The Story Within the Story: A Tonks and Lupin Spin-off

Tonks sat at the table, chin in hands, gazing dreamily across at the one man she knew she was destined to be with for all of eternity. 'If only he would realise it too' she thought desperately. However the night before, when she had confessed her love to him in the library at no. 12 Grimmauld Place, he had led her to an armchair and set her down in it, whilst taking the seat opposite. He quietly explained to her that she should not be throwing her life away on an old man like him, but must get out and meet someone younger and with fewer cares on their shoulders. She had only barely taken his words in because her mind was focussing on their knees touching in the narrow gap between the chairs. His meaning was painfully clear though and his words of rejection cut into her skin like a knife. 'No!' she felt like screaming at him. 'I know you'll be a demon in the sack! Oh wait, that was in my dreams when we shared a bed for two months straight, through two full moons in fact.'

So here she was staring longingly at the back of his neck as he pottered about making breakfast for the two of them. The silence was deafening. As he turned around bearing breakfast to the table, her gaze dropped guiltily downwards, a pink tinge flushing her cheeks. He paused uncomfortably, wondering what to say and shuffling his feet awkwardly all the while. "Uh... Please don't keep this silence between us," he said. "I can't bear it. I am very, um, fond of you, you know and I am extremely flattered by what you said, but I am far too old for you. It just couldn't have worked between us. I just want you to be happy."

"I'd be happy with you!" she burst out. "You're all I've ever wanted, but you won't even give it a go." She got violently up from the table, shoving her chair back and knocking her breakfast onto the floor. "If you really cared about me, you would try! But you don't, all you want is a harmonious atmosphere to work in!" She yelled as she stormed from the room, tears streaming down her face.

Lupin bent down to the floor to pick up the scattered breakfast things. As he did so, his legs gave way and he ended up sat on the floor surveying the smashed remains of breakfast. They seemed to be symbolic of every relationship he had ever had, destroyed under the weight of his careless words. A single tear trickled down his worn, lined face. He knew he could never have had the type of relationship he wanted with Tonks, but now he seemed to have lost her friendship as well and that was more than he could bear. He had to hope this damage was not irreparable. He got slowly back to his feet, and with a wave of his wand the mess had disappeared to the nearest bin.

He trod quietly through the house, with the grace his wolf self lent him. Having checked the entire ground floor of the house now belonging to Harry, and setting off the portrait of Mrs Black in the process, he had to conclude she was hiding from him upstairs in one of the bedrooms. With a heavy heart he climbed wearily up the stairs. He went first to her room and, noting with surprise that she wasn't there, continued along checking all the rooms. Finally, he reached the door of the one room that had not been opened since the death of his last remaining close friend, Sirius. He gingerly pushed it open to reveal a young woman lying face down on the bed; her once vibrant bubblegum pink hair was becoming paler and paler, as she sobbed her heart out.

As he entered the room, Remus was struck by Sirius' continued presence within those four walls. A wave of unshed grief swept through him as he gazed on the room he had not dared look in. The strangled sob he let out was the first thing to alert Tonks to his entry. She turned over and saw to her surprise, the strong, wise Lupin, shaking with emotion, unspent tears falling from his tired old eyes. She hadn't realised how much Sirius' death had affected him. She got up from the bed and moved slowly across to him. Wrapping her arms tightly around him she whispered, "Don't cry my darling Remus." She turned her face up and captured his lips in a single moment of perfect bliss.