Title: Accept The Extraordinary
Author: roozetter
Characters/Pairings: Luna Lovegood/Nymphadora Tonks
Rating: R
Kinks/Themes Chosen:bathing/washing, silence
Other Warnings: mentions of past non-con
Word Count: 2,563
Summary/Description: No one reallly knows how Luna ended up living at Lupin cottage after the war. But Tonks keeps the Wrakspurts away and gives Luna hope that the world will sparkle for her again.
Author's Notes: Oh, man, I am so glad to have a laptop again! Thanks to the mods for their patience! Also, ginormous thanks to leela_cat for being fabulous, and for increasing her overall awesomeness by beta’ing for me. I was listening to Fallen by Audio Fauna while writing this, which rather set the tone.




The day the sky falls from the heavens, Luna is removed from the Hogwarts Express and taken to Malfoy Manor. Within a month, her dirigible plum earrings dry into dust. By the time Harry, Ron, and Hermione rescue her, she’s forgotten her dream of finding a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

She remembers the Snorkack the first time that Bill Weasley, accompanied by Nymphadora Tonks, agrees to let her leave Shell Cottage long enough to see the crumbling wreckage of her home. She holds Tonks’ hand and stares at the creek, feeling indescribable grief as the leaves along the bank of the river no longer shimmer with magic. All she takes from the rubble are clippings of the dirigible plant her mother had planted.

After the war everyone is so busy, cleaning up spell damage and mourning the ones who passed and just … shattered. Luna remembers visiting the Ravenclaw dormitory with Harry, the brightly colored curses, remembers the feeling of returning to herself as she watches Amycus Carrow fall, feeling the noise of everything on her tongue. And then she is holding Tonks’ hand as she lay draped across the still body of her husband and sobs, helping her through her grief as Tonks had helped her with the immediacy of the loss of her father.

And when it is time to go, time to leave Hogwarts and pick up the broken, disjointed pieces of their lives and try to fit them into some semblance of order, Luna notices how the Wrackspurts leave her alone when she is with Tonks. It is easier to think. Easier to remember.

She is already holding Tonks’ hand. It makes sense for her to simply follow Tonks to the Floo.

And when it becomes apparent that Tonks needs her, needs Luna to help her with her grief and her duties as a mother … Luna is delighted.

So she lay Teddy on a blanket in the sunshine soon after Tonks returns to work, singing to him softly as she plants her dirigible clippings outside the back door.

~*~

Nymphadora had really loved Remus. She shuts down, still, whenever she stops and thinks of him for too long.

Luna doesn’t mind this. Really. She prefers the role of caretaker, when everything feels softer and she can almost, almost see the sparkles that hide on the underside of the leaves. She misses the softer, vague avenues of magic she used to celebrate, like she would miss a limb if it was removed, the void in her head and her heart making her eyes go blurry until she shakes her head hard and forces herself to concentrate. But when Nymphadora shuts down, when she needs Luna … those are the best times.

She can tell this is one of Nymphadora’s bad days by the way she stumbles out of the Floo and presses sweet little Teddy into Luna’s arms. The bedroom door closes as Luna gazes at the baby, warm and cuddly and smelling like cinnamon after an afternoon spent visiting with his grandmother. Teddy scrunches up his nose and yawns, letting out a fussy-sounding whimper.

Luna Summons a bottle for him and wanders into the nursery, singing under her breath as she settles into the rocking chair.

“Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day.”

Teddy watches her intently as he sucks on the bottle, his hair changing from turquoise to dirty blond, the shape of his eyes widening until he looks almost comically surprised. Luna can’t help but giggle, tightening her arms around him and loving how his innocence lets her see the fairies dancing on the tulips just outside his bedroom window.

She pulls one of her earrings out, showing Teddy the tiny hole in her ear. Teddy is tired, but they’ve played this game so many times before that an identical hole appears in his earlobe seconds later. Luna carefully slides the earring through the hole before shifting Teddy in her arms to be burped.

“Dream extraordinary dreams,” she whispers as she lays him in the crib.

There are no Nargles hiding in the corners of the nursery. Luna triple-checks before leaving the room.

~*~

Every light in the bedroom is off, Nymphadora laying face down on their bed, unmoving.

Luna leaves her alone, gliding past her prone body to enter the bathroom. She likes this bathroom, with all its shiny fixtures, the skylights over the tub, and the soft blue paint on the walls. It reminds her of bathing in the warmth of the clouds, of skipping with the Twillifiggs as she gathered flowers along the creek near her home. It was in this bathroom, one sleepless night spent lying in the tub gazing up at the stars, that Luna saw an Umgubular Slashkilter] for the first time since the war. She doesn’t remember tears being a side-effect of viewing the creatures, but she weeps all the same at this reminder that all isn’t] lost.

She runs a bath, just hot enough to shock the muscles and be slightly uncomfortable, and sprinkles basil, lavender, eucalyptus oil and St. John’s Wort into the bubbling water. Her nose twitches, the steam curling her hair and fogging over the glass on the skylights. Luna smiles in delight, feeling dreamy and slightly separated from reality as she discards her robe and walks naked into the bedroom.

“Nymphadora,” she calls gently, her voice dreamy and lilting in the silence of the bedroom. “Come have a bath.”

A silent moment passes between them before Tonks turns her head just enough to see Luna, glowing lightly in the reflections of the sunset streaming through the room. “I can’t,” she whispers.

“You can,” Luna corrects gently, reaching out to slide her hand into Tonks’. They both stare at their interlaced fingers, and then Tonks sighs and pulls herself off the bed, letting Luna lead her into the brightness of the bathroom.

Luna undresses her slowly, sliding the robe gently off Tonks’ shoulders, keeping her hands sure and light as she helps Tonks into the tub. She keeps a hold on her shoulders until Tonks is settled, sliding in behind her only after Tonks’ eyes flutter in pleasure from the heat of the water. For a moment they lie quietly. Luna carefully slides her hands over Tonks’ shoulders, exerting just enough pressure to be felt but not enough to hurt. Instead of relaxing into the moment though, Tonks sighs, turns her head, and shifts around. She reaches outside the tub with one hand, her other elbow pressing tightly against Luna’s stomach for balance.

For a moment the pain and pressure sends Luna back to the war. She’s listening to the raspy wheeze of Olivander’s breathing, his pained whimpers from trying to defend her. And she’s lying on her back, Amycus Carrow’s elbow digging into her stomach while his other hand pushes her thighs apart, laughing as he spits in her face and takes revenge for all the times she defied him at school. She stares out the one window in the dungeon so she doesn’t have to see Greyback watching with a hungry expression. Stares out the window, wondering if the dirigible plums at her house are in bloom, desperately wishing to see something extraordinary that sparkles and makes her smile, but there are so many Nargles in the room and it hurts...

The rustling of fabric stops as a robe is tossed back to the floor. Tonks has found her wand and readjusted her position, the pressure on Luna’s stomach easing as she leans back into the comfort of Luna’s body after Summoning a flannel. Luna takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, feels the reassuring weight of the dirigible plum swinging from her ear. It’s a different time, now, and she hasn’t been bothered by Wrackspurts in months.

“Nymphadora,” she chides lightly, reaching out for the washcloth, “let me.”

Pushing gently against Tonks’ shoulders until her legs pop out of the water and drape against the side of the tub and her head is pillowed on Luna’s thighs, she starts with Tonks’ hair. It’s almost maternal, this desire she has to care for Tonks and Teddy. Except in instances like this, when Tonks just needs so much more to get her through the night. And she loves to wash Tonks’ hair. Tonks knows this, and lengthens her hair accordingly until Luna is rubbing shampoo into waist-length pink tresses.

Tonks surrenders with a sigh, relaxing again as Luna kisses her bare shoulder and trails the washcloth across Tonks’ stomach. It took almost a month for Tonks to stop hiding her stretch marks, the softer, wrinkled skin on the underside of her stomach. Luna likes these physical reminders of Tonks’ pregnancy, thinks they’re an extraordinary magic all their own. She likes to stroke the washcloth and her fingers over the bumpy skin until Tonks lets out a squeaky little noise and shifts in her arms.

The bathroom is quiet save for their breathing as Luna slides the washcloth over Tonks’ breasts, feeling her own nipples peak with the sensation of water and warmth and skin, at the knowledge that she is the only one Tonks trusts enough to be this vulnerable around. That she trusts Tonks enough to open herself up in such a way after nearly resigning herself to losing the extraordinary magic she’d come to depend upon.

The throbbing between her own legs becomes insistent as she soaps the washcloth and gently strokes along Tonks’ ribcage, follows the flow of her body to caress her hipbones and the tender skin on the inside of her thighs. She places an apologetic kiss to Tonks’ neck and shifts, easing Tonks up, manipulating her body until she is resting against the back of the tub with a lazy smile. Luna smiles back happily, moving in the tub until she can reach Tonks’ feet, soaping between her toes with just enough pressure to reduce the tickling sensation, supporting the ankle bones with delicate fingers. She presses a loving kiss to the center of her arch, letting her mouth trail down the smooth muscles of shin, placing teasing licks and sucking kisses to the back of Tonks’ knee as her fingers glide over thighs and between her spread legs.

Tonks’ had closed her eyes while Luna washed her hair and legs, but she opens them now and watches Luna as she strokes her fingers over wet, crisp curls and slides her thumb between the folds of the labia. “Luna,” she gasps, hips arching reflexively.

“Ssh,” Luna soothes, leaning over to kiss Tonks gently, letting her tongue slide over slightly chapped lips, delving in to taste the cinnamony warmth of her mouth. “Mmm,” Luna murmurs against Tonks’ lips, “you taste like biscuits.”

“Mum made them.” Tonks raises her head, deepening their kiss and moaning as Luna slides a finger inside her. “There’s extra in Teddy’s diaper bag.”

Luna slides around Tonks again, rubbing herself shamelessly against Tonks’ skin until she is once again settled at the end of the tub with Tonks nestled between her legs. Luna twists her fingers inside Tonks and smiles, encouraging Tonks to drop her head back. Luna continues bathing her with her other hand.

“Look at the stars,” Luna whispers dreamily, glimpsing their sparkle through the misty glass of the skylight. “They’re shining like the memories of what could be.”

Tonks laughs breathlessly as Luna slides a second finger inside. “I love the way you look at the world.”

They stop talking then, the silence interspersed with gasps and moans and the splashing of water as they twist in the tub. Tonks grips Luna’s thighs as she shudders through her orgasm, her fingers pressing tight enough to mark. But that’s okay, because Luna is in this moment with her, still has the heat and press of Tonks’ vaginal walls gripping her fingers.

She wraps herself around Tonks, letting their chests rise and fall in tandem. Tears are falling down Tonks’ cheeks, tears of guilt and release and relief. Luna cuddles her much the same way she cuddled Teddy earlier, stroking a hand gently through Tonks’ wet hair and singing softly in her ear.

“Rain, rain, stay awhile. Kiss the earth and make it smile.”

She kisses the tears from Tonks’ face, rubbing the salty dampness into her mouth, licking the hollows of Tonks’ cheeks to make sure she collects them all. She doesn’t think about the cold darkness of the dungeons as she presses herself against the warmth of Tonks’ hips, rubs her breasts against the damp curve of Tonks’ back muscles. Instead she tightens her arms, presses moist, desperate kisses, and lets herself go.

~*~

It’s dark the next time Luna stirs. The] sheets are soft against her bare skin, Nymphadora warm and supple against her back. She nearly goes back to sleep, but then Teddy lets out another whimper of distress and she is sliding out of bed and reaching for her robe.

The wooden floor is cold beneath her bare feet, but Luna ignores it as she hurries from the bedroom and down the hall. Her wand is in her hand when she enters the nursery, gaze first sweeping over Teddy as he stands clutching the railing of his crib before searching out every corner. Only when she is absolutely certain there are no Nargles hiding in the room does she lower her wand and reach for the sleepy baby.

Teddy is warm and solid, fussing as she lays him on the changing table but easily distracted by the swing and shine of her earring. He giggles as she tickles his tummy, kicks his feet when she fingers the matching earring in his ear, and is all sleepy smiles and big blue eyes by the time she picks him back up.

The wards prickle against Luna’s skin as she wanders barefoot through the garden. It’s just starting to sprinkle, and Luna knows she should take the baby back inside. But Teddy is alert now, silent in her arms as they watch the colony of pixies sleeping upside-down on the branches of the mulberry bush.

“I miss my father, too,” Luna sighs, resting her head against Teddy’s silky curls. The branches of the birch tree twitch, an owl soaring gracefully into the night. “Tomorrow,” Luna says dreamily, turning to go back inside, “we shall make a wind chime from butterbeer caps to hang outside your bedroom window. Won’t that be nice? They attract moon frogs, you know. You’ll like moon frogs, they sing and sparkle under the light of the full moon.”

It’s the first time she’s mentioned moon frogs since the day she saw the crumbled remains of her home and heard the Auror say it could be days before they discovered her father’s body. It hurts her, just a little, but it also brings back memories of amazement, clovers and spice and searching the globe for extraordinary creatures.

“And when you’re older,” she whispers to Teddy as she locks the door and brings him into their bed. Tonks shifts, draping her arm over Teddy’s waist without seeming to wake up. Luna smiles at them both as she slips under the covers and reaches for Tonks’ hand.

“When you’re older,” she repeats softly, smiling at the blue eyes watching her so intently, “we’ll go look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks together.”