Midwinter, prompt 25 | Support [part 2/2] (Harry Potter)
Title: Support [2/2]
Author: shimotsuki
Prompt: #25 | picture of a switch on a train track
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters & Pairings: Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt
Rating & Warnings: PG | AU denial-fic
Word Count: 994 words
Summary: Remus is finding his place in the world after the war when a request from Kingsley threatens to shake everything up again.
Author's Note: This is a stand-alone piece, but it is part of the Warp and Weft AU ficverse, set soon after House and Home. And for anyone who's keeping track (heh), eleven years later, Callie Kimball gets a brief mention in Inter-House Unity, Teddy's Sorting story. ;)
Support
[ back to part 1]
Three days later, the J.M.L.C. had adjourned for the full moon.
Tonks sat in the kitchen, sipping tea and keeping a judicious eye on Remus, watching his bouts of restless energy grow shorter and the exhaustion begin to take over. Waiting for the right moment to persuade him to go lie down.
When the Floo turned green, it made both of them jump.
“Remus?” It was Kingsley himself putting the call through, this time. He sounded tense.
“I’m here.” Remus dropped stiffly to his knees and peered into the fire. “What is it?”
“We’ve just had a report of a case of accidental magic by a five-year-old-girl-she’s closed herself inside some kind of bubble. The mother’s a Muggle and can’t get her out.” He glanced at a sheaf of notes in his hand. “The father was a wizard, but he died in the war.” He turned back to Remus. “Would you go handle it?”
“I-” Remus looked unhappy.
“Kingsley,” Tonks broke in, “it’s full moon in just a few hours. Remus doesn’t have the energy to spare, and he feels like crap. Can’t you send someone else?”
Kingsley sighed. “That’s just it. The little girl is a werewolf, and it seems she’s panicking about the transformation.”
Remus swallowed, rubbing at his temples-he probably had a headache by now, too. “It’s all right, Dora. I’ll go.”
“Thanks,” said Kingsley. “I owe you, again.” He passed a slip of paper with the child’s name and Floo direction through to Remus and cut the connection.
“We’re going with you,” said Tonks, before Remus could say a word. “In case you need help Flooing back.” She slid Teddy into his infant sling and peered at the note Remus was holding. “Caroline Kimball, eh?”
~ * ~
They spilled out of the Floo into a small but comfortable living room. A slight young woman with dark hair pulled back and hazel eyes bright with unshed tears was there to meet them.
“Oh, thank goodness-you must be from the Ministry,” she quavered. “Please help-there’s not much more time before moonrise...”
In one corner of the room stood a large blue luminescent bubble, giving off a sort of agitated shimmer. “That’s Caroline?” asked Remus. At the woman’s nod, he went straight to the bubble and began casting exploratory spells.
“Mrs. Kimball?” said Tonks. The woman nodded again, and Tonks gave her the friendliest smile she could conjure around her worry for Remus. “That’s my husband, Remus Lupin. I’m Tonks. And, erm, this is Teddy.”
“Elspeth Kimball,” the woman said, and even managed to spare a small smile for the sleeping baby. “He’s a new little fellow.”
“Born just before the end of the war,” said Tonks, softly, mindful that the war had brought something very different for this young widow.
By now, Remus had carved a sort of porthole into the bubble and was peering through it. “Caroline?”
“I’m Callie,” came a petulant voice from inside.
“Hello, Callie. I’m Remus.” He smiled a little. “This is quite a lovely bubble you’ve made, but it’s time to come out now. I need to wave my wand and make it disappear. Are you ready?”
“No.” Tonks could hear the pout, all the way across the room. “I’m hiding.”
Remus grimaced, but he kept his voice low and calm. “What are you hiding from?”
“The moon.” Now there was a little sniffle. “If it finds me, I have to turn into a wolf. But I don’t want to! It hurts!”
“I know,” said Remus, still gently, but with an undertone of raw anguish that made Tonks blink, hard. “I know. But the bubble won’t stop it, Callie. You’ve got to come out.”
He swept his wand in a rapid circle, and the bubble vanished. Now Tonks could see a thin little girl, huddled on the floor. Tears streaked her face.
“You’re a brave girl,” said Remus, his voice gone hoarse. “You’ll be all right.”
“I don’t want to!” Callie was sobbing now. “I don’t want to turn into a wolf!”
“I know.” Remus folded himself down to sit on the floor, wincing slightly. “I have to turn into a wolf, too, and I don’t want to, either. But we have to-there’s no way to stop it.”
Elspeth Kimball’s hand clenched tightly on Tonks’s arm.
“He’s a werewolf?” she gasped. “The Ministry sent a werewolf into my house?”
Tonks stared.
The woman had started to shake. “It was a werewolf that killed my husband, and did this to my little girl!”
Tonks forced herself to take a very deep breath.
“And it was a werewolf that did this to Remus,” she said, levelly. “When he was seven.”
Mrs. Kimball flinched, but then she let go of Tonks, and nodded, jerkily.
“Remus is no monster.” Tonks kept her voice quiet, but her fists had clenched. “Just as Callie isn’t, and won’t ever be, because she has a mother to love her, and people like Remus-” Merlin willing-“to learn from.”
Across the room, Callie was staring at Remus now, her own tears forgotten. “You’re a werewolf, too?”
“I am.” He reached out and smoothed a hand over her hair. “We can’t stop the change, Callie, but there are things we can do to make it hurt a little less. I only have time to show you one thing today, but-”
He shot a slightly guilty look at Teddy, and then at Tonks.
But she grinned a very wide grin and nodded, hard.
Remus smiled, a little wryly, and turned back to the little girl, who had decided to creep up close to his knee.
“I’ll come again soon,” he promised, “and show you some more.”
~ fin ~
Author: shimotsuki
Prompt: #25 | picture of a switch on a train track
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters & Pairings: Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt
Rating & Warnings: PG | AU denial-fic
Word Count: 994 words
Summary: Remus is finding his place in the world after the war when a request from Kingsley threatens to shake everything up again.
Author's Note: This is a stand-alone piece, but it is part of the Warp and Weft AU ficverse, set soon after House and Home. And for anyone who's keeping track (heh), eleven years later, Callie Kimball gets a brief mention in Inter-House Unity, Teddy's Sorting story. ;)
Support
[ back to part 1]
Three days later, the J.M.L.C. had adjourned for the full moon.
Tonks sat in the kitchen, sipping tea and keeping a judicious eye on Remus, watching his bouts of restless energy grow shorter and the exhaustion begin to take over. Waiting for the right moment to persuade him to go lie down.
When the Floo turned green, it made both of them jump.
“Remus?” It was Kingsley himself putting the call through, this time. He sounded tense.
“I’m here.” Remus dropped stiffly to his knees and peered into the fire. “What is it?”
“We’ve just had a report of a case of accidental magic by a five-year-old-girl-she’s closed herself inside some kind of bubble. The mother’s a Muggle and can’t get her out.” He glanced at a sheaf of notes in his hand. “The father was a wizard, but he died in the war.” He turned back to Remus. “Would you go handle it?”
“I-” Remus looked unhappy.
“Kingsley,” Tonks broke in, “it’s full moon in just a few hours. Remus doesn’t have the energy to spare, and he feels like crap. Can’t you send someone else?”
Kingsley sighed. “That’s just it. The little girl is a werewolf, and it seems she’s panicking about the transformation.”
Remus swallowed, rubbing at his temples-he probably had a headache by now, too. “It’s all right, Dora. I’ll go.”
“Thanks,” said Kingsley. “I owe you, again.” He passed a slip of paper with the child’s name and Floo direction through to Remus and cut the connection.
“We’re going with you,” said Tonks, before Remus could say a word. “In case you need help Flooing back.” She slid Teddy into his infant sling and peered at the note Remus was holding. “Caroline Kimball, eh?”
~ * ~
They spilled out of the Floo into a small but comfortable living room. A slight young woman with dark hair pulled back and hazel eyes bright with unshed tears was there to meet them.
“Oh, thank goodness-you must be from the Ministry,” she quavered. “Please help-there’s not much more time before moonrise...”
In one corner of the room stood a large blue luminescent bubble, giving off a sort of agitated shimmer. “That’s Caroline?” asked Remus. At the woman’s nod, he went straight to the bubble and began casting exploratory spells.
“Mrs. Kimball?” said Tonks. The woman nodded again, and Tonks gave her the friendliest smile she could conjure around her worry for Remus. “That’s my husband, Remus Lupin. I’m Tonks. And, erm, this is Teddy.”
“Elspeth Kimball,” the woman said, and even managed to spare a small smile for the sleeping baby. “He’s a new little fellow.”
“Born just before the end of the war,” said Tonks, softly, mindful that the war had brought something very different for this young widow.
By now, Remus had carved a sort of porthole into the bubble and was peering through it. “Caroline?”
“I’m Callie,” came a petulant voice from inside.
“Hello, Callie. I’m Remus.” He smiled a little. “This is quite a lovely bubble you’ve made, but it’s time to come out now. I need to wave my wand and make it disappear. Are you ready?”
“No.” Tonks could hear the pout, all the way across the room. “I’m hiding.”
Remus grimaced, but he kept his voice low and calm. “What are you hiding from?”
“The moon.” Now there was a little sniffle. “If it finds me, I have to turn into a wolf. But I don’t want to! It hurts!”
“I know,” said Remus, still gently, but with an undertone of raw anguish that made Tonks blink, hard. “I know. But the bubble won’t stop it, Callie. You’ve got to come out.”
He swept his wand in a rapid circle, and the bubble vanished. Now Tonks could see a thin little girl, huddled on the floor. Tears streaked her face.
“You’re a brave girl,” said Remus, his voice gone hoarse. “You’ll be all right.”
“I don’t want to!” Callie was sobbing now. “I don’t want to turn into a wolf!”
“I know.” Remus folded himself down to sit on the floor, wincing slightly. “I have to turn into a wolf, too, and I don’t want to, either. But we have to-there’s no way to stop it.”
Elspeth Kimball’s hand clenched tightly on Tonks’s arm.
“He’s a werewolf?” she gasped. “The Ministry sent a werewolf into my house?”
Tonks stared.
The woman had started to shake. “It was a werewolf that killed my husband, and did this to my little girl!”
Tonks forced herself to take a very deep breath.
“And it was a werewolf that did this to Remus,” she said, levelly. “When he was seven.”
Mrs. Kimball flinched, but then she let go of Tonks, and nodded, jerkily.
“Remus is no monster.” Tonks kept her voice quiet, but her fists had clenched. “Just as Callie isn’t, and won’t ever be, because she has a mother to love her, and people like Remus-” Merlin willing-“to learn from.”
Across the room, Callie was staring at Remus now, her own tears forgotten. “You’re a werewolf, too?”
“I am.” He reached out and smoothed a hand over her hair. “We can’t stop the change, Callie, but there are things we can do to make it hurt a little less. I only have time to show you one thing today, but-”
He shot a slightly guilty look at Teddy, and then at Tonks.
But she grinned a very wide grin and nodded, hard.
Remus smiled, a little wryly, and turned back to the little girl, who had decided to creep up close to his knee.
“I’ll come again soon,” he promised, “and show you some more.”
~ fin ~