This is just a tiny ficlet of Kingsley and Mad-Eye reflecting on the upcoming relationship of Tonks and Remus.
The two men walked alongside each other from the meeting room to the parlor. The Order meeting had just ended - Mad-Eye had announced the pairing for the mission this week, Emmeline had given a report, as well as Snape. Since both Kingsley and Mad-Eye had a long day, Kingsley suggested having a drink.
Mad-Eye opened a dusty cupboard and pulled out two bottles. He held them out to Kingsley. The bold man read the labels: grain whiskey from a distillery in Bristol and malt whiskey from Essex.
"Malt," Kingsley decided.
Mad-Eye nodded, opened the bottle and sniffed at the auburn liquid. "Strong one," he grunted, "good choice, son."
Finishing his very vigilant whiskey investigation, Mad-Eye poured them both a drink. They sat down in the two armchairs in front of the fireplace, enjoying the warmth tickling their feet. Kingsley took a sip from his drink and, good Merlin it was strong indeed. But the liquid caused a pleasant warm burning as it flushed down his throat. Kingsley glanced a Mad-Eye. He had his amputated leg stretched out and his sane eye closed.
"Alright?" Kingsley asked.
Mad-Eye responded with a content grunt. "Whiskey's good. And the warmth's good for my leg. Bloody screws cause my leg some ache when it's freezing outside."
Kingsley nodded, taking another sip. Conversations with Mad-Eye weren't exactly wordy. It might bother other people but Kingsley enjoyed it. These times was much talking, especially talking nonsense - a chat like this was rather pleasant.
But still, there was something Kingsley had to get off his chest. He glanced at the old auror and noticed whose magical eye already fixed on him.
"You're not really unobtrusive, you know, pairing them on missions all the time..." Kingsley said in low voice, convinced that Mad-Eye already knew who he was talking about.
And he did. "I need partners who harmonize, Shacklebolt."
Shacklebolt. Mad-Eye liked to call him that when he wanted to act business-like. Kingsley arched an eye brow, lips curving slightly. "Harmonize... Yeah, sure," Kingsley said, "that is more than just harmonize. Have you seen the way he looks at her?"
Mad-Eye's gaze turned thoughtful. "You'd think there's nothing more precious to him in this god-forsaken world than our Tonks."
"Could you blame him though? He's not got much, has he? Not anymore, poor old Remus. Being a werewolf must be a lonely life."
"True," Mad-Eye simply responded. In his long career as an auror, he had several accounts with werewolves already - good and bad kind.
"He's not once asked her to morph for him," Kingsley recounted.
"Indeed."
The black skinned man took another sip from his whiskey and rubbed his chin, glancing at Mad-Eye. "I always thought she'd want someone her age, an outgoing and adventurous guy, an auror maybe. Why do you reckon she wants him?"
Without even hesitating, Mad-Eye replied, "Because he's all she secretly craves for."
"And that is?"
"A home. A home and safety."
Kingsley couldn't help but stare at his colleague. He did know of course that Mad-Eye never missed a detail, the very least when it came to Tonks. But he hadn't reckoned that Mad-Eye knew his trainee that well. It all made sense now though. Maybe Tonks had never really been the type for a young, vivacious lad from the auror office.
Mad-Eye took a large sip from his whiskey and stared blankly into the fire place. "They complete each other in a away I've never seen before," he said out of nowhere, "His calm and caring kind steadies her. This is her first real war, that's not some guard duty for the ministry or a duel versus some blasted dark wizards. This is real war. No doubt, she's strong - but she needs someone by her side to help her through."
"But so does he," Kingsley murmured thoughtfully.
The old auror nodded. "Yes, so does he... Remus's not as strong and put together as he pretends. By now, I believe he'd slowly fall apart without her. She's the one who keeps him going, Tonks. That lass is his ray of hope in all that chaos."
They sat in silence for a while. Kingsley's thoughts wandered away from the dim view of the parlor over to meeting room where they'd just sat all together. He saw Tonks's beaming smile as she sat down next to Remus, and the way his eyes had lit up when she did. They side glances they stole at each other, the fond and affectionate way they treated each other.
"Do you think they're going to make it together?" Kinsgley asked, voice caught up somewhere in his throat.
Mad-Eye didn't reply at first. He emptied his glass, gazing at the flames. Then, with a sigh, he got up. "The thing with true love is that it usually comes to a tragic end in war."