The Long Fight of Nymphadora Tonks

Chapter 5: A Little Kindness

The bright sunlight pouring in through the window stung at Remus's eyes, aggravating his headache. He looked around him. He was lying on the floor of his bedroom at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, on the morning after the full moon. Thanks to the Wolfsbane Potion, once the transformation had been over, he had slept peacefully, curled up on the hearth rug, and the only things wrong with him now were his throbbing head and the usual nausea he suffered from every month. He thought of getting up, but found it too strenuous. Not yet. He would lie here a little while longer. There was no need to make himself presentable to anyone today, he could stay in his room all day if he liked.

A knock on the door remedied that thought. He did not reply to it at once. Maybe, if he said nothing, whoever it was would go away. But the knock was repeated, and then the door opened by a couple of inches and a familiar face peeked in at him. Pale, heart-shaped, anxious.

"Remus?"

He looked up wearily. "Good morning, Tonks."

She smiled uncertainly. "Wotcher. Molly asked me to look in on you and find out if you're ready for a spot of breakfast."

"Molly?"

"Uh-huh. She came up to London with Arthur - he's on guard duty today - and I think she's made it her mission to give you a special treat to make up for last night."

Remus shook his head. Being made a fuss of was not what he had wanted to wake up to. However, he realised there was no escaping Molly Weasley when she wanted to do you some good. He tried to push himself up off the floor. Seeing him struggle, Tonks quickly covered the distance between them and lodged her shoulder under his arm to help him. She supported him as far as the bed, and sat down beside him.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Tonks studied him from the side and said eventually,

"I thought you'd been taking the potion Snape made."

"I have."

"Then he must have got it wrong. You don't look too good."

Remus gave a dry laugh. "The potion stops me from becoming dangerous to others when I transform. It doesn't make the transformation itself any more pleasant. In fact, all it really does is make me more aware of it."

"That explains it," Tonks said dully.

Her fingers carefully plucked at a rip in his shirt sleeve, and her eyes suddenly widened.

"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed.

"Yes." He didn't seem surprised or particularly concerned. "I'll have to clean myself up a bit before I face Mother Molly." He turned his face towards her and smiled. "I see you've changed your hair back to pink again. I like it. It suits you"

"Don't change the subject," Tonks scolded.

Without thinking about what she was doing, quite automatically and naturally, she raised her hand and brushed a couple of grey and light-brown strands of hair out of his eyes. Immediately, Remus's smile faded. The conversation he had had with Sirius last night came back to him. He wondered fleetingly if he should mention it to her, but then decided that that would only embarrass them both. Sitting next to her now, so innocently, and seeing again just how young and alive and colourful she was, he couldn't believe that anything Sirius had said was true, anyway. No girl like Tonks could possibly have feelings for a man like him. He felt a secret pang of regret at the thought that there could never be more between them than friendship and a little kindness, then reminded himself that after all, it was for the best.