"I'm ho…" Tonks' greeting was cut off as she tripped over the troll-leg umbrella stand in the foyer of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. The bag she was carrying went flying out of her hands, along with her wand. The wand tip touched the bag, automatically enlarging the other parcels that were within the bag and causing everything to spill out and scatter down the hallway.
Remus and Sirius, who had been sitting quietly in the living room having tea scrambled out into the hallway to see what had happened. They were greeted by a sight that caused them both to snicker. Tonks lay sprawled on the floor, face down. Her red and green striped hair was spread out around her head. The hallway was covered in brightly wrapped packages, garland, ornaments, other decorations and a nice sized spruce.
Tonks lifted her head to see the damage. "Bullocks!" she cursed. "If I've broken Mum's favorite ornaments, she'll kill me."
"Are you okay, Nym?" Sirius asked as he snorted in laughter and approached her.
She climbed to her feet, brushing the invisible dust from her cloak. "I'm fine. I swear I'm going to hex that stupid stand. It jumps out in front of me!" She looked towards the hall where the painting of her deceased aunt was screaming at the top of her lungs. "Oh, can it, Aunt Walburga. 'Tis the season to be jolly, not a cranky old crone."
Remus, who was trying to pull the curtains back over Mrs. Black's portrait, saw the woman's face register shock as Tonks spoke. The look on her face was enough to make him burst out laughing. His laughter caused the woman to look at him indignantly, and she began screaming yet again. He quickly shoved the curtains closed, effectively silencing the woman.
Sirius picked up Tonks' wand and levitated the items scattered along the hallway. He repaired the broken ornaments and moved the entire bunch into the living room. "Was this your mum's idea, Nym? This house hasn't seen a decent Christmas in years."
Tonks flushed in embarrassment as she snatched her wand from him and began putting the tree up in the corner. "No, it was mostly my idea. I thought you two might need a bit of holiday spirit."
"Along with holiday spirits, it looks," Remus said as he picked up a bottle of Ogden's Finest. "Good year."
Sirius raised an eyebrow and moved to look past Remus' shoulder; he wasn't quite tall enough to see over it. A huge smile came to his lips. "Nineteen seventy. Yep, that was a good year." It was the year he'd met Remus, their first year in Hogwarts. He leaned his head against Remus and looked up at him with eyes that were remembering quite a few good times.
Remus glanced down and his cheeks grew a bit rosy as he saw the look on Sirius' face. At this rate, they would down the bottle in record time and things would get a bit… frisky before the night was over. That might not be such a bad thing. But first, there was decorating to do. He pulled out his wand as he handed the bottle to Sirius. With a swish and a flick, the garland began hanging itself on the mantle.
Sirius took that to mean that Remus wanted to go ahead and open the bottle and begin drinking. He went over to the side bar and took out three glasses. He poured a generous amount of the liquid into each and brought them back over to where Remus and Tonks were placing the ornaments upon the tree.
"Nice tree you picked up, Nym," he said as he handed them their glasses. "Smells good, too."
Tonks beamed with pride and hugged Sirius tightly. "I'm so happy you like it. I was telling Mum how awfully drab this place is all the time and she suggested I bring a few ornaments, find a tree and give you two a bit of a spirit lift. Plus, I think she liked the idea of upsetting your mum, too."
Sirius laughed, his eyes sparkling. He was truly happy. His friends were here and even his favorite family members were looking after him. The only thing that would have made the day any more special would have been a visit from Harry. But that was rather impossible since he was in school. He took a sip of his Firewhisky to cover his sudden bout of depression. Thankfully, alcohol always cheered him up.
The three friends drank and decorated until they grew hungry. Remus volunteered to go down and fix up a few sandwiches, though he was told he couldn't come back unless he brought another bottle of Firewhisky with him. While he was gone, Sirius and Tonks reminisced over several of the ornaments.
Sirius picked up a small figurine of an angel. He gently ran his finger over the ornament and smiled. "I gave this to your mum the Christmas after you were born. You were Andie and Ted's little angel."
"I still am." Tonks smirked and then laughed as she picked up an ornament covered in multi-colored macaroni. "I made this when I was eight. Grandma Tonks was a school teacher and she helped me make this and several others." She scrounged through the box, finding two more of the macaroni covered ornaments.
Sirius sifted through the box he was emptying and found a sprig of mistletoe. An evil idea sprang to his mind and he grinned mischievously as he went over to hang it above the doorway. He began to plot how he was going to get Remus to stop in the doorway so he could give him a kiss.
"Oh bugger," Tonks muttered as she balanced precariously on a chair, trying to reach higher on the tree.
Sirius turned quickly and grabbed the back of her jeans before she could tumble into the tree. "You really are accident prone, Nym. You have a wand, use it."
She stepped down off the chair and frowned. "I know. It's just that Dad likes decorating the tree without magic, like he always did when he was a child. I guess I've grown used to it."
He wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "At least you were able to decorate your own tree. Mum always made the house-elves do ours and to her exact specifications. If there was one ornament or bow out of place, there'd be a new head on the wall." He rested his head against hers, shutting his eyes tightly against the memories and emotions flooding his senses.
Tonks held onto him, but not too tightly. She was afraid he would break. Her mother had always said Sirius was waif-like, but now he really looked like one. His hair was still rather scraggly and he was rail thin. Even with as much mothering Molly Weasley and, admittedly, she had done to him, he hadn't regained his past vigor. This was still Sirius Black, but he was little like the Sirius Black she'd known when she was a child.
Remus stepped quietly into the room. He'd been standing outside listening to them and knew Sirius needed this interaction more than anything. Sirius had been quite stand-offish lately and he wasn't quite sure why. Now he remembered. Christmas was never a holiday Sirius enjoyed. He much preferred staying at Hogwarts with Remus and the rest of his friends, but his mother had insisted the first few years. Those times had been disastrous.
He cleared his throat as he took the tray in his hands to the side table. "I have returned with sustenance." He swept his arm across the table with a flourish. "Ham and cheese sandwiches and a spot of tea." He saw the questioning look on their faces and sighed. "Yes, I brought another bottle." He pointed to a bottle of Ogden's that was sitting just behind the tea pot.
The cousins smiled and moved over, each giving him a kiss on his cheeks. Remus was used to this now. They both were quite loving and a bit mischievous. The first time they'd given him kisses on his cheeks had been on a dare. Of course they both were pissed out of their minds at the time and didn't remember why they'd done it very well, but it had turned into a regular occurrence when Remus would do something for them.
Sirius greedily bit into one of the sandwiches. "You know, it's a good thing Remus is so domestic. I'd starve if he wasn't."
Tonks giggled and Remus gave Sirius an odd look. "I can't help that my mother taught me to cook and clean," the werewolf responded.
"Well, I, for one, am glad she did!"
"So, is the wolf domesticated?" Tonks asked.
Remus' jaw dropped, but Sirius looked at his cousin wickedly. "Oh no, the wolf is definitely wild. It's one of the few times he'll actually let that side out."
"Sirius," Remus hissed through clinched teeth. He gave Sirius a pleading look, hoping he'd drop the subject. He knew exactly where Sirius' mind had gone.
"Oh, come now, Remus, Tonks has seen that side before." Sirius winked at his companion before stuffing the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth seductively.
Remus could barely keep the smirk off his face. "Tease," he muttered as he lifted his tea cup to his mouth.
Tonks shook her head at their rather obvious display of affection. "Don't know if I'll ever get used to that, but at least you both are happy. That's all that matters."
They ate the sandwiches and drank some tea while chatting about the inane things they used to do when they were in school. Tonks talked of going and having Christmas Eve dinner at the Weasley household. Sirius reminisced about the time he had transfigured a piece of broccoli to look like mistletoe back in first year. Remus mostly smiled and nodded. Most of his Christmases had been around the full moon. That was until Sirius brought up Christmas their seventh year at Hogwarts.
"Do you remember? Your change was on Christmas Day. We had the hardest time dragging James away from Lily." Sirius laughed.
Remus actually grinned. He did remember that one fondly. His friends had planned something special for him. They went through the tunnel, as usual, though Remus had been greeted with a surprise on the other end. They had cleaned up the living room somewhat and put up a small Christmas tree. It was covered in paper ornaments and had a paper ring garland circumventing it from top to bottom.
"Happy Christmas," the boys had said to him in a joyous tone. He hadn't known what to say in return. He just smiled and hoped that the tree would still be in one piece by morning. Amazingly, it was.
Remus stood. "I'll be right back," he said as he left the room. He took the stairs two at a time up to his room. Going in, he found his briefcase and sorted through it. Finding what he wanted, he ran back down the stairs. He moved over to the tree and stood on his tip-toes as he placed a rather old and worn paper star on the very top.
Sirius' mouth fell open. "You've kept that all these years?"
Remus shrugged as he moved back over to where he had been sitting. "You and James made it for me. It's something I cherish deeply."
Sirius couldn't help himself. He leaned over and kissed Remus passionately.
Tonks was immediately uncomfortable. "The loo is calling," she said as she stood. Just before she reached the door, she tripped over an ornament they had missed picking up and stumbled into the doorway. She caught herself on the door jam and cursed under her breath. Why did she have to be so clumsy?! Suddenly, she felt two hands holding her steady. She looked up to see Sirius and Remus helping her.
"Oh, looks like we have to be 'kissing cousins' today," Sirius said with a grin as he looked up at the mistletoe above her head. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Where on earth did you come up with that?" Remus questioned as he placed a chaste kiss on Tonks' other cheek.
"American movies. That Elvis fellow is a brilliant actor." Sirius struck his best imitation of Elvis Pressley with his lip raised and did a pelvic thrust.
Remus rolled his eyes, completely missing Tonks' face growing as red as an apple. She slipped from their grasp and muttered "excuse me" as she ran down the hall. Remus turned his head in the direction she'd gone. "You frightened her away with your display."
"Did not," Sirius pouted.
"Don't make me kiss that off your face," Remus jested as he surreptitiously moved Sirius under the mistletoe.
Before Sirius could respond, Remus leaned into him, capturing Sirius' lips with his own. Sirius melted, as he always did when Remus kissed him. He placed his hands on Remus' slender hips and returned the kiss with as much love as he felt.
Remus brought a hand up to cup Sirius' cheek as he deepened the kiss. He could feel every muscle in Sirius' body relax and it brought a smile to his eyes. Sirius felt so warm and inviting that he suddenly wished nothing more than to push him up against the wall and have his way with him.
Unfortunately, there was a polite cough behind Sirius and Tonks said rather timidly, "Get a room, you two."
They jumped apart, both showing flushed cheeks, though not from embarrassment. "Bloody good timing there," Sirius jested with his usual grin.
Tonks placed a kiss on Sirius' cheek as she passed by since he was still under the mistletoe. "Right. I think, perhaps, that we might want to take down the mistletoe. It might get someone into trouble."
"It's only the three of us," he retorted. "We've already given all our kisses."
"Not to everyone," Tonks muttered quietly under her breath. She then added aloud, "Well, just so long and you two wait until I'm not here before getting… intimate."
Remus' face turned beet red. He was quite embarrassed now. "Of course, Tonks. I do apologise if we've been a bit… too flirty in front of you."
She waved him off with a hand. "No need to apologise. Why don't you two go on upstairs? I'll finish up with this." She moved over to the tree and began hanging the last ornaments.
Remus and Sirius looked at each other in confusion. Sirius shrugged and moved over to his cousin. "Don't stay up too late, Nym." He kissed her cheek.
"Don't worry about me," she said with a forced smile. She gave Sirius a quick hug, nodded towards Remus and watched the two men walk hand in hand from the room. After they were gone, she slumped down in a chair. "You need to bloody stop thinking about him," she scolded herself. "They obviously love each other utterly and completely."
She didn't try to stop the tears that flooded from her eyes. Putting her head in her hands, she allowed herself to cry, hoping that it would help her to move on afterwards.
Remus awoke with a full bladder and, unfortunately, Sirius had his arm draped directly over his stomach. He smiled wistfully and slipped from under Sirius' arm and the covers. He put on his dressing gown and slippers and quietly opened the door.
It was chilly in the hall and he pulled his gown closer around him. After he finished in the loo, he began to walk back to the bedroom, but noticed a light still on downstairs. His brow furrowed in thought. Is Nymphadora still awake at this hour? He decided to go check on her.
Tonks was curled up in an armchair, fast asleep. Remus let a soft smile cover his features. He quickly and quietly summoned a blanket and draped it over the sleeping young woman. Leaning over, he gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.
As he was walking away, she woke up. "Remus?" she called out to him.
He stopped and looked back at her. "I didn't mean to wake you," he whispered. "You were sleeping so peacefully."
Tonks rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at him. He was standing in the doorway, directly under the mistletoe. She knew this would probably be her only chance ever. She stood, pulling the blanket around her tightly, and moved over to him. "Thanks," she said softly. "For the blanket, I mean." Her face flushed and she was beginning to lose her nerve.
"You're welcome," he replied. He watched her come closer, slight confusion on his face. She just wanted to thank him for the blanket, right?
She stopped directly in front of him and looked up into his clear eyes. Her decision was made and she stood on her tip-toes, leaning towards him.
Remus was in shock. He didn't react until her lips touched his. His eyes darted around and he realised he was under the mistletoe. Not wanting to scare the young witch, he didn't pull away. Instead, he returned her kiss.
Tonks was afraid at first. He wasn't reacting, but then, she felt his lips pressing against hers. She smiled inwardly, sighing in contentment as she let the blanket drop to the floor as she slipped her arms around him.
Remus realised it wasn't so bad. That was until he felt her lean into him and she wrapped her arms around him. With all his willpower, he raised his hands to grasp her shoulders. Their lips parted and he looked down at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Nymphadora," he said softly. "This can't be."
She nodded, her face turning fifteen shades of red. "I'm sorry, Remus," she apologised. She stooped down and picked up the blanket, dragging it back over to the chair in which she had been sleeping. "Thanks again for the blanket." She curled up in the chair, huddling under the blanket, and closed her eyes.
"Under other circumstances…" He realised the words sounded so lame and wouldn't comfort her at all. With a deep sigh, he turned and walked back up the stairs to his first true love.
Nymphadora peeked over the edge of the blanket, waiting for Remus' footsteps to fade into the distance. She touched her lips with a wan smile covering them. Maybe he did love Sirius, but at least she now had something with which to dream. Dreams were all she had, but they were all she needed.