the_debt_of_time

"I saw them, I did. Walked right in front of my shop this morning wearing black
robes and that Death Eater mask. I recognised him, though; had to be that Lestrange
fellow."
"Lestrange?" A purple eyebrow lifted in evident annoyance. Both Lestrange brothers
were securely locked away in Azkaban, and it was a well-known fact. "Which one? And
how exactly did you know it was him if he was wearing a mask?"
After another twenty minutes of listening to Death Eater conspiracy theories, the
young witch put on her best "polite face"—which Remus recognised looked eerily similar
to her "You're a mental bint" face—and bid the shop owner farewell.
She dashed out the door and made a quick left out of the shop, heading down
toward the Leaky Cauldron. Out of what was clearly a terrible habit, Remus quietly left the
shop and proceeded to follow her.
He had no logical reason for it, of course, but with Death Eater activity being
reported all across Wizarding Britain, Remus felt the urge to protect. Sirius was on the run
up near Hogsmeade, and Harry and Hermione were both safely locked behind Hogwarts
wards. That left only her, his mate—unguarded.
He hated thinking she could not take care of herself; she was an Auror, after all.
Then again, Remus had seen her trip four times that morning, and the wolf inside him
paced nervously. It was not stalking. He just... needed to make sure she was safe.
He had followed her all morning, watching from a distance as she went from shop
to shop, taking statements from a vast majority of crazy, paranoid, elderly witches and
wizards. Nymphadora Tonks was good at her job, a bit brusque at times, and she had little
patience for bullshit and attitude. Earlier that morning she had hit a man with a Stinging
Hex for leering at her.
Remus followed her past the sweet shop with his eyes fixed on the ground until her
footsteps stopped.
"Are you following me?" she bluntly asked.
She was talking to him.
To him!
Flustered, Remus froze and tried to remember how words worked. "What? Me?
I... Walking. What? Umm.. ."