Disclaimer : If I were JKR, I would be wedding all the couples in the Seventh book instead of writing my own version of the characters like this. She owns everything, I own only the plot and the next-generation Lupins, Potter, and Lovegood-Longbottom.
Seventeenth
The last day of August was, as what it had been the recent seven years, the busiest day of the year for Diagon Alley, thanks for the Minister of Magic Arthur Weasley for his decision.
Families of wizards and witches, mostly with children, filled the streets, shops, and cafés. Some doing last-minute shopping for their boy wizards and girl witches before they went back to Hogwarts the next day; some just spending time together with their families, as it was an official holiday for the ministry-workers.
"Crowded," commented Nymphadora Lupin, gently caressing the dark-haired head lying upon her lap, "as usual."
Smiling, Remus Lupin secretly looked at his wife. Years hadn't caused many changes, at least in her. From the very first time they met, until now they'd been married for years, Nymphadora Tonks, now Nymphadora Lupin, was still the same woman. Clumsy and vivacious, with the same heart-shaped face and even the same pink hair.
Unavoidably, she looked older. Years had carved smooth lines on her face. The thing she had never tried to conceal, never thought to deny. "They makes me look equal with you," she always told him, "and you'll never say you're too old again."
Too old. The only argument he now had to resist her, should he want too. With the constant consumption of Wolfsbane, he had no longer been too dangerous for her. And, with the prestigious, respected position as the head of the Wizarding Education Department in the Ministry, he had no more been too poor again.
"I can feel you looking at me," she suddenly said, turning to face him with a tiny smile on her lips, "I guess you can no longer wait."
Remus lifted his brows and grinned widely.
"I admit, yes," he answered, shaking his head, "but we have to be patient. It won't be a special thing anymore, should it be given now, in front of these little ladies and all people surrounding us."
"Both Noe and Nate are sleeping," argued Tonks, clinging at the six years old whose head was upon her lap, then at the twenty-months old sticking fondly on Remus, "and I believe those people wouldn't care."
Again, Remus grinned and shook his head. After the long-but-felt-short years of marriage and the births of their children, she was still his Nymph.
"I promise it is something special," he said, pulling the mousy-brown haired Natalia 'Nate' Lupin upwards a bit, for the twenty months old 'clone' of Tonks had been slowly sliding down, "and it will be more than just special, if you can wait until tonight when we're on our own."
"Remus," she called him, her eyes pleading, "please."
For the third time, Remus grinned and shook his head.
"Be a good girl, Dora," he said, taking one of his hands off from Nate to cover Tonks', "you're a role model for our girls."
Tonks sighed.
"Deal," she said, covering Remus' hand with her other hand, "tonight. But I won't forgive you if you fall asleep before I come."
"How could I?" asked Remus playfully, giving Tonks the secret code only-the-two-of-them-know-the-meaning.
Tonks gave the code back to Remus, as they both smiled and drown themselves in their own fantasies for a while.
"Daddy…Mummy…"
Both Remus and Tonks startled, as they quickly looked at the stretching, murmuring Nate. The parents' conversation seemed to have finally woken her up; she straightened her back and looked around in total vigilance.
"Yes, Nate?" asked Remus, gently turning the girl so she could sit comfortably on his lap.
"…'unggly…"
Tonks looked at her wristwatch. "It's her dinner-time," she said, looking all over their table, looking for a 'first-aid' to give Nate, "and we didn't plan to go here after Molly's lunch party, so, I don't bring Nate's food."
Her eyes stopped at a plate of chocolate cookies placed between the teacups.
"We can give her those cookies," she told Remus then, "and feed her later when we arrive at home."
"A good idea, I suppose," responded Remus, reached for the napkin and cleaned Nate's tiny hands before cleaning his own hands and giving the girl a piece of cookie, "though I bet both Molly and your Mum will sue us should they know."
They both laughed, forcing Nate to abandon her cookie for a while and to look at them bewilderedly.
The bunch of dark hair lying upon Tonks' lap started moving. Noelani 'Noe' Lupin had finally woken up, and sat up beside her Mum, looked as bewildered as her younger sister was.
"Good afternoon, Miss," greeted Remus, smiling at the girl, "had a nice nap?"
Noe just nodded and started looking at Nate, who had decided that it was time to start eating her cookie.
"Want some cookies?" Tonks quickly asked, realizing that Nate's dinner time was also Noe's afternoon-snack time.
Noe shook her head.
"Do you have chocolate, Mummy?" she asked, looking at Tonks.
"I'm afraid no, Noey," answered Tonks, clinging at Remus for help, "maybe your Daddy has it."
Noe turned to Remus, a great hope in her eyes while looking at him.
"Well," said Remus, fishing down his pocket, "let me see."
He fished down and down, but, he found nothing. Finally, he realized that he'd given the last chocolate to one of the kids in Molly's lunch earlier, and had nothing to give his daughter.
"I'm afraid it's no longer here, Miss," he finally apologized, feeling quite bad for making the girl upset, "I'm sorry."
Noe looked, inevitably, upset, but she quickly smiled and nodded.
"It's alright, Daddy," she said, rubbing her hand on a napkin near her, "I'll have the cookies like Natey's having, then."
Tonks pulled the cookie plate and placed it near Noe, so the still-small girl could take the cookies easily.
"Thanks, Mummy."
The way she said the words melted Tonks' and Remus' hearts a bit. Noe had been always sweet and polite, even when she was disappointed.
The café's bell rang. Having a common sense of his son's presence, Remus turned to the door, and saw the brown-haired eleven years old David Lupin, a Hogwarts-student-to-be, entering the café with big shopping bags on his hands.
"I have told you earlier," he heard Tonks whispering, almost sighing, "that you shouldn't have given him that many galleons to spend. He couldn't stop visiting those bookstores, those candy shops, and Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."
Remus turned to his wife and grinned, agreeing the statement she'd just given. David was such a young version of Remus, by appearance and mind. Tonks even had started calling him 'Professor', for his love for books, knowledge, and teaching.
Remus shifted a bit, giving David a space to sit. "Here, David," he called, patting the seat, "sit down."
David smiled and sat down, looking at his whole family.
"Shopping a lot, Professor?" asked Tonks, helping David placing the bags under the table.
"Quite much," answered David, smiling and fishing down one of the bags, "I bought this for you, Mum."
He put a medium-sized chocolate wolf on Tonks' palm and smiled, fishing down the bag again, pulled out two small wolves. "This is for Noe, and this is for Nate," he continued, giving the chocolates to his sisters, "and this is for you, Dad."
Placed in front of Remus was a large chocolate wolf, which somehow looked like his wolf figure.
Neither Remus nor Tonks had anything to say, for they'd been surprised and touched by this loving action. Nate giggled and happily clutched her chocolate, while Noe, her eyes shining in joy, looked at her brother.
"Thanks, Davey."
"That's so nice, Professor," Tonks began, her throat plugged a bit, "thanks."
"Well-done, David," said Remus, ruffling the boy's hair, "thank you."
"Don't mention it," answered David, smiling and putting the bag under the table, "it's for my Hogwarts-entering celebration. I bought Ralph and Nikka some too."
Remus ruffled David's hair once more, as his thought flew at the sixteen years old male-and-female twins Ralph and Franikka 'Nikka' Lupin, who weren't with them that afternoon.
Nate started pouting, signaling that she was tired and bored enough after three hours of staying in that café.
"Well," said Tonks then, started gathering the things, "time to go, isn't it?"
As what they had dealt before, they must wait until Noe and Nate were put on bed, and they were all alone, to celebrate the very special day.
Standing alone in the Lupin Manor's main bedroom, facing the clear sky outside, Remus, for the something-trillionth time during the whole seventeen years, stared at his wedding ring. It had been badly scratched and bruised for it had endure many fights and fierce battles during the war, but, the proud, happy feeling gained from looking at it had never changed.
The door creaked open. Looked tired but excited, Tonks got in and closed the door. Remus could hear her approaching him, and finally hug him from behind.
"Sorry I'm late," she said, her voice as cheerful as usual, "Noe wanted to have a bedtime story."
"That's quite alright," answered Remus, turning back to face her and fished down his pocket.
"Come on, what is it actually?"
Remus pulled out a jewelry box and put it on Tonks' hand.
"Open it," he said, smiling, "I do bet you'll like it. I have tested it, and it is real."
Impatiently, Tonks opened the box. A plain golden ring, scratched and tainted, lied inside.
Trembling, she pulled it out, and read the name engraved inside.
Remus J. Lupin, August 31st, 1997
She had never intended to cry on her seventeenth wedding anniversary, but, however, emotion had drawn her tears. She sobbed and fell into his arms, crying emotionally on his chest.
It was her real wedding ring, the couple of Remus' ring, which she'd lost during a fierce battle against Death Eaters in a village in Bulgaria when she was six months pregnant with Ralph and Nikka. She remembered crying as fairly as she did now afterwards, on the pillow of the poorly decorated and cleaned room they'd rented, on her sleeves, and also, on Remus' chest.
"Where…did…?"
"Remember the business trip I had just last month?"
"It feels like forever, so I remember," answered Tonks, laughing a bit.
"Remembered that I visited Durmstrang?"
"Of course," Tonks answered again, recalling the story Remus had told her about the rather chaotic visit, "they keep it in Durmstrang?"
Remus shook his head. "One of the female teachers working there has a husband who works in the War-Artifact Department of the Bulgarian Ministry of Magic."
"And?"
"She told me that her husband had ever mentioned about your ring, and I went to the ministry getting it."
"Their ministry found it? And they'd never told us?"
Remus grinned a bit.
"At first, they thought it's faked," he answered, shaking his head a smiling, "they thought that a couple of Wizarding-world's superstars must have something greater than it."
Affectionately, Tonks looked at the ring she'd ever thought she would never see again for the rest of her life.
"I marry someone more than a superstar," she whispered then, "I married the man I love, and it's you."
She closed the sentence with a kiss, pressing her body against his, and finally broke up, run out of breath.
"Would you like putting it on my finger again?"
Nodding, Remus took the ring. He softly lifted Tonks' hand, kissed her fingers, and slipped the ring on her ring finger, over the substitute wedding ring, a diamond one he'd bought her shortly after Ralph and Nikka were born. The memory of the elopement they had before starting the Horcrux journey with Harry Potter and his other companions suddenly came again, conquering them for a while, as they secretly renewed their vows, once again.
"Mind repeating the Wedding Night?" he offered her naughtily.
"Not at all," she answered, looking lovingly but naughtily at him, "but after a silencing charm."
Remus frowned.
"You mean…the kids hadn't all gone to bed?"
"Ralph is floo-ing Alice Lovegood-Longbottom now," answered Tonks, her eyes signaling an apology but her lips forming a smile, "and Nikka is on the phone, talking to Sirius Potter. I just can't ruin their happiness in our anniversary, so…"
The sentence left hung there. Locking her lips with his, Remus quickly cast the silencing charm on the room, creating a small world just for the two of them.
The End
Author's Note :
Welcome to my story…This time, a oneshot created during a chat with my friend in this college-recess week.
Actually this is a fluff about what Remus and Tonks did on their seventeenth anniversary, and how they spent their time with their children. In my imagination, they had an elopement together with Harry and Ginny, and also Ron and Hermione, going through the Horcrux journey as the teens' mentors, and came back safely to then have the five children, respectively the twins Ralph and Franikka (16), David (11), Noelani (6), and Natalia (20 months). Tonks becomes pregnant with the two first children during the war, and gave birth shortly after it ended. As for the children's name, I chose the name Ralph, Franikka, and Noelani just because I like those names. However, there's another consideration for chosing David and Natalia, regarding the names of the actor and actress playing Remus and Tonks on OOTP movie.
Oh, and just before I forget. In this story, Remus is fifty-four, and Tonks is forty-one. Sorry for getting them old, but…I must admit that I'd love to see them surviving, living together till their old days…(Again, my fantasy, hehehe…)
Last but not least. I'm still a beginner in writing, and I do realize I really need critics, so, if you don't mind…Please REVIEW……