Prompt: "Not going to lie to you, we're all going to die. But not today."
Nymphadora Tonks was quite possibly the greatest asset to the new incarnation of the Order, although most of the time, the other members would be loath to admit it.
"She's clumsy, boisterous and has no filter," Sirius had told Remus before his first meeting. "She's brilliant, you'll love her."
When they'd finally first met, he'd immediately recognised her – or at least, the parts of her that reminded him of Sirius. She had the same sense of humour, the same sparkle in her eye and an almost identical hunger for mischief. He'd quickly learned that Tonks had an infectious smile and a zest for life that always inspired, especially when Dumbledore's speeches fell short of the mark. She always knew the right thing to say and was an expert in diffusing the (many) arguments that inevitably erupted.
Later, Remus would tease her about how much of a Hufflepuff she was. Tonks' reply usually consisted of morphing into an uncanny approximation of Remus, boasting about how great a Ravenclaw he'd have made.
At the end of the day, though, Sirius, Remus and Tonks would be the only ones left at Grimmauld Place. Everyone else had a home to get back to; Sirius couldn't leave, Remus wouldn't leave him, and Tonks stayed at her mother's behest. (That was only part of her reasoning – of course, she wanted to spend time with her uncle, her mother's favourite cousin – but mostly, she just wanted to help. Working for the Order was the best kind of help, right?)
The three of them became quite the little grouping – "like an older, wiser version of the Marauders", Tonks had drunkenly observed, much to the actual Marauders' amusement – and they served as distractions when the pain became unbearable.
After saying their goodbyes after each meeting, they'd go and sit in one of the many parlours – usually the one they'd redecorated in rough imitation of the Gryffindor common room – and played Exploding Snap or Wizarding Chess until they nodded off. Tonks would curl up on the armchair like a cat, her hair returning to its natural mousy brown, while the two men cuddled on the sofa nearest to the fire. (A few weeks into this arrangement, Tonks had woken to find Remus' limbs tangled in her uncle's. She started sleeping in a separate room after that.)
From those days came some of Sirius' best memories, and he was so grateful for the company. Before the whole Order moved in, both uncle and niece would wake to the smell of Remus' glorious pancakes, and race each other down to the kitchen. Tonks almost always got there first, in time to grab the freshest plate of food and swipe the mail into a pile before anyone else could see it.
Exactly three months ago, the Daily Prophet had published a particularly nasty "investigative" piece on the role of werewolves in the proliferation of magical abilities in Muggles. Remus had read it first, knuckles whitening with every word. Sirius, noticing his expression, had begun reading over his shoulder, fist clenching and unclenching by his side. Tonks spent the rest of the morning alternating between comforting Remus through his panic attack and stopping Sirius from sending threats to what seemed like the entire publishing world. Once both men had calmed, the trio had agreed that neither of the Marauders were to read the papers (although that didn't stop Sirius from trying). The following day, and every morning after, Tonks had read the news, keeping interesting clippings and burning the rest. (It was the burning she loved the most.)
Thus began the morning of the 29th June. Tonks slid onto the bench, inhaling the sweet scent of the pancakes before her. She'd sliced up and gobbled down her first helping before Sirius had even stepped through the doorway. He wrapped an arm around Remus' waist, turning him gently before giving him a blistering kiss. Tonks ducked her hair and grinned into her breakfast as she unfolded the newspaper. The pair made their way over to her, their plates laden with steaming food, chuckling and bickering as they went.
Tonks' fork clattered onto her plate and grey streaked through her suddenly mousy-brown hair.
Sirius had never thought she resembled Andromeda more.
Remus cocked his head to the side, his eyes questioning. Tonks simply slid the paper across the table with shaking hands. The headline read:
MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN
And slightly further down, "…escapee Bellatrix Lestrange."
Sirius blanched, and the group sat in silence for a while, until-
"She's gonna kill us." Tonks whispered to no one in particular. The trio were still, and then Tonks took a gulp of air, and then another, before declaring, "She. Is. Going. To kill. Us." Sirius' eyes reflected her fear.
Then they all began talking at once. "We need to contact the O-"
"She's not going to-"
"Did you hear what she did to the Longbottoms?"
"We should talk to Dumbledore-"
"What about Harry?"
"I'm not ready to die."
It was spoken quietly, so quietly that Remus almost thought he'd imagined it, but Tonks' face said it all. Neither of the men had ever seen Tonks look so small, so vulnerable. Her flailing limbs and big voice and colourful hair had always filled the room – larger than life, Ginny had observed. Tonks' laughter was warm and contagious even on the worst nights. Yet here she was, wet-eyed and greying with distress, so sure of her fanatical aunt's plan.
Remus was shocked still. He couldn't believe—couldn't bear to watch another young woman ready herself for death. Isn't that what they had fought against last time? We failed, he thought. We failed, Lily, we failed.
Sirius leaned across the table ever so carefully, wiping his niece's tears before gently taking her hand in his. "Not going to lie to you, Nymphadora." The corner of her mouth twitched upwards at the sound of her first name.
Sirius took a deep breath, and continued. "Not gonna lie to you, we're all going to die. But not today."
Seconds stretched into eternity, then Tonks took a huge shuddering breath and dried her face on her sleeve. She reached her wand hand across the table and took Remus' in her own. They sat that way for almost an hour, slowly realising the enormity of what was to come. They discussed wars, both past and future, and began planning for a potential assault on Grimmauld Place.
They laughed when their bellies rumbled almost simultaneously; with a wave of his wand, Remus reheated the pancakes, and they ate heartily, plotting all the while.
Older and wiser indeed.
A/N: Hello lovelies! I'm sorry I couldn't update last week, but I hope this extra-long one-shot makes up for it? I should be back on schedule next week, and hopefully the creative juices keep flowing. If you enjoyed reading this, please leave a word in the review box below! – Pan x