The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black

Remus floated gently in and out of sleep. He was warm and comfortable, the most comfortable he'd been in quite a while, though he couldn't remember why. It didn't seem too important though. He resisted the pull of the waking world as long as he possibly could, holding desperately on to the last waves of slumber.

A soft hand pushed a wisp of hair out of his face. "Morning, sleepy," a voice said, startling him into full wakefulness. He sat up and looked around wildly, breathing hard and ready to bolt.

Tonks frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Now that was about as gentle a wakeup call as I ever knew," she commented. "But next time see if I don't slap you silly first."

He flopped back down on the pillows with a smile. "Usually people don't wake me up unless I'm out cold and in danger." He rolled over onto his side, looking at his bride happily. "Good morning to you too, gorgeous."

Tonks wrinkled her nose. "At the moment, I was going for cute."

"Well you're that too." Remus sat up again and stretched. He cocked his head to the side, considering. "Have I ever seen what you look like without all the changes that you make?"

"No. And you're not likely to," Tonks retorted.

He grinned at her. "Please? I do the best puppy dog eyes. Well, wolf puppy at any rate. Don't make me use them."

"I look like a Black. Satisfied?"

Big, golden eyes looked at her. "No," he whined.

She laughed. "Fine." Tonks screwed up her face in concentration as her body began to morph slightly. Her lavender hair darkened to polished ebony and grew out past her shoulders. Baby blue eyes turned molasses colored and her nose lengthened ever so slightly from perky to classic. "There. But I'm not staying like this for long," she warned.

Remus stared at her open mouthed for a moment. "Now that's gorgeous," he commented once his brain started to function again. "I don't know why you're ashamed of your face to change it as much as you do."

"That's nice. Now I'm changing back."

"Don't I get to see the rest of it first?" he complained, then quickly grabbed her to him in a fierce hug before she could respond. She squeaked and giggled. "Shh..." he said, burying his face in her quickly grown hair and breathing in her scent. He didn't think she knew it, but she smelled of the forest, a deep earthy smell. But that was just the underlying current. Mostly she smelled of lime splashes, as quirky as her personality, as well as a smooth chocolate type of smell, spiced with mint. And something new...

"What?" she asked as he started laughing.

"You even smell like a Black now. I've never seen someone who changed their shape and smelled different afterwards besides an Animagus change."

"Now I'm definitely changing back. The last thing I want is to smell like a Black as well as looking like one."

"No one else would notice, I'm sure!" he protested. Who else alive would be able to smell such a difference? "Well, Maybe Minerva, but I doubt it."
"That's nice. Now can I change back now? Please?"

He laughed again and released her. "Far be it from me to try and control you."

When they went downstairs there was a great cheer and the majority of the former Order members appeared from behind pieces of furniture, beaming at the newlyweds. Remus suddenly realized he didn't have a shirt on, and fled back upstairs, faster than anyone thought he could move. General laughter greeted the action.

"You scared him away!" Tonks accused the congregation with a grin.

"Nah, he'll be back down," the twins chorused.

Proving their words true, Remus appeared at the top of the stairs, finishing pulling the Muggle "T-shirt", as Tonks called it, down over his nose. "Sorry," he muttered, his cheeks flaming.

"You're far too skinny, Remus," Molly said critically.

"I am not!" he objected as the giant group walked into the dining room. They all sat down at the table, where the majority of the Weasley family had collaborated in making a breakfast to shame some of the feasts at Hogwarts. *

"Yes you are," his wife retorted. "I can count your ribs. Every single one of them." With each of the last five words she climbed her fingers up his ribcage. He yelped and tipped over the chair in his efforts go move out of the way. He ended up sprawled on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Tonks leaned over and grinned at him from above. "Why Remus!" she said innocently. "I do believe you're ticklish!"

"And I do believe that you just announced that fact in front of the Weasley twins who are going to plague me about that for the rest of my life," he grumbled, getting back up and setting his chair to rights.

Minerva cocked her head and considered him. "It just occurred to me I may have given you several unfair detentions when you were giggling in my class."*

Tonks snorted. "Giggling?" She said incredulously. "You?"

He ignored her. "Oh, I deserved them," he reassured his co-worker. "Most of the time not for the reason you gave them to me, but I definitely did deserve them." He reached hungrily for the food and heaped it on his plate. As he passed the eggs to Tonks, he looked around the crowded room.

It had certainly been the year for weddings, he thought absently. For the younger generation, as he glanced at the twins and their wives Angelina and Katie, and the older, he grinned as his eyes passed over Minerva and Albus.

Swallowing, he realized that most of them were here, including Witch Weekly's best looking couple, Bill and Fleur, who had only barely beaten Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, also present, but not yet married. The "plainer" of the younger couples were Charlie and his Romanian girl, as well as Ginny and Neville, which covered the remainder of the surviving Weasley children. Idly, he wondered which group he and Tonks belonged to. But however hard it was to identify their category; it wasn't nearly as confusing as the surprise couple, Severus and Hermione.

Everyone in the order had assumed that Hermione would marry Ron, and it was the young couple's intent too. But when an explosion during a mission that had included Ron, Hermione, Mad-eye Moody, Severus and Kingsley Shacklebolt had gone off, only Hermione and Snape had made it out alive. Everyone had tried to comfort the grieving young woman, but the only one able to reach her was Severus, still healing himself.

Many people were killed in the war, and were absent from the table now. But two more were missing that most definitely hadn't been killed. "Where are Harry and Luna?" Remus asked right before they blew in the door.

"Sorry we're late," Harry said, taking off his helmet. "There are some nasty winds out there. Blew us way off course."

"You brought the bike?" Arthur said excitedly. Molly groaned.

"The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys," Luna said in her most sing-songy voice as she took off her own helmet, letting her sheet of blonde hair fall down her back. *

"Erm, right," Harry said uncertainly.

Remus snorted into his orange juice. The pair had been married almost since Luna's graduation, and Harry was still unnerved by some of the strange actions and sayings of his slightly mystical wife. Composing himself, he set his glass down and waved them over. "Come on, the Weasleys made a wonderful breakfast, and if you don't hurry, I'll eat it all." He loaded his empty plate back up again.

"That's a good way of putting weight on," Molly said approvingly.

"Putting... putting weight on? Molly, I'm trying to keep what weight I've got!" Remus protested. "This isn't going to add anything on. Trust me."

"Zat is not fair," Fleur complained, overhearing. "Why is it zat men can loose weight so much more easily, when we women must slave and starve to keep our figures?"

Blaise snorted. "Tell me about it." Bill and Draco exchanged knowing smirks over the top of the two women's heads.

"I guess I'm luckier than most women then," Tonks said idly, though Remus could see the spark of mischief in her eye. "I can eat as much as I want as well, and I don't have to worry about a thing. If I don't like it, I can change it." She smiled innocently back at the glares she was receiving.

Draco sprawled back in his chair, still smirking. "I don't know Blaise, I think that pair has it the best. I couldn't eat like that regularly and get away with it, and I certainly can eat more than most without any effect."

"And I can't eat much less than this and not look like a skeleton, so I guess we're even," Remus retorted cheerily. "You get voted most handsome, and I get to eat whatever the hell I want."

Harry sniggered beside him. "That's right, Draco. You've got as many girls after you as I do now." He grinned. "You better hope they never partner us up at work. We'd be so busy fending off women that we'd never get anything done."

"Which is precisely why they never have and never will," Draco said, giving a dismissive flip of his hand.

"Harry..." Arthur interrupted. "Have you made any progress on figuring out how that motorbike works?"

"Not really," Harry said. "Remus, you did say Sirius made it himself, right?"

"Enchanted it, yes." He laid his fork down for a moment. "He didn't make the bike, he bought it off a Muggle dealer. But I have no idea how he did it."

"Pity," Arthur said. "It's not the same thing that I did on the car, and I can't for the life of me figure out what he did."

Harry gave a crooked smile. "Join the club. We've got jackets!"*

Remus smiled and turned back to his food. He swallowed some of his orange juice just in time to hear Molly tell Tonks "... wonderful place to raise your children..." The women's conversation stopped in favor of watching him choke and splutter.

"Something the matter?" Molly asked.

"No, no," Remus said hurriedly. "I, uh... well I just thought it was a little soon to be thinking about that."

"Not by any means!" Tonks' mother, Andromeda, said. "There are spells all over this house set to increase fertility. Their original intent was to increase the number of purebloods available for marriage, but they didn't just vanish when the pureblood inhabitants did."

"I, er, uh..." he stuttered, flushing.

Mother and daughter exchanged looks, then burst out laughing. "Bloody Hell, Remus, you're as red as a Weasley!" Tonks laughed.

"I resent that," Molly commented, smiling.

Remus buried his face in his hands and groaned.

"You do know I was joking, right?" Andromeda said, smiling.

"No. Now, how many other times today are people planning to try and have me die of embarrassment?" Remus demanded tartly. Seeing Tonks' grin, he shook his head. "That does not look promising."

"Oh, it's very promising," she replied. "You just don't know promising what." She kissed him sweetly and smiled at him.

He sat there for a moment, then suddenly realized he was grinning foolishly as Harry snickered next to him. "What?"

"Oh nothing," he replied, grinning. "Except you just looked as if you'd been snogged by Fleur or another veela instead of an average witch."

"Not average," Remus said thoughtfully. "Not by any means." Tonks beamed.

There was suddenly a disturbance at the other end of the table. "I'm surrounded by bloody Gryffindors!" Draco exclaimed. "Does no one else here appreciate a plan subtler than "One, two, three, shoot him"?"*

"I think you are underestimating Gryffindors, Mister Malfoy," Albus said, eyes twinkling. "Besides, not all are Gryffindors here."

"Ok, so Fleur didn't go to Hogwarts, but she probably would have been in Gryffindor, I've got my Blaise here beside me from Slytherin as well as Professor Snape, and Luna over there is from Ravenclaw."

"As is Professor Lupin," Luna added dreamily.

All eyes turned to him. "Huh." Draco said finally. "I would have pegged you as Gryffindor."

"Not nearly brave enough," Remus muttered, looking at his plate.

Incredulous eyebrows were raised around the table, but the topic was left behind as people turned back to their conversations. Except for Tonks, who looked back at him, noting his expression. "Hey, what's wrong, love?"

"Nothing. Just old schoolboy doubts. I never felt I was good enough, not being in Gryffindor. Even bloody Peter was in it."

She squeezed his hand sympathetically. "But 'bloody Peter' ended up betraying you. Gryffindor being the house of the brave isn't all it's hatched up to be." She gave a quirky smile. "I'd wanted to be in Ravenclaw, but I wasn't brainy enough."

"The word you're looking for is 'Nerdy'."

"Intelligent," she countered immediately.

He gave a half smile and retired the field, turning to answer more questions about Sirius' old bike and how it worked.

After breakfast, everyone helped to tidy up, still chattering idly. Remus was recruited into clearing the table, while Tonks was informed by a very firm Molly Weasley that she would serve best by not touching anything. She had made a few protests, but finally submitted, standing to the side and watching the others do the work for her. One time as Remus passed her, going towards the kitchen laden with dirty dishes, he thought he saw a momentary wicked smile slide across her face, but when he glanced back, she was looking at him innocently. Lovingly, yes, but innocently. He shook his head as he pushed through the door to deposit his load.

On the way back, he was snagged by the collar and pulled into the next room, where she immediately started kissing him. He was startled at first, and unsure, but finally decided, the hell with the dishes. There were twenty odd other people taking care of them.

They were interrupted a few moments later by someone calling his name. "Remus?" Harry asked again, locating him. "Oh," he said, grinning. "Sorry, you're busy."

"Wipe that infuriating smile off your face and go away," Remus snarled.

Harry did as he was told, though didn't quite manage the smile part. Tonks kissed him again, but the mood had been spoiled. "That is the purpose of honeymoons," she mentioned. "So couples can snog without being interrupted every few minutes by acquaintances."

"Snog?" Remus asked, amused.

"And other things." She kissed him briefly once more, and released him to the duties of the kitchen.

Reluctantly he walked back into the bustle of people finishing up clearing the table, still slightly flushed. Harry looked at him and smirked. "Not one word from you," Remus warned him, glaring. Harry held up his hands and turned away.

"Something just occurred to me," Draco said from behind him.

Remus spun around and eyed him warily. "What?"

"Another reason you're lucky. You can have her change to whatever you want for your bed."

"I, er, uh..." It was not right, Remus thought desperately, that a boy young enough to be his son could make him blush like this. About something like this. If anything, it should be the other way around. "I doubt I could convince her to do that. And I wouldn't anyway. Not for that."

"Well that's good to hear," he heard Tonks say from behind him. "Not that I had any doubt, but it's good to hear anyway."

Remus covered his face with a hand. "Five," he said after a moment. "Five times you all have made me want to run out of the room in the last hour and once that I actually did."

Tonks giggled and gave him a little push in the small of his back. "Let's make that twice. Come on, you."

"What?" he said as she steered him out of the dining room and into the hall. She smirked and started to pull him up the stairs. "Oh." He smiled as he figured out where she was leading him. Back to bed. "You," he informed her as she shut and locked the door behind them, "are an absolute nymphomaniac. Unh!" He grunted as she pushed him down on the bed and landed on top of him.

"Not at all, sweet. I've just never had the opportunity to fuck someone whenever I want," she whispered against his skin.

"And that just proves my point..." he trailed off into a groan as she ran her hands up underneath his shirt.

"Remus, shut up," she told him in no uncertain terms. He submitted and flipped her over so he was on top.

"You," Remus panted, "had better be glad I'm not as sickly as I know I look."

Tonks smiled and closed her eyes as she lay next to him, her short blue hair spiked with sweat. "If I knew you were that feeble, I would have left you alone. But I know better."

"And don't think I'm not glad of it," he replied, sitting up and looking at her fondly. "Gods, I love you," he said fervently, surprising himself.

"I know," she replied softly, sitting up as well, adoration almost too evident her eyes. "I love you too."

He smiled and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips. "Its good to know the feeling's mutual."

"Don't you ever think it isn't," she said. "Never think that."

He laughed. "I'll promise that if you do the same."