He felt tired, lonely and, most of all, out of place. In the middle of this happy family, surrounded by loving and normal people.

He shouldn't even have come, but Molly had succeeded to talk him into it. She'd told him that he'd need the normalcy, the happiness, and that he should be able to relax at Christmas at least. And when he had run out of good arguments to turn her down, he had agreed to come.

But just when he really had begun to relax a bit, Celestina Warbeck had started a new song on the wireless. That song. And suddenly that one day late last spring came back to his mind, and he realized that everything was not alright."Good morning, gentlemen!" Tonks had burst into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place 12, where Remus, Sirius and Mad-Eye were already sitting, discussing the latest developments in the ministry over breakfast.

And as he'd done every time he had seen her over the last few months, Remus couldn't help but notice how pretty Tonks looked. Even at that time, when she had been clad in worn-out pyjamas and with bright blue hair that matched the sunny May skies outside. Tonks sat at the table between him and Alastor, and attempted to pour herself some coffee, consequently flooding the butter dish. And when Remus had helped her clean it up, she'd given him a smile that would've made his day all by itself. But meanwhile, the discussion about politics had ceased and the two other men had begun to look at them curiously. And more because he didn't feel like taking Sirius' comments than because he really wanted to, Remus had raised his wand and flicked it at the old radio in the corner. Immediately, the room had been filled with the last of the news (nothing had really happened, as the Ministry confirmed), then the Quidditch results from last night followed.

And after that, this song had started playing. Celestina Warbeck's number one hit, A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love. And all of a sudden, there had been other things than Remus' and Tonks' love life they could talk about.
Tonks had been the first to start picking on the song.
As a matter of fact, she had burst out laughing: "My God, these lyrics! Do you think the songwriter was under a Confundus charm when he wrote that?"

"Not Confunded." Sirius had replied. "But most certainly quite a bit dirty-minded. I mean, stir my cauldron, huh? Sounds like a metaphor for sex to me."

"Doesn't everything sound like one if you interpret it right?" Remus had added, and bravely winked at Tonks, who began to laugh even harder.

Then Moody had decided to add his opinion, and explained to his astonished audience that this song sounded like it was about love potions. "And " he had added, "this is yet another reason to not accept something to eat or drink from anyone – even not the ones close to you."

With that, however, Tonks had disagreed: "I don't think it means love potions when she talks about brewing up love I think it just means that the person this song is about – she is trying to offer her love to another- okay, and she uses really silly metaphors for it."

"And you'd have a better way to say it, of course?" Sirius had teased.
The discussion had been going into a direction Remus didn't want it to go, he had realised at that point. But it was already too late to intervene. Tonks had glimpsed at him before fixing her eyes on his face and said: "I would not try to use any metaphors. I'd just say I love you. Do you love me, too?

And right there and then, for the first time ever, he had realised that his feelings for her might not be as unrequited as he had thought they were.

The same evening, when he had been in his room all by himself, he had thought it over. The look in Tonks' eyes seemed to have opened an entirely new way for him to see certain things. Hadn't there been little signs of affection for him even as early as last August? Or was he overinterpreting things now, was it only wishful thinking on his part?

So much had changed since then. And now, there was this song again. Remus kept watching the fireplace, as though seeing something very interesting in it, and all of a sudden, he wished that Tonks were here. To joke about the song with him.

To tell him she loved him. And ask "Do you love me, too?".
And his answer would be "Yes."