(no subject)
Title: Trimester Tribulations
Author: Devonwood
Word Count: 1,350
Rating and Warnings: PG/ K+; Deathly Hallows spoilers
Prompt(s): Prompt 1 (image of a woman gasping)
Author’s Note: Just something light to get the challenge off to a good start. And it’s an excuse to write something happy, because my next piece is going to be somewhat dark. :S Written while traveling through West Virginia. :) Apologies for any formatting mistakes; I'm using a dial up computer that I only have access to for another five minutes. Will fix as soon as I can
The magnificent roast turkey on the table gleamed in the light, smatterings of whipped potatoes and cranberry dressing adorned every china plate in front of every wooden chair. Silverware had been magicked to set itself upon folded napkins, and Molly Weasley followed close behind the floating spoons, carrying a pot of roasted corn in her hands with a steam trail that rose all the way to the ceiling.
“This looks delicious, Molly,” Kingsley said and drooled as the dishes landed carefully on the table. The other members of the Order mumbled likewise sentiments as their eyes shone with hunger. Minerva McGonagall, who had taken a day away from Hogwarts to update the Order on the situation at school, even licked her lips as she stared at the amount of food heaped on her plate. It had been a long time since most of the people here had seen one of Molly Weasley’s famous dinners, and it appeared that she had gone all out for Christmas.
“Oh, it’s nothing really.” She brushed off the compliment, but Tonks could tell that she was blushing as she turned her head away from the table to gather the mint jelly. As Tonks raised a forkful of potatoes to her mouth, she felt a hand gently squeeze her kneecap. Turning to her right, she saw Remus smile and shake his head to the minutest degree possible. She set her silverware down and nudged him slightly with the toe of her boot.
Molly bustled back through the door, waving her wand to and fro above the table, which made the lamps above the table dim to a more appropriate dinner setting. Remus, after reinforcing the spells around the perimeter of the Burrow, had helped Molly with some household charms for the dinner. She looked remarkably composed now, but Tonks had seen her earlier as she cried over a pot of boiling cabbage. It must have been hard for her, she reasoned, as half of her family wouldn’t be able to make it home for Christmas. Ron was off somewhere with Harry, Remus had said a few weeks ago, but no one knew where they were at this point. Charlie was visiting Bill and Fleur for the holidays, because neither of the two wanted to risk leaving the safe house. And Percy was absent, per usual, but no one really seemed to notice his disappearance anymore.
As soon as the matriarchal Weasley sat to the table, there was a moment of silence, and then everyone began piling food onto their plates. For a few seconds, there was a cacophony of noises as turkey legs soared from one end of the table to the other, heaps of puddings and dressings appeared everywhere as people scrambled to get it all in front of them. Finally, there was silence as almost all of the food was emptied from the middle.
“Well, tuck in!” Molly said cheerfully, and everyone around the table simultaneously began to chatter while putting forkfuls of wonderful food into their mouths. Tonks brought the fork of potatoes to her mouth that had been halted earlier, and was sad to discover they had gone cold since then. With a sigh, she heaped more potatoes from the table onto her plate, and smiled happily as they nearly burned the roof of her mouth.
“I’ve got some wine in the back if anyone would like some,” Arthur mentioned as he looked sadly at his water glass. Fred and George raised their hands eagerly, but Molly huffed.
“We’re of age!” they chorused together, and she looked to Arthur for support, but he feigned ignorance and took a bite of his turkey. With a withering sigh, she gave them a nod, to which they grinned and set off towards the cabinet in the back pantry.
“I know how much is back there, so don’t think about stealing any!” Molly yelled, and Tonks was sure she heard George swear. Kingsley heard it too, and smiled as he took a swig from his water glass.
“Anything important happening with the Muggle Minister?” she whispered across the table, and Remus’s ears perked up as he excused himself from a conversation with Dedalus Diggle, who was explaining the differences in Wizard hair care products.
“Nothing too serious,” Kingsley said seriously. “There was a suspected attempt on his life the other day, but his secretary received the box of truffles by mistake. She just kept vomiting; it looked like someone had botched the potion and didn’t realize it.”
“Well, at least we know Severus isn’t behind the attempt,” Remus muttered dryly, and
both Kingsley and Tonks grimaced.
“We got lucky that time,” he continued, “but I’m asking Charlie to come provide backup in case something else happens.”
Tonks looked up as Fred and George entered, looking slightly tipsier than they should have, but she chose not to mention anything. They started at the head of the table and began filling everyone’s goblets with wine. When they got to Tonks, she unconsciously touched her stomach, shaking her head no as they started to pour.
“None for me, thanks.” She said with a false sense of nonchalance. Her stomach was swirling with butterflies.
“Actually,” she continued, speaking a bit louder, “that leads nicely into an important announcement.” Tonks looked to Remus and grinned, and his eyes opened wide as she turned around.
“Remus and I are-“
“In a no-drinking contest.” Remus interrupted, placing a hand on her leg under the table. “I bet her she couldn’t go longer than me without a drink. None for me, then,” he added for Fred, who was in the process of filling his goblet.
Tonks glared at Remus, and kicked him swiftly under the table. “Excuse us for a minute, everyone.” She grabbed him by the sleeve of his blue cardigan, and hauled him up away from the table, completely ignoring McGonagall mumbling about the importance of announcements.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, Tonks pulled him into the nearest room, which happened to be Ginny’s. Remus flopped down onto the pink comforter on the bed, which sagged under his weight.
“Honestly, I don’t see why we can’t tell them yet,” She mumbled, morphing her body so that her stomach grew to its stretched size. She rubbed her belly with the palm of her hand, and Remus stood up from the bed, coming around behind her to place his hands over hers.
“You know, it’s getting harder for me to morph the stomach away. I’m nearly four months. And people are beginning to wonder why I’m not on more serious missions. They think you’re going soft.” Tonks grinned as she turned and looped her arms around his neck.
“That’s preposterous,” he mumbled and kissed her nose, “Werewolves can’t go soft.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s in the rulebook.”
“Ah. Of course.” She placed a kiss against his jaw line and broke away from his embrace, waltzed across the floor and plopped down onto the bed with more grace than she could normally muster.
“You do realize we’re telling them later, right?”
Remus sighed, but raised his hands in mock defeat, and Tonks crossed her legs with an air of triumph.
“I’m telling you,” she said loudly, smiling up at Remus through her orange fringe, “it’s not going to be hard telling people that I’m pregnant.”
At exactly the same time, they realized exactly how loud her last statement had been, and then the door (which was wide open) came into view, followed by the sound, or lack thereof, coming from downstairs.
Tonks clapped a hand over her mouth, and Remus chuckled as he came over beside her on the bed, placing an arm around her shoulder as she muttered curses under her breath.
“Well, I wanted everyone to know,” she giggled nervously, giving Remus a withering look.
“Come on, we’d better go down and rectify the situation,” he said, taking Tonks’s hand and giving it a squeeze for reassurance, which she gratefully accepted. “Molly Weasley is probably ready to bound up here any moment, and that would leave her pumpkin pie woefully unattended.”