Shades by FernWithy (PG)

[malabud.livejournal.com]

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks
Length: Novel-length
Author on LJ: fernwithy
Author Website: Fern's Humongous Bighead Site

Why this must be read:

The last time I drove the crack_van for Harry Potter, I recommended Shifts by FernWithy. Several months ago, she completed the sequel to Shifts, entitled Shades. Naturally, I have to rec it as well, for it is just as wonderful as the original.

Just as Shifts follows the events of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from Remus Lupin's point of view, Shades follows Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from Nymphadora Tonks's point of view. (Don't worry; we still get regular interludes from Remus as well.)

Tonks's odd behavior throughout Harry's sixth year was supposedly explained by the confrontation between Remus and Tonks in the hospital wing shortly after Dumbledore's death. However, many readers were still left a bit unsatisfied with the result. FernWithy's completely canon-compliant, novel-length story fleshes out what was going on behind the scenes all that year. Remus was with the werewolves, yes, but what was he doing there exactly? Tonks was stationed as an Auror in Hogsmeade, but what did that entail? FernWithy fills in the gaps with a wonderful story and a great cast of characters that become just as real and almost as dear to us as the canon characters.

Remus and Tonks's story makes sense, and it is true to them as characters. They spend a great deal of time apart, but that does not detract from the resolution of the story. Indeed, it reads like a gen fic for much of the story, but their relationship is still central to the fic. The ending is quieter, but still satisfying.

Go and read this story before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out. If you haven't read Shifts, read that first. But read both of them. You will enjoy them. I guarantee it.

* * *

The pot poured a cupful and the tongs dropped a cube of sugar into it. A lemon slice floated hopefully over, but Tonks waved it on its way. Molly snagged it and dropped it into her own cup as she sat down.

"My children," she said apologetically. "They feel they need to know absolutely everything. And I've noticed... well, dear, I thought there might be a few things you wouldn't want them chattering among themselves about." She set something down beside her, and Tonks glanced at it lazily, then with some alarm.

"Molly, your clock--!"

Molly smiled tightly. "It's been like that since the night... well, the night that Ron and Ginny went to the Ministry," she said, and tucked it behind the teapot. Tonks could still see all the hands pointing to "mortal peril."

"Molly--"

"I knew it was coming." She sighed. "As Bill says, as long as we're all in mortal peril anyway, we may as well do something."

"This business with Remus... is it... I mean, is your family...?"

"Dumbledore has helped keep this house unnoticeable since Harry started spending time with us. A Distraction Charm or some such thing, to keep people from remembering just how often Harry is here. It's no Fidelius, but it's a bit of safety. He thought Remus would be able to make use of it as well, as long as it's there." She took a sip of her tea and watched the steam for a moment, then said, "I don't know what you're cleared to know or not know. Remus and Dumbledore didn't have a great deal of time to explain everything..."

"It's all right. He'll tell me--or, well, tell me that he won't tell me--when he gets here."

Molly nodded. "Are the pair of you all right?" she asked carefully. "I don't mean to pry, of course, but I'm awfully fond of you both..."

"Of course we are," Tonks said. "Well, we simply... that is, there hasn't been a lot of time. And Sirius... I mean, since he..." She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm sure we're fine. But you know Remus. Not one of the world's great talkers, that one."

Molly looked troubled, but changed the subject. "You know, Bill's been talking about marrying that Fleur. Bit mad, if you ask me. He barely knows her."

"Mmm."

"Young people. They always do these impetuous things. And they end up... Ginny? What do you need?"

Ginny was standing in the doorway. "Just a glass of pumpkin juice," she said, looking curiously at Tonks.

Molly had already Summoned a glass and a carafe of juice, which both floated over to Ginny. "Anything else?"

Ginny shook her head, then looked at Tonks. "Are you going to come out later? Ron and I were playing Jury of Jarveys... it's a fun game where you--"

"I know the game," Tonks said, a sharp bit of grief for Sirius hitting her unexpectedly. They'd played Jury of Jarveys for hours one night at Grimmauld Place, and she remembered him wandering around with a jarvey nose after he'd won and... She made herself smile at Ginny. "Maybe later."

Ginny nodded uncertainly, and retreated to the living room.

"Sorry about that," Molly said.

"It's all right. I like Ginny. She's a good girl. Just thinking about Sirius. The game. It's just a silly thing."

"He meant a lot to you."

"To both of us. Sometimes I wonder if..."

"What?"

"If I'd been able to stop Bellatrix. You know. Maybe everything would be different. But I couldn't do it. And she went on and killed him. I wonder if that's what--"

"You're not actually imagining it's your fault?" someone said behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Remus at the outside door, wearing a shirt and trousers that were barely more than rags.

"You're all right?"

"I'm all right. You didn't answer me."

"No. I don't know."

Remus looked across the room, toward the living room door, then looked back down. "Molly, I need to talk to D... to Tonks for a moment."

A flock of twittering panic birds exploded inside of Tonks. "Since when do you call me...?"

But he was just looking back at her steadily, his hand held out.

Tonks looked over her shoulder. Ron and Ginny were still playing their game, but Ginny was sneaking glances over her shoulder.

She nodded, and followed Remus out into the night.

He put his arm over her shoulders and drew her to him. "Don't start questioning what happened at the Ministry. Bellatrix is an expert duelist. You lasted as long as Sirius did and longer than Kingsley. She's very powerful--"

"And I let her get away."

"No. She just won." He moved away a bit and took her hand, leading her up a path through the Burrow's garden. "How much did Ron and Ginny hear?" he asked.

"Nothing, as I don't know anything. Molly and I mostly talked about... other things."

"I plan to keep the Weasleys informed about what I'm doing. They have a right to know. It's the other things I'm worried about."

Tonks stopped. "Us? You're actually... We're to hide... Remus, we've talked about getting married. At least we did once, and--"

He turned and stopped her talking with a kiss. It was harsh and desperate, and tasted bitter. He ran his thumb over her cheeks, then kissed her forehead and her eyelids.

Then he let go and turned around. "I don't want anyone seeing us together this year," he said. "Not as anything more than... acquaintances."

"What?"

"Dora, please. I'll explain. But please don't make this worse than it already is."

"Remus..."

"It's because I love you," he said. "Come with me, Dora. Please."

They walked hand in hand for a long time without talking, their shadows making eerie, swirling shades of them in the mist, as they headed up toward an orchard at the top of a rise. He let go of her hand as they climbed the last steep rise, and didn't take it back again when they reached the top. Instead, he sat on a low stone bench and leaned forward, his long fingers absently rubbing at his forehead.

Tonks sat down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, then reached across and brushed her fingers with his own.

"Fenrir Greyback has resurfaced," he said quietly.

Shades