Fic: A Reason
TITLE: A Reason
AUTHOR: lar_laughs
FANDOM: Harry Potter
PAIRING: Tonks, Charlie
PROMPT: a horrible thought/Nymphadora Tonks at first_order Week 3 Challenge & 65. Leaving at 100_tales (x-posted at hp_fanfiction, my_tonks, weasley_esque, and flames_n_tats)
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 1652
SUMMARY: A familiar visitor pays Tonks a visit and offers her something she thought she might miss out on.
WARNINGS: irritable female and condescending male, oh my!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of, nor do I make any money from the Harry Potter franchise. I merely dabble in the shadows of the world of JK Rowling created.
Training was over for the time being and Tonks had little else to look forward to over the next couple of days. She didn’t like to think of it as a weekend. When weeks ended, time moved quickly. The last thing she wanted was for more time to pass. Too much of it already stretched out in front of her, mocking her with a continual stretch of work and sleep. Some eating now and then when she remembered to fill her icebox with edibles. Right now it held some bottles of ale.
Her life was going nowhere… very quickly. It was a horrible thought. Being an Auror was supposed to give her a reason for getting up in the morning. Instead, it was reminding her of everything that she’d ever wanted and couldn’t have.
A knock on the door nearly made her fall off the bed. In this tiny flat, she heard every sound within a twenty foot radius. No one had ever visited her here. Suddenly, she was intrigued.
Charlie Weasley stood in the doorway looking every bit as uncomfortable as he had the last time she’d seen him. “Are you going to invite me in?”
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to have him in her little flat, as if this was exactly what she’d always envisioned for her life. If he saw it, he might think she was settling. The last thing she wanted Charlie Weasley to think was that she would settle for anything.
“What? Are you a vampire now? Can’t barge in like you used to?”
He frowned at her. “I’d rather not talk to you out in the hall but I will unless you invite me in. It’s the polite thing to do.”
“So you’re polite now?” It was always so easy to fight with Charlie. It was what she’d done for the last three years, right after that incident with the lips touching and realizing how much she liked it. Not Charlie. He was… a Weasley. They had funny feelings about women who could change their hair colour with a thought.
“I told my mum I’d be civil. It was her idea that I’m here, after all.”
That took the wind out of her sails. Without another word, she moved out of the way so he could enter. When he didn’t move, she rolled her eyes. “Come in… Charles. I would hate for your mother not to get her way.”
Taking the single chair that was pushed up toward a rickety table, Charlie settled his solid frame on the very edge, as if he needed to flee at a moment’s notice. Like she’d throw herself at him again and he’d be forced to fight her off. That wasn’t going to happen… again.
“Spill it. I’ve got to get back to the Ministry soon.”
“You’ve got the time to listen to me. Dad checked your schedule.”
The book was in her hand before she realized what she had in mind. It flew with accuracy, hitting him on the chin with enough force to split his skin open. The blood dribbled onto the white shirt, washed and ironed with love by Molly Weasley.
“I don’t want you checking up on me. Not any of you.”
“It wasn’t a check up.” He dabbed at his chin but didn’t seem phased by the pain or the blood. “I have a proposition for you. We just wanted to make sure that you’d be around so I wasn’t wasting my time.”
Everything he was saying seemed designed to hurt her, flaying open old wounds without meeting any resistance. It shouldn’t have surprised her that she was a waste of time to Charlie Weasley. He was the one that had left her behind all those years ago without so much as a backwards glance. As if they hadn’t meant anything to each other. Like she wasn’t important.
“By all means, I wouldn’t want you to waste your time. Speak and be done with it. I don’t want you here.” That was a lie but she wasn’t going to let on how comforting it was to have someone else in her normally silent room. “Just as I’m sure you don’t want to be here. You were always a fan of leaving.”
“Look, I didn’t come here to snipe at you.” He crossed his arms over his chest, a sign that he was irritated. “I told them Kingsley should have done this.”
“Kingsley?” Just a mention of the senior Auror’s name was enough to send chills down Tonks’ spine. She’d been trying so hard to keep out of trouble lately. After the lecture she’d gotten her first week of Auror training about playing by the rules and trying to live down certain genetic malfunctions, she’d been toeing the line. The surprise was that she was getting fired by a man who didn’t even work for the Ministry. That seemed odd but she wasn’t going to question it now. “So you’re not just a dragon keeper anymore? You’re doing Ministry dirty work now?”
“What? No. Not dirty work. Kingsley doesn’t just work for the Ministry. He’s in the Order.”
She squinted at him, trying to piece together what he was saying. “Order? Like… a monk? That explains so much.”
While she hadn’t intended to make Charlie laugh, it was lovely to hear the sound again. The little girl inside, who was still as in love with him as the day he bumped into on the train to school, thrilled at the sound; it was a struggle not to laugh along.
“Order of the Phoenix. That’s what I came to talk to you about today. It’s a group of people that Dumbledore assembled to fight the Death Eaters. They’d like you to join. The Ministry isn’t giving him the kind of help that he needs this time around. They keep saying there isn’t a threat but I think we know differently.”
“We? So you’re in this Order group?”
His smile split open the wound on his chin once again, leaking blood down his chin. Because she suddenly felt bad, Tonks handed him a tissue. As he dabbed at it, he answered, “It drives Mum crazy that Bill and I have wanted to be a member of the Order since we were little. She always thought she’d shielded us from their activities when we were little but all she did was make it something much cooler than it really was to our little boy brains. When we heard the group was back together, we jumped at the chance.”
“And what is it that you do exactly?”
“We fight. Wherever. Whenever. He’s coming back and we need to make sure he doesn’t do as much damage this time. Someone has to fight him.”
Tonks tried to wrap her brain around this information. “There isn’t a threat from any Death Eaters. I think I would know if there was.”
“There is. Think about it, Tonks. Open you mind to what is happening instead of what they’re telling you. Fudge will do anything to keep this under wraps. That includes keeping even his Aurors in the dark. Kingsley knows. He’ll tell you.” With a look of exasperation, Charlie stood up and began to pace; four steps one way, four steps the other. “The Order needs you, Tonks. Think about it. I know you have questions but I can’t really answer them. I’m supposed to just do the initial meeting, give you some information so that you’ll have questions. Kingsley is your man for follow up. He knows more than I ever will. I do what I can but I’m not in the middle of things like he is. Or Mad-Eye. Ask him.”
“You know Alastor Moody?”
Charlie shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. “He’s been around at our house since I can remember.”
She was in shock. Mad-Eye Moody was a particular idol of hers, someone relegated to stories told in a hushed voice as if saying his name too loud might make it lose some of its mystery. “Who else is in this group?”
His smile told her that he knew she was hooked. He crossed his arms, standing tall and strong in the midst of her dreary surroundings, looking every inch the rugged and strong dragon keeper she’d always imagined him to be. “You’ll have to join us to find out. I’ve let out too much already. Think about it, Tonks. You’re the sort of person who needs to be doing something that truly makes a difference. A Ministry job will never do that for you. This, on the other hand, will give you a reason to keep moving forward.”
Tonks tried to hide her shock. She’d thought she was hiding her feelings well but he was parroting everything back to her as if he could read her thoughts. When he stepped forward and held out his hand, she took it, using it to propell her off the bed where she’d been sitting and straight into his arms. Without a thought, she melted into his hug. They’d been such good friends once. She missed that more than she realized.
“Sorry about hitting you with a book,” she mumbled into his thoroughly ruined shirt.
“Sorry about leaving,” he whispered into her hair. “It seems that’s all I ever do anymore.”
She let him go, blinking back tears as he gave her one last smile. At the door, he looked back and smiled. “Nice place. You should fire your decorator.”
“I’m sure yours is no better,” she replied without rancor, her lips curved into a grin of delight. He’d looked back this time. It still hurt to think about him but that single look had healed something inside her that had been fractured and unable to heal all this time. She’d been so broken after he left and now… now she really did need to get some sleep.
AUTHOR: lar_laughs
FANDOM: Harry Potter
PAIRING: Tonks, Charlie
PROMPT: a horrible thought/Nymphadora Tonks at first_order Week 3 Challenge & 65. Leaving at 100_tales (x-posted at hp_fanfiction, my_tonks, weasley_esque, and flames_n_tats)
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 1652
SUMMARY: A familiar visitor pays Tonks a visit and offers her something she thought she might miss out on.
WARNINGS: irritable female and condescending male, oh my!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of, nor do I make any money from the Harry Potter franchise. I merely dabble in the shadows of the world of JK Rowling created.
Training was over for the time being and Tonks had little else to look forward to over the next couple of days. She didn’t like to think of it as a weekend. When weeks ended, time moved quickly. The last thing she wanted was for more time to pass. Too much of it already stretched out in front of her, mocking her with a continual stretch of work and sleep. Some eating now and then when she remembered to fill her icebox with edibles. Right now it held some bottles of ale.
Her life was going nowhere… very quickly. It was a horrible thought. Being an Auror was supposed to give her a reason for getting up in the morning. Instead, it was reminding her of everything that she’d ever wanted and couldn’t have.
A knock on the door nearly made her fall off the bed. In this tiny flat, she heard every sound within a twenty foot radius. No one had ever visited her here. Suddenly, she was intrigued.
Charlie Weasley stood in the doorway looking every bit as uncomfortable as he had the last time she’d seen him. “Are you going to invite me in?”
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to have him in her little flat, as if this was exactly what she’d always envisioned for her life. If he saw it, he might think she was settling. The last thing she wanted Charlie Weasley to think was that she would settle for anything.
“What? Are you a vampire now? Can’t barge in like you used to?”
He frowned at her. “I’d rather not talk to you out in the hall but I will unless you invite me in. It’s the polite thing to do.”
“So you’re polite now?” It was always so easy to fight with Charlie. It was what she’d done for the last three years, right after that incident with the lips touching and realizing how much she liked it. Not Charlie. He was… a Weasley. They had funny feelings about women who could change their hair colour with a thought.
“I told my mum I’d be civil. It was her idea that I’m here, after all.”
That took the wind out of her sails. Without another word, she moved out of the way so he could enter. When he didn’t move, she rolled her eyes. “Come in… Charles. I would hate for your mother not to get her way.”
Taking the single chair that was pushed up toward a rickety table, Charlie settled his solid frame on the very edge, as if he needed to flee at a moment’s notice. Like she’d throw herself at him again and he’d be forced to fight her off. That wasn’t going to happen… again.
“Spill it. I’ve got to get back to the Ministry soon.”
“You’ve got the time to listen to me. Dad checked your schedule.”
The book was in her hand before she realized what she had in mind. It flew with accuracy, hitting him on the chin with enough force to split his skin open. The blood dribbled onto the white shirt, washed and ironed with love by Molly Weasley.
“I don’t want you checking up on me. Not any of you.”
“It wasn’t a check up.” He dabbed at his chin but didn’t seem phased by the pain or the blood. “I have a proposition for you. We just wanted to make sure that you’d be around so I wasn’t wasting my time.”
Everything he was saying seemed designed to hurt her, flaying open old wounds without meeting any resistance. It shouldn’t have surprised her that she was a waste of time to Charlie Weasley. He was the one that had left her behind all those years ago without so much as a backwards glance. As if they hadn’t meant anything to each other. Like she wasn’t important.
“By all means, I wouldn’t want you to waste your time. Speak and be done with it. I don’t want you here.” That was a lie but she wasn’t going to let on how comforting it was to have someone else in her normally silent room. “Just as I’m sure you don’t want to be here. You were always a fan of leaving.”
“Look, I didn’t come here to snipe at you.” He crossed his arms over his chest, a sign that he was irritated. “I told them Kingsley should have done this.”
“Kingsley?” Just a mention of the senior Auror’s name was enough to send chills down Tonks’ spine. She’d been trying so hard to keep out of trouble lately. After the lecture she’d gotten her first week of Auror training about playing by the rules and trying to live down certain genetic malfunctions, she’d been toeing the line. The surprise was that she was getting fired by a man who didn’t even work for the Ministry. That seemed odd but she wasn’t going to question it now. “So you’re not just a dragon keeper anymore? You’re doing Ministry dirty work now?”
“What? No. Not dirty work. Kingsley doesn’t just work for the Ministry. He’s in the Order.”
She squinted at him, trying to piece together what he was saying. “Order? Like… a monk? That explains so much.”
While she hadn’t intended to make Charlie laugh, it was lovely to hear the sound again. The little girl inside, who was still as in love with him as the day he bumped into on the train to school, thrilled at the sound; it was a struggle not to laugh along.
“Order of the Phoenix. That’s what I came to talk to you about today. It’s a group of people that Dumbledore assembled to fight the Death Eaters. They’d like you to join. The Ministry isn’t giving him the kind of help that he needs this time around. They keep saying there isn’t a threat but I think we know differently.”
“We? So you’re in this Order group?”
His smile split open the wound on his chin once again, leaking blood down his chin. Because she suddenly felt bad, Tonks handed him a tissue. As he dabbed at it, he answered, “It drives Mum crazy that Bill and I have wanted to be a member of the Order since we were little. She always thought she’d shielded us from their activities when we were little but all she did was make it something much cooler than it really was to our little boy brains. When we heard the group was back together, we jumped at the chance.”
“And what is it that you do exactly?”
“We fight. Wherever. Whenever. He’s coming back and we need to make sure he doesn’t do as much damage this time. Someone has to fight him.”
Tonks tried to wrap her brain around this information. “There isn’t a threat from any Death Eaters. I think I would know if there was.”
“There is. Think about it, Tonks. Open you mind to what is happening instead of what they’re telling you. Fudge will do anything to keep this under wraps. That includes keeping even his Aurors in the dark. Kingsley knows. He’ll tell you.” With a look of exasperation, Charlie stood up and began to pace; four steps one way, four steps the other. “The Order needs you, Tonks. Think about it. I know you have questions but I can’t really answer them. I’m supposed to just do the initial meeting, give you some information so that you’ll have questions. Kingsley is your man for follow up. He knows more than I ever will. I do what I can but I’m not in the middle of things like he is. Or Mad-Eye. Ask him.”
“You know Alastor Moody?”
Charlie shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. “He’s been around at our house since I can remember.”
She was in shock. Mad-Eye Moody was a particular idol of hers, someone relegated to stories told in a hushed voice as if saying his name too loud might make it lose some of its mystery. “Who else is in this group?”
His smile told her that he knew she was hooked. He crossed his arms, standing tall and strong in the midst of her dreary surroundings, looking every inch the rugged and strong dragon keeper she’d always imagined him to be. “You’ll have to join us to find out. I’ve let out too much already. Think about it, Tonks. You’re the sort of person who needs to be doing something that truly makes a difference. A Ministry job will never do that for you. This, on the other hand, will give you a reason to keep moving forward.”
Tonks tried to hide her shock. She’d thought she was hiding her feelings well but he was parroting everything back to her as if he could read her thoughts. When he stepped forward and held out his hand, she took it, using it to propell her off the bed where she’d been sitting and straight into his arms. Without a thought, she melted into his hug. They’d been such good friends once. She missed that more than she realized.
“Sorry about hitting you with a book,” she mumbled into his thoroughly ruined shirt.
“Sorry about leaving,” he whispered into her hair. “It seems that’s all I ever do anymore.”
She let him go, blinking back tears as he gave her one last smile. At the door, he looked back and smiled. “Nice place. You should fire your decorator.”
“I’m sure yours is no better,” she replied without rancor, her lips curved into a grin of delight. He’d looked back this time. It still hurt to think about him but that single look had healed something inside her that had been fractured and unable to heal all this time. She’d been so broken after he left and now… now she really did need to get some sleep.