times of dark (One-shot)

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Mad-eye POV

I apprated to my protégées house, Nymphadora Tonks. Well, to me she was more of a daughter than a friend or protégée. It was Christmas eve and I know she has been down lately. She has fallen in love with one of our fellow Order members, Remus Lupin . . . He is a wherewolf  'doesn't matter, she loves him.' i thought to myself as i slowly approached the house. Albus has sent him on a mission to learn information on Fenrir Graybacks pack for the Order.

I knoticed all the lights where off. Thats not normal; She loves bright ass lights constantly shining in your eyes. I know she must be home, she only left lately for the Order meetings, Work and missions. I looked around trying to find her, I made my way to her backyard. That's when I saw her.

She was standing by the cliff side leading to the ocean. There was a bloody knife laying on the ground next to where she was standing and blood dripping from her arms that where at her sides. I knew what she was about to do. I knew. She was about to kill herself. She was about to jump.

I dropped my staff and ran forward as fast as my wooden leg could let me. I grabbed her wast and pulled her back and into my arms. I dropped down to the cold, snow-covered ground holding her. Trying to make her feel safe, show her everything would be allright.

I pulled out my wand and mutterd a simple healing charm and the slits on her wrists healed. I was down on my knees and she was sitting on the cold grown in-between my legs. She put her head under my chin and started crying. I gently rubbed her back and took deep breaths trying to show her to breath with me and try to calm down. Trying to show her she would be okay. That she would be allright.

I said nothing. She said nothing, she just cried. I cried too. I didn't want to see her like this. I missed her old spunky self, the pink hair, the high spirits. That was the Nymphadora Tonks I knew. I trained. I loved like a daughter.

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of places. If only one remembers, to turn on the lights." I wisperd as I slowly pulled my fingers through her mousy brown hair.

We sat for hours on the ground. We sat till the sun had begun to set, I had arrived at noon. Finally i pulled her slightly away and wiped the tears from her tracked face.

"Do you remember what I told you the first day of Auror training?" I asked

"Vaguely" she choked out through the tears

"Well what did I say?" I asked her

"When you can't carry you run. When you can't run you walk. When you can't walk you crawl." She replied

"And when you can't crawl you ask someone to carry you. Everyone needs to be carried sometimes." I finished

I picked her up bridal-style and held her close making my way back through the snow-covered ground. I walked right past my staff not giving a damn. She was the most important thing right now. I opend her door with Alohamora and took her to her sitting room. I sat down on the couch, one of my arms still around her knees and the other heavily wrapped around her shoulders. Her arms where still around my neck and her head was squished into my shoulder, she was still crying.

"Never do that, my girl. You are worth living, you are with it, you have so much to live for." I said

"But I don't want to live without Remus." She said in a muffled voice into my shoulder.

"No, No don't say that, my girl. You have so much to live for. You are talented, smart, one hell of a duelist and so so much more. Now rest, my girl. I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."
I said as she had started to nod-off. She fell asleep leaning up against me, I grabbed a blanket that had been on the ground and put it over the both of us. I still held her close sitting in my lap. And, I too, started to fall asleep.

I had realized I fell asleep, it was now dark out and Tonks sitting room clock read 11:47 P.M. Tonks was mumbling something in her sleep.

"No. . . . Take me instead. . . . Please. . . . no. . . . .don't kill him." She was saying. I lightly shook her awake. Her eyes flew open but she didn't look at me, she just stared at the ground. Suddenly she grabbed her wand, lit a fire in the fireplace opened a cupboard, grabbed a bag and sat down, Indian style on the ground, and opened the bag.

"Toasted marshmallows; We need something sweet." She explained as she saw my confused expression.

I smiled and joined her on the rug infront of her fireplace. We both levitated a marshmallow with our wands over the fire. I wanted to try and take her mind off what had happened so I started small talk.

"So how have things been going in hogsmeade?" I asked

"Its- its boring as hell. Im stuck there day in and day out with John Dawlish, Mark Proudfoot and Robert Savage. Im staying at the Hogs Head, Aberforth is some intresting company. He is a good cook when he tries but I mostly eat at The Three Broomsticks. I visit Albus sometimes on the weekends but he has been gone recently." She explained to me

"You have been stuck in a village? With kids some weekends? With John Bloody Dawlish, Mark Fucking Proudfoot and Robert Hell-Face Savage? I would assume it would be miserable." I replied back

"Yeah its- my marshmallow!!" She said as her marshmallow cought fire. I let out a small laugh.

"Anyways, there is something about Aberforth but I cant put my finger on it." She said as she levatated another marshmallow into the fire.

"There are a lot of things about Aberforth Dumbledore." I replied

'Wait, wait, wait. Back up. Did you just say Dumbledore?" She asked

"Yeah, Abe is Albus's younger brother. They don't much get along, but they are brothers, yeah." I explained

"I see it now. They both have the  unnaturally blue eyes."

We sat for a moment without talking.

"Thank you." She said finally, I looked over she was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest staring into the fire, you could see the light flickering and dancing in her dark twinkling eyes. "For not letting me comment suicide."

"Oh, my girl. If i lost you. . . . .I don't know what I would do. You are like my family, hell you are my family, the closest I'll ever get. You are the most important thing to me. You have been since the day we met. I love you very much and I have always been proud of who you are." I said as I held out my arm for her to come closer. She crawled over and sat down, I put my arm around her. She rested her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on top of hers. Just then her grandmother clock chimed midnight. It was Christmas day.

"Merry Christmas, Mad-eye."

"Happy Christmas, Nymphadora."