Sleep Well

Sometimes late at night

I lay awake and watch her sleeping

She’s lost in peaceful dream so I turn out the light,

And lay there in the dark.

And a thought crosses my mind

If I never wake in the morning,

Would she ever doubt the way I feel about her in my heart.

If tomorrow never comes

Would she know how much I love her?

Did I try every way, to show her every day, that she’s my only one?

And if my time on earth were through,

And she would face this world without me,

Is the love I gave her in the past,

Gonna be enough to last,

If tomorrow never comes.

Ronan Keating - If Tomorrow Never Comes

*~*~*

Remus Lupin raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled as he stood in the doorway of the dusty dank living room. He raised a hand to push his hair from his eyes and sighed. Nymphadora Tonks was stretched out on her side on the sofa sleeping soundly, a copy of Witch Weekly open over her. She had evidently been reading it before she dozed off. Her eyes fluttered as she slept, and her breathing was soft and relaxed, he noted, as though she were dreaming of something very pleasant.

Silhouetted in the doorway, Lupin watched her silently.

She looked so peaceful, he thought. Molly Weasley had sent him to round everyone up for tea, but seeing Tonks sleeping so soundly, he wandered whether he could bring himself to disturb her.

Just leave her, he told himself. She’s had a long day. We all have.

Molly and Mad Eye had had them working hard all day tidying the place up, to little avail, and most people a Grimmauld Place seemed to think that it was a losing battle (particularly the children and those who were currently staying permanently, as these were the people who seemed to be slave driven into doing the most work) but, as he had often thought, who would dare to argue with Molly Weasley? Certainly not him. Unlike Sirius, Fred and George, he was unwilling to get on the wrong side of her having seen the outcome of what happened if you did many times.

He stifled a yawn. He had the feeling of wanting to sleep himself, having not got much sleep last night for a number of reasons.

His eyes lingered on the young witch for a moment longer, and he suddenly became aware that he was staring, and scolded himself inwardly without quite knowing why he was doing so. Seemingly transfixed, he tried to send a message to his brain to tell his eyes to withdraw there gaze, but he felt unable to. Stop it, he instructed himself mentally, just stop it.

What are you doing Remus? said the voice in his head. Just wake her, its not too difficult.

The strange thing was, and indeed it was starting to scare him quite a bit, (god knows why, he thought) but it seemed he kept catching himself absently gazing at Tonks from time to time, and every time he did his eyes lingered. It seemed he was drawn to her warmth and light, she was a nice person, after all. She was always very pleasant with everyone, a good friend.

Tonks gave a sleepy grunt which brought Lupin abruptly out of his thoughts and back to his senses. He’d seemed to be in a kind of sleepy trance. The heat in here is incredible, he thought. The windows in the living room seemed to be stuck fast, and they had been unable, as yet to get them open. Maybe he’d tell Molly to set them to work on fixing them tomorrow. It’s enough to prevent a person to think straight.

He dragged his eyes away from Nymphadora and made his decision. He sighed again, them reached for the door handle, to pull it gently shut.

He couldn’t wake her. Not when she looked so content.

He had half closed the door when he heard what sounded very much like a small sneeze from inside the room. He stopped, and opened the door again. Had she woken?

No, she was still sleeping peacefully, her arm now dangling over the side of the sofa. But on entering the room for a second time, and yet again unwillingly letting his eyes linger on Tonks, he did notice something else, most probably the reason for Tonk's sneezing.

Why he hadn’t noticed it before he didn’t know, but now as he looked again at the room, he realized that there was indeed a window open.

The window above the sofa where Tonks was sleeping was open a crack, and was ruffling her hair. Evidently someone had managed to magic it open after all

Surprised that Tonks hadn’t woken up when she sneezed, Remus hesitated for a moment, then he seemed to make up his mind. Slowly and as quietly as he could, he crossed the living room and opened the lid of an extremely ancient chest.

He rummaged around in it, then found what he was looking for. He closed the lid, and crossed to the sofa.

He hesitated just once more. Then he reached out and picked up the copy of Witch Weekly, and placed it on the floor beside the sofa.

Taking care not to wake her, he shook out the blanket in his arms, and gently placed it over Tonks, and pulled it up under her chin.

He then leaned across her to close the window.

She gave another soft sleepy grunt, and Remus drew back, but Tonks did not wake.

He watched her for a split second longer then suddenly realized what he was doing, mentally scolded himself again and crept from the room, closing the door with a soft click.

“Sleep well,” he muttered quietly to the door, and he turned, and descended the stairs to the kitchen, feeling strangely contented, though taking care not to let it show on his face as he entered the kitchen that was noisy and bustling.

Everyone else seemed to have been summoned to tea, and Molly was dishing up large helpings of stew onto everyone’s plate. He sat himself down between Sirius and Mundungus, and hoped that Molly wouldn’t ask him any questions. He didn’t know why, but he didn’t feel willing to share the reason Tonks had not entered the kitchen with him, because had been unwilling to wake her.

He tried not to look overly concerned as Molly spooned stew onto his plate (there would no doubt be some left in the pan for Tonks when she woke).

And long as Fred and George’s Filibuster Fireworks held out, and Mundungus discussed his latest dealing loudly over tea, he was sure he would be pretty safe.