Chapter 64: Perfectly Content
"When you told us the secret of your Fidelius charm," Remus said to Bill as he and Tonks enter the cottage, "I thought it was to be for emergencies."
"The emergency was getting you out of your in-laws' house for an evening," Bill replied with a smirk.
Tonks rolled her eyes.
"It's not so bad," Remus told Bill, then gave his wife a quick wink.
"Fleur, they're here," Bill called. "Come on, you two. Come have a seat and I'll get you a whiskey, Remus." He turned to Tonks and gave her a facetious look. "And you, a nice strong glass of water."
Tonks sighed. "Oh sure," she said.
Remus chuckled lightly and placed his hand on the small of her back as they followed Bill into the sitting room.
Tonks glance back at Remus, beaming. Remus had been extremely affectionate with her since she had started staying with him during the full moon. He seemed to be having a hard time keeping his hands off her. Tonks just lapped up the attention, enjoying this new carefree nature of her husband.
It had now been two full moons that Tonks accompanied Remus. After the first, Tonks had convinced Remus to let her touch him during the initial transformation. He had still been on Wolfsbane potion and he insisted on the muzzle at first, but he had allowed Tonks to be near him. He had laid himself naked, stomach down, on one of the mattresses in Mad-Eye's cellar and Tonks had gently stroked his hair as they waited for the moon to rise. She had been humming to quiet both their nerves.
Remus had felt a warm current run the length of his body and his muscles involuntarily flexed and released. His skin had felt warm and tingled, yet not unpleasantly. Remus had thought that he should have changed by now, time had seemed to slow, when he had tried to say as much a bark issued from his mouth instead of words and that was how he had realized that he had transformed into a werewolf.
With Tonks at his side, the transformations caused Remus no pain. He would change and then listen to whatever anecdote she had prepared for that night, then they would gently drift off to sleep. In the morning, Remus would be himself again with his wife curled up against him.
Remus now felt lighter than he ever had in his life. After one lunar cycle ended, he would always be dreading the next. However now, miraculous, he was not.
With the absence of trepidation for his condition weighing on his mind, Remus had more space in his thoughts to think about his wife.
His mind was reeling with thoughts of the gentle chime of her laugh and things he could say or do so that he could hear it. He obsessed over the feel of her lips and he constantly craved the taste of her kisses. Remus could spend hours trying to decide what was his favorite part of her body. Was it the spot where her lower back gently curved or her high collarbones? Merlin, he loved to kiss her collarbones and run his mouth lower still. Or did he prefer her round, firm breasts that fit perfectly in his palms?
"Remus, Tonks!" Fleur greeted. She gave them both a kiss on each cheek.
Moments later, they were all settled together. Remus and Tonks sat close together on the sofa. Bill sat in a plush chair with Fleur perched on the arm. Fire whiskey was passed around for everyone but Tonks, who had a cold glass of pumpkin juice.
"So, you are living under the same roof with your parents?" Bill said with amusement in his eyes. "Merlin! How is that going, really?"
"It's just fine," Remus said diplomatically. However, with his overpowering need for his wife lately, the constant proximity to her parents and his dad had been rather frustrating to say the least.
"Everyone gets along," Tonks added. She too found the living situation restrictive. The 'naps' that her and Remus would take in the middle of the day and the 'early bedtimes' were not nearly enough to satisfy.
"zis is less zan ideal," Fleur remarked. "You are still newly weds like Bill and me." She looked over at Bill, "If we 'ad to live with our parents…" She shook her head.
"I suppose it comes with some…limitations," Remus admitted, placing his hand on Tonks's thigh and kissing her cheek. Though pleased, Tonks was still taken aback anytime Remus displayed any public form of affection.
"What is your father like, Remus?" Bill asked conversationally. He had met Ted and Andromeda. Ted was very easy to get on with like Tonks, where Andromeda was more guarded, though polite.
"He's similar to Remus," Tonks answered for him. "Very kind, kind of serious, really clever." Tonks grinned at her husband. "And he has a terrible habit of going into long lectures about things when no one is expecting it, like someone else I know."
In one swift move, Remus had grabbed Tonks and scooped her into his lap. Tonks found with delight that her husband was quite capable of lifting her easily, even with her growing size. "I give you long lectures, do I?" Remus growled teasingly into her ear, making Tonks giggle.
"Oi!" Bill said, throwing a cushion at them. "Cool it."
Tonks remained in Remus's lap. "You," she said with raised brow, "Bill Weasley, are telling us to cool it? Have you met you and Fleur? You two are absolutely nauseating."
Bill wrapped his arm around Fleur's waist. "Have you seen my wife?" he said.
Fleur responded to Bill's compliment by rubbing her delicate foot up and down his leg and fluttering her eyelashes.
"I'm looking at her," Tonks said flippantly.
Remus held Tonks closer. "Have you seen 'my' wife," he whispered to her.
They had a dinner of steaks. Bill took his meat almost raw. Fleur seared it in the pan for less than thirty seconds on both sides before flopping it onto her husband's plate. Remus took all his meat well-done, too done for even Tonks. Tonks wondered if he would actually prefer to eat his steak like Bill but refrained, suppressing any wolfish urge.
Bill and Fleur were unlikely friends for Remus and Tonks. However, they were the closest people to relate to what Remus and Tonks were experiencing. When Bill was bitten by Greyback, Remus became his frequent correspondent, answering questions and providing words of comfort. Not only had Bill had to adjust to his new altered appearance but to the discrimination he faced after being bitten by a werewolf. Of course, it was nothing like what Remus had to endure, but Bill did experience the feeling of being contagious. Remus was a sympathetic friend to listen.
Tonks, who was very fond of Ginny, did not like Fleur at first. Tonks had called her Phlegm right along with the kids. Of course, she felt awful about that now. And Tonks got the impression that she had annoyed Fleur with her clumsiness. Plus, it did not help that Ginny kept, not so subtly, implying that Tonks should be with Bill instead. However, after Fleur's public announcement in the hospital wing about how she planned to still marry him, Tonks had gained a great deal of respect for her. And after Tonks's equally public display that followed, Fleur seemed to recognize her as an ally, two women in love with men affected by Fenrir Greyback.
A morbid getting together that resulted in a quite lovely friendship.
"So, Tonks," Fleur said from across the table. "'Ave you 'ad any pregnancy cravings yet?"
Tonks shrugged. "No, not really."
Remus snorted. "Just last night you woke me up at two in the morning and asked me to make you a cheese omelet with pickles in it."
"Did you?" Bill asked.
"Of course, I did," Remus replied. "She is growing my child inside her belly. It is the absolute least I could do."
"My husband clearly knows what's good for him," Tonks laughed.
"Though it would have been better if you would have still been awake when I brought you the omelet," Remus teased.
"Probably," Tonks agreed, smiling.
Remus did not mind in the slightest. He remembered when Lily was pregnant with Harry. James would often rant about the strange cravings and rapid changes in moods. James would huff about it off and on, but Remus could tell that he was absolutely thrilled that he was the one who got to take care of Lily. Remus had felt jealous at the time; though, he never would have let himself admit it. Remus had wanted what James and Lily had more than anything in the world, but he told himself that it would never be possible. Perhaps he had felt jealous all this time really.
Now that he was with Tonks and they were expecting their own child, Remus realized that he did not want what James and Lily had anymore, he wanted precisely what he had in front of him.
After dinner they bid Bill and Fleur goodnight.
"Send my brothers and Kingsley an owl about Potterwatch," Bill reminded them. "Fred and George will send me a howler if they think I forgot to ask you about it."
"Will do," Tonks assured Bill.
She and Remus stepped out of the bounds of the Fidelius charm.
The cottage sat atop a hill overlooking the sea. Tonks breathed in the salty air and felt the misted late autumn breeze on her cheeks. She was about to disapparate when Remus caught her arm.
"What is it?" she asked with confusion.
"Fancy a walk before we go back to your parents'?" Remus asked. "I'm not ready to share you with anyone else just yet."
Tonks beamed. "What will you do when the baby's born?" she asked, linking her arm with his. "I hear that babies take up quite a bit of time."
"All the more reason I should enjoy your company now," Remus replied.
They started down the hill towards the water. Remus kept a tight hold on his wife as she stumbled several times on the uneven ground.
They paused when they reached the beach, listening to the soft rocking of waves.
"Are you cold?" Remus asked, watching Tonks pull her cloak tighter around herself.
"I'm fine," she said quickly.
Remus removed his traveling cloak and draped it around his wife's shoulders. "There now," he breathed, moving to stand behind her and enveloping her in his arms for extra warmth.
"You'll be cold," Tonks protested, though her body untensed as she became warmer.
Remus chuckled lightly. He knew that Tonks hated to be cold. "I'm perfectly content," Remus said as he hugged her closer to him.
XXX
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading this far! It has been so fun writing this story and so amazing to get the feedback from those of you who review. I should be wrapping up in less than 10 chapter. Thank you for all the support!
Sincerely,
Thora Jane
