With school starting on the first of September, Remus was scheduled to leave the day before to prepare for the students' arrival. Tonks had flirted with the idea of a going away party, despite his resilient disapproval of the idea. She had hoped that it would give her the opportunity to announce her pregnancy without making such a deal of it and putting him in a spot where he couldn't back out of leaving work because of the baby. She was becoming more and more anxious, knowing she couldn't tell him early, else he back out, but getting pregnant that May made it increasingly more difficult to hide it come August. Thankfully, she had lucked out with this baby and was given a lessened sentence of morning sickness, perhaps as a universal apology.
But now, instead of party planning, shewas slouched in a stuffed armchair in her husband's new office, watching carefully as he unpacked his clothes and hung them in his closet. In her lap was a folded piece of parchment, her fingers playing with the edges. Teddy had been whisked away for the day by his godparents, who had insisted they wanted to take him to spend the day at the zoo. Both of his parents were hesitant to let them go, but in the end, decided that letting Teddy have a day out wouldn't be so bad. But as Tonks was leaving to drop Teddy off, heading her last warnings about letting him roam and how he must keep his hat on, Harry slipped her what she thought was a note, insisting "Remus would want it back before school started".
She stared out the large window that overlooked the grounds by Hagrid's hut. The "note" had turned out to be a blank piece of parchment that Harry found so very important that she have to give to him. Tonks was embarrassed to show her husband, who (as she expected) laughed when she explained the predicament.
"Come on," She urged. "What's the joke? I don't get it."
"It's just that..." Remus gave an amused laugh and held out his hand to take it from her. "I'll take it. Don't worry about it."
"No, what is it?" She asked, flipping through its pages and folds once more.
"Dora, it's nothing, I promise." Remus chuckled. "No, I want to see what the hell it is!" She insisted, not furiously, but adamantly. "You aren't going to like what you see." He warned. "Dora..."
In an annoyed pout, his wife drew out her wand from her pocket, pointing it at the parchment. "Revelio." Tonks said firmly, almost with a smirk.
"No, no, no, wait-"
"I'm going to read it."
Remus watched in defeat, leaning up against his desk. Splatters of ink began to pop up on the paper, the amused expression leaking onto his own face.
"Well go on then." He insisted. "Read it aloud."
"Maybe I will." She shot back. " 'Messers... Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs offer their most sincere compliments as they congratulate Miss Senior Auror Nymphadora Tonks on her ability to use a charm taught to second years'."
Remus let out a burst of laughter, though his wife was not as joyful, heavily enunciating the nicknames as she read them off.
"Oh that's very clever, isn't it?" She said bluntly. "You and your little band of buddies come up with this all on your own?"
"It keeps going..." He told her, covering his mouth with his hand.
" 'Mr. Prongs would like to compliment Mrs. Tonks on her innate ability to figure out only the most difficult of puzzles, looming under her grotesquely pointed nose'." Tonks read, touching her nose insecurely. Remus hadn't meant to laugh, and despite trying his best to hide it, he couldn't restrain himself. He had never imagined finding himself in this situation but now that it occured, all he could do was laugh nervously and watch as his wife's expression became more and more sour. " '...Mr. Padfoot would also like to compliment Mrs. Tonks on her beautifully uneven haircut, and that no, its nauseating purple bruise colour doesn't make her skin more resemble that of the flesh of a ghoul'. Now that one sounds about right..." Her eyes cut up at her husband whose chest was rising and falling rapidly in fearful laughter.
She continued to read. " 'Mr. Wormtail bids Mrs. Tonks a good day, though perhaps she would be better off if she learned how to not be so hard headed and perhaps considered losing a few pounds.' Well that one doesn't hurt that bad, given who it's from, but let's see what Mr. Moony has to say, why don't we? He seems to be a bit quiet..."
Remus's eyes went wide with surprise and sympathy, his laughter stifling behind his hand.
" 'Mr. Moony would finally like to add upon his companion's observation that Mrs. Tonks ought to learn to not be so stubborn, else she finds herself under unwanted circumstances, and bids her a good day'." Tonks finished reading aloud. "What I'd like to know, however, is what's going through the mind of Mr. Moony now."
Remus stayed quiet for a moment, thinking up a response. "Well... He's certainly surprised you knew so little of the map... as well as absolutely horrified, by the reaction displayed by his former friends.""And does Mr. Moony agree with Mr. Wormtail that I ought to lose a few-"
"Dora, honestly, it insults anyone who opens it incorrectly." Remus cut her off quickly, rambling anxiously. "No, Darling, you look fine. We were what... fifteen at the time? We thought that the three things girls were insecure about were their weight, their hair, and their noses, so we made sure to insult them based on that. It wasn't meant to be taken personally. Hell, I'm sure the only person who never would've gotten picked on was Lily goddamn Evans and she-"
"Remus," Tonks stopped him. "I'm not angry, this is bloody brilliant!" A smile came up on her face and she shook her head. "So it says it's a map, is it? So it has to do more than just that?" She wondered curiously.
"Well, of course..." Remus walked over to her and sat down on the arm of the chair. He drew out his own wand, pointing it at the paper. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Ink bubbled up on the pages, reading out,
"Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
are Proud to Present
The Marauder's Map."
Tonks shook her head, still smiling in fascination. " 'The Marauder's Map'?"
He opened up the cover of the map, flipping through and showing her the different teachers in their offices. Footsteps trailed along the halls with labels like "Argus Filch" and "Minerva McGonagall". In the Divination tower, "Sybil Trelawany" paced hurriedly in a zig-zag pattern and in the dungeons, "Horace Slughorn" tapped nervously at his desk. Then, in the Defense against the Dark Arts Office, "Remus Lupin" and "Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin" were perched next to each other in an arm chair."It shows where everyone in the castle is at that exact moment." He explained.
"You're joking, aren't you?" She asked. "This is insane... fifteen... you know, I've heard things from Sirius and all but... wow." Tonks turned to her husband in awe. "How did you all do that?"
"Now that's a secret." He smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Mischief managed." Remus mumbled, closing the map and folding it up to stuff into his shirt pocket as he stood up, strolling back to his desk.
"Oh really?" She asked, raising her eyebrows in thought. "Was that some sort of secret pact you made with the boys?"
"Oh, of course." He laughed, his eyebrows coming together insecurely, his cheeks growing warm with embarassment.
"I'm honestly impressed. Bloody proud, you hear?" She told him. "Come on, this is all plain genius!"
"It was... childish, at the time, I think." He remarked.
"I love it." Tonks expressed. "Now what was that statement? 'I solemnly swear-'"
"'-that I am up to no good'." Remus nodded, still avoiding her eye.
"And look at you now! All grown up and ready teach those young brats to be just as mischievous." She teased. "You really don't give yourself enough credit for what it's worth."
"I wouldn't have been able to do it without them." He sighed.
"And they wouldn't have been able to do it without you." She coaxed. Tonks got up to her feet, making her way over to him and wrapping her arms lovingly around his middle. He put his arm around her, rubbing her back.
"I don't see how you're wearing that heavy sweater. It's August, woman." Remus teased. Sure enough, her cheeks were a clammy pink and she was dizzy and stumbling, but she ignored it, further burying her face in his shirt.
"I'm so proud of you." Tonks mumbled after a while.
