Another 2 Part fic, this time set durning OOTP. I do not own any of these lovely characters, they belong to the equally lovely JK Rowling. The song "Roll Away Your Stone" belongs to the equally equally lovely Mumford and Sons.
"Roll away your stone; I will roll away mine"
–Roll Away Your Stone – Mumford and Sons
It was official: Remus Lupin was drunk.
Tonks tried to suppress her giggles as Remus, who was usually rather graceful, stumbled over the table leg whilst making his way towards her, tie loosened slovenly around his neck, a drink in each hand. He handed her a bottle rather clumsily, grinning inanely. Tonks thanked him through muffled laughter, half expecting him to bow in response. Remus lingered awkwardly before deciding to collapse beside her, making the old musty sofa creak disapprovingly and firewhiskey slosh down his faded jumper. He lay with his head delightfully close to her lap, his bare feet dangling over the arm of the sofa comically as he hummed something which sounded rather worryingly like "Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love."
Sirius, who had just entered the room, bottle in hand, smirked at his best friend fondly. Tonks wondered how long it had been since they'd been able to be so at ease with each other. Too long, she reflected sadly. Sirius chortled as Remus belched rather uncharacteristically. She could almost feel the warmth behind his eyes as he shook his head in amused dismay, Remus laughing like a naughty schoolboy with him. Their laughter echoed about the room, filling the decrepit place with an odd sense of comfort. Both men looked far younger than she had ever seen them, the weary lines around their eyes crinkling, their faded smiles beaming brighter than ever before. Tonks suddenly felt horribly intrusive, and gulped a hearty swig of firewhiskey to shake the feeling off. It's Remus' birthday, and he wanted you to be here, she reminded herself firmly.
"You, Moony dearest, are pissed as a fart," Sirius cackled, wiping joyful tears from his eyes.
"Pissed as one of Mundungus Fletcher's farts," Tonks added, looking down at him with what she hoped was a judgemental expression, though the upturned corners of her mouth gave her amusement away. Remus pointed an accusatory finger at nobody in particular, and then promptly forgot what he was going to say, causing all of Tonks' restraint to dissolve into peels of laughter. He raised an eyebrow at her characteristically before turning to Sirius.
"I am not-I am not drunk. I am a Professor. I am PROFESSOR LUPIN," he declared serenely, waving his arms in the air dramatically. Tonks howled with laughter, narrowly avoiding falling off the sofa.
"Of course you're Professor Lupin, Moons. Of course you are," Sirius smiled faintly as he ruffled Remus' ravaged hair. Remus sat upright like a shot, causing Sirius to leap back in surprise and Tonks to spill her drink.
"I AM a Professor. You just don't believe me. Nymphiemadoria believes me though. She's nice. Aren't you Dorpha?"
Tonks felt her cheeks flush as he proceeded to jab her arm with a long forefinger.
"Just when I thought my first name couldn't get any worse…" she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. He stared at her as if she had just done a backflip over a Boggart, and lay back down, his hair brushing against her thigh.
"She's nice, is she Moons?" Sirius smirked, winking at Tonks as he settled into an armchair, amusement evident across his worn, handsome features. She was going to kill him. Brutally. Painfully, and slowly.
"Yes, of course. The niciest," Remus added sneakily, in what would have been a whisper in a sober world, placing a finger to his lips. This would have been rather sweet, had he not continued to spill firewhiskey everywhere, in a valiant attempt to drink horizontally. Subsequent choking ensued, and Tonks patted him on the back awkwardly as he sat up again, glaring at Sirius, who was waggling his eyebrows suggestively over Remus' hunched back.
"I'm a Professor, and Professors don't get pissed," Remus mumbled, resting his head on Tonks' shoulder. Tonks blushed, if possible, even deeper: the feeling reached the tips of her reddening hair. He sighed contentedly, his eyes drifting to a close. Sirius raised his eyebrows.
"I think this is my cue to leave…" he winked, taking a fleeting look at Remus with a chuckle before leaving the room.
A spark of nervousness jolted Tonks from the pit of her stomach as she drew circles on Remus' back with her forefinger. They were very much alone, their companionable silence broken only by the sound of Remus' steady breath lightly tickling her neck.
"I'm sorry, Dora," Remus murmured softly against her skin after what seemed like an age of silence.
"What for?" Tonks frowned amusedly.
"I think I am drunk you know. So I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for being a drunken prat. But don't tell Sirius."
Tonks snorted. "Sirius may not be the most observant among us, but it doesn't take a seer to see that you're trollied, Moony."
Remus chuckled into her neck, and she moved her hand to his head, running her fingers through his silky hair.
"Besides, it's your birthday. You're allowed to be drunk," Tonks added.
"Hm. Haven't been drunk on my birthday for a long time now," he replied simply, taking his head from her shoulder and staring determinedly at the faded carpet.
Tonks felt a stab in her heart for him when she remembered his years of loneliness.
"Well, you'll have many a drunken birthday to come with me around," she said warmly, squeezing his hand slightly.
"Thank you."
"Remus, I haven't-"
"SHHHH," he pressed a finger to her lip clumsily.
She smiled despite herself.
"Thank you," he repeated with a grin, before enveloping her into an affectionate hug. Tonks lent her chin on his shoulder.
"I-I never thought I'd make friends like James, or Sirius, or Lily ever again. Not anybody that would fully accept me for what I am, anyway. Thank you Dora, I can't-I I can't-I'm just...I-"
"Shh," she pulled her face away from his shoulder to face him, and pressed a finger to his lips. They both sniggered, as if at some inside joke, and it was then that she noticed the tears in his eyes.
"Merlin, Remus, you really are drunk," she mumbled, wiping away a tumbling tear that had fallen down his cheek. He smiled back at her warmly, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers traced her face before resting under her chin, his thumb stroking her cheek. Tonks sighed in welcome at his touch, closing her eyes as he moved his thumbs towards her eyelids, brushing them with the lightest of touches. When she opened her eyes, his face was considerably closer to hers than it had been. He smiled as he tilted his head towards her, his lips mere inches from her. His eyes were so deeply blue, shining like diamonds before he closed them, and inched closer-
"No, Remus."
Remus frowned, and pulled away. "But-"
"Just-no. You're drunk, so very drunk. You-you don't want this, you're just drunk. Please."
Remus stared at her with a puzzled expression on his face as she fought back her tears.
"I-"
"Shhh," she began making circles on his jumper again, this time on his chest. He closed his eyes in appreciation. Eventually, he leant back into the sofa, and stumbled into an alcohol-ridden slumber. Tonks curled up beside him, relishing his warmth with her hand on his chest before she tumbled into sleep.
Tonks awoke several hours later, after what she had considered possibly the best sleep of her life. She stretched, smiled at the sleeping Remus beside her, before glancing at the ancient clock. Crap. She had to be at the Ministry in 2 hours. She had a meeting with Umbridge, who was inevitably going to rant on at her about the colour of her hair or the rips in her jeans. She made a note to wear the most offensive colour hair she could muster today, before letting out a sigh.
"Remus?"
Silence.
"Remus?" she repeated, giving him a slight shake. Remus responded with a loud snore as he awoke, panicking himself and nearly banging heads with Tonks in the process.
"Where'sthebanshee?" he stumbled sleepily. She smiled at him, and he flashed a sleepily lopsided grin back at her. It was then that they both realised the position they were in: his hands resting on her waist, her hands hooked onto the v-neck of his jumper.
"Aye aye," Sirius winked from the doorway, a half eaten slice of toast in his hand. Tonks rapidly removed her hands, and Remus did the same with a slight wince.
"Knew I left at just the right time. Sorry Moony, doyouhaveabadheadthismorning? Sorry, did you not hear that? I said, DO YOU HAVE A BAD HEAD THIS MORN-"
Remus catapulted a cushion at Sirius' face before rubbing his head.
"Merlin Moony, since when did you become such a tetchy old g-"
"Leave now, and I will have mercy on you. I'm being serious."
"No, I'm Sir-"
Remus glared at him.
"Alright, I'm going, I'm going…" Sirius grumbled, winking at Tonks again before leaving the room.
"Are you really feeling that bad?" she asked, suppressing a grin.
"Well he's aggravating at the best of times. At least hangovers give me the excuse to be narky with him," Remus smirked. "However, it does feel as if a troll and a giant are playing chess on my brain."
Tonks giggled. "Serves you right for being such a drunkard!"
"It's my birthday, and I'll drink myself to oblivion if I want to."
"And you succeeded in doing so. Well done!" Tonks flashed a wink at him.
Suddenly, she became sobered by a niggling thought at the back of her mind.
"Er, so you must not remember much from last night.."
"All I remember is Sirius singing 'I'm too sexy for my robes.' And that may have just been a nightmare," Remus smirked, earning a prod from Tonks.
"I'm being serious."
"Don't say that too loud, he'll come back in," Remus remarked.
Tonks raised an eyebrow at him.
"Okay, to tell you the truth, I don't remember much at all. I was a drunken wreck. Happy?"
"Mmm," Tonks said, trying to plaster a small smile on her face. Remus frowned.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing, I just- I've got to be at work in a couple of hours, bummer. Might get Sirius to make me a bacon sarnie or something," she said in a flurry, before standing and leaving the room, making her way to the kitchen, biting her lip against her disappointment.
Next chapter will be up soooon ^_^ Just tryna get it right in my head, then will tranfer it to paper. Feel free to leave a review, that would be loverly jubberly ^_^