A Merry Christmas – or what's left of it ;) - to all of my dear readers :)

Chapter 38

Acceptance

"Oh, Tonks, that's so wonderful!"

Molly hugged the young woman close to her.

"Thank you, Molly. I knew you would be happy. That's why I told you first."

Molly took a step back and looked at Tonks with an incredulous expression.

"You told me before your parents? Oh, that's another hug!"

Tonks stood smiling and bore another wave of how wonderfuls and hugs until the older woman finally calmed down.

"Where is Remus, darling? Shouldn't he be here, too?"

"He would have loved to, but, you know, the full moon was just yesterday..."

"Oh, sorry, how thoughtless of me! I still have some of my potato soup, he'll be in need of something to eat..."

With that, she left Tonks standing next to the table and began bustling around, looking for said soup. In fact, Remus hadn't exactly wanted to be there when Molly was told. He had known what she would be like and he wanted her to calm down first before he met her again. After all, Remus still had a problem with people hugging him to death. Especially after all the angry speeches Molly had given him during the last two years. He felt a little ashamed that in the end she had proved right all along. There had been a full moon just yesterday, yes, but that was certainly not the only reason for his absence.

"So, darling, when will you tell your parents?"

Molly had come back to Tonks, a big bowl in her hands.

"Oh, Molly, who shall eat all of that! You don't have to give us so much!"

"Don't be silly, dear. Just take the bowl, I bet Remus will be grateful. I don't want to hurt your feelings, Tonks, but really, you're not the best cook I've ever seen..."

"Yeah, I know that I'm a hopeless case. But still... If you insist, I'll take it, of course. We're going to tell them as soon as Remus feels better."

"You're nervous, right?"

"Very nervous. I mean, they know that I love a werewolf, but they certainly don't expect me to marry him. First of all because we haven't been together for more than a few days. And I'm not even going to tell them that he proposed after the first night we spent together. Mum had problems accepting it anyway, it took her so much time. I'm afraid she won't be able to accept that, Molly. I would still marry Remus, but she's my Mum and I love her. I want her to be there on my wedding day."

"She will be there, darling, she will be there. Don't worry. I'm sure she'll calm down when she meets Remus. A mother wouldn't miss her daughter's wedding."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"I just know. In any case, I'll be there for you, dear."

"Thank you, Molly. You've done so much for me. I'd be so glad to see you on the wedding."

Tears cascaded down her cheeks, but Tonks did nothing to stop them. She wanted Molly to see how grateful she was for all she had done for her – and for Remus. Molly's eyes were also shinier than usual. She hugged the girl for the last time, then placed the bowl in her arms.

"Be careful not to drop the soup. And wish Remus my best."

"I will. Thank you for everything. Good night, Molly!"

Tonks stepped out of the door, concentrated and stood in front of Remus' flat only seconds later. Carefully, she undid the spells on the front door, entered and tiptoed to the kitchen where she sat down the heavy bowl. Sighing, she fell into a chair, both happy to not have dropped the bowl and to have told Molly. That would spare her the task of telling everyone else in the order. What left only the invitations – and Tonks' parents. She was really frightened of the idea to have to tell her mother. Ted would take it easy, but Andromeda would most probably explode. That wouldn't just disturb one relationship. Tonks knew that Remus would feel incredibly guilty should her mother break with her over their marriage. And she didn't want him to feel guilty or to get back to seeing their relationship as a mistake. He had done enough of that already. So it was just natural to fear the day she had to tell her family. Too bad her grandparents were dead, they would have supported her. Were they still alive, Tonks would have told her grandmother first.

Memories flooded back into her mind. How she had spent whole summers with her grandparents. How she had adored the Emerald Isle, the peace and acceptance she had been given. It was long ago that she had last felt peaceful in that beautiful landscape. Her mind clouded with images of her youth, she didn't notice Remus approaching her from behind and therefore nearly jumped out of her chair when he touched her shoulder carefully.

"Merlin, Remus! You almost gave me a heart attack! I thought you were still sleeping."

"I heard you coming back and it seems way more appealing to spend the rest of the day with you than laying alone in my bed."

Tonks smiled at him and with a flick of her wand one of the other chairs appeared next to her. Remus sat down, careful not to overcharge his sore joints – or any other part of his body. He looked truly exhausted and tired, more so than usual. Dumbledore's death had had his toll on him. But unlike so many other days after a full moon, he wore a smile on his face, a genuine smile. It made him look years younger, more like his real age, and his eyes shone almost like stars. It was a smile that made Tonks weak in the knees and she was grateful for sitting already. If Remus knew what his effect on her was, he would never esteem himself a monster or unworthy again.

"So... What were you thinking about? You looked quite far away."

"I was. I just came back from telling Molly. She asked when we were going to tell Mum and Dad and that made me think of how easy all of this would be when my grandparents were still alive. Maybe Mum would take it easier if Grandma could talk to her."

"Dora, no one says that you're mother will take it that badly."

Remus' eyes betrayed his reassuring words. Tonks knew that he dreaded that certain meeting with Andromeda Tonks just as much as she did.

"You know that she will. But no matter what she says, I don't want you to feel bad about us. Not again. She' not right, as much as she thinks she is. She just doesn't understand."

"I don't understand neither. I'll never understand why you love me so much."

"And you don't need to. I don't understand why someone like you chose a stupid little clutz like me, but I'm not going to ask. I know it's hard to explain. It's enough that I know that you truly love me. I don't need to know why. All that matters is that you're here, with me."

She pulled him in for a kiss and a few minutes later she found herself breathless on Remus' lap, her chair abandoned.

"I thought you needed rest?"

"I never said anything of that sort. But if you insist you could accompany me to my bed..."

Tonks followed him, giggling incessantly, and for now, every thought of that dreaded day disppeared from their minds...

XxxxxxxxxX

Three days later, Tonks stood in front of her parents' house, almost breaking Remus' hand in her tight grip. Her eyes were wide with fear and she stared at the door without moving the slightest bit. It seemed as if the sheer sight of the door had frozen her in the midst of movement.

"Dora? It's almost three, I think it's about time to knock. Dora?"

She didn't react and just continued staring at the door.

"Dora! We're here to make a good first impression. Coming late isn't exactly helpful..."

Not even a threat could shake her out of her meditation. Remus decided that words wouldn't do and just pulled her with him, towards the feared object. He knocked carefully, three times, as Tonks had told him, so that her parents could identify them more easily. Not until the sound of his knocking broke the silence did Tonks awake. She shot an insecure look at Remus, then straightened her shoulders and tried to look determined. Remus could still see the fear lingering behind her mask, but he hoped that it was enough to intimidate her mother. From within, he could hear a loud bang and someone cursing before the door finally opened.

"Dora, so nice to see you. It's been too long. And you must be Remus. I'm Ted, Dora's Dad, as you may have heard. Come in, don't just stand there. Feel at home and make yourself comfortable, I'll get Dromeda."

With that, he disappeared up the stairs and left the couple to themselves. Remus shook his head and smiled to himself.

"What? What's so funny, Mister? I want to be in the joke. It's all but certain that we won't have much to laugh when Mum comes down."

"It's just... You father. He's so much like you."

"Well, I hope you didn't expect me to come after the Blacks, dear. I'm a Tonks and proud of it."

They smiled at each other a last time before they hung up their cloaks and sat down on the cozy couches in the living room. Tonks began to play with the ring on her right hand. Remus had insisted on tradition and forbade her to wear the ring on her left hand before their marriage. Although she didn't see why this was so very important for him, she found it cute and did as he wanted. It wouldn't kill her to change the ring from one hand to the other. She was far too proud of it to care. Remus had handed it over to her shortly after Dumbledore's funeral. He had contacted Arthur and they had decided that it would be best to give her his mother's ring. At first, Remus had hesitated at the idea. Not because he didn't want Tonks to wear the ring that had belonged to his mother, but because he had doubted that she would want to wear such old jewelry. After all, Tonks was a very unique person. But Arthur had assured him that Tonks would love it and he had been right. She loved it more than she could have loved a new ring, how shiny or expensive it might be. The fact that Remus wanted her to wear the ring that had bound his beloved parents together was too precious to be outweighed by money.

A sudden noise let them turn around. Andromeda Tonks stood in the doorway, a determined disapproval in her expression. Without as much as a greeting, she sat down opposite of them, glaring at the ring her daughter was playing with. Her back was unnaturally straight and her eyes freezing cold. Ted appeared to have shrinked at least two inches in her obviously furious presence. His smiled had become shy and his movements careful. It all but seemed that Andromeda was about to explode.

"Hi, Mum."

Tonks' voice sounded atypically tiny and insecure.

"Nymphadora."

The cold gaze never wandered to Remus, but remained transfixed on her daughter.

"We have to tell you something."

Tonks' eyes found Remus, searching for help. Carefully, as if something could drag them apart at any moment, she reached out for his hand. All the while, the cold gaze followed her every movement.

"Remus and I, we're going to marry."

No reaction. Andromeda's eyes never strayed from her daughter's face and she stayed immoveable. Tonks' expression became more and more defiant, protecting her decision from that analyzing stare. Ted desperately tried to break the silence.

"Congratulations! When will the wedding take place?"

As Tonks seemed to have become as immoveable and silent as her mother, Remus answered for her.

"In two weeks. We found a nice little chapel in the periphery. It will be a little festivity, we don't want to be tracked down by Death Eaters."

Ted rose to shake their hands over the good news, but Andromeda kept him from doing so and pulled him back onto the couch.

"You're not going to congratulate them, Ted. You're not going to congratulate your own daughter when she's running in her misfortune."

"I'm not going to run in my misfortune. I'm marrying the man I love, if you like it or not."

Tonks' voice resembled a hiss, her eyes just as cold as her mother's.

"He's not even a man, Nymphadora. You never knew what's good for you. You're too old to dictate you what to do. I'm just telling you that I'm not going to approve. I don't know if I'll be able to support you when you come crawling back to my door."

"I'm not going to come crawling back. I won't need to."

"Don't be naïve. What are you expecting? A life in luxury? You're marrying a poor beast, Nymphadora!"

Remus was about to jump from his seat, but Tonks was faster. She drew her wand and before anyone else could react, it was pointed directly on her mother's chest.

"Remus is not a beast. Never dare to say that again. And I'm not dependent. I earn my own money and it's more than enough for both of us to live with. And I swear, there'll be a time when Remus will be able to get a good job, just because he's qualified and gifted. It's what we're fighting for, while you sit here, doing nothing. Everything's okay for you, isn't it? You don't have to suffer under Voldemort's terror regime. You're a noble Pureblood with lots of money, they'll spare you. If need should be, you can buy your freedom. But the others can't. And while you sit here, caught up in your stupid prejudice and wealth, Remus is out there to fight for a better world, no money but a free and generous mind. I ask you, who is the better person, hmm?"

Red sparks emerged from the tip of her wand and Tonks was shaking with fury. Ted and Remus couldn't help but stare at the two women. Andromeda still didn't move, although there was something in her expression that seemed to be changing.

"Dora, please. Put your wand down. She's your mother."

Slowly, Remus stepped over to his fiancée and tried to lower her wand arm.

"One hell of a mother she is. A shining idol."

The sarcasm almost dripped out of her voice, bitter and untypical. Her eyes were still locked with her mother's. None of them seemed to want to be the one who would move first. Finally, Andromeda rose from her seat, approached her daughter and offered her shaking hand.

"Dora, I'm sorry. I'm just worrying. You know that I'm proud of you, right?"

Her voice was shaking just as badly as her hand.

"That's not enough, Mum. Worries are no excuse for insults. It's not me you should be apologizing to."

Andromeda swallowed hard, but gathered the courage to turn to Remus and offer him her hand.

"Remus, I'm sorry for what I said. I bet you're a much better person than I give you credit for. I just want to protect my daughter. I hope you understand me."

Smiling, Remus took her hand and shook it.

"Perfectly understandable. But I think Dora doesn't need protection."

Tonks accepted her mother's hand as well and hugged her close, whispering something into her ear none of the men could understand. Andromeda then hurried off into the kitchen and returned with a tray loaded with coffee and tea. The conversation ceased at times, but Ted and Tonks did most of the talking, so the silence never lasted for too long. Finally, when Tonks and Remus stood in the door, about to leave, Andromeda approached them one last time. To the surprise of all attenders, she hugged Remus and wished them their best. With a highly improved feeling considering their marriage, the couple returned to their flat.