Aurors and Infants
Tonks had always admired Alastor Moody's stoicism in the face of the unknown. He was tough, uncompromising, and brave—nothing seemed to faze him. Now, however, she could see that something did faze him, and that something was the tiny, turquoise-haired baby she cradled in her arms.
"This here's Teddy," she told the grizzly-haired Auror, amused by the uncomfortable expression on his face. The man took down dark wizards without breaking a sweat, yet when confronted with a baby, he didn't seem to have any clue what to do with himself.
"Yeah, yeah, I see him, Nymphadora," Moody growled, his magical eye roving over the infant with a certain amount of distrust. Tonks wondered if his eye could somehow pick up on her son's Metamorphmagus abilities.
"And? What do you think?" she prompted. She was determined to make him say more about the tiny human that had him all seized up. She would have tried to make him hold Teddy, too, but she didn't want to push her luck.
"He's very...cute," her mentor said gruffly. Tonks giggled—Moody never called anything cute—and he frowned. "What? Isn't that what you're supposed to say about someone's kid?"
"Yes, of course, it was just the way you said it," Tonks explained, trying to pull herself together so that she could focus on giving Teddy his bottle. "You looked as if you'd eaten a pickled toad or something."
Moody glared at her. If she had been anyone else, she probably would have been hexed on the spot for laughing at him. Thankfully, he had a bit of a soft spot for her, even if he didn't show it often.
"If you're quite finished having a laugh at my expense, Nymphadora," he said pointedly, "I thought I might talk to you about some important Order business."
"Isn't my son considered important Order business?" Tonks teased. Moody continued to look surly, however, so she quickly called her mother in and handed her the baby and his bottle of milk. "Bye-bye, little man," she cooed, waving to him. She looked over at her mentor and grinned. "Say goodbye, Moody."
Moody looked as though he was struggling with something very painful, but he finally opened his mouth and grumbled, "Goodbye, then."
As soon as her mother had left the room, Tonks turned back to Moody and clapped her hands together. "Right. What's this important Order business you mentioned, then?"
WC: 400