prompt for October 30th - Harry Potter/Sneakers
Prompt for October 30:
"I'm at a loss..."
Tonks catches Sirius up on the war, first. There's rather a lot more of it, and it's likely best for both of them that they get it out of the way as quickly as possible, especially since nearly all he knows is that it's over and Harry didn't make it all the way through.
Somehow, telling him everything helps nearly as much as her therapy sessions have, especially when she gets to Remus. She wouldn't be surprised if that actually helps more, since Sirius knew him like no one else.
"No surprise he wanted to bolt," he says. "Moony... never knew what to do when things were going well. He was always waiting for the other shoe to drop - took us years to convince him we weren't suddenly going to panic about his condition."
"I can see that. Still, I just... wanted to bring him a little happiness."
"You probably did, or he would have run screaming at the first mention."
Tonks sighs. "He nearly did. But he did come back, so there's that."
"There is. I miss anything else interesting?"
"I don't think - oh, wait. Mum's got your bike. Dad was going to fix it, but then he had to go on the run, and he never made it back. Mum doesn't know where to start with it, but she's said it's all she's really got of either of you."
Sirius raises an eyebrow. "And how did your parents come by my bike in the first place?"
"I think Harry and Hagrid crashed it in their garden, when we were moving Harry for his birthday. Dad got it out of the pond and dried off, but he wasn't planning to fix it with magic."
"As well he shouldn't have. Do I want to know why they didn't make a proper landing of it?"
"I'm not sure, exactly," Tonks says. "Some Death Eaters found us, so I'd guess they were fighting someone off - I was a bit too distracted to be sure. Really, it's a wonder the additions didn't hold them off longer."
"...Additions."
"Hagrid and Mr. Weasley were working on it for a while, spring before last. I know they fitted the tailpipe with an expandable brick wall and some false dragon fire the twins cooked up..."
Tonks stops there, since Sirius looks rather pissed off by this development (and in any case, she doesn't remember what else got added to the bike); she's proven right when he finally says something.
"Right, who the bloody hell let Arthur near a Batman comic?"
Tonks shrugs. "Couldn't say. I don't know if that's the problem so much as what happened in the crash, but--"
"It doesn't matter! It's a wonder the thing ran at all, after they started trying to add magic to the mix. It took a lot of very careful work to get it to fly and still work. Lily wouldn't let me get one until I knew how to fix it without trying to use magic and bollocksing it up even more."
"Well, it definitely wasn't my idea. You'd have to take it up with them."
There's a gleam in Sirius' eyes as he says, "Well, maybe I will," that would frighten the living daylights out of Tonks, if she were fully on the receiving end. As it is, she's a little frightened anyway.
And wondering how, if he does this, he plans to explain why he'd come back for a motorbike when he didn't for his godson.
"I'm at a loss..."
Tonks catches Sirius up on the war, first. There's rather a lot more of it, and it's likely best for both of them that they get it out of the way as quickly as possible, especially since nearly all he knows is that it's over and Harry didn't make it all the way through.
Somehow, telling him everything helps nearly as much as her therapy sessions have, especially when she gets to Remus. She wouldn't be surprised if that actually helps more, since Sirius knew him like no one else.
"No surprise he wanted to bolt," he says. "Moony... never knew what to do when things were going well. He was always waiting for the other shoe to drop - took us years to convince him we weren't suddenly going to panic about his condition."
"I can see that. Still, I just... wanted to bring him a little happiness."
"You probably did, or he would have run screaming at the first mention."
Tonks sighs. "He nearly did. But he did come back, so there's that."
"There is. I miss anything else interesting?"
"I don't think - oh, wait. Mum's got your bike. Dad was going to fix it, but then he had to go on the run, and he never made it back. Mum doesn't know where to start with it, but she's said it's all she's really got of either of you."
Sirius raises an eyebrow. "And how did your parents come by my bike in the first place?"
"I think Harry and Hagrid crashed it in their garden, when we were moving Harry for his birthday. Dad got it out of the pond and dried off, but he wasn't planning to fix it with magic."
"As well he shouldn't have. Do I want to know why they didn't make a proper landing of it?"
"I'm not sure, exactly," Tonks says. "Some Death Eaters found us, so I'd guess they were fighting someone off - I was a bit too distracted to be sure. Really, it's a wonder the additions didn't hold them off longer."
"...Additions."
"Hagrid and Mr. Weasley were working on it for a while, spring before last. I know they fitted the tailpipe with an expandable brick wall and some false dragon fire the twins cooked up..."
Tonks stops there, since Sirius looks rather pissed off by this development (and in any case, she doesn't remember what else got added to the bike); she's proven right when he finally says something.
"Right, who the bloody hell let Arthur near a Batman comic?"
Tonks shrugs. "Couldn't say. I don't know if that's the problem so much as what happened in the crash, but--"
"It doesn't matter! It's a wonder the thing ran at all, after they started trying to add magic to the mix. It took a lot of very careful work to get it to fly and still work. Lily wouldn't let me get one until I knew how to fix it without trying to use magic and bollocksing it up even more."
"Well, it definitely wasn't my idea. You'd have to take it up with them."
There's a gleam in Sirius' eyes as he says, "Well, maybe I will," that would frighten the living daylights out of Tonks, if she were fully on the receiving end. As it is, she's a little frightened anyway.
And wondering how, if he does this, he plans to explain why he'd come back for a motorbike when he didn't for his godson.