Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters etc.
A/N: Not much explanation needed. Tonks is finally taking Remus to meet her father after being engaged for about two months. Only Remus has a bad feeling about it. Only natural I suppose being a werewolf and a wizard and 12 years older than her. Please note that in this Ted Tonks is a muggle, despite what it says in the book. Also Andromeda Tonks died during Harry's sixth year, one of the reasons Tonks was so depressed. But that's another story which I may or may not write.
Meeting the parent
Remus fidgeted impatiently as he and Tonks walked along the muggle street. He felt like an idiot, but they couldn't put it off much longer. He had to meet Ted Tonks today and Nymphadora wasn't going to let him off.
"I'm sure we should have gone with Harry, Ron and Hermione. They're going to need someone with more experience if that lead turns out to be a horcrux," Remus said hopefully and Tonks elbowed him in the ribs.
"No Remus, your not getting out of this, don't worry you'll like my dad," she grinned and gave her fiancé a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her but carried on fidgeting, "Calm down Remus, we're here," Tonks said as she turned up a drive to a bungalow about half way down the street.
"Nymph! Finally, I thought you wouldn't be coming," a man said coming out of the front door. His hair was more grey than ginger and his face was wrinkled by laughter lines. Ted Tonks embraced his daughter before turning to Remus who smiled and held out his hand in greeting. Ted took it firmly, he had a strong grip.
"Remus Lupin I presume? It's nice to finally meet you" Ted said with a smile letting go of Remus' hand.
"It's nice to meet you as well," Remus replied and Ted led them into the house. It had the appearance of a place that had been rapidly tided, but it felt like a proper home. Certainly like the place where the clumsy Tonks would fall over anything and everything.
"Shall I make some tea?" Tonks asked heading to a door that presumably led to the kitchen.
"Thanks Nymph, so Remus you're a wizard too?" Ted asked indicating Remus should sit.
"Yes I am," Remus replied his nerves rapidly vanishing from Ted's friendly manner.
"I was so shocked when I found out that my wife was a witch, but magic made life so much easier, it went down hill after she died though, I've never been exactly tidy," Ted laughed sadly indicating the messy room and Remus smiled.
"I'm sorry, Tonks said she died quite a while ago," Remus said and Ted nodded.
"You call her Tonks? That's unusual," Ted asked looking puzzled.
"Not really, she won't let anyone call her by her first name. Not even me," Remus laughed.
"Because her fool of a mother called her Nymphadora," they said simultaneously and started to laugh. Tonks appeared at the door shook her head and disappeared again.
"Anyway, it wasn't that long ago, just eight months or so, those Death Eater things got her," Ted said sadly.
"I know how you feel, they killed my best friends, Sirius and James," Remus said thinking back to that day just over a year ago when Sirius fell through that portal.
"Sirius Black you mean? Wasn't he related to Nymph?" Ted asked changing the topic.
"Yes they were cousins, but I don't think they knew each other until recently," Remus answered and Ted shook his head.
"No Sirius knew us, we bought him a cat when he started school and he visited us once with one of his friends," Ted said, "but his mother found out and killed the cat and forbid him from contacting us,"
"Oh yeah, I remember that, the cat was called Wolfie and he visited for Tonks' second birthday," Remus laughed at the memory.
"How'd you know that?" Ted asked surprised.
"I visited with him, I can't believe I forgot that," Remus laughed, "We we're in third year and he didn't want to come alone and I was the only one of our group not busy,"
"And Nymph trailed round after you all weekend, she thought you were the best thing ever," Ted laughed as Tonks came in with a tray of cups and a teapot. Before Remus could say anything Tonks had tripped up over a chair leg and the tea went flying. Remus whipped out his wand and waved it, sending the cups and teapot back onto the tray and landing it neatly on the table next to the chair on which Ted was sat. Tonks smiled gratefully at her fiancé and went to sit on the arm of the chair that he was sat in. She kissed him on the head as he put his wand away.
"Great save Remus," she laughed as she looked at her dad who was still trying to work out what had happened, "What were you two laughing about?" she asked and Ted shook his head and poured a cup of tea out for each of them.
"When we first met, you probably won't remember, it was on your second birthday," Remus said and Tonks looked at him surprised.
"You kept that quiet, or did you just not want to admit you knew me as a toddler," Tonks laughed messing with his hair.
"I didn't remember until just now, your dad was just saying how you followed me round all weekend," Remus said and Tonks rolled her eyes making him laugh.
"If I remember correctly Sirius kept telling you not to lead her on because you were far too old for her and you'd break her little toddler heart," Ted laughed and Tonks snorted into her drink.
"So that's where you got that argument from, remind me to kill Sirius when we get to the afterlife," Tonks laughed giving Remus a playful shove.
"Have I missed something here?" Ted asked looking at the couple suspiciously.
"For about a year Remus refused to go out with me because he claimed he was too old, too poor and too dangerous. Oops." Tonks put her hand over her mouth and Ted looked even more suspicious. Remus just sighed.
"Tonks, we weren't going to tell him that," Remus put his hand to his head.
"Sorry Remus, I didn't think," Tonks said as Ted put his cup down looking at Remus through narrowed eyes.
"Too dangerous?" he asked. Remus put down his cup as well hand hovering over the pocket where his wand was, just in case they needed to make a quick escape.
"Yeah well, dad promise you won't freak out?" Tonks asked standing up ready to get between the two men with her Auror reflexes. Ted shook his head, he wouldn't promise anything, "Oh well, better tell you anyway. Dad Remus isn't a normal wizard,"
"I'd worked that out already, so what is he? A vampire or something?" Ted asked advancing slowly as Remus backed off, he didn't like the way this was going.
"Well not exactly, he's a werewolf," Tonks said standing in front of Remus as Ted reached for something to throw.
"A WEREWOLF!" he shouted and Remus winced, it wasn't exactly the impression he was hoping to make. The couple ducked as a metal statuette came flying at them. "Stay away from my daughter freak!" Ted shouted grabbing more stuff to throw.
"I think my welcome's been worn out, shall we go?" Remus suggested and Tonks nodded. With a loud CRACK they both disapparated.
Ten minutes later they were sat at the table at the burrow telling the Weasley twins what had happened. They were screeching with laughter. Remus didn't look too happy.
"Don't worry Remus, he'll calm down, he did the same when I first started to change my appearance every time I sneezed," Tonks said trying to cheer him up.
"That must have been confusing," Fred said and Tonks nodded.
"Too right, I had a cold at the time," she replied and the twins laughed again Remus joined them this time. Tonks kissed him and he seemed slightly happier.
"I'm still not going back until he's calmed down," Remus said and Tonks rolled her eyes at him sighing as Molly Weasley appeared and demanded they tell her what had happened.
