A Twilight Wooing (scarvesnhats Day 05)
I II III IV V
Title: A Twilight Wooing
Rating: PG
Words: 1111
Prompt: Here we lived and fed . . . not minding the little space, trod on each other like birds in a hole, elbowed our ways without spite, all talking at once or silent at once . . . but never I think feeling overcrowded, being as separate as notes in a scale.
~ Laurie Lee, Cider with Rosie
Disclaimer: They belong to JKR. I’m just borrowing them.
The kitchen was so crowded and Tonks was so tired that she kept thinking she could see two Hestias sitting opposite her. Remus, who didn’t look much more awake than she felt, was in the other chair. Bill was leaning on the door behind her, and Sirius was sitting on the draining board, flicking fag ash into the sink, feet hooked over the taps. Bill’s latest, who Dumbledore obviously thought useful, was at the stove, having evicted Remus after he incinerated a pan of bacon (It is obvious that nobody in this ‘ouse knows ‘ow to boil an egg.)
Kingsley was leaning on the mantelpiece and holding forth. “-hard enough to keep this charade going without Sturgis, the poor bastard. I damn well can’t afford to lose Tonks as well-”
“Cheers,” Tonks said wearily and leached another sip of cold tea through her teeth. They’d been going in circles all night. She didn’t even know if she could risk stepping out the front door yet. For all she knew, they’d decided she was abetting that international fugitive Sirius Black out of some twisted blood loyalty.
“Shut the fuck up, Kingsley,” said the same international fugitive. “We’ve heard it before.”
“You make a helpful suggestion, then!” Kingsley snapped.
“Bugger off,” Sirius said, and Remus sat up a little, wincing. Kingsley drew a breath, and Sirius added, smirking, “To the Ministry, you pillock, and find out what’s going on. Rest of us will get going on concocting an alibi for Nympho here.”
“Tonks!” she said automatically, and Sirius grinned at her, smoke wreathing around his face. For a moment, in the dim light, he looked like the boy he must once have been, bright and sharp, uncannily like her mother.
Then Kingsley, muttering, slammed out, and Remus said wearily, “He’s on our side, Sirius.”
“He was less of a prick when he was twelve,” Sirius muttered.
Hestia snorted into her palm and caught Tonks’ eyes, moving her hands apart in a generous measure. Tonks choked on her tea. How the fuck was she ever meant to look Kingsley in the eye again?
“What?” Sirius said, looking at her, and Bill said, sounding strangled, “Don’t ask, Black. Just don’t.”
“No one tells me anything,” Sirius muttered half-heartedly.
“Don’t complain,” Bill muttered. “Right, alibi for the pink puff here?”
Tonks flipped a finger up at him and turned her hair green. There was still a cold knot of dread in her stomach, but the company of friends was helping.
“If I was setting it up,” Hestia said, leaning back. “I’d keep it simple. Got a boyfriend who will lie for you, Tonksie?”
“Not such luck.”
“Right,” Hestia said thoughtfully and glanced around. She winced.
Remus was looking mildly alarmed, and Sirius was smirking. Tonks groaned and hid her head in her arms. If Hestia was about to start doing a Cilla Black, she didn’t want to witness it.
“Why’s everyone looking at me?” Bill protested.
She heard Hestia sigh heavily. “Because of the three men in the room right now, he’s gay, he’s on the run, and you-”
“-have a girlfriend!” Bill yelped. “Get Kingsley back in here.”
Tonks winced. This was hardy flattering.
“He’s gone,” Remus said, and if Tonks hadn’t known what a nice bloke he was, she could have sworn he was biting back laughter.
“Fleur!”
“I think it is an excellent idea. Can you change your ‘air to blonde, Miss Tonks?”
Tonks lifted her head enough to eye the kid suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because gentlemen prefer blondes,” Sirius said, and then spluttered as Remus threw a dishcloth at him.
“Because,” Fleur said, levitating plates to settle on the table, “Bill and I went dancing last night. At, er, a great many clubs.”
“I am the only person in this room who got my beauty sleep last night, aren’t I?” Hestia remarked.
“I do not need to sleep to stay beautiful,” Fleur remarked, sending pans of sausages, bacon and fried bread over. “May I ‘ave a cigarette, Mr Black? I do not think my waistline would survive this concoction.”
Hestia rolled her eyes as Sirius clicked his fingers below Fleur’s cigarette, silvery flames streaming up. “Might put some colour in your cheeks, pet. Well then, Tonksie, go blonde.”
Tonks glowered around generally, but put some effort into it. She was no bloody veela, but she could damn well do impressive. She could see her hair fading out of the corner of her eye, her scalp tingling as she concentrated, letting the weight of it fall down her back, silken and silvery. She got up and strolled over to stand beside Fleur, holding out a strand to check the colour. “Good match?”
“It doesn’t suit you,” Remus said abruptly, frowning at Sirius. Her cousin had gone pale, his eyes bleak and blank. After a moment, he said, voice wavering, “You look like Narcissa.”
Tonks winced and said hurriedly to Fleur, “I can look more like you if need be, but people will get suspicious.”
Fleur shrugged, her eyes wide with fascination. “We did not stay anywhere very long. The attention can get a little overwhelming.”
“What is your mother going to say?” Remus asked Bill lightly.
“My love life doesn’t have anything to do with my mother.”
It felt good to splutter with laughter, especially when the whole room was laughing too, and she began to hope that they’d get her out of this mess. If not - well, she could always help Sirius slay doxies.
“Somebody’s been in Egypt too long,” Sirius said.
“Piss off, Black. Right, what now?”
“Wait for Kingsley,” Remus said. “If he thinks it’s safe, you can head towards Nymphadora’s. It’s not ten yet, so you’re within plausibility. You sure no one saw you last night?”
“Sure,” Tonks said. She was old enough to remember the emergency procedures of the last war, and she’d been up and out before the fire finished flaring.
“In which case,” Remus said, “I suggest we turn our attention to breakfast.”
It wasn’t until later, after Kingsley had returned with tales of uproar and confusion, that she looked at Remus again. He was still watching Sirius, and for a moment his face was unguarded and Tonks understood that something was wrong. She had been so sure they were lovers, living here together, but desperate yearning on Remus’ face made her think again.
As she followed Bill out of the kitchen, she heard Remus say softly, “You remembered three things today.”
And that, coupled with all she had been taught about Azkaban, let her guess at the truth. Something, she thought as she went to retrieve the ruins of her own life, ought to be done.
Title: A Twilight Wooing
Rating: PG
Words: 1111
Prompt: Here we lived and fed . . . not minding the little space, trod on each other like birds in a hole, elbowed our ways without spite, all talking at once or silent at once . . . but never I think feeling overcrowded, being as separate as notes in a scale.
~ Laurie Lee, Cider with Rosie
Disclaimer: They belong to JKR. I’m just borrowing them.
The kitchen was so crowded and Tonks was so tired that she kept thinking she could see two Hestias sitting opposite her. Remus, who didn’t look much more awake than she felt, was in the other chair. Bill was leaning on the door behind her, and Sirius was sitting on the draining board, flicking fag ash into the sink, feet hooked over the taps. Bill’s latest, who Dumbledore obviously thought useful, was at the stove, having evicted Remus after he incinerated a pan of bacon (It is obvious that nobody in this ‘ouse knows ‘ow to boil an egg.)
Kingsley was leaning on the mantelpiece and holding forth. “-hard enough to keep this charade going without Sturgis, the poor bastard. I damn well can’t afford to lose Tonks as well-”
“Cheers,” Tonks said wearily and leached another sip of cold tea through her teeth. They’d been going in circles all night. She didn’t even know if she could risk stepping out the front door yet. For all she knew, they’d decided she was abetting that international fugitive Sirius Black out of some twisted blood loyalty.
“Shut the fuck up, Kingsley,” said the same international fugitive. “We’ve heard it before.”
“You make a helpful suggestion, then!” Kingsley snapped.
“Bugger off,” Sirius said, and Remus sat up a little, wincing. Kingsley drew a breath, and Sirius added, smirking, “To the Ministry, you pillock, and find out what’s going on. Rest of us will get going on concocting an alibi for Nympho here.”
“Tonks!” she said automatically, and Sirius grinned at her, smoke wreathing around his face. For a moment, in the dim light, he looked like the boy he must once have been, bright and sharp, uncannily like her mother.
Then Kingsley, muttering, slammed out, and Remus said wearily, “He’s on our side, Sirius.”
“He was less of a prick when he was twelve,” Sirius muttered.
Hestia snorted into her palm and caught Tonks’ eyes, moving her hands apart in a generous measure. Tonks choked on her tea. How the fuck was she ever meant to look Kingsley in the eye again?
“What?” Sirius said, looking at her, and Bill said, sounding strangled, “Don’t ask, Black. Just don’t.”
“No one tells me anything,” Sirius muttered half-heartedly.
“Don’t complain,” Bill muttered. “Right, alibi for the pink puff here?”
Tonks flipped a finger up at him and turned her hair green. There was still a cold knot of dread in her stomach, but the company of friends was helping.
“If I was setting it up,” Hestia said, leaning back. “I’d keep it simple. Got a boyfriend who will lie for you, Tonksie?”
“Not such luck.”
“Right,” Hestia said thoughtfully and glanced around. She winced.
Remus was looking mildly alarmed, and Sirius was smirking. Tonks groaned and hid her head in her arms. If Hestia was about to start doing a Cilla Black, she didn’t want to witness it.
“Why’s everyone looking at me?” Bill protested.
She heard Hestia sigh heavily. “Because of the three men in the room right now, he’s gay, he’s on the run, and you-”
“-have a girlfriend!” Bill yelped. “Get Kingsley back in here.”
Tonks winced. This was hardy flattering.
“He’s gone,” Remus said, and if Tonks hadn’t known what a nice bloke he was, she could have sworn he was biting back laughter.
“Fleur!”
“I think it is an excellent idea. Can you change your ‘air to blonde, Miss Tonks?”
Tonks lifted her head enough to eye the kid suspiciously. “Why?”
“Because gentlemen prefer blondes,” Sirius said, and then spluttered as Remus threw a dishcloth at him.
“Because,” Fleur said, levitating plates to settle on the table, “Bill and I went dancing last night. At, er, a great many clubs.”
“I am the only person in this room who got my beauty sleep last night, aren’t I?” Hestia remarked.
“I do not need to sleep to stay beautiful,” Fleur remarked, sending pans of sausages, bacon and fried bread over. “May I ‘ave a cigarette, Mr Black? I do not think my waistline would survive this concoction.”
Hestia rolled her eyes as Sirius clicked his fingers below Fleur’s cigarette, silvery flames streaming up. “Might put some colour in your cheeks, pet. Well then, Tonksie, go blonde.”
Tonks glowered around generally, but put some effort into it. She was no bloody veela, but she could damn well do impressive. She could see her hair fading out of the corner of her eye, her scalp tingling as she concentrated, letting the weight of it fall down her back, silken and silvery. She got up and strolled over to stand beside Fleur, holding out a strand to check the colour. “Good match?”
“It doesn’t suit you,” Remus said abruptly, frowning at Sirius. Her cousin had gone pale, his eyes bleak and blank. After a moment, he said, voice wavering, “You look like Narcissa.”
Tonks winced and said hurriedly to Fleur, “I can look more like you if need be, but people will get suspicious.”
Fleur shrugged, her eyes wide with fascination. “We did not stay anywhere very long. The attention can get a little overwhelming.”
“What is your mother going to say?” Remus asked Bill lightly.
“My love life doesn’t have anything to do with my mother.”
It felt good to splutter with laughter, especially when the whole room was laughing too, and she began to hope that they’d get her out of this mess. If not - well, she could always help Sirius slay doxies.
“Somebody’s been in Egypt too long,” Sirius said.
“Piss off, Black. Right, what now?”
“Wait for Kingsley,” Remus said. “If he thinks it’s safe, you can head towards Nymphadora’s. It’s not ten yet, so you’re within plausibility. You sure no one saw you last night?”
“Sure,” Tonks said. She was old enough to remember the emergency procedures of the last war, and she’d been up and out before the fire finished flaring.
“In which case,” Remus said, “I suggest we turn our attention to breakfast.”
It wasn’t until later, after Kingsley had returned with tales of uproar and confusion, that she looked at Remus again. He was still watching Sirius, and for a moment his face was unguarded and Tonks understood that something was wrong. She had been so sure they were lovers, living here together, but desperate yearning on Remus’ face made her think again.
As she followed Bill out of the kitchen, she heard Remus say softly, “You remembered three things today.”
And that, coupled with all she had been taught about Azkaban, let her guess at the truth. Something, she thought as she went to retrieve the ruins of her own life, ought to be done.