Which Familiar?: #22 Kneazle

The kneazle kitten looked up at Tonks with enormous eyes before returning to the task of industriously licking its paw. Yum, paw. The girl sighed and pressed herself against the Menagerie window, drinking in every darling move the kitten made.

“Isn’t she the sweetest thing?” Tonks rapped her knuckles on the glass.

Charlie sighed, turning back to study the itty fluff ball. “Just go buy it. Honestly.”

“I caaaaaan’t,” Tonks whined, flipping her back to the window so she couldn’t see those little eyes. “Mum says I’d be hard on a pet. Can you imagine what damage I could do?”

Don't Be Such an Asteroid: #23 Telescope

To Tonks’ mind, Astronomy was boooooooring. Perhaps it was the late late hour, or the fact that each patch of sky looked the same as the last to her, but Tonks was constantly dozing off at her telescope. Her head would tip forward, jerk up, tip forward, and she’d smack her forehead against the eye piece.

It was miserable.

“Now then,” the professor droned from the other side of the tower. “Has anyone spotted anything unusual tonight with their telescope?”


Charlie rolled his around to point at Tonks. “Funny boy.”

“In the sky, Mr. Weasley. Something unusual in the sky.”

School Supplies: #26 Quill

Wasn’t it the way? It seemed like every time Tonks went to start on her Potions essay, the nib on her quill would snap. She had completely run through every quill in her possession, as well as a good half of Charlie’s, and the essay was only a sentence long.

“Charlie,” she hissed, showing him the woebegone quill with dangling barbs and missing nib. He ignored her. Ignored her!

“CHARLIE,” Tonks waved the quill at him, and he glared at her.

“TONKS. I’m not giving you another. You’re a menace.”

Ouch. She slid down in her chair. “I hate you.”

Smells as Sweet: #24 House elf

“And here are the house elves,” Filch jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the tiny beings in their neat towel togas. He dismissed them out of hand, but Tonks studied the elves with interest. Cute!

“Mistress Black?” One of the elves, one who was dressed in a natty looking pair of plaid pants and a mini turban, poked his head up over the others.

“Um. I guess?” She was, wasn’t she? Somewhere deep inside, she was a Black.

The elf trembled and fell fully on his face. Ah. Dobby, Aunt Cissy’s old elf.

“I’m not that sort of Black.”

For Jer... you know why.

Pregnant Women Should Have Warning Labels: #60 Joke

“Robert? Alexander? Theodore?”

“Tiberius?”

“Seriously?”

“Sirius… Lee?”

Tonks stuck her tongue out at Remus, although she had to admit that the sound of his laughter was welcome to her ears. Just having him here made the moment perfect.

“Remus, we’re thinking of a name for our child,” she rubbed her hand over her extended belly, in case he had forgotten. See this? BABY on board. “Can you be serious just for a moment?”

“I think Sirius would have really liked the name Tiberius,” Remus mused.

He got a cranky pregnant lady elbow to the gut. “Just a… joke… my love.”

Christmas Presents: #27 Owl and Tegz Challenge Christmas

“Did you SEE what I got for Christmas?” Tonks waved the cage around in Charlie’s face until he finally had to grab hold of it just to see what was inside. His freckled nose wrinkled at the sight of a tawny owl.

“What have you got against owls?” She hummed fondly over the creature, reaching a finger in to pet its beak. “Isn’t she the sweetest thing? Isn’t she?”

He shrugged.

“Charlie! I know you like animals!”

“I do,” he agreed. “Which is why I can’t see why someone would send one to you. That’s a death wish, that is.”

101 Reasons to Ship Your Teen Abroad: #72 Vex

“Mum.”

“No.”

“Mum…”

“No.”

“MUM!”

“No.”

Begging wasn’t working. Whining wasn’t working. Tonks was starting to think that there wasn’t anything she could say that would convince her mother that it was wise to let her go to Diagon Alley by herself this year. She could meet up with Charlie and some of their friends, shop leisurely, have some ice cream… make a day of it, instead of following her mother around.

Her begging was probably starting to vex her mother, so she changed tactics. Tonks turned her back on her mother, focusing instead on her father.

“Dad!”

“Dromeda…”

“NO.”

The Comeback Kid: #84 Angry

She’d dreamed for weeks of that moment when Remus would come back to her. Back to them. She had rocked in the chair her mother dragged into the new nursery, one hand on her belly, and Tonks had told their child stories about his father.

She’d dreamed the moment so many times, pictured herself throwing herself into his arms and peppering his face with tears and kisses.

So when Remus appeared at the Tonks’ cottage, looking broken and bedraggled, no one was more surprised than Tonks when she didn’t react with joy. She slammed the door in his face, furious.

TeenWitch Top Tips: #79 Author's Choice (lemon) & "Tangy" Challenge

Yellow was her power color. She’d read about it in one of those stupid girly magazines, and while Tonks rejected most articles, she liked the idea of a power color. Everything else in her life was about color. Yellow was inspiration, creativity, wisdom, joy… it was a good power color.

She was so matchy-matchy today, with her yellow vest and charmed yellow shoes, and the entire look was completed by sunny canary colored hair. She was vibrant and powerful!

“Well,” Janet hummed appreciately. “Never knew you to look so tangy.”

“Tangy?”

“You know… like a lemon?”

Tonks frowned. “I’m changing.”

This is probably only funny to me, but I noticed that every time someone gets 'pinched' when I write, its a savage pinch. SAVAGE PINCH. OW. Sooo. Yeah. Gotta get a thesaurus.


After Christmas Sales: #36 Muggles

The streets were crowded with after Christmas crowds. More than once, Proudfoot and Tonks had tugged Savage’s wand arm down, keeping him from cursing the innocent Muggles clustered on the sidewalks around them.

“Stop that, you twit,” Tonks batted at his hand and pulled him out of the way of a man in a velvet Santa suit. “Don’t hurt the Muggles.”

“I hate Muggles,” Savage grumbled, shoving his wand away again.

“My father is Muggleborn,” Tonks said quietly, giving his arm a pinch.

He yelped and rubbed his arm. “What was that for?”

“That’s what we call a Savage Pinch.”

Shut Up and Talk to Me: #53 Chase

"You know what?” Tonks shook a finger in Remus’ face. He blinked at it, going nearly cross-eyed before responding.

“I have no clue, but I am absolutely certain you’re going to tell me.”

That gave her pause, but only for a moment. “Don’t mock me. I’m trying to communicate here.”

“Just tell me what already, Tonks.”

She nodded, satisfied with his capitulation. “You can keep running from me all you want, Remus Lupin. I’ll just keep chasing you until you get tired.”

“Tired of you? Tired of being chased?” He grabbed her shaking finger.

“Of running away.” She kissed him.

Worrywart: #83 Fearful

Of the two of them, Remus was the worrier. Tonks happily relinquished the position to him; if he was the worrier, that meant she could be the light-hearted one. The one to smooth worry lines and tell jokes to lighten the moment.

The problem with being the light-hearted one was that stole from Tonks the ability to dwell. Remus worked over things, running problems through his hands over and over until the rough edges were gone and they were familiar to his mental touch. And Tonks held his hand.

So where did that leave her when she needed to fret?

Underestimated: #39 Duel

Everyone knew Tonks was clumsy. She tore her robes almost daily, she’d taken more cauldrons and suits of armor out of commission than anyone in Hogwarts history, and she broke at least three bones a year.

“You ruined my shoes,” a Slytherin growled at her when Tonks’ bag split and ink splattered everywhere.

“They’ll wash,” Tonks offered, drawing her wand to siphon the ink.

The Slytherin drew her own wand. “You see? She drew on me!”

”Stupefy.” Tonks ended the duel with one spell.

Everyone knew she was clumsy, but few realized that didn’t mean she was slow or stupid.

Tell No Tales: #54 Dare

Charlie Weasley’s eyes sparkled with a dangerous gleam that Tonks had come to recognize very well. It meant that he had something planned that might get them thrown out of school.

“I dare you…” He began, only to be interrupted when his pesty younger brother popped up.

“You better not!”

“Go ‘way, Perse!” Charlie shoved Percy away from their corner of the common room.

He began again. “I dare you…”

“I’m telling Mum!” Percy reappeared, and Charlie shoved him again.

Tonks leaned in as Charlie began to whisper, and they were once again interrupted by Percy.

New plan. Target: Percy.

When the Lights Go Out: #50 boggart

Remus was moody. Moody Moony. Not unusual considering his temperament, but Tonks was having no luck figuring out what he was sulking over. She let him stew for a few days until he was finally ready to talk about it.

“That boggart you helped Mad Eye get rid of…” he began, trying to sound casual.

“Yes?” Tonks returned to spooning stewed something in Teddy’s mouth.

Remus hesitated before continuing. “You saw me, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” Tonks cut her eyes at him, but with the rate of regurgitation, she couldn’t ignore Teddy long.

“Werewolf attack?” He sighed.

“Losing you, idiot.”

Housekeeping: #70 Teems

Proudfoot kicked the door open to their new headquarters in Hogsmeade, gave one look through the door, and immediately backed away. The place reeked of rodents and mold even from this distance, and Tonks covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve. Ugggh. She did not relish going in there.

“Clean this place cleared out,” he barked. “Must be teeming with rats and things.”

The man was amazing at delegating before disappearing into the Hogshead. Tonks was on floors, Savage on walls. When they finished, she was going shopping and he had wards to set.

“What he say about teams?”

To Grandmother's House: #67 Quell

The cry of a baby could be heard throughout the manor house, as were the desperate shushes coming from the infant’s mother. The woman waved toys and tickled bellies and otherwise acted the fool to placate her teal-haired babe… to no avail.

“Can no one quell the noise emitting from that creature?” the child’s grandmother moaned from her chaise. She pressed a handkerchief to her eyes as if the world was ending.

“She is not a creature,” Andromeda said softly as Nymphadora finally stopped crying. Her hair turned pink.

This visit had obviously been a mistake. There would be no more.

Burnt into Memory: #33 Classroom

The corridors were nearly dark, the only light coming from the occasional flickering sconces lining the walls. There wasn’t a sound to be heard except the footfalls of the Auror patrolling the hallway, and then the distant bell chiming midnight.

Tonks trailed her hand along the wall as she walked, lifting her fingers to cross open doorways, and then touching the wall again on the other side. At the end of one corridor, she peeked into the empty classroom.

“I wonder if it’s still here.”

On the ceiling above the door was as familiar scorch mark. It was still there.

Familial Love: #35 pureblood

Tonks scrambled to her knees, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. Her aunt Bellatrix hovered over her, and it wasn’t hard to spot the completely mad look in her eyes. The woman intended to kill her.

That was so lame.

“Bad enough your blood is dirty, but to mingle it with a halfbreed,” the woman hissed at her niece, her head bobbing on her neck like a snake’s.

Tonks stood. “Wouldn’t be so dirty if you didn’t keep knocking me on the floor. Appreciate it if you’d stop talking about my son like that.”

Bellatrix snarled and lunged.

The Definition Of: #38 Patronus

Her mother often told her that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. Her father, on the other hand, told her that practice made perfect.

She was perfectly insane.

“Expecto Patronum!”

Same result.

“Expecto Patronum!”

Same. Result.

Tonks tossed her wand to the side and threw herself down on the sofa for a good sulk. It wasn’t FAIR. Just when she thought she was doing a good job masking what she was feeling, she had to go and show the entire population at Hogwarts exactly where her heart was.

Stupid werewolf Patronus.

Logic and Babies: #73 Warn

“I’m warning you,” she leaned over the crib, finger extended. The baby just cried. She wiggled all her fingers, and he hiccupped twice then began to cry again.

“This is it, Teddy. I’m serious this time. If you don’t stop crying…”

Well. What would she do? Have a cup of tea and a bit of toast, the first thing she’d eaten all day? Take a nap? Physically assault her husband for being able to ignore the fretful noises their son was making?

“If you don’t stop…”

Remus put his hands on her shoulders. “Dora. You can’t reason with an infant.”

Cryptozoology: #68 Roar

“ROAR.”

“Theodore Remus Lupin, if you roar at your grammy one more time…”

Teddy launched himself at his grandmother and purred at her instead. Very friendly lion. “What’s it called when you have a half-lion and half-eagle?”

“A griffin, I suppose?” Andromeda stroked his hair away from his pale heart-shaped face.

“What’s it called when you have a half-lion and half-person?” He leaned back to better see her.

“A sphinx?” What was with the questions?

“What about a half-lion and half-badger, Grammy? What’s that?”

“I don’t know, my love. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“That’s what I am.”

Family Portrait, pt 1: # 42 Portraits

“We should get our portrait done,” Andromeda suggested one evening over dinner. Ted stared at her in consternation, while Nymphadora shrugged. “It would be nice to have something professional to hang in the sitting room.”

There was no more talk of it until Dora disappeared upstairs to wash dinner off her blouse. Ted pulled Andromeda aside and dropped his voice.

“This will be like the sitting with that photographer you tried to organize last summer,” he warned.

She disagreed. This would be entirely different than that disastrous affair. “Not a bit of it, Ted. Unlike cameras, paintbrushes can be replaced.”

Family Portrait, pt 2: # 40 Spell

“Just… keep smiling,” the artist told them tightly. His brush dabbed the canvas, while he dabbed at a smear of paint on his arm.

Dora leaned forward to whisper in her mother’s ear. “I didn’t do that.”

“I know, pet,” Andromeda sighed. Her eyes drifted to Dora’s shoe. “Oh, dear! Paint on your new shoes!”

The girl pulled out her wand. “I know this spell, Mum. I’ll fix it.”

Ted sigh. “You know you can’t do spells out of school.”

“I can do it,” she insisted.

***

There is a half finished portrait with scorch marks on the sitting room wall.

That Thing You Do: #37 Animagus

“And how are you at disguise?” The Ministry official raised his eyes only briefly to the young woman before returning his gaze to his clipboard. She was unremarkable. Very good grades, though not distinguished. Young. Small. She probably wouldn’t qualify to be an Auror, but he had to go through the motions.

“Excellent,” she said with complete confidence.

“Would you be willing to undergo training to become an Animagus? It is quite difficult, but many find it helpful in disguise.”

“I really don’t think that’s necessary.” He looked at her again, wondering why she seemed to be laughing at him.