Chapter 37

Chapter 37:

In Tonks’ Eyes.

Tonks and Dedalus stepped out of the seer’s cabin, ready to begin the journey back. Lupin lingered for a moment, still thinking about the seer’s question, unaware—of course—of the correct answer. Just as he was about to follow them, Alden stepped into his path, upright and serene.

—Why don’t you broaden your perspective, Lupin? —the seer asked—. Do you really think you know everything?

Lupin looked at him with challenge in his eyes, feeling his skepticism rising to the surface.

—I only think there are truths that are better left unexplored, since they lack certainty.

Alden tilted his head, studying him in silence. Then, in a tone that seemed to come from another time, he murmured:

—And what, exactly, are we ever certain of?

Lupin did not answer. Alden watched him again with that enigmatic expression, as if trying to decipher something hidden within him.

—Think of the wolf. The one that wanders through shadow and snow. It believes its path is made only of solitude. Yet in the end, it finds a fire. Not one that consumes it, but one that keeps it warm.

Remus frowned and smiled with a trace of sarcasm.

—That’s just a poem about loneliness. Not a prediction.

Alden smiled, with that glimmer that blended irony and ancient wisdom.

—That depends on your interpretation, Lupin. What seems like a feared destiny may also be the home you never expected to find.

With those words echoing in his mind, Lupin felt a mixture of unease and resignation. The seer slowly stepped aside, leaving Remus alone with his thoughts, while the wind howled around them and Tonks’s pink hair stood out against the blackness of the night.

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Tonks watched Remus come out of the cabin with a somber expression she couldn’t quite decipher.

—You don’t like seers very much, do you? —she asked, trying to break the cloud of thought surrounding him.

Remus shook his head, his gaze lowered.

—My parents went to countless healers, mediwitches and wizards, potion experts… and when none of it worked, they turned to seers, fortune-tellers, and anyone who claimed to have answers. They suggested sanatorium stays, spiritual retreats, purification rituals…

His tone was low and restrained, yet every word carried the weight of an old bitterness. A wound that had never truly healed. One he had never shared with anyone before.

—My parents were desperate. They were looking for a cure. They were willing to try anything. They never found it. But it cost them a great deal of money—and a great deal of hope.

Tonks remained silent.

—In the end, the only certainty they gained was that they couldn’t trust anyone. So they stopped searching. They resigned themselves to it. They hid me away every full moon, did what they could with what they had. They took care of me. They learned to live with a truth no one could change.

The silence grew heavier, as if the whole forest were listening.

—Luckily, one day Dumbledore appeared on our doorstep —he continued—. He offered my parents something they had thought impossible: that I could attend Hogwarts. He explained what he had planned for me. And although it wasn’t a solution… it was a path. A way out of my prison.

Remus sighed, folding his arms as if trying to lock those memories away in some unreachable corner of his mind.

But Tonks did not look away.

Her eyes studied him with that mixture of tenderness and clarity that always managed to pierce straight through him. As if she could understand more than he was saying.

—So that’s why people who sell false hope bother you so much —she said, thinking aloud—. It’s not just skepticism… you’ve seen firsthand the damage they can do.

Remus nodded slowly. Tonks lowered her gaze for a moment, as though feeling the weight of everything she had just heard.

But when she looked up again, there was a quiet conviction in her expression—like someone who had learned to find beauty even in the cracks.

Without hesitation, she gently took his arm. The gesture was meant to feel light, though beneath it lay a deeper truth.

—Well then, Remus Lupin, maybe it’s a good thing your parents never found a solution. Because otherwise you wouldn’t have all those adventure scars —she said, raising an eyebrow—. And you probably wouldn’t be the incredible man you are now.

Remus tried to argue, but the words failed him. She continued:

—Yes, you’re a bit grumpy, but you’re also noble, brilliant, funny when you feel like it, and braver than most people I know. And I think that’s worth a great deal.

A faint blush rose to his cheeks, though he tried to hide it by turning his face slightly away.

—Just imagine if they’d left you in a sanatorium under the care of someone like Alden —Tonks added, lowering her voice as if sharing a mischievous secret—. You’d probably be a charming forest fairy by now instead of a brooding academic. And instead of living on chocolate and Firewhisky, you’d drink dew water and eat hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Remus, quite against all expectations, let out a laugh that made him feel lighter.

Tonks welcomed it with a triumphant smile.

—You’re incorrigible —he said, the trace of amusement still lingering in his eyes.

—And you’re far too serious —Tonks replied, pleased to have drawn him out of himself, if only for a moment.

The old seer and Dedalus were still chatting animatedly at the entrance of the cabin, as if neither of them were in any hurry to say goodbye.

Their voices blended with the sound of the breeze moving through the trees and the faint murmur of the forest’s creatures.

—It’s incredible those two went to Hogwarts together —Remus commented, rolling his eyes as he cast Tonks a knowing glance.

Tonks let out a soft laugh as she watched the peculiar pair.

—What I find incredible is that Dedalus hasn’t moved here to live with his friend —she replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes—. They’re absolutely made for each other!

Remus couldn’t help laughing, nodding in agreement.

Suddenly, Tonks lifted her head, alert.

—Do you hear that?

The murmur of water.

Driven by her natural curiosity, she turned toward the sound, stepping off the path and into the forest.

—Where are you going? —Remus asked, watching her.

Tonks didn’t answer.

She moved deeper among the trees, stepping over roots and ferns until the vegetation opened into a hidden clearing.

A glimmer of light ahead caught her attention.

And then she saw it.

A fountain.

Its stone base, covered in young, velvety moss, curved into irregular shapes, molded by nature’s whim. Water flowed in slow ripples, catching the starlight on its surface with hypnotic delicacy. Around it, tiny fairies fluttered, blinking like fireflies in a silent dance.

Tonks approached, her eyes wide with wonder.

—It’s beautiful… —she whispered, absorbed in the place’s magic.

Behind her, Remus appeared silently.

He stopped at the edge of the clearing, feeling the scene wash over him completely.

It looked stolen from a dream.

Tonks shone beneath the fairies’ light and the fountain’s silvery glow. The forest’s magic seemed to gather around her, as if answering her presence.

Her expression of wonder was pure. Genuine.

Remus felt something unusual.

Something warm. Gentle.

A sense of relief in his chest. As if the darkness that had lived beside him for so long had stepped back a little, giving him space to breathe.

He took a few steps toward her, drawn by that feeling.

There were no shadows here.

Only light.

The tiny fairies fluttered around Tonks, attracted by her sparkling energy and her vibrant pink hair.

She couldn’t resist. With a flicker of her metamorphmagus magic, she let two delicate glowing antennae appear on her head, and her hair shifted to the color of moonlight.

The creatures paused for a moment, surprised, then darted toward her, playing among her hair, tracing golden, silver and pink flashes around her.

Tonks laughed softly, spinning once, letting the fairies wrap her in a whirlwind of light and color.

Remus watched her with a faint smile —one he rarely allowed himself to show.

Tonks turned and saw him.

Her smile widened, conspiratorial.

—Look, Remus —she whispered, her voice threaded with laughter— they think I’m a fairy too.

—I think you’re missing a pair of wings —he murmured.

—And a pretty dress —she added dreamily.

He let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

But he didn’t look away.

Almost without realizing it, he walked into the light.

Tonks turned and found him closer than she expected.

The fountain’s silver glow softened his features.

Their eyes met.

And under the shelter of those eyes, Remus felt the wolf within him withdraw without resistance, as if it recognized that here it had no power.

As if Tonks’s soul, radiant and fearless, commanded its surrender.

As if, beside her, he could finally be only himself.

No monsters.

No guilt.

No chains.

No weight of darkness.

Just a man, standing before a woman.

His gaze drifted to her lips, hypnotized by the smile that lit her face and filled him with such peace.

The fairies circled them curiously, tracing brighter and brighter sparks of light around them.

—Do you like it? —she asked softly. Her voice sounded almost like a song.

—It’s…

He searched for the words, but they dissolved in his throat.

—Yes… very much —he finally managed, barely above a whisper.

The light in Tonks’s expression invited him forward, urging him to close the distance between them.

As if sensing it, she stepped a little closer, her eyes half-lidded, enchanted by the ancient magic surrounding them.

Remus felt her breath brush his face and realized he was not dreaming.

In that moment, the rest of the world seemed to fade away.

The fountain.

The forest.

The murmur of water.

Only they remained, separated by the distance of a breath.

Tonks parted her lips, as if about to say something.

Remus felt the urge to move closer.

—This forest protects what is pure —said a voice behind them.

They both stepped back at once.

Alden Peverell and Dedalus Diggle approached between the trees, seemingly unaware of what they had just interrupted.

Tonks and Lupin exchanged a glance.

An awkward —and slightly embarrassed— moment replaced the dreamlike spell.

Remus cleared his throat and looked toward the two men, as though he were suddenly very interested in the seer’s explanation.

Tonks took a small step back and, with a faint blush on her cheeks, pretended to examine the fountain with renewed interest.

—The fountain has a special power —Alden said when he reached them. —It can soothe the soul and heal the heart. I’m sure you feel better near the water.

But Remus knew that, in his case, it wasn’t the fountain.

Tonks crouched down and filled a small vial with the glowing water.

—I’ll take it to Sirius —she murmured. —Maybe it will help him too.

She raised the vial to the light, and the liquid seemed to stir.

Inside it, tiny particles shimmered like stardust.

Remus watched her carefully.

Tonks met his gaze again, and a shy smile touched her lips.

And in that moment —amid the fountain’s glow, the fairies, and the quiet peace of the forest, where everything seemed right— Remus felt that the truth was standing right in front of him.

In Tonks’ eyes.

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The wind had grown fierce by the time they left the enchanted forest, carrying with it the damp scent of earth and leaves.

The magic of the fountain was behind them now, yet its glow still lingered faintly somewhere in Tonks’s chest.

She felt alive. Luminous.

And she was fully aware that this feeling had very little to do with the fountain itself.

Still slightly annoyed that they had been interrupted at just the right moment, Tonks turned toward Remus, frowning.

He walked beside her in silence, his gaze lowered, shoulders hunched, trembling slightly inside a coat far too thin for the cold that had already taken hold of the night.

She didn’t hesitate.

With a simple gesture, she unwound the Hufflepuff scarf she always wore and held it out to him with a smile.

—Here.

Remus blinked, startled.

—You don’t have to. I’m fine.

—No, you’re not —she replied, raising an eyebrow—. I’m wearing a high-neck jumper. I don’t need it.

He opened his mouth to protest, but she didn’t give him the chance.

She stepped closer, rose onto her toes, and gently wrapped the scarf around his neck before he could move away. Her fingers brushed the icy skin of his jaw, and a shiver—different from the wind—ran through her.

Remus remained still.

He didn’t look at her, but Tonks noticed the faint tremor in his eyelids. She saw the tension in his jaw, the restraint in his breathing, and had to bite back a smile.

—I don’t want you catching a cold again —she murmured softly.

He looked away, as though trying to avoid something he couldn’t quite name, but he didn’t move while she finished adjusting the scarf.

Tonks glanced toward the path, making sure Dedalus was far enough away.

—Besides… you’re probably still weak after the transformation, aren’t you?

She said it in that tone of concern that always disarmed him.

And so, without another word, Remus closed his eyes for a moment and buried himself in the Hufflepuff scarf that still held her warmth.

The scent of Tonks wrapped around him like a soft, comforting caress, making him grip the fabric more tightly than necessary.

And then he knew.

With complete clarity.

That feeling had nothing to do with the scarf. Nor with the mountain of chocolate or the homemade biscuits.

It wasn’t the forest path, the luminous mushrooms, or the fountain behind the cabin. Not even the fairies that had danced through her hair.

It wasn’t hunger, nor the thirst for blood. Not the shadow of old memories, nor the longing for someone he had lost long ago.

And certainly not the wolf. Nor the moon.

He sighed.

No matter how carefully he tried to raise strong walls between himself and the world, no matter how justified his theories might be, something always faltered dangerously whenever Tonks was near.

She brought light to places he had always kept in shadow. Her warmth could break the endless cold that had kept him anchored in darkness.

That night, while the moon waned and the wolf slept, he understood.

Something persisted in his chest—painfully human—that fit no other explanation.

There was no other word, no excuse, no rational argument that could disguise it as anything else.

It was not camaraderie, friendship, or affection.

It was not admiration, nor a fleeting longing or urgent desire.

It was her.

Only her.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Well… I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a short one. And yes — it seems that at last Remus is beginning to realise what he feels for Tonks… after 37 chapters 😅

I have to admit the slow burn may have gotten a little out of hand. But I kept coming up with sweet little scenes between them, and I simply couldn’t resist adding them. In the end, the story seemed to need its time.

You might even notice that this chapter almost has two endings: one that finishes “in Tonks’ eyes”… and another that ends with “her, only her.”
One is the magical moment in the forest; the other is the moment when Remus finally understands what he feels.

I hope the slow burn didn’t feel too slow… and thank you for continuing to follow this story.

If you enjoyed the chapter, any interaction — a like, a comment, sharing it — means a great deal. It supports me more than you might think and keeps me motivated to continue writing.

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