[fic] Amicable
Amicable
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Ship: Remus/Tonks (though I wouldn't call this romantic)
Summary: She still has places to go, people to see.
A/N: I hadn't planned on writing this. I suppose it comes out of some of the comments I've been seeing about Tonks's absence from a certain scene toward the end of Deathly Hallows. Again, I wouldn't call it shippy, though it's canon-compliant. (Which means big spoilers.) Approx. 650 words.
"You look good," Tonks said.
Remus examined his robes. They were his customary brown, though they appeared to be new; there wasn't a single patch or loose thread.
"I meant your face," said Tonks, smiling. "And - well, all of you. Really, you look about twenty years younger. There's hardly any grey in your hair at all, and your face-" In the sunlight that poured into Diagon Alley, where they stood, his brown eyes were amber-flecked. She wanted to touch his unlined cheek, tease the corners of his mouth until they quirked upward.
Her hands remained clasped. "Really, you look good," she said again.
She waited for Remus to return the compliment, but he was quiet, his expression somber. She knew what he was thinking, but she wasn't sure if it was because they were both dead now, or because she really knew him.
"Look," she began sternly, "there's no sense worrying about it now. What's done is done." Once the words were out, she felt something cold in her belly and she wished that Remus hadn't found her.
"You don't believe that," he said wearily. "It's all my-"
"Don't. Please. I made a choice. It was my choice. I don't regret it. If I regret anything it's not ducking fast enough."
"What about Teddy?"
"What about him?" Tonks was aware that she was talking very quickly, but if she paused to think or catch her breath, she wasn't sure she'd be able to continue. "You'd already left. What was I supposed to do? Stay hidden so our baby might have at least one parent?"
"Well - yes."
"Well - I didn't." She swallowed, found that she could go on. "Remus, I don't want to fight anymore. We did enough of that while we were alive. I don't mean to say I'm glad we're dead. It's just that - we're dead. This is it. Anyway - I can feel Teddy. I mean, I'm aware of him. Not just aware that he exists. It's hard to explain, but I…"
She could smell her baby, she'd discovered, only an instant after dying. She could feel his soft hair against her cheek, hear his burbling. And that had frightened her - more than the look of triumph on Bellatrix's face, which had been one of the last things she'd seen while alive. But then, as surely as she knew now that Remus was still blaming himself, she'd known that Teddy wasn't dead. He was in the world she'd left, and she was aware of him there.
For the first time since he'd appeared, Tonks allowed her gaze to leave Remus. It swept Diagon Alley, which was empty despite the fact that it was obviously a gorgeous summer day. There were bunches of red roses and white lilies on display outside Madam Mayfair's Flower Shop, and light cotton robes in the window of Madam Malkin's.
I'm never going to go shopping again. What an odd thing to think. Curious, she looked down at herself and found that she was wearing the torn denims and purple leather jacket that she'd never thrown away, but hadn't worn since she was seventeen. It should be too warm for leather, she thought. But I suppose that sort of thing shouldn't matter when you're dead.
"Dora."
She looked back at Remus. "I can feel Teddy too," he said.
"I think you should go," said Tonks. "Harry really needs you right now. Sirius, James, and Lily do too."
"I know," said Remus. He seemed irresolute.
"Go," Tonks insisted pleasantly. "We have all of eternity to figure ourselves out. Or not. I'm not really sure how it works. I just know that the battle isn't over and Harry needs you, so you should go. I'll be fine right here. Because the truth is, you're not the man I was waiting here for."
She never saw Remus leave, for at that moment the bell above Florean Fortescue's door jingled, and her daddy called, "Dora! Our sundaes are melting!"
She ran to him.
9/2/2007
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Ship: Remus/Tonks (though I wouldn't call this romantic)
Summary: She still has places to go, people to see.
A/N: I hadn't planned on writing this. I suppose it comes out of some of the comments I've been seeing about Tonks's absence from a certain scene toward the end of Deathly Hallows. Again, I wouldn't call it shippy, though it's canon-compliant. (Which means big spoilers.) Approx. 650 words.
"You look good," Tonks said.
Remus examined his robes. They were his customary brown, though they appeared to be new; there wasn't a single patch or loose thread.
"I meant your face," said Tonks, smiling. "And - well, all of you. Really, you look about twenty years younger. There's hardly any grey in your hair at all, and your face-" In the sunlight that poured into Diagon Alley, where they stood, his brown eyes were amber-flecked. She wanted to touch his unlined cheek, tease the corners of his mouth until they quirked upward.
Her hands remained clasped. "Really, you look good," she said again.
She waited for Remus to return the compliment, but he was quiet, his expression somber. She knew what he was thinking, but she wasn't sure if it was because they were both dead now, or because she really knew him.
"Look," she began sternly, "there's no sense worrying about it now. What's done is done." Once the words were out, she felt something cold in her belly and she wished that Remus hadn't found her.
"You don't believe that," he said wearily. "It's all my-"
"Don't. Please. I made a choice. It was my choice. I don't regret it. If I regret anything it's not ducking fast enough."
"What about Teddy?"
"What about him?" Tonks was aware that she was talking very quickly, but if she paused to think or catch her breath, she wasn't sure she'd be able to continue. "You'd already left. What was I supposed to do? Stay hidden so our baby might have at least one parent?"
"Well - yes."
"Well - I didn't." She swallowed, found that she could go on. "Remus, I don't want to fight anymore. We did enough of that while we were alive. I don't mean to say I'm glad we're dead. It's just that - we're dead. This is it. Anyway - I can feel Teddy. I mean, I'm aware of him. Not just aware that he exists. It's hard to explain, but I…"
She could smell her baby, she'd discovered, only an instant after dying. She could feel his soft hair against her cheek, hear his burbling. And that had frightened her - more than the look of triumph on Bellatrix's face, which had been one of the last things she'd seen while alive. But then, as surely as she knew now that Remus was still blaming himself, she'd known that Teddy wasn't dead. He was in the world she'd left, and she was aware of him there.
For the first time since he'd appeared, Tonks allowed her gaze to leave Remus. It swept Diagon Alley, which was empty despite the fact that it was obviously a gorgeous summer day. There were bunches of red roses and white lilies on display outside Madam Mayfair's Flower Shop, and light cotton robes in the window of Madam Malkin's.
I'm never going to go shopping again. What an odd thing to think. Curious, she looked down at herself and found that she was wearing the torn denims and purple leather jacket that she'd never thrown away, but hadn't worn since she was seventeen. It should be too warm for leather, she thought. But I suppose that sort of thing shouldn't matter when you're dead.
"Dora."
She looked back at Remus. "I can feel Teddy too," he said.
"I think you should go," said Tonks. "Harry really needs you right now. Sirius, James, and Lily do too."
"I know," said Remus. He seemed irresolute.
"Go," Tonks insisted pleasantly. "We have all of eternity to figure ourselves out. Or not. I'm not really sure how it works. I just know that the battle isn't over and Harry needs you, so you should go. I'll be fine right here. Because the truth is, you're not the man I was waiting here for."
She never saw Remus leave, for at that moment the bell above Florean Fortescue's door jingled, and her daddy called, "Dora! Our sundaes are melting!"
She ran to him.
9/2/2007