War In Shades Of Pink

Chapter 2: Silent Truths

NOTES: I don't own the characters. They're all from the "Harry Potter" series. I just try to fill in the gaps with my own imagination.
English is not my first language, so I apologize for any error or mistake.

Grimmauld Place was quieter than usual that night. Outside, the weather threatened a storm, but within its walls, the atmosphere was almost peaceful, almost homely. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks sat in the drawing room, side by side, before the softly crackling fire. They had just returned from yet another mission for the Order, one of many that had been throwing them together recently. Danger lurked around every corner, but for a moment, here, they almost felt at peace.

Tonks, her hair a soft shade of pink, stirred her tea absently as they chatted about trivial matters — Fred and George's latest joke, Molly's surprisingly excellent culinary skills, and even how old Moody always seemed to have an eye on the back of his head, even without his magical one.

"You know, living alone has its perks," Lupin began in his low, gravelly voice. "But it can also be... complicated. There are days when, well, it's not all that easy." He let the words slip out.

Tonks looked up from her tea, her expression curious. She knew there was far more behind that sentence than he was willing to admit. Over the past months, Remus had become not just a fellow fighter, but one of her closest friends. Yet, she knew he was hiding something. Whenever their conversations veered towards anything personal, he retreated, shut down. But tonight, she was tired of waiting for him to realise what she felt. She decided to take a risk.

"You're alone because you choose to be, Remus," she said bluntly, setting her tea cup down. "You could be with me, but you'd rather brush off every joke I make — or anyone else makes for that matter. As a famous Muggle my father always talked about, Charles Chaplin, once said, I don't rememeber the exact words, but it was something like this: 'If you took my jokes about telling the truth seriously, you'd have heard many truths that I insist on telling in jest.'"

Lupin was stunned. The smile vanished from his face, his gaze lost in the flames of the fireplace. He didn't know how to respond. Tonks' words hit him like a blast of cold wind, uncovering a truth he had been trying, until then, to ignore.

"I'm sorry," he finally murmured, his voice low. "I... I can't, Tonks."

Tonks had expected this answer, but that didn't stop the familiar ache in her chest each time he pulled away. Even so, she stood firm.

"I can't have anything with you, or with anyone," he continued, his calm forced. "I'm a werewolf. I'm dangerous, unstable... I've got nothing to offer you, Tonks. Somewhere in the Auror Office, there's a young, strong, handsome man who'll give you everything you deserve."

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to swallow the pain his words caused. She knew he wasn't rejecting what she felt because he didn't share it. He was pushing her away out of fear, out of guilt. And that was what hurt the most.

When she spoke again, her voice was calm, though there was a faint shadow of bitterness in her tone.

"You know, Remus, I can handle a romantic rejection," she said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "What's more important is that we remain friends. For the good of the Order... and for our own sakes, too."

The silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable. Remus wanted to say something, anything, but the words died in his throat. He knew he had hurt Tonks, but deep down, he believed he was doing the right thing. He couldn't risk her safety, nor let her become entangled in a life marked by so much suffering and curse.

The days that followed were strange between them. A new distance had settled, an unspoken space where once there had been closeness and ease. Remus tried to act as though nothing had changed, but he could sense that something was off. Tonks, for her part, kept herself distant, more restrained, as though protecting herself from further hurt.

Yet, time and necessity gradually brought them back together. The missions for the Order of the Phoenix required them to work closely, and it was impossible to deny the camaraderie they shared. Slowly, the trivial conversations returned. The laughter they'd shared on missions or during moments of pause reappeared, and their friendship began to rebuild, piece by piece.

One night, while they were preparing a report at the Order's headquarters, Tonks made a joke about Moody's hair, and Remus laughed so heartily that Molly, passing by, peered in, surprised by the sound.

The light-hearted atmosphere returned between them. Despite the tension that lingered in the air, both knew that their friendship was too important to be broken by unrequited feelings — or, at least, by feelings Remus refused to acknowledge.

And, over time, both Remus and Tonks learned to live with what they felt, no matter how painful it was. The closeness between them bloomed once more, as though that conversation had never happened, though now with a deeper understanding of the burdens they each carried in their hearts.

In the end, what mattered most was the fight that bound them together. Everything else... well, everything else could wait.

But the world was far from peaceful. Not long after, at Grimmauld Place, the dreaded Bellatrix Lestrange — Voldemort's key ally, Tonks' aunt and Sirius' cousin — attempted to eliminate both "disgraceful" members of the family. Tonks was knocked unconscious for weeks, while Sirius... lost his life right there, to the devastation of them all."