Part Six: The Perfect Day
Title: The Perfect Day
Author: gijane7702
Rating & Warnings: PG/angst
Prompts: Promise (it's there...)
Word Count: 1751
Summary: A perfect day…right before all hell breaks loose.
Author’s Notes: Part 6 in my series; set a week before the battle at the DoM; Last part set in OotP.
Cookies (biscuits) for anyone who gets the (slight) Dr Who nod =)
Anyone know what to name this series?
Remus sat at the table in the basement kitchen of number 12, Grimmauld Place, waiting for Sirius to finally make an appearance. Unconsciously, he was tapping his spoon against his coffee cup in time to the rain gently tapping on the window.
“Morning, Moony,” Sirius grunted at him as he slouched into the kitchen and immediately opened a bottle of Firewhisky. “Where’s Tonks this morning?”
Knowing it was fruitless to even say something about his drinking, Remus replied in a grave voice, “Good afternoon, Sirius. Dora is on an errand, but she should be right back.”
“Oh dear…I know I’m in trouble,” he was told mockingly. “Is Prefect Moony going to put me in detention?”
“No.”
Sirius stopped with the bottle halfway to his mouth. “No?”
“No. Put the bottle down and listen.” Remus was surprised when Sirius obeyed. “Dora and I were thinking about what you were saying last night…”
A slight blush gave his friend’s usually pale face a bit of colour. “Right…sorry ‘bout that. I put you in kind of a bind, you know…using the ‘M’ word.”
“It’s all right, Padfoot.”
“But,” Sirius said in such a low voice that Remus had to lean in to hear him. “I used the ‘M’ word. Remember what it did to James?”
“Marriage,” Remus paused as Sirius overdramatically flinched, “was good for James.”
“Says you,” Sirius muttered, but he was grinning.
Remus was pleased. If Sirius wasn’t drinking and he was with him he was almost his usual self.
But Grimmauld Place was slowly eating away at him. Sirius had not only traded one prison for another: this new one was personal.
“What exactly did I say last night?” Sirius asked him, putting down the Firewhisky and getting up to pour himself a cup of coffee. “Ugh…how do you drink this crap?” he asked Remus after one mouthful. “Drinking coffee’s so…un-English.”
Remus arched an eyebrow at him, grinned when Sirius grimaced as he realised what he had said, and told him, “But I’m not English. So it’s all right.”
“It’s the accent, “Sirius muttered. “It’s not as…thick as McGonagall’s.”
“That’s because we’re from different parts of Scotland,” Remus said in a slow voice, as if Sirius were a child he were explaining something to.
Remus chuckled at the look of indignation on his friend’s face, but before Sirius could reply, there was a loud thump upstairs, followed by a loud curse, followed by Mrs Black’s portrait screaming.
“I’d say Darling Dora’s home,” Sirius told him with a grin.
“Why ever would you say that?” Remus asked him, returning the grin. “You know when’s she’s arrived when…”
“Don’t let her hear you say something like that!” Sirius managed to gasp out before doubling over in laughter.
“Say something like what?” Tonks asked as she entered the kitchen.
Remus whipped around to face her and Sirius muttered, “Nothing!” then turned his back on both of them to put the kettle on.
“Say something like what, Remus?” she asked him again, ignoring her cousin.
“About how much you love that umbrella stand,” he told her smoothly, smiling at her as a blush burned her face and at the impressed look that Sirius shot at him.
“What you smirking about?” Tonks demanded of Sirius.
“Nothing…”
“I have something for you,” Tonks shook the bag she was carrying at him, “but now you’re not going to get it.”
This time it was the kettle beginning to whistle that cut off Sirius’ reply. Remus took the bag from Tonks, who looked gleeful at her cousin’s annoyance, then turned to his friend and said, “Turn the kettle off and make your English tea.”
Tonks looked slightly perplexed by his use of adjective, so he said, “Sirius told me coffee’s very un-English-”
“But you’re not English,” Tonks finished, nodding her understanding.
“I hate when you two do that,” Sirius muttered, placing Tonks’ cup in front of her and sitting down.
“Speaking of Scotland, as I was trying to tell you earlier, Dora and I think you need to get away. So we’re headed to mine today.”
“Dumbledore…” Sirius began.
“Is busy at the Hog’s Head,” Remus finished. “Dung’s offered to distract him for you.”
“Do I even dare ask…?” Sirius asked.
“I wouldn’t,” Tonks said, making a face.
“The law enforcement officer’s conflicted, huh?” he asked her. To Remus he questioned, “And how am I supposed to get to Scotland?”
“You’re a wizard…” he was told, once again in the slow voice. “You’ll Apparate.” Remus tried very hard not to grin at the prissy look on Sirius’ face or the snort of laughter that sent Tonks’ tea across the table. “To get you outside, we’ll need Padfoot.”
Sirius nodded, stood up, and transformed.
Remus reached into the bag and pulled out a lead and collar. Padfoot yelped, but Remus told him, “It’s a city law…we’ll let you off as soon as we’re at the Apparition Point.” Padfoot whined again, but submitted to being fastened with the collar and lead. “And you were implying earlier that I was the one on a lead…” Remus whispered into his ear as Tonks was busy Vanishing her mess. He grinned as Padfoot’s eyes went wide.
“All done,” Tonks announced loudly, eyeing the man and the dog with amusement. “Let’s go.”
The trio that set off up the street looked perfectly normal to the passing Muggles. Remus held Padfoot’s lead in a firm grip while Tonks laced her arm though his.
They headed towards the mews where the Apparition Point was located once Grimmauld Place disappeared from view. Padfoot growled at the place where the house should have been, then eagerly began to walk away.
“Slow down, boy,” Remus told him. Tonks giggled as he turned around and glared at him.
The light rain from earlier was gone. Besides the fact it was such a beautiful spring day, Remus really couldn’t blame Sirius for being so eager to be outside.
“Bad doggie!” Tonks called out as Padfoot began to eye up a lamppost with interest.
Remus threw his head back and laughed, then placed a kiss on the top of Tonks’ pink spikes. Padfoot shot them a dark look, and then turned into the correct mews.
“Don’t you ‘bad doggie’ me again, Tonks,” Sirius told her as she and Remus came around the corner. He then shook his head like a wet dog shook its body. “Not a word,” he warned them.
“Remus says you know where you’re going. See you in Scotland…pup.” With smirk and a slight pop, Tonks Disapparated.
“If you weren’t in love with her, Moony…” Sirius said before he Disapparated, his a tad louder than his cousin’s.
Remus shook his head and Disapparated.
When he reappeared, Sirius was chasing Tonks down the hillside towards the house. With a smile, Remus set off after them.
An ear-splitting shriek rent thought the air. It was immediately followed by a loud splash, then a hearty male bark of laughter.
“Remus!” Tonks bellowed. “Sirius pushed me in the lake! It’s bloody buggering cold.”
Rounding the corner, he came upon Sirius doubled over in a hearty laugher, quite unawares that Tonks was now out of the water and stalking towards him, wand drawn, “I’ve told you before, sweetheart, it’s a loch not a lake.” He took a seat in one of the chairs on the terrace.
“There’s your accent,” Sirius said. At the same time, he finally noticed Tonks and was just able to throw up a Shield Charm to deflect her hex.
“I think the Scots accent is dead sexy,” Tonks said as she ducked the defected spell. “I like when he uses it in-”
“Stop!” Sirius bellowed. “I don’t want to hear details!” Remus and Tonks, who had flopped into the chair next to him, began to laugh. “I mean it! I told you both last night I was happy for you, but I just don’t want to know the details. For God’s sake, Remus allegedly lives with me, but he’s never there.” Sirius paused as he made to sit down as a cat came streaking out of the house, pounced into Remus’ lap, and began to purr loudly. “You have a cat?” he asked in a perplexed voice.
“Chameleon is supposedly my cat-” Tonks said in a bitter voice.
“He is your cat!” Remus told her with a sigh. It was the old argument. Chameleon tried to help him by meowing his agreement and springing over to her lap.
“But he loves Remus more than me,” she finished, glaring at both man and cat.
Sirius snorted with laughter. “You named your cat Chameleon?” he asked Tonks, who ignored him. “Hullo, kitty,” he told the cat, who now came over to investigate him. “Whoa!” he bellowed when Chameleon hissed and arched his back.
“Oh!” Remus sprung up and grabbed the cat. “Chameleon is half Kneazle, Sirius. He can probably smell Padfoot on you, like Crookshanks smelled Sirius off Padfoot.”
Sirius nodded his understanding, stood up, and transformed once again. Remus let go of Chameleon, who cautiously approached him. Padfoot barked happily, nudged Chameleon, and then bounded off the terrace. The cat looked back at Remus and Tonks before meowing and ran off after Padfoot.
“Look…Sirius has a new friend,” Tonks said as they watched the two play.
Remus chuckled. Patting his leg, he said, “Come here.” Tonks smiled at him, stood up, and then slid into his lap. “Are you cold?” Remus asked as she shivered a bit. “It’s nippier here than in London,” he continued.
“Especially with the wind coming off the lake,” she said, her voice muffled slightly by his woollen jumper.
“Loch,” Remus automatically corrected.
“Whatever,” she muttered, snuggling deeper.
He laughed, then Conjured a plaid shawl, and covered them both. Pressing a kiss on her temple, he said, “Sleep. Healer’s orders, you know that.”
Tonks made a face, but soon was asleep. Burning the candle at both ends, working for both the Ministry and the Order, had finally caught up with her and she had developed a nasty cold.
For a few hours, Remus was content to watch Chameleon and Padfoot play as he held her in his lap. He finally called Padfoot and Chameleon back and woke Tonks. They all had a fantastic dinner, and then took Sirius back to London.
When they returned to Scotland, Remus and Tonks made love, and then snuggled fast asleep under a Douglas Ancient plaid with Chameleon, both blissfully unaware of how their world was going to shatter in less than a week.
Author: gijane7702
Rating & Warnings: PG/angst
Prompts: Promise (it's there...)
Word Count: 1751
Summary: A perfect day…right before all hell breaks loose.
Author’s Notes: Part 6 in my series; set a week before the battle at the DoM; Last part set in OotP.
Cookies (biscuits) for anyone who gets the (slight) Dr Who nod =)
Anyone know what to name this series?
Remus sat at the table in the basement kitchen of number 12, Grimmauld Place, waiting for Sirius to finally make an appearance. Unconsciously, he was tapping his spoon against his coffee cup in time to the rain gently tapping on the window.
“Morning, Moony,” Sirius grunted at him as he slouched into the kitchen and immediately opened a bottle of Firewhisky. “Where’s Tonks this morning?”
Knowing it was fruitless to even say something about his drinking, Remus replied in a grave voice, “Good afternoon, Sirius. Dora is on an errand, but she should be right back.”
“Oh dear…I know I’m in trouble,” he was told mockingly. “Is Prefect Moony going to put me in detention?”
“No.”
Sirius stopped with the bottle halfway to his mouth. “No?”
“No. Put the bottle down and listen.” Remus was surprised when Sirius obeyed. “Dora and I were thinking about what you were saying last night…”
A slight blush gave his friend’s usually pale face a bit of colour. “Right…sorry ‘bout that. I put you in kind of a bind, you know…using the ‘M’ word.”
“It’s all right, Padfoot.”
“But,” Sirius said in such a low voice that Remus had to lean in to hear him. “I used the ‘M’ word. Remember what it did to James?”
“Marriage,” Remus paused as Sirius overdramatically flinched, “was good for James.”
“Says you,” Sirius muttered, but he was grinning.
Remus was pleased. If Sirius wasn’t drinking and he was with him he was almost his usual self.
But Grimmauld Place was slowly eating away at him. Sirius had not only traded one prison for another: this new one was personal.
“What exactly did I say last night?” Sirius asked him, putting down the Firewhisky and getting up to pour himself a cup of coffee. “Ugh…how do you drink this crap?” he asked Remus after one mouthful. “Drinking coffee’s so…un-English.”
Remus arched an eyebrow at him, grinned when Sirius grimaced as he realised what he had said, and told him, “But I’m not English. So it’s all right.”
“It’s the accent, “Sirius muttered. “It’s not as…thick as McGonagall’s.”
“That’s because we’re from different parts of Scotland,” Remus said in a slow voice, as if Sirius were a child he were explaining something to.
Remus chuckled at the look of indignation on his friend’s face, but before Sirius could reply, there was a loud thump upstairs, followed by a loud curse, followed by Mrs Black’s portrait screaming.
“I’d say Darling Dora’s home,” Sirius told him with a grin.
“Why ever would you say that?” Remus asked him, returning the grin. “You know when’s she’s arrived when…”
“Don’t let her hear you say something like that!” Sirius managed to gasp out before doubling over in laughter.
“Say something like what?” Tonks asked as she entered the kitchen.
Remus whipped around to face her and Sirius muttered, “Nothing!” then turned his back on both of them to put the kettle on.
“Say something like what, Remus?” she asked him again, ignoring her cousin.
“About how much you love that umbrella stand,” he told her smoothly, smiling at her as a blush burned her face and at the impressed look that Sirius shot at him.
“What you smirking about?” Tonks demanded of Sirius.
“Nothing…”
“I have something for you,” Tonks shook the bag she was carrying at him, “but now you’re not going to get it.”
This time it was the kettle beginning to whistle that cut off Sirius’ reply. Remus took the bag from Tonks, who looked gleeful at her cousin’s annoyance, then turned to his friend and said, “Turn the kettle off and make your English tea.”
Tonks looked slightly perplexed by his use of adjective, so he said, “Sirius told me coffee’s very un-English-”
“But you’re not English,” Tonks finished, nodding her understanding.
“I hate when you two do that,” Sirius muttered, placing Tonks’ cup in front of her and sitting down.
“Speaking of Scotland, as I was trying to tell you earlier, Dora and I think you need to get away. So we’re headed to mine today.”
“Dumbledore…” Sirius began.
“Is busy at the Hog’s Head,” Remus finished. “Dung’s offered to distract him for you.”
“Do I even dare ask…?” Sirius asked.
“I wouldn’t,” Tonks said, making a face.
“The law enforcement officer’s conflicted, huh?” he asked her. To Remus he questioned, “And how am I supposed to get to Scotland?”
“You’re a wizard…” he was told, once again in the slow voice. “You’ll Apparate.” Remus tried very hard not to grin at the prissy look on Sirius’ face or the snort of laughter that sent Tonks’ tea across the table. “To get you outside, we’ll need Padfoot.”
Sirius nodded, stood up, and transformed.
Remus reached into the bag and pulled out a lead and collar. Padfoot yelped, but Remus told him, “It’s a city law…we’ll let you off as soon as we’re at the Apparition Point.” Padfoot whined again, but submitted to being fastened with the collar and lead. “And you were implying earlier that I was the one on a lead…” Remus whispered into his ear as Tonks was busy Vanishing her mess. He grinned as Padfoot’s eyes went wide.
“All done,” Tonks announced loudly, eyeing the man and the dog with amusement. “Let’s go.”
The trio that set off up the street looked perfectly normal to the passing Muggles. Remus held Padfoot’s lead in a firm grip while Tonks laced her arm though his.
They headed towards the mews where the Apparition Point was located once Grimmauld Place disappeared from view. Padfoot growled at the place where the house should have been, then eagerly began to walk away.
“Slow down, boy,” Remus told him. Tonks giggled as he turned around and glared at him.
The light rain from earlier was gone. Besides the fact it was such a beautiful spring day, Remus really couldn’t blame Sirius for being so eager to be outside.
“Bad doggie!” Tonks called out as Padfoot began to eye up a lamppost with interest.
Remus threw his head back and laughed, then placed a kiss on the top of Tonks’ pink spikes. Padfoot shot them a dark look, and then turned into the correct mews.
“Don’t you ‘bad doggie’ me again, Tonks,” Sirius told her as she and Remus came around the corner. He then shook his head like a wet dog shook its body. “Not a word,” he warned them.
“Remus says you know where you’re going. See you in Scotland…pup.” With smirk and a slight pop, Tonks Disapparated.
“If you weren’t in love with her, Moony…” Sirius said before he Disapparated, his a tad louder than his cousin’s.
Remus shook his head and Disapparated.
When he reappeared, Sirius was chasing Tonks down the hillside towards the house. With a smile, Remus set off after them.
An ear-splitting shriek rent thought the air. It was immediately followed by a loud splash, then a hearty male bark of laughter.
“Remus!” Tonks bellowed. “Sirius pushed me in the lake! It’s bloody buggering cold.”
Rounding the corner, he came upon Sirius doubled over in a hearty laugher, quite unawares that Tonks was now out of the water and stalking towards him, wand drawn, “I’ve told you before, sweetheart, it’s a loch not a lake.” He took a seat in one of the chairs on the terrace.
“There’s your accent,” Sirius said. At the same time, he finally noticed Tonks and was just able to throw up a Shield Charm to deflect her hex.
“I think the Scots accent is dead sexy,” Tonks said as she ducked the defected spell. “I like when he uses it in-”
“Stop!” Sirius bellowed. “I don’t want to hear details!” Remus and Tonks, who had flopped into the chair next to him, began to laugh. “I mean it! I told you both last night I was happy for you, but I just don’t want to know the details. For God’s sake, Remus allegedly lives with me, but he’s never there.” Sirius paused as he made to sit down as a cat came streaking out of the house, pounced into Remus’ lap, and began to purr loudly. “You have a cat?” he asked in a perplexed voice.
“Chameleon is supposedly my cat-” Tonks said in a bitter voice.
“He is your cat!” Remus told her with a sigh. It was the old argument. Chameleon tried to help him by meowing his agreement and springing over to her lap.
“But he loves Remus more than me,” she finished, glaring at both man and cat.
Sirius snorted with laughter. “You named your cat Chameleon?” he asked Tonks, who ignored him. “Hullo, kitty,” he told the cat, who now came over to investigate him. “Whoa!” he bellowed when Chameleon hissed and arched his back.
“Oh!” Remus sprung up and grabbed the cat. “Chameleon is half Kneazle, Sirius. He can probably smell Padfoot on you, like Crookshanks smelled Sirius off Padfoot.”
Sirius nodded his understanding, stood up, and transformed once again. Remus let go of Chameleon, who cautiously approached him. Padfoot barked happily, nudged Chameleon, and then bounded off the terrace. The cat looked back at Remus and Tonks before meowing and ran off after Padfoot.
“Look…Sirius has a new friend,” Tonks said as they watched the two play.
Remus chuckled. Patting his leg, he said, “Come here.” Tonks smiled at him, stood up, and then slid into his lap. “Are you cold?” Remus asked as she shivered a bit. “It’s nippier here than in London,” he continued.
“Especially with the wind coming off the lake,” she said, her voice muffled slightly by his woollen jumper.
“Loch,” Remus automatically corrected.
“Whatever,” she muttered, snuggling deeper.
He laughed, then Conjured a plaid shawl, and covered them both. Pressing a kiss on her temple, he said, “Sleep. Healer’s orders, you know that.”
Tonks made a face, but soon was asleep. Burning the candle at both ends, working for both the Ministry and the Order, had finally caught up with her and she had developed a nasty cold.
For a few hours, Remus was content to watch Chameleon and Padfoot play as he held her in his lap. He finally called Padfoot and Chameleon back and woke Tonks. They all had a fantastic dinner, and then took Sirius back to London.
When they returned to Scotland, Remus and Tonks made love, and then snuggled fast asleep under a Douglas Ancient plaid with Chameleon, both blissfully unaware of how their world was going to shatter in less than a week.