Title: Courting the Moon
Chapter: Finding the Wolf
Author: crescentgaia
Word Count: 994
Rating: PG
Summary:
Who would know
apologizing would feel so right?
Warnings:
None
Notes:
I don't own these characters, JKR does.
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He stared down into the firewhiskey, not sure why he had ordered it. It was more Sirius' drink than his. He didn't like the bitter taste of the whiskey, even though it did warm him up when he needed it. Still, he should have just ordered his standard drink of a butterbeer, because at least he would drink that instead of staring down into his drink. It was mostly the fact that he was still shocked at what Tonks did. He wasn't expecting it and it hurt a bit that she had invaded his privacy. But yet, he mused, how much did it matter? She knew nearly everything about him, thanks to Sirius wanting to tell stories about how things were or just himself giving information to her. So what if she had read the diary that was given to him as one of the best presents ever? He knew she had a crush on him, even though he had tried to make her stop but…"Damn the Black family and their curiosity," he muttered to himself.
It seemed almost on cue that Nymphadora Tonks walked into the Three Broomsticks. She scanned the room and saw the person she was looking for instantly. It was a bit like a homing beacon, when she wanted it to be on to find him. She took a deep breath and walked over to the table, armed with apologies and ways to get out of the place quickly. The apologies fluttered to her head the quickest, only because she was truly sorry. She only wanted to know him better, not get him angry at her. She only wanted to make sure that he was alright and more importantly that he wasn't still angry. "Remus," she said quietly as her tongue started to twist in her mouth.
"Have a seat, I guess," Remus said quietly as he looked at her before looking back down at his drink.
"We really can't stay," Tonks replied quietly as she sat down. "You need your last dose," she said for only him to hear. "Padfoot is outside, as you did ask for, but you do need to come back now."
Remus sighed and nodded a yes. "I know," he said quietly but didn't move to get up.
"Then why are you still sitting?" Tonks asked with a small smile. "Remus – I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. But I do want to learn more about you. Sometimes it is easier to read or ask others than asking you out right. But if you want me to do that from now on, I will."
"Why do you want to learn more about me?" Remus asked, looking at Tonks curiously.
"Because you're interesting and – well, I like you," Tonks said. "And I know everything about Sirius, so I needed a new subject." Way to skirt the subject she thought to herself as she looked at Remus. She had feelings about him but she couldn't own up to them yet. Not when he would just push her away without a second thought. She had to give him time, even though it pained her to do so. But it would take time and she would be learning what her mother always said about patience being a virtue.
Remus smiled at that. "You know I'm dangerous right?" He asked as he stood up.
"Only when you're angry," Tonks said as she gently took his arm and led him out of the Three Broomsticks. She smiled at the fact that he let her and chuckled as she saw Padfoot wag his tail. "Our friend is waiting."
"That he is," Remus said as they went over to Padfoot. "Shall we go back to Grimmauld then?" He asked.
"Um…no," Tonks said and looked at Remus. "When Snape brought the potion, I accidently spilled it," she admitted quietly.
Remus gently moved his arm so Tonks could let go of it. "Go back then." His face was unreadable, not being sure if he should be amused or angry with Tonks. His face softened though as he saw that she was worried. "I'm not angry. Its alright. Besides, it doesn't taste good anyways."
Tonks grinned and gently hugged Remus. "Thank you. And I am sorry. About your journal."
"I forgive you," Remus said with a soft smile as he looked at her. He didn't want to admit that the hug felt good. "You should go back."
"I'll see you later," Tonks said as she moved and apparated back to the Headquarters.
"Come on then," he said to Sirius as he walked up to the grounds of Hogwarts.
Sirius followed as Padfoot until they were in the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. "Why aren't you letting yourself be happy? You deserve to be so, at least once in your life."
Remus looked at Sirius. "I am happy," he said, knowing his friend could see through the lie.
"Yeah right," Sirius said with a snort and smiled at his friend. "Remus – she knows what you are. She still wants to be with you. She has for a very long time. And before you go off on anything else you could or could not be, you have to realize that she doesn't mind at all."
Remus sighed. "Alright," he said quietly. "I'll talk to her. After we're done with all of this. I can't believe…" he smiled as he thought of Tonks and how clumsy she was. He thought it was cute of her, even though she got annoyed at herself for it.
"I think you can," Sirius said with a grin as they ended up at the Shrieking Shack. They waited the hours until Remus transformed, still mild even though he had miss the most recent potion. Sirius knew the time would pass even more slowly, but it would be well worth it. Tonks would fuss and maybe his friend would allow himself to be happy. It would be a small miracle if he did.
