Who: Remus and Tonks
What: Being saddish? Sad? Happy? It's sappy!
When: Just before the weekend
Where: Tonks' flat



To say Remus Lupin wasn't taking Ernest's death well would be a bit of an understatement. The truth was, Remus simply felt like he was losing people left and right. The war was over, the losing people thing was supposed to stop. So...why hadn't it? The obvious answer was old age; when people reached a certain point, they began losing their friends to that horrible thing called time. But Ernest was young. It wasn't supposed to happen to him.

He had arrived at Tonks' flat a little reluctantly. It wasn't that he didn't love her. He did, of course he did, and he knew she was only trying to support him. But it was so hard to be around anyone who meant anything to him anymore. What next? How long before he lost her, too? Could he really stand it if, for any reason at all, he did? Teddy Nott had opened the door for Remus to come to accept the loss of his friend, and he knew life would have to keep moving, but that didn't mean he had to necessarily like it.

Still, he could appreciate what Tonks was trying to do. He was sitting on her surprisingly comfortable couch watching some film on the telly involving a love triangle and a kid caught in the middle. Not a bad plot, really, if only he could concentrate. Which he wasn't doing very well at all.

Tonks was, in all honesty and for however much she might deny it, a worrywort. The people that she loved were all worried about equally, though moreso in different times. When they needed it most, really. And after Ernest passed away, it was three people that she could see needing it most. Her dad, Draco, and Remus. It was Remus that she worried most about right now, because he took it the hardest. And understandably so.

She shifted slightly, having been leaning on him while they watched the movie. Surprisingly enough, she'd been relatively quiet since he got here. Sometimes it was just a matter of being around someone, even if you weren't ready to talk about it. Chin placed lightly on his arm, Tonks watched him for a moment.

"What was the silliest time you two had together?" And then sometimes, it was just a matter of talking about the good times with someone who had just passed.

He was so distracted that it took him a moment or two to realize what she'd asked. When it finally did register, he gave a brief smile and shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. He and your dad were always the more silly ones. I like to think I was the voice of reason." Only that wasn't entirely true. Sometimes, just sometimes, Ernest could get him to open up and just goof around. Much like she did, but on a smaller scale.

"Voice of reason.." Gently teased, as if she didn't believe it. Which Tonks did, but only to a point. "Until, that is, they pulled you into it." She knew how her father could get. When she was a kid, she completely believed that his laughter would cure any sort of blues. His laughter and her mother's smile. Okay, sometimes Tonks was a little on the sappy side.

Falling quiet again, she simply threw her arms around Remus in a big hug and stayed there for a long minute. It was as much to remind herself that he wasn't going anywhere as it was to remind him of the same. "You're stuck with me, you know that right?"

Though the move surprised him, Remus couldn't help but smile as she practically mauled him. He rested his chin against the top of her head tenderly. "I hope so," he told her, though he could clearly remember a time when that was the last thing he'd wanted. She really was better off without him, wasn't she? The people around him all seemed to get taken away. The morbid thought caused a chill to run through him, and he pressed a kiss against her forehead as much to comfort himself as to show affection. "Not that anyone could possibly blame you if you decided to take off."

No, she was not better off without him. And he got a poke as she snorted indignantly. "That most certainly is not true, Remus Lupin, and you know it." She smiled up at him and lifted her eyebrows. "I mean what I say." So when she said that he was stuck with her, she meant it. "So what about that movie, huh? That part where he became a florist and then grew a botanical jetpack to fly to the moon..?" There was no such part, of course. But she was trying to make him smile a little more.

But as tuned out of the movie as he'd been, Remus glanced at her in surprise. "Wait, he grew a botanical jetpack? What sort of movie was this? I missed that part, rewind it, I think that might even be impossible." He hadn't been focusing on anything well lately. It really wasn't the movie's fault, it could've been the most interesting thing around and he wouldn't have been paying very much attention.

Smiling wryly, she waggled her eyebrows. "We'll watch it again later." Tonks promised. Then he could give her trouble for giving him trouble. Heh. Leaning up, she chewed her lip and regarded him thoughtfully. It was sort of maddening, not knowing how to help. "I'm so sorry, Remus." All of the condolences and she hadn't yet been able to say as much to him. "How are you doing with it all? Honestly, now."

He should've been expecting her question. After all, it was a long time coming now. But it took him by surprise just the same, and he held his breath for a moment, letting it sink in. How was he doing? "At least when we lost... When it was Sirius, we knew what was at stake. It was war, we were fighting all the time, there was always the potential to lose someone." Even mentioning her cousin hurt him, especially when he looked back on the events of the day. Harry fighting Voldemort himself, nearly losing Tonks, and the children who'd all been injured. It was something he simply hated remembering, but it came spilling out anyway. "But him... He was young, Tonks. He always seemed so healthy."

She looked down at the mention of Sirius, nodding only faintly. That loss had hit where it hurt the most for a lot of people. Remus, particularly. An arm wrapped around his, staying close as she listened. "He was young." Tonks agreed quietly, "And those ones are the hardest to understand." Tonks fell quiet again and then smiled a bit, "Though he hasn't really left, yanno. I don't think so anyway. He'll always be around, like Sirius. As long as he has people to remember him."

And that was why he was so insanely in love with her. It was her optimism. Even when he was ready to tell the entire world where to stick it, Tonks kept smiling and kept trying to get him to smile, too. "He's got his kids," he concluded, which was something he couldn't say for Sirius. Lily and James both lived on through Harry, but his friend had died before being able to carry on his name. Tonks and Draco were all that were left of the Black line, now. "Ernie, most of all. He looks so much like him, too. I just hope taking over the business is what he really wants to do."

"I think Ernest raised his kids to know what they do or don't wanna do. And he loves them no matter what path they go." Said firmly with a nod. Mr. MacMillan had always struck her as that type, and talking with him as a professor about Ernie had just cemented that thought. Chin to his arm, then traded for her cheek, she chewed on her lip again. "I'm also worried about Draco." Her cousin had been close as well and, perhaps like Remus, was a little more likely to bottle it all in. Perhaps unlike Remus, he would pop before retreating into hermitdom. Not that Tonks would let either of them do either of those things, if she could help it.

Almost absently, he held her closer, rubbing the arm opposite the one at his side. "Teddy is, too," he confirmed. "I'm not sure Draco realizes just how much. It has to be hard for them, for the both of them. He was there when they were kids, before all of this got..." He shook his head, then, trying again to push the several years between their innocent childhoods and now aside. "Draco's unlikely to talk first, you know that. But," he added a beat later, "I think I know the one person who could get him to open up."

Among the many reasons that Tonks loved Remus was the fact that he knew, almost subconsciously, how to calm her. The discussions they had (unless he was being stubborn on the wrong things) and the small gestures like now. She liked that feeling. "How is Teddy doing?" She felt awful for all of them. And Teddy, having lost his own dad and now Ernest. "And I know, I know. Just--" Tonks trailed off then, eyebrows lifting in curiosity at his statement. "Oh Wise One, impart upon me who can do it." She replied with a quirky smile, small ribbing mixed with genuine want to know.

"Teddy's been better, I assure you," Remus confided. "But he's handling it better than some of us." A wry smile crossed his face, reminded of how he'd been put in his place by a former student. "He's a fighter, that's for certain. Never realized how much he'd grown up until this. Any of them, really." Gently, he nudged her ribs with his elbow, a roll of his eyes punctuating the gesture. "You, you silly girl. That kid's crazy about you, whether he knows it or not. Trust me, half the professors in that school would've liked to have gotten him to open up the way you did. Course, not all of them are his long lost cousin, but that's just a wee bit of a minor detail, hmm?"

"It's weird, yeah? Knowing that they're all grown up now." She thought about it for a moment, then laughed and squirmed a little when he nudged her. And smiled sheepishly. "I just talk with him." Nothing special. Tonks grinned a little, "I'm just stubborn is all. And have that cousin factor." She shrugged then, but gave a nod. "I should pin him down too." Decided, as if she wasn't going to anyway.

Oh, he knew how very stubborn she was. How many times had he been on the receiving end of it? If she hadn't been so stubborn, he'd probably still have been very, very alone instead of curled up on the couch in her flat with her in his arms. And Remus had his own level of stubborn. If she could get through to him, Draco couldn't possibly have been immune. "You'll talk to him, then? He could use it, I think. You're good therapy, what can I say." As it to verify his statement, he dropped a light kiss against the bridge of her nose. "He could use a friend right now. Hell, we all could, really."

Remus' level of stubborn was off the charts. So she just had to be a little more off those charts, that was all! The kiss brought a bright smile over her features, and she nodded again. "I'll definitely talk to him." Agreed, but then she was playing around a little again and sat up. One hand was held out like a notepad and the other poised to 'write.' If only she had glasses, Tonks would be looking over them right about now. "Now, Mister Lupin." A German accent was affected because..weren't all good therapists German? "What else is on your mind now?"

Remus couldn't help himself. He snorted, giggling a bit at her behavior. "Well, you see, doctor," he began, as if about to tell his life story. "I have this girlfriend, right? And, don't get me wrong, she's brilliant. Beautiful, sweet, huge heart, and awfully good at snogging, I can't lie. But sometimes, just every once in a while, I think she might be a bit crazy. Is there anything I can do about that?"

"Ach," She tsk'ed, trying not to laugh. It wasn't working entirely, because her shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. "There is only one thing you can do with crazy girlfriends!" There was a firm nod, and then she leaned in as if to tell the 'patient' a secret. "Love them, Mister Lupin." Tonks paused then, tapping her finger on her mouth in mock thoughtfulness. "Und perhaps snog them, since she is good with the snoggings."

Grinning, Remus was reminded why he was over there at all. She was his bright spot, even when things were sometimes so awful he wondered how the world kept moving. Well, this answered that, didn't it? It kept moving so they could have moments like this, where he could be happy in spite of it. Reaching out, he pulled her into his lap with a smirk. "I don't suppose an affair with my therapist would be considered a very proper cure," he questioned, looking very thoughtful.

Making a noise as he pulled her into his lap, Tonks laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then an impish grin passed over her features, and eyebrows waggled playfully. "Perhaps not. But I don't think she would mind. Your girlfriend is very giving like that." She kissed his cheek first, then placed a light kiss on his mouth. It was times like these that made the harder things worth it.

His hand threaded through her hair playfully and he shrugged. "I don't think you know my girlfriend very well, Doctor. She's a bit greedy. Wouldn't share her toys when she was little, you know the type. Besides which, I'm a very committed man. I'm afraid I couldn't, you see, because that crazy girl's done something awful. She went and stole my heart away, would you believe it? Told you she's completely mental."

"It is that Only Child Syndrome. Such a shame." She shook her head in lament, not trying to laugh still. That part worked this time, but the smile wouldn't go away. "Should lock her up, that mental and thieving woman." Tonks lifted her eyebrows though, "I'm not normally supposed to share patient information, but I believe you stole her heart as well. She told me."

"Did I?" he asked, looking up at her imploringly. "Never meant to, I really ought to give that back. Completely by accident, I assure you." Still, he used the hand already tucked behind her head and brought her face down for a long, slow kiss. "Then again, I've gotten rather attached to it. And I don't plan to lock her up anywhere unless it happens to be with me."

"Mm," Replied against his mouth, "Should keep it. That way you both have ransom on the other." Another slow kiss, returned this time, and Tonks smiled. "I love you, Remus." He knew that. He'd better know that. With that, she turned her head and nestled underneath his chin. "Being locked away sounds a bit fun, really. A nice bit of a weekend?" She looked up and grinned a little, curiously.

The idea wasn't impossible. And yet... "If we were to lock ourselves away for a weekend, it'd have to be now," he reminded her. "Or else we'll be forced to wait till Christmas. Seems a bit strange, going back without Harry and Hermione and Draco and the lot." His kids out in the world by themselves. Well, no. They'd never be by themselves, he reminded himself. As he'd told several of them already, his door was always open for them, no matter how long they were out of school. "But I could certainly hide away with you till the first, don't you think?"

"It does, doesn't it? We've still got Ginny and Colin and everyone else in school though." She reminded him in return, eyebrows lifting. "And hiding away sounds lovely. Can I hide from the Ministry as well?" They were driving her to that completely mental state that Remus had been teasing her about. "Some people are complete prats." But it was all she'd say at the moment about it. That could be a later discussion.

Remus' eyes clouded over a bit at the mention of the Ministry. On the one hand, he respected her for not only being an Auror, but being an Auror during such difficult times. But on the other, he hated that she had to go to that place every day and keep smiling as if they weren't tearing apart the entire wizarding world. Were they such fools that they didn't even notice she was related to one of those families they were hurting so badly? What if they up and put restrictions on her? He'd fight tooth and nail to protect her, he knew, but it would put both of their jobs at risk. Including both of hers. "Mmm, I think it's time for a holiday for you anyway," he confirmed. "And we just won't answer the door if anyone comes knocking. Tell them you're caring for your very sick and undernourished boyfriend."

That was one of the worries she had, about her mother. Her father, and even herself. But right now there was just such..ridiculousness. For Draco and Aunt Narcissa. Leanne. Even Lucius. No one should have to go through that. So his confirmation that a holiday would be good made Tonks smile appreciatively. She laughed and sighed against him. "I can tell them that." She paused then and grinned, "Or you could tell them that you're taking care of your poor and delicate girlfriend." Said with a giggle. Because Tonks didn't exactly think of herself as delicate. But she smiled and nodded. It'd be good for the both of them, maybe.

"Mmm, right, delicate. You do know these people know you, right?" He kissed the top of her head and smiled softly. "But you know, I do think you look a bit peckish. Awfully pale, even for you. You know, I think my darling doctor may have the flu, look at that. No, thanks, we don't want to deal with Healers or anything, she'll be tip top in a couple of days." Gently, he rubbed her back, laughing a bit. "You know, I think we could make that work?"

"I think that with you as my nefarious plan-maker, we can't lose." He was a nefarious plan maker, after all. He couldn't have been part of the Marauders and all innocent, so Tonks never believed Remus when he tried that excuse. She was convinced that he was the idea developer, and that the others had been the follow-through. "And I do feel a little peaky." Cough. She coughed again for good measure.

Laughing more genuinely than he had in weeks, Remus cuddled her close. "I believe I'll be sending an owl into the Auror department in the morning, how's that sound? If you're skiving off, may as well do it properly. You're far too sick to hold a quill yourself, after all."

She loved the sound of him laughing, and smiled brightly when he did it. "Far too sick. Can't hardly see..will spill ink.." The first part was certainly not true. The second part might very well be. Still had butterfingers when it came to inks. Which was why she liked the self inking ones. So, being 'far too sick,' Tonks smiled and laid there right where she was. The arm draped around his neck moved so that her thumb could just brush back and forth along his neck. "Thank you for coming over." She had thought possibly that he'd be reluctant to do so.

And he had been, but he should've known that Tonks was the best medicine for a horrible case of misery. After all, Ernest had been one of their biggest supporters. Turning her away would've been like scorning his approval. "Love you," he reminded her, closing his eyes at her touch. "Couldn't exactly tell you no, could I? Besides, now you're stuck with me for days."

"Love you, too. And there's nobody else I'd rather be stuck with for days. And days." She grinned then snickered, "No. You couldn't tell me no." Teased before she squirmed around and looked about her flat. "Now..where did I put those quills..?"