Behind the Smiles

Behind the Smiles

    Remus watched the intruder cautiously. His trembling hand grasped his wand between his fingers, trying to keep it still but failing miserably. He was beginning to doubt, whether or not the person who was coming toward him was an intruder at all, as intruders generally didn’t break into a house wearing their pyjamas.

    It was a woman who walked before him; an attractive, but not overly pretty, woman with dull black hair, tied up loosely in a scrunchy. She had a well-toned body that even this early in the morning, as she clearly wandered where she oughtn’t; Remus could not help but appreciate. The intruder wore blue mock tartan pyjamas and a very worn grey jumper, Remus also noticed she wasn’t wearing any shoes. However, he did not recognise her, which did worry him.

    The intruder yawned and put the kettle on the old fashioned way. She also knew the kitchen layout, which suggested that she was familiar to the house, but to the Order? Remus still clutched his wand tightly, ready if she made any false moves. Which of course she didn't. She was more interested in making herself a hot drink.

    Taking out a jar of vile instant coffee, she collected a random mug from one of the cupboards. Remus stared. It was Tonk's mug, he realised, that she held in her hand as she collected a spoon from a drawer. Adding two sugars to the coffee granules she poured some milk from a bottle into the cup and then, at last, added the hot water.

    Stirring the drink, she leaned against the sideboard glancing through the window at the pale half-moon. From his position in the shadows, she looked peaceful and contemplative. The woman sighed, a heart wrenching sigh and sipped at the hot coffee. To his horror, Remus realised she was crying, but was not making a sound. Wiping a tear away, she murmured to herself, repeating a name sadly.

    Remus stiffened as he thought he had been caught by the stranger; the stranger had caught him staring at her or so he thought. Remus noticed, even in the little light there was in the room, that this stranger had mismatched eyes, like that muggle singer. She seemed so unreal like a ghost, cold, haunting, sad and alone. The expression on her face though made her both real and bewitching, in a very depressed and doleful way, there was a sad beauty to this intruder.

    "Remus?" A deeper, masculine tone came from behind him. Footsteps falling rapidly as he walked through the doorway, Remus took his eyes off the girl for a split second to watch Sirius coming through the door. Sirius had startled the girl as well and she had dropped her cup of coffee to the floor. Sirius came rushing in, wild eyed until he spotted the intruder. "Oh, Tonks it's you,” he said. “Sorry, haven't seen Remus have you?"

    Remus's eyes went back to the girl, recognising her for the first time, though he’d never seen this face before. He was surprised at who the intruder was, Tonk's hair had changed quickly into a mess of short orange spikes and her eyes had blackened in the short time he’d taken to look away at Sirius. She was very different to what Remus had just seen.

    "What?" Tonks asked, bending down to pick up the remains of her favourite cup. "Remus? No, sorry. I haven't seen him since the party.” She glanced down at the mug remnants in her hand and gave her cousin a look of mock sadness. “That was my favourite mug you know, Sirius."

    "Sorry," Sirius said sheepishly and glanced at the corner where Remus was sitting. Sirius grinned and turned back to his younger relative. She put the shattered pieces of the mug on the table and strode towards him. She standing on her tiptoes, leaned up and kissing him on the cheek said.

    "When you see Remus wish him pleasant dreams." She walked out of the kitchen with a small smile on her face, tripping on the umbrella stand in the hallway. The sudden noise worked Mrs. Black into a tirade of rants and abuse. Tonks bit her lip and tried to make the woman shut up whilst Sirius shut the door and turned the lights on properly in the room.

    "What are you doing sitting down here in the dark?" Sirius asked as he fingered one of the broken pieces of porcelain that Tonks had left behind. Remus looked guilty and stood up, with a quick spell he mended the broken mug which read "Worlds Best Sister."

    "Thinking," Remus replied, smiling at the quirky mug. "Sirius, do you remember what Tonks really looks like?" Remus’ voice held a quiet earnest. Sirius looked thoughtful and yet sad. Remus wondered what had made the girl so defensive about her looks that she wore someone else’s all the time.

    "Yeah, yeah I do," Sirius said and sighed. "It's not easy when you loose someone, especially when you’re reminded of them every day."

    "What's that got to-" Remus started but was interrupted by a look from Sirius.

    "What's that got to do with Tonks? A long time ago she lost someone very close to her, she almost gave up living at one point, every day wherever she went people would never see her. They just saw Persephone. That's the problem with twins though isn't it? You always mistake one for the other. I guess that's why she changed herself. It's the worst kind of loss, losing your other half," Sirius said sadly.

*

    Upstairs, blissfully unaware that her cousin and his best friend were discussing her most painful memory, Nymphadora Tonks stared at her reflection in the mirror. She squeezed her eyes tightly and changed again, although this time it was her real face, her twin's face. Her eyes were mismatched, one blue one green, like her sister's favourite singer. And her black hair, now, hung loosely around her shoulders. She was beautiful, but it pained her to look at her own reflection as she lifted her eyes and touched the mirror sadly.

    "Goodnight, Persephone," Nymphadora Tonks said quietly and climbed into bed alone.     The mirror reflection watched and wiped a tear from her eye.

    "Goodnight, Nymphadora."