A serious infatuation
“Can I come?” asked Mary for the 29th time this morning, tirelessly jumping on the bed Lily had just fixed, making the sheets a mess again.
“No,” replied Lily for the 29th time this morning, while forcing yet another evening dress in her travelling chest which already contained way too much dresses, according to Mother. But, Lily reasoned, she had no way to know how long she’d be in, as she liked to call it, her forced exile.
Peeking up as many clothes of different style and function was a requirement, after all, for she had no idea what to expect from a visit to Uncle Dumbledore. Mother’s elder and only brother, Albus Dumbledore has always been the wild card of the family but a favourite amongst his nieces and nephew; something that comforted Lily into thinking that, no matter how wild her own life could get, she would still be welcome to the family Christmas parties, at the very least. An old but still vivacious man with a long white beard and hair that made him look like he’s just hopped from some old, forgotten fantasy tale, he remained happily unmarried. His celibacy and lack of attachments allowed him to travel whenever the fancy took him (and fancy often did take him) or change location every two months. Right now, he was currently renting an old castle in the small county of Hufflepuff, allegedly there for a time to study its folklore. He was fantasist like that, an intellectual whose expertise covered diverse fields such as history, science, literature, arts, mathematics, politics, laws and popular folklore, but he never chose to specialise in one of them, as far as Lily knew. She knew that the money had been scarce when Mother was a child and he a young adult and her sole tutor after the death of their parents , but his fortune has risen considerably since that time, and that was only due to his self-made fame. Famous he was, across England, but not necessarily well-liked. He has made himself known at the age of thirty or so thanks to his famous series of pamphlets denouncing the corruption behind Gellert Grindewald’s government, so much that it has reached the ears of the previous King and successfully led Grindewald and his peers to be convicted and put in jail. Ever since, Dumbledore has remained a very trusted advisor to His Majesty and after that of his son, the present monarch, but was known as a vigorous opponent to the Conservative Party. His radical and eloquent positions on many topics such as corruption, foreign policies, immigration and integration, social gaps or the place and freedom of women in society had made him an enemy to most noble men, but well-liked amongst the people. A hero and a spokesperson for those who aren’t usually heard; and a marked man, for the over-privileged men of the country, fearing for their hegemony. Yet, Dumbledore has never really been interested in running for Parliament himself, seemingly content to wreak havoc wherever he went, never departing his calm demeanour and mischievous smile. In that regard, he was a model to Lily, who aspired to someday be able to create that much chaos and keep her cool.
In the meantime, using his name and her connection to him could either open or close doors in her face, depending on where and with whom you used it. Lily had only respect for the man’s intellect, stubbornness and modernism when it came to politics, but slightly feared spending the next fortnight or more sharing his living quarters. He had a particular sense of humour and was unpredictable, and one never knew what will happen next with him. Hence, the numerous different sorts of clothes she chose to take with her, for anything from fancy masquerades to hikes in the woods could be on the table with him. Anyway, she did not know the region of Hufflepuff and was eager to go on her own little adventures, away from Horace’s madness and close to Remus, whose most recent letters had been disappointing and lacking in details. She was thrilled to join him, especially since Mother had went to London to promote her new book, and with her the last shreds of sanity in the house.
“Can I come?” asked Mary for the 30th time this morning.
“No. Why are you barefoot?”
“I’m making a mold of my foot for Diggory, to remind him I have nice feet.”
“You think he’ll marry you for your feet?”
Mary shrugged, sliding to the floor to lie next to Lily’s truck. “He’ll marry me for my spirits and beauty. He’ll love me for my feet.”
“Gross. And you’re so eager to leave him, even if you love him so?” Lily asked, snatching her favourite bonnet from the younger one’s hands.
“Our love shall overcome any hardships. And Uncle Dumbledore is always such fun.”
“Have you even talked to the poor boy at all, Mimi?” Lily sighed, finally closing her trunk for good.
“We talk plenty. We have no secrets for each other.” Mary replied carelessly, now rumbling through Marlene’s forgotten jewels, and Lily who could not tell whether she was joking or not decided to let it go. At long last, she moved to bring the chest outside to the awaiting coach. “Can I come?”
“No.”
“You are mean.”
“I will not miss you.”
The road to Hufflepuff was a long and boring one, but finally Lily reached the old house where Uncle Dumbledore has taken residence for the winter and descended the coach right into Remus’ open arms.
“I’m glad you’ve come,” Remus confided as soon as she had unpacked, sitting down on her bed. Dumbledore, who had not been aware of his niece’s visit but was hardly ever taken by surprise, has welcomed her warmly and was prompt to have a room made for her. “I’ve been wanting your opinion on… a peculiar matter, but I couldn’t figure out to put it in words. It will be easier this way.”
“What is it about?”
“Tonight,” he waved, trying to appear nonchalant and failing. “We’ll speak tonight.” Lily had no time to investigate further for then Dumbledore was asking them to get ready for dinner from downstairs, and Lily was glad she’d brought enough evening dresses. Soon after, they were driving to dine with Dumbledore’s closest neighbour, at Umbridge palace, whose resident was then described in colourful words by the two men.
“The worst woman you’ve ever met, Lily-flower, I swear.”
“Worst than Skeeter?” She asked, sceptical.
“A hundred times worst,” Remus replied, putting on a show of severity. “But stupid. It is like she has received the capacity of talking but lacks the one of thinking before. Uncle Dumbledore thinks it is very funny, though. He spends his evenings complimenting her so gallantly she never realises he’s insulting her. You should marry her, Uncle. You’d never lack a source of amusement for the rest of your days.”
“The amusement is not worth the shame of being associated to such a monstrous lady, I’m afraid.”
“She thinks she's clever, though. And she's so mean, as well! And racist. You have no idea how much she hates the rest of the world.”
“But,” Lily asked, confused. “If she is so disagreeable, then why do you spend so much time with her? And why are we going there tonight?”
“Oh, we would not have gone more than the first time, if it were not for young Remus, who has taken a liking to her niece.” Dumbledore cut in.
Lily’s head snapped back to her brother, so fast her neck slightly hurt. His cheeks were as red as the velvet cushions in the carriage. “Her niece?”
“It’s nothing like that! She is pleasant company, and there is so little to do around here, after all.”
“That’s why the young gentleman had insisted on paying our respects every day for the last three weeks.”
“Well, I feel sorry for her!” Remus argued back, as vehement as if he were on trial. “She is stuck with her horrible aunt for sole company!”
“How heroic of you.” Lily snickered, with a curious pang of jealousy. She had never seen her brother so embarrassed by the mere mention of a girl before.
“Oh come on, Lily. She’s only a child.”
“She seems to fill every criterion to being a woman, and fill them quite well, if I correctly recall you saying so just a few days ago.” Dumbledore stated matter-of-factly before focusing on the road, and Lily was once again admiring of the poise with which he would wreak havoc then quietly retreat.
“She is of Mary’s age!”
“And Mary acts very much like a woman.”
“Oh, God, let it go you two,” Remus groaned, letting his head fall on the bench seat while his relatives laughed at him.
“What is her name, then?” Lily asked, putting a comforting hand on her brother’s knee.
“Miss Tonks.” Remus conceded. The name rang a bell, but Lily couldn’t tell where she heard it before.
“Just Tonks?”
He shrugged. “She would not tell me her first name.”
“How strange.”
Dumbledore smiled. “She is a strange girl.”
“Come on, Uncle,” Remus chastised, lightness in his tone again. “No one is stranger than you.”
“Well,” Lily interrupted the banter with what sounded quite like a threat to her brother. “If we must suffer the Umbridge woman for a whole dinner, I sure hope Miss Tonks is the most stunningly beautiful woman ever.”
She wasn’t. But she exceeded all of Lily’s expectations by far.
The first thing Lily ever noticed about Miss Tonks was a talent for making a remarkable entrance.
First, upon their arrival to the impressive house which deserved its nickname of Palace, they were welcome into the Music Room to meet with their hostess, the Lady Umbridge. The House was huge, indeed, but for all of its grandiloquence, Lily thought it lacked taste. Its exuberance was overwhelming, in truth, but the exterior of the house and the Entrance Hall were nothing compared to the horror of the Music Room, which was apparently the favourite of the Mistress. Everywhere Lily laid her eyes, every single inch of furniture, art piece or clothing was covered in the most disgusting shade of pink she has ever seen. Lily was so taken aback by the crazy vision that it took her a minute to notice the Lady of the House had risen to greet them; the fact that the woman herself was dressed in large puffy gowns of the same colour was not helping.
Lily hated Lady Umbridge immediately, just as much as her Uncle and brother have warned her she would.
She was a short, middle-aged woman whose flabby face reminded Lily of a large, pale toad. Her first words, delivered in a simpering voice, were something like insults passed as greetings. First, she seemed to regret they had brought Lily without a warning; and then, as she commended the younger woman and praised her looks, she somehow managed to squeeze in how unflattering was her dress and what a truly horrible shade of red her hair was, all in the same sentence. Lily shuddered as she bowed, and felt Remus’ form besides her shake with laughter, probably at her reaction he had anticipated. She wondered how on earth could her Uncle seriously expect her to remain polite for the whole evening.
But then, all of a sudden, the huge door on Lily’s back was vigorously pushed open, sending the unsuspecting girl on her knees. Before she could realise what the hell had just happened, she was joined on the floor by another person whose unfortunate feet a few steps earlier were responsible for the whole accident. Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw a slightly shorter, younger girl lay full length on the ground,. In the blink of an eye, Remus was on a knee, quickly reaching out a hand and… helping the newcomer to her feet, choosing to leave his own sister on the ground. Asshole.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Those damn rugs, I just… I’m so sorry, Are you allright?” The other girl, bless her, was prompt to help Lily up. “Oh, you must be Remus’ sister!” She exclaimed, probably taking in her red hair. “I’ve heard so much about you!” Before she could reply, Lily felt herself being engulfed in a hug. Shocked by the uncommon familiarity, she mouthed a mocking “Remus, uh?” over Miss Tonks’ shoulder to her brother who had the grace to look ashamed.
“Girls, what a dreadful behaviour!” Umbridge scolded, distressed that the focus has shifted from her, before leading them to the dining room and grudgingly ordering for a plate to be added for Lily by her niece’s side.
By the end of the first course, the girls had made the tacit vow to be friends forever and Lily even coaxed her into revealing her first name.
“It’s Nymphadora, but you are absolutely forbidden from mentioning it ever again. I hate it.”
Lily couldn’t stop laughing after that. Despite Umbridge’s constant rumbling, it was the best evening she had spent in a long time. As the dinner progressed, she could understand well what Remus liked in her. She was the sort of person whose warmth grew on you. She certainly was not the most stunningly beautiful woman ever, but her smile was so open and constant that Lily thought it rendered her whole expression delightful, and that she could look at such a pleasant face all evening long. Everything in the young girl was worthy of affection, from the twinkle in her dark eyes to the mousy brown hair that didn’t quite reach her chin and floated freely around a heart-shaped face, being too short to be tied back.
“I’ve never seen a woman wear her hair so short,” Lily curiously noted as an aside thirty minutes into the meal, quite confident by now that the younger girl would not mind the comment.
“Oh, I’d like to wear it longer, but I burned it last spring.”
Lily coughed, almost choking on a sip of wine. Of all the answers she had been expecting… “You burned you hair?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Miss Tonks replied, slightly embarrassed. “I wanted to blow the candles on a birthday cake, and a lock caught fire. We had to cut it all down to even it.”
Lily was laughing so hard now she was crying, and Umbridge sent a disgusted look her way. “Yes, celebrating one’s birthday can be quite dangerous.”
Miss Tonks was laughing as well, now. “It wasn’t even mine! It was my brother’s birthday. He has forbidden candles on cakes for forever since this accident.”
“Quite the drastic measure for your safety. You must be very dear to him.” Lily jokingly replied, discreetly drying her last tears with her handkerchief.
“Oh, but your brother told me you’ve met him!”
“I’m afraid I don’t recall a Tonks.”
“Oh no,” Miss Tonks waved, accidently knocking her own glass aside. “There’s no other Tonks. He’s my adoptive brother, James Potter?”
This time, Lily really choked on her food.
That night, a new session of the Evans Council was held, even though in smaller corps.
Huddled closed together on her bed with Remus, Lily had been relentlessly inquiring ever since they get back. She had not been too caught up in her own newly-founded friendship that she had completely missed the longing looks send both ways between her brother and Miss Tonks. It was the very first time Lily saw her brother have any serious romantic inclination towards anyone, and she was shocked and intrigued.
“Remus, be honest. What is going on between you two? What are your intentions towards her?”
“I have none!” he cried, and protested a little, but Lily knowing him so well could pinpoint the exact moment he decided to drop the act and say what he meant. “It’s just… It’s nothing like that, really. We know very little of each other, there’s nothing going between us. It’s just that… I’m thinking that, maybe, someday, there could be something, you know? Like… of course I don’t know her, I cannot ever say we are friends yet, but when I am with her I feel like, if I let myself, I could easily.. you know.”
“I think I do.” She replied, overwhelmed by the vulnerability in his voice, and scooted closer, wrapping him in her blanket. “Tell me.”
“I don’t know. At first, I was amused. She has a good humour, and a good nature that reminded me a lot of Mary, except Miss Tonks, thankfully, lacks our sister’s over-confidence and brashness. But she is so clumsy… I mean, you’ve seen it. It’s both terrifying and fascinating to witness. For a girl raised amongst the highest nobility, she seemed so… simple. Sincere. I was intrigued. At first, I really went to visit out of boredom, and because she was amusing, but then, I don’t know. One day, we took a walk and we get to talk. Really talk, you know? And… She is brilliant. Dead clever. And so funny. And she looks at everything with such a refreshing perspective, like she can only see the good in everyone and every situation. If you listen to her, you’d believe that anything is possible. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. When I’m with her, I feel like everything is possible.”
“And that’s what you wanted to talk to me about?” Lily asked, softly, once she was sure he was finished.
“Yes. I mean, no. There’s nothing to talk about, really. I just thought you’d like her.”
“I do. Very much. But…”
They shared a grimace and moaned in perfect unison. “James Potter’s sister.”
“Seriously, Remus, you could have told me. I would have prepared a lie or two. I had a hard time pretending the brother she obviously thought so highly of was not a complete ass.”
“To be fair to Miss Tonks, you would also stand up for me even if I behaved like an ass.”
“… Probably.”
“Well, to bed, now.” He waited for her to be comfortably settled, then leaned down for a kiss on her forehead. Lily sighed with ease and closed her eyes, happy to be reunited with her brother at last. “Oh, one more thing: Potter is coming here next week. Good night!”
Lily had good reflexes, but he was too quick to close the door for the pillow she threw to reach its aim.