Drabble #2
Sorry for the delay in getting this done! I've actually been writing for money, believe it or not. :) But this is way more fun. This is for
godricgal , who asked for Remus, Tonks and the prompt "keep." It's 1,020 words long ... not really drabble length, I know.
“It’s in the closet, I’m sure, I’ll just be a mo’ … go on, have a seat - make yourself at home!” Tonks said brightly.
Remus moved uncertainly toward the bright paisley sofa that sat in the middle of Tonks’ flat. He had never been in Tonks’ flat before and felt a strange sense of nervousness he couldn’t quite explain. They had been on their way to an Order mission when Tonks had realized she had forgotten to bring her Sneakoscope, so they made a quick detour to retrieve it. Remus sat on the edge of the sofa, staring at his shoes as he listened to Tonks rummaging around in the hall closet. Why was he feeling so nervous? He had been in Kinglsey’s and Moody’s places many times, had even stayed with Moody for a time after leaving his teaching position at Hogwarts. So why would he be uneasy sitting on a sofa in Tonks’ flat?
A sudden crash broke into his reverie and caused him to jump up. “Tonks?” he said, hurrying towards the hall. “Are you …?” He stopped dead in his tracks, staring into what Tonks had called the “closet.” From the outside, it appeared to be your run-of-the mill hall closet, in which one could store half a dozen coats, a few pairs of shoes and maybe an umbrella. But this one had obviously been magically enlarged so that once you stepped into it, it became a long corridor lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with random dark detectors, piles of parchment, shoes which had gone out of style a decade ago, rolled-up posters, empty birdcages and fishbowls, mismatched dishes, an old set of Hogwarts robes, and boxes upon boxes of who knew what. He was so taken aback by the vast amount of clutter he failed to notice for a moment that Tonks lay sprawled at his feet, buried in what had been the contents of the clothes rack which now lay by her on the floor. A soft “ahem” made him look down.
“Are you alright?” he asked, hurriedly pulling robes and socks and - he blushed - a black lace garter off Tonks and helping her to her feet.
“I’m fine,” Tonks answered in a higher-than-usual voice as she tried to stuff the garter out of sight. “Sorry … I thought it might be behind the clothes rack …” she said, staring around at the room’s contents.
“What is all this stuff?” Remus asked. “Is it all yours?”
“Well, you know, I don’t really like to throw anything away, you never know when you might need it,” she said.
“You never know when you might need a poster of the Holyhead Harpies from 1987?” Remus asked, unrolling the nearest poster and watching as the players - slightly yellowed with age - zoomed around happily.
“Well, maybe I’ll have children someday,” Tonks said to the nearest shelf, and Remus could not help but notice she was blushing furiously. “And then it’ll be cool vintage stuff.” She looked up at him, “What, don’t you keep stuff?”
“Nope,” Remus answered. “You might say I’m a minimalist. The less clutter, the better.”
“You can’t really see my clutter, though,” Tonks said defensively. “That’s why I have this closet. So it doesn’t really count.”
Remus smirked and said, “Whatever you say. So … did you find the Sneakoscope?”
“Oh, yes! Here it is!” Tonks said, pulling it out from behind a stack of Odo the Terrible comics.
She turned and walked out of the closet and Remus moved to follow her. Just as he was about to leave, his eye fell on some familiar handwriting on a piece of parchment which seemed to be given pride-of-place in a woven basket by the door. He picked it up and read it,
Tonks -
Nice to have met you today. Welcome to the Order! You’ve been assigned to work with me tomorrow night - let’s meet at the Three Broomsticks and I’ll fill you in on our mission there.
Looking forward to working with you,
-- Remus
Remus stared at it, perplexed. He had sent this note to Tonks months ago, the day they first met. Why had she kept it?
“Hey, Tonks,” he called out, waving the parchment in his hand. “Why do you still have this? You know we’re supposed to destroy any correspondence that has to do with Order business.”
Tonks’ eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and then her cheeks turned bright red and she looked down at Remus’ shoes. “Oh … I, uh, I must have just forgotten and, uh, it ended up in there or something … ha ha, oops. Well, I’ll just, uh, get rid of it later, and, uh … well, here, let me take it,” she said, snatching the parchment from his hand and stuffing it into her pocket.
Remus stared at her and opened his mouth to ask if she was feeling alright, but just as he formed the words she looked up at him, a defiant look in her eyes that made him think better of it.
“So,” she said in a forcibly casual tone. “Shall we go, then?”
“Lead the way,” he answered, his mind spinning. Tonks was usually very conscientious about Order business - why would she had neglected to destroy that one letter? Unless … no. That would be impossible …. As they stood in the hallway, Tonks fumbling with her wand and muttering the locking spells, he looked at her with new eyes, noticing for the first time the way her pink hair crept down the nape of her neck, the way her cheeks still glowed with a blush he had created, the way her nose turned up in such an adorable way it made him want to … no. Impossible.
A deep sense of foreboding - and excitement - stole upon him and made him catch his breath. Tonks finished her spells and turned to him with resolution in her eyes. “So we’ve got to go catch some bad guys,” she said. “But, after that, do you want to go for a drink?”
He nodded wordlessly, and together they turned on the spot.
godricgal , who asked for Remus, Tonks and the prompt "keep." It's 1,020 words long ... not really drabble length, I know.
“It’s in the closet, I’m sure, I’ll just be a mo’ … go on, have a seat - make yourself at home!” Tonks said brightly.
Remus moved uncertainly toward the bright paisley sofa that sat in the middle of Tonks’ flat. He had never been in Tonks’ flat before and felt a strange sense of nervousness he couldn’t quite explain. They had been on their way to an Order mission when Tonks had realized she had forgotten to bring her Sneakoscope, so they made a quick detour to retrieve it. Remus sat on the edge of the sofa, staring at his shoes as he listened to Tonks rummaging around in the hall closet. Why was he feeling so nervous? He had been in Kinglsey’s and Moody’s places many times, had even stayed with Moody for a time after leaving his teaching position at Hogwarts. So why would he be uneasy sitting on a sofa in Tonks’ flat?
A sudden crash broke into his reverie and caused him to jump up. “Tonks?” he said, hurrying towards the hall. “Are you …?” He stopped dead in his tracks, staring into what Tonks had called the “closet.” From the outside, it appeared to be your run-of-the mill hall closet, in which one could store half a dozen coats, a few pairs of shoes and maybe an umbrella. But this one had obviously been magically enlarged so that once you stepped into it, it became a long corridor lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with random dark detectors, piles of parchment, shoes which had gone out of style a decade ago, rolled-up posters, empty birdcages and fishbowls, mismatched dishes, an old set of Hogwarts robes, and boxes upon boxes of who knew what. He was so taken aback by the vast amount of clutter he failed to notice for a moment that Tonks lay sprawled at his feet, buried in what had been the contents of the clothes rack which now lay by her on the floor. A soft “ahem” made him look down.
“Are you alright?” he asked, hurriedly pulling robes and socks and - he blushed - a black lace garter off Tonks and helping her to her feet.
“I’m fine,” Tonks answered in a higher-than-usual voice as she tried to stuff the garter out of sight. “Sorry … I thought it might be behind the clothes rack …” she said, staring around at the room’s contents.
“What is all this stuff?” Remus asked. “Is it all yours?”
“Well, you know, I don’t really like to throw anything away, you never know when you might need it,” she said.
“You never know when you might need a poster of the Holyhead Harpies from 1987?” Remus asked, unrolling the nearest poster and watching as the players - slightly yellowed with age - zoomed around happily.
“Well, maybe I’ll have children someday,” Tonks said to the nearest shelf, and Remus could not help but notice she was blushing furiously. “And then it’ll be cool vintage stuff.” She looked up at him, “What, don’t you keep stuff?”
“Nope,” Remus answered. “You might say I’m a minimalist. The less clutter, the better.”
“You can’t really see my clutter, though,” Tonks said defensively. “That’s why I have this closet. So it doesn’t really count.”
Remus smirked and said, “Whatever you say. So … did you find the Sneakoscope?”
“Oh, yes! Here it is!” Tonks said, pulling it out from behind a stack of Odo the Terrible comics.
She turned and walked out of the closet and Remus moved to follow her. Just as he was about to leave, his eye fell on some familiar handwriting on a piece of parchment which seemed to be given pride-of-place in a woven basket by the door. He picked it up and read it,
Tonks -
Nice to have met you today. Welcome to the Order! You’ve been assigned to work with me tomorrow night - let’s meet at the Three Broomsticks and I’ll fill you in on our mission there.
Looking forward to working with you,
-- Remus
Remus stared at it, perplexed. He had sent this note to Tonks months ago, the day they first met. Why had she kept it?
“Hey, Tonks,” he called out, waving the parchment in his hand. “Why do you still have this? You know we’re supposed to destroy any correspondence that has to do with Order business.”
Tonks’ eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and then her cheeks turned bright red and she looked down at Remus’ shoes. “Oh … I, uh, I must have just forgotten and, uh, it ended up in there or something … ha ha, oops. Well, I’ll just, uh, get rid of it later, and, uh … well, here, let me take it,” she said, snatching the parchment from his hand and stuffing it into her pocket.
Remus stared at her and opened his mouth to ask if she was feeling alright, but just as he formed the words she looked up at him, a defiant look in her eyes that made him think better of it.
“So,” she said in a forcibly casual tone. “Shall we go, then?”
“Lead the way,” he answered, his mind spinning. Tonks was usually very conscientious about Order business - why would she had neglected to destroy that one letter? Unless … no. That would be impossible …. As they stood in the hallway, Tonks fumbling with her wand and muttering the locking spells, he looked at her with new eyes, noticing for the first time the way her pink hair crept down the nape of her neck, the way her cheeks still glowed with a blush he had created, the way her nose turned up in such an adorable way it made him want to … no. Impossible.
A deep sense of foreboding - and excitement - stole upon him and made him catch his breath. Tonks finished her spells and turned to him with resolution in her eyes. “So we’ve got to go catch some bad guys,” she said. “But, after that, do you want to go for a drink?”
He nodded wordlessly, and together they turned on the spot.