Absolutely, Positively, Completely Sure (prompt 25)
Title: Absolutely, Positively, Completely Sure
Author: shimotsuki
Format & Word Count: Fic, 1136 words
Rating: G
Prompt: #25, 'Things without all remedy / Should be without regard. What's done is done.' - William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Author's note (added 31 Jan): This story is continued in Clearing the Table (prompt 28)
Summary: Andromeda wants her daughter to reconsider.
Absolutely, Positively, Completely Sure
Tonks piled her plate high with roast beef, potatoes, and vegetables. "Dad, you have no idea how much I miss your cooking."
"It's nice to have you home for Sunday lunch." Mum smiled at her. "We haven't seen much of you lately."
Tonks asked her parents about work, and the garden, and the neighbours. She told them a bit about some of her recent Auror assignments - not the dangerous ones, of course, but some of the interesting ones. Finally, when they were lingering over plum cake and tea, she decided it was time to give them her real news.
"Do you remember me talking about my friend Remus Lupin?"
Mum nodded. "A friend from work, isn't he?"
"Yes, but not the Ministry. I know him from the Order."
Mum and Dad both stared, their shocked expressions making Tonks grin a little. Her parents knew perfectly well that she'd gotten involved with Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. She'd just never admitted it out loud before.
"I was wondering if I could bring him round for dinner sometime soon."
Mum's eyebrows went up, and Dad's eyes began to twinkle. "Are you trying to tell us something?" he asked, reaching for the sugar.
"Well, yes." Tonks couldn't keep her enormous smile hidden any longer. "We've decided to get married."
Dad looked pleased, and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "Congratulations, Dorrie."
Tonks had expected Mum to be a harder sell, and sure enough, she was frowning a bit. "Married, Nymphadora? How long have you known Remus?"
"Almost three years, Mum. It's all right." She turned to her father. "You'll love him, both of you. He's kind, and funny, and dependable, and bright. And excellent at Defence - he leads missions for the Order."
"Sounds like a good sort," said Dad.
"He's conscientious, too." Tonks grimaced. "Maybe a little too conscientious. There are some things I wouldn't have brought up until after you'd had a chance to get to know him, but Remus insisted I tell you today. Remember that - he insisted that I tell you."
Mum and Dad exchanged a look. "Tell away, then," Mum said guardedly.
"He's a bit older than I am. About fourteen years."
Mum's eyebrows went straight up again. "That's quite a bit older!"
Tonks rolled her eyes. "When I'm ninety and he's a hundred and four, there will hardly be any age difference at all." She knew she was being a bit cheeky, but honestly, people made a much bigger fuss over this than it deserved.
"What does he do, besides working for the Order?" Dad took up the interrogation.
"Well, that's another thing. It's not his fault, but he has a bit of trouble finding steady work. Right now, he's working full time for the Order - and believe me, the fight against You-Know-Who is that much better off for it."
"What do you mean, he has trouble finding work?" Mum was definitely frowning now.
"It's something he can't help, Mum. He works very hard when someone gives him a chance. But he's got a medical condition that - well - it means most people won't hire him."
"You want to marry an older man with a medical condition? Nymphadora, are you sure about this?" Mum leaned forward, peering at her anxiously.
"I am absolutely, positively, completely sure that I want to marry Remus. For one thing, I love him. But anyway, his condition isn't something that really affects his daily life - people just have an awfully closed-minded attitude..."
"What is his condition, Dorrie?" Even Dad was concerned now.
She took a deep breath and kept her voice level. "Lycanthropy."
Dad looked surprised enough, but Mum had gone completely white, and her dark eyes were huge. "Nymphadora," she whispered. "My baby girl. Please tell me you're not really going to marry a werewolf."
"Mum, Dad, listen to me." Tonks called up her very fiercest intimidate-the-suspect glare. "I am an Auror. Remus is an expert at Defensive magic. We know what we have to do to keep him from being a danger at the full moon. He's got a secure place to go into isolation, and he takes Wolfsbane potion - I brew it for him every month. Anyway, Remus has been transforming for more than thirty years, and he's never hurt anyone, even before Wolfsbane."
Dad was nodding slowly, looking thoughtful. But Mum was still upset.
"Dumbledore trusted him enough to hire him to teach at Hogwarts," Tonks tried.
Mum's head jerked up. "That's why his name was familiar. He was written up in the Prophet, wasn't he? ‘Teacher exposed as werewolf!'"
"That's not the only reason, Mum. You probably heard his name from Sirius."
At this, her mother drew a shaky breath and looked down at her teacup.
Tonks bit her lip. She knew it was still painful for Mum to think about her favourite cousin, who had died before his name had been cleared - and before Mum had been able to see him. I'm sorry, Mum, but this is important. "He was one of Sirius's best mates at school. They were always together. I know from a story Sirius told that you've even met Remus at least once, at Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour one summer."
Mum frowned again, but this time it seemed to be a frown of concentration. "I'm not sure I remember meeting any Remus Lupin..."
Tonks grinned, just a little. "Sirius called him Moony."
"Clever nickname," Mum observed. She fiddled with a teaspoon, tracing patterns on the tablecloth. "I think I do remember a friend called Moony. He was a little quiet, but he had a wicked sense of humour."
Tonks squeezed Mum's hand. "That's Remus, all right." Then, suddenly solemn again, she looked straight into her mother's eyes. "He was like a brother to Sirius. He's a good man. Won't you at least meet him before you start worrying?"
"Well," Mum said neutrally, "I'd certainly like to have him here for dinner. How about next weekend?"
"Erm." Tonks turned pink. "Next weekend's not so good."
Dad shot her a sharp look, but the corners of his mouth were twitching sympathetically. "We'd better get ourselves a good lunar chart, I see."
Mum's expression was unreadable. "Thursday, then?"
"Thursday should be fine. I'll check with Remus and let you know."
Tonks toyed with her teacup, watching the dregs swirling at the bottom, but she could still feel the weight of her mother's gaze.
Finally, Mum spoke, her voice very low. "You're determined to go through with this, it seems."
Tonks looked up. "Mum. We're getting married. There's no way I'm going to change my mind." A wry grin emerged. "I've just spent the last year and a half convincing Remus that this is what I want to do. Compared to that, your arguments don't stand a chance."
Author: shimotsuki
Format & Word Count: Fic, 1136 words
Rating: G
Prompt: #25, 'Things without all remedy / Should be without regard. What's done is done.' - William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Author's note (added 31 Jan): This story is continued in Clearing the Table (prompt 28)
Summary: Andromeda wants her daughter to reconsider.
Absolutely, Positively, Completely Sure
Tonks piled her plate high with roast beef, potatoes, and vegetables. "Dad, you have no idea how much I miss your cooking."
"It's nice to have you home for Sunday lunch." Mum smiled at her. "We haven't seen much of you lately."
Tonks asked her parents about work, and the garden, and the neighbours. She told them a bit about some of her recent Auror assignments - not the dangerous ones, of course, but some of the interesting ones. Finally, when they were lingering over plum cake and tea, she decided it was time to give them her real news.
"Do you remember me talking about my friend Remus Lupin?"
Mum nodded. "A friend from work, isn't he?"
"Yes, but not the Ministry. I know him from the Order."
Mum and Dad both stared, their shocked expressions making Tonks grin a little. Her parents knew perfectly well that she'd gotten involved with Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. She'd just never admitted it out loud before.
"I was wondering if I could bring him round for dinner sometime soon."
Mum's eyebrows went up, and Dad's eyes began to twinkle. "Are you trying to tell us something?" he asked, reaching for the sugar.
"Well, yes." Tonks couldn't keep her enormous smile hidden any longer. "We've decided to get married."
Dad looked pleased, and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "Congratulations, Dorrie."
Tonks had expected Mum to be a harder sell, and sure enough, she was frowning a bit. "Married, Nymphadora? How long have you known Remus?"
"Almost three years, Mum. It's all right." She turned to her father. "You'll love him, both of you. He's kind, and funny, and dependable, and bright. And excellent at Defence - he leads missions for the Order."
"Sounds like a good sort," said Dad.
"He's conscientious, too." Tonks grimaced. "Maybe a little too conscientious. There are some things I wouldn't have brought up until after you'd had a chance to get to know him, but Remus insisted I tell you today. Remember that - he insisted that I tell you."
Mum and Dad exchanged a look. "Tell away, then," Mum said guardedly.
"He's a bit older than I am. About fourteen years."
Mum's eyebrows went straight up again. "That's quite a bit older!"
Tonks rolled her eyes. "When I'm ninety and he's a hundred and four, there will hardly be any age difference at all." She knew she was being a bit cheeky, but honestly, people made a much bigger fuss over this than it deserved.
"What does he do, besides working for the Order?" Dad took up the interrogation.
"Well, that's another thing. It's not his fault, but he has a bit of trouble finding steady work. Right now, he's working full time for the Order - and believe me, the fight against You-Know-Who is that much better off for it."
"What do you mean, he has trouble finding work?" Mum was definitely frowning now.
"It's something he can't help, Mum. He works very hard when someone gives him a chance. But he's got a medical condition that - well - it means most people won't hire him."
"You want to marry an older man with a medical condition? Nymphadora, are you sure about this?" Mum leaned forward, peering at her anxiously.
"I am absolutely, positively, completely sure that I want to marry Remus. For one thing, I love him. But anyway, his condition isn't something that really affects his daily life - people just have an awfully closed-minded attitude..."
"What is his condition, Dorrie?" Even Dad was concerned now.
She took a deep breath and kept her voice level. "Lycanthropy."
Dad looked surprised enough, but Mum had gone completely white, and her dark eyes were huge. "Nymphadora," she whispered. "My baby girl. Please tell me you're not really going to marry a werewolf."
"Mum, Dad, listen to me." Tonks called up her very fiercest intimidate-the-suspect glare. "I am an Auror. Remus is an expert at Defensive magic. We know what we have to do to keep him from being a danger at the full moon. He's got a secure place to go into isolation, and he takes Wolfsbane potion - I brew it for him every month. Anyway, Remus has been transforming for more than thirty years, and he's never hurt anyone, even before Wolfsbane."
Dad was nodding slowly, looking thoughtful. But Mum was still upset.
"Dumbledore trusted him enough to hire him to teach at Hogwarts," Tonks tried.
Mum's head jerked up. "That's why his name was familiar. He was written up in the Prophet, wasn't he? ‘Teacher exposed as werewolf!'"
"That's not the only reason, Mum. You probably heard his name from Sirius."
At this, her mother drew a shaky breath and looked down at her teacup.
Tonks bit her lip. She knew it was still painful for Mum to think about her favourite cousin, who had died before his name had been cleared - and before Mum had been able to see him. I'm sorry, Mum, but this is important. "He was one of Sirius's best mates at school. They were always together. I know from a story Sirius told that you've even met Remus at least once, at Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour one summer."
Mum frowned again, but this time it seemed to be a frown of concentration. "I'm not sure I remember meeting any Remus Lupin..."
Tonks grinned, just a little. "Sirius called him Moony."
"Clever nickname," Mum observed. She fiddled with a teaspoon, tracing patterns on the tablecloth. "I think I do remember a friend called Moony. He was a little quiet, but he had a wicked sense of humour."
Tonks squeezed Mum's hand. "That's Remus, all right." Then, suddenly solemn again, she looked straight into her mother's eyes. "He was like a brother to Sirius. He's a good man. Won't you at least meet him before you start worrying?"
"Well," Mum said neutrally, "I'd certainly like to have him here for dinner. How about next weekend?"
"Erm." Tonks turned pink. "Next weekend's not so good."
Dad shot her a sharp look, but the corners of his mouth were twitching sympathetically. "We'd better get ourselves a good lunar chart, I see."
Mum's expression was unreadable. "Thursday, then?"
"Thursday should be fine. I'll check with Remus and let you know."
Tonks toyed with her teacup, watching the dregs swirling at the bottom, but she could still feel the weight of her mother's gaze.
Finally, Mum spoke, her voice very low. "You're determined to go through with this, it seems."
Tonks looked up. "Mum. We're getting married. There's no way I'm going to change my mind." A wry grin emerged. "I've just spent the last year and a half convincing Remus that this is what I want to do. Compared to that, your arguments don't stand a chance."