i: Remus/Tonks & hex.

"Dora!"

Tonks's stomach does a flip as she spots her husband duelling an unknown Death Eater across the room from her. While she's obviously relieved to see him alive, she knows that Remus won't be happy with the risk she took coming here.

Glancing behind her to check that she really managed to get rid of the man who was chasing her, Tonks aims a carefully timed Stunner at Remus's attacker, which hits its target cleanly.

She throws her arms around Remus and he kisses her hard. If Mad-Eye were here, he'd tell her off for being off her guard, but she's past caring - it might be one of the last chances they get to be together. (Besides, constant vigilance didn't do a whole lot for Mad-Eye in the end.)

"Remus... I'm so glad you're okay," she whispers as the battle continues to rage around them. She's vaguely aware of Arthur taking out Yaxley behind Remus; regardless of what's happening in the rest of the castle, the Order are on top of things in here.

Tonks waits for Remus's reprimand, but it doesn't come. "I love you," he says simply. "So much."

"You're not angry?" Tonks is confused; earlier he practically begged her to sit out of the battle and look after Teddy.

He shakes his head. "Life's too short," he says wisely. "I hoped you'd stay with Teddy, but I suspected that you wouldn't let yourself."

"I'm sorry," she begins, but at that moment the next wave of Death Eaters appears - Carrow, Dolohov, Scabior, and some others Tonks doesn't recognise - and Remus is almost immediately apprehended by Dolohov.

"I love you!" she calls, and she isn't sure if Remus has heard, but as Scabior approaches her there's no option but to get right back into the thick of things.

She aims a hex at him, and this is what she didn't even need to explain to Remus: the feeling that she was born to do this, that all her life and training have been leading up to this point. How could she have watched from the sidelines? Maybe she should have stayed with her son, but it's her love for him that fuels her as she fights for the future.