Remus tripped and stumbled over an errant root that stuck up out of the ground. He quickly regained his footing and looked around, making sure that not one saw him lurking behind Madam Puddifoot’s. He wasn’t even sure where the Aurors’ were living here in Hogsmeade. All he knew was that after the night he had, he needed a friendly face, and Tonks’ face was as friendly as they come.
All day he had been raging war within himself over coming here. First, it would put her in terrible danger. If the other werewolves followed him, discovered where he was going…well the consequences were too awful for him to imagine. On the other hand, he was in dire need of some patching up, and he just couldn’t bring himself to go to Molly. He finally resolved to find her first, assess the situation, then decide on approaching her.
He knew that he shouldn’t be there, really. Even without all the other dangers, their relationship was in too precarious a position to be showing up like this. He couldn’t give her hope of there being something more between them, no matter how much he regretted ending things before they began. He couldn’t reconcile to himself the fact that she deserved so much better than him.
But he also couldn’t stay away.
Remus was pulled out of his thoughts by drops of water hitting his head. Within seconds, the weather had turned to an outright downpour and he was drenched. He stared up at the sky, thinking back to a similar day, almost a year ago, when he was on an assignment with Tonks…
“Tonks, we need to get under some sort of cover!” he hissed as drops of water ran down his face and dripped off his nose.
She grinned. “What’s the point? We can’t get any wetter than this!” Her expression became serious. “And besides, didn’t we already determine that this was the best position to conduct our surveillance?”
“It wasn’t pouring down rain at the time. Now we look suspicious.”
She glanced around the empty street. “And where exactly do you suggest we go?”
She was right. There was nowhere else to go. If they found cover, they would lose sight of their target. But if they stayed, it was obvious that they were watching and waiting for something. Before Remus could reply, the door to the building they were watching swung open.
Tonks jumped into his arms and whispered, “Play along.” Then she kissed him.
At this point, all rational thought became impossible.
After a few moments, she broke away and started saying something, but Remus couldn’t hear a word she said. The kiss just kept replaying over and over in his head, and he cursed the raindrops that hit his lips and washed the feeling of her kiss away. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and started pulling him down the street. Apparently, she was still thinking of their assignment. Good thing one of them was.
They ended up following their target into a store where, unfortunately, they were spotted. The supposed Death Eater apparently recognized them from outside his building and started to come over to them. Thinking quickly, Remus grabbed Tonks from behind and kissed her temple, whispering into her ear, “Play along.” He then spun her around and kissed her properly for a moment. Under the guise of an amorous couple, they wove through the racks of clothing and avoided their target by ducking into a changing room. Once inside, their bodies were so close that Remus could feel her body heat even through their multiple layers of wet clothing.
“Nice save,” she whispered. “Although it makes me wonder if you’ve done this before…”
“Remus?”
The voice ripped Remus out of his reverie and back into the present, where a very shaken Tonks stood before him. Her hair was mousy brown and chin length, matted to her head and face with rain. Her clothing was unremarkable, without the bright colours and designs that he was used to seeing on her. The worst was her eyes. They were bloodshot and swollen, with very dark circles underneath. She looked like hell, but she was still the happiest sight he’d had in months.
“I shouldn’t be here,” was all he could manage to say to her.
“No you shouldn’t,” she replied. She stepped forward and hugged him. “But I’m glad you are. Are you alright?” She pulled back from the embrace, but did not release her grip in his arms. “Of course you’re not, you wouldn’t be here otherwise. Let’s get you inside.”
“What’s the point? We can’t get any wetter than this.”
She smiled sadly. “The point is that I have hot food, dry clothes, and a real bed.”
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m alright. I don’t want you to “ ”
“Remus, first and foremost, you are my friend. No matter what.”
He stared at her, stunned. He didn’t expect this from her at all. He expected her to start fighting him again, asking him to reconsider. Had she finally moved on? Or was she just too tired to fight? He allowed her to guide him down the street and up into her new flat. It was small, with only a few pieces of furniture, but very warm. She deposited him gently on the couch and he gratefully sank into the soft cushions, only vaguely aware that he was still soaking wet and probably ruining the upholstery. When she returned to the room, she had changed into dry clothes and was holding out clothing for him. He took it from her hands with a word of thanks, but hesitated before standing up again. He just had to know.
“Tonks?” She turned around to look at him. “This isn’t what I expected from you.”
“You were expecting me to leave you in the rain?”
“You know that’s not what I mean.”
“I know.” There was a long moment of silence before she continued. It was one of the longest moments of Remus’ life. “Do you know where I just came from, Remus?” He shook his head no. She nodded, then continued. “I was up at the castle. I’ve been hearing…horrific stories. I wanted to know if you were okay. I even asked Harry if he’d heard from you. I was so afraid that you were hurt or…Then you showed up, and you weren’t an illusion.” She smiled, although it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I guess I’m just too relieved to rehash the same old argument.”
Remus nodded slowly, then began to walk towards her bathroom to change into the clothes she’d handed him.
“I’ll have some food ready for you in a minute,” she said as he walked away. “Oh and Remus,” she called as he was about to leave the room, “don’t think that this means I’ve given up on you.”
Better Than Me by rard
Chapter Notes: Thanks Ms. Rowling, for letting Harry & co. come out to play! I promise to have them fed and returned to you before dark. :-)