By the Way…
By: Sinead Usagi
Chapter Five: Do You Remember?
... "I do get a Lycanthrope Pension from the Ministry."
He felt too sick after he spoke these words to put more, answer-delaying food into his mouth. Instead, he sat there, waiting for this to sink in, his heart pounding in his ears. Beside him, Tonks let out an indignant little sigh, as if she felt that her parents weren't entitled to know such details about him.
It took a moment or two for Ted to respond to this. Then, he leaned back in his chair, slapped the table, and laughed loudly.
"Ha, ha! Remus you joker, you! Driest wit I've ever encountered, and I've lived in England all my life!" He stopped laughing almost instantly after this and became serious again. "Really, though. Do you have any income?"
Remus hated it when people thought he was joking.
"Yes, I wasn't joking. I get Lycanthrope Pension," Remus made sure his facial expression was dead serious when he said this so as to avoid further misunderstandings.
Ted, again, needed a moment for this to compute. "You mean..." he began, thinking hard. "You mean that you are accepting these cheques? You figured out how to cheat the system?"
First a funny-guy, now he was committing fraud. Remus's composure was threatening to crumble.
"No, I get the cheques because I qualify for them. Entirely."
Nymphadora was sitting there, fork and knife in hand, but not moving; her entire concentration was on their conversation. Andromeda too, had lost her eating momentum, and was holding her fork in her mouth as if she had forgotten it was there. She too was staring avidly at the two men at the table.
Ted suddenly became cross. "What do you mean you qualify for them? You mean to tell us that you're a werewolf?"
Remus thought his voice would fail him. He could see a slight, throbbing vein at Ted's temple, and he was feeling the panic set in.
"Yes, sir."
Ted let out a mighty roar, slammed his palms down on the table, and stood up.
"A BLOODY BEAST LIKE YOU EXPECTS TO MARRY MY LITTLE GIRL?"
His voice shook the walls. Remus winced, and his mind, with a pop! went blank. He could not think of one single, intelligent thing to say. All that came out was,
"Sorry," he said weakly.
"SORRY?" Ted was beyond consolation. He began to walk forward, hands outstretched as if he wanted to strangle Remus. At this point, Nymphadora dropped her fork and knife, and stood up in front of her father.
"SIT DOWN!" she cried, nearly as loud as he was. "You're embarrassing me!"
Ted was trembling with rage, the throbbing vein now completely, and unmistakably visible.
"YOU—" he had to pause before he could speak again. "YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS!"
"KNEW!" shrieked Tonks. "OF COURSE I KNEW! WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT YOU WOULD BE SUCH AN IDIOT ABOUT IT!"
"DON'T SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY!"
"DON'T YOU SPEAK TO REMUS THAT WAY!"
"I WILL NOT HAVE TO SPEND ANOTHER SECOND WITH THAT FILTHY HALF-BREED!"
"I WON'T SPEND ANOTHER SECOND WITH YOU IF THAT'S HOW YOU'RE GOING TO BE!"
Remus, completely dazed, watched them and wondered vaguely in one part of his mind if he should step in, or step out, or...
He felt something touch him softly on his arm and he turned to see Andromeda, who motioned for him to follow her. When he hesitated, she leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"Best let them get it out of their systems. I have something I want to show you."
She led him out of the kitchen and to a back door, which took them out to the back garden. Andromeda, after Remus was outside, closed the door behind them, muffling most of the argument. She held his arm again and gently led him along a stone path to a bench in the middle of a flowery circle, where they both sat down.
Remus wasn't sure what was going to happen. He was afraid she had taken him outside to politely request that he never see her daughter again. She really didn't have to go to the trouble of taking him away from the kitchen- her husband surely would have seen him out in good time.
"These roses just bloomed last week, you know," she said, motioning towards the bush of beautiful, red roses to the left of them, just beside an unenclosed gazebo.
"I won't see her anymore," Remus said, trying to spare her the awkwardness of finding a way to lead the conversation up to that request, feeling utterly defeated.
Andromeda stopped staring at her flowers for a moment, and stared at him instead, blinking confusedly.
"What ever are you talking about, Remus?"
Remus felt himself blushing. He looked down at his hands. "I mean, now that you know about me- my... condition... I was expecting this, so you don't have to worry. I'll just leave now, thank you for dinner, and please tell Nymphadora I've said goodbye."
He got up to leave with as much dignity as he could muster, fighting his instinctual urge to bolt entirely and all the while not wanting to look her in the eye. But, she grabbed his shirt, and pulled him back down onto the bench.
"I didn't ask, tell, or even hint that I want you to leave. Don't you like my garden?" She looked so sincerely hurt by this that Remus had to smile. Just a little bit.
"Your garden is absolutely lovely. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it up close before." He leaned back and breathed in the scent of a dozen different kinds of blossoms. "It reminds me of pictures I've seen of the palace in Versailles. This could very well be a small plot of land from Versailles."
Andromeda looked absolutely delighted to hear this. She clapped her hands together. "Remus, you are quite charming, do you know that? No wonder Nymphadora is so taken with you!" She paused, and they both heard Tonks's screams, and the sound of a plate breaking.
Andromeda took Remus's hand in hers, and gave him a sad, apologetic look.
"Remus, please excuse Teddy's... outburst. You can forgive him, can't you? He gets a little bit... nervous sometimes, when things are different to him. He often forgets..." Her eyes glazed over a little bit and she looked distant. But, as soon as she had zoned out, she came back again, her eyes baring an intensity Remus had not yet seen in them. He was getting the distinct feeling of déja vu, looking at her with that serious expression on her face.
"Remus? Will you?"
Remus sighed. "Andromeda, I don't think this is a matter of forgiveness or not. If your husband can't accept me, then there is no way I can go through with this marriage and not have a guilty conscience."
Andromeda shook her head. "No, Remus, you must understand. Ted, he needs to adapt. One time, he got so angry when I told him that I had booked us to go to Spain for our twenty-fifth anniversary. 'Andy!' he said, 'how can you expect us to mingle with all those foreigners? They aren't like you and me, you know! They have strange ways!' He was very cross at me, but I wouldn't relent. I traveled all over while I was growing up, and I lost that when I married him, and really, I missed it. So, I dragged him along, and you know what? It took him a day of sulking, and then a day of complete immersion, and then-" she smiled triumphantly at Remus. "He admitted that he liked Spain! Can you believe it? After all that fuss! It was only Spain, after all." She chuckled, patted Remus's hand, and then let go.
"Really, Andromeda, this isn't quite the same thing..." Remus was feeling a little bit exasperated at how simple Andromeda's mind was. He was relieved, however, that she didn't have anything against him.
"Oh, Remus, don't you see? This is exactly the same thing. It has nothing to do with you, really. It is just Ted and his issues. He needs to deal with them, and get on with his life. There is no use in slowing down for him because then everything would get backed up."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, while Remus thought about what she had just said. He watched as a bee flew from one flower to the next, gathering pollen. He let its droning, buzzing sound lull him into a slight state of calm.
"I think they're just about done," Andromeda said softly. The two of them stood up, and walked back into the house, and into the kitchen, where Remus saw, they most certainly were not done.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST CONTROL EVERYTHING, DON'T YOU! YOU'RE SO INCONSIDERATE!"
"EXCUSE ME FOR WANTING TO PROTECT MY DAUGHTER FROM A GREAT DIRTY BEAST!"
"DON'T TALK ABOUT HIM THAT WAY! DON'T YOU DARE INSULT THE MAN I LOVE!"
"I—"
Ted fell silent as Andromeda walked into the kitchen and, after cleaning up thedish that had fallen on the floor, began collecting their dinner plates. He watched her amazed, as she set out dessert at each of the four spots and sat down at her own. She turned around, smiled at Remus, and motioned for him to sit back down too. Reluctantly and hesitantly, he moved forward.
"Andromeda..." Ted began in a low, menacing tone. "What do you think you are doing?"
Andromeda smiled at Ted innocently. "I'm having my dessert, Teddy. You must have worked up quite an appetite with all that yelling. Won't you try it? Triple chocolate: fudge, sponge, and cheesecake! All in one!" She took a bite of it and rolled her eyes dramatically. "MMMmmm! Good!"
Ted clenched his teeth together. "I meant," he began, enunciating his words, very carefully, his audio level better under control. "What do you think you are doing, inviting that... that... thing back in here? I thought you had gotten rid of him!"
Andromeda looked startled. "Oh, sorry, Teddy! I couldn't hear you! I forgot, I put crunchy bits in the cake too, and they were so loud in my ears that they drowned out whatever it was you were saying. Please, sit down, so maybe then I can hear you." She said this all very cheerfully, but the last sentence had a very strict tone to it. Ted, the red flush in his face fading a little bit, sat down, but did not touch his cake.
"Eat." Andromeda, pointed her fork at him, her smile becoming very forced.
Ted ate. One bite.
"Nymphadora, dear, you are quite welcome to sit and eat too, you know." Andromeda took out her wand and magically pushed out Tonks's chair for her. She too, sat down, and took one bite of the cake.
Andromeda spoke again. "Anyway, as I was saying. I was just outside, giving Remus here the grand tour of the garden. I've been working very hard on it this year, and it really shows, don't you agree, Remus?"
Remus was surprised at being addressed, but reacted quickly. "Yes, it is very... excellent."
Andromeda took another bite of cake. "You know, he was even saying that it looks like a bit of the palace garden in Versailles. Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard?" she gushed. Tonks made a soft sound beside Remus that he could have sworn was on its way to being a laugh.
"Why. Is. He. Still. Here." Ted was barely able to form words anymore.
Andromeda gave an impatient sigh. "Because, he is our dinner guest, our daughter's fiancée, and an extraordinary gentleman."
"Andromeda..." Ted began threateningly.
She ignored it and turned to Remus. "Sirius always spoke so highly of you, dear. I must say, I was doubly excited to meet you once I found out it was you, Remus Lupin, of the... oh, what did he say? The ... Marooners?" she laughed and shook her head. "No, no that wasn't it. It was the--"
"Marauders," Remus said quietly. Andromeda nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! That's it! He told us about all the silly things you boys did at school. You, and Sirius, James Potter, and that awful Pettigrew boy, forgive me for mentioning him."
Ted, looking back and forth between them, was completely stunned.
"You mean... you were-"
Once again, Andromeda ignored him. "I hate to bring this up right now, but I didn't get to see Sirius after he left prison, and well... I never believed he did it, you know. He was always such a wonderful boy. I remember when he stayed with us for a few days after he left home. He was quite the charmer, wasn't he, Teddy?"
Ted grunted in response, looking hard at Remus.
Remus was feeling more at ease now that he could see Andromeda had somehow taken control of the situation. It dawned on him that maybe she wasn't as much of an airhead that she let on.
"Sirius always spoke very highly of you, Andromeda. He was always going on about how you and him were the best thing to come out of the Black family in over a century."
Andromeda nodded solemnly. "Yes, it was hard for him, you know, leaving his family. But he did what he knew he had to do. I understood what he was going through, though I always knew he was much braver than me. I had to leave my family too, since they didn't approve of my marriage choice."
She put a lot of emphasis on the last part of that, and then gave Ted a long, hard look. He lowered his eyes to his plate and began squishing the cake.
"Really, my family did not approve of Ted, one bit! He was a Muggle-born, they said. A filthy, no good excuse for a wizard. I would shame them by marrying him, and they would never take me back if I went through with it."
Beside Remus, Nymphadora began grinning uncontrollably. Ted, on her left, was still squashing his cake into mush.
Andromeda was still talking. "Ted even met them once. Do you remember that Teddy?" she asked sweetly. He didn't even look up from his plate.
"Yus," he mumbled.
"Do you remember how hard it was for you to get through that evening? Do you remember how much they insulted and belittled you?"
"Yes, dear," he muttered again, and started making swirls in the chocolaty mess on his plate.
Andromeda raised an eyebrow at him. "So, of course, Ted, having been in such a situation, would never dream of putting someone else there if they didn't do anything to deserve it, would you?"
"No, dear."
"Good. So, Remus, tell us, what have you been doing for the Order?" Andromeda turned the conversation casually back to Remus again. He was dumbstruck at how easily she, who seemed so passive and meek, one handedly broke up a screaming argument between father and daughter about a werewolf fiancée.
"Er--"
Tonks jumped into the conversation again, as energetic as ever. "MUM! WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT!"
Her mother waved her hand impatiently. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. You could at least tell your old mum something about what you've been up to."
"Oh, you know, the usual. Paperwork, going to meetings, romancing dark creatures--"
Remus, who had been guiltily and discretely eating the chocolate cake (he couldn't help it) inhaled it slightly at this.
Tonks was now watching her father, who, although he wasn't saying anything, looked a bit ill, and kept giving Remus frightened glances, as if he expected the man to transform at their very own dinner table and devour them all.
Ted let his fork fall onto his plate with a clatter. "Why can't you marry one of them?" he asked, in a quiet, but determined tone.
Remus was startled. "Wh- what? Who?"
There was a furrow in his brow when Ted answered. "One of your own kind. Why don't you marry a werewolf?" He sounded as if all he wanted was for Remus to leave and to forget that all this had never happened.
Remus blinked and gave an odd little smile. "Because, Ted, I'm not in love with any of them." He paused and considered something for a moment. "And none of them are in love with me. Do you know how rare it is to find someone who you love so absolutely and totally, and who can reciprocate those feelings?" He frowned and looked down at his plate. "You're lucky, you know. You both found each other, and had the strength to face whatever it was that stood in your way, just so you could be together. At first I was bitter. I didn't want to face anything. I didn't want anything to do with Nymphadora, because I felt that I wasn't good enough for her. But now... it's too late."
Remus, who had been so defeated before, now had a fresh senseof purpose and determination. He looked Ted in the eye and spoke again."I've fallen too hard and too completely in love with her, and you have to understand that I won't let anything stand in the way anymore. So, Ted, I am willing to do whatever it is to convince you that I am the only man for Nymphadora. And I hope, also, that we can be friends."
There was a soft sob from either side of Remus, but he barely heard it. Ted examined Remus's face, and saw that Remus had, for the first time that evening, an unguarded expression in his eyes.
"Stand up," Ted snapped. Remus did so, slowly. Ted stood up as well, and walked right up to Remus, never breaking eye contact with him. Remus was wide eyed, completely expecting Ted to hit him for being bold and demanding that he get out of his house immediately.
His arm moved. Remus didn't brace himself.
Ted outstretched his hand.
"You've convinced me right enough."
Remus accepted his handshake.
"Thank you."
They let go and then, realized, much to their manly discomfort, that the two women at the table had broken down crying. Andromeda was, in vain, daintily trying to wipe underneath her eyes to keep her mascara from running. Nymphadora had her head in her hands and her shoulders were shaking.
"I'm s-so glad you t-two worked thing ou-out!" Andromeda said, laughing through her tears. Ted looked to the side and sighed, before resuming his seat and regaining his appetite for the cake.
Remus crouched down beside Nymphadora and gently pulled her hands away from her face. The makeup she had taken so long to put on before they had left was smeared down her cheeks, but leaving her, in Remus's eyes, no less beautiful. She turned her head away from him and grabbed a napkin, trying to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.
Ted and Andromeda, sensing a "moment" coming on, moved discretely themselves as far away from the couple as they could, without entirely leaving the table, and most definitely not out of hearing range.
"Why are you crying?" Remus asked softly, taking his own, unused napkin and trying to wipe away some of her tears. She shook her head, and then threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.
"B-because I-I've n-n-never heard y-yo-u say that before!" she cried, her voice muffled. She pulled away from him and smiled, taking his hands in hers.
"Ooh, yes, it was beautiful, Remus!" Andromeda chirped enthusiastically from across the table. Ted nodded in agreement, and slightly banged his fist on the table.
"Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself!"
But Remus and Nymphadora weren't listening. In fact, they stopped listening for so long that eventually Ted had to step in.
"Okay! Okay! We get it! Now break it up!" he said, clapping his hands loudly.
They pulled away from each other and came back to the real world rather reluctantly. Remus got to his feet, and then offered his hand to Nymphadora as she stood up.
"Thanks for dinner, Mum," she said brightly, her cheeks tinged pink. "I think it's best we go now."
At the door, Ted shook Remus's hand for the third time that evening, and this time just as jovially as the first. Andromeda pulled him into an even tighter hug, and whispered in his ear that she hoped the chocolate cake she was giving them to take home would reconcile them enough to still invite her and Ted to the wedding.
"Of course you're invited!" Remus said with the first real laugh he had made all evening. "Why wouldn't you be invited?"
"Oh, just making sure," Andromeda said airily, with a dismissing wave of her hand.
They said their last goodbyes before Nymphadora and Remus walked out into the crisp night air. Above them the stars were now shining, and the moon was nearly full. But, for possibly the first time, Remus didn't feel sad or angry when he saw it. For the first time, he just couldn't be bothered, because beside him, linking her arm in his, was someone who didn't care either.
He wasn't worried.
For the first time, he was sure that everything was going to work out just fine.
FIN.
A/N: The end! The power of love conquered all, etc. And I have to apologize for Remus's painful little speech there at the end. I am really bad at writing those kinds of things. But I needed to put it in because I think that Remus's meeting the Tonkses was important. Even though he has accepted that he loves Nymphadora and that she loves him, there was still that nagging voice in his head saying that what he was doing is wrong. So, it was important for him to know that her parents are okay with him too.
Please review! I would love to hear what everyone thinks. And thanks to everyone for reading! It was so great to come home from work and find my inbox fullof reviews! Thank you so much!
Dancer8428: Thanks! I made myself wait the week before I updated. /is evil/
Bograt: ha! I'm so glad to her you laughed so hard. It's good for your health! So, in a way, have I helped your well being? Thanks so much for reading!
Crabbycat14: yeah! I came home and there were so many reviews in my inbox, it was amazing. I think I'll write nothing but cliffhangers from now on… lol, j/k! I hope you like their reactions!
Rara: Ho ho ho, I'm so evil! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Snowbunny0405: That was the strangest review I've ever gotten. But, I'll take it as a compliment! Thanks! I hope this chapter didn't resemble your life though, as there was much of the /anger/ and such. Anyway, that sounds like a funny story to tell your kids! And yay for your slightly similar screen name to mine (go rabbits!)
TRISH: You're reviews are so encouraging! Please, tell me what you think of this chapter! And thanks so much for reading (and reviewing).
Carnivalgirl: Yeah, you said it. Snape is just a very bad judge of character, although he sort of did have a little tiny bit of an excuse (not a very good one, though) for not liking Remus. I'm glad you were so eager to know what happens! It is very encouraging to have great readers/reviewers like you! Please tell me what you think of this chapter, I'm looking forward to it!
Cassie89: I updated! And only a week or so later!
GMB: thank you for saying my work is wonderful! Eek, I haven't blushed this much since Madam Pomfrey said she liked my earmuffs!
LupinsLady: YAY! Thanks so much! I loved writing Andromeda, and I hoped that people would respond to her positively. I can just imagine what an odd, ditzy kind of woman would name her daughter "Nymphadora". And xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo times a million to you! Hope you like this chapter too!
Metalmonkey: Thank you! The soup part was probably my favourite part to write. It can't be a Lupin/Tonks without someone's legs getting accidentally scalded. Sorry about the cliffhanger. It was my first-ever cliffhanger, too!
Automnbreeze25: Yay for cliffhangers! And, no, that wouldn't be an easy thing to tell one's parents. I,too, would prefer to yell it as I leave, but alas, Remus is too… gentlemanly to let that happen. Let me know what you think of the ending!
Wolf feathers: lol, stalking. That's one way to motivate someone! Illegal, but effective! But no need, I have finished the story!
nycgrl: Hee hee! I felt so diabolical making a cliffhanger there. Sort of. I'm glad you like the chapter title! I will email you soooooooon
Morumotto-sempai: But not as big as THE QUESTION OF EXISTENCE!
Santiva Potter: Yes, the whole "don't worry" thing does create a bit of comically ominous dread. Yes, Ted was fun to write because he is so quick to jump to conclusions because he is a bit paranoid, and then often has to put his foot in his mouth. Please review again, I'd love to hear what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter.