***A few words from Aquira: Hey all! I took all your words to heart when making my decision, and I finally decided on doing both! Well, not really, but I've figured out a way that I can end the story for those who want the end, and keep this specific story open for anyone who wants updates. That would be creating another story with just the ending in it, and I did just that. That's why it took me a bit to update. I had to finish the ending, and this chapter so they could go up at the same time.

Anyway, if you want to check out the ending, I would recommend doing that here at this link: s/9032968/1/What-She-Found-Out (it will have two chapters, and the next one should be up sometime next week).

The stories aren't mutually exclusive. If you read that story, you will know the ending to this one. A few small details or sentences may change here and there, but it will be the ending. If you want, you could read the ending and then still read all the smaller installments on this story whenever I am able to update. Whatever you want to do I'll be fine with.

You all are wonderful readers!

Entry #70 (Monday July 16, 1973) – One Day After

My father has always been the one to care for me after a full moon when I'm at home. I know that my mother tries to help, but she can't handle blood very well and my father takes on most of the work. He makes sure I'm locked in the basement the night before, stays up half the night worrying I'll injure myself beyond repair, passes out on the sofa, then gets me from the basement in the morning and leads me up to my room. There he cleans me up, puts me to bed, and brings me anything I ask for while I'm awake. I usually don't ask for much, but I generally try to get a decent chocolate bar out of him.

When I woke up today, though, I did not see my father anxiously waiting with a tray of food. Instead I was greeted by three familiar faces, all smiling hopefully at me from the floor. I sat up a little stiffly, cradling an arm I think I broke last night, and looked at them as squarely as I could manage. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked croakily.

"Visiting," Peter said.

"We thought you might like the company," James said.

"Remus, aren't we past all this you not realizing we want to be there for you nonsense?" Sirius added. "You're pretty much stuck with us at this point."

I rolled my eyes, trying not to smile. "At least you didn't jump on me this time."

"We thought about it, Sleeping Beauty," James said. "Sleep any longer and we might."

Sitting upright was proving difficult so I fell back onto my pillow. "You do realize I spent the previous evening savaging my basement and myself," I pointed out. "I think I'm entitled to a bit of rest after that."

"It's always nice to have company, though," Peter said. "Isn't it?"

I nodded reluctantly. My head was starting to hurt, and any amount of movement seemed to make it worse. "I do appreciate the visit," I said. "It gets rather boring around here when I'm stuck in bed all day."

I think, despite their usually infallible confidence in themselves, they had all been worried I didn't really want them there. Maybe it was my lack of mobility, or the fact that I kept my eyes closed while talking to them. Either way, they were grateful I had justified their decision to visit me and I could hear the easiness in their voices afterwards. They had sounded so tense before, like they had been waiting for me to snap at them.

"What do you usually do when you're… in recovery, Remus?" James wondered.

I shrugged, making my arm hurt a bit. "Not much when I can't move," I said, wincing. "I get a lot of reading done, usually. Don't know if I'm up for holding a book right now, though."

They were at a loss, I could tell. It was easier with Allie, with her calm, collected nature and her willingness to just sit with me while I slept. My other friends, though, need some sort of action, some sort of tangible thing they can do to make me feel better. They are all about big meaning and grand gestures, and that's fine, but also quite tiring for me after a full moon. I almost laughed, realizing how hard it must be for them to want to help so badly, and have absolutely no clue how to go about doing that. It was one of the first times I saw any of them, even Peter, at a complete loss.

"Get the pack of cards from my desk, will you?" I said, throwing them a bone and sitting up, even though my head swam. It was getting awkward watching them struggle, and I thought I might be able to manage a hand if we played a round or two of exploding snap.

I made it through four rounds, all four losses on my part, before I had to lie down again. When they protested and told me I had another round in me yet, I almost laughed again. It was endearing, how hard they were trying. "Tell me about your summers," I suggested. "I'm sure you have stories already."

"Oh, I have a story!" Peter said, raising his hand enthusiastically in the air. "My sister is visiting, and she brought her boyfriend." He said the word like it was some sort of phenomenon, like his sister and 'boyfriend' had never happened before. Maybe it hadn't. "My mum caught them… doing stuff. She almost kicked him out of the house! Said it was inappropriate behavior for a guest. I don't like him that much, so I thought it was funny."

"I didn't know you had a sister, Pete," James said. "How come we've never met her?"

Peter looked startled. "Have I never told you about Hannah?" he asked. "She doesn't live at home anymore, graduated a while back. She's twenty-two."

I only knew about Hannah, though I hadn't known that was her name, because of a few guesses I made about a family portrait when I visited the Pettigrew household last summer. The fact that Peter never brought her up made me think the relationship was strained, like with Sirius and his brother, so I never asked about her. I'd never considered the fact that Peter might have just forgotten to mention her. The fact that neither James nor Sirius had even asked should have made them feel guilty, but they didn't seem too worried about it, nor did Peter.

"So I'm not the only one of us with a sibling," Sirius said, smiling. "Speaking of which, you lot get to meet little Reggie-Poo next hear. The git's finally old enough to go to Hogwarts. I thought I'd warn you."

"He'll wind up in Slytherin, no doubt," James said. "We won't have to deal with him."

"Of course he will," Sirius replied. "Regulus will stay the one true course, blinders on all the way to the end, just like our dearest mummy told him. Not an original thought in the boy's brain. Except maybe Quidditch. Neither of my parents are what you would call 'athletic.'"

James groaned. "He plays Quidditch? You never told me that."

"Oh, right," Sirius grinned. "I guess you might have to deal with him, Jamesy. He's actually a really good Seeker, so keep an eye out."

"Fantastic. Anything else you forgot to tell me?"

Sirius paused to actually consider the sarcastic question. "No, nothing about Regulus," he mused. Then his face lit up. "Oh! Andromeda had her baby. I suppose that qualifies as news I didn't mention." Frowning, he reached back and fished in his pocket for a moment, pulling out his wallet. He rummaged around in the folds and produced a bent and slightly torn photograph. It was a picture of a baby, and he held it up proudly for the rest of us to see.

"Why do you have that picture?" Peter wondered as James took the photo to examine it more closely.

"Andromeda is my favorite cousin," Sirius replied. "She sent a picture to everyone in the family, including my parents. The kid is kind of cute when she changes color like she can. I think she's a metamorphmagus. My mum wanted to burn it, so I saved it."

I smiled. It was always endearing to see something he cared about, especially when it related to his family. He really did like Andromeda, despite his excitement that she was now the 'bad cousin.' "What's the baby's name?" I asked.

Sirius hesitated. "Nymphadora Tonks," he said. When we all laughed, Sirius tried to hold back his smile. "I know it's a little unconventional—"

"A little?" James interjected. "It's really weird. Why do all pureblood wizards give their children nonsensical names? What's wrong with a good, strong 'James?' All these Greek gods and constellations. If you name your child 'Zeus,' Sirius, I will have to take drastic measures."

"Zeus?" Sirius mused. "I was thinking Poseidon. Much more ridiculous."

We all laughed some more, but then I had to close my eyes again. Laughing felt good, but it was a strain nonetheless. My friends went silent, and I could feel the tension return to their postures. Then Peter spoke up, surprising me. "Why don't we read to him?" he suggested. "If that's what he usually does, why don't we do it for him?"

James scoffed. "Peter, that is so incredibly boring I—"

"Hold on, James," Sirius said. "I actually don't think that's a bad idea. But we wouldn't read to him. Oh no. We will perform for him!"

Hearing this, I opened my eyes a crack. There was excitement on each of their faces, and I grinned. "I have a few books on my nightstand," I suggested. "Are you guys really going to do this?"

"Of course," Sirius said. He stepped over to my nightstand and selected a book at random. I couldn't see the cover, but he read it aloud. "A Midsummer Night's Dream?"

"Isn't that by Shakespeare?" James wondered, stepping closer to Sirius to get a better look at the book.

I nodded. "One of his better plays, I think."

They looked through the cast of characters. Peter was assigned the role of 'all the women,' while James and Sirius divided up the male characters evenly. When Peter argued, they claimed he had a naturally higher voice than them, so it would be more believable. I guess Peter found no fault with this argument, because a moment later they were at the first scene, Peter playing Hippolyta, James as Theseus, and Sirius standing as Philostrate, having chosen the role because the name sounded, in his words, 'vaguely sexual.'

"Now, fair Hippolyta," James began, clasping Peter's hand to his chest, "our nuptial hour—" He paused, dropping the flowery tone and Peter's hand. "Nuptial? Like marriage?"

"Just go with it, James," Sirius hissed, keeping the pose he had assumed for his part.

James grimaced and took Peter by the hand again. He said, with a bit more difficulty but still as much enthusiasm, "Our nuptial hour draws on apace. Four happy days bring in another moon, but oh methinks how slow this old moon wanes!"

I chuckled a bit and repositioned myself to see them better. They continued on through the scene, pausing to laugh at a few lines, interjecting their own commentary about the situation they were performing. I just laughed along with them and explained a few passages when they got confused, thoroughly enjoying the show.

That was how we spent the rest of the day. They actually got through the entire play and I almost died laughing, but the pain was worth it. They made costumes from items in my closet, put on voices for their different characters, and all three of them attempted to kiss each other whenever they thought it was called for in the script. That was surprisingly quite often, and there were a few attempts that came incredibly close to actual kissing.

When they left, I knew they didn't regret coming. I had fun, and I'm fairly certain they did as well. They were laughing when dad escorted them out of my room, at any rate, and I hope they come back again.

It wasn't until after they had been gone several hours did I realize I forgot to ask them about Professor Coyle.

Tonks sighed and closed the journal, setting it on her lap. After Molly left, she had tried to comfort herself by reading, but she couldn't shake her miserable mood. She wanted Remus, the man she married, not the child he had been in this book. As enjoyable as it was to read about his life so long ago, she wasn't getting the answers she had been expecting, not quickly anyway, and this last entry in particular had been quite strange to read. Her own introduction into his world, and it had been glossed over, barely mentioned more than to comment about how much Sirius liked his cousin. He had even laughed at her name.

All the times Remus had told her he loved her name, and he had laughed at it the first time he heard it. She supposed she couldn't judge too harshly, though. After she had gotten to know Remus better, she had jokingly asked him if he had a twin named Romulus. It wasn't just purebloods who gave their children ridiculous names.

She decided that their child, boy, girl, or what have you, would have a perfectly normal name, like Steven or Jessica.

She sighed again, letting the jests about her name pass. It wasn't as if she was going to make any substantial appearance in this journal anyway, so why get upset about teenage boys making jokes? She turned to the next entry.

A few letters on old stationary fell out, and she knew they had to be letters from Allison in France. She also knew it wouldn't do any good to read them. They were from Allison, and anything with her name on it had made Tonks feel awful lately. When would she stop torturing herself like this? When would she be able to get on with her life? Not today, she decided, and she unfolded the letters.

Dear Remus,

Wish you were here! And I'm not just saying that, because it's been so fascinating! We went to a museum the day after we arrived, and you would have loved it. Lots of old stuff for you to swoon over. I'm sorry this is so short. We're still settling into our rooms and learning where everything is. I'll write more when I've got everything sorted. It'll be more interesting if I've done things worth writing about, too!

Hope you are well,

Allie

Dear Remus,

Well, I am keeping my promise and writing you a longer letter. Things have actually gotten quite interesting since I sent you that postcard, so it shouldn't be too difficult.

My grandparents decided to join us on our trip, and of course that made my mother nervous. She always frets when she has to entertain my dad's parents. I guess they expect a lot out of her, since she's only halfblood and all, and they still can't believe dad didn't marry a pureblood. It's not like they dislike her, but they do get very judgmental about everything she does, like what she cooks and what she wears and basically anything. If my mother did it, my grandparents will tell her how she did it wrong.

It gets kind of grating after a while. "Silvia, do you really think that color is flattering on you?" "Silvia, you know Richard is supposed to be watching his cholesterol, don't you?" "Silvia, when are you going to do something about your hair?" "Silvia, if Allison's grades are slipping, you should really try taking a firmer stance with her schooling." "Silvia, I thought you would raise your children a bit more properly than letting Mitchell gallivant around London like a vagabond."

I'm not even exaggerating. Those are literal things my grandmother and grandfather have said to my mother. Those last two are particularly ridiculous. They act like my father had no hand in how his children were raised. Also, Mitchell has a very good job in London, so I'm not sure what my grandfather meant. Maybe he was talking about all the girls Mitch seems to be writing home about. I suppose that could potentially scandalize old people.

And another thing, my grades are not slipping! I did slightly worse in History of Magic than last year, but I didn't do great then, either, so you shouldn't complain when something is worse when it was already bad. It still sucks either way.

Can you tell how much I'm enjoying their company?

Really, I've been trying not to let it ruin my trip. We've done plenty of fun things, so it's not all horrible! I've seen a few more museums, and we're going to the Louvre next week. We saw the Eiffel Tower two days ago, and it was spectacular. I took lots of pictures and sent you a few with this letter, so you would be jealous. That's why people send pictures, right? To make the people getting them envious of the trip they're not on?

If not, enjoy the pictures anyway. You get to see my lovely face! And the rest of my family, but they aren't as important. Missing you a lot!

Allie

Dear Remus,

It's getting closer to the end of my trip, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you again when I get back. Like, I've missed you so much it's hard to describe. We really depend on each other, don't we? That's so amazing to me, and I hope you'll be my best friend for many years to come. If you haven't already gone shopping for your supply list, I vote we do that when I get home. Otherwise I have to go with Erin, and that would be horrible.

Fortunately, my grandparents didn't stay for the whole trip. They only stayed for three weeks. Just long enough to make my mother feel awful about herself, congratulate Erin on her accomplishments, tell me I should really strive to be more like my sister, and not say a single bad thing about my father. I'm starting to see why my dad is so full of himself. I thought coddling was supposed to stop after the child leaves the nest?

The Louvre was fantastic. I mean, seeing the building itself was incredible, and then all of the artwork inside… I hope to go back again someday, when they have different exhibits on display. Maybe I'll pick Paris as my trip if I make Head Girl.

Yesterday us girls went on a mother-daughter shopping spree while dad very eagerly went to meet with a client who was in the area. He had been looking for an excuse to get out of going with us, so he probably would have gone out with an axe murderer if the opportunity presented itself. Anything to get out of shopping with the womenfolk. Those men probably spent the whole time smoking cigars and drinking brandy in a private pub, laughing at the fickleness of women and their need to spend money. Well, too bad for him, because mum and I convinced Erin she needed to buy new dress robes for graduation, and she had them custom tailored. It wasn't cheap, either.

I didn't get anything special, just a new floppy hat that I have included a picture of with this letter. There is no need for it, and I will probably never wear the hat in my life, but it is yellow and lovely and I wanted it. That was enough of a reason, apparently, and mum got a matching one for her in pink, and another one for Erin in lavender. We are now the height of fashion, and you should be envious.

Again, I'm glad I will be seeing you very soon. If not for shopping, then on the train for Hogwarts. You will sit with me this time, I don't care what those other friends of yours say. I suppose I could sit with them too, but then I would have to deal with Sirius, and Rachel would try to find me, and can you imagine the mess already? I don't even want to think about it.

Six days and counting!

Allie