Note: According to the Harry Potter Wiki, Remus was born on the 10th March 1960, whilst Tonks was born around 1973. I think I have got their ages right based on that information...but since basic mathematics often appears to be beyond me these days, I may well have screwed up. If I have...we shall claim it as artistic license! Don't hate me for it, just feel sorry for my lack of addition skills! =)

This is rather a filler chapter, sorry for that, again...don't hate me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Ms Rowling does.

25: Too Old

As he watched Younger Tonks open the door of her flat and practically launch herself at the man stood waiting in the corridor, Teddy Lupin couldn't help but smile. Younger Remus managed not to stumble too badly, perhaps he had been expecting such a greeting, the boy mused, perhaps he had had practice. After a long moment the pair loosened their holds on one another, drawing back slightly, wearing matching grins.

"Hello," he greeted, reaching to smooth her hair, today her favourite shade of bubblegum pink.

"Hi."

"Happy Birthday."

"Thanks."

Teddy watched Younger Remus raise an eyebrow as he asked:

"Aren't you supposed to ask me a question or something before you fling the door open like that?" He was still smiling and Teddy was surprised for surely he was pointing out a very serious mistake. Clearly the dangers of the war had increased.

Younger Tonks looked thoughtful as she considered this before shrugging carelessly.

"Nah, I knew it was you." she decided after a moment.

"You did?" Younger Remus sounded disbelieving.

"Yep!"

"How did you know?"

Quite suddenly Younger Tonks threw her arms more tightly around his neck kissed him fiercely. Clearly he was less prepared than the first time she had pounced on him, Teddy noted, for he fell back a step in surprise. The boy screwed his eyes firmly shut, only opening them when she said:

"'Cos there's no way I'd snog a Malfoy or a Lestrange or any of them!"

Younger Remus sniggered, face contorted in disgust at the revolting images she was planting in his head. His gaze drifted to the ceiling as he muttered:

"Thank Merlin for that!"

Yet he was not in the least bit relieved, for when he looked down again he found himself so shocked by what he saw that he leapt backwards from her, as if he had been hit with a stinging jinx, swearing in his surprised.

"What d'you think?" asked the uncharacteristically grinning face of Bellatrix Lestrange, arms held out temptingly. "Give us a kiss then!"

Despite getting over his shock, Younger Remus continued to back away until his back met the wall.

"You truly do have the most...most unique sense of humour..." he mumbled, apparently deeply traumatized as Bellatrix began to strut her stuff down the corridor as if she were on a catwalk, whistling at herself and batting her eyelids. As she turned and advanced on him, Younger Remus shook his head.

"I swear, Dora, I've never seen anything more disturbing in my whole entire life, and believe me that's saying something, I've seen Sirius doing karaoke!"

As suddenly as she had appeared, Bellatrix was gone and replaced by Younger Tonks, who had halted her sniggering, instead looking intrigued.

"Sirius doing karaoke?!" she echoed, wide-eyed. "What did he sing?!"

Glad that he had her back to normal, Younger Remus reached to grab her hand and lead her into the flat.

"Well, get enough drink down him he'd bellow some Celestina Warbeck songs loud enough to wake the dead!"

Teddy followed them into the living room where he paused and turned to his mother, frowning.

"I don't get it," he said as behind him Younger Tonks had practically skipped off through a door and was loudly discussing with Younger Remus where they were going to and what he suggested she should wear. He was not much help to her, however, for he seemed determined to keep their destination a secret.

"You don't get what?" Older Tonks asked, as her younger counterpart threatened loudly that if Younger Remus dared allow her to wear heels and later insist on hiking up a mountain she would curse him into the middle of next week.

"Just now you were all freaking out 'cos of Bellatrix and how she was going to kill you! How can you joke about her like that?!"

"This is quite a while later, remember Teddy. You get used to the danger and the risk, it becomes normal until you can joke about it." Older Tonks explained.

When Teddy failed to look completely convinced his father added helpfully:

"Basically, you're mother just has a rather sick sense of humour."

This did appear to make sense, Teddy decided as Older Tonks punched her husband gently on the arm and glared at him.

Teddy turned back just in time to see Younger Tonks reach to nudge the door shut behind her, still chattering loudly, attempting to persuade Younger Remus, stood patiently leaning against the back of the sofa in the living room, to tell her where they were going. As soon as the door had shut, Younger Remus' posture noticeably slackened and he reached to run a hand through his greying hair with the smallest of sighs. His hand dropped to his side quite suddenly and he straightened when the bedroom door was wrenched open just wide enough for Younger Tonks to stick her head out and look at him.

"Is it indoors or outdoors?" she asked, stare intent as she continued to guess where they were going.

He grinned and, pushing away from the sofa, took a few slow steps towards her, paused, looked around him as if to see if they were alone before slowly opening his mouth to reply. A small smile spread across her face, excited, before it disappeared within the blink of an eye when he said:

"You'll just have to wait and see."

She let out a small shriek of frustration and he chuckled, looking smug.

"Re-mus!!"

"Just accept it, Nymphadora. I am not going to tell you where we are going. That would defeat the whole point of it being a surprise..." he trailed off into silence at the sight of a wand emerging from the crack she was peering out of, it's end aimed directly at his chest. There was a long silence and he slowly held up his hands in mock-defeat.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!"

Teddy watched Younger Remus fix a terribly serious expression on his face and his gaze dropped to the floor.

"Sorry Dora, I forgot." he told her, voice dripping with false sincerity.

"Damn right you're sorry!" she cried, lowering her wand. "Besides, it's my birthday! You have to be nice to me!" she giggled as he finally lowered his hands, assuming he was safe.

"Fair enough," he said, looking smug once more. "But when it is my birthday I shall get to call you Nymphadora all day long, because it will be my birthday. You will have to be nice to me!"

In response she slammed the door shut, livid at the very idea and he looked pleased with himself for a moment, before his face fell somewhat and he recalled: "And on my next birthday I will be thirty-seven, and today you are twenty-four."

"What did you say?" Younger Tonks called from the other room, making him visibly flinch.

"Nothing," he called back, but from the way he proceeded to let out a large sigh and shake his head at his thoughts, Teddy was sure that the realisation had been far more than nothing.

"Oh..." Older Tonks mumbled, and Teddy glanced over his shoulder to see her give a sigh of her own, reaching to hug one of her husband's arms to her. "That's what you said. You know, love, when Dumbledore gave you advice I always thought you'd listen to it."

Older Remus gave a small shrug.

"I did listen, I'm here, aren't I?" he gestured to his younger self who stood waiting in silence, looking far less cheerful than he had beforehand. "It's hardly easy to just forget your misgivings completely when you are told to, it takes time."

"True," Older Tonks agreed, just as the bedroom door was flung open and Younger Tonks bounded into the room, her irritation about her name seemingly forgotten. She had donned a pair of black jeans and a familiar bright purple t-shirt, the same that she had been wearing when she and Remus had met for the first time at Grimmauld Place. She came to an abrupt halt in front of Younger Remus and gave a dramatic twirl upon a trainer-clad foot.

"This okay?" she asked, wobbling precariously before standing still at last.

Teddy took in her bright, spiky hair, rosy cheeks and grinning face before glancing at the t-shirt that stopped short of her navel and jeans that seemed just a little too tight to be comfortable. She looked young, Teddy realised, very young in comparison to the man stood before her.

For the briefest of moments despair seemed to flicker across his features, but as soon as it appeared Younger Remus covered it with a slightly stunned smile.

"I'm not going to complain." he told her slowly, causing her to looked rather pleased with herself. "But a coat might be wise."

"Yeah, a coat..." she agreed, glancing around to spot where she had abandoned it. He reached over the back of the sofa and retrieved the item in question, holding it out for her.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" she asked him as he helped her into her coat. He put his arms around her and his chin came to rest upon her shoulder as he said:

"Nope!"

"Argh, you, Remus Lupin, are the most infuriating person I've ever met!" she declared as she squirmed in his arms in frustration.

"You know the sooner you give up asking me where we are going, the sooner we'll get there." he told her, releasing his hold upon her before taking her by the hand and leading her towards the door. Just outside there came the crack of disapparation and the scene dissolved once again...