A Knightly Experience
"You two've got quite awhile 'till Ern can drop you off," said Stan Shunpike as Tonks and Remus stepped back on the Knight Bus. "Unless you'd like…" Stan trailed off hopefully.
"We're all set, thanks," replied Remus for the both of them.
Stan looked past Remus to Tonks with a look that clearly said that the shabbily attired Remus' word meant about as much to him as , but Remus gave no notice of the look. Following his lead, Tonks grabbed a copy of the Daily Prophet as they cautiously made they're way to the top deck.
"Sorry about that," said Remus abruptly.
Tonks looked at him blankly.
"For the look Stan gave us," he continued apologetically. "Normally, I'd try to wear something a little less"—he gestured at a thoroughly patched piece of his robes—"But I really just didn't have much time this morning, trying to keep Sirius out of the way and things were just so— "
"Er, not to throw you off there Remus, but I didn't much notice," interrupted Tonks, lying with ease that would put Dung to shame.
"Oh come off it," smiled Remus.
Tonks shrugged and grinned appreciatively. She rustled the paper once more and was preparing to dive back in, when Remus asked, "Anything good in there?"
"Oh the usual," she replied airily. "Dumbledore's preparing for his ultimate war against the Ministry of Magic despite our esteemed Minister of Magic being on to his game and Harry's, who was in charge of recruitment."
If Tonks had expected a laugh, or even a smile, from Remus, she was sorely mistaken as he frowned, emphasizing the premature lines around his face as he cast a furtive look around the bus. But there was no need. Their floor was empty.
"I'm not sure that you should be talking against the Ministry and pro-Dumbledore so callously in public. I know it's hard for you, but someone might recognize you and think—"
"Remus, I'm not stupid. I haven't forgotten as you apparently have that I remind just about everyone on this bus of their great aunt Nettie."
"Of course, how could I forget?" laughed Remus with her. "But of course, my great aunt Nettie is a very graceful person. Not a clumsy bone in her body."
Tonks made a face as she reached across the table to pour some tea into her mug. "You're great aunt Nettie probably's dead, old man. And there's nothing more graceful than peacefully lying, completely lifeless person!"
Not completely sobered up, Remus choked out, "I can't complain though. Being dead has greatly improved great Aunt Nettie a lot. She always was a miserable old cow."
Completely frustrated, Tonks stood up abruptly, "Well I'm going to go change. Maybe then I won't remind of your great aunt, who I might add, you should be very sad that she's dead!"
When Tonks came back, looking significantly younger with her distinctive bubble gum pink hair and tee shirt, Remus was deeply immersed in her copy of the Daily Prophet. Peeking over his shoulder, she saw he was looking at the business section.
"It's not nice to read over other people's shoulders," he said as he serenely turned the page without looking at her.
Shocked, she retorted, "Well it's also rude to steal other people's papers," and she sat down.
"This is true, of course," said Remus. He set down the paper and pushed the paper toward her. "Would you like your paper back?"
"Nah, I was just winding you up. There's nothing interesting in there anyway."
"Au contraire," replied Remus. "There's quite an interesting declaration of love from—"he looked at the Daily Prophet quickly—"Arcturus in the love ads section. Apparently, he's searching for his lost love, Bianca, whom he drove off. It seems that he thought that she would think it was impressive to do jump off a balcony. Needless to say, she wasn't so much impressed as she was furious that he actually did something that stupid."
Tonks laughed. "You read the love section? I thought only my mother read that!"
"Yes," he replied, defending himself, "It's got some really funny stories in it. Like this one."
He shoved the paper in front of Tonks as she read the title, Cluelessly In Love, aloud. It was the story about Hart who was madly in love with Alix, who was his best friend until he started dating Caroline who had revealed that she only started dating him so that she could get close to his best friend. Deeply hurt, he had turned to Alix for comfort only to realize that she had none. She was too pissed off that he had dated Caroline when he apparently "knew" that she had liked him for ages.
Tonks snickered as she put the paper down, knocking over her cup of tea as she did so.
"Nobody could be more 'Cluelessly In Love' than Ron and Hermione."
Remus, who had righted the tea cup and its contents with a lazy flick of his wand, said, "Oh I don't know James and Lily could have given them a run for their money."
"No, that's quite impossible. You know Hermione came down in a new shirt today that she must've gotten for Christmas. And you know what Ron said, staring at her chest, mind you, 'That's a nice shirt, a bit tight though.'"
Remus whistled. "I bet that didn't fly over well."
"No," continued Tonks laughing, "she turned all red and spluttered; it was like she couldn't talk she was so incensed. Then Ron gets all offended that she didn't say 'thank you.' Hermione actually took off her shoe and chucked it at him before storming off. And Ron's just got this look on his face, like he's just been bit by a doxy and has no idea where it came from or something."
After a few minutes their laughter died and, then Remus said, "Yeah, Lily and James had their moments, but I suppose Ron and Hermione take the cake. Then again, Lily and James weren't really friends."
"'Weren't really friends?'" repeated Tonks in a mocking voice. "They were bloody enemies 'ccording to the stories Sirius tells it. Probably made it all the more difficult for the two of them to get together in the end."
"You think so? I think them not knowing each other too well it was did it, actually," Remus said. "Nothing's harder than finding a way to compliment the woman that you like…. It sucks especially when you're friends."
Remus sounded as if he weren't talking about just Lily and James or Ron and Hermione. There something about his voice, or maybe Tonks was just being hopeful and reading too much into it, that seemed different. They were looking at each other and, as always, the companionship between them was as it had always been, comfortable. But these days, there was a little something more….a longing gaze, a lingering hand, or a gentler, more wistful tone of voice when speaking about the other.
There a silent, but loud pause. And Tonks said, "Well, men are harder to compliment. And anyway, it's easier when you're friends."
Remus merely raised an eyebrow.
"Well, it is," said Tonks defensively, "You can't just walk up to a bloke you like and say, 'Oy you, you look like sex on a stick in that pullover.' But if you're friends, like us, then you could say it and then pass it off as a joke, right?"
"So pretty much according to you, friends can flirt and pass it off as a joke. No harm done."
"Pretty much, yeah. Part of the reason, I'm glad I've got a friend like you, Remus."
"The best of," corrected Remus smiling.
Tonks weakly returned the smile, and echoed, "The best of."
She turned back to her tea, looking a bit down. She wasn't sure about that. Too often for comfort she found herself wondering, just what if they were more than friends. But if they did get together and broke up, Merlin forbid, would it ruin their friendship?
"Are you alright, Tonks?" asked Remus, concerned.
"Yeah."
There was a loud BANG and Tonks toppled to the floor on top of something that was very warm and soft. Looking down, she saw she had landed on Remus who had fallen sideways off his chair when the Bus had lurched. He had managed to catch her as she fell.
"Not as old as you thought, then, with those still nearly perfect reflexes" she said, trying to make a joke of the situation.
Her stomach was swirling quite pleasantly as she breathed in the Remus' musk and basked in his body warmth that was emancipating off of him in a way it shouldn't for someone who was "just friends" with her…. Joking was the last thing on her mind. She looked down at Remus who smiled back up at her with those perfect lips.
Stan called, "Sorry! E'ryone, just droppin' off old Zeller 'ere. 'E forgot 'ere 'e was goin." Niether of them paid attention, and apparently neither did anyone else on the bus. There were groans and frustrated sighs as other riders picked up themselves and their things off the floor. Vaguely they heard someone say on the level below, "I've got to get my Apparition license, and soon," to his fellow passenger.
Below her, Remus asked if she was alright. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, "of course," she saw a brilliantly white object slide off the table; flying towards her like her pink hair was some sort of magnet. The world went blank for a minute.
She was lost in space for a time. Then she felt someone, someone she knew, someone who she felt feelings deeper than friendship for and he was leaning over her, showering sweet butterfly kisses along her jaw. She was lost in her usual daydream.
Remus' arm tightened around her as he drew her closer to him. She turned her face up towards him and grinned goofily, sighing, "Remus…"
He cleared his throat uncomfortably and she opened her eyes.
"Er—are you alright Tonks?"
"Mhmm hmmm," replied Tonks dazedly shaking herself out of her dream. She looked at Remus with a look that clearly asked, 'what the bloody hell just happened?'
"You were knocked out by that uncommonly heavy teapot," said Remus answering her questioning look, "I suppose they had it weighted in the hopes that it wouldn't slide off the table when the Bus jerks."
Tonks irritably rubbed her head, vainly attempting to assuage the pain. She could still see little rainbow colored dots around her.
"Well it didn't work. Blimey that hurt!"
Remus, who had changed position so that she was below him, smiled down at her, but did not remove his arm that was around her waist.
"Would you like me to kiss it and make it feel better?" he joked in a voice that reminded Tonks ostentatiously incredibly of Molly's mollycoddling.
Defiantly she replied, "Yes. It hurts right here—" And she pointed at the still burning spot on her forehead.
Remus looked hesitantly at her before bending his head down and gently kissed her temple. To say that Tonks was shocked would have been an understatement.
"Better now?" he asked, looking directly at her with a tender look that she had seen often on his face when she thought she wasn't looking at her, but had never shown her.
"No," she said and smiled mischievously. "It also hurts here—" and she pointed a spot at the corner of her eye that was below the spot.
He chuckled softly. His breath came out in small puffs and Tonks smelt the heady smell of peppermints as he leaned in towards her once more. Again, Tonks felt Remus' lips touch her skin and she closed her eyes.
When she opened then again, she saw Remus gazing at her as though hesitant on verge of doing something that he wasn't sure if the response would be welcome. For a long moment, neither of them moved. Then slowly, ever so slowly, Remus moved in towards Tonks aiming this time for her lips. He kissed her, sweetly and gently as his hand traveled up and down her sides. Tonks felt butterflies fluttering around in her belly; she had never felt anything quite like it. Quite naturally, her arms slipped about Remus' shoulders and into his hair. Time moved past them and yet it didn't.
Then, much to Tonks' chagrin, a voice floated up the stairs. It was Stan.
"We'll be to your stop in a couple 'a minutes," he called. Neither Tonks nor Remus answered.
Tonks groaned inwardly. Stan probably had no idea that he had interrupted possibly the best kiss she had ever had. She looked up at Remus who looked unsure of what to do at this point. That kiss could in no way be brushed a side as a friendly gesture.
They heard Stan begin to trample up the stairs. Remus scrambled off of Tonks, stood up, and was in the process of helping Tonks up when Stan walked in the room.
"What 'choo doin' on the floor?"
Tonks threw a glare at him.
"I fell here, you prat," she said as she reached for Remus' still outstretched hand.
Stan blushed. "Right then." He turned toward Remus and muttered, "Was just tellin' you, your stop's up next." Stan walked away, anxious to be out of the presence of an irate Tonks.
"You know, damsels in distress shouldn't snap at people," Remus remarked.
"Damsels in distress don't ride the Knight Bus," retorted Tonks, smiling suddenly. "Although, I have to say, the Bus does have its uses. We'll have to ride it a bit more often. Eh, Remus?" She nudged him playfully in the ribs.
Remus threw back his head and laughed as he walked toward the exit. "I don't think I need to ride the Knight Bus again to have this knightly experience. You see, the damsel in distress I like to save has regular run-ins with umbrella stands and just about anything else that dares to cross her path."
"Well, as long as you're my knight, I'm sure those umbrella stands don't stand a chance."
"But knights in shining armor don't go after graceless Aurors with pink hair," Remus teased. Tonks merely raised an eyebrow as he stepped off the Bus.
Making a deep bow and offering his hand, he said, "I guess I'm the knight who makes exceptions to the rule."
Tonks smiled widely as she grasped his hand and hopped off the bus.
"Remus," she said simply, "you are the exception."
As they walked off together, they heard Stan yell, "But 'ere's the old witch who you was with?" Neither of them looked back, but instead collapsed against each other with laughter.
Please press the purple little button down in the left hand corner that says "Review!" And if you've finished this, then you definitely already know that these characters aren't mine, they belong to the great J.K.Rowling…if they did belong to me, you can rest assured, they would have survived the war with Voldemort.
Wishing everyone lots of laughter, love, and Harry Potter,
The Hogwartian