Title: Baby Booties
Rating: T
Pairing: Nymphadora Tonks/?
Summary: Molly helps Tonks prepare her layette while everyone else just wants to know who the father is.

"What color should it be, Tonks, pink or blue?"

"Huh? How am I supposed to know?" asked Nymphadora Tonks, looking at Molly Weasley with a confused expression. "What a minute. Am I supposed to be able to tell what it is?"

"Well, some witches can tell intuitively," replied Molly. "Then again, in six tries my guesses were hit or miss. When I was pregnant with Charlie, I was absolutely certain I was carrying a girl. I was so sure of it that I made all his baby clothes in pink."

"Mum!" exclaimed Charlie, who was sitting on the couch across from them, pretending to read his Daily Prophet. His cheeks were as red as his hair. Bill sat in a nearby armchair snickering at his brother's embarrassment.

"It's the honest truth, Charlie," said Molly. "I'd guessed correctly with the others except for Ginny. I thought she would be another boy. And I didn't dress you in pink, Charlie. I simply transfigured all the pink things into blue ones. Which, by the way, Tonks, I can do for yours if you pick blue and turn out needing pink."

"I don't know, Molly," said Tonks. "I've never liked the whole blue-for-boys and pink-for-girls thing. I'd rather dress my baby in green."

"Green it is, then," said Molly, sitting down with her knitting needles.

"You're starting now?" asked Tonks.

"Yes," answered Molly. "That way I'll have the whole layette finished and then some in time for the baby's birth. I learned my lesson with Percy. I started late and he was born early. All he had were a pair of booties and a cap. I had to dress him in Bill's hand-me-downs from the start." She set up the knitting needles with some green yarn and gave them a tap of her wand. The needles began to move on their own. "There now, that's started. Care to join me in the kitchen while I start dinner, Tonks? Arthur should be arriving soon."

Bill held his tongue until his mother and Tonks were safely in the kitchen before asking the question everyone else was avoiding. "So, Tonks has a bun in the oven?"

"A bun in the oven? That's a rather crude way of putting it," said Charlie, frowning in a very Percy-like manner.

"So who's the lucky wizard?" Bill asked. He looked Charlie and slyly asked, "Am I going to be an uncle?"

"Tonks and I are just friends, nothing more," said Charlie without looking up from his newspaper.

"Then if it isn't you, who is it?" asked Bill.

"She hasn't told me," answered Charlie. "She hasn't actually told him yet, so she doesn't want anyone outside the family to know until she's had a talk with him."

"Do you think Mum knows who it is?" asked Bill, but Charlie's answer was interrupted by the arrival of his father.

"Do come in, Remus. Hello boys! I've brought a guest for dinner. Where is your mother? I want to let her know to set an extra place," said Arthur, as one of the hands on the old grandfather clock swung from "Traveling" to "Home." Behind him, Remus Lupin was taking off his cloak.

"Hello Dad. It's good to see you again, Remus," said Bill. "Mum's in the kitchen, Dad. Tonks came over for dinner too. She's in the kitchen helping."

"Ah, then I'll go say hi to her as well. Make yourself at home, Remus," said Arthur, gesturing to one of the easy chairs. That's when he noticed Molly's knitting needles, which had just finished the first of a pair of green baby booties. "Oh my…" he said, gasping for air. "Not another… Oh my goodness… MOLLY! Darling, is it true?" he screamed, racing off towards the kitchen as Bill and Charlie burst into laughter.

Remus smiled pleasantly. "Are congratulations in order?" he asked.

"Not for us," said Bill. "Dad's in for a disappointment when Mum tells him the baby booties are for Tonks."

This time, it was Remus who was gasping for air. "A baby? Tonks? Oh dear…" he stammered as Bill and Charlie worriedly exchanged glances. Seconds later, a huge smile broke out on Remus' face as he raced off towards the kitchen, screaming, "TONKS! Where are you, sweetheart? We're going to have a baby!"