Prompt 30, Prompt 31
Title: Can’t You Understand
Author: Devonwood
Format & Word Count: Ficlet; 1,304
Rating: Pg-13/T
Prompt: Prompt 30 (Depeche Mode lyrics), Prompt 31 (movie-script ending)
Warning: Alcohol Consumption, Angst
Summary: "You were the stronger of both of us. You were strong enough to let me go, even though you love me."
Author's Note: What a way to end the ficathon. :) Side note- I have a few comments that I still haven't replied to. I'm not ignoring you, I just had barely any time on the computer today. In fact, I should be in bed right now. ;)
A rock upturned, skittering along the cobblestones like a scared kitten. Remus glanced at it briefly, noting how small that one rock seemed in comparison to the much larger rocks that surrounded it. Just how his problem was so insignificant with everything else that had happened. Snape’s desertion, Death Eaters, Dumbledore...
A salty tear slid down his cheek, biting against the slash that had appeared below his right eye. For now, it seemed like a nasty cut, but in a few weeks it would become just another scar on his face, blending in with so many others.
For being the start of Summer, there was a freezing chill. Remus shivered as he walked down the street. Tonks had run off into Hogsmeade the day after the battle, and now- nearly a week later, no one had heard from her. The matriarch of the Weasley clan elected Remus to go and look for her, but Arthur volunteered to do it in his place. Molly firmly told him that Remus was strong enough to do it, thank-you-very-much, and could my daft husband come and help me dab our son’s wounds?
So, with a small groan that he knew he shouldn’t even have released in the first place, Remus trudged into Hogsmeade, hands in his coat pockets. The town seemed deserted. It was still too early for wizards and witches to arrive for the funeral, and all previous occupants had been evacuated the day after the battle. His footsteps broke the unnerving silence, slapping against the cobblestones to echo in the empty streets.
All of the shops appeared to be empty, and a feeling of dread began to weigh heavier and heavier in his stomach the longer he couldn’t find Tonks. Finally, through the nearly frosted windowpanes of the Three Broomsticks, he saw her tiny frame perched up against the counter. She was slumped over as he pushed the door open, barely twitching her head towards him to see who it was.
“Wotcher.” Tonks said dryly, her speech a little bit slurred. She tossed back the rest of whatever was in her mug, and emitted a small hiccough. “Want to sit down for a pint?”
“Where’s Rosmerta?” Remus asked as he plopped down on a stool, changing the subject away from alcohol.
“Left the key under the bleeding mat.” She answered. “You would think in times like these, the woman would hide her key in a more ap-appropriate place. She prob’ly ran off at the first sign of trouble- Hah!” Tonks sniggered drunkenly. “No more courage than you, Mr. Lupin.” At this, she poked him in the chest, leaving a smudge of liquor on the front of his coat.
There were four empty bottles of Firewhiskey on the counter, and Remus watched as she picked up the only full one, pouring most of the contents into a giant beer mug. He attempted to grab the bottle away from her, but she swatted his hand away with a feeble smack, and he pulled back. Remus noticed how she looked even more washed out than she had a week ago-her hair was now not only lifeless and brown, but beginning to fall out as well. Eyes that had lost their sparkle shut in false contentment as she downed the entire mug in one gulp. And it was then that he noticed something that left a horrid taste in his mouth.
This was killing her.
He was killing her.
“Have you been here the entire time?”
She nodded. “Ran straight here after I was told I could go. An empty bar filled with liquor seemed to be the perfect Heaven for me.”
Remus swallowed deeply, and brushed his fingertips over the unoccupied hand that was sitting on the counter. She pulled away, but he grabbed her fingers in his hand, refusing to let go.
“It doesn’t have to be like this, Tonks.”
“According to you, it does.” She bit her lip for a long time, the alcohol apparently disabling her quick wit.
His lips twitched into a wry smile. “Why are you listening to me? I’m old, broke, and a dark creature. My statements shouldn’t count for anything.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” She mumbled, eyes staring at the mug. “You may think that you are too old, too poor, too dangerous for someone like me to handle. And you know what, you might be right. You might accidentally transform next to me one night, and scratch me. Hell, you might even bite me. It’s not that I don’t care that there is a risk, Remus, believe me. You’ve given me many sleepless nights to ponder about all of the risks you use as a mantra. But when I say that I don’t care, Remus, I don’t care! I don’t care about the fact that you are thirteen years my senior. I don’t care that money is tight for you. And I don’t care that there is a possibility that you could hurt me!
But you know what I do care about?” she asked softly, finally turning to face him. “I care about you. And even though everything you have done this past year should have pushed me away, it just pulled me closer. Made me want you even more. You didn’t want me to be with you, wanted me to have someone younger and stronger, when in fact you were the stronger of both of us. You were strong enough to let me go, even though you love me.”
Remus stared at her in mild shock, as her speech was more coherent and sober than he had expected from her at this point.
“I do love you Tonks,” he started, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “but this just can’t work between us. One of us could get hurt at any moment.”
“Both of us could have died last week, Remus. Dumbledore, the greatest wizard I’ve ever known, died. If we die, it won’t matter if we were together, or apart. But together, we have a chance to enjoy life first.” She stared out a frosty window, watching as the humidity outside began to melt the condensation. “In times like these, a little love could be the reason we fight each day, the reason we continue to work against evil. Because at the end of the day, we know that there is someone waiting for us at home, waiting on bated breath to see if we make it out alive. Hope, Remus. It’s hope and love that will win the war.”
Tonks lifted her mug to her lips, trying to get the very last drop from the bottom.
Remus lifted her hand to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on her wrist. “I’ve been a fool,” he mumbled against her skin, looking up to meet her eyes. She stood up, dragging him up with her.
“So, my arguments finally got through to you?” she asked, stepping closer into his arms.
“It’s odd; my words constantly hurt and cut you, yet yours always seemed to bandage my weary soul. And now that my heart has healed, I have realized what a bloody idiot I’ve been.”
Tonks allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she leaned forward into his body. He instantly felt warmer than he had all year, as her cheek pressed into his chest, rubbing against him to find a comfortable spot. Remus placed a small kiss against the top of her head, and they walked out of the bar onto the deserted streets.
“We missed the sunset.” Tonks remarked, glancing up at the darkened sky. “Now what will we ride off into?”
“I’ve never been too fond of the sunset.” Remus said, pulling her body closer to his. “It gets in your eyes so that you can’t see the beauty of the person you are riding with.”
Author: Devonwood
Format & Word Count: Ficlet; 1,304
Rating: Pg-13/T
Prompt: Prompt 30 (Depeche Mode lyrics), Prompt 31 (movie-script ending)
Warning: Alcohol Consumption, Angst
Summary: "You were the stronger of both of us. You were strong enough to let me go, even though you love me."
Author's Note: What a way to end the ficathon. :) Side note- I have a few comments that I still haven't replied to. I'm not ignoring you, I just had barely any time on the computer today. In fact, I should be in bed right now. ;)
A rock upturned, skittering along the cobblestones like a scared kitten. Remus glanced at it briefly, noting how small that one rock seemed in comparison to the much larger rocks that surrounded it. Just how his problem was so insignificant with everything else that had happened. Snape’s desertion, Death Eaters, Dumbledore...
A salty tear slid down his cheek, biting against the slash that had appeared below his right eye. For now, it seemed like a nasty cut, but in a few weeks it would become just another scar on his face, blending in with so many others.
For being the start of Summer, there was a freezing chill. Remus shivered as he walked down the street. Tonks had run off into Hogsmeade the day after the battle, and now- nearly a week later, no one had heard from her. The matriarch of the Weasley clan elected Remus to go and look for her, but Arthur volunteered to do it in his place. Molly firmly told him that Remus was strong enough to do it, thank-you-very-much, and could my daft husband come and help me dab our son’s wounds?
So, with a small groan that he knew he shouldn’t even have released in the first place, Remus trudged into Hogsmeade, hands in his coat pockets. The town seemed deserted. It was still too early for wizards and witches to arrive for the funeral, and all previous occupants had been evacuated the day after the battle. His footsteps broke the unnerving silence, slapping against the cobblestones to echo in the empty streets.
All of the shops appeared to be empty, and a feeling of dread began to weigh heavier and heavier in his stomach the longer he couldn’t find Tonks. Finally, through the nearly frosted windowpanes of the Three Broomsticks, he saw her tiny frame perched up against the counter. She was slumped over as he pushed the door open, barely twitching her head towards him to see who it was.
“Wotcher.” Tonks said dryly, her speech a little bit slurred. She tossed back the rest of whatever was in her mug, and emitted a small hiccough. “Want to sit down for a pint?”
“Where’s Rosmerta?” Remus asked as he plopped down on a stool, changing the subject away from alcohol.
“Left the key under the bleeding mat.” She answered. “You would think in times like these, the woman would hide her key in a more ap-appropriate place. She prob’ly ran off at the first sign of trouble- Hah!” Tonks sniggered drunkenly. “No more courage than you, Mr. Lupin.” At this, she poked him in the chest, leaving a smudge of liquor on the front of his coat.
There were four empty bottles of Firewhiskey on the counter, and Remus watched as she picked up the only full one, pouring most of the contents into a giant beer mug. He attempted to grab the bottle away from her, but she swatted his hand away with a feeble smack, and he pulled back. Remus noticed how she looked even more washed out than she had a week ago-her hair was now not only lifeless and brown, but beginning to fall out as well. Eyes that had lost their sparkle shut in false contentment as she downed the entire mug in one gulp. And it was then that he noticed something that left a horrid taste in his mouth.
This was killing her.
He was killing her.
“Have you been here the entire time?”
She nodded. “Ran straight here after I was told I could go. An empty bar filled with liquor seemed to be the perfect Heaven for me.”
Remus swallowed deeply, and brushed his fingertips over the unoccupied hand that was sitting on the counter. She pulled away, but he grabbed her fingers in his hand, refusing to let go.
“It doesn’t have to be like this, Tonks.”
“According to you, it does.” She bit her lip for a long time, the alcohol apparently disabling her quick wit.
His lips twitched into a wry smile. “Why are you listening to me? I’m old, broke, and a dark creature. My statements shouldn’t count for anything.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” She mumbled, eyes staring at the mug. “You may think that you are too old, too poor, too dangerous for someone like me to handle. And you know what, you might be right. You might accidentally transform next to me one night, and scratch me. Hell, you might even bite me. It’s not that I don’t care that there is a risk, Remus, believe me. You’ve given me many sleepless nights to ponder about all of the risks you use as a mantra. But when I say that I don’t care, Remus, I don’t care! I don’t care about the fact that you are thirteen years my senior. I don’t care that money is tight for you. And I don’t care that there is a possibility that you could hurt me!
But you know what I do care about?” she asked softly, finally turning to face him. “I care about you. And even though everything you have done this past year should have pushed me away, it just pulled me closer. Made me want you even more. You didn’t want me to be with you, wanted me to have someone younger and stronger, when in fact you were the stronger of both of us. You were strong enough to let me go, even though you love me.”
Remus stared at her in mild shock, as her speech was more coherent and sober than he had expected from her at this point.
“I do love you Tonks,” he started, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “but this just can’t work between us. One of us could get hurt at any moment.”
“Both of us could have died last week, Remus. Dumbledore, the greatest wizard I’ve ever known, died. If we die, it won’t matter if we were together, or apart. But together, we have a chance to enjoy life first.” She stared out a frosty window, watching as the humidity outside began to melt the condensation. “In times like these, a little love could be the reason we fight each day, the reason we continue to work against evil. Because at the end of the day, we know that there is someone waiting for us at home, waiting on bated breath to see if we make it out alive. Hope, Remus. It’s hope and love that will win the war.”
Tonks lifted her mug to her lips, trying to get the very last drop from the bottom.
Remus lifted her hand to his lips, placing a delicate kiss on her wrist. “I’ve been a fool,” he mumbled against her skin, looking up to meet her eyes. She stood up, dragging him up with her.
“So, my arguments finally got through to you?” she asked, stepping closer into his arms.
“It’s odd; my words constantly hurt and cut you, yet yours always seemed to bandage my weary soul. And now that my heart has healed, I have realized what a bloody idiot I’ve been.”
Tonks allowed a small smile to grace her lips as she leaned forward into his body. He instantly felt warmer than he had all year, as her cheek pressed into his chest, rubbing against him to find a comfortable spot. Remus placed a small kiss against the top of her head, and they walked out of the bar onto the deserted streets.
“We missed the sunset.” Tonks remarked, glancing up at the darkened sky. “Now what will we ride off into?”
“I’ve never been too fond of the sunset.” Remus said, pulling her body closer to his. “It gets in your eyes so that you can’t see the beauty of the person you are riding with.”