Two Years in the Making (Remus)

[Nymphadora Tonks]

Tonks was on her way up to see Remus, for the first time after settling back into the Hufflepuff common room. Two years. It had almost been two years they'd been together and there was no other way to put her excitement. Her hair was a bright bubble gum pink and it was semi-curled. She thought it was a good look for back to school. She still got odd looks from some of the first years but everyone else had a few years to get used to it.

One girl stopped her in the hall that day and asked how she could be so flamboyant, that was the word the girl used, in times like this. Tonks' response was, "Because one must remain cheerful in any dark time. Keeps the mind ready and the heart open." She'd winked, laughed and said, "Wotcher" as the girl walked off looking confused.

She reached the Fat Lady and smiled, "Wotcher ma'am!"

"Dora Vulpe.. How was your summer dear? I take it you're still with Remus?"

"I am still with Remus.. Two years here soon." She giggled. "I nearly spent the summer with him. Keisha and I stayed with Teddy in a flat down the road from his home, so we got to see him pretty often."

"Well congratulations dear. I'd call him down but one, I can't do that and two, I think he knows your here." She smiled and winked, making Tonks blush.

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus was quite excited to see his dear Dora again.  Until his stupid tenses were tingling, like they usually did.  Oh dear, what if she would break up with him later?  He was hopelessly in love with her and he couldn't bare to lose her.  What if he killed her?  He was, after all, a dangerous creature.  What if...?  He found himself pacing around the Gryffindor Common Room muttering all of these what-ifs to himself when Sirius Black found him.  Remus was sure Dora was already there waiting for him, probably arrived recently, even. 

"Dude, snap out of it," Sirius nearly shouted, interrupting Remus's thoughts, pushing him towards the door to the dorms, "She's out there waiting for you, you know." 

"But... what if...?" Remus began. 

"Then be happy you had two years with her, happy," Sirius finished with a sigh.  When did he have to be the one who had to talk sense?  Remus was almost always the voice of reason, but when it came to relationships, Remus had some issues.  Probably had to due with the fact he was a werewolf and all.  Couldn't tell anyone.  Remus bit his lower lip and nodded. 

Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. 

Remus picked up a small black box and smiled holding it close to his chest before he hid it behind his back and made his way towards the common room entrance.  He climbed out of the common room to find Dora right there waiting for him.  His smile widened and his worries seemed to fade when he saw her there beaming away.

"You look beautiful, Dora," Remus said beaming away, and present the black box which contained a necklace she had pointed out a year ago in one of the stores, "I-I wanted to give it to you when our anniversary came around, but I couldn't wait to give it to you."  His cheeks were slightly red at this point.  He had spent all of his wages, or most of them, for the past year in order to get it for her.  He wanted to get her everything she wanted, and this was a little step towards it. 

[Nymphadora Tonks]

Tonks had been laughing when the door swung open. She jumped back thinking that maybe, just maybe, it was one of the younger students. A light in her eyes brightened when she noticed it was Remus.

"Hey good lookin'," she laughed and gave him a quick hug before noticing the box. When he handed it to her, she opened it up and gasped. Almost a full year ago, Nymphadora had been looking at a simple chain necklace with a small heart pendant. Sadly, it had been a bit more than she had hoped and she'd put it down with a frown. It was insane that he'd remembered. Her jaw dropped, and she covered her mouth with her hand, nearly dropping the box.

"Oh my God. Oh my God! Remus! You didn't..." She laughed and hugged him again, "You remembered... How did you remember?" Seeing that his cheeks were red, she kissed him lightly. "And speaking of our anniversary! You and I have to go to Hogsmeade, for a dinner that I promise will not be frilly and in the tea shop. Not a big fan of it any way." She looked at the necklace again, "Did you spend everything you earned on this?" She was going to feel really bad if he had. She didn't want him to spend everything on her.

[Remus John Lupin]

Her response couldn't have been better.  The smile on her face, the laugh, the excitement.  Oh how he loved it so dearly, just as he did love her dearly.  Remus hadn't actually told her his strong feelings over the past two years, but that was because he thought that he was too young to truly be love.  Even now, officially an adult, he was not sure. 

There were always all of those what-ifs.  What if she went back to her time and left him?  He'd wait for her, wait for her to grow up, but even then, would she remember their time together?  All the time they shared together would be his own burden to carry.  He wouldn't know if he should tell her about the whole thing if that came to pass.  What if he died before she could grow up?  Oh, but he couldn't worry about that right now.  She was here now, and he had to seize the moment. 

"Well, ever since you pointed it out, I worked to get it for you; even hung up a reminder on my calendar." Remus answered with a nervous laugh.  He didn't want to make her feel bad that he would've spent pretty much all he had on the present, so he decided a little lie wouldn't matter.  "No, not really.  Got some chocolate along the way.  Wanted to make it special."  Well, it wasn't really a lie.  He chickened out a bit.  Didn't like lying.  Plus, either way, he did get some chocolate, a bar every full moon, didn't even let his friends buy him anything this past year.  But now... dinner for the anniversary.  And he had  two sickles left.   Well, he'd figure out something.  He always did. 

"Sounds lovely," Remus replied thinking of a nice dinner with his Dora and how great it would be to just be with her.  <br>

[Nymphadora Tonks]

"Why can't there be more boys like you out there, Remus? But you really should have kept your money, we have one year after this and I'm positive you're going to want a house. I know I do." Tonks sighed and looked up at him. "But you did remember and that's all that matters to me.." She smiled and stood on her tiptoes and linked her arms around his neck. "All that chocolate gave you a huge growth spurt and I'm still stuck down here, how is this fair?" She laughed.

Tonks would never be able to leave him, if given the option to go back to her time. There she didn't have much but a best friend and a family but here she had a family who was all different types of people. She had her sister, Teddy, and Remus. And that was all the family she needed at this point. Sure she was going to need a job, and need a house, but Teddy had been saving for a house since last summer and Tonks was going to help as soon as she got a job as an auror.

"Can you believe we have one year after this? And we get free periods now! We can go sit in the library or outside or wherever! We'll have so much time to see each other now." She smiled and began to bounce. It was one of the few things she liked about being an upperclassmen. But she was still treated like a third year by some students. The curse of being slightly short.

[Remus John Lupin]

"Because then I wouldn't be special?" Remus answered with a large smile, "Don't worry about it, I'll be able to get a place some point.  Can always take some extra shifts or get a second job."  The problem this past year was the whole being a werewolf thing, and for about a week after the moon he was either too injured or too sick to work.  Sometimes two, if it were a bad moon.  He barely managed to go to class those weeks.  At least Dumbledore had talked with the owner about him getting sick each month around the same time.  He only got the job as a favor to Dumbledore, otherwise, other owners might figure it out and share his secret, being gone each full moon like he would need to, at the very least. 

Remus was always the sort who would worry like that.  If the choice came, he would try to convince her to go, and be with her parents, and in the time she belonged in.  Then when she returned, he'd promise that they could be together then.  He didn't want to be the reason she wasn't with her parents and friends from Hogwarts.  Think of how much she would worry those who she cared about if she never returned.  That's why he would try to convince her to leave, but he wouldn't force her either.  In fact, he was hoping that the two of them could move in together when she graduated.  Pick up as many shifts as possible, regardless of the effects that the moon had on him. 

"It'll be so fantastic.  More time to study too.  Classes'll be harder," Remus noted with a smug little smile, "Have to make sure you keep your grades up so you can be an Auror."  Personally, a professor was his dream job, but he knew that couldn't ever happen.  Too dangerous and his secret might get revealed.