Summertime Blues
"Thanks for having me over Molly, I really appreciate the company." Said, a gloomy looking Tonks.
Tonks had been so lonely since Sirius had died, and now Remus had been ignoring her for almost two full weeks, and would be leaving to live among other werewolves soon. She had been hopeful a cup of tea with Molly would help lift her spirits a bit.
"Oh dear, anytime. Anytime." Molly told her.
Tonks just nodded, but stayed quiet, looking at her steaming cup. Lost in thought.
Molly surveyed the younger woman closely. She looked very different than she had when Molly had last saw her at the train station a few weeks before. And, while she seemed down then, she looked completely miserable now.
"Are you alright dear? I know loosing Sirius was hard on all of us, but is anything else wrong?"
Tonks sip her tea and sighed, putting the cup back down on the table.
"It's just a lot of stuff, I guess. I'll be okay." Tonks lied.
Molly looked at her, clearly unconvinced.
"You know, Remus stopped by the other day, he didn't look too well either." Molly said, cautiously.
Tonks nodded. "Yeah, we haven't really spoken in a bit." Tonks shrugged.
Molly nodded sadly.
"What's happening?" Molly asked, clearly understanding something was off.
"Remus and I- well- we are not really seeing each other anymore. I'm not sure we ever were, now." Tonks said, sadly.
"Oh, honey. I'm sure that's not true. Remus cares for you a lot, it's obvious. Perhaps you're just going through a rough spot?" Mrs Weasley patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her.
"You know, when we were young, Arthur and I almost broke up once." Molly continued, trying to make the younger woman feel better.
Tonks nodded sadly before continuing. "He said that our relationship was unrealistic. As if we should just forget about it."
"Wh-why would he say that?" Molly asked, puzzled.
"Did you guys have a fight or something?" Molly continued.
Tonks just shook her head.
"Not really... I mean He had always been somewhat difficult about our...differences."
Molly gave Tonks a sympathetic look.
"Prahaps he'll come around, love." Molly said.
"No I don't think so. Thinks because he
is a werewolf we cannot be together." Tonks explained.
Molly huffed. "That's what this is all about?" She asked incredulously.
"Mhmm."
"Sure, the two of you are an unlikely pair, but you were clearly very happy together." Molly Said.
"I know, I thought so at least." Tonks explained.
Molly nodded, agreeing with her.
"You know Remus is coming over tomorrow, you could come over too. Maybe you could talk to him."
"I probably shouldn't, I mean What do I say Molly?" Tonks said, her voice breaking a little
"Oh dear." Molly said, rubbing Tonks on the arm.
"He says he's too old, and unsafe, and a burden. How do I argue with those things, I've tried telling him those things don't bother me, that he matters to me. But, I think it's fallen onto deaf ears." Tonks explained.
Molly shook her head. "Well he's just being ridiculous. None of that stopped him before!" Molly exclaimed.
"I know, I know." Tonks said. "Stuff got too serious, he got scared I think." Tonks said sadly.
Tonks felt a hot tear drip down her face.
Molly hugged the younger woman.
"Oh, Molly. I think I'm in love with him." Tonks said, wiping tears off her face.
" And Sirius used to be the only one who seemed like he could talk sense to Remus. And now he's not here either." Tonk's continued.
Molly gave Tonks a sympathetic look.
"Ashlee might be able to give some good advice, she knows Remus pretty well."
Tonks nodded, feeling slightly better that she had someone to vent to.
after a few more minutes, both of them heard a "pop" in the yard.
Turning to investigate, Molly looked out the kitchen window out into the yard.
"Oh!" Molly exclaimed! "It's professor Dumbledore, and Harry." She continued, rushing over to great them at the door to the Burrow.
Tonks sighed, she didn't want to have to interact with her old headmaster at the moment.
But, it was too late. The next second, Albus Dumbledore and Harry were walking into the kitchen.
"Hello Nymohadora!" Dumbledore Said, cheerfully.
Attempting to feign normalcy Tonks greeted them.
"Hello, Professor. Wotcher, Harry." Tonks said, trying to sound okay.
After this, Tonks decided to leave, not wanting to interact with anyone else at the moment.
"Well, I should be going." Tonks announced.
"Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly." Tonks added, before leaving the overly warm kitchen.
Tonks practically ran to the boundaries on the Burrow, and disappeared with a 'pop'.
Her late night tea with Molly helped to keep Tonks from feeling too depressed over the next few days, but once the weekend hit and Tonks no longer had the distraction of work to keep her busy she slipped back in to a depression again.
She was so frustrated with herself she had never experienced this type of thing before usually after break up she would just move on but this time it was different I was like there was no getting over Remus.
He was stuck on her mind and she couldn't get him out of her head no matter how hard she tried.
On Sunday, her father came over to see her in the early morning. It had been unexpected visit and Tonks knew immediately that she wasn't going to be able to keep up her façade her father would undoubtedly notice something was wrong. She slightly cursed herself when she opened the door to see him.
She invited him in, hoping he wouldn't notice or ask why she wasn't morphed.
"Want some tea, dad?" Tonks asked, as she went into the kitchen.
"Sure thing kiddo."
'Ugh' Tonks thought. Her dad only called her kiddo when he was trying to be extra nice to her.
Tonks sighed, and brought her father his tea and sugar.
"Here you go." She said, putting everything down onto the table.
She looked around. She wished she had known that he was going to be coming over she would've at least attempted to pick up her apartment was messier than normal.
granted it was normally messy but this was more than typical and she knew her father noticed. She saw him glance around at the room a few times as well which only added to her insecurity.
"So, how are you?" Her father asked.
'Fuck.' She thought.
"Well, I've barely been here, I've been so busy with the aurors." She told him, hoping to pass off the mess for lack of time.
"Oh really? Glad I caught you on a day when your home then kiddo." Her father said jovially.
"Mhm." Tonks murmred in agreement.
Her father looked at her for several seconds before he spoke.
"You doing okay, kiddo?"
"I'm okay. W-why, what's up?" Tonks tried to stay calm.
"Well, a dad can worry, right." Ted said. But Tonks could tell he wasn't telling the truth.
He knew.
"So, when'd you see Mad Eye?" Tonks asked, cutting straight to the chase.
She knew that he must of been told what happened by someone and only mad eye and Molly Weasley knew. She put her money on Mad Eye.
"Oh, I didn't see Mad Eye this week." Ted said, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
"You didn't?" Toni's asked.
"No. I might of briefly" he admitted.
Tonks nodded, realizing what that meant.
"D-don't be upset with him, he's just worried about you." Her father admitted.
"Ha, I won't hold it against him." Tonks said dryly.
"He said, you were going through a hard time. Bad breakup or something like that ." He told her.
"Yeah, that's not too far off I suppose." Tonks admitted.
"You want to talk about it?" Ted asked kindly.
Her father was so kind. And honestly she really did want to talk about it.
"Oh dad. Ha. It's complicated. I fell for an older guy. Someone in The Order." She explained. Deciding to be honest.
Ted nodded. "Older? How much older?" Her father asked, trying not to sound too concerned.
"Ah, dad why's that matter?" She tried to change the subject.
"That much older, huh?" Her father asked.
Tonks sighed. "No, he was 13 years older. I just don't think that matters."
"That's a lot of years kiddo. But, I suppose your right, that doesn't necessarily matter all that much." Ted admitted.
"Well, we're not together now, so none of it really matters I guess." To keep said.
"I'm sorry kiddo. That's rough."
"It's okay, it wasn't all that serious." Tonks tried to minimize it.
Her father looked over to the corner of the room.
"It kinda seems like it was serious." Her father said uncomfortably, pointing at a pair of mens pants hung over the back of a chair.
Tonks thought she could of dropped dead. she had just told her father the relationship wasn't serious but she clearly had sleepovers with him. didn't make her look too good.
"Mind if I ask what happened?" Her father mused.
"I suppose you could say we had a lot of differences. That was hard for him." Tonks said, hoping that explanation would suffice.
"Oh, I know all about differences, ha." He chuckled.
He wasn't wrong either.
"Your mother and I certainly didn't share or have much in common at all when we first met, it was all chemical at first." He explained.
"No you two certainly don't have very much in common." Tonks chuckled dryly.
"So, what's his name?" Ted asked.
"Why's that matter now, dad?" Tonks asked.
Ted sighed. "Suppose it doesn't, but you seem like you want to talk about it." He mused.
Realizing she wasn't going to get out of it, she told him.
"His name is Remus." She said quietly.
"Oh- like Sirius' friend?" Her father was taken back.
"Yes."
Ted nodded, and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You both recently lost someone, that's not easy. Give him some time kiddo, ya never know. Your mom and I went through a few rough patches along the way too. Even the best couples do."
Tonks smiled a little, her father was so sweet.
Ted got up and started to tidy the living room, Tonks considered protesting but allowed him to do it.
About halfway through his task, his face slightly faltered. Tonks noticed this.
"Remus-w-what's his last name again?"
Tonks heart dropped instantly. She knew why he was asking.
"What?" She tried to act like she hadn't been listening.
"His last name, it's Lupin, right?" Ted asked.
She couldn't lie.
"Y-yeah, that's him."
"O-oh. Okay." Was all Ted said, and he kept trying to keep himself busy.
He didn't say anything else for several minutes.
"So, you've been quiet for awhile" Tonks said. Concerned. She knew her father had figured out Remus was a werewolf, his name had been in the paper occasionally and she knew her father was an avid reader. He must of known.
Ted nodded and sat back down. He looked over at his daughter before speaking.
"Can I just ask you one thing?" Ted asked his daughter.
Tonks nodded, unsure of what her father would ask.
"Was he good to you?" Ted asked.
Tonks was surprised, out of all the things he could of asked...
"Of course. Remus is a wonderful man." She said, her voice breaking slightly.
After a few seconds, Ted spoke.
"Then, I seriously hope you find each other again. Wonderful men are becoming harder to come by." Ted said, smiling softly.
Tonks launched herself at her dad, and hugged him. she hadn't expected that reaction.
"Kiddo." He continued. "I was once the young person who brought home an outsider to meet his parents. My parents could of was not trusted your mother, and could of easily been prejudiced because of her differences, but they weren't. They only asked if I was happy, and if she was good to me." Ted explained.
Tonks sighed, and hugged her father.
"Thank you." Tonks whispered to her father.
"Anytime, kid. Anytime."
Tonks felt a rush of fear hit her though. "Please don't tell mom." She blurted out in panic.
"Ha, no worries. Your secret is safe with me." Ted beamed at her.
"But, I want to hear the whole story though. The real story." Ted said.
"Sure, thing." Tonks said happily. She was almost relieved that she could talk so freely about her relationship with Remus. She hadn't really had an outlet like that since Sirius. And, it made her feel like maybe things could change one day.
For most of the morning, Ted and Tonks sat and chatted. Tonks told him how she had met Remus in the order, and how they got to know each other on guard duty, how he cared for her, and she fit him. It was nice just to be able to recount their times together.