Finding Her Patronus (Remus and Tonks/Remadora Short Love Story)

The Changing Boggart

The next morning Lupin traipsed up to Tonks's room, the heavy mahogany chest trailing behind him. It was a struggle as he hadn't yet recovered from the full moon. His muscles felt heavy and his lungs burned but he pushed the pain aside and lightly tapped on her door.

"Tonks? Are you awake?" He asked calmly.

There was no reply.

"Tonks?" He was worried when she did not answer. Was she really that upset? Had he made her that angry? he hadn't mean to...

His palms were sweating as he ran his hands through his hair, stressed and annoyed that she answer him. "Come on! I thought you wanted to practice Patronuses! You are really good now but I promised you yesterday we'd practice, please, I'm sorry about last night!" When no answer was returned he spun on his heel and leant down to drag the chest back downstairs, but he was disheartened and worried. He thought about asking Sirius as he knew he had much more experience at making women angry. He'd know how he should deal with it.

"Wotcha." A cheerful voice startled him and pulled him from his thoughts. Tonks had been behind him, her pink hair as wild as ever and her pale face not holding a trace of yesterday's anger.

"Good morning." Lupin said, he wanted to say more, to apologise to her and explain and thank her and tell her how much what she had said had meant to him. Tell her how she was the first person to care, but he couldn't, words failed him.

"So, Patronus practice?" She smiled after a few seconds of silence.

"Patronus Practice." He confirmed with a weak grin and a small nod.

Tonks was twirled her wand between her fingers and purple sparks were erupting from the tip. She didn't seem to notice and focused instead on picking up the chairs that she had knocked over earlier.

"Right then, it's ready." Lupin called over to her from the other side of the room. The great wooden chest sat ominously in the corner, rattling, but Tonks was not afraid anymore. She knew she could do it now her butterfly Patronus was strong and, if anything, she was excited.

She walked around the table, careful not to knock over anything else. She bounced into place a few feet in front of Lupin and the box.

"Right then, here we go!" He pulled open the lid but something different happened this time.

The room was not plunged into darkness like when the Boggart usually took shape in front of Tonks. No powerful jets of brilliant green light were thrown towards her, threatening to pierce her, and no agonising screams of friends or family could be heard.

Her eyes widened and so did Lupin's. She let out a small yelp and Lupin gasped slightly as he saw what was before Tonks.

On the floor, a bundle was crumpled into a convulsing heap. Whimpers and groans of agony were echoing all around and and bright crimson blood was leaking from the deep wounds. Pools of scarlet were all around the body.

Tonks's heart was beating hard in her chest as she looked at  a tortured Lupin, laying on the floor, his deathly pale face contrasting with his blood soaked robes. She couldn't move, she was shocked and frozen with fear; her mind was completely blank. No. It wasn't blank, it was full. The terrifying image before her was seared into her brain and stained on her eyes. She wouldn't be able to clear this from her head, it would plague her nightmares for a while yet.

She raised her arm but suddenly realised she had no memory of the spell she needed to say. Tears were burning at her eyes and after a few more seconds she desperately raised her wand and shouted with as much force as she could muster,

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" She screamed it as loud as she could, over and over again not knowing if it would work. Her memory was infected with the horrific image in front of her. As she kept her wand high her mind raced. She didn't know if she was more scared of what was in front of her or what Remus would think. She felt stupid and embarrassed but more than anything afraid, as her Patronus finally emanated gracefully, from the tip of her wand.

The silvery mist was materialising in the air just as Lupin shouted,

"Expecto Patronum!" The Boggart flashed into a white globe before him. The full moon was revealed further as the inky black clouds drifted away. He shouted the again more forcefully and suddenly the silver erupted from his wand and the huge gleaming Werewolf Patronus drove the white orb away and the Boggart was gone.

Tonks stood, her hands by her sides and her eyes gazing at the floor. Tears were running down her cheeks and she whimpered, as her half formed and weak Patronus evaporated in front of her.

Lupin didn't say anything. He was just as confused as she was. Did the Boggart change because Tonks feared for his safety? He was in The Order Of the Phoenix and everyone knew that it was dangerous, but everyone in it was taking the risk. Her Boggart was different before and now it had changed... could it be because..? No. He shook his head and slowly walked over to her. She was crying silently, avoiding his gaze, her cheeks ablaze.

"I don-" she began to speak but Lupin shook his head and put his arms around her.

"It's okay." He comforted. "It's gone, it was just a Boggart. I'm right here, we are all safe. Sirius is upstairs, the children are at Hogwarts, and everyone else is safe."

Tonks did not take comfort in these words. She hadn't seen the others. She had seen him, and only him. Why? She didn't know. But one thing she did know was that she didn't ever want to see it again.

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Thanks for reading this thing, it doesn't really make sense I know but thank you so much to all of you who vote and read and comment :))