the_debt_of_time

Once downstairs, Remus used a variety of Levitation Charms to move boxes and
old trunks to the side, Scourgifying the floor and walls the best he could, which still left
behind a few layers of filth. He paced back and forth in the back near the wall, running his
hands along the brick to test the durability while simultaneously counting steps as though
he were measuring for something.
"So, how will this work?" Nymphadora asked.
Remus scratched his head. "Shouldn't be too bad. I can set up a cage in the corner
here."
"A cage? You're going to lock yourself up in a cage?"
He tried to ignore her tone of incredulity. A part of him wondered if his lycanthropy
had just been a vague thought in the back of her mind, and only now was she addressing
the reality of his condition.
"It's safest for everyone. We'll put up wards at the top of the stairs. Better yet," he
said, turning his attention back the way they came, "position them at both the top and the
bottom just in case. Sirius can be down here with me in his Animagus form as a precaution
as well."
"What about me?"
Remus scoffed, unintentionally giving her a sour look. "I'd prefer if you were in a
different country during the full moon."
Nymphadora put her hands on her hips defiantly and glared at him. He turned away
from her gaze, focusing his own on the ground to measure for the base of what would be
his cage.
"Remus, I am a fully trained Auror."
"Then you should know better than to ask, Nymphadora."
He knew he was not supposed to call her by her given name, but "Tonks" felt
impersonal considering who she was to him. He often just did not say her name at all unless
he forgot or needed to make a point, like now.
Long gone were the moments of Remus succumbing to the smell of biscuits and
the sweet sound of her laughter, at least where her safety was concerned. Nothing was
more important than that to him, and he did not care if her feelings got hurt in the process,
so long as she remained alive and unharmed.