Disclaimer; I don't own anything.

At the end there's a challenge for all those who're interested…

Nymphadora Tonks wouldn't and couldn't believe that Remus did not want to be with her. He hadn't exactly told her that he liked her the same way she liked him, but he hadn't exactly told her he didn't either.

And really, being too dangerous, too poor and too old?

That wouldn't do for her.

There had to be more , and since she was a very curious woman she decided to find out.

'Remus Lupin!' she burst into his room. Sirius' old room.

He looked up from the desk, eyes slightly red and swollen, as if he'd been crying.

'I'm not in the mood for company, Nymphadora.' He said softly.

'No.' She said firmly. She sat down on the bed. Remus closed a thick book, called "Ancient Dark Magic, Long Forgotten Spells."

'I need to know why you cannot be with me. And don't give me that "I'm too old blah blah blah " speech.'

'I can't talk right now.' 'Yeah, can't you see he's mourning over Sirius!' Chipped in a painting of an old , wrinkly witch. 'Oh shut up Gran!' Nymphadora snapped.

'It's been a year.' 'A year, two months, six days and eight hours.' Remus corrected her hoarsely.

'Don't you know what day it is today? His birthday! He'd be forty right now.'

'Yeah, so?' Subtlety wasn't Nymphadora's strongest point.

'If you would please leave now.' Remus said, his voice painfully cold.

'No! I want to know why you care more about a dead person than me! I love you , Remus!'

'He's not just a person!' Remus finally snarled. Nymphadora could see he was getting really angry now. Maybe he'd talk now.

'Friend, then.' Remus shook his head. 'Best friend, whatever.' 'Not best friend either.' The portrait giggled.

'Well who cares what the hell he was, I want to know!'

'I care! I bloody care! He cared! If you really love me, you'd care!' Remus shot up from his chair and started pacing around. 'Just…Just tell me.' She pushed. 'Tell you what?' Remus asked. 'Why can't you be with me? Why is Sirius so much more important?!'

'I can't tell you that. I…can't.' Remus seemed to have an innerwar.

'Remus, please. I know you love me.' Nymphadora plead. 'I do. I love you. But not the same way as I loved him.' Nymphadora frowned.

'Of course not. He was like a brother to you, wasn't he?'

'N-no. You are like…like a sister. He is…he was... He's my…my…' He couldn't finish his sentence. 'What are you on about? I thought…At the funeral—' ' Holding hands at a funeral doesn't mean you're a couple, Tonks! It means you're comforting each other!' He ran a hand through his hair, and said, as if speaking to himself, 'I can't take this…Everyone who protected me dies…'

'What do you mean?' 'He took care of me…When I was afraid, at night. When I'd just had a nightmare, he'd come to my bed, crawl in and hold me, saying everything would be fine.'

'I-' ' He'd protect me. He always looked after me…He'd stay in the Hospital wing until I was released…He skipped important classes, just to make sure…to make sure I was okay.'

He blew his nose. 'I never thought anything of it. Until one day in our sixth year. He was begging me to forgive him for the Snape Incident. I still remember exactly what he said.

"Please, Moony, please forgive me. I can't live without you! I can't sleep without you beside me, I can't concentrate on anything. I need you, Remus. I need you because I love you so much, it hurts." Do you understand now?' He turned to Nymhadora.

'You…You and Sirius were lovers?' Remus nodded. 'He was my mate…I can't move on. I don't want to, either. He's my mate for life. It's a miracle I'm still alive, actually.' He said bitter. Nymhadora's eyes grew as large as saucers and her hair promptly turned a horrible shade of green. 'So that's why I can't, and don't want to be with you. Why I care so much about Sirius.'

Nymhadora hurried out of the room, leaving a very depressed werewolf to his own business.

If only she had paid a little more attention to his surroundings.

A/N

What do you think??

Whoever wants to write a sequel to this, I don't feel like it, so email me and I'll send you my idea with the Ancient Dark Magic book.