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Tonks tripped into Grimmauld’s kitchen, four empty wine glasses balanced precariously in her hands. Remus could briefly hear the sounds of the Order Christmas party behind her, but then the door closed and everything was silent.
“Remus!” Tonks smiled brightly. “I've been looking for you!”
She tripped again. Were she anyone else he'd have thought she was drunk, but by now he was used to her stunning lack of coordination. She carefully set the wine glasses down, then refilled one and moved closer to him.
“What're you working on and wouldn't you rather dance?” Tonks asked, her tone dripping with an invitation that, were life different, he’d have been overjoyed to accept.
Instead he shook his head and gestured to the papers in front of him. “Just updating Ministry rotations.”
She leaned over his shoulder and trailed a finger carefully down the list. He could feel her breath in his ear. “Why don't you switch me from the second to the third?” she asked lightly, and he lifted his quill.
“Working?” he inquired, and she snorted.
“No. It's just that then I'd be with you.”
This was so unexpected that Remus jerked his head backwards, and Tonks spilled nearly her entire glass of wine on his jumper.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, looking horrified. “I am so sorry.”
Remus looked down at the prominent red stain, then shrugged, feeling unbothered despite the fact that it was by far the nicest of the three jumpers that he owned. “I’m sure it will come right out,” he said, hoping she’d miss the doubtful note in his voice.
She brightened. “Yes! Of course!” she exclaimed, and he did wonder how much wine she’d had to drink as she levelled her wand aggressively. “Scourgify!”
The stain bled, becoming worse.
“Bugger all,” she muttered. “I always was rubbish at that one.”
She grabbed a cloth napkin and began to blot it against the fabric. While Remus knew this wouldn’t work, it seemed to yield better results than her attempt to scourgify, and so he didn’t stop her as she continued blotting—
Before somehow falling hard onto his lap.
She looked mortified, but then she threw back her head and laughed. “I’m so sorry ,” she blurted again, her eyes sparkling. “I’m so clumsy and—” her glittering eyes met his and her gaze sharpened, all traces of laughter suddenly gone. “I’m just so, so sorry,” she repeated, sounding breathless, but that didn’t make any sense at all—
With no warning she attacked his lips with her own.
Remus had known, abstractly, that these kinds of things must happen to some people, but had never thought something like this could happen to him. Tonks kissed him as though she'd been kissing him for years. She tugged on his hair as she bit his lip just hard enough. It felt like a dream. As her tongue tangled with his he moaned. She tasted like Chardonnay.
Tonks pulled back, which was more in keeping with what he expected, but she just gave him a soft smile before leaning forward to kiss him again.
This kiss was nothing like the first. It was all gentle tenderness, as soft as the summer breeze. Nymphadora seemed to be melting into him, melding their bodies together to a degree that should have been impossible.
The flames in the fireplace roared and Tonks pulled back. The empty wine glass shattered.
Severus Snape glared at them, looking distinctly unimpressed. “The snake has bitten Arthur Weasley,” he barked. “Miss Tonks, with me. Lupin. Alert the family.”
Tonks wordlessly followed Severus into the flames of the fireplace.
Remus felt like he was the one burning.