T is for Tonks

Chapter 12 - Someone in the Crowd.

A brief note: I'm really surprised that I've gotten this far with this fic. I normally struggle to keep my attention on one fic at a time. The thing that has gotten me through is seeing that you guys are enjoying this little project of mine (fingers crossed). Stay Safe!. H x

She had been on plenty of first dates in her time, but Tonks still hadn't the faintest idea what to wear. Merlin, she wished Ginny and Hermione were here to give her some pointers. Her room in Grimmauld place was littered with the colorful contents of her wardrobe. Tonks herself, was stood in front of the full-length mirror that she had stolen from one of the bathrooms, wiggling her hips and deciding whether her current outfit was The One. It was not.

Tonks huffed and collapsed backwards onto her bed. A week had passed since Remus had invited her on a date, and it had been relatively uneventful. Remus had healed quickly with the constant attention of Molly and the odd potion donated by Severus (which quite frankly, no one had seen coming). Mad-eye still refused to let him back onto the field, instead forcing Tonks to pair up with Mundungus, who definitely spent most of his time staring at her arse. Remus had been held prisoner at Grimmauld Place with Sirius and Kreacher. Fortunately, Tonks was always available to provide a much needed respite between shifts at The Ministry and Order missions. 

Both Remus and Tonks were looking forward to escaping the confines of the safe house and having some time for themselves.

That still didn't solve Tonk's wardrobe problem. Remus had asked to meet her in Hogsmeade, of all places. That meant it wasn't going to be an especially fancy date, but she still wanted to make an effort. Her eyes wandered to an old dress that she hardly wore, that her mum had encouraged her to buy. It was a simple, dusty pink dress, with a round neckline, that gathered at her waist and fell down to just above her knee. Silently, Tonks thanked her mother. She paired the dress with a worn pair of black doc martins and pale blue, faded denim jacket.

Yes. That would do nicely.

Hogsmeade was fairly quiet, it being midweek meant that the students of the nearby school were confined to their classes. Remus stood waiting for his date in front of Madam Pudifoots Tea Shop, looking smart but still a little rough around the edges. Tonks smiled to herself as she made a beeline towards her date. When Remus recognized Tonks through the leisurely crowd of shoppers, he beamed at her.

Giddily, Tonks ran the last few paces and flung her arms around the neck of her beau. He gave a surprised chuckle and clutched her tightly round the waist. "Well hello, Nymphadora."

They separated and Tonks screwed up her nose. "Don't call me that!" 

Much to her surprise, Remus produced a bright bunch of chrysanthemums, causing Tonks's scowl to upturn into a smile. "I'll let you off this time, Lupin." She warned playfully, taking the flowers.

The Tea shop was filled with mismatching furniture, odd objects and wonderful smells. There was a large array of different loose teas, each displayed in glass jars along a wall. There was also a wealth of different cakes that made Tonks's mouth water. Remus spoke to the Wizard at the counter quietly before leading Tonks to a small round coffee table that was accompanied by a pair of smart carpet arm chairs. This place couldn't be more "Remus" if it tried.

Successfully making it into her seat without injuring herself or any one else, Tonks turned to Remus. "This place reminds me of the Divination classroom." She commented. "Its lovely." Tonks conjured a glass vase and placed the bunch of flowers into it, at the center of the table.

Remus blushed. "Admittedly, it was Molly's idea to bring you here." He ran a hand through his hair and adjusted the collar of his shirt. He wore a dark blue shirt that Tonks thought really brought out his eyes. He also wore and smart grey sweater and a set of black robes that weren't as patchy as his normal set. It warmed Tonks to see that he had tried for her.

Tucking one her legs underneath her, in a very unladylike way, Tonks sat back into her chair. "Try not to look so uncomfortable Remus. You know you don't have to try to impress me." She soothed.

A young witch, not much older than Tonks had appeared, floating ahead of her a display of mini cakes and a large pot of tea, along with condiments. Tonks looked on with wide eyes and a hungry grin. There were scones with fresh jam and clotted cream, wedges of chocolate fudge cake, butterfly buns (the wings actually moved), mini pumpkin pasties and more.

Tonks began to pile a plate full, giving Remus a thrilled glance over the table. "You know the way to a girls heart Remus." She exclaimed.

Their conversation blossomed like a cherry tree in the spring. Any on looker might have guessed that the couple had been together for years, and were sharing an anniversary. The way they complimented each other and bounced off each other made it appear as though they had been married for some time, despite Tonks's youth. Perhaps it was unfair, but Tonks was already planning a future in her mind with Remus. She never wanted to let go of this happiness that she felt with him.

All of Remus's insecurities had flown away like doves at a muggle wedding. When he looked at the smiling woman in front of him, he felt more human than he ever had in his life. He wanted to tell her, show her how he felt, but he had no idea how. He looked at the grandfather clock on the wall and realized that they had been there an hour and a half already. "So Dora, is there a chance that you'd allow an old man, such as myself, to take you on another date?" He chewed his lip.

In elation, Tonks stood up and attempted to make her way over to Remus. Instead, her boot caught underneath the coffee table, causing both it and its contents to flip and crash loudly onto the floor. Tea spilled everywhere, all over Remus and his clean black robes. Cake mushed into the carpet and the tea china was completely destroyed. Heads through out the tea shop turned immediately towards the commotion as staff members rushed towards the disaster. Tonks stood motionless, staring at the mess that she had just caused.

It was as if someone had clicked the button on a time turner and caused everything to stop. Fortunately, Remus was curtly spewing apologies and handing over coins to a witch, who looked unimpressed. He was able to usher Tonks out of the cafe and into the street, where she felt like she could finally breathe and the reality of what happened had dawned on her. Remus placed his hands tightly on her shoulders pulling her into focus. "You're not hurt are you?". He searched her face, worried.

Tonks shook her head. "No. I'm so sorry. I ruined everything." She twisted her fingers nervously through her hair.

Unexpectedly Remus began to laugh, much to Tonks's annoyance. "It was the perfect date, don't worry love." He cupped her face with his calloused hands and rested his forehead against hers. Apparently the moment shared between them was lost onto the other passers-by of Hogsmeade, their embrace in the middle of the cobbled street went unnoticed. 

"You wouldn't be you without the clumsiness." He assured her. 

They shared a gentle kiss, right there, with no care of who was watching them. Perhaps it was careless of them, given the current climate. Neither of them took that into consideration as their thoughts and concerns melted away at the touch of lips.

"I thought it was bad manners to kiss a girl on the first date?" Tonks teased, adjusting Remus's tea stained shirt.

His eyes lit up. "I think we can make an exception in this case." The new couple decided to take their conversation back to Grimmuald Place, where they would both be more comfortable.

___

In the weeks that followed, Tonks found herself beginning to notice things about Remus that she had never noticed before. He always seemed to mediate during the Order meetings. She watched as he would sit in silence, internally debating the topic before giving a well-planned and succinct argument that always ended up being the final jury. He always took the time to make polite conversation with Severus, noting that he was generally unwelcome at Grimmauld place, Remus seemed to go out of his way to make Snape comfortable. He also was a man who clearly liked routine.

He would wake up reasonably early and shower, before going to the kitchen and making coffee and breakfast for Sirius and Tonks. In the mornings, Remus could be found reading by the fire in the drawing room. Most likely, Sirius would make lunch and they would once again sit at the kitchen table. Remus would then spend the afternoon making himself busy around the house. Often he would help clean out Buckbeak's room or find another room to de-clutter. Eventually, he would raid the pantry and make dinner for the three of them before returning to the drawing room once more with his book.

It was clear though, that Remus would often alter his routine to fit in with Tonks's work schedule. If she was working a night shift, Tonks liked to crawl into Remus's bed when she got home from work. On those days, Remus would stay in bed later and Sirius would complain to no end about having to fix his own breakfast. If Tonks was returning from work in the evening, Remus would ensure that her dinner was on the table moments after she had stepped through the door. During that time, Tonks would often watch Remus read in the drawing room and would fall asleep in front of the fire. This meant that Remus would carry her upstairs and tuck her into her own bed, before heading to his room.

Sirius, while initially uncomfortable with the pair, eventually came round. He admitted one night, that he didn't think he had seen Remus happier. He also realized that Tonks could end up with a far worse person than Old Mooney, and so he was satisfied with his little cuz's choice in men. 

One night, the pair were sat across one of the sofas in the drawing room. Tonks had her head in Remus's lap, who was running his fingers through her hair, while his nose was in his current read. Tonks resisted to urge to purr like a cat as she felt her eyes grow heavy with sleep. A sudden though crossed her mind, and she smiled brightly, keeping her eyes shut. "Remus?"

He didn't look away from his book. "hmmm." 

"I didn't answer your question."

Remus looked away from his book and looked down at his girlfriend, who was adorably curled up in his lap. "What do you mean?" he asked softly. 

Her grin spread even wider as she opened her eyes and met Remus's. "You asked if I wanted to go on another date with you. I never said yes." the light of the fire lit up his face and the heat caused his cheeks to turn rosy.

Bending down, Remus kissed Tonks's hairline. "I already knew what your answer was." He admitted, going back to his reading.