Marry Me? [Remus/Tonks]
Remus teaches Tonks a lesson on skipping stones, comes out with what he's been meaning to tell her for two years (that he loves her) and finally pops the question – will she marry him? All from Molly's P.O.V. R&R for more happy summaries!
In the rural areas of Ottery St. Catchpole, a mother of seven looked out towards the small lake near her home. The seven-storey house may have seemed very fragile, but it really was quite sturdy. Molly Weasley smiled as she saw friend and fellow Order member Remus Lupin skipping stones across the lakes' surface.
The crack of Apparation suddenly rent the air, and Molly looked up to the gate at the front of her garden. There, Nymphadora Tonks shrugged off her heavy Auror's robes, laying them on the small bench near the washing line. Her mousy brown hair was whipped away from her heart-shaped face by the gentle breeze – it only made the girl seem more beautiful and ladylike than ever.
Out of the corner of her chocolate-brown eyes, Molly saw Remus pause in his skipping to look up at the young Dark Wizard Catcher, his ice-blue eyes gleaming in the sunlight. Although they had taken on a look of anxiety over the past year – what with his spying on Greyback's pack and constant worrying about hurting Tonks – the sunlight seemed to eradicate all traces of terror, making him seem more friendly yet more private at the same time.
Molly's breath caught in her chest as she saw Remus slowly beckon to Tonks, simply telling her by the simple gesture, "Over here, now, or else."
What surprised her even more was when Tonks smiled – and really, truly, smiled – and went over to him, slipping her hand into his.
Molly saw Remus smile down at Tonks, his eyes softening as he grasped her hand more tightly in his. Watching them closely, Molly saw that Tonks had bent down to pick up a small pebble. Grinning, Remus held her around the waist, grasping her right wrist with his right hand, and attempted to teach her how to skip the stones across the lake's surface.
She saw Remus bend down, and whisper something into Tonks's ear. She thought she saw his mouth form the words, "Put a spin on it"… but what he really said was something that made Tonks stop, and turn her head to face him. She smiled broadly, lovingly, and Remus smiled back, his eyes half-closed in peace. Tonks leaned forwards, her lips parted slightly, and Remus obliged; their lips connected, and Remus pulled her into his arms more firmly, holding her against him.
They broke apart, and, from the kitchen, Molly could hear the ringing sound of Tonks's laughter in the air. Remus bent down, and picked up his own pebble, showing Tonks his method of skipping stones. The young Auror managed to get it right on her third try, and Remus laughed, too.
Molly saw Remus bite his lip as the werewolf looked at Tonks nervously. He smiled, and reached into his pocket with his right hand to pull something out; Tonks's hand closed over his left as he pulled a tiny box out of his trouser pocket. Molly saw Tonks gasp as Remus slowly got down onto one knee; she threw the window open, but the couple were so far away that they didn't hear the creak of the window hinges.
Remus started to speak.
"Nymphadora Tonks, I'm sorry for any pain I ever caused you. I'm sorry for my weaknesses and my insecurities. And despite the tragic fact that at any day we may not survive to see another morning, the idea of another day without you being mine forever would be, in my judgment, far more tragic. I want you to be mine entirely Nymphadora, for the rest of our lives—" He opened the box to reveal an old but still beautiful silver-alexandrite ring. "My darling Nymphadora, will you marry me?"
Without a word, Tonks collapsed to her own knees and kissed Remus more passionately and more lovingly than she ever had. Molly was on the verge of screaming actual happiness to the world, but managed to keep it bottled in as she saw Remus kiss Tonks back, eyes closed in happy passion. The couple parted, gasping for breath and loving, tender and gleeful smiles plastered on their faces. Remus grinned as he plucked the ring from its velvety surroundings, and slid it onto Tonks's left ring-finger, whereupon they kissed again.
The door leading from the kitchen to the living room creaked open, and Ginny Weasley crept into the room. She looked out of the window, and smiled softly. She tucked herself underneath her mother's arm, sighing happily. Molly looked down at her daughter – who was bent over with the difficulty of not hurting her mother's arm because of her height – inviting her to carry on with her thoughts. Ginny looked at Molly before speaking.
"I always wondered whether he'd pop the question here, where they both first met and where they both got together again. It's… romantic, if you know what I mean, eh, Mum?"
Molly held her youngest close, and whispered, "I so do, Ginny, dear, I so do…"
1 MONTH LATER
Molly looked over to the small loveseat at the edge of the living room from her knitting, and, sure enough, Remus and Tonks were sat there, conversing in low voices about something serious. Remus seemed rather… indignant, about it all. Curiosity abound, Molly leaned closer – with the intention of picking up her mug of tea – to listen in on their conversation.
"…Hark whose talking! You're the one who charmed quills to write on me until I started writing the damned invitations! And in permanent ink, no less!"
Tonks laughed, leaning into Remus's soft embrace. Molly could see that the werewolf couldn't help but smile at the gesture of undying love. She listened closely as Remus chuckled, and said in a matter-of-fact tone:
"And it took me weeks to wash the stuff off with Mrs. Scower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover!"
"Remus?"
The couple looked up as Harry Potter entered the room, his eyes crinkled in amusement as he contemplated the two.
"Sorry, if I'm eavesdropping, but isn't that stuff toxic?"
Remus affirmed the boy's query with a roll of his eyes and a small smile. "Yep. I had a rash on my arse for a month."
Tonks rolled her eyes, too. "Only you could talk about your rashes in-front of Harry Potter!"
Harry's barking laughter rang throughout the room, and Molly smiled as Remus and Tonks looked at each other, smiling, and kissed with as much passion and love as they had on their wedding day, for the ceremony and during their first dance. Harry audibly sighed, hands on hips, a bit like Sirius had placed his hands on his hips in amusement and agitation. Molly grinned broadly.
The End.