Potter Ficlet: 'Okay?', starring Lupin & Tonks
Digging through my computer, and found this old ficlet. Wrote it nigh-immediately after reading "Half Blood Prince" and posted it on my regular LJ (as I hadn't yet created this writing ghetto), calling it an "absurdly upbeat epilogue to the book". The summation stands, I think.
Still, thought I'd repost it here. There was a request. *g*
*****
Remus & Tonks: Okay?
Author: John Clifford
Spoilers for: Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince. Ye have been warned!
Disclaimer: I own nothin’, tip my hat to the genius that is JK Rowling, and wave to the great David Thewlis for bringing Lupin to life. The ficlet’s for fun, please don’t sue and start none.
******
Midnight on the top of Hogwarts’ tallest tower, and the stars were shining.
Remus Lupin was not yet certain how he felt about that. Were they cold, callous stars, burning on without a care for the troubled times below them, for the bright soul that had gone out? Was it for that very soul that they shined tonight, twinkling their own tribute in a language far more mysterious than Muggle morse code? Or did they simply go on, and on, and on, because there was nothing more for them to do, until the final magic came and entropy took them? Or perhaps…
Nymphadora squeezed his hand. “Sickle for them?”
“I…” Remus trailed off with a shrug. “There’s nothing, really. How about you? Are you okay?”
And impossibly, Tonks smiled. “Yeah. I think I am. I feel like maybe I shouldn’t be, but…I just…I still feel like he must’ve had something up his pointy hat, y’know? And maybe he didn’t, maybe I’m just thinking it so I don’t go completely doolally bonkers. But maybe…”
The impossibilities continued; Remus smiled back. “Maybe.”
Tonks’ turn to frown. “You okay?”
“Sometimes…you do make me wonder.”
“Wonder what?” Tonks shot back.
“If I might be,” he replied.
“Awwww,” sighed Tonks, grinning a grin to put those stars to shame. “Yer so sweet.”
“No,” clucked Remus. “I’m a bad old wolf.”
“Oh, stop!” She punched him in the arm, hard. Were he any other man, Remus would’ve stuck his tongue out at her. But of course he wasn’t.
“Only practicing,” he said.
Half her smile came back; half her frown remained. “Yer not undercover with me, y’know. Y’never have to be.”
Remus’ mouth fell open, and got stuck. “I…really shouldn’t say what’s in my head.”
“So ye’d like to be undercovers with me, then?” She pulled him close.
He thought about resisting. “Oh! Practicing legilimency on me now?”
The stars were shining. And tonight, of all nights, Remus Lupin was laughing.
FIN
Still, thought I'd repost it here. There was a request. *g*
*****
Remus & Tonks: Okay?
Author: John Clifford
Spoilers for: Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince. Ye have been warned!
Disclaimer: I own nothin’, tip my hat to the genius that is JK Rowling, and wave to the great David Thewlis for bringing Lupin to life. The ficlet’s for fun, please don’t sue and start none.
******
Midnight on the top of Hogwarts’ tallest tower, and the stars were shining.
Remus Lupin was not yet certain how he felt about that. Were they cold, callous stars, burning on without a care for the troubled times below them, for the bright soul that had gone out? Was it for that very soul that they shined tonight, twinkling their own tribute in a language far more mysterious than Muggle morse code? Or did they simply go on, and on, and on, because there was nothing more for them to do, until the final magic came and entropy took them? Or perhaps…
Nymphadora squeezed his hand. “Sickle for them?”
“I…” Remus trailed off with a shrug. “There’s nothing, really. How about you? Are you okay?”
And impossibly, Tonks smiled. “Yeah. I think I am. I feel like maybe I shouldn’t be, but…I just…I still feel like he must’ve had something up his pointy hat, y’know? And maybe he didn’t, maybe I’m just thinking it so I don’t go completely doolally bonkers. But maybe…”
The impossibilities continued; Remus smiled back. “Maybe.”
Tonks’ turn to frown. “You okay?”
“Sometimes…you do make me wonder.”
“Wonder what?” Tonks shot back.
“If I might be,” he replied.
“Awwww,” sighed Tonks, grinning a grin to put those stars to shame. “Yer so sweet.”
“No,” clucked Remus. “I’m a bad old wolf.”
“Oh, stop!” She punched him in the arm, hard. Were he any other man, Remus would’ve stuck his tongue out at her. But of course he wasn’t.
“Only practicing,” he said.
Half her smile came back; half her frown remained. “Yer not undercover with me, y’know. Y’never have to be.”
Remus’ mouth fell open, and got stuck. “I…really shouldn’t say what’s in my head.”
“So ye’d like to be undercovers with me, then?” She pulled him close.
He thought about resisting. “Oh! Practicing legilimency on me now?”
The stars were shining. And tonight, of all nights, Remus Lupin was laughing.
FIN