Disclaimer: I don't own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, plots, etc. from
the Harry Potter series.
Note: When I posted my disclaimer and the first chapter yesterday, something got fouled up and it never posted the latter. I apologize for this inconvenience and for how riled up all of you got about it. Thanks... Michele
Strong Like You (Chapter 1)
According to the incessant droning of that blasted Muggle contraption next door, this July was shaping up to be one of the warmest, and most uncomfortable, on record. Tugging furiously at the shirt collar round his neck, with an adamancy that would suggest it was looking to strangle him, Remus Lupin couldn't help but to agree with the bellowing prat in that little wooden box.
The tortures of a summer in London seemed unmatched with any other place on Earth, carrying with it more perils than the Sahara at high noon. The heat here felt thicker, denser; almost alive as it sat atop its victims, slowly smothering them beneath its monstrous weight. Laced with the layer of smog that hovered over the city and sodden with the evaporated Thames, this faceless demon had found its way into the homes of countless Britons and was obviously content to stay there as long as it pleased.
Even sitting perfectly still, each breath seemed to be a more daunting task than the one before, and the stagnancy of the air around him was proving absolutely maddening. Only twelve days had passed since Remus had parted ways with Harry Potter on Platform 9¾ and made his way back to the dilapidated ancestral home of Sirius Black, but oppressive heat, and crushing guilt, made each day seem like two hundred.
Sirius...
A rare breeze drifted through the open kitchen window, carrying a short peal of laughter and the merry yap of a dog in the distance to Remus' ears. With a wince, his eyes drifted closed and he leaned his trembling frame over the kitchen sink, allowing the familiar weight of grief to settle like a rock in the pit of his stomach. The reminder of his best friend, whose death had not even a month passed, was a sharp jab at a fresh wound, and he couldn't help wondering aloud if the pain would ever go away.
"Oy, I'm home!"
Remus' eyes flew open as the clear female voice rang through the empty house, and the slam of the front door sent him whirling around so quickly that he swiped a by-standing tea cup clear off the counter and sent it crashing down onto the tile floor. As if on cue, the portrait of Sirius' mum started hurling insults from her frame in the foyer and the new entry began shouting right back as she wrestled with the curtains, causing the man's already frazzled nerves to practically explode as he dropped to his knees to deal with the splintered porcelain.
After a few more toe-curling swear words, silence befell the house once more and the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard crossing the hall to where Remus was crouched on the kitchen floor. Staring blindly into the pile of dust and shards at his feet, he felt her presence in the doorway, but he pretended not to notice. If one thing would get a rise out of Nymphadora Tonks, he knew this was it.
Clearing her throat to announce her arrival, though she knew he was completely aware of it already, Tonks appraised the scene before her and coolly asked, "What in the hell is that?" Remus Lupin was one of the most collected individuals she knew of, and right frustrating because of it on most days, so seeing him crawling about on the kitchen floor was decidedly odd, indeed.
"It was a tea cup," he replied, matter-of-factly, his honey colored eyes sparkling with laughter as they darted up to briefly meet hers. Sifting his fingers through the remnants of Mrs. Black's fine china piece, Remus added, "I don't suppose I'll be able to salvage this, hmm?"
Tonks couldn't help the grin that crossed her lips as her gaze roved over the obviously daft older man and his little pile of powder. "And Molly thinks I am a walking disaster," she said with a snort, "Remus, you've managed to make that thing unrecognizable. That takes talent."
Crossing the kitchen floor, the witch withdrew her wand from the back pocket of her jeans and sank to her knees in front of him. Raising her deep lavender eyes to meet his, Tonks murmured her charm and, miraculously, the splinters rejoined to form a tea cup. With a small smile, she added, "It's nice to see you smiling again, Remus."
Her words, however comforting and innocent they were intended to be, brought Sirius' face, twisted with shock and dread as he tumbled helplessly through the veil to his death, swimming before his eyes once again. His best friend was dead. The little boy he had come to care so much for was undoubtedly having one of the worst summers ever, mourning his godfather alone with little comfort from his dreadful aunt and uncle. Oh, and the entire wizarding world was plunged into this all out war between good and evil that had the potential to end the lives of hundreds, in the most terrible ways devised by man. Why, in Merlin's name, was he smiling?!
Remus quickly rose from his place on the cool tile, his eyes trained on the door ahead of him, and muttered, "If you'll excuse me, please. Pressing business--." His entire being seemed devoid of emotion as he all but ran from the room, leaving Tonks alone on the floor, no closer to understanding him than she had been all those years ago.
From the place where it had stood trembling between them only minutes before, the already fragile tea cup smashed once more into a pile of dust, leaving behind an irreconcilable mess for her to clean up.
Note: When I posted my disclaimer and the first chapter yesterday, something got fouled up and it never posted the latter. I apologize for this inconvenience and for how riled up all of you got about it. Thanks... Michele
Strong Like You (Chapter 1)
According to the incessant droning of that blasted Muggle contraption next door, this July was shaping up to be one of the warmest, and most uncomfortable, on record. Tugging furiously at the shirt collar round his neck, with an adamancy that would suggest it was looking to strangle him, Remus Lupin couldn't help but to agree with the bellowing prat in that little wooden box.
The tortures of a summer in London seemed unmatched with any other place on Earth, carrying with it more perils than the Sahara at high noon. The heat here felt thicker, denser; almost alive as it sat atop its victims, slowly smothering them beneath its monstrous weight. Laced with the layer of smog that hovered over the city and sodden with the evaporated Thames, this faceless demon had found its way into the homes of countless Britons and was obviously content to stay there as long as it pleased.
Even sitting perfectly still, each breath seemed to be a more daunting task than the one before, and the stagnancy of the air around him was proving absolutely maddening. Only twelve days had passed since Remus had parted ways with Harry Potter on Platform 9¾ and made his way back to the dilapidated ancestral home of Sirius Black, but oppressive heat, and crushing guilt, made each day seem like two hundred.
Sirius...
A rare breeze drifted through the open kitchen window, carrying a short peal of laughter and the merry yap of a dog in the distance to Remus' ears. With a wince, his eyes drifted closed and he leaned his trembling frame over the kitchen sink, allowing the familiar weight of grief to settle like a rock in the pit of his stomach. The reminder of his best friend, whose death had not even a month passed, was a sharp jab at a fresh wound, and he couldn't help wondering aloud if the pain would ever go away.
"Oy, I'm home!"
Remus' eyes flew open as the clear female voice rang through the empty house, and the slam of the front door sent him whirling around so quickly that he swiped a by-standing tea cup clear off the counter and sent it crashing down onto the tile floor. As if on cue, the portrait of Sirius' mum started hurling insults from her frame in the foyer and the new entry began shouting right back as she wrestled with the curtains, causing the man's already frazzled nerves to practically explode as he dropped to his knees to deal with the splintered porcelain.
After a few more toe-curling swear words, silence befell the house once more and the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard crossing the hall to where Remus was crouched on the kitchen floor. Staring blindly into the pile of dust and shards at his feet, he felt her presence in the doorway, but he pretended not to notice. If one thing would get a rise out of Nymphadora Tonks, he knew this was it.
Clearing her throat to announce her arrival, though she knew he was completely aware of it already, Tonks appraised the scene before her and coolly asked, "What in the hell is that?" Remus Lupin was one of the most collected individuals she knew of, and right frustrating because of it on most days, so seeing him crawling about on the kitchen floor was decidedly odd, indeed.
"It was a tea cup," he replied, matter-of-factly, his honey colored eyes sparkling with laughter as they darted up to briefly meet hers. Sifting his fingers through the remnants of Mrs. Black's fine china piece, Remus added, "I don't suppose I'll be able to salvage this, hmm?"
Tonks couldn't help the grin that crossed her lips as her gaze roved over the obviously daft older man and his little pile of powder. "And Molly thinks I am a walking disaster," she said with a snort, "Remus, you've managed to make that thing unrecognizable. That takes talent."
Crossing the kitchen floor, the witch withdrew her wand from the back pocket of her jeans and sank to her knees in front of him. Raising her deep lavender eyes to meet his, Tonks murmured her charm and, miraculously, the splinters rejoined to form a tea cup. With a small smile, she added, "It's nice to see you smiling again, Remus."
Her words, however comforting and innocent they were intended to be, brought Sirius' face, twisted with shock and dread as he tumbled helplessly through the veil to his death, swimming before his eyes once again. His best friend was dead. The little boy he had come to care so much for was undoubtedly having one of the worst summers ever, mourning his godfather alone with little comfort from his dreadful aunt and uncle. Oh, and the entire wizarding world was plunged into this all out war between good and evil that had the potential to end the lives of hundreds, in the most terrible ways devised by man. Why, in Merlin's name, was he smiling?!
Remus quickly rose from his place on the cool tile, his eyes trained on the door ahead of him, and muttered, "If you'll excuse me, please. Pressing business--." His entire being seemed devoid of emotion as he all but ran from the room, leaving Tonks alone on the floor, no closer to understanding him than she had been all those years ago.
From the place where it had stood trembling between them only minutes before, the already fragile tea cup smashed once more into a pile of dust, leaving behind an irreconcilable mess for her to clean up.