But Moody's right. Let's get this done."

Sirius carefully signed his name then handed the quill to Lupin. The latter's neat signature stood in contrast to the former's scrawl.

"Remus John Lupin," read Sirius with a nod. "Good, now for the last witness."

Lupin handed the quill to Tonks, who bit her lip for a moment. She had not yet been able to convince Emmeline to talk to Sirius, but drawing the will had seemed so important to her cousin. Besides, wills could always be changed later. Sirius and Emmeline had plenty of time to deal with their issues.

The witch made her decision and signed her name with a flourish: Nymphadora Vulpecula Tonks.

"You poor girl, no wonder you go by Tonks," observed Sirius with a sympathetic pat to her shoulder. Moody and Shacklebolt had actually grimaced at her name.

"Vulpecula? The fox?" asked Lupin.

"Mum wanted to stick to the tradition of constellations," replied Tonks with a curled lip.

"There, all done and official," called Sirius. "Gentlemen, lady, let's activate the document."

They chanted the spell and watched the magical seal appear as the ink of the signatures were absorbed into the parchment. He then poured a glass of wine for each of them and they raised their glasses in salute. "Thank you both for indulging me."

"I'll make sure this gets deposited at Gringotts," said Lupin as he tucked the document into his robes. "I'm meeting Bill there tomorrow when he gets back from France."

"That's right, he's off asking permission to marry Fleur, isn't he? How old fashioned," said Tonks, although she threw a sideward glance at Lupin at the word marry.

Lupin cleared his throat while Sirius laughed at his discomfiture, but the company was interrupted by a summons from Severus Snape via the floo.

"Lupin! A word if you please?" The familiar sneering voice came from the floo.

"Can't you leave me in peace, Snivellus?" groaned Sirius.

"Severus, I'm here with Sirius, Tonks, Moody and Kingsley. What's wrong?" Lupin found it best to limit any conversation between the two men.

"That boy has gone missing. It's likely he thinks that Black is in the hands of Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic."

"What? Are you sure?" asked Lupin.

"He went into the forest with Umbridge and I haven't seen them for hours. The fool believed Black to be captured and we all know how impetuous Potter can be. Now if you'll excuse me, I have my own search to conduct in the Forbidden Forest." Snape's face then disappeared abruptly from the floo.

"I'm going with you." Sirius stood up and pulled out his wand. The look on his face dared the others to argue the point.

"Sirius, let the Aurors do the job," urged Tonks. She felt a chill crawl up her spine at the coincidence, first the will, now the emergency.

"Harry is my godson and no one is going to stop me from helping him."

"Fine, but this is the last time you'll venture out of this house," warned Lupin.

He didn't realize how prophetic his words were to be.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ipswich Hospital
Ipswich, Suffolk

Emmeline Vance had spent the past two months immersing herself in the Muggle world so that she and her child would be safely away from the eyes of the wizarding world. Her artistic talent would serve her well and she had already begun to build her reputation for portraitures. She would be comfortable; she would provide for her child.

Emmeline had explained everything to Tonks a few days ago. It seemed only fitting that the Auror be her secret keeper once the baby was born. If anything happened to Emmeline, she wanted her child to have one solid connection with the wizarding world and to his bloodline. She would leave England and settle in Switzerland after the birth and only Tonks would know where to find her. In the meantime, Emmeline had learned to live as a Muggle and made every effort to put aside her magic.

But as she sat reading, Emmeline felt the sharp pain at her side and her worst fear was realized when she saw the blood. It was too soon, two months too soon, but she refused to panic. She picked up the telephone and dialed the emergency number.

The next few hours were a daze for her. The medical procedures the Muggles used had once been foreign to her, but now she understood the term placental abruption, epidural anesthetic, and Caeserian section. She was awake, although a bit fuzzy headed, throughout the procedure that would save the life of mother and child. When she heard the first cry of her baby, she wept both with joy and regret.

The woman known as Emma Blackwell looked at her son as they brought him to her side. In spite of the spare, red-toned body of the premature baby, the black hair and the features were so familiar to her. She blinked away the tears of regret that the boy would never know his father. But she would never have anticipated that the reason for this was that at the moment their child took his first breath, his father fell through the Veil.

"You have a healthy baby boy. Have you chosen a name yet?"

Emmeline smiled wistfully before replying, "His name is Padraic Corvus Blackwell."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The Aftermath
Ministry of Magic
London

It seemed just minutes after Dumbledore had gone after Harry that the Aurors Dawlish and Williamson appeared in the Department of Mysteries. One tended to the captured Death Eaters while the other helped Lupin deal with the maladies of the teenagers and revived Kingsley Shacklebolt as they waited for the Healers arrived.

Lupin saw to his duties mechanically because he had never felt so empty. In his mind, he kept seeing Tonks falling on the stairs during the battle juxtaposed with Sirius falling through the Veil. In one night, the two people he loved the most were torn from him by the same fiend: Bellatrix Lestrange. He wanted to kill that woman and only Moody's cry for help had prevented him from disobeying Dumbledore's order to remain and help the others.

"Lupin! It's Tonks. She's alive, but just barely," called Moody. He had crawled to where Tonks lay and was cradling her head in his lap now. His good eye looked full of grief. The Auror had seen death too often not to see the evidence of life fading before him.

Lupin fell to his knees. He had not been able to save Sirius Black, but he might be able to save Nymphadora Tonks. His orders to Moody were simple. "Call the transfer of life spell."

Moody shook his head. "You're too weak, Lupin."

"Do you think I give a damn about my life if I lose her, too, now?" The pain of his recent loss seemed to echo through the chamber, but his tone had in fact been quiet.

Moody swallowed. If the Order lost both Tonks and Lupin as well as Black, it would be devastating. But the old Auror knew the bond between these two was strong so he made his wager and gambled with their lives. "Dono vivificus vigoratus."

As Moody transferred the life energy from the man to the woman, Lupin focused on Lyonesse lives. It was too early in the year to begin building debt, especially one that would be this high, but Lupin would sacrifice his mind just to have Tonks living a full life. That was his last thought before he collapsed.

"Damn it! And here I thought Lupin had come away without injury," observed Dawlish when he discovered the trio, two of them collapsed and the other bleeding.

"The night tore out his heart," muttered Moody. "There's no injury worse than that."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

June 20
St. Mungo's

Even with Lupin's sacrifice, it was two days before Tonks revived sufficiently for the healers to consider her on the road to recovery. When she opened her eyes, her first gaze fell on a familiar head of brown hair streaked with silver. Remus Lupin was asleep as he sat in the chair by her bed, but with his upper torso sprawled next to her.

She smiled in relief when she touched his head and felt the strands of his hair. This was real; this was, "Remus."

Her voice had been as soft as a sigh, but his eyes immediately opened. The smile that lit his face was a welcome sight and the touch of his hand on her cheek brought her a sense of comfort. "Nymphadora Tonks, don't ever make me worry like this again."

Tonks just smiled at him and whispered, "You know I can't promise that, but I'll do my best." She accepted his nod before she asked, "What happened? Is Harry all right? And the others?"

Lupin took a deep breath, clasped her hand, but then gave a succinct description of the general events except for one significant omission. It took her a moment to realize one name was missing.

Tonks swallowed the lump in her throat before asking her question. "Why haven't you mentioned Sirius? He came with us, so is he back at number twelve?"

Lupin could only shake his head for a moment. He brought up their hands so that the back of hers pressed against his cheek, but nothing could keep his voice from breaking when he said, "Sirius is gone."

"Gone? He, did he leave number twelve? We have to find him." Tonks was about to throw off the covers when she felt Lupin's grasp tighten.

"Sirius can't be retrieved," explained Lupin. "He was dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange and the backlash from the spell sent him through the Veil."

"Bellatrix?" Tonks closed her eyes. She had failed Sirius by not taking out that witch, even if she was her own flesh and blood. She had failed Emmeline Vance and their unborn child as well. The tears began streaming down her face, but she immediately found herself in Lupin's embrace. "I should have stopped her, should have--you must hate me for, Sirius is gone because I failed."

"Shush, don't say that. Sirius provoked her; he wanted her full attention, Tonks, so that she wouldn't finish the job on you." Lupin rocked her gently. He had not realized it until now, but as he replayed the events, he was certain that Sirius had drawn Bellatrix away from making sure she had killed her niece.

"I'm so sorry, Remus, so sorry."

"Sirius loved you, Tonks, and protecting the ones he loved was second nature to him."

"I'm not worth it," said Tonks as she sobbed against him.

"You are worth my own life, Nymphadora, don't you understand?"

Tonks began regaining control. Bellatrix Lestrange had cast a powerful spell; one that fell just short of killing her. The fact she had recovered at all was a miracle or-- "Remus? Did you call on your bloodline to save me?"

"It's a price I'm willing to pay." Lupin continued to hold her, but for the first time in days, his heart didn't feel empty.

But a few doors down from Tonks' room, Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, still in hospital, were having a heated discussion.

"Do you think it's wise to dissolve the Order like this, Albus?" asked McGonagall.

"Minerva, I am not dissolving the Order. I'm merely sending certain individuals on critical missions."

"Kingsley Shacklebolt I can understand. We should have someone covertly working in the Muggle government, but why send Lupin into that den of wolves?" McGonagall shook her head. "Do you really believe that he'll be able to convince Fenrir Greyback to join us in the fight? It's absurd and even a bit cruel."

"I don't expect Remus to have any contact with Fenrir nor do I expect he can convince many to join us, Minerva. But, Remus is our best example that the Curse depends on how one chooses to live one's life and that might enough to prevent all werewolves from working against us."

"He'll still be mourning for Sirius Black. And if the rumors are true about him and Nymphadora Tonks, well, we shouldn't meddle."

"Their rumored relationship is the perfect foil for his immersion with the others. What better reason for him to leave the wizarding world to join them than a lost love?"

"Albus! I can't believe you'd break apart a young couple."

"Minerva, a romance between Remus and Nymphadora is just a rumor, but even if it's true, I have no intention of a break-up being more than Remus' cover story. They will understand how important it will be for the Order to put their friendship on hold for a few months. I won't assign Remus until after the term; I'm sure they can work on an appropriate solution."

McGonagall became silent. For all of his wisdom, it was sometimes amazing to her how blind Albus Dumbledore could be. On the other hand, he had enough issues on his mind now. She touched his hand as it lay on the rail of her bed. "I think I can understand about friendships being put on hold. I just hope it won't be indefinite."

Dumbledore smiled wistfully at the memories that were raised and the decisions he had come to regret. "I will never lose my faith in the power of love, Minerva."

- - - - - - - - - - - -

June 27
The Hogwarts Express
London

Tonks walked away from Platform 9 3/4 with Remus Lupin by her side once they had said farewell to Moody. It was strange, but Tonks had never felt so connected with Lupin as she did now. With the loss of Sirius, it seemed that they had grown closer to make up for the void that had been left. In fact, they had not spent a night apart since then.

"I'll see you later at the flat," said Lupin when they had walked away from the train station. "I need to stop by Hogwarts. The Headmaster wanted to see me today about a new mission, so he's arranged for me to catch the Knight Bus."

Tonks tightened her grip on his hand. She had been contacted by Emmeline Vance and the news that Sirius had left behind a son had relieved her sense of loss a bit. At the same time, she felt guilty for keeping the information from Lupin. Still, this would be a good opportunity to meet with the witch-in-hiding to convince her to include Lupin in her plans.

"I have to check in at the Ministry, too. I'll see you at supper, then?"

"But I'll cook. Wouldn't want you burning the place down," teased Lupin.

"Just because it got a little smoky last--"

"A little? Wimples was wheezing the rest of the night. Good thing we opened all the windows."

"Fine, you cook, but I'll get the food. See you," said Tonks as she gave his hand one last squeeze.

Lupin looked at her retreating back for a moment. He wished that the intimacy between them would never end, but the foreboding about their relationship had been rising since Sirius had died. He sighed and walked to his rendezvous with the Knight Bus.

Six hours later as the bus was making its approach to Tonks' intersection, Lupin was preoccupied with the details of his new mission. Living among the Werewolves was the one thing he had promised his parents to avoid. The possibility of facing Fenrir Greyback was something that curdled his blood, although it was unlikely that he would be in daily contact with the fiend. Greyback preferred to visit his wealthy Death Eater friends nowadays, although he held to his philosophy of embracing the Wolf.

Lupin also regretted that the assignment would mean he couldn't make good on his promise to keep in touch with Harry Potter. The boy had lost his beloved godfather and although Lupin didn't consider himself a suitable substitute, he had wanted to be there to offer what comfort he could. Would Harry understand? Perhaps he could chance a meeting at the Burrow to see the boy? He vowed to do just that.

Would Tonks understand? For the most part, Lupin would be isolated from everyone except Dumbledore. His cover story of being rejected by an untainted witch was one that brought him the greatest discomfort. Here was a clear opportunity to break things off with Tonks before their present vulnerability made them do something impetuous. He had to admit that he had been tempted to whisk her off and marry her just to make sure he wouldn't lose her, but then logic prevailed.

And now he had been handed the perfect reason to dissolve their relationship and to put her on the path to a life with a man who could not just love her, but offer her all the things she deserved. Lupin looked out the window as the setting sun shone through the window.

But the tongue of flame soon became distinct from the orb of the setting sun. The location of the fire was also clear. "That's Tonks' flat!"

Stan Shunpike let out a whistle at the sight before them while Ernie quickly pulled the brake. He wanted the Knight Bus to come no closer. Before the bus had settled, Lupin was out the door and running.

"Tonks!" He didn't have to use his wand to call the spell to reduce the flame. His mind gave the commands with a thought: Abscido aero.

"Abscido aero," echoed Tonks as she suddenly stood by his side.

"Nymphadora? What are you--? You weren't in your flat?" asked Lupin as they ran forward.

"Forgot to get groceries," replied Tonks on the run, but she had dropped her bags behind her once she saw the fire. "There's Gisella!"

Tonks' relief was evident in her voice as they saw the elder landlady slumped on the stoop, but away from the center of the fire. Nothing was left of the candleshop and residence but the smoldering flame. Tonks forced herself to attend to Gisella and ensured the woman's breathing.

"Tonksie? That's some pet you've got. Came thumping at my door before, before--" Gisella's eyes rolled back as she again fainted.

"Stay with me, Gisella. The Muggle ambulance will be here soon," said Tonks, but then in a distressed voice turned to Lupin. "Wimples! Where's Wimples?"

Lupin looked away from the waste convinced that the were-rabbit would have managed to escape the conflagration. Now that the roar of the fire was gone, he could clearly hear the vicious snarl of the feral animal.

"He's attacking someone. There!" Lupin pointed to the abandoned building across the street.

The were-rabbit was hanging onto the back of a pudgy man with balding blonde hair and a metal hand. The man shrieked in pain and managed to reach behind him with the silver digits to grab his attacker.

"Wormtail." Lupin said the old nickname with nothing but loathing as he raised his wand. Tonks stood behind him, but could only gasp when Wimples was flung away like a rag doll.

With her attention drawn to the vorpal bunny, Tonks would fail to register the surprise on Pettigrew's face as he saw her. He had been certain the little pink-haired witch had been in her flat. He'd seen her sitting at her kitchen. Oh, he was going to be in so much trouble when the Dark Lord found out! He had counted on getting rid of two more Order members to balance out his disobedience.

Lupin cast a stunning spell, but Pettigrew accidentally deflected it when he brought his silver hand to cover his face. In fact, Lupin had to duck the rebounding spell and push Tonks out of its way as well.

He could hear Wormtail's laughter as he called before disapparating, "You'll lose everything before we're through, Remus. Everything!"

Lupin practically roared in frustration at Pettigrew's escape, but his attention turned to Tonks as she cuddled the were-rabbit. He had never heard the creature whimpering in pain before and when he looked closely, he could see the cost of the fight.

Wimples had a crushed back paw and was bleeding from a wound on his chest. His left ear was practically in tatters and his left eye below it looked as if it had been plucked out.

"Remus, he feels cold." Tonks sat beside Gisella and could only cradle her pet. Despair set in while the sirens of the Muggle firetruck and ambulance sounded in the background. The tears had begun to stream down her face when she felt Lupin kneel down beside her.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

June 30th
The Forbidden Forest
Hogwarts

The wizard and witch approached the Forbidden Forest that surrounded Hogwarts with heavy hearts. This would be a time to say farewell to a loyal friend, but only one of them knew the true extent of the good-byes.

The pink-haired witch carried a furry bundle of white. The left ear was still tattered, although healed, and the left eye was permanently blind, but the were-rabbit yawned widely and looked around expectantly with his good eye as they entered the forest.

"I wish there were some other way," sighed Tonks. "Maybe we should keep him a little longer at Wolf Rock?"

"Pomfrey and Hagrid both agree that Wimples needed to be in touch with Nature in order to heal properly. He can't be your pet anymore unless--"

"Unless I want him to die," completed Tonks. She brought the soft fur to her cheek and said, "You've been a good friend, Wimples. I'll miss you."

Lupin took the vorpal bunny from her hands because he knew it would break her heart to be the one to release him into the wild.

Snerf, snerf.

"Glad to see you've got your spirit back," observed Lupin as he set the were-rabbit on the ground.

Wimples took a few hops in one direction, sniffed the air, then hopped away after changing his angle. Lupin stood by Tonks who was sitting on a large boulder that was at the edge of the forest. She asked in a concerned voice, "Do you really think he'll be able to survive here? There's so much danger."

At that moment, they could see a juvenile acromantula approaching Wimples. Tonks held her breath and was about to draw her wand when Lupin stayed her hand. "Look."

The crippled bunny lashed out quickly and soon they heard the crunch, crunch as his first meal of the forest was ingested. The were-rabbit bounced away, already rejuvenated.

Tonks and Lupin shared a laugh for a moment, but then the Professor turned them to walk toward the lake. Lupin knew he had to lead her to just the right place so that he could make a quick exit. Dumbledore had agreed to leave a small hole open to allow for disapparation. They soon stopped to look at Hogwarts Castle. Sensing that Lupin wanted to tell her something important, Tonks was the first to break the silence.

"I can't thank you enough for helping Wimples when he was dying, but I worry about the debt you're building in your bloodline, Remus. The year has barely begun for you."

"The price was small compared to the debt I already owe this year. He is a small bunny after all."

Tonks nodded. Remus wasn't looking at her as he spoke, but seemed to be staring blindly across the lake. She took his hand and said, "I think I won't fret so much about Wimples now. Gisella sent me a note yesterday to let me know she's settled at her cousin's house, too. I guess I have no worries now other than this war."

Lupin's stiffened at her words, but before he could speak, Tonks continued as if preventing him from speaking could dampen the sudden panic that rose in her. "So I was wondering if we could spend today at Wolf Rock before they send me to chasing Dementors again."

Lupin looked down at their entwined hands and his thumb absently caressed her hand. Now was the time to end this. He took a deep breath and began.

"I won't be going to back to Wolf Rock for a long time, Nymphadora. My mission requires that I leave all of it behind for an indefinite period of time. You can stay at the lighthouse safely for another week. That should give you time to find a new place to live."

Tonks blinked for a moment. She had thought that her stay at Wolf Rock would be--permanent. "I, well, Fleur did say there was a vacancy at her boarding house. And I suppose we can still write--"

"I'll be among the Werewolves and it would be too dangerous for you to try to contact me."

"Werewolves? But you've lived among wizards too long. You'll be in jeopardy, too. I'll--I'll quit my job and go with you."

"No, no you can't do that. You're my ticket in, Nymphadora. You see, it won't be difficult to convince them that I've abandoned living among wizards because of a love affair gone bad. I only regret that your name will be tainted with mine."

"It's just an alibi, right? I'll wait for you, Remus, you know I will."

Lupin shook his head. "Your friendship is precious to me, Nymphadora, but we need to end this for your own sake."

"Remus, don't start talking about--"

"There's nothing to discuss. You promised to abide by my wishes and I ask you to hold to that promise."

Lupin finally turned to look at her and the tears streaming down her face tore at his heart. He was hurting her deeply and he could only hope that she would remember this and come to despise what he had done to her.

"But you love me, Remus, don't you?"

"Sometimes love is not enough," replied Lupin. "And sometimes it's dangerous. Peter targeted you because of me and he turned out to be more powerful than I imagined to have ripped through the wards you had on the candle shop. But you won't be his target now, not if he thinks I'd find pleasure in seeing you hurt. And you won't have to think about whether a proprietor will chase you out of the shop, you won't have to worry about your job or your parents' approval. Don't you see how free you'll be without me?"

"Remus, don't do this."

He gave no response except to bend one last time to kiss her lips. As he walked away, he knew he would forever remember the salty taste of her tears. He walked several paces with steady steps and then disapparated.

"But I don't care about those things, Remus," sobbed Tonks as she fell to her knees once he was gone. "I only care about you."

She bent her head and remained by the lake front until the sun began to set. When she rose, she wiped the tears from her eyes and stood staring into the water for a moment. Even with the fading light she could see her hair was its natural brown color, but she had no interest in changing her appearance now.

It took a week before Tonks realized that she was unable to alter her hair color, let alone use any of her morphing abilities. The emptiness in her heart was only relieved by one new discovery.

"Tonks, the Dementors are ahead. You take the ones to the right," called the Auror in charge of their mission tonight.

The witch knew her duty and actually found an unexpected pleasure in sending the Dementors on their way. She called forth her Patronus and it quickly scattered the dark figures surrounding them. But before the Patronus dissipated, the silvery Wolf seemed to wrap around her like a mantle before it dissolved. And in that moment, Nymphadora Tonks still felt connected to Remus Lupin.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Epilogue

The stairs were creaking as the lanky girl made her way to her bedroom at Wolf Rock. As she passed by the kitchen, she heard her mum calling to her.

"You seem upset, Amelia?"

"Mum? I didn't expect you back so soon." The lanky fifteen year old girl entered the kitchen and sighed. "It's Corvus. That, that crow was trying to treat me like one of those floozies he always has hanging off his arm."

"Oh? Do I need to have a chat with the boy?" asked Tonks.

"No, Mum, I'll deal with my own payback. That self-centered git! Just because he's graduated from Hogwarts he thinks he can kiss me out of an argument."

"Oh, so Corvus has discovered you're a girl, has he?"

"But it's too late. What am I going to do with him gone, Mum? Things have been changing so much this past year. He's a constant annoyance, but I can't stop thinking of him. I don't know what to do." Amelia leaned into her mother who just accepted the girl into her embrace. "I'm just beginning to realize how much he means to me, but all he can think of is traveling around the world this next year. He'll be gone, really gone."

"It will be hard, Amelia, but have some faith. You're young and it might just be a passing fancy. And if things are meant to work out, then just be patient. Sometimes people need to grow before they can really make a relationship work. Believe me, I know what I speak of."

At that moment, the stairs began rumbling as the male horde of Wolf Rock made their appearance. "Boys, slow down." "But Aunt Molly sent--" "Treacle tarts!"

"Looks like they had fun at the Burrow," murmured Tonks.

The twin boys sped into the kitchen with each one holding a box. They paid no attention to the quiet intimacy of the moment between their mother and sister. Girl talk was an alien concept and at the age of twelve, they fully intended to keep it that way.

"Wotcher, Remus. Boys, don't spill the milk."

Remus Lupin, however, only needed to exchange a glance with his wife to know they had disturbed a moment. He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead and patted his daughter on the shoulder before herding his sons out the door again. "Let's go back up to the parlor and leave the women to their tea."

Tonks voiced a silent thank you and turned her attention back to Amelia. "Now there's the secret to any man's heart. Treacle tarts."

Amelia laughed. "Great idea, Mum. I can see it now, rubbing that sticky pastry into Corvus' arrogant face."

Tonks laughed at the image and shook her head. "I'll make sure the boys save one for you then."

"Did Dad ever get on your nerves, Mum? When you first met, I mean?"

"I'd say so. She slapped me silly after she knocked the wind out of me," called Remus from the kitchen door. He had returned for a cup of tea, so he poured it quickly as he added, "Then there was that bowl of peas she dumped on my head.

"Oh, Merlin, you hate peas, Dad." Amelia was laughing outright now.

"I recommend you stick with the treacle tart," said Tonks.

"Or a scone," said Remus as he raised his cup of tea in salute before exiting.

Amelia turned to her mother for one last question. "So did you and Dad ever have to spend a year apart?"

The memories of that dark year had diminished with the happy times, but Tonks just smiled at her daughter as she said, "That, my dear, is a story for another time."

The End of Nymph vs Wolf

Minor Edits

Author Notes:
It's DONE!!!! I can't begin to tell you how difficult this last chapter was to write, so I hope you found it emotional, but hopeful. Thanks for reading. No reviews are necessary, but are always appreciated.

The dates are in part from the HP lexicon, but even theirs were approximations, so I took liberties.

I hope this helps fill in things like why Fred and George didn't have to face any charges for their escapade. And I really liked the idea of Lupin working in their joke shop, sort of a legacy of the Marauders.

Tonks' estrangement from her parents over Lupin was to provide background for why she turns to Molly for solace in Book 6 and why she's spending Christmas alone.

I wanted to explain how Sirius came to write a will and why Lupin gained nothing from it. Also, it provides an explanation for why Kingsley and Moody were there with Lupin and Tonks. I have no basis for Sirius/Emmeline, but it was something that worked in my story because I couldn't let Sirius go without having some part of him left behind. And yes, the Corvus in the epilogue is Sirius' son. And yes, Amelia and Corvus are cousins, but again those matches were not uncommon the HP world.

I also wanted to explain why Tonks and Lupin seemed happy and reassuring to Harry when he got off the Hogwarts Express only to find things changing quickly a few weeks later.

As for Wimples, I have been threatened with being flamed ;-) if I sacrificed the critter, so out of fear and affection, I removed him from the story without having to kill off the character. And I can always bring him in on occasion for stories in Book 6 since he was released into the Forbidden Forest.

Now, I know that Tonks and Lupin will have a meeting at the Burrow soon, and a great tempest awaits them on that one, but I hope I've set up events for Book 6 in a plausible manner.

I'll be taking several months off before tackling Book 6, so have a good spring. I'll do a few Mature missing chapters to be posted in a separate story as I can until summer starts, then hope to be back with a new story. Again, thanks.