A/N: This story was originally published on 10 May, 2006 to the now defunct Checkmated HP fan fiction web site.

It was a cold and windy Friday afternoon in April, and Nymphadora Tonks, Auror, was pacing her flat impatiently, trying to stay calm until it was time to Disapparate to the Ministry. Her mother had offered to wait with her, as had Molly, but Tonks had declined. She'd wanted these last few minutes to herself.

She glanced at the clock on the mantel for the hundredth time and sighed. While it did seem to have nearly stopped, the minute hand was still moving ahead slowly, and sometime within the next thirty-three minutes it would happen — she would finally become the official, forever wife of one RJ Lupin.

Also for the hundredth time, her mind wandered to the groom. Fidgeting with his ring that she was temporarily wearing on her thumb, Tonks wondered how he was faring in his last hour as a single man. At her superstitious insistence they hadn't seen each other since the night before last, and although he had been as calm and steady and true as ever then, it was hard to say for certain how he was feeling now. Happy? Excited? Overwhelmed? If he was feeling anything like she was, it was a combination of all three.

Tonks stood before the mirror one last time and reviewed her appearance. The pinch of fairy dust she'd sprinkled on her vivid pink hair was glowing softly, giving her a lovely — if somewhat misleading — angelic look. The ivory wedding robes she wore added something to the saintly illusion too; the high collar curved into a flattering neckline, and the hundreds of tiny seed pearls sewn onto the fabric gave it a subtle lustre. The classic look wasn't really her style, but her mother had been married in these robes and Tonks had wanted them to be her something borrowed.

Hiking up the hem to double-check the position of her something blue garter, she grinned when her gaze fell upon her clunky black boots. They were hardly bridal footwear, but comfort and stability mattered more to her on a day like this; the last thing she wanted was to wear some stupid, pointy, girly shoes and end up falling flat on her bum on her wedding day. Besides, the boots were her something old, and since they were soft and worn she couldn't feel the silver Sickle for her shoe that she'd tucked into the heel.

As for the something new, she'd bought a pair of white silk and lace knickers especially for the occasion, and that — along with a few strategically placed sprays of Remus's favourite perfume — was all she was wearing beneath her robes. She smiled dreamily at her reflection. There wasn't much more than knickers in her trousseau either; she didn't expect to be wandering very far from bed during the next week, and would be happy wearing one of Remus's shirts when she did.

The clock on the mantel chimed and for a moment her heart stopped. It was finally time to go.

When Tonks rounded the last crooked corner there on Level Two, she found Remus standing in the hallway outside the Wizengamot Administration Services office. He was staring at the floor, smoothing his long fingers around the brim of the hat he was turning absently in his hands. When he heard her footsteps he looked up, a smile lighting his eyes before it reached his mouth.

She came to a stop in front of him, and for a few seconds they simply stared at each other. Tonks was gobsmacked by the look of him in the dark, pinstriped suit he'd chosen to wear instead of robes. She hadn't seen it since the day they'd picked it out together, and she'd forgotten how dead sexy he was in it.

"You look—" Remus hesitated long enough to whistle softly. "Beautiful."

"Thanks. You too." Even after all they'd been through together she still felt the slight sting of a blush in her cheeks at his compliment. She looked his tall frame up and down again and sighed. "I hope you realise you can never wear that suit in public unless I'm with you," she said with a wink, her tone a mixture of fun and sincere warning.

"Everyone's here," he said quietly, "Molly and Arthur and your parents, I mean."

"Good," she replied, smiling. "What are you doing out here, then?"

"I wanted to see you first," he said, ironically looking at the hat in his hands instead. "Alone."

"You mean you wanted to give me one more chance to change my mind," she said knowingly.

He glanced up from his hat and nodded.

"Uh huh." She nodded too and then squared her shoulders, trying hard to hide her smile. "Well you can save it, mister. You can't wiggle out of this deal now. It's too late. You are stuck, stuck, stuck with me," Tonks said, poking him in the chest with each word.

The smile returned to his face and he reached for her hand. "Do you have any superstitions about premarital hugs?"

She pretended to think it over. "No, I suppose not."

Once he pulled her into his arms, Tonks could sense within him all the things he felt but didn't have time to say. He inhaled the fragrance she wore, and then his lips briefly touched her neck before he murmured against her ear.

"I love that perfume," he whispered.

"I know," she whispered back. "I reckoned it was all I really needed to wear under my wedding robes today — well, that and my new lacy knickers."

Remus froze for a few seconds and then his chest rumbled with a low, quiet groan. "Oh—" He released her and pulled back, staring at her robes as if he were hoping to see through them.

Smiling mischievously, Tonks tipped her head and caught his eye. "So are we still getting married or what?"

Remus tightened his hold on her hand, and the next thing she knew they'd walked into the musty, dark-paneled office, greeted with hugs by her parents and the Weasleys. Remus then steered her into place before the black-robed magistrate. All the teasing and playfulness fading from her mind, Tonks realised this was it. The end of her old life. In a few moments she and Remus would be married — forever and ever, amen — and stepping across the threshold into a new life together.

The magistrate asked them to face each other and join hands, and then turned to Remus, prompting him to speak whatever vows he had chosen.

"Nymphadora," Remus began but then paused, a smile curving his lips for the space of a heartbeat. "Tonks— I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife. Before these witnesses — our friends and family — I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both live. I take you, with all your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with all my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life."

The tears that had been slowly pooling in her eyes spilled over. "It's not fair that you got to go first," she mumbled under her breath. Remus smiled nervously and then let go of her left hand. Fumbling in his jacket pocket, he produced a gold ring and carefully worked it onto her finger.

When he'd finished she took a moment to wipe the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand, and tried not to sniffle while the magistrate in turn prompted her to speak her chosen vows. Swallowing past a sudden lump in her throat, Tonks looked Remus in the eye and took his hands in hers.

"Remus, this will be a marriage of equals. I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night, and the eyes into which I smile in the morning. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I promise to be a shield for your back as you are for mine. I will love, honour, and care for you as long as we both live." At those words her voice began to tremble, and she released his hands. Removing his ring from her thumb, she slipped it onto his finger. "This is my wedding vow to you."

The magistrate was talking again, pronouncing them husband and wife and advising Remus he could kiss the bride. But Tonks barely heard the words. In that beautiful moment there was nothing but her new husband. His eyes, his smile, his promise to love her the rest of his life. He was all she'd ever wanted.

Their first married kiss lasted a full minute, and wasn't nearly as chaste as their teary-eyed witnesses might have expected.

After they said their goodbyes to the Weasleys and her parents, Tonks started in trying to find out where they were going on the honeymoon. Yet despite her begging and bribes, Remus wouldn't tell. With a highly satisfied smile on his face, he put on his hat and overcoat, saying only that she'd find out soon enough and that there was no need to worry about the luggage because everything had already been arranged.

To prolong the secrecy, he insisted on side-along Apparition and Tonks had absolutely no idea what to expect when they materialised on a jumbled pile of stones outside a small shack. Losing her balance immediately, she clutched at the arm of her husband and tried to get her bearings. Cold wind and rain bombarded them, and thunder filled her ears as the sea that raged all around them sent waves crashing upon the small island of rock beneath their feet.

Remus seemed to be having a bit of trouble with the lock on the shabby, weathered door. The roar prevented her from being able to hear the spells he was trying, but he finally found the right one. A moment later he'd swept her inside and shut the door behind them.

Freezing cold and soaked through, Tonks stood there dripping on the rustic wood floor as she stared at their surroundings. The inside of the shack was perfectly, magically silent, and although the place was small it was warm and inviting. Countless candles lent their glow as did the bright fire crackling in the grate, and no flat surface seemed to be without a crystal vase, each one holding an artful arrangement of freshly cut spring flowers. At the end of the main room stood a large four poster bed, its perfect white linens and duvet already turned down and a white fabric privacy screen on either side. Just as Remus had said it would be, the luggage had arrived ahead of them.

She glanced at him and found him watching her, another satisfied smile on his face. He removed his wet overcoat and hat and hung them on the peg by the door, then followed as she wandered toward the tiny kitchen.

"Remus, I love it! The whole place — everything — it's wonderful," she said, taking in the iced champagne, bowl of fresh strawberries, and cold supper tray that had been prepared and set out for them. "I'm speechless."

He came up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, whispering against her ear. "I'm rather at a loss for words myself." His hands smoothed over her hips suggestively, and it was only then that she realised the soaking wet wedding robes were clinging to her otherwise bare body like a second skin. "You should be out of these wet clothes," he murmured.

"But I'm not wearing anything underneath," she whispered gravely.

"Yes, I know," he whispered back. She could tell he was smiling. "Sort of my point."

His long fingers began to play with the fastenings of her robes, and as his lips moved along her neck she began to grow warmer by the second.

"In a minute, love," she purred, patting his hands with exaggerated patience. "But first I want to know how you knew about this place — and managed to arrange all this without giving anything away?"

Remus sighed heavily. "I knew I should have insisted your vows include the word obey," he said wryly. "All right," he went on in a resigned way, resting his chin on top of her head, "you really have Harry to thank. It is his wedding gift to us. All of it."

"Harry? Really? I mean, how—?"

"Recently, and quite by chance, he told me the story of his being brought here by his aunt and uncle. They were hoping to outrun his first Hogwarts letter, you see, and thought this was the perfect place to pretend the rest of the world didn't exist."

"I can see why they would have," she said, watching the rain and sea spray splatter against the small kitchen window for a moment.

"And it sounded to me as if it might be an ideal place to start our new life. But Harry said it wouldn't do — at least not in the state he'd last seen it — so he sent Kreacher here with orders to, well, to make sure it was clean and properly furnished for a honeymoon."

"I love it," she repeated, feeling a bit stunned by it all.

"Good." He tightened his arms around her. "Then for the next week, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea, will be our address. Not that I expect we'll be receiving owl post or visitors. We'd better not."

"Why not?" she asked coyly, turning to face him. Her hands slowly slid over the pinstriped lapels of his suit jacket until they met behind his neck, her fingers gently ruffling his somewhat shaggy hair.

"I'm pretty sure we're going to be too busy," he said, mumbling the words against her lips.

At the end of a long, breathtaking kiss Tonks pulled back slightly. "Why don't you open the champagne while I take your suggestion and get out of these robes?" She pressed another kiss to his mouth. "Meet you in bed?"

Remus was breathing raggedly and only managed to nod.

It only took her a few seconds to pull the wet robes over her head and toss them over the chair behind her screen. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, she unlaced her clunky black boots and began to remove them. As she pulled off the second one, she saw a brief flash of metal in the candle light and realised it was the superstitious silver Sickle she had tucked into the heel.

The coin hit the floor at the exact moment Remus popped the cork from the champagne bottle, so Tonks had no idea where it had landed. She was tempted to look for it, but that the last thing she wanted was for Remus to round the corner and find his bride rummaging around on the floor in nothing but her lacy knickers. Instead she crawled into the incredibly soft bed and pulled the linen sheet up until it was just covering her.

She laid back and watched as Remus wordlessly served the champagne — and removed his clothes — in stages. During his first trip from the kitchen he brought the half-full glasses, setting them on his bedside table before removing his gorgeous suit jacket, tie, shoes and socks, and unbuttoning his shirt. Then he disappeared into the kitchen once more, returning with the icy champagne bucket which he set on the floor by his side of the bed. Off went the shirt.

On his final trip back from the kitchen he brought the bowl of strawberries, but about halfway to the bed he stopped and bent down awkwardly, an odd expression on his face.

"Oh no, Remus," Tonks laughed, propping herself up on her elbows. "You're not going to leap and dive, are you?"

He looked up at her and smirked. "No."

"Good," she said with relief, shaking her head. "Because I don't want you spraining anything vital — at least not that way."

Remus renewed his smirk and stood up again, covering the rest of the distance to the bed and depositing the strawberries on his bedside table. Then he sat down on the edge of the mattress, and Tonks watched with silent interest as he removed the rest of his clothes, finally sliding into bed and turning toward her.

"I think this little bit of superstition belongs to you," he said quietly, taking her hand and pressing the silver Sickle into her palm.

Tonks looked into his cool, blue-green eyes and smiled. "Laugh all you want, Remus Lupin, but it worked. My luck held and you married me."

"Yes, yes I did."

Remus kissed her softly, his hand disappearing beneath the linen. When his fingers encountered the garter on her thigh, his smile broke the kiss and he lifted his head to look at her.

"And that little bit of superstition belongs to you," she said, giggling at his expression. But the heat of the kiss that followed turned her heart and mind to more thoughtful things. "You and me," she whispered, once she could breathe again. "Married. Forever. Any regrets so far?"

Remus shook his head. "Only that I didn't ask you sooner."

A/N: Tonks's wedding vow is a rework of the Celtic Wedding Vow written by Morgan Llywelyn.