Just An Ordinary Week: Friday
Title: Just An Ordinary Week: Friday
Author:
bratty_jedi (Rachael)
Format: Fic (~1,600 words)
Rating: Teen for suggestiveness early on.
Prompt: 22 (July 7): smile
Warning: Sexual suggestiveness early on.
Summary: "Shall I assume this is my welcome home party?"
Disclaimer: I own none of this. J. K. Rowling and assorted companies including but not limited to Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and Warner Brothers own everything. They also make all the money. I am just having fun and in no way seek financial profit from their property.
Author's Note: I am going to try to tell one continuous story over this week (Saturday to Friday). Each prompt will be one day in a week in the lives of Remus and Tonks. Don’t be fooled by the title. This will (hopefully) not be a boring week for our hero and heroine. Finished!
This story follows Just an Ordinary Week: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Tonks lay back, her eyes closed, and she was certain she was in heaven. Warm water enveloped her, soothing aching muscles and relaxing away her cares. The bubbles and foam Remus had added to the water left her skin smooth and soft. A cough echoed through the small room and she slowly peeled her eyes open. The only light came from the lavender-scented candles scattered around the small bathroom. The flickering firelight combined with the steam from the bathwater to suffuse everything with a dim and surreal glow, but she could clearly see the man in the doorway leading to the master bedroom.
"Wotcher, Remus," she said softly. "This bath was such a great idea. I don't know why I didn't take you up on the offer yesterday."
His eyes slid over as much of her from as the water and bubbles would allow. Her breasts just poked through the foam. A few bubbles clung to her nipples and his gaze lingered there for a moment. She watched as his tongue darted out to lick his lips before he returned his attention to her face. "I seem to recall you had a great idea of your own that you preferred." His voice, always a bit harsh, was coarser than normal. The delicious sound made her pulse race.
She languidly lifted one leg from the water and pointed her toes toward the ceiling. She rotated her ankle. Remus watched her calf muscles flex as if his life depended on the sight. "I'm sure we could find some way to combine our ideas," she suggested.
"Perhaps later," he said with a wink. He grabbed a large, fluffy towel from the cabinet. "Right now, dinner is almost ready. Why don't you dry off and get dressed so we can eat?"
She reached to take the towel but he pulled it away, unfolded it, and held it open. Smiling, she rose from the tub. The way his eyes followed the water and bubbles dripping down her body encouraged her to saunter slowly to him with an exaggerated sway to her hips. He waggled his eyebrows before wrapping her in the towel and his arms. "Beautiful," he whispered earnestly.
She leaned into him, feeling his heartbeat through the towel and his shirt. She titled her face up and murmured, "Are you sure you want dinner?"
His answering laugh surprised her. "Unfortunately, quite sure. Please get dressed while I go finish things in the kitchen." He extracted himself from her embrace and turned to walk away. She followed him into their bedroom with a frown. His abrupt withdrawal left her feeling cold and confused. Just before he left the bedroom, he gave her a sly smile that eased the coldness settling in her chest but did nothing for the confusion. As she dressed, she continued to puzzle over his departing grin.
Once clad in tight jeans and a ratty old t-shirt, she left their bedroom for the kitchen. She got two steps down the hall before she froze. The living room was coming in sight around the bend and it was full of people. Shaking her head at Remus' audacity, Tonks continued down the hallway.
She scanned the crowd as she walked. She quickly spotted her parents near the front. Kingsley's tall, bald skull was also easy to find in the small sea of people. The bits of red floating amongst the crowd bespoke the presence of assorted Weasleys. Curiously, no one seemed to be looking at her. In fact, everyone, most especially the two female Weasleys, was casting furtive glances towards a corner of the room. When she got far enough down the hall to see that corner, she was not surprised to find it occupied by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They were at once a part of the crowd and yet somehow something apart.
Tonks' thoughts were interrupted by a loud chime and the sudden buzz of many people talking. The conversations ceased half a heartbeat later and the crowd turned as one to regard her. Every face was split by a large smile. Every face except one, she realized as she finally spied Remus. He was leaning on one shoulder against the far wall, quietly hiding in the back. His mouth quirked smugly up at the corners and his eyes sparkled. He raised one eyebrow at her.
"Wotcher, everyone," she finally said into the silence. "Shall I assume this is my welcome home party?"
The crowd laughed at that. "It's not!" two voices cried. She turned to Fred and George.
"Professor Lupin was very clear on that," George explained.
Fred adopted a deep tone that sounded just enough like Remus to be completely wrong. "Tonks has been home for a few days already. It can't be a welcome home party."
"Naturally," George picked up the narrative, "we then asked what kind of party it is."
"And do you know what he said?" Fred asked in his regular voice.
Remus answered Fred's question. "It's a not-a-welcome-home-party party."
She frowned incredulously. "Not a welcome home party?"
"Party," he finished.
"You have to put the last party on there or it doesn't make sense," Arthur spoke up.
"Like this makes sense?" Ron and her father both asked laughing before looking at each other in surprise.
Tonks smiled at her friends, her family. "Whatever kind of party it is, thank you for being here," she told everyone.
Taking the cue, Remus flicked his wand toward the mantle and the sound of the Weird Sisters playing on the wireless filled the room. Molly and Tonks' mother left for the kitchen to begin bringing out the food and everyone else returned to their conversations. Tonks grabbed Remus' arm before he could follow the women. "You took a pretty big risk after what happened in the bathroom," she accused him. "How did you know I was going to be wearing anything when I came out here?"
She wasn't certain but she thought she detected a faint eye-roll from him. "Oh, ye of little faith," he teased. "The same charm that kept you from hearing everyone and sounded the alarm when you came in, prevented anyone but me from seeing down the hall until you crossed the barrier I set." He again arched an eyebrow but this time the look was more devilish than sardonic. "If you had been insufficiently attired for the party, I would have had plenty of time to enjoy the view and then stop you from entering the living room." He made to leave for the kitchen but leaned over to whisper in her ear before walking away. "No offense, but I like to think that particular view belongs to just me."
She watched him leave, certain her cheeks were turning bright red. She again scanned the crowd. Thankfully everyone seemed to be absorbed in conversations. Her father was trying to speak with Bill and Fleur, though the newly-weds were more interested in each other. Mad-Eye, Kingsley, Dung, and the twins were engaged in a quiet argument. The two Aurors were probably attempting to explain why something the other three wanted to do was illegal. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were deep in a private conversation. Everyone knew the three shared some secret about the bloody war but no one had any idea what it could be. The only person sitting quietly alone was Ginny. She was curled up in the armchair, watching the trio in the corner. Tonks' heart went out to the red-haired girl and she went to talk to her.
"You have several options you know."
Ginny jumped at the sound of Tonks' voice behind her. "What?" she asked in confusion.
Tonks sat on the arm of the chair and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially with Ginny. "You could always hex him into oblivion," she said nodding her head toward Harry and his friends.
Ginny grinned but shook her head no.
"You could give up on him and move on."
Ginny sighed. "I've been trying to do that since I was ten."
"In that case, you could wait for him."
"I don't suppose I have any other option."
Tonks wrapped an arm around Ginny's shoulders. "Of course you do. Confront him. Yell at him until he comes to his senses. Now probably isn't the best time but then again the hospital wing of Hogwarts after a battle probably wasn't the best time either."
Ginny laughed briefly before again looking at Harry and sighing. "Ginny," Tonks continued. "I don't know if things will work out between you two or not. But if you love him, don't let him go just because he thinks it will keep you safe."
Ginny nodded slowly, never taking her eyes off the young man in the corner. "Is it worth it?" she asked.
Tonks wasn't sure exactly what Ginny meant, but she knew the answer anyway. "Remus is worth anything to me. You're the only one who can say if Harry is worth it."
"He is," she said with conviction as she looked Tonks in the eyes. "I don't care if I might get hurt. I don't care if there is a war on. He's worth the fight and the pain."
"Then fight for him," Tonks smiled as she saw Remus, Molly and her mother reenter the living room, followed by floating platters of food. "I know how you feel. Chosen One or not, he can't be more dangerous than an Auror and a werewolf living together. I just spent the better part of a week in the hospital. If I hadn't, he would be thousands of miles away right now and I can't say any of this is highly unusual for us. And you know what?" Ginny shook her head no. "I wouldn't have it any other way."