carry you home by hgfan1111

8/22/2019 Carry You Home by Hgfan1111

1/58

Carry You Home by hgfan1111

Chapter One: Trouble Is Her Only Friend

Nymphadora Tonks wathed a large red bus mo!e through traffi at a rather alarming rate" #he

wondered if the dri!er had dri!en the $night %us in another life" &laning aross the street to whereher partner was onealed as a fairly attrati!e lamppost' she raised an eyebrow" The lamppost twinkled

for a moment before dissol!ing ompletely" Tonks stood' strethed as if she(d been sitting on the benh

for muh longer than the ten minutes that she had' in truth' been perhed' and disarded the )ugglenewspaper that she hadn(t read"

Their mark was on that )uggle bus speeding through *ondon" *ukily' Tonks had been able to get

lose enough to the man to le!itate a small traking beaon onto his lothing" Now' as long as herstiking harm held' +ldon Fuller would be simple to loate from the )inistry"

,)ission aomplished'- she stated as she entered the offie of the .urors deep within the bowels of

the )inistry"

$ingsley #haklebolt' newly appointed Head of the .uror /epartment' looked up from the parhment

he was assessing and grinned as the young .uror ollapsed into the hair aross from his desk"

,.nd how did )arks do0-

Tonks grimaed" ,Not horrid' but not great" His stealth lea!es muh to be desired' but histransfiguration seems up to par"-

$ingsley(s rih hukle ehoed through the room" ,Tonks' if you(re the one saying his stealth

tehniues aren(t up to par2well' then I guess he needs real help"- He laughed e!en harder when sheshot him a rude gesture"

,I hate this' $ing"- Her head dropped along the bak of the hair and she stared up at the eiling" ,Ihate being bloody useless" .nd I hate that you(re holding me bak"-

,Tonks'- $ingsley(s tone hardened onsiderably' ,it(s not me holding you bak" You know perfetlywell that your in3uries4,

,.re healed'- Tonks finished deisi!ely" ,It(s been two years' $ing" Think about how you would feel if

someone told you that you ouldn(t do your 3ob anymore" You(d he5 them to Hades and bak' you

know it"-

,I would'- he onfirmed" ,%ut I didn(t sustain the types of in3uries that you did"-

,%olloks'- Tonks swore" ,I hate this'- she breathed out" )ostly it was the fat that she didn(t ha!e the

energy to fight the in3ustie anymore that she hated"

,It(s been two years' /ora"- Her head snapped up and she glared at her superior offier and friend as he

used a name that only a few people in the world had e!er been allowed to use: and only one of those


2/58

was still ali!e" ,6e all thought you(d be able to pull through' but2- $ingsley sighed and looked down

at his hands" ,The truth is' Tonks' you ha!en(t" I know what it means to lose someone"-

,I know that'- Tonks snapped' but her !oie was soft and she ursed the tightness that had rept into

her throat"

,6e(!e all lost someone" I know that we an(t e5pet you to 3ust forget about 7emus"-

,/on(t'- she flinhed" ,8ust don(t' $ing"-

$ingsley stood behind his desk and leaned down on his knukles" ,)aybe you need a few days off" It(sabout that time of year again4,

Tonks swore uietly" ,I don(t need time off" I need to be away from these rookies" Find me a differentassignment or I(ll uit"- #he stood abruptly and left the room' only pausing in her determined gait one

she was se!eral orridors away from the .uror offie" In the darkened orridor aross from the seldom

used *aw /i!ision' Tonks allowed herself to lean against the wall and sink to the floor" Her red .uror(s

robes pooled around her feet as she wrapped her arms around her knees and lay her head on them" Thetears weren(t long in oming"

#he hated it when e!eryone looked at her and knew" They ould tell' 3ust by looking at her" #he(d lost

her heart' her life' that day two years ago in 8une"

*ate at night when she was ompletely alone in an eerily uiet flat' she ould swear she still smelled

the smoke from the battlefield" #he ould still feel the burning in her side where the utting urse sliedher open' e!en though the wound had been nothing more than a pale' ugly sar for a long time"

.nd' e!ery one in awhile' she would reah out in the bed' in that ha9e halfway between sleep and

awake and swore she ould feel his warmth in the bed ne5t to her"

#he(d allowed other men into her bed sine then" There was 6illis' a brief fling that lasted far too long

in her opinion" There had been no relationship to speak of both were only in it for the se5' as often asthey ould both manage and without any strings attahed"

.nd then .ndy: sweet frekle4faed .ndy who was far too young to be with her" #he had been' after

all' his trainer and she shouldn(t ha!e done that to him" Nineteen years old and ompletely innoentwhen she(d shamefully sedued him" That relationship had lasted longer than any others" Finally' Tonks

told him to lea!e when she(d aught him wathing her as she slept" #he(d woken to find him staring at

her with a horribly lo!esik look on his fae" #he(d had to bite her tongue when she almost alled him

7emus" How many times had she awoken to find him in that similar position0 Far too few" .ndy hadno right to be there"

The guilt had o!erwhelmed her and so she(d thrown things at him and ursed at him until he(d gathered

his trousers' toothbrush and rumpled .uror loak' and .pparated away wearing nothing but his bo5ers"

$ingsley had put her on .dministrati!e lea!e for three weeks and .ndy had been transferred to anotherdi!ision"

.lone was better" .lone was how she liked it best" #he(d been alone before 7emus and she(d bloody


3/58

well sur!i!e alone without him" #he had family' for sure" Her mother and father in!ited her around for

dinner often enough' but they(d ne!er met 7emus they 3ust didn(t understand"

The 6easleys had been wonderful" Their own losses had been staggering ;ery' &eorge' and Harry44

all gone" .nd 7emus had been rather lose to them" They(d almost lost &inny as well"

)olly heked on Tonks often' e!en though it seretly irritated the hell out of the .uror" #he didn(tneed another mother" #he knew that )olly meant well Tonks was' after all' one of the only ones that

&inny still turned to" It was ompletely natural for )olly to inlude her daughter(s best friend in all the

family funtions"

%ut &inny was distant as well' held at arms length by Tonks herself" &inny had her own grief' whih

Tonks ould relate to' but ne!er fully understand"

That was a different story' she affirmed as she dried her tears" #he hated it when the grief washed o!er

her like this" It had been two years44two !ery long' tiring years" It was time to mo!e on" It was time to

put the mask bak in plae and be who she was supposed to be" Tonks was only allowed to be


4/58

%oth 7on and Hermione had studied hard to earn their N"+"6"T"s and' e!en though 7on(s weren(t the

best marks' he(d somehow srathed his way into the .uror .ademy" It had been a rough two years

but he was now a fully ualified .uror and one of $ingsley(s fa!orites"

7on had been inter!iewed one and had said that he had done it in his best mate(s memory" He e!en

arried a bit of Harry with him during training' in the form of a lightening bolt tattoo he(d gotten on the

left side of his hest" Tonks fondly remembered the row with )olly when the artile had ome out")olly had ob!iously ne!er known about the tattoo"

Hermione was now e5peting their first baby a boy it was rumored"

,I(m glad you weren(t my trainer'- 7on hukled" ,I(d ha!e been afraid you(d ha!e made it too hard on

me"-

Tonks grinned despite her dark thoughts" ,Too right' 6easley" )y trainees tow the line"-

,8ust as well'- 7on shrugged" ,You ha!en(t been to a dinner reently'- he obser!ed" There was a bit too

muh asualness in his !oie and Tonks bit bak a sharp reply"

,%een busy'- was all she answered"

,#een &inny lately0- 7on asked as the two mo!ed forward in the ueue"

,. few weeks ago'- Tonks shrugged" ,6e went to a film then out to dinner" #he seemed alright"-

7on nodded" ,#he(s doing well' I think44smiling more and more" #he(s dropped by to see Hermione a

few times lately also"-

,That(s good'- Tonks agreed" ,I heard that things are going well with the Foundation"-

,%ill said so'- 7on said and then shrugged" ,I don(t really understand it all" Hermione has the nose for

that type of thing' but &inny 3ust keeps saying that she needs to do it" It surprises me' atually" I ne!erpitured &inny being that type"-

,6hat type is that e5atly0- Tonks felt a partiular defensi!eness for her friend" They were bound by

muh more than loss and friendship and she hated it when people thought they ould understand whenthey really had no way of doing so"

,The2I don(t know2planning type' I guess" &inny usually 3ust made things up as she went along' you

know' like2Harry2used to" 6hat she(s doing now' pulling together that ommittee' founding thatorphanage and all the other things2- He ran a hand though his hair" ,I guess I ne!er really saw her

doing those types of things"-

Tonks nodded thoughtfully" ,I think she needs it' 7on" It gi!es her purpose"-

,I suppose so'- he oneded" ,I 3ust wish2-


5/58

,6hat0-

,I 3ust wish she ould mo!e on" +!en though she seems to be doing better' she(s still thin andsometimes looks so lost" #he(s still wearing that engagement ring' for )erlin(s sake'- he sighed" ,How

is she supposed to meet someone and mo!e on when she(s walking around like2like Harry(s widow0-

Tonks took a deep breath and swallowed the anger that bubbled up like aid in her throat" ,#ome of usan(t mo!e on' 7on"- #he ould tell he felt bad for his omment' but she wai!ed him off and pasted that

now4familiar smile on her fae" ,Forget about it"-

,6e(re ha!ing a dinner this weekend'- he offered" ,)um will ha!e a fit if you(re not there"-

,I(ll try'- she shrugged" ,$ingsley(s got me on a lot of shifts- she lied" ,*oads of rookies to train"-

,Try anyway'- 7on suggested with a rather knowing look and motioned to where Tonks was ne5t to

.pparate out"

The moment before she popped out' the rugged fae of the ginger4haired .uror disappeared and shesaw a si5teen4year old boy standing at Harry(s left side' dirt on the end of his nose and his hair' longer

than )olly appro!ed of' ruffling o!er his ears a slow' easy smile strething his fae into a !ision of

rela5ed humor" #he blinked and the battle4hardened .uror returned"

Then he was gone and the dingy interior of her flat was in his plae" 7esigning herself to the e5istene

she(d let en!elope her' Tonks fi5ed a rather uik and tasteless meal and wathed a nameless show on

the telly one whih she(d ne!er be able to remember an hour later"

%right lights flashed all around her through the ha9y darkness" )ostly orange and red and oasionally

green" The flashes silhouetted the few forms around her and Tonks wondered why e!eryone wasmo!ing in slow motion44knowing' not too deep down' that not muh made sense in a dream"

If only it was


6/58

on me>-

Her hands beame painted in his blood as she tried to stop the bleeding pressing what was left of hisworn robes into the gaping wounds on his hest" Frantially' she tore off her own robes and tried to use

them"

The red blood soaked into the red of her robes until she ouldn(t tell if there was any lean spae onthem"

7ed on red"

Tonks gasped as she finally woke' wrapped tightly in her sheets" #he looked at her hands' knowing that

she(d find them stained in blood" ;ale white skin was all she found"

#he rubbed harshly at her eyes and looked around for the lok" ?uarter past four" #he(d managed four

hours of sleep tonight" %etter than some nights' worse than others"

#he untangled herself from the sheets and stumbled from the room through the narrow hallway and intothe small kithen" 7ummaging through the upboard abo!e the sink' she found what she was looking

for and uikly poured herself a generous shot of the amber liuid" It didn(t e!en burn anymore as she

swallowed it and poured another"

6hy was her life so hard0 6hy did it ha!e to hurt so muh after so long0

/eep down she knew that her life had a purpose' had e!en had it onfirmed for her in so many wordsone" #he wined as she remembered that time and drowned it with another drink" #he didn(t want to

think about that now"

How muh longer would that purpose be around0 How muh longer until she finally ga!e in and lostherself ompletely to the darkness that was e!er edging into her life0 It ouldn(t be muh longer' she

thought" #he(d been surprised it had taken all of two years so far" %ut' if &inny ould hold out this

long2

No" #he ouldn(t think that way" They(d warned her it wouldn(t be easy" They(d warned her that the

darkness was there" #he(d made her hoie and now she(d li!e by it"

Tomorrow she(d hek on &inny" )aybe they ould go out to lunh or go shopping" #he almost snorted

into what remained of her drink thinking about that" There wouldn(t be two more fish4out4of4water than

she and &inny shopping"

%ut they(d made it this far together' and they ould make it howe!er muh longer there was" That was

the promise she(d made' after all' wasn(t it0 .nd you weren(t anything if you broke the promises you

made" Harry had taught her that2it seemed deades ago"


7/58

The Only Way Is Down

.uthor(s Notes: 6hen I began this story' I knew it wouldn(t be a popular one" .nd that was fine'

beause I still think it(s a good story@one that ob!iously needed to be told as it pratially wrote itself"

Thanks' one again' go to my ama9ing beta' /ebbieO" .nd Anreuited/ream' who let me bother herwith do9ens of emails about this story' the ideas and the onepts ontained in it" I really do want to

know what you think' e!en if you really don(t like the story" Thanks for reading"

Chapter Two: The Only 6ay Is /own

7on 6easley was a ontented man" The past two years had been beyond hard' but they were o!er and

the future was looking muh brighter" His eyes sanned the room and he had to smile" The %urrow wasfull one more' all the 6easley(s' those that were still li!ing anyway' in attendane"

)olly 6easley was bu99ing around the kithen' a wooden spoon stuk in her hair and her wand

absently hanging out of a poket on her apron" 7on smirked to himself and wondered if she knew she(dmi5ed the two up" 6ell' she(d know soon enough"

There was a white streak down one side of her fae that looked to be flour" Her one4red hair had

dulled and mi5ed with grey until it was a muddy' almost pink mi5ture" Hermione had offered to harmit for her but )olly had wai!ed her off and ne!er mentioned it again"

.rthur sat in his usual spot at the large family table' a grandson on eah knee as he slowly bounedthem up and down' singing some ridiulous song about a pony" The two boys' idential down to their

urly' strawberry4blonde hair and bright blue eyes' giggled as they luthed their grandfather(s fingers

in their pudgy hands"

8ean4*u and ;ierre had been the first4born grandhildren for the 6easleys" %ill and Fleur had wasted

no time' ha!ing the twins only ten months after their marriage" The boys were going to turn four in a

few weeks' but they still maintained that baby look to their faes"

.ross the kithen from 7on were .liia and Fred" &inny was sitting ne5t to them holding their

daughter' ;andora" The red headed baby ooed and giggled as &inny poked and tikled her" 7on washappy to see his sister" #he(d been !ery busy all week and had told %ill when he(d run into her at

&ringott(s %ank that she was unsure if she(d be able to make the gathering"

Her olor was good' e!en if she was still rather thin" #he wore a smile tonight' but 7on ould tell it

wasn(t ompletely genuine" .t least she was smiling" #i5 months ago' she(d suffered another ma3orsetbak and 7on had been afraid they(d been lose to losing her again" Tonks had been the one to find

her in her flat and bring her home to the %urrow" They suspeted she(d been loked away sineChristmas that was the last time anyone had seen her"

#he(d been almost inonsolable for days and )olly had been only hours away from flooing #t")ungo(s for help when something ama9ing had happened" #omehow' and from somewhere' a renewed

energy had found &inny and she got up out of bed' began feeding herself and went right bak to work"

6hen onfronted with it' &inny would only smile sadly and say that she(d lost her fous for a time and


8/58

that one she found it again she was fine"

*ife had not been easy for &inny" #he and Harry were seretly engaged to be married when the Final%attle happened" &inny had found Harry' broken and already dead' in the Forbidden Forest" His final

meeting with =oldemort had not turned out well for either side" =oldemort had fallen' but so had Harry"

Tonks had found them both' hours later" #he(d sat with them as &inny roked Harry(s lifeless body andried until there were no more tears" They were both in3ured uite se!erely' and reuired stays in the

hospital' but the e5at nature of their in3uries was ne!er re!ealed" #t" )ungo(s' with pressure from the

)inistry' had sealed Tonks(' &inny(s' and Harry(s medial reords" 7on thought it was a bit muh' but

they had been the only ones in the area with the remains of =oldemort' so maybe2

The press was relentless during the weeks following the %attle" They hounded &inny e!erywhere she

went' but she handled herself with a grae that 7on had ne!er seen in the tiny dynamo" He and Fredhad a bet going as to whih reporter would be on the reei!ing end of &inny(s famous %at4bogey he5'

but had abandoned it when &inny ne!er rose to the bait" #he arried herself with a uiet elegane that

more than one person had ommented on' pri!ately of ourse"

Harry(s funeral was a horrendous publi spetale that had brought more huge headlines" The papers

reported that &inny ollapsed during it and had to be remo!ed' wailing and rying the whole way" The

truth was' &inny broke out in hysterial laughter part way through the )inister(s speeh and Tonks'%ill and Charlie had herded her out to pre!ent the truth from oming out" *ater' in pri!ate at the

%urrow' &inny had laughed again saying how muh Harry would ha!e hated e!erything"

In the end' &inny' with support and politial power of the Order of the ;hoeni5' had plaed Harry(s

remains in &odri(s Hollow ne5t to the gra!es of his parents" &inny' with Tonks( help' had insisted that

the whole area be plaed under a Fidelius harm" Harry would ne!er ha!e wanted a publi memorial ormonument in his honor"

Harry had left e!erything to &inny" It still boggled 7on(s mind the amount of money that his sister sat

on right now" %ill and .rthur had waded through the paperwork in the days following the funeral for&inny" #he' in turn' had laughed it off and told them that she would worry about it all later"

Two weeks after the funeral' &inny disappeared" The 6easley(s feared the worst until Tonks deli!ered

a letter telling them that she had left' of her own free will' to get help from a mind healer"

The whole situation had pu99led 7on' as &inny had seemed so strong and determined through it all"

)olly and Hermione had both insisted that &inny was a terrifi ator and that deep down she was a

mess" That must ha!e been the ase as &inny was gone for almost ten months" #he returned well

enough in body' but 7on ould see the dark shadow that loomed o!er her" The ne5t year she had pulledherself together brilliantly' taking o!er the ;otter finanes and organi9ing things that 7on himself

would ne!er ha!e dreamed of"

#he stood up to )inister #rimgeour on many aounts' sometimes in a !ery publi setting" #he !ilified

the )inistry in the press and used her onsiderable wealth to bak her position" Charlie had begunalling her the


9/58

ontrol' o!er the )inister(s uite !oal protests' and ompletely hanged the fous of the whole

pro3et" Instead of ha!ing some monolithi bust of Harry(s fae in the )inistry building' a simple blak

obelisk was plaed near the outskirts of Hogsmeade' 3ust on the fringes of the forest where Harry had

perished and the Final %attle had taken plae" .nd it wasn(t only Harry(s name insribed in the mirror4like granite" +!ery !itim that =oldemort' or his minions' had killed was listed there446i9ard' &oblin'

House4+lf' and )uggle alike"

7on had ne!er been prouder of his little sister than in the moment she(d stood in front of the dediation

eremony and !aliantly touted Harry(s ideals of euality and lo!e" He(d needed to lean hea!ily on

Hermione when he looked bak after mingling with the rowd a bit to see &inny press her fingers toher lips and then transfer the kiss to the plae where he knew Harry(s name was insribed" .nd then

she(d !anished' .pparating away as uietly as she(d ome"

%ill had warned her that she might run out of money if she kept spending like she was that she shouldsa!e some to li!e on later in her life" &inny 3ust laughed and said that it wasn(t her money to spend on

herself" .nd 7on ould see !ery little e!idene that she spent anything on herself" The flat that she

li!ed in had been purhased by Harry in the later part of their Horru5 hunt" &inny li!ed simply' still

wearing seond4hand robes" #he tra!eled only where she needed to keep up with the !arious haritiesand foundations that she had started"

7on(s eyes aught his sister(s aross the %urrow" He smiled at being aught staring at her" #he smiled

bak before dropping her eyes to the baby she held"

,#he seems happy'- Hermione ommented as she ame up behind him and laid a hand on his bak"

7on turned to take her into his arms and grinned down at his largely pregnant wife' nodding" ,#he

does" I was hoping that Tonks would ome tonight as well"-

,They are !ery muh alike' aren(t they0- Hermione asked" #he had mellowed so muh with theirmarriage and her pregnany that it still sometimes surprised 7on that this was the same Hermione he

and Harry had gone to shool with"

,6ho' lo!e0-

,Tonks and &inny'- she larified" ,They(!e both lost so muh"-

7on nodded" ,Yes' but they(!e handled it so differently" Tonks was a mess right at first' remember"-

,Yes'- Hermione nodded" ,%ut she pulled it together when &inny needed her"- 7on had to agree with

that" 6hene!er &inny had been in need' it was Tonks who ame to the resue" #he(d found the mindhealer for &inny and made arrangements for her to stay there" Tonks had e!en taken a lea!e of absene

herself' saying that she was staying with &inny for a bit at the end of her treatment" #he(d been thelifeline between the 6easleys and their youngest daughter during those times" #he(d e!en been an un4

offiial bodyguard to &inny on many publi appearanes"

,.lthough I think &inny(s more together than Tonks these days'- 7on mumbled" There had been

rumors running through the .uror department of Tonks( wild side" The arrogant and boisterous *udlow

6illis had been !ery less than flattering about their short4li!ed relationship" He(d alled her horrid


10/58

names and told the most unflattering stories about her" 7on had heard that $ingsley had pri!ately

pressured the .uror to shut his mouth' threatening him with the worst shifts and assignments if he e!er

said another word about Tonks again"

Then there was poor .ndy Hendrikson" The kid had barely been legal when Tonks had pouned on

him" He(d been a mess when he(d been transferred to 7on(s di!ision" #omehow the kid had pulled it

together and was now assigned as 7on(s 3unior partner" The sub3et of Tonks was stritly taboo betweenthem' howe!er" .ndy had let a few details slip on a long o!ernight shift and 7on(s opinion of his long4

time friend had fore!er been damaged"

%ut' there was no doubt that she had been there' one hundred and ten perent' for &inny" &inny rarelyhad to ask for anything before Tonks would be there" 7on supposed it was shared misery that brought

them together"

,Hopefully it(s 3ust a rough path and she(ll get o!er it soon'- Hermione mused" Her attention turned

away from where &inny was teasing Fred about his daughter and bak to her husband" ,Ha!e you had a

hane to ask &inny yet0-

7on wined" ,No' I ha!en(t"- He wasn(t looking forward to the on!ersation' or the feelings it might

dredge up" He hoped that the good mood &inny seemed to be in tonight would help their ause"

,Tonight might be a good night'- Hermione suggested"

,Yeah' I think so too" I(ll see if I an(t get her alone later"-

Hermione nodded and they both turned as the bak door opened and a rather sedated Tonks entered"

#edate for Tonks' at least" The top half of her head was a dark burgundy while the bottom half was pure

white" It was ropped lose in the bak' only an inh at most away from her head and the burgundy

parts were longer in layers toward her fae" #he only had one piering today it seemed: a diamond studon the side of her nose" Oops> 7on spoke too soon" It looked as if she had something or other right

through the middle of her tongue" +rgh"

,6other all'- she greeted with a large smile" )olly gathered her up ompletely in a hug and the room

settled bak into the bu99 of on!ersations" 7on wathed as Tonks worked the room' greeting people'

hugging wi!es and pinhing hildren(s heeks" It was only when her eyes and &inny(s met that thefamiliar shadow rept onto both of their faes" They e5hanged a brief hug' whispered words that 7on

ouldn(t hear' and then mo!ed away from eah other"

/inner went rather well' 7on thought" %ill(s boys only upset three dishes of food" Fred attempted to

slip a new produt onto 7on(s plate but' with Hermione(s help' he graefully a!oided it" There was aminor argument when %ill began talking politis and Charlie ob3eted" For the most part' both Tonks

and &inny stayed uiet"

.fter dinner' Hermione prodded 7on to where &inny was speaking softly with her mother" &inny(s

tendeny to disappear right after dinner made the on!ersation that 7on was not looking forward to

imminent"


11/58

,Hey' &in"-

,Hello' 7on"- The fake smile was bak' but this time it looked as if she was putting as muh effort asshe ould muster into it"

,*isten' Hermione and I were wondering2-

,Yes0- )olly had mo!ed away' possibly sensing that the disussion was to be a serious one' and 7on

had &inny(s full attention"

,6ell' we found out that we(re ha!ing a boy"- 7on waited for some sign that &inny had heard him butshe only nodded politely"

,)um told me" I hope that you weren(t trying to keep it a seret"-

7on ruffled his hair and glaned bakward to where Hermione was prodding him onward" ,No' not

really"-

,&ood'- &inny hukled' ,beause you an(t e!er tell her anything like that and not e5pet e!eryone to

know about it"-

,&ood point'- 7on smiled" ,.nyway' Hermione and I were talking and2- he glaned up to find &innywathing him in uriosity' ,we were wondering if we ould2namethebabyharry"-

,Come again0- &inny leaned toward him a bit"

7on sighed" ,6e wanted to name the baby after Harry"- He tensed waiting for &inny(s e5plosion and

was surprised when it didn(t ome"

,I don(t think that(s a !ery good idea' 7on'- &inny said almly with a small smile on her fae" 7on saw

her hand drift down to twist the diamond engagement ring around and around her finger" #he glaned

behind him as Hermione ame up to listen in" ,Harry would hate that' and you know it" He(d hate allthe things that are being done in his name"-

,You(!e done some rather good things in his name'- Hermione protested as she 3oined her husband"

,That(s a bit different' isn(t it0- &inny asked" ,I(m 3ust doing things that Harry himself would ha!e

done if he(d been here" He(s not' so it(s now my 3ob to do them"-

7on wasn(t surprised at her answer" Frankly he(d e5peted it' howe!er he and Hermione felt that ifanyone deser!ed to name a hild after Harry' it was them" Tonks ame up beside &inny and laid a hand

on her shoulder" &inny smiled tightly at her and turned bak to her brother"

,6hat about 8ames0- Hermione asked" #he and 7on had also talked about using that name so he

wasn(t surprised when she mentioned it"

6hat did surprise him was &inny(s reation" He ould ha!e sworn she nearly fell down" Tonks grabbed


12/58

her arm as she started to shake !iolently"

,No> You an(t use either of those names"-

7on was bewildered by the anger that &inny was radiating" Tonks glared at him for a minute before

looking down on &inny again' who was trying to alm herself by breathing deeply"

,It(s important for us to remember' &inny'- Hermione protested" ,&i!ing our son Harry(s name is a

way to honor him sine he(ll ne!er ha!e a hild of his own"- 7on wined as &inny turned away almost

as if being hit by an in!isible fore"

&inny took a few breaths and turned bak and 7on was ama9ed at the hange in her fae" Her skin' in

that instant' took on a rather grey pallor and dark irles seemed to form under her eyes' whih were

now dull and lifeless"

,;lease hoose a name that will gi!e your hild an identity for the future" Asing something from the

past will only tie him to something that he ould ne!er understand"-

They stood uietly for a moment letting the words disappear between them"

,Then will you at least onsent to being his godmother0- Hermione asked' a hopeful look on her fae"

&inny smiled sadly and patted Tonks( hand as it rested on her shoulder" ,I(m sorry I don(t think I an

do that"- #he turned without further e5planation and walked out of the room"

Tonks grimaed to herself as she notied 7on and Hermione approah &inny" This ouldn(t end well'she knew"

In the end' &inny had held her onsiderable temper together and hadn(t faltered as muh as Tonks had

e5peted her to" #he knew that their unknowing remarks would hurt deeply for a long time' but they

had been 3ust that44unknowing"

&inny looked muh better when she ame out of the bathroom a few minutes later" Tonks wathed her

mingle for a few minutes' a!oiding both 7on and Hermione' before saying her goodbyes" #he aught

Tonks( eye for a moment and the silent message was understood"

Tonks made her own e5uses only a few minutes later and apparated to &inny(s flat"

Not muh had hanged in the past two years here" The little touhes &inny had added had onlyaentuated Harry(s good taste in furnishings" He(d laughingly told 7on and Hermione that 3ust

beause they had to ome and go from the flat so muh didn(t mean they ouldn(t be omfortable while

there were there"

,I(ll be right out"-


13/58

Tonks heard &inny all from the bak bedroom" #he took her time inspeting the few photographs and

mementos that were sattered around the room" Her fa!orite photo was one of Harry and &inny taken a

few weeks before the final battle" Harry had proposed to &inny that day and )olly had insisted on

bringing out the amera" Happy times were few and far between bak then"

The ouple in the photo was ob!iously deeply in lo!e" They e5hanged brief' although passionate'

kisses now and again and lost eah other in deep ga9es" Not for the first time' Tonks wished she had apiture of 7emus and herself together in suh a state" #he(d always been suh a lown when any

amera had ome out that there was ne!er a serious one taken"

7emus had teased her about that but had' in pri!ate' told her that she didn(t ha!e to at up for him' thathe ould see through her masks and that he lo!ed her anyway"

,I hate those things'- &inny grumbled as she shuffled into the room" &one were the wi9arding robes'e5hanged for a rather masuline pair of flannel pa3ama pants and an old ?uiddith 3ersey" Harry(s

lothing"

,)e too'- Tonks sighed as she loosened her own lothing a bit' tossed her boots into a orner by thedoor' and sat down on the sofa aross from &inny"

,You don(t ha!e to ome' you know'- &inny smiled tiredly" ,You(re not obligated to them"-

Tonks shrugged" ,I know"- #he studied her friend losely before raising an eyebrow" ,Come on now'

let(s see it"-

&inny grimaed and shook her head" ,I(m not sure I an tonight' /ora"-

,I need to know' &in"-

The two women appraised eah other for a moment before &inny sighed and reahed for her wand on

the sofa table" ,Finite Inantatem"-

Tonks bit the inside of her lip rather than make a sound at &inny(s appearane" Thin wasn(t the word2

skeletal was more like it" Her skin was a pale grey olor' and e!en her lips had lost most of their

distintion" Her eyes were sunken and dull' tears pooling at the orners" The one !i!id hair was lifeless

and hung down in lumps on her shoulders"

-Oh' &in'- Tonks finally whispered" ,It(s not long now' is it0-

#urprisingly' &inny smiled a genuine smile" ,No' it(s not" . few weeks at most"-

,6ill you tell them0-

&inny shook her head and slowly gathered her knees up toward her hest' wrapping her arms around

them" ,No' I an(t" I an(t stand to see their faes" I(!e wathed death' /ora' and I an(t let them see me

like I had to see that"-

Tonks swiped at the tears that dribbled out and ran down her heeks" #he sighed deeply and then drew a


14/58

large breath" ,/o you need anything0 ;ain potions or something0-

&inny lay her head against the sofa ushion and shook it slightly" ,I(!e gotten good at brewing themmyself"-

,.nd bloody good at the harms to oneal all this mess' too'- Tonks praised with a sardoni laugh" ,I

don(t know how you manage it' &in"-

&inny losed her eyes and shrugged a shoulder" ,I don(t ha!e a hoie' /ora" I do what I need to do to

make it through the day" .t night' e!ery night' I pray for Harry to ome and take me away" In themorning' I open my eyes and know that I ha!e to get up"- Her !oie trailed off and Tonks wondered if

she(d fallen asleep"

#he took a moment to obser!e the dying woman aross from her" /eep purple bruises marred the paleskin that showed the map of !eins underneath" #he prayed that the pain potions were enough to ease

her suffering"

. rattled breath awakened &inny and she looked away from Tonks( knowing ga9e" ,Not muh longer"-

,You(ll let me know if you need anything0-

,*ike we(!e talked about'- &inny onfirmed"

Tonks shook her head" ,I really don(t like the idea of you being alone" You shouldn(t be" .t least let me

be here"-

&inny smiled gratefully at her only friend but shook her head" ,That(s not the way it works"-

,I was there for the others"-

,I know'- &inny said softly" ,.nd it meant the world for me then" %ut this is something that I ha!e to

do" You(re messed up enough as it is" )aybe it was a mistake to in!ol!e you in this' /ora" You don(tneed to see me die' too"-

They(d had this same on!ersation a million times it seemed and it always ended the same" &inny

would be stubborn and Tonks would gi!e in' like she always did" #he had promised' after all"

,*et me help you get to bed at least"- Tonks helped &inny mo!e slowly to the bedroom that she and

Harry had shared' seretly' if only a few times" .ll of Harry(s things were 3ust as he had left them" His

robes hung in the loset" His Firebolt leaned in the orner" Hedwig was sleeping with her head underher wing in the orner of the room" #he didn(t make many deli!eries now' but seemed to dote on &inny

instead" Tonks wondered if the old owl knew what was really happening"

,6other' Hedwig'- Tonks greeted the owl softly and Hedwig ruffled her feathers" ,6ill she be

alright0- Tonks asked' looking bak to &inny"

&inny smiled as she eased down onto the right side of the bed" ,#he(ll be fine" I(ll let her know where


15/58

I(m going and she an deide for herself"-

Tonks hukled dryly" ,Can I make that deision too0-

&inny shook her head" ,#orry' not my all to make" %esides' I think you already know that answer"-

Tonks nodded absently and pushed the dark thoughts further bak in her mind" ,I(ll hek on youtomorrow"-

,/on(t bother'- &inny mumbled as she lay bak onto the white pillow" ,I don(t ha!e meetings

sheduled so I(m going to stay in bed"-

,The ne5t day then'- Tonks said firmly' and &inny 3ust smiled"

,I(ll be here"-

Tonks( throat losed up then and she ould only nod" #he tuked the hea!y uilt around &inny(s frail

body and wathed as her breathing deepened and e!ened"

,6ath o!er her Hedwig'- Tonks whispered and the owl ruffled again"

.BN: I know this hapter probably added more uestions than it ga!e answers" .nd it(s ompletely

angst4ridden" Howe!er' I do know where it(s going' e!en if you' dear reader' do not" If you(!e read thisfar@stik with it"

Chapter 3: No One's Got Much To Say

.BN: Thank you to e!eryone who is gi!ing this story a hane" I appreiate all the support ID!e been

getting" Thanks' one again' to /ebbieO and Anreuited/ream for all their hard work to make thisstory as good as it has turned out" *ots of you ha!e guesses as to the promises that Tonks made and

whatDs going on with &inny" This hapter may44or may not44shed some light on that"

Chapter Three: No One(s &ot )uh To #ay

There was blood on her hands again" This time it was someone else(s"

&inny sreamed and Tonks flinhed"

,)ake it stop'- &inny gasped and Tonks lasped her eyes shut" There was so muh pain in the air that


16/58

she swore she ould taste it" The room was dark' only lit by a few andles on the wardrobe and the

small table ne5t to the bed" The flames flikered and made the tall shadows dane on the wall"

,I an(t' &in'- Tonks whispered' glaning again at the stain of red spreading on the white sheet" ,I an(t

stop it" I2I think we need help"-

&inny sreamed again and rolled herself tighter into a ball" ,No> No one an know> You promised"-

,You(ll die' &inny>- Tonks sreamed bak as she grabbed &inny(s shoulders and shook her one

!iolently" ,You(ll die and so will he" I thought I ould do it but2it(s too soon"-

The two women(s eyes onneted for a moment and &inny nodded" Tonks took a moment to wipe her

hands on the sheet before disappearing"

The dream morphed and Tonks was wathing as her mother bent o!er the bed' whispering soothing

words of enouragement" &inny was alm now' staring at the dark shadows in the orner" Tonks

listened to the sounds &inny and .ndromeda made but did not hear the words" Her eyes were ri!eted

on the two bloody handprints that marred the side of the sheet"

7ed again"

,/amnit> I hate that one'- Tonks grumbled as she struggled to sit on the too4small sofa she(d fallen

asleep on" One she(d made sure &inny was ompletely asleep and plaed a pain potion on the bedside

table for her' she .pparated home" #he ried herself to sleep urled around her knees"

Tonks felt horrible for en!ying &inny' but she did all the same" &inny(s struggle was almost o!er" #he

grimaed" 6hat a horridly morbid thought" Then again' death seemed an old friend now"

The red lok showed the time to be near two o(lok in the morning" Tonks harshly rubbed her faeknowing that she needed more sleep" #he stripped on the way to her room and fell into bed ompletely

naked' waiting for the dark to take her"

EI lo!e you' /ora"-

It had been too long sine she(d heard his !oie" +!en if it was only in a dream' she welomed the

warmth that flowed o!er her"

,7ight bak at(ha'- she had teased" #he ursed herself for ne!er telling him enough"

7emus gathered her into his arms and plaed a kiss on her temple" #he remembered the day well" It wasa rare sunny and warm day in .pril and the trio had ome home to the %urrow for an une5peted !isit"

#he had o!erheard Harry whispering to 7emus when they(d arri!ed"

,Close'- was all he(d said' but the two men had e5hanged signifiant looks" #he wondered' then

stopped herself2Not today> #he wouldn(t allow thoughts of the war impede this perfet day" They

were too few and far between to ruin"

Tonks( ga9e drifted o!er 7emus( shoulder and out o!er the bak lot of the %urrow" .rthur and %ill were


17/58

le!itating tables and hairs out so that the whole group ould sit outdoors and en3oy the warmth"

Hermione' Fleur and )olly were following behind' arrying and le!itating bowls and dishes piled with

food" 7on' &eorge and Fred were off in one orner ha!ing some sort of disussion e!ery one in

awhile Fred would eye his mother(s hikens" Tonks had to grin and wonder when the haos wouldbegin" Harry and &inny had ompletely disappeared"

The dream ontinued along the memory until Harry and &inny reappeared' hand in hand' wearingfoolish grins"

,6hat0>- 7on onfronted them first' a knowing smile on his fae"

,6e(re getting married>-

&inny(s announement thrilled e!eryone" The ouple was soon lost in a sea of hugs and bak slaps"Tonks stood fro9en on the edge of the ation" #he didn(t feel ompletely welome' and she ouldn(t

e5plain why"

,*et(s go greet the happy ouple'- 7emus had whispered in her ear and Tonks nodded"

The dream morphed again and Tonks was bak in a dark and smoky battlefield" . huge flash of light

erupted in front of her" #he stumbled bakwards as a ripple of energy passed through her" . piering

sream shook the silene and Tonks rawled forward' trying to pull herself up"

Tree roots and roks gouged her knees and palms as she pressed silently into the forest" It was dark'

almost pith blak' and the arid taste of burning filled her fae' ausing her to reth" There wasnothing left in her stomah to ome up"

The sight she finally stumbled upon was enough to make her !omit again aid burning her throat and

searing her nose"

The enter of the forest was now a large harred irle" In the middle of the irle a heap of blak robes

burned' the soure of the arid smoke" Tonks slammed her eyes losed' knowing instantly who it was"7elief flooded her being" He was dead" Harry had won"

6hen she was finally able to grasp that idea' she let herself look around" . handful of steps away' she

ould see two people" One lay sprawled with his head in the other(s lap" The other held the first'roking bak and forth and rying"

,.gain>- Tonks barked" )arks groaned and stood slowly' rubbing his shoulder" He glared at his trainer'relutantly resuming dueling position when Tonks brandished her wand"

He bloked the first two disarming spells but fell to the blaster that she(d thrown in silently" Harry had

taught her that trik and she lo!ed to use it on her trainees"

,You fell for it again'- she drawled as she replaed her wand in its holster and walked o!er to where)arks lay panting on the mat" ,I(!e used that enough that you should know to e5pet it by now" 6hat

happens when you get out there in the real world0- )arks didn(t answer' but 3ust ontinued to breathe


18/58

hea!ily"

,You(ll be dead in under a month'- she hissed at him and nudged him with her boot"

,Not likely'- he finally shot bak" ,6e(!e been training for months and I(!e ne!er seen anything more

than a petty thief"-

Tonks glared at him" ,You honestly think that there(s not anyone dangerous out there still0-

)arks mumbled something"

,6hat was that0- Tonks demanded"

,I said' not after ;otter took are of them'- )arks finally snapped" He had the good grae to look

slightly ashamed of his outburst"

Tonks snorted out in laughter' shaking her young student" ,You think Harry killing =oldemort made all

the other /eath +aters hange their minds0- He flinhed at the name and Tonks sneered at himdisdainfully" ,You think they all turned themsel!es in0 ;romised to be good now that their *ord was

finally gone for good0-

,You(re too na!e'- she bit out" ,You(ll ne!er make it as an .uror"- #he turned to lea!e but stoppedwhen he alled out"

,.nd you(re a bitter old has4been"-

#he wanted to yell bak at him" There was a time when she would ha!e he5ed him faster than respond'

done something horribly funny to him that would ha!e taught him a lesson" The problem was that she

really ouldn(t see that he(d been wrong" #he was bitter" #he felt e5tremely old and she had to admitthat her urrent role as a trainer made her feel a bit like a has4been"

,%e bak here tomorrow'- she said almly instead' ,same time" .nd if you fall for that again' I(ll reportyou to #haklebolt"- The door slamming behind her satisfied her almost as muh as seeing the defeated

look on his fae"

,I hear you(!e been torturing your student again"-

Tonks raised an eyebrow at $ingsley as he entered his offie and threw down a stak of parhment" He

hated it when she entered while he was out but he hadn(t been able to stop her" Fred and &eorge hadtaught her how to enter almost any unloked door" 7emus' and #irius' had been most instruti!e as

well"

,You ha!e a problem with me teahing them what they need to know0-

$ingsley studied her for a minute and then shook his head" ,No' I don(t" %ut you do need to let a few of


19/58

these kids through' Tonks"-

,I don(t know how )arks e!er made it through the .ademy'- she supplied" ,His ombat skills aresorely laking"- $ingsley raised an eyebrow and she ontinued" ,He fell for a


20/58

for less time in .9kaban" The )inister was set against it at first but he seems to be softening" &inny

was 3ust gi!ing her usual !iews of the sub3et" #he e!en threatened to he5 his bits if he didn(t


21/58

stiffened notieably and Tonks felt a bit irritated at that" #he knew that usually any referene to that

8une would set her off either rying or sreaming at whoe!er was around" For some reason' and it may

ha!e been the onern in her friend(s !oie' it didn(t this time" #he was genuinely touhed that he ared

enough to be thinking about it"

,I think I(m alright'- she admitted" ,#ometimes it helps to ha!e something physial to do' you know0-

#he hukled wryly and $ingsley 3ust studied her" #he was about to dismiss the notion ompletelywhen a piture of &inny(s grey' gaunt fae entered her mind" It wouldn(t be long now' she knew"

,.tually' I(d like to hold that offer' $ing'- she said' looking down at her fingernails' whih were

painted an eletri purple today" ,I might need some time soon"-

$ingsley was silent and she haned a glane up at him only to find him staring at her" #he shifted a bit

and then met his ga9e again' willing him to not pry any further" It was a testament to their mutualfriendship and respet when he nodded" They(d been through enough together that he wouldn(t

uestion her muh"

,You an ha!e all the time you want'- he said softly" ,8ust let me know and I(ll take are of this end foras long as you need"-

#he nodded gratefully and took a deep breath to will away the emotions that had risen in her hest"Flashing him what she hoped was a heeky smile' she stood" ,%etter get bak to it'- she fored out and

ga!e a little wa!e o!er her shoulder"

-%e good'- $ingsley alled out and Tonks laughed"

,Ne!er"-

.BN: *ea!e a re!iew' please" #o many of you are reading"""and so few are telling me what they think ofthe story" IDd really like to know"

Chapter 4: As Strong As ou Were

.BN: I(m told this hapter needs a se!ere tissue warning" #o' there' you(!e been warned" I think many

of your uestions should be answered in this hapter and the ne5t" I would really lo!e to hear what youthink of the story" Thanks to Anreuited/ream and /ebbieO for all the help on this story"

Chapter Four: .s #trong .s You 6ere

. whole week passed and Tonks was getting more than an5ious" #he hadn(t heard from &inny beyond

a small note that told her &inny was fine but was done with publi appearanes" #he tried to !isit' but

the wards at the flat were ereted and Tonks wasn(t allowed in" #he prayed that &inny was not in pain


22/58

and that she would be able to do her part"

#he was a bit angry also" &inny had told her from the !ery beginning that it would happen this way' butthat didn(t make the waiting any easier"

Tonks buried herself in work" #he was surprisingly patient with )arks as she worked with him on his

defense skills" %y the end of the week' he ould easily disarm her and a!oid most of her traps"

#he also felt a strange need to tidy her own affairs" *ogially' she knew that she wasn(t the one dying'

but it was almost ompulsi!e" #he met with a goblin in &ringotts and made out a will' lea!ing hermeager possessions to her parents' the 6easley family' and a few things of 7emus( to the *upin

*yanthropy .geny" It was something that he would ha!e hated' and thinking of how he would ha!e

grumbled about it brought a smile to her fae"

#he paid her bills more than a month in ad!ane" #he went to )adam )alkin(s and bought a rather nie

set of dress robes43ust in ase" They were a rather bright purple' but Tonks didn(t are"

It was on one of these trips that she ran into %ill 6easley in /iagon .lley" #he(d been a!oiding the6easley(s all week and grimaed to herself when she was ornered" 8ust seeing his smile as he held his

son(s hand made her insides ringe" #he wanted to sream at him and beat his hest" His sister lay alone

in her flat' dying' and here he was eating ie ream with one of his twins"

%ut it was all for nothing" %ill was ompletely innoent and obli!ious to &inny(s situation' she knew"

.nd that was the way that &inny wanted it" #he wanted to die on her own terms' as Harry had done"

6ith dignity and grae' she(d told Tonks one day" That was the way that one should die not withdeathbed !isits and people wathing you waste away a little eah day"

,Hello Tonks>- %ill heered and held up a dripping spoon of bright pink ie ream to his lips"

,6other %ill' and28ean4*u' isn(t it0- she greeted them' hoping that her dark attitude wouldn(t peek

through and gi!e her away ompletely"

,6e ha!en(t seen you in awhile'- he ommented and there was a bit of ausation in his tone" ,You and

&inny seem to hide regularly"-

Tonks bit the inside of her lip and shrugged nonhalantly" ,%een busy'- she tried" He studied herlosely for a moment and then nodded"

,6e all try to keep busy this time of year too'- he finally offered" Tonks sei9ed the e5use and nodded"

,It(s a hard time"-

%ill nodded" ,Two years'- he agreed" ,It(s hard to belie!e some times" There are days that I hear aommotion outside the offie and for 3ust a seond' I think that maybe it(s Harry' you know' oming to

see me like he did that last year"-

Tonks nodded stiffly" ,He was2an ama9ing man'- she said" ,He died too young"-


23/58

,7emus did also'- %ill said softly and ruffled his son(s hair" ,I ne!er got to tell him how muh his

presene helped those first few months"- Tonks understood what he meant"

.fter %ill was attaked by Fenrir &reybak' 7emus had heked up on him e!ery few days" Tonks was

not pri!y to the information that was shared' but she assumed 7emus was trying to ease %ill(s fears

about being hurt by the werewolf" It turned out all right in the end %ill did not ha!e *yanthropy and'

despite a few odd beha!ioral hanges near the full moon' he was ompletely fine now"

,He knew'- Tonks onfirmed in a small !oie" ,He mentioned to me one how well you were taking it

and how proud he was of you"-

%ill swallowed thikly and smiled down at his son who ontinued to eat obli!iously" ,6ell' he was a

good man'- he finally ended the sub3et" ,)um has asked about you"-

Tonks instantly felt bad" )olly was a wonderful friend whom she(d relied on muh in the past and she

felt like she was betraying her a bit" )ore than a bit" ,I know'- she said" ,Tell her2I don(t know' %ill"-

#he ruffled her short' spiky hair a bit and glaned o!er the milling rowds in the .lley" ,I don(t know

what to tell her anymore"-

,.re you alright0- %ill asked" ,I mean' you(re not sik are you0-

Tonks ouldn(t help the snort of ironi laughter that sueaked out" ,.lright isn(t an option for me' %ill"%ut I(ll li!e"-

%ill narrowed his eyes at her and then looked on in onfusion as she seemed to gather herself again andher mask went bak on"

,6here(s terror number two0- she asked' reahing out to brush the small boy(s urly loks with her

fingers"

,6ith Fleur'- %ill grunted bak" ,#ome days we need to split the two to gi!e )ummy a break"- He

used his napkin to wipe the stikiness from 8ean4*u(s small fae"

Tonks nodded" ,I(d better get bak to the )inistry'- she finally said" ,I wasn(t supposed to be gone this

long"-

%ill wathed her losely again and Tonks looked away" ,8ust2take are of yourself' Tonks" You know

we all think of you as family"-

,I know'- she said with a smile"

,.nd hek on &inny for us' please" )erlin knows you(re the only one she lets lose to her these days"

It(s dri!ing )um ra9y to see her doing this to herself"-

Tonks was uiet for a minute but nodded" ,I got an owl from her the other day" #he(s alright'- the lie

rolled off her tongue" ,I mean' as alright as we get'- she hukled and %ill nodded in understanding"

,I(ll keep trying" This time of year2it(s 3ust hard"-


24/58

,I understand that'- %ill said" ,)ore than you think I do"-

Tonks met his eyes for a minute and then they both looked away" #he stood uikly and gathered herbag" ,Tell them all hello from me and I(ll be in touh soon"-

,I will'- %ill said"

The letter that she(d been waiting for' and dreading for the last two years' ame on a 6ednesday"

Hedwig fluttered into the open window of Tonks( flat and rested on the bak of a hair' staring at the

woman aross the table from her"

,Hedwig'- Tonks whispered as she stared at the bird" Her one pristine feathers were ruffled and there

was a hint of grey around her eyes and on the rown of her head" #he looked nothing short of utterly

e5hausted' Tonks thought' as she rested" #he didn(t e!en hold out her foot where she luthed the

wrinkled parhment in her talons"

,That(s it then' isn(t it0- +!en to herself' Tonks( !oie sounded harsh" *ike she(d been sleeping for days

and 3ust woken up" #he felt asleep almost" Taking a few deep breaths and losing her eyes to fousagain' she stood from her hair and mo!ed toward the owl"

Hedwig hooted !ery low and sorrowful' and Tonks felt her hest tighten" The owl hadn(t been the samesine Harry died and now' with what Tonks was sure she arried' Tonks doubted the bird would e!er

reo!er"

,%est get on with it' girl'- Tonks whispered and used the bak of her finger to rub the soft feathers on

Hedwig(s hest" .nd' for a moment' she wasn(t sure if she was trying to on!ine the bird or herself"#he slowly reahed for the parhment and Hedwig dropped it into her hand" The owl ontinued to

wath as Tonks sank into another hair' holding the letter as if it would ath on fire"

,You an do this'- she repeated to herself se!eral times' all the while breathing deeply" This ouldn(t be

worse than finding 7emus or wathing Harry die or2the other" It ouldn(t be worse than wathingsomeone you lo!e waste away a little e!ery day and knowing that deep inside' you wish you ould die

too"

The en!elope opened easily and Tonks steeled herself" .fter all' it might only be a note saying that&inny was still ali!e" #he didn(t know whih would be better"

/ora'

This is the end" You ha!e been the most ama9ing friend" I(ll ne!er be able to tell you how muh you(!e

done for me by 3ust being there these past years" You(!e been more than a friend: a sister' a mother' an

angel' really" .nd I know that Harry would feel the same way" No' I know he does' atually"

I am releasing you from your promises now" ;lease' as a fa!or to me' take are of those last details that

we planned so long ago" I know this will be hard' as I(!e been in your position before' but please don(t


25/58

let my family find me first"

/o what you need to do' /ora' and then mo!e on" This half4life you(!e been li!ing isn(t really li!ingand you know it

I would like to say I(m sorry that you stumbled upon us that day' that we made you a part of something

this2horrible' and wonderful' and bloody strange all the same" %ut I would be lying" I needed you'Harry needed you' 8amie needed you and there are others that need you" You are the only one who

knows our whole story" /o with it what you will"

You know where to find me" ;lease wait at least twel!e hours to ome"

&in

Tonks finished the letter that now bore smears and wet spots from her tears" #he read it one more and

then tossed it aside" #he flopped bak against the hair' feeling e5tremely di99y and disoriented" The

end had ome' 3ust as they(d said it would" The letter was beautiful and poignant and all the things

Tonks hated" &inny knew the e5at things to say to make Tonks do e5atly as she(d asked" Not that itmattered"

%riefly' she wondered if the sensations she was feeling were the magi releasing her from her !ow"

Now that she e5amined it' she did feel a bit2different" #he ouldn(t say it was lighter' for the last ofher best friends was dead' or dying at any rate" %ut the hea!iness was different now"

( she thought !iolently" .sking Tonks to wait twel!e hours was like asking a ri!er to hangeits ourse" %ut &inny had known she would do it" How ould she refuse>0

Numbly she got up from the hair and gathered a bowl of water and a few owl treats' laying them on

the table for Hedwig' who wathed silently' eyes wide"

,I(m sorry I don(t ha!e more'- she apologi9ed to the owl" Ne5t' she set about writing a uik note to

$ingsley asking for the promised days off" .s she folded the parhment' Hedwig held out her leg"Tonks stared at her in onfusion for a moment before shaking her head"

,No' girl' you(!e done enough" I(ll 3ust send this out later"-

The owl shook her leg a bit and thrust it loser to Tonks' who had to smile"

-.re you sure0-

The bird ga!e her a trademark glare and wiggled the foot again" Tonks sighed and attahed the note"

,Take your time"- #he was about to tell the owl to lea!e when an idea ame to her" ,I(ll be at &odri(sHollow in about twel!e hours" You an ome if you like"-

Hedwig bobbed her head one before lea!ing through the window" Tonks notied that she(d not taken

any of the water or treats"


26/58

Tonks mo!ed around the flat' shutting windows and blinds' losing in the darkness around her" Twel!e

hours was a horribly long time to wait for something like this" .nd e!en though she knew that she

wasn(t bound by what &inny had asked any longer' Tonks knew she would wait"

#he grabbed the du!et off of her bed and urled up on the worn sofa in the li!ing room" The 8une heat

that had filled the flat only hours before seemed to fade as Tonks washed herself in grief and sorrow"

Now was the time to grie!e later her work would begin" Now she ould ry and throw things and rage"#urprisingly' the anger that had ome with Harry and 7emus( deaths didn(t rise in her today" Only

heart4rending grief and absolute loss poured from her heart"

The tears ne!er seemed to end" 8ust when she thought she(d ried herself out' another wa!e would hitand more sobs raked her body" %lissfully' sleep took her only a few hours later"

Tonks was bak in the misty forest again" The sream she(d heard propelled her forward 3ust as a blast

of orange light and hot energy pulsed in the learing in front of her" It threw her to the ground'

aggra!ating the in3uries she already had" #he(d rudely healed the slie on her side but it would need to

be reopened and healed orretly"

. thik blak smoke hung in the air' burning her nose and throat" #he hoked a bit on the !ile taste andrawled forward" #he saw the arnage in the learing' the flames liking at the bushes' debris on the

ground' the pile of smoking2something2 in the enter and the two others in the shadows"

,Harry' don(t lea!e me>-

Tonks( fous turned to the ouple lying together" &inny was holding Harry(s head to her hest' roking

him bak and forth" He was half in her lap' half out legs spread wide and arms out to the sides" &innyontinued to plead for Harry not to die as she roked and roked"

&athering herself a bit' Tonks rouhed and assessed the area" There was no one else around so she

mo!ed forward slowly' alling out to &inny as she did"

,&inny' it(s me' Tonks"-

,/ora' he(s2he2-

,I know'- Tonks gasped as she knelt ne5t to &inny and got her first glimpse of Harry"

,He(s not dead'- &inny whispered as she ontinued to rok him' her fingers roughly pushing his hair

this way and that' heedless of the blood she was smearing e!erywhere"

,&inny' he is'- Tonks said gently but firmly" ,You ha!e to let him go"-

,NO>- she sreamed" ,He(s not dead" He(s 3ust tired"-

He ertainly looked dead to Tonks" His skin was a pallid gray olor and his eyes were sunken darkirles" #he hadn(t seen him take e!en a single breath in the few minutes she(d been kneeling ne5t to


27/58

the ouple"

,&inny' lo!e'- she said softly' plaing her arms around the small redhead(s shoulders" ,I know youlo!ed him we all did" %ut you ha!e to let go" *et him die with dignity4,

#he wasn(t allowed to ontinue' howe!er' when Harry gasped for air' oughing and spluttering up

blood" #he helped &inny turn him slightly as he hoked and spit the stiky redness all o!er &inny(s lap"

,I knew you wouldn(t lea!e me'- &inny ried' holding him to her" Harry' one he(d finally gained his

breath' luthed at her tightly and they kissed se!eral times" Tonks looked away briefly' swiping at hertears' to gi!e them a pri!ate moment"

,Not2muh2time"- Harry(s !oie was dry and raspy and he ontinued to ough up thik liuid"

Tonks looked around as the learing went deadly silent and still" #he(d ne!er thought she(d e!er

witness a moment where time fro9e' but this was it" #he sat bak and wathed Harry and &inny touh

eah other(s faes uietly" Harry had pulled himself upright a bit and now held &inny in his arms"

,I lo!e you'- he whispered and &inny smiled through her tears" ,I don(t want you to e!er forget that"-

,I won(t'- &inny answered"

Harry studied her for a moment before pressing his hand to her belly" Tonks almost bit through her lip

when she reali9ed what was going on" ,You ha!e to be strong now" You ha!e to take are of our son"-

&inny nodded solemnly and Tonks wondered why the redhead was being so doile" #he(d ne!er seen

&inny like this before"

,*ife doesn(t end here' &in'- Harry ontinued to whisper" ,I(!e seen the other side" /umbledore wasright2- he smiled wryly' ,the ne5t big ad!enture"-

&inny(s heeks were ompletely wet now as she luthed onto Harry tightly" ,I an(t do it alone' Harry"You ha!e to stay with me"-

,I an(t' lo!e" I promise you I(ll be waiting" You ha!e things to do now' &in" You ha!e to take are of

the baby"- He stilled for a moment and stared off into the learing" Tonks shi!ered as she felt anotherpresene surround them" ,The last urse he used' &in2its killing me"-

,No'- &inny whispered fierely"

,It is'- Harry sighed and shuddered through another oughing fit" ,You were hit with it too"-

Tonks slammed her eyes shut when she reali9ed what he was saying" If the urse had hit &inny2and&inny was pregnant2 #he didn(t want to think about what that ould mean"

,I(ll go on ahead'- Harry said with a strange on!ition" ,6hen our son is born2- he shook his head

sadly and kissed &inny(s heek" ,He won(t li!e long here' &in" %ut I(ll be waiting for him"-


28/58

,Take me too'- &inny pleaded" ,I won(t go on without you"-

Harry luthed at her shoulders and shook her gently" ,You must>- he said" ,He must be born here" Theother plae2I an(t e5plain' &in" %ut it(s important" He(s important there" His life will go on o!er

there" .nd I promise I(ll take are of him2until you 3oin us"-

&inny looked deeply into his eyes and then nodded firmly" Tonks was shaken by a loud sob when shereali9ed that she had made it' she tried to turn away"

,/ora'- Harry(s soft !oie alled her bak" He was laying against &inny(s hest now and she wasroking him again" There was a bit more olor to his fae' but the dark blood all o!er his lips and hin

was all that Tonks ould fous on" It stained him like her hands were still stained with 7emus( blood"

,Harry"-

The orner of his mouth turned up a bit and Tonks( throat onstrited again"

,You ha!e to promise2take are of them"- Tonks ould only nod her aeptane" ,They need you now"7emus2-

,Is dead'- Tonks blurted out"

Harry half smiled again" ,Yes' but he(s with #irius and my dad"- Tonks nodded again and swiped

angrily at her tears" ,He(s alright' /ora" .nd he wants you to know he lo!es you"-

. great sob welled in her throat and she didn(t know if it was aused by grief or relief" #he wanted to

belie!e Harry' really she did' but she 3ust didn(t know if she ould"

,I need you to be there for &inny and the baby"-

,.nything they need'- Tonks nodded"

Harry studied her for a moment before holding out his shaky hand" ,.n Anbreakable =ow0-

Tonks didn(t hesitate before lasping her hand in his and promising to take are of &inny and Harry(s

son until she was released" One the magi was bound' Harry(s eyes drifted losed but he ontinued totalk in a muh lower !oie"

,I(!e left you e!erything' &in" /o whate!er you want with it"-

&inny nodded but Tonks wasn(t sure she heard him"

,.re you in pain0- she finally hoked out and Harry smiled up at her and stroked her hair lumsily

with his dirty hand"

,Not muh" It doesn(t hurt muh when you know it will be o!er soon"-


29/58

,.nd will I2- &inny trailed off as Harry nodded' his hand still mo!ing o!er her head"

,Yes" I(m sorry"-

,6ill the baby2-

,Yes'- Harry nodded again" ,%ut he won(t feel anything' I promise" I(ll be there" I(ll hold him andyou(ll feel me" I(ll arry him home"-

&inny sobbed and luthed Harry to her" They ried together for a while as Tonks sat and numbly

wathed the e5hange"

,6e(re ha!ing a son'- &inny finally laughed and Harry 3oined her through his tears"

,6e are" .nd then you(ll ome to me and we(ll be together again"-

,6hat4what should I name him0-

Harry smiled but Tonks ould tell he was fading fast" His words were slow and hard to understand now",6hate!er you want' lo!e" There(s room in &odri(s Hollow"-

Tonks flinhed when she heard this" There was nothing left in &odri(s Hollow e5ept for a ruin ofhouses and a dilapidated gra!eyard" %ut she knew that(s where the ;otter(s had been buried for years"

7emus had one taken her to see *ily and 8ames( gra!es"

-+!en for me0- &inny hoked out"

,For you'- Harry whispered" The two stilled for a long while before Harry opened up his eyes and fi5ed

&inny with a !ery determined look" ,I know you an do this" %e strong and I(ll always be there for you"I ha!e to go now' &in"-

,No' stay with me0- &inny pleaded uietly"

,I an(t'- Harry said as he touhed her heek again" ,I lo!e you' &in"-

Tonks wanted to look away but was transfi5ed by the ha9y atmosphere that now entered the learing" It

was ompletely peaeful now' and despite the atroities that had happened here earlier' Tonks sworeshe ould hear birds hirping and a faint singing in the bakground" The sun broke through the treetops

and ast a warm glow o!er the area"

Harry lay still in &inny(s lap and all was silent"

Tonks awoke with a 3erk that almost aused her to fall off of the ouh" #he ried out in e5asperation asthe memories threatened to o!erwhelm her" #he pounded her fist on the sofa ushion and let more tears

fall"

The final battle" Harry" &inny" Their son"


30/58

#he had spent the past two years proteting all that she(d seen and heard in that learing" 6hen she(d

finally been able to pry Harry(s lifeless body away from &inny' the two had held onto eah other' either

too tired or emotionally drained to ry" It had gone dark again and with a start' Tonks reali9ed that a

whole day had passed without anyone finding them" #urely' the battle was o!er by now"

$ingsley had been the first on the sene some time later" He(d stood in omplete shok' taking in the

dark irle around them and then staring at the bodies of =oldemort and Harry"

Tonks uikly took harge and told him that she and &inny had met up in the forest while searhing for

Harry" They had found him already dead"

The seasoned .uror studied Tonks for a moment and she felt he must surely know that she was lying"

Finally' he turned to &inny' who was barely standing and staring at Harry(s lifeless body"

,)iss 6easley0(

&inny had turned a ompletely pale fae' o!ered in filth and dried blood' toward him and nodded

before her knees ga!e way and she ollapsed" Tonks mo!ed forward to pik her up but $ingsley gentlymo!ed her out of the way and olleted her frail body in his arms"

,$ing'- Tonks said softly' but !ery determinedly' ,You ha!e to ha!e them seal the medial reords"-

He studied her for a moment before nodding" ,You both need treatment"-

Tonks shook her head" ,Take her first" I(m not lea!ing Harry(s body until someone omes for him"-$ingsley looked like he wanted to protest' but nodded firmly instead"

,The 6easley(s will be along shortly" I(ll take her to #t" )ungo(s' but I(m oming bak for you"-

,#eal the reords' $ing'- was all the reply she would gi!e him"

The reords were sealed' 3ust as Tonks demanded" To this day she wasn(t sure how $ingsley hadmanaged it" #he was sure #rimgeour must ha!e been beside himself wanting to know how Harry died"

6iping her eyes' and the memories away with her tears' Tonks stood and mo!ed to the kithen" #he(d

been asleep for fi!e hours" #e!en to go' she thought de3etedly"

.BN: #o' now you all know" #ome of you Galright' most of you who guessed' guessed right" That 3ust

shows me that IDm not as le!er as I think I am" *et me know what you thought" 6eDll find out more

in the ne5t hapter"

Chapter!: Ten"er ou'll Go


31/58

.BN: Thanks to e!eryone reading and re!iewing" I(m glad you(re en3oying the story' no matter how

angst4riddled it is" #o2this hapter is mostly a ontinuation of hapter ' thus you(re getting it earlier

than usual" .nother tissue warning on this one' folks"

Chapter Fi!e: Tender You(ll &o

#he dreamed again that night" The sun was streaming through the windows in the small house' lightingup the sunshine4yellow kithen" Tonks sat at the table sipping from a up of tea as her mother bustled

about the kithen behind her"

-He(s a beautiful baby'- she mused' and Tonks had to smile"

,Yes' he is"-

.ndromeda Tonks sat aross from her daughter and Tonks made the mistake of looking up at her" #he

wore a no4nonsense look that a younger Tonks had always been wary of''' and found she was still !ary

of@e!en as an adult"

,Thank you for oming to get me'- she said' taking Tonks by surprise" ,I know it(s hard for you to

aept help' and it makes me happy when you let me into your life e!ery one in awhile"- #he held up

her hand as Tonks opened her mouth"

,I(m not the best mother'- .ndromeda stated plainly" ,I badger too muh and don(t praise enough" %ut

I am proud of you' Nymphadora" I(m proud of you being an .uror" .nd I(m proud of what you(!e done

for that woman upstairs" This an(t ha!e been an easy thing for you to do"-

Tonks finally found her !oie" ,I(m 3ust a friend4,

,Hush'- .ndromeda hided with a smile" ,I(m not stupid' Nymphadora" /on(t think for one momentthat I don(t know e5atly who that is up there' or that I don(t know whose hild I helped deli!er"-

Tonks studied her mother for a moment" #he felt more than a bit of guilt wash o!er her atunderestimating the woman aross from her" ,I(m sorry'- she whispered and .ndromeda nodded" No

other words were needed" %oth parties understood what the apology was for"

,Now' I(d better go hek on them before you memory harm me"- .ndromeda laughed at the look ofshok that rept onto Tonks( fae" ,;lease don(t tell me how many times you(!e done that o!er the

years' hild" 8ust try to lea!e a bit of my hard4earned Healer(s knowledge there when you do it"-

Tonks grimaed' her mind flashing episodes when she had used her mother(s help in the past and thenmade her forget about it ompletely"

,You(d best ome up and say goodbye to the little one'- .ndromeda said softly" #he looked up andaught Tonks( eye" ,He won(t make it muh longer"-

,He(s not in pain is he0- Tonks asked"


32/58

.ndromeda smiled" ,I don(t think so" He(s so tiny that I don(t dare gi!e him anything if he is"-

Tonks sighed loudly and wrapped her arm around her mother(s waist" ,He won(t be here long anyway"Harry promised that he(d ome for him"-

,I(!e only seen that urse a few times" It should be an Anforgi!able'- she spit out !ehemently" ,The

things it does to perfetly sound bodies"- #he shook her head' knowing that the damage was done"

The two women stilled as they reahed the top of the steps and heard a soft lullaby from inside the

darker room" The door was open and Tonks ould make out &inny sitting up in the bed" #he was stillhorribly pale but wore a look of omplete and utter serenity" The tiny bundle in her arms sukled

noisily at her breast and &inny stroked the thik shok of blak hair with her fingertip"

No one spoke as &inny ontinued to hum to her hild and study his fae' her fingers brushing o!ere!ery feature" He finally stilled and his mouth dropped slak away from her breast' milk pooling on his

tiny hin" &inny lifted him gently and Tonks reahed forward to lose her gown for her"

,8ames .rthur ;otter'- &inny whispered as she laid the baby in her lap" #urprisingly' the edges of hismouth turned up a bit at the orners and &inny smiled down at him" ,It sounds too big for someone so

small"-

,It fits'- Tonks whispered in agreement"

,He(s perfet'- &inny said"

,#o tiny'- .ndromeda stated as she sat on the orner of the bed" The baby(s birth had been a harrowing

e5periene" He was almost si5 weeks early' but &inny(s health had begun to deteriorate fast and one

labor began' Tonks ould do nothing to stop it" #eeing how muh pain &inny was in' she had brought

.ndromeda to help" The Healer had done all she ould' but the urse that had killed his father wasslowly poisoning little 8ames as well"

&inny began to hum again as she radled 8ames to her" Her breath ruffled his hair a bit and she losedher eyes"

,Harry(s oming for him'- she said and Tonks had to lean forward to hear her" ,It won(t be long now'

my little 8amie" /addy(s oming"-

,Is there anything we an do to make you more omfortable0- .ndromeda asked" #he wore a worried

look and Tonks knew she hated to lose any patient" %ut knowing who this hild was must ha!e tugged

at her heartstrings e!en more"

,No' we(re fine'- &inny said" They sat and wathed as &inny roked her hild against her" Finally' she

stilled and stared into the orner of the room" Tonks shi!ered and .ndromeda lasped a hand to hermouth"

,He(s gone'- &inny breathed" #he stilled for a moment and then touhed the baby(s fae again" Tonkslooked hard but ouldn(t see the little hest rising and falling at all" #he looked up toward her mother


33/58

who only nodded in aeptane"

Tonks( eyes fluttered open and she was surprised at the peae she felt" 6itnessing 8ames( birth and

death had been nothing short of a mirale" #he felt e5tremely pri!ileged to be a part of it and she

always would"

#he sighed when she looked at the lok and reali9ed that it had now been o!er fifteen hours sine the

letter from &inny had arri!ed" #he lay on the sofa for a bit longer' steeling herself against what sheknew was oming" The ne5t few days would not be easy and it was likely she would lose most' if not

all' of her friends"

. shower was definitely in order' she deided' as well as a fresh set of robes" #he knew better than towear her niest set they would be needed in the days to ome"

6iping the steam away from the mirror' Tonks willed her mousy brown hair to hange to anything

remotely e5iting" #he managed a bit of url at the ends but that was all" It had taken her almost si5

months to be able to morph again after the Final %attle" #he wondered if this episode in her life wouldpermanently sar her abilities" That was a loss that she wasn(t sure she ould take her morphing was

tied up in who she was at her !ery ore"

One she ouldn(t put it off any longer' Tonks glaned around her flat and losed her eyes to .pparate"

#he(d been to &odri(s Hollow three times" &inny had insisted that 7emus be laid to rest near 8ames

and *ily" .nd' although they had ne!er reo!ered a body' Harry had made sure a headstone was plaedthere for #irius as well" The two other times were for Harry and 8ames' respeti!ely" .lthough when

she and &inny had buried little 8amie' they had been ompletely alone" Now she would do her duty and

bury &inny with her family"

The one happy !illage seemed haunted as she walked down the rough street toward the stand of treeson the outskirts" The day was brilliantly blue' birds sang in the trees and a slight bree9e rustled thelea!es and swirled the long grasses at the abandoned home sites"

It was rumored that &odri(s Hollow had one been beautiful a plae where wi9ards and )uggles

li!ed side by side" %ut that all hanged on the fateful Halloween night when =oldemort attaked the;otters"

.fter the ;otters were murdered' the inhabitants of the town fled" They(d heard the ghost stories andmany said they didn(t want to raise their hildren so lose to where suh e!il had lurked" #ome of the

old4timers stayed' but Tonks knew that many of them had long sine died or finally mo!ed away"

The rusty gate to the small emetery was losed and Tonks hesitated to open it" This area was always sopeaeful' she remembered from her other !isits' that the sueaking of iron on iron would disturb it" #he

glaned down the way and saw a piee of the stone fening had ollapsed in on itself" It wasn(t muh

further down so she deided that was her best option"

It was ob!ious to her that no one had been in the area muh o!er the past two years" Hardly any grass

was out of plae and ertainly none of the older gra!estones had been kept up" Off under a blossoming

tree she ould see the newest additions" 8ames and *ily lay on the south side' faing the forest" Their


34/58

headstones were simple' adorned with only their names and signifiant dates" #irius and 7emus had

similar stones that were off 3ust a bit from the ;otters' but loser than any others" They had been plaed

on 8ames ;otter(s left side"

Harry(s stone was a blak ony5 olor with a phoeni5 ar!ed in the top" %elow Harry(s birth and death

dates' &inny had insribed


35/58

time that day' Tonks ga!e in to tears"

,I wish I ould ome with you'- she said" ,I(m not sure where Hedwig went'- she obser!ed as she 3ustnow notied the absene of the bird" ,I hope she(ll be alright" If she omes bak' I promise I(ll take are

of her' Harry"-

#he sniffed loudly and glaned at &inny(s stone" ,I kept all my promises44e5ept the last'- shewhispered" ,It might be hardest thing you(!e e!er asked of me' you know"- #he glaned off into the

trees as she thought of what she was going to say to the 6easleys" No inspiration ame"

,You two are going to ha!e to be with me when I go" I don(t think I an do it alone"- #he trailed off on

that thought and let her eyes gla9e o!er" ,I(ll do my best' I promise you that'- she finally whispered"

,I 3ust want you to know2I(ll ne!er forget you" You trusted me with something ama9ingly preiousand I want to say thank you' and23ust2- she sighed" ,I ne!er asked for anything in return and2

bloody hell' I don(t need muh" 8ust' please' if you see 7emus2tell him I still lo!e him and2tell him

to hurry up and get me"-

,I don(t want to be alone anymore'- she whispered in a tortured !oie"

The bree9e rustled the tree abo!e her and Tonks stared up at it" ,I hope that(s your way of agreeing with

me'- she hoked out in a laugh"

,I don(t know what else to say2so I guess I(ll say goodbye" I lo!e you both" .ll of you' really"-

The tree swayed again and Tonks waited for some feeling to ome o!er her something that would alm

her heart and would gi!e her the strength to finish what she needed to do" #he waited se!eral long

minutes before standing and brushing the dirt off of her knees" #he foused in on eah headstone one at

a time and said a silent goodbye before turning to walk out of the uiet and sared plae"

Chapter #: I$ She %a" W&ngs

.BN: 6ow' what an ama9ing response to hapters four and fi!e you all had" This piee has been eye

opening for me" ItDs made me reali9e how deeply a work of fition an impat someone out there' as

well as how muh it an impat the author" I appreiate all of the kind words and re!iews that you ha!eleft" .s always' thanks to Anreuited/ream and /ebbieO for their work on this story"

Chapter #i5: If #he Had 6ings

This was utterly ridiulous" Completely mental" 7on blew out a huge breath and ruffled the bak of his

hair again' glaning around the .lley"

He was needed elsewhere" He should be home with his wife and new daughter" He smiled slightly at


36/58

the thought of that pink bundle with the urly red hair" #arah had definitely been a surprise when she(d

been born only two days ago" Hermione had been disappointed' but only for an instant' when their son

turned out to be a daughter"

7on seretly thought that it was beause she had done the gender harm wrong" That thought had gi!en

him muh to smile about o!er the past few days" Hermione 6easley had messed something up"

%ut 7on was thrilled to ha!e a daughter" He would ha!e been eually happy with a son' but deep down'

he knew that the little girl would ha!e him wrapped around her fingers before the week was fully out"

In fat' he mused' she(d probably already done it the moment she opened those rystal blue eyes at

him"

He should be home with his family" Instead' he was out searhing for his sister" .gain" This was twie

in a year that she(d disappeared and 7on was tired of dropping e!erything to find her" He lo!ed her' forsure' and would do anything for her" %ut it was time that she faed the fats" Harry was gone and he

wasn(t e!er oming bak" %eing depressed and loking yourself in a flat that held nothing but

memories wasn(t a way to mo!e on"

It had been almost two weeks sine anyone had heard from &inny and )olly was beginning to get

franti again" #he had flooed all of her sons and demanded that they split up and searh for the missing

6easley" #o 7on' being the e!er4faithful hild' alled his mother4in4law to ome and sit with his wifeand hild' and began searhing for his sister"

Hermione felt a bit helpless but was unable to do anything more than lend moral support and ideas"#he(d finally onfessed to 7on 3ust this morning that she feared &inny was lose to a omplete

breakdown" The word


37/58

,6hat is it0- 7on asked"

,It(s2layered'- %ill said as he shook his head" ,.lmost as if se!eral people eah ast different wards"%ut I(!e ne!er seen some of these"-

,6ouldn(t you be keyed into them' 7on0- Fred asked' raising his head to look at his tallest brother"

,You did li!e here after all"-

7on shrugged" ,Not those last few months" Harry2well' he wanted a bit of pri!ay"-

%ill stopped his motions abruptly and glared up at 7on" ,You mean he and &inny2-

7on ould feel his ears turn red and he sighed" ,I don(t know for sure' but that(s what I think" Neither

of them would say anything about it"-

,I should hope not'- Fred muttered as he grimaed"

,#he was of age anyway'- 7on mumbled" ,You try telling her not to ome around"-

%ill eyed him for a moment before turning to ontinue" He ast two more spells before stopping old'

his 3aw dropping open" Finally' he tuked his wand into the waistband of his trousers and shrugged in

defeat"

,6e(re not getting in here today' lads" ;otter' or someone else' put a bloody *ineage harm on th

carry you home by hgfan1111

Documents