Happy Traditions, jairissa!
Apologies to melfinatheblue, your gift was meant to be posted today but your gifter managed to contact someone who contacted me to tell me that her power's been out for a while. There are only three gifts left (this one, plus two that I have been promised will be in this week), so I'm posting my co-mod's gift now instead of going on posting hiatus.
Title: Spring Awakening Author:ragdoll Gift For:jairissa Pairing(s): Harry Potter/Nymphadora Tonks Summary: As the Weasleys' May Day celebration draws near, Harry decides to follow his heart and pursue his partner in the Auror's Department, Nymphadora Tonks Rating: Hard R/NC-17 Warnings: Mention of canon characters' deaths
Author's notes: This is for jairissa who asked for many things including: laughter, discoveries, foreplay, alcohol, flowers, characters in love at all times, happy endings, flangst, humour, romance, EWE" and was more than happy to let the EWE extend several pages back so that I could let Tonks live happily ever after. . I hope this turned out to be close to what you wanted, jairissa, and that you feel better soon!
Thanks to my wonder betas and cheerleaders, specifically S., K., R. and E. without whom - and my undying gratitude to the mods for giving me the time to write this story properly.
Read it here or at Livejournal, and be sure to leave feedback for all of our lovely participants!
Harry Potter sat at his desk in the Auror's Department of the Ministry of Magic watching intently as Nymphadora Tonks, his partner of the last nine months, sorted through a pile of parchments and photographs pertaining to the Streatham case. Try as he might, it was hard to ignore the way her brow furrowed as she read over a particularly interesting statement by a witness, or the way her nose wrinkled as she looked over a gruesome crime scene photo, trying to detect a bit of evidence they might have previously missed. Harry's eyes drifted down towards Tonks's chest, noting the way it heaved as she sighed in frustration, or the way she tugged absently at the neckline of her robes as if they irritated her as much as the case itself, revealing the delectably pale skin of her neck and upper chest.
Harry wasn't quite sure when he'd realised he'd fallen for Tonks, or just how much. It certainly hadn't started out that way. When Kingsley Shacklebolt had first assigned him to work with Tonks, he'd groaned and moaned about it. As much as he'd liked Tonks as a person, Harry hadn't thought she had anything to teach him, that he was only being paired with her in order to help the young Auror out of a bad situation. But, it turned out he'd been dead wrong in his assertions. Tonks hadn't been Alastor Moody's protégé for nothing; she was a lot more adept and a lot cleverer than Harry had ever given her credit for in the past.
It had taken some time to break through to Tonks. While most of the world had been celebrating Voldemort's defeat, his partner found herself trying to cope as a 25 year old widow with a small child to care for. Harry knew it hadn't been easy for her, and he suspected that one of the reasons Shacklebolt had put them together was as much for Tonks's benefit as Harry's own, pushing her to go back to work, rather than sitting around mourning the loss of her husband indefinitely. The gambit had clearly worked -- Harry had found himself learning far more than he'd ever thought possible while Tonks's mood had improved dramatically over the past few months. Some days, Harry would even swear she seemed content.
At some point, although he did not know when, he had found himself noticing her as more than just a mate or a co-worker, and as a woman. Suddenly coming into the office every day became a lot more interesting; even if it was for less-than-pure reasons. Tonks was no longer just a friend who happened to be female; she was an attractive woman that Harry wanted to know better. An attractive woman with dark twinkling eyes, a curvaceous figure, a rounded arse that filled out her jeans quite nicely, and a pair of breasts that somehow he'd missed in the past, although he had no idea how. Obviously, this lead to some awkwardness on Harry's part -- he hardly wanted to come off as a lecherous drooling monster...and there was also Ginny.
Well, there had been Ginny was more like it. When the War had ended, Harry was certain he and Ginny were going to reconcile and go on to live happily ever after, at least once pesky things like finishing up school (for her) were out of the way. But somehow, the year long separation had taken its toll on both of them, and now, a second one had only added to it. In the end, he and Ginny had parted amicably and without rancour, although her family -- Ron in particular -- had not taken the news well. Harry still wasn't certain Ron or his mother had completely forgiven him, despite Ginny's insistence that it had been completely mutual. Harry had been eternally grateful for Ginny's friendship and counsel. In her recent letters, she'd been urging him to see other women, although he wasn't sure if that was because she had noticed his growing interest in Tonks or if she wanted to assuage her own guilt now that she was dating again.
"Harry? You all right?" The sound of Tonks's voice snapped Harry out of his reverie.
"Mmm? What?" he stammered, knocking his glasses off in an attempt to look as though he'd been hard at work. They fell to the floor with a clatter.
"Blimey, you're in desperate need of a holiday." Tonks bent over to pick them up, then handed them to him with a shake of her head. "Here's your specs. You're getting like me, mate. It's not a pretty sight."
"Erm," Harry slipped his glasses back on, trying to look everywhere but at her. "Holiday? Nah. Just...maybe just an early night."
Tonks nodded, then glanced at her watch. "You want to bugger off now? Whatever you were working on can wait till tomorrow, surely. I could use a bit of a break m'self -- I reckon Teddy would be thrilled to bits if his mum came home before bedtime for a change."
The thought of his godson made Harry smile. He'd tried to take his duties seriously, visiting the boy at least two to three times a week, as often as Tonks would let him. "I bet he would. Say hello to him from his uncle Harry, yeah?"
He could feel his stomach doing somersaults as Tonks smiled back at him warmly. "I will." There was a loud rattling followed by a crash as a very tiny owl came whizzing into their shared cubicle, bearing two rolled parchments bound by bright green ribbons and flew straight into a filing cabinet. "Pig?" Harry exclaimed, recognizing the owl as Ron's. "What are you doing here?"
Pigwidgeon hooted in excitement as he ricocheted off the cabinet, apparently unhurt, then landed on Harry's desk, managing to dump a large pile of files as he did.
"Blimey, hold still. Hold still!" Tonks ordered, reaching for the little owl as he hopped and danced across the desk. "How do you expect anyone to read your bloody messages if you don't let us have 'em?" She pulled the scrolls off of Pig's leg; Harry couldn't help noticing they were almost as large as the owl itself. "Here, Harry. It's for you. This one's for me. Hmmm, what's all this then?"
Harry accepted the scroll from her, then broke open the wax seal he recognized as belonging to the Weasleys. "Dear Harry," he read aloud, "you are cordially invited to the Burrow for our first annual Victory Day celebration to commemorate the defeat of Lord Voldemort and his minions at the hand of Harry Potter (that's you) and his friends. As it happens to fall on the first of May, we will be combining the celebrations with a traditional May Day fete. We hope you can come. The party starts at six o'clock. Please RSVP at your earliest convenience. All the best, Molly & Arthur Weasley."
He glanced over at Tonks who was scanning her own copy of the invitation, her smile fading as she did. Without a word, she crumpled the parchment into a ball and then tossed it towards the rubbish bin, missing it by about a foot.
"Tonks?" Harry asked. "What's wrong?"
Tonks drew in a deep breath, blinking back tears. "I don't think I've got any reason to celebrate that day, do you?" she asked quietly.
"What?" It took a moment before Harry realised just what she was referring to. "Oh." He looked at her lamely, worrying his lower lip as he tried to think of the right thing to say. "Look, you should go. It's been a year, Tonks. You know Remus wouldn't want you to mourn forever -- and you'll be amongst friends, people who care about you."
"How the hell would you know what Remus would want?" she snapped, glaring at him, her arms crossed over her chest.
"He was my friend too," Harry reminded her. "And I know he'd want you to be happy, or at least -- not sad! We should go and celebrate his life, and everyone we've lost too! We have to go on living and appreciate the sacrifice they all made for us. They deserve at least that, they all do. Besides," he added, "I've never been to a proper May Day party before. I've always been at school, haven't I?"
"Well, you go on then. I've got things to do. And Teddy--"
"Teddy can stay with your mum for the night. Go with me," Harry blurted, his heart pounding in his chest. "If you don't like it, I'll take you home, I promise, but -- well, you shouldn't be alone then, should you?"
Tonks wiped away a stray tear as she considered his words carefully. "I'll think about it. I really don't know if I'm really up for a party of any sort. I'm not very good at that sort of thing these days to be honest."
Harry nodded, then fumbled for his pocket handkerchief, offering it to her as gallantly as he could. "You need a night out as much as I do, Tonks."
Shrugging, she dabbed at her eyes. "Dunno. You ought to go, Harry. It's you they want to honour, mate. Not me. I'd only bring the party down, I think."
"That's not true," he insisted. "The Weasleys love you. We all do -- it wouldn't be a proper party without you there. You were a member of the Order, without you I never could have managed what I did." Harry hoped he didn't sound like a whining little boy, that was the last thing he wanted. "Please?"
Tonks reached and mussed his already unruly black hair, managing a slight smile. "I said I'd think about it, mate. Though it's hard to resist when a handsome young bloke asks me so nicely." She let her fingers linger in his hair, idly playing with it, then abruptly pulled her hand away as she realised what she was doing.
Her words and touch caused him to blush; Harry bit back the urge to start grinning like an idiot. Tonks's expression was unreadable as she turned her back on him, then reach for her cloak. "C'mon, we both should bugger off home. I'm sick of this place and you ought to be too, matey. See you tomorrow, yeah?"
* * *
The next two weeks seemed to drag on as the first of May grew closer. Harry didn't press Tonks on the issue of the Weasleys' party, even when he stopped by her mother's house to see Teddy and have dinner with the family. He was extra careful not to mention the party in front of Tonks's mother. The last thing he wanted to do was give Andromeda more reasons to nag her daughter. She seemed to be quite capable of finding plenty of fodder on her own. After so many years of knowing Molly Weasley, Harry was used to nagging mothers; he often wondered if his own would have treated him this way had she lived.
It was after one such dinner that Tonks pulled Harry aside as Andromeda dealt with cleaning up the table. "Harry, can I ask you a very large favour?" she asked, twisting her hands nervously. She looked much younger than her twenty-five years, her face paler than usual.
"Sure," he replied amiably.
"Come with me to my bedroom? I need you to have a butcher's at something."
Harry's eyes bugged out of his skull as he stared at her in confusion. "Your...your bedroom?" he echoed.
"Oh, don't be like that, mate," Tonks scoffed, giving him a good natured punch in the shoulder. "It's not like I'm intent on seducing you or anything. I just need your opinion about something."
Harry suddenly remembered to breathe; it was a great relief. "O-oh!" he stammered. "Yeah, I can do that."
Tonks gave him a furtive glance, then beckoned him to follow her up the stairs. She only tripped on the carpeting once, catching herself on the railings before she went sprawling. With a laugh, she picked herself up and led him to a large bedroom on the top of the landing. "Lumos." The lights came on, revealing a neat room devoid of many decorations. Harry wasn't certain what he'd expected Tonks's room to look like, but this wasn't it. For some reason, he'd had a vision of it being closer to a more mature version of Ginny's room, the walls covered in Quidditch posters, or perhaps photographs of Remus and Teddy. Instead, it looked bare, hardly lived in, as if the occupant was afraid to claim it as her own. That didn't seem like Tonks at all.
She seemed to notice his confusion, then shrugged. "Keep saying I'm going to move out and into a place of my own," she explained. "Remus and me were only supposed to live here temporarily, but then there was the War, and then we were expecting Teddy, and then he left--" Her voice trailed off, her eyes closing as she swallowed hard, attempting to shake off the memory. "I ought to move my arse out of here, but it's convenient for me and for Mum. Built in babysitter and all." Tonks forced a smile on to her face, then headed towards the wardrobe, pulling out something pink and diaphanous. "So, what do you think?" she asked, holding it up for his perusal.
"Pardon?" Harry looked at her in confusion. "I'm not sure I--"
"It's robes. For the party. At the Burrow."
Harry's heart skipped a beat when he realised she was saying she would actually attend.
"I-I wasn't really certain if it was appropriate for me to wear something so...girly." The word came out like something unpleasant. "I s'pose I'm not one for widow's weeds, especially after a year. Just don't know if people would laugh at me if I showed up in clobber like this."
Harry peered at the robes. They were pink with ruffles at the cuffs and collar, and definitely more feminine than anything he'd ever seen Tonks wear. Pink things usually reminded him of Dolores Umbridge, but these were paler, a more delicate colour than anything he'd ever seen on that wretched woman. "I-I don't know, but I don't think anyone would laugh at you, Tonks. Still, I'm not exactly a columnist for Witch Wear Daily, am I?" he said with a laugh of self-deprecation. "Wouldn't your mum be a better judge when it comes to that sort of thing?"
"I dunno. Mum's got very different taste in clothing than I do. I just don't want to look like a total git when I get there. It sounds like they're trying to be a bit posh and-"
"Posh? The Weasleys?" Harry exclaimed. "You have met them, haven't you?" He couldn't imagine Arthur or Molly Weasley ever looking down their noses at someone they considered to be a friend, least of all Tonks.
"Oh, I know they're not ones for airs and graces. Just, well, I don't want Molly thinking I'm not getting into the spirit of things by showing up in jeans or any old robes." Tonks wrinkled her nose in thought. Harry decided he'd never seen anything cuter. "I've had these for ages and never wore 'em so I thought it might be nice." She let out a sigh. "I'll look ridiculous, won't I?"
"No! Of course not. They're...pretty." Harry was no expert on women's fashion, but they were hardly the equivalent of the manky robes Ron had worn for the Yule Ball in their Fourth Year. The material looks soft and floaty, the colour complimenting Tonks's fuchsia hair rather than clashing with it, and as she held them up to her neck, he could see they brought out a warm tone in her normally pallid complexion. "If you want to wear them, you ought to."
"I must be completely daft," Tonks muttered. "Don't know who I'm trying to impress. It's not as if there's going to be a ton of eligible bachelors there, is it?" She stopped short, her expression turning to one of utter panic. "Blimey, there won't be any single men there, will there, Harry? You don't think Molly's going to try and match me up to some desperate cousin of hers -- or Fleur! She's always going on about how I need to find myself a good man to take care of me..."
Harry put a hand on Tonks's arm; he could feel it trembling beneath his. "If either of them are up to something sneaky like that, I've got no clue about it. But, if they do, well, we'll just have to set them straight. You shouldn't do anything like that until you're good and ready."
"No, I shouldn't," she replied, nodding in agreement. "Perhaps I ought to tell them I've got me a bloke already. Think I could find me someone dishy to rent for the night to play my boyfriend?"
Slowly, Harry shook his head. "I think you can just be honest with them, Tonks. If they get too pushy, I'll do something. Mrs. Weasley always listens to me, and I bet if you ask Bill in advance, he can get Fleur to let you alone."
"You're a dear, Harry," said Tonks, hanging the robes up on the wardrobe door, smoothing them out carefully. "P'raps I ought to let you pretend to be my boyfriend. It'd solve a multitude of problems, wouldn't it?" She chuckled at the thought, making Harry's insides squirm. "That'd be a laugh, wouldn't it? You and me together?"
"Erm--" Harry had no idea what to say in response.
She turned and looked at him intently, as if she was trying to gauge his reaction. "Sorry. Just getting a bit silly tonight. It's been a long time since I've been to any sort of 'do. I think I'm actually getting excited at the prospect."
"That's all right," he replied, still unsure of what to make of her comments. "It'll be fun."
"Hope so. I could do with a bit of fun. At least I'll have a hero there to protect me, yeah?" Tonks smiled again. "Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without a friend like you, Harry."
Somehow, that didn't make him feel any better at all.
* * *
In spite of his best efforts, Harry couldn't make himself actually ask Tonks to go with him to the party, instead agreeing to meet her at the Burrow somewhere around six pm. He'd never been very good about asking girls out on dates, and there had only been two of them prior to Tonks so it wasn't as if he'd had much practise. He wasn't even sure if Tonks was even remotely aware that his interest in her was more than platonic; if she did, she certainly hadn't given him any indication she cared either way.
He arrived at the Burrow just after six, met by Molly at the door. She greeted Harry with a big hug, then ushered him through the house to the back garden where the party was already in full swing. The wooden tables were covered with pastel clothes, laden with bowls of fruit, plates of oat cakes, and hung with garlands of freshly cut flowers and greens. The air was filled with the scent of those flowers: roses, lilacs, honeysuckle, and other exotic blooms Harry couldn't name, while a maypole festooned with multi-coloured ribbons had been erected in the grass.
The guests were spread out, standing or sitting in small clusters of people. Tonks was sitting on a chair, talking to Bill Weasley animatedly, a tumbler of amber liquid in her hands. She looked beautiful, the pink robes clung to her in just the right places, a chaplet of pale pink roses in her hair. Harry noted her hair was longer than her customary spikes tonight, falling in loose waves around her face and the same shade as raspberry sorbet. Her dark eyes were twinkling brightly and she laughed as Bill joked with her, leaning in perhaps a bit too close for a married man. Meanwhile, Fleur was standing on the side of the festivities, wearing her own wreath of flowers, and glaring daggers at the pair. Harry couldn't quite blame poor Fleur -- he felt a stab of jealousy himself, one which he tried to push away.
"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks waved at him, beckoning him to come and join them. "You're here!"
"Hiya, Harry," said Bill, getting up from his seat. He rose to his full height, towering over Harry, and extended a hand to him. Harry accepted it, shaking it vigorously. "Can I fetch you a drink?"
"It's mead," Tonks added, before taking another sip from her glass. Her dark eyes were shining brightly, her whole face lit up. Harry couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her so happy. It had been years. "Homemade. It's lovely."
"Yeah, think I will, thanks," Harry replied.
"Be right back." Bill glanced over at the fuming Fleur, a sheepish grin forming on his scarred face. "I might have to go calm the wife first. Give me a mo."
"Take your time," Tonks told him, then patted Bill's vacant chair, indicating Harry should sit. "We'll be here." She laughed as Bill sauntered over to Fleur, putting an affectionate arm around her and talking softly to her in an obvious attempt to mollify her. It seemed to be working. "I think," Tonks said to Harry as he settled down next to her, "I am a bit tiddly. This mead's very potent. Nice though. Want to try it?"
Harry blinked, eyeing the glass of honey wine. "A-all right." He allowed Tonks to tilt the tumbler against his lips, taking a quick sip. He'd never had the opportunity to try mead before -- the last time he'd been offered it had been on Ron's seventeenth birthday by Horace Slughorn, and it had nearly killed Ron. Of course, that bottle had been poisoned. Harry was surprised at the taste: it was sweet and light with a slight tang of alcohol as it went down. "Mmm. Nice."
"Here ya go, Harry," Bill broke in, brandishing a glass of mead. "Didn't mean to interrupt anything."
"What?" Tonks asked, jerking her hand back, causing the contents to slosh against her wrist. "You...you weren't interrupting anything. Was he, Harry?"
Harry shook his head a bit too vigorously before accepting the glass from Bill. "No. Tonks was just letting me taste the mead."
Bill nodded, looking at the pair sceptically. "Mum made it. It's good, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Harry agreed before burying his face in his glass in order to avoid any more awkward questions from Bill.
*
The party continued as Harry and Tonks drank and talked, more guests continuing to arrive until the Burrow's back garden turned into a sea of people, all laughing, conversing and having fun. Tonks offered up a running commentary on all the new arrivals, filling Harry in on gossip and the questionable backgrounds of distant relatives, Ministry people and anyone else who turned up. She had Harry laughing so hard that his mead nearly came out his nose on more than one occasion, although he wasn't certain whether she was making it all up or just honestly knew intimate and bizarre details about each and every one. At a certain point, Mr. Weasley put on the wireless, filling the air with instrumental tunes, while a large number of the revellers went to the Maypole, picking up the ends of the hanging ribbons, and began an intricate dance, men in one direction, women in the other, weaving in and out, over and under with precision.
Harry watched as Tonks tapped her toes to the country reel, her eyes fixed on the dancers. Harry began to worry -- did she expect him to ask her to dance? The thought of dancing filled him with absolute dread. He'd been traumatised by the thought of dancing since he'd attended the Yule Ball with Parvati Patil and realised that while he might have many talents, dancing was not one of them. Ginny had never expected him to dance with her, thank goodness, but Tonks...?
"Harry, are you all right?" Tonks asked in concern. "You look a bit peaky." She covered his hand with her own, patting in comfortingly.
"What?" he blurted. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. You--you don't want to...?" He looked at her, feeling a bit of panic starting to creep in, and cocked his head towards the throng of dancing guests.
It took Tonks a moment to figure out what he was referring to. "Oh! No, of course not!" she laughed. "I'm a clumsy cow when it comes to dancing, especially something like that. I'd wind up tripping over m'own two feet in a matter of minutes and then fall over on my arse, mucking it up for everyone."
Harry felt a wave of relief wash over him, letting out an audible hiss of air. He grinned sheepishly as Tonks giggled at him.
"If it was just flailing about to the Hobgoblins or the Weird Sisters, it would be different but that?" Tonks shook her head violently, sending her wreath of flowers tilting askew on her head, hanging precariously over one ear. "Nah. Not my cuppa. I'm pants at it." She raised one eyebrow, studying him intently. "You didn't want to--?"
"No!" he protested, then lowered his voice considerably. "I mean no. I've got two left feet." Her wreath slipped down even further so Harry reached over to straighten them before they fell to the floor. Tonks's hair was soft and silky beneath his fingers as he set the flowers right.
"Oh, there you are, Nymphadora!" Molly Weasley's voice caused Harry to jump away, as if he'd been caught with his hand in the biscuit tin without permission. "Hello, Harry dear. How are you doing? Enjoying yourself?"
"Just fine, thanks," Harry replied, quickly stuffing his hands in the pockets of his trousers and feeling guilty although he wasn't quite certain why.
"Wotcher, Molly," Tonks added. "It's a lovely party." She cast Harry a quick 'oh-no-here-it-comes' look.
"Are you two very busy?" Molly continued, giving Tonks a warm smile. "My cousin Ambrosius is here and I would love to introduce you to him, Tonks dear."
"Ambrosius?" Tonks echoed. Harry could see her hand tightening around the hem of her skirt, balling up the fragile fabric in frustration. "H-have I met him before this?"
"Oh, no, dear. I don't think so. He's rather shy -- that's him over there." Molly pointed to a short, stocky wizard in bright green robes. He was balding, with a scraggly beard shot with grey and a nose like a misshapen potato. Harry reckoned he had to be twice Tonks' age, if not older. "He doesn't get the chance to meet nice girls that often so I thought--"
"Oh." Tonks bit on her lower lip, clearly trying to find a polite way of telling their hostess she wasn't interested. "I'm not really in the market for--"
"He's got a lovely personality, Nymphadora, very funny. I think you two might hit it off quite well," Molly continued, oblivious to Tonks's discomfort.
"Molly, I really appreciate it, but--"
Mrs. Weasley continued to ignore the younger woman's protests. "Think nothing of it, my dear. It's been a hard year for you and I'd like nothing more than to--"
To Harry's surprise, Tonks threw her arms around his neck and kissed him quite soundly on the lips. Her mouth was sweet and sticky, tasting faintly of the mead and cakes she'd been consuming all night. Harry wasn't sure what to do, so he just kissed back, vaguely aware of Mrs. Weasley's gasp in the background. It was even nicer than he'd imagined. Slowly, Tonks pulled away, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a triumphant smirk. "Sorry, Molly. I ought to have told you, but I've already got a date for the evening. It wouldn't be very kind to get poor Ambrosius's hopes up, now would it?"
Molly stared at Tonks, then Harry, then back at Tonks again, her eyes wide and her mouth agape, reminding Harry of a fish on the sand. He felt a pang of guilt for upsetting her but, on the other hand, Tonks had just kissed him, and her hand was still on the back of his neck, her fingers ruffling his hair. "Just when did--"
"Oh, just recently," Tonks said, cutting Mrs. Weasley off before she could continue with any questions. "Didn't think it was proper to tell anyone yet as it's fairly new. I'm sorry, Molly. Really, I am. I hope you can understand."
Molly's only reply was a wounded sniff before she turned on her heel and stalked off, presumably to salvage poor Ambrosius's pride.
"Oh, dear," Tonks said, watching Molly's retreating back. "I didn't mean to upset her." She turned to Harry, although she hadn't moved her hand away from his neck yet. "I'm so sorry to do that to you -- I couldn't think of any other way to stop her."
"No, no, it's fine," Harry answered, thoroughly confused by the situation although he supposed the mead had something to do with it. "It was just a bit of a shock, that's all."
"Hopefully not an unpleasant one?" Tonks teased. She mussed his hair playfully before withdrawing her hand, Harry's skin burning where she'd touched him.
"Hardly." Harry looked away, unsure of how to respond. "Would you like another drink? I think I need one."
"Oh. Yeah, ta."
He took Tonks's glass in hand along with his own, and hurried over to the tables, breathing in the cool night air as he tried to clear his head. It seemed a losing proposition -- the mead mixed with the heady scent of flowers and the music just seemed to make him more muddled as he shambled toward the food.
"Harry!" Ron hissed as Harry nearly ploughed into him. "What the hell are you two playing at?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, helping himself to a chilled bottle of mead to refill their glasses, and a bowl of ripe, red strawberries.
"You and Tonks! What was that all about?"
"What?" Harry replied lamely.
"You. Were. Snogging. Her." Ron's voice was rife with accusation, as if Harry had done something to wound him personally.
Harry smiled. "Actually, Ron, it was more like she was snogging me, but--"
"What about Ginny?" Ron demanded "What about my sister, Harry?"
"What about her, Ron? You know Ginny and I--"
"Ron...Ron!" Harry put a restraining hand on his friend's arm as Ron continued to flail. "Ginny and I are just friends now. She's seeing Neville and they seem perfectly content. I'm fine with it-- and you should be too. And Tonks and I, well, I don't know what's going on. It's complicated."
Ron scowled, casting a dark look in Tonks's direction. Tonks, blissfully unaware of Ron's ire, just smiled back at him. "She's...she's...old," he insisted. "Too old for the likes of you!"
"So, she's a bit older than us." Harry rolled his eyes. "You make her sound like an ancient crone. It's not like she's one of McGonagall's contemporaries. She's the same age as Charlie, isn't she? And Bill's older than Fleur and that doesn't seem to bother you..."
"Like I said," Ron snapped, "old. For fuck's sake, Harry, she's got a kid, she was married to Lupin, she--"
"Remus was a friend of ours!" Harry countered. "But he's not here now, is he? Is she supposed to just mourn him for the rest of her life? Not to mention the fact that he wasn't a very good husband to her while he was around." He felt awkward casting aspersions on a dead man who was unable to defend himself, but Harry had never quite forgiven their former teacher for trying to walk out on his newlywed bride and their unborn child in the middle of a war, regardless of how brave he'd been in the end. "My parents were married when they were my age, and I wasn't born too much later, was I? Besides, I'm not marrying her, Ron. We were just--you know, kissing. It's not the end of the world."
"It's your life, mate," Ron grumbled. "I wish Hermione was here. She'd talk some sense into you."
"More like she'd talk some sense into you." Ever since Hermione had chosen to go back to Hogwarts to finish her last year of schooling, Ron had been in a terrible strop. Harry didn't know if Ron was missing Hermione's ability to keep him in line, or any chance of having sex for the next year, but it had made him difficult to be around at times.
"What about work?" Ron demanded. "She's your partner, your superior. What will people say?"
Harry shook his head. "Do you honestly think after all that's happened that I give a toss what people think of me?" The thought had crossed his mind more than once which was one of the major reasons he'd never initiated things in the past. He wasn't sure what the Ministry's rules were on interoffice romances, but he had a feeling that Kingsley Shacklebolt would be more flexible than former Ministers for Magic. "Besides, Neville's parents were both Aurors. Didn't stop either of them, did they?"
Ron's frown grew deeper. "I still don't like it. It would be like me going out with Proudfoot!" He let out a huff of disgust. Harry knew Ron wasn't too fond of the Auror Shacklebolt had partnered him with; he moaned about it nearly as much as he moaned about missing Hermione.
"Except that, of course, Proudfoot's a married man, pushing forty and a blithering idiot," Harry retorted. "Not my fault that you've got such a prat for a partner. I got lucky, didn't I?"
Ron let out a derisive snort. "You know what I meant. It's not right, is it?"
"Ron, I don't know what's going on between us yet. It's just...a thing. We haven't actually discussed it yet," Harry said with a sigh. "Stop making such a fuss. The last thing I need is my best friend making me feel worse about a situation I haven't even sorted out yet for myself."
"I'm just looking out for your best interests, Harry," Ron replied. "You should know that by now."
"I do, Ron. And I appreciate the concern. I just don't want to row with you over this." Harry glanced back at Tonks, flashing her a reassuring smile. "Look, let me handle things. I'll let you know if and when I need your advice." He suspected that anything Ron had to say would be well-meaning but virtually useless. Ron was his best friend in the entire world, but he was hardly a font of wisdom when it came to romantic entanglements.
"Fine." Ron pursed his lips tightly, as if trying to hold back any further comments.
"I'm going back to her -- I'll talk to you soon, all right?" Without waiting for a response, Harry picked up the strawberries and the mead, then headed back to his seat.
"Harry?" Tonks accepted the bowl of strawberries from him, carefully balancing them in her lap. "Is Ron all right, then? He looked a bit hacked off about something."
Harry handed her a glass of mead, then shuffled awkwardly in place. "Erm, Ron? Yeah. I think so. Only..."
"Only?"
"Well, he saw what happened, didn't he?" Harry said quietly. "You kissing me. And he had a hundred and one reasons why it's going to cause the downfall of Wizarding civilisation as we know it."
Tonks's expression fell. "Oh. I'm sorry, Harry. I never meant to cause problems with you and your mate. I just--well, you know how Molly is and..."
"No, Tonks, it's fine. Really. I told Ron to piss off about it. It's none of his business. Even if--if--" Harry bit his lower lip, trying to think of the right words to tell her without making her feel bad too. "Well, it's nothing he needs to stick his nose into, is it? You were just having a laugh."
"Is that what you think?" Tonks asked, an edge of dismay in her voice. "That it was just a laugh?"
"Well, wasn't it?"
"I--" Tonks sighed. "I don't know. I hadn't actually thought it through. Just wanted to put Molly off that particular path, really." She paused, eyeing him curiously. "Harry... are you saying it wasn't just a bit of fun for you?"
Harry looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "It was fun. Just--" He suddenly felt unbelievably foolish and unbelievably young. "Look, Tonks, can we not talk about it here?"
"Do you want to leave?"
"No, no, just -- not with so many people around. It's a bit embarrassing, really." He tried to smile. "Too many Weasleys milling about for a start."
Tonks handed him the strawberries, then stood, drink in hand. "C'mon then. Let's go for a walk. Hopefully no one will miss us for a bit." She took Harry's hand and pulled him away from the throng of people, over towards the copse of apple trees that started the Weasleys' orchards. The trees were in full bloom now, the branches adorned with fragrant pink and white blossoms. Harry could still hear the laughter of guests and the faint sound of music filtering in from the garden, but they were far enough away to afford Tonks and himself some privacy.
"So, what's all this about, then?" Tonks asked, before tossing back more of her mead. "You're not getting serious on me or anything, are you, Harry?"
"Serious?" he echoed. "Just because you kissed me? Nuh-" Harry's words were cut off as Tonks propelled herself into his arms and kissed him again, fusing her lips against Harry's own. Harry tensed briefly, then relaxed against her, putting his arms around her waist. It was a surprise that she felt so small and light in his arms, her mouth so soft and sweet on his. It was several minutes before Harry pulled away, breathless from the intensity.
Tonks laughed, her eyes shining, her cheeks flushed.
"You're drunk," Harry stated, letting her go. "We shouldn't."
"I am not drunk, Harry James Potter," Tonks replied resolutely. "I am a bit tiddly, but that's it. I am quite aware of what I am doing. And why. Don't you want to kiss me?"
"Did it seem like I didn't?" Harry asked, wondering if somehow he'd give her the wrong impression.
"Hardly." Tonks cocked her head, one hand on her hip as if challenging him to refute the argument. "And I wanted to kiss you. So what's the problem?"
He swallowed hard, remembering all the things Ron had been wittering about earlier. "Well, I'm not even nineteen, I'm barely out of school, let alone a proper Auror, and you--you're amazing!"
"Perhaps I like 'em young. Easier to train you up that way," Tonks teased, putting her hand on his shoulder. When Harry didn't smile at her joke, she kissed him lightly. "Harry, I think you're fanbloodytastic. You've seen more in your nineteen years than most blokes see in a lifetime. I s'pose I ought to be asking you what you could possibly see in me. You could have any girl you want, couldn't you?"
"It's not as easy as you think," Harry muttered.
"Look, Harry, if you don't fancy me, it's all right. You just have to say--"
This time it was Harry's turn to kiss her into silence, his courage fuelled by the mead. Happily, Tonks did not protest, instead yielding to him immediately. She wound her arms around his neck and moulded her lithe body against his. He slid his tongue between her parted lips and probed her mouth gently, eliciting a contented sigh from her. Harry kissed her harder, one hand slipping down to caress her back. All his worries dissipated as she continued to kiss back, her fingers buried in his hair.
"Oooh, Harry," Tonks murmured, her voice low and throaty. "I bloody well hope this means you do."
Harry chuckled, feeling himself blushing, then nodded. "Yeah."
"I like you too," she said softly, "and I don't give a toss if you're younger than me or that we work together. We can sort that all out. As long as you want to, I mean. And you don't mind about Teddy."
"Mind? Why should I mind? Teddy's brilliant..." Harry said, feeling elated. It was hard not to when she was nuzzling his neck, her breath warm as it ghosted against his skin.
"Well, it's a bit weird for some blokes, going out with a woman who's got a kid. But you're wonderful with him and I know he adores you. It's one of the reasons I really like you, Harry," she said coyly. "I find it rather sexy to see you with him, if you must know."
"Sexy? Me?"
Tonks bit her lip and smiled. "Very, mate."
"Are you certain you're not drunk?" Harry asked lightly. "You didn't even want to come tonight, now you're--"
"I know," Tonks admitted, then leaned her head on his shoulder. "I s'pose I just realised what a good man you are, and that I can't hide away forever. I'm not entirely dim, Harry. I have seen the way you look at me at the office and all. It just frightened me a bit. I'm not used to the attention."
"That's rubbish. I mean, you deserve it. So...you knew?" Harry could feel his cheeks heating up in embarrassment.
"Let's just say I suspected," Tonks said with a laugh as she toyed with the collar of his shirt. "So, are we gonna keep talking about this or actually do something about it?"
"What did you have in mind?" Harry felt a familiar tightening in his loins as he considered what she might be suggesting.
Tonks took Harry's hand in hers, drawing it to her lips and kissed the palm lightly before placing it lightly on her breast. "It's Beltane, Harry. We could celebrate it the old fashioned way..."
"H-how…" Her breast was soft beneath his hand although he could feel her nipple hardening as he touched her.
"How d'ya think?" Tonks undulated in his lap, leaving nothing to Harry's imagination as to what she was proposing.
Nervously, he glanced over towards the garden where bonfires were now a-lit, the revellers dancing and jumping over the flames, whooping wildly in the distance. "What if someone comes?"
The corner of Tonks's mouth curled up into a smirk, "If anyone's going into the orchard tonight, they won't be looking for us. I reckon they'll be too busy having their own fun to interrupt ours." She stood on her tiptoes, blowing gently into his ear. "So, where's that legendary Gryffindor pluck when I need it?"
A shiver ran up Harry's spine, the thought of being with Tonks here and now in such close proximity to other people was oddly arousing. He worked his wand out of his pocket, then Summoned his cloak, deciding that the ground would probably be too hard and too cold for the pair of them. Leading Tonks a little deeper into the orchard, Harry then spread the cloak on the ground, cast warming and cushioning spells on the sturdy wool, then sat, drawing Tonks down into his lap. She faced him, straddling his thighs, her knees pressed firmly against his hips. Harry decided there was something incredibly romantic about being there in the dark with her under the stars and the canopy of trees, serenaded by the splashing of a nearby stream and the strains of music from the garden.
He did not hesitate as he removed his glasses carefully, then put his arms around her, crushing his mouth against hers. Their kisses grew increasingly heated as Harry let his hands caress her back, then stray down to her arse, cupping it gently through the fragile fabric of her robes. Tonks sighed in contentment, settling on top of him, her hips flush with his own. She wriggled against him wantonly; there was no question of her interest in him now. Harry ranged his kisses from her lips to her chin and then her throat, struggling with the fastenings of her robes to expose the pale swell of her breasts spilling over the lacy top of her bra. Burying his face between them, he lapped at her silken skin, savouring the sweet taste against his tongue.
Tonks moaned low in her throat, already working on undoing Harry's trousers with surprisingly nimble fingers. He could feel himself responding to her touch, his erection throbbing painfully as she began to stroke him. Harry worked his fingers under the hem of her robes, coming into contact with her silky knickers. He tugged them down over her arse, allowing her to raise herself up on her knees so she could shimmy out of them completely. Her arse was soft and warm as he kneaded it, his hand coming away slick as his fingers briefly delved between her thighs.
Harry pulled her back down, kissing her hungrily, his fingers tangled in the wild curls of her hair. He could feel the heat radiating from between her legs as she straddled his belly.
"Harry...oh, Harry...want you," she whispered, grinding herself against him insistently, warm and wet against his belly.
Tonks raised herself up again, her delicate fingers already wrapping around the base of his shaft. Harry groaned as he felt her guiding him toward her entrance, and then he was inside. She eased herself down his length slowly, until he was buried hilt deep. He gripped her hips, keeping her steady as she shifted, then clenched around him, her dark eyes fixed upon his all the while.
"Oh, god, Tonks," he gasped, his hips bucking up towards her. "That's...brilliant..."
She threw her head back and laughed. "It is, innit?" Tonks prised one of his hands from her hip, sliding it across her belly to her mons, pressing his fingers between her legs. "Touch me, love," she urged.
Harry could feel the hard, slippery nub of her clit against his thumb, doing his best to tease it as Tonks began to move again, sliding up his length, then down again in a smooth rhythm. It was very hard to think, let alone act, while she was doing such incredible things to him. While Harry was no virgin, he'd never been with a girl--no, a woman-- who was this experienced before. He found it quite daunting. Still, he was a Gryffindor and that meant never backing down from a challenge.
Moving his thumb in a slow circular motion, Harry pressed a little harder, pleased with the response he got.
"That's it, sweetheart," Tonks breathed, writhing at his touch. "Keep going, keep going..." Her words broke off into another loud moan, causing a jolt of arousal to course through Harry.
Groaning, he rocked his hips up, thrusting into Tonks, trying desperately to match her pace. They moved together frantically, Harry doing his best to maintain control for as long as he could. His cock ached and his balls were threatening to burst as he continued to thrust upwards into her heat. He could hear Tonks's breathing growing erratic, her body starting to tremble as he brought her closer to the edge.
"Oh, Harry, ohHarryohHarry," she keened, digging her nails into his shoulders and holding him so tight Harry thought he might be smothered. Tonks gave a violent shudder, moaning and crying like a wild thing. The intensity of her climax was enough to send Harry spiralling into orgasm. He gave one final push, then there was an explosion of pleasure as his vision went to black and he was spilling deep inside of her, clamping his lips on hers to stifle his own cries.
Tonks kissed him, stroking his hair and rocking him gently as she urged him back down. He relaxed in her embrace, resting his head against her shoulder. "Nice one, Potter," she murmured, still cradling him. "Very nice."
"Nice?" asked Harry, pulling back just enough to squint at her in the dim light from the distant bonfires. "I was hoping it was a bit more than nice."
Tonks flashed him a cheeky grin, tousling his already messy hair affectionately. "Well, like your work in the Auror's Department, you're not half-bad, but you've got a lot to learn. I s'pose I'll just have to be the one to train you up, won't I?" She let out a feigned sigh of exasperation. "It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it, haven't they?"
"Well," said Harry slowly, "I could find someone else if it's going to be that much of a burden..."
"I'll manage somehow, I s'pose," she countered. "Besides, you won't find any better teacher than me. I'd feel dead awful if you got poor instruction somewhere else, couldn't live with the guilt. No, I'll do it."
Harry grinned back at her, still somewhat dazed by what had happened. "I appreciate your sacrifice, Tonks. I promise I won't let you down."
"Better not," she replied lightly, giggling as he began to caress her bare bum beneath her skirts. "I'm impossible to live with when things don't go my way."
"I know," he teased. "I've seen you in the office, remember?" The thought of seeing her at work every day sobered Harry up. "Tonks, you're sure this is okay? Us, I mean?"
"You're not having second thoughts, are you, Harry?"
"I--no, not at all. Just worried about you, really." He smoothed her hair back from her face. "I don't want there to be any trouble."
Tonks shook her head, looking down at him with some concern. "Look, Harry, I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I'm not doing this lightly. If you want, we can just write this off as a silly Beltane rite, just a one-off because we both got a bit drunk and carried away..."
"No, that's not what I want," he insisted. "And the last thing I want is for this to be a one-off. Hardly."
Her face split into a warm smile. "Well, neither do I. I told you earlier, we'll sort this out. Together. I really like you, Harry. I have done for a very long time. It was just never the right time or place to do anything about it before." She planted a kiss on his mouth, then his brow. "But it is now...and it feels really good. Let's just see where this thing goes between us, yeah?"
"Yeah." Harry drew her close and kissed her again. The future was wide open for the pair of them, and he couldn't wait to see where it led.