Chapter Fourteen

They sat in silence a while. They didn't need to talk, being together was enough. The Weasley clan buzzed around them exchanging gifts. There was laughter and smiles all around. After the constant fear they had known in '96, this was a welcome difference.

The sound of ripping wrapping paper filled the air, and there were squeals of delight when a new broom or chess set was discovered. The room was filled with a multitude of red haired children and adults with the occasional black haired head mixed in.

One small red head approached the strangers in their midst, one small fist clutching something behind her back and the other clasping the arm of a tall, blonde girl. Lily Potter gifted them with a dazzling smile as she came to stand before Tonks and Remus.

"I brought you a present," she told them. Dramatically, she revealed her hand, showing off a very flat and brightly wrapped gift. "I didn't have any paper, but Granny Molly did. Victorie helped me wrap it," the six year old explained, indicating the girl beside her. Victorie smiled shyly at them.

Still grinning, the little girl pressed her present into Tonks hands. "I made it. You'll have to share."

Remus looked at the child. She had Christmas presents of her own, but she had noticed they had no gifts and had done something about it. He was touched by the gesture of a child he barely knew. "Thank you, Lily," he told her. "And you too, Victorie."

"Open it!" Lily demanded. Tonks returned the grin before carefully opening the present. Normally she would have wasted no time ripping the paper off, but she didn't want to risk 1hurting the precious present inside it.

Throwing the last of the paper to the side, Tonks pulled out a picture just as colorful as its wrappings. It showed three people sketched in crayon as only a six year old could draw them. Lily wasted no time explaining her picture.

"This is you," she said, pointing to a stick figure with vivid pink hair and then up to her real life counterpart. "And this is you." This time she indicated another person in the drawing, this one with a mop of unruly brown hair. Lily then aimed her finger at Remus. Pointing last to the figure in between, she finished her explanation. "And this is Teddy." The illustration was shown as shorter than the other two, though in actuality Teddy was a good two inches taller than his mother. He also sported his trademark teal hair in Lily's drawing.

"Now you have a picture of your family," Lily told them happily. "You're welcome," she offered before they had time to respond. Then she was bounding off, dragging her cousin with her.

Tonks fingered the precious portrait, studying the details the six year old had color penciled in. Lily had given them a greater treasure than she had intended.

Remus reached out to run his fingers over Lily's drawing. They brushed against Tonks' and he felt the thrilling charge pass between them. She was startled at first, but her eyes sparkled as they met his. Glancing once more at the picture in her hand, she gave it a parting caress and gently folded it.

"Here, you'd better hang on to this. I don't want to end up spilling anything on it." Tonks pressed the family portrait into Remus' hand. He accepted it carefully and slipped it into his jacket pocket.

"Lily's a sweet girl," he said softly, and Tonks murmured her agreement.

They were silent a moment longer before Tonks let out a low groan. She hid her face in her hands. "It's just that it's about the only family portrait we'll ever have," she explained. They would be dead before their son was a year old, leaving him without parents and in the care of others. Granted the 'others' were wonderful people she considered family, but she couldn't help but feel jealous of the woman who had raised her son.

Remus squeezed her shoulder, and she raised her eyes to his. "It's all right to feel that way," he assured her. Indeed, he felt that way himself. Maybe they hadn't abandoned Teddy in the true sense of the word, but they had left him alone for a lifetime.

Releasing a long breath of air, Tonks shook her head. "Maybe," she agreed, "But it's not okay to live that way. And that's what we've got to do, isn't it? Live it, since we won't get a chance to later."

He nodded; relieved she felt the way he did. Fate had delivered a strange blow, but within was a miraculous gift; one Remus was determined not to take for granted.

Tonks reached up and took his hand. She linked her fingers through his, and stared at their joined hands. She marveled at how perfectly their hands fit together. Not in looks perhaps, for his long fingers were traced with scars and her nails were painted the same color as her hair, but somehow when glancing at her free hand it seemed to be missing something vital. Puzzle pieces, she decided. The extra ones without real homes. The ones that had been bent, cracked, and broken. The ones that only really fit with one other piece.

Remus smiled at her action. It felt so good not to fight her. He wondered, not for the first time, how he'd been able to do it so long.

After a minute, Tonks looked up and out into the room full of Weasleys. "So that was Victorie." She studied the blonde girl dancing with a little red haired boy across the room. This was the girl Teddy knew, his friend.

With a small nod, Remus also watched the young girl. Maybe later Teddy would be willing to talk about her. "Yes, Bill and Fleur's daughter. Whose would you guess the boy is?"

"The one she's dancing with?" Tonks gave the boy a closer look. He had somewhat shaggy red hair, startling blue eyes, and a Chudley Cannons scarf. She grinned. "He's got to be Ron's. He looks just like him, and who else supports the Cannons?"

Remus chuckled at the lone Cannons fan. His eyes roamed the room, looking for family resemblances in the other children. Most of the youngsters sported the red hair of one of their parents, but a few had darker locks. "Those two girls must be Percy and Audrey's. They look just like their mother, but for the hair."

Tonks gave a nod. The girls were a few years apart, but they both wore Percy's bright orange curls. Their faces though, looked most like the woman standing with him.

Another red headed man came up to where Tonks and Remus were sitting. He held two squirming, giggling toddlers in his arms and perched on the arm of the sofa. "Figure out who's whose?" George asked them. He grinned at the little ones on his knees. "These two troublemakers are mine, and Ange's of course. This is my girl, Roxanne." George bounced the child on his right leg. "And this little guy is Fred," he said bouncing the little boy. The children giggled louder.

Remus smiled at George's little ones. Their complexions were tanned and their hair was a brown with hints of red. Roxanne and Fred. Remus wasn't surprised George had named his son after his departed twin. It was the highest mark of honor he could give to his best friend.

"They're three," the father told them. "Say hi, guys." Fred and Roxy glanced at each other and wiggled their chubby fingers in a wave. Tonks wondered if these twins would have the bond their father and uncle had. She wondered if they already did.

"So who is whose?" Tonks asked. "And how many kids are there all together?"

The joke shop owner looked out at his nieces and nephews. "Thirteen, if you count Teddy, and we usually do. Let's see." He pointed to a girl with a head of dark strawberry blonde hair. She was chasing a younger boy around a table trying to retrieve the present he had snatched.

"That is Dominique. She's Bill and Fleur second daughter. The rascally midget she's chasing would be her brother, Louis."

Tonks smiled. She'd never had a brother to torture her, but she'd spent enough time with the Weasleys to appreciate the joys of siblings.

"Over here are Percy's girls. The taller one is Lucy and the one jumping up and down is Molly." George grinned at his nieces' antics. Remus imagined he enjoyed the job of uncle. "Hugo's our newest Cannons fan. He's been brainwashed by his father. Any guesses there?"

"Ron and Hermione," Tonks said. It wasn't much of a guess since there wasn't much doubt.

George's smile got wider. "Bet you saw them coming. Yup, Hugo's theirs. And so is Rosie." He scanned the room for their daughter. "There, the one with the chess set."

The young girl was sitting near Albus and examining a chess set. Her hair was the same red as her father's, but was just as bushy and untamable as her mother's had been. Knowing how much trouble Hermione had with her hair, Tonks felt sorry for Rose. That hair and freckles.

"I think you saw Victorie," he indicated the blonde girl now helping her mother set the table in the kitchen. "She and Teddy are pretty close. They always have been." He sent a conspiring smirk at the boy's parents. "We figure they'll end up dating 'fore they're out of Hogwarts."

Remus raised an eyebrow and glanced again at the girl across the room. Maybe the earlier prediction of girlfriend hadn't been far off. Not unexpected for a fifteen year old boy. Remus remembered himself at that age and silently wished his son luck.

Tonks, too, examined Victorie in a new light. Her son and Fleur's daughter? She was scarcely used to the idea of a son, much less a son with a love life.

George grinned at the time travelers' expressions. He had sought a response, and he had got one. He moved on while they continued to process. "And you know those rotten Potter kids. The lovely little Lily, Albus the bookworm in training, and the ever excitable Marauder Jr.."

"Sounds about right," Tonks agreed. "They're sweet kids, and I'll bet you love teaching James all your troublemaking techniques."

The smirk on George's face widened. "I've got him all set for next year, and I'll be sending friendly care packages from the shop the rest of his school days."

"A prankster with a joke shop endorsement." Remus could appreciate the possibilities as both a prankster and a teacher. "That might push Minerva over the edge. I trust she's still there?"

George nodded. "Headmistress McGonagall now. I'm sure she'll love James."

Tonks laughed aloud. "She'll kill you. That is if Ginny doesn't first." Tonks doubted James' mother would appreciate her brother's method of readying her son for school.

"There's no need to mention this to my sister," George told them. "Besides," he feigned indigence, "I'm not his only prankster role model. He's got the Marauders to live up to."

Remus smiled. "I've no doubt he'll do his best."

George cocked his head at the couple before him. "Actually, some of his best ideas come from your son."

So Teddy was a mischief maker too. Not surprising considering his heritage. Remus couldn't help but feel a rebellious sense of pride that his son had followed his school days path.

Tonks smiled too. "And how well does Teddy manage to find mischief?" The glance her future husband and the remaining Weasley twin exchanged put her on edge. What had she said?

"He manages just fine," George assured her, with a roguish grin at Remus. "He doesn't often get caught, but Harry and Ginny have gotten their fair share of letters from Teddy's Head of House. I figure it's good practice for James."

The three year olds on George's lap were growing fussy and trying to escape their father. The fact that each was pulling in a different direction was making holding on to them increasingly difficult. "Looks like it's time to find Mummy," he said, scooping the twins into his arms and setting out across the room to find Angelina.

Tonks watched him leave, wondering if being the father of twins gave him a new respect for Arthur. She guessed if it didn't yet, once they picked up their dad's knack for mischief it certainly would. In fact, it looked as though each of the Weasley children had gained admiration for the parents of seven after having children of their own.

Remus searched the room for the now familiar head of teal hair. He could see Teddy nowhere. Tonks saw his hunt for their child and gave a sigh. "He probably changed it from blue." Teddy wanted somewhere to fit in, that much had been obvious to Tonks since she'd met him. The Weasleys and Potters had welcomed him in, but he still sought for his place in their family. Most likely he had morphed his hair to match theirs. It's what she would have done, had it been her.

The festivities continued around the guests. Both were content for now to watch and take in the new sight. The fireplace flashed green, and a soft thud announced another guest. The couple turned to face them and were met with the aged face of Andromeda Tonks.