A Cursed Wound

Chapter Six –

One could say the hardest thing about being a werewolf was the transformation and the sense of helplessness each month. One would be wrong.

The most difficult aspect of being a werewolf is loss of time. Most people think lycanthropy is a disease in which one turns into a wolf one day each month, and that the rest of the month is fine. That isn’t true.

It takes him nearly a week after the transformation before he feels like himself again. So, essentially, he is ill one week each month.

Remus chuckled, looking at himself in the mirror. No wonder people wouldn’t hire him. Who would want an employee that skived off work a week every month?

“Moony, you need a haircut,” he mumbled to his reflection.

Hurry up, Remus, the wolf replied knowingly. You’ve procrastinated long enough.

Resisting the urge to stick out his tongue, Remus ran his hand through his hair. For once he was in agreement with his alter ego. He should have just taken more Invigoration Draught the day of the trial and shagged Tonks right there in the courtroom. After all, everybody had left.

Moony scoffed. And what good would that have done? You need to woo her…tell her that you love her.

That’s a rather tame statement coming from you, wolf. Remus grabbed his robe and pulled it on.

Moony huffed, growing more agitated with his wizard’s levity. I wouldn’t be so flippant if I were you. Just remember our “peaceful” coexistence hinges on the outcome of the upcoming conversation with Nymph.

And dramatic, Remus thought nervously. Like most men, he didn’t really care for confrontations. But it couldn’t be avoided. He just hoped he hadn’t mucked things up beyond repair.

Judging by the unanswered owls he’d sent over the last three days, Tonks was pissed.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. He’d owled Alastor and Kingsley.

Everything was in place, or, at least, he hoped it was.

Giving himself one last look in the mirror, Remus walked out of Grimmauld Place.

--

So a room at the Leaky Cauldron wasn’t the most romantic place to woo a lover. But, it was the only place three wizards could think of that provided a semi-private atmosphere lest the young witch make a too much of a scene. Remus grinned as he lit the candles.

There would be a scene, all right. The scene would involve her telling him she loved him while he made slow, passionate love to her.

The Leaky Cauldron was also the only place Moody and Shacklebolt could think of that wouldn’t arouse Tonks’ suspicions. She ate in the pub all the time – daily, according to Kingsley.

Lifting the tray from the entrée, Remus inhaled the aromatic salmon and smiled. Nymphadora was not a pretentious person, but she had enjoyed the salmon at the ball. Besides, she needed to start eating healthier foods. He doubted Chocolate Frogs, Licorice Wands, and Pumpkin Pasties were good for the baby.

He set the tray down and started pacing. Having spent the week resting, worrying, and researching lycanthropy and genetics, Remus had nervously accepted his impending fatherhood. Yes, there was a risk of infection to the baby. But the risk from a non-lycanthropic mother to the fetus was miniscule at best. Whereas, if the mother were a lycan, the risk was higher.

A scuffling noise outside the door disturbed his musings. Remus cast a Disillusionment Charm on the table and hid off to the side as he and his two accomplices had discussed in case Tonks decided to run. The Anti-Apparition wards were set and he readied himself for a long haul.

The door opened and voices floated into the room. “And you say it’s in here?” Tonks asked.

“Yes,” Tom, the landlord, said gruffly. “I can’t even get the Rosie to clean this room. And you know her. She doesn’t frighten easily.”

“What I can’t figure out,” Tonks mumbled, walking into the room with her wand drawn, “is why you haven’t contacted the Spirit Division. Ghosts really aren’t my area of expertise.”

Feeling the automatic pull toward her, Remus bit his lip. She looked tired. Her normally vibrant pink hair was a dull mousy brown and she had dark circles under her eyes. She walked past him and started inspecting the room. Dropping the Disillusionment Charm, Remus smiled at Tom.

“Good luck, mate,” Tom chuckled, backing away and closing the door behind him.

“Huh?” Tonks turned around and saw Remus, her look of concentration turning to one of surprise, which quickly turned into a look of annoyance.

“Note to self,” she muttered. “Must not use an Unforgivable.”

Remus couldn’t help but wince, but moved to block her exit anyway. “Isn’t that a bit harsh, Nymph?”

“You’d know all about harsh, wouldn’t you, Remus?” she retorted scathingly. “It isn’t every day someone goes through the trouble of casting a Fidelius Charm as a means to dump a girlfriend.”

Slowly, Remus approached her, realizing that he could do one of two things. He could argue with her, or he could agree with her. He chose the later.

“I was a fool,” he said as he walked around the table, ignoring Moony’s snigger and growing interest in the conversation. His lover eyed the table between them warily. “I’m sure it won’t be the last time I fuck things up.”

Tonks walked around the table too, keeping the piece of furniture between them. “What do you want, Remus?”

“You,” the werewolf replied quickly, changing the direction he was walking in the hopes that the young Auror would not notice and walk right into him.

Stumbling slightly, Tonks countered his move. “I don’t have time for this,” she bemoaned angrily. “I’ve got to go home and feed my cat.” A look of concentration passed over her face, which was quickly replaced by a look of disbelief.

“You better take down the Anti-Apparition wards, Lupin,” she snapped and backed away toward the door. Waving her wand toward him, Tonks glared at him. “Don’t come any closer!”

Remus chuckled. Yes, she was wizard-dueling angry. It was actually quite endearing. “Or what, luv?” he leered, stalking her with lascivious intent.

She angled her wand down and pointed it at his lower extremities. “Or I’ll hex your bollocks off. Now…take the wards down.”

Resisting the urge to cover himself, Remus continued to advance cautiously. “You don’t want to do that,” he growled knowingly. “I can smell you. You’re aroused and only I can help you.”

“That’s a load of…shit!” she yelped the last word as she backed into the door, dropping her wand. The piece of birch wood clattered to the ground, giving Remus the perfect opportunity to capture her.

With a quick lunge, he grasped her upper arms gently and slid his knee between her legs. She turned her head when he tried to kiss her, but he didn’t mind in the least for she had only exposed the delicate expanse of skin behind her jaw and under her ear. If memory served him correctly, nibbling there should turn her into putty.

“I’ve missed you,” he murmured, pulling her earlobe between his teeth and giving it a quick nip. “I tried to stay away. Gods, I tried!”

She shivered against him, her breath raspy and catching.

“I wanted to spare you.” Remus nipped his way along the column of her throat. “I didn’t want you to face the same stigma I’ve had to endure.”

Tonks whimpered, shifting against him and grinding her core against his thigh.

Nuzzling her neck, Remus pushed his leg higher for her pleasure. She accepted the advance readily and rode him to a quick, oblivious climax. He had never seen anything so beautiful. The expression of her face was half bliss, half agony. Instinctively, her lips sought his and he devoured her.

Lips meshed, opening for one another. Tongues twined, dancing against one another. The feel of her against him mixing with the scent of her recent orgasm coaxed both man and wolf into a heightened arousal. Unable and unwilling to restrain himself, Remus tore at her clothing, ripping her robe and T-shirt open in one decisive stroke.

He licked a path to the edge of her bra and molded his hands over her cloth-covered mounds. He couldn’t help the sharp intake of breath and the involuntary shudder as her hand snaked past his pants and encircled his cock.

Her aggressiveness inspired Moony’s need to dominate and Remus was lost. Instinct alone guided the frantic movements of ripping off clothing and staking his claim. She murmured her consent pleadingly, wrapping a leg around his thigh. Somehow, he managed to push his pants down.

Lifting her as though she were a mere doll, Remus pinned her against the door and lurched against her in an attempt to mount her. His sex rubbed against her slick opening, but he was unable to complete the union.

Both Moony and Remus chuffed in frustration. Tonks shivered in his arms, clearing the way for their mutual need. With a brutal thrust, Remus claimed what he had wanted ever since he had met Nymphadora Tonks – her. There was no guilt -- no recriminations – just her welcome embrace encircling him as though she would never let go.

The pace was maddening and Remus tried to hold on as long as possible, but he had gone too long without her to deny himself the carnal pleasure. The sound of flesh pounding against flesh and the sound of her soft grunts as he rutted against her lent their visceral magic to Remus’ eventual release.

He convulsed against her, muttering three words against her ear. “I. Love. You.” Sated and exhausted, the lovers crumpled to the floor, Remus taking the brunt of the fall as he cradled Tonks in his arms.

But she was having none of that and wiggled away from him. She was breathless and quiet as she stood and waved her wand over person. “Reparo,” she whispered, walking away from him and feigning interest in the candlelit dinner.

“Nymph?”

Unable to take his eyes off her, Remus could sense her unease. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just the potion,” she explained, her voice thick. “We’ll always want to shag one another senseless. You don’t…love me. It’s just the potion talking, Remus.” She laughed mirthlessly.

Jumping up, Remus tugged his pants up and ran his hand through his already tousled hair in frustration. “What!”

Sighing as if she were about to explain a complicated process to a child, Tonks smiled patiently. “You and I are under the influence of George and Fred’s potion. You may think you love me, but it’s the lust potion talking. We’ll always want one another, and I see no reason to stop…that.”

He remained silent, not quite believing what he was hearing.

“We’ll need to be on amicable terms once the baby is born,” she continued. “Children are very perceptive. I’m not saying we should live with one another, but we should stay on friendly terms.”

Remus couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He finally tells her how he feels and she tells him that he doesn’t love her. Moony’s words came back to taunt him.

You should woo her.

Woo her? Hell! He had never even dated anyone. What was the point? It wasn’t as if he could ever have a normal relationship.

“And seeing as how we are…mated,” Tonks stated, “it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if we shagged every once in a while. We could be friends…with benefits.”

“Like fuck-buddies?” Remus snapped derisively.

Tonks cringed. “Well, when you put it like that…”

Way to go, you arse, Moony chastised his human counterpart.

Shut up! Remus retorted, trying to gain control of his temper and the situation. Things were going from bad to worse. How could they go from bad to worse? He had everything planned – a nice supper, conversation, a marriage proposal, and then shagging.

Remus shuddered. If Sirius could see him now, the prat would be rolling around on the floor in fits of laughter. Sirius had always been making off-handed comments about Tonks. The Animagus had gotten to the point where he had dropped any attempts at subtlety and had ordered Remus to shag his cousin. Forever being the practical, levelheaded wizard in the group of Marauders, Remus had laughed at Sirius. Obviously Sirius’ confinement in Azkaban had affected his judgment.

Tonks loved him. Of that, Remus was sure. Potion or no potion, the petite witch standing in front of him loved him…and Moony. The wolf whined and Remus could sense the dangerous mood of the beast simmering beneath the placid surface of a mirrored edge.

They were mated.

He wouldn’t be able to deny the physical urge to fuck her senseless when the full moon approached. Moony would not be denied carnal knowledge of his mate. The wolf had already threatened Tonks’ safety once. His anger over her rejection eased. She believed he only loved her because of that bloody potion.

He needed to tell her the truth. He needed to show her the truth, and the only way to do that was to court her. A mental image of Sirius sniggering flashed before him, causing Remus to cringe.

“My apologies, Nymphadora,” Remus said, forcing a smile and pulling a chair out from the table. “Please forgive my bluntness. Won’t you please have a seat.”

Don’t over do it, you dolt, cautioned Moony.

Have you ever dated? Remus questioned hotly. Have you ever courted a woman before?

No, Remus answered for Moony. I thought not. I assume your idea of courting would be sniffing an arse before you shagged.

Eyeing Remus warily, Tonks sat down and folded her hands in her lap. “Thank you,” she murmured quickly.

Remus poured some Pumpkin Juice into her goblet and smiled, lifting the cover off the food. “There’s no use letting the meal go to waste,” he muttered softly in what he hoped was a seductive tone.

Moony snorted in amusement over the human’s lack of sophistication.

Bloody hell! How did Sirius do it? Remus groused silently. How in the bloody hell did one flirt?

His pity party was cut short as he watched Tonks’ expression.

“Is that fish?” she asked, her voice sounding muffled behind her napkin.

“Yes,” he replied. “Salmon.”

The Auror looked around the room, a look of panic streaking across her pallid complexion. Before he could ask what was wrong, Tonks jumped up and ran to the bureau, clutching the sides of the basin and losing what Remus assumed were the remains of her lunch.

*****

A/N – Please forgive my tardy update. I live and work in Florida and we have been pulling extra shifts due to Hurricane Katrina. The lucky ones left before the storm hit and have family to stay with. It may be a few weeks before the next update.