white-sheep-of-blacks:

Andromeda got on with her sisters when she was a child. They were raised in the noble family based on pureblood supremacy and they have no reason for thinking otherwise.

Tonks was lying on the bed with her hands under her head, watching the fireplace quietly. She was thinking about everything and nothing. About the war going on behind these thin walls; about the people they’ve already lost. She was thinking about Sirius, Mad-Eye, her dad… None of them deserved to die.  But they surely weren’t the last ones. She realized there will be more, others she knows, maybe even loves, who will give their lives while fighting for a better world.

But what if the better world won’t come? What if the war is lost? They’ve all been fighting so hard for so long and You Know Who and the Death Eaters were becoming stronger every day. No matter how hard the Order tried. There were too many of Voldemort’s allies and too less of them. Only few of the Order members left and they were all in hiding. There was almost nothing they could do. The hope was fading.

Tonks sighed and reached out for her wand. She observed the special wood piece for a while with a thoughtful smile. Wands fascinated her. Since she was a child, she was enchanted by the beauty and power of those small sticks. Most of the time the wizards would be powerless without them. In fact, the wands were their masters, not otherwise, without wands the wizarding world would be nothing. Tonks smiled again and shook her head letting those useless thought leave her mind. She laid her wand on the nightstand and laid back, watching the fire.

She liked fire. The flames and the cracking of the wood were making her calm. This was a warm, friendly fire of home; this was how the safety feels like.

Someone’s hands were wrapped around her waist and rested on her belly. She smiled when she felt wet lips on her cheek and turned her head slightly. “Hi…” she smiled and laid her hands on his.

“Hello…” he answered, whispering to her ear. “Hello Dora and Teddy,” he added and rubbed her round belly lovingly.

Tonks smiled. As long as she had Remus, there was always hope.

When I saw PoA for the first time, I was quite surprised with the way Remus Lupin was pictured in his werewolf form. The creature was completely different from the usual portrayal of werewolf. It was skinny, almost hairless and oddly hunched. 

I didn’t like the appearance of werewolf Lupin but what could I do? I assumed the director and designers (and probably JKR too) wanted to come with their own new image of werewolf. I thought they wanted to differ from the usual portrayal.

But then Fenrir Greyback appeared and even in his human form he looked more werewolf-like than Remus. He was bigger, thicker, wilder. Although we’ve never seen Greyback in his werewolf form, I imagined he looked more like those classic werewolves.

But why? Why would he look different from Remus Lupin? And then it hit me. What if the werewolf form shows the nature of the person?

We know that Remus suffers from being a werewolf. He hates it. It is like a curse for him and every transformation is inconceivable agony. He thinks he’s a monster, he is depressed and often hurts himself while in werewolf form. That’s why he looks so poor.

On the other hand, Greyback loves being a werewolf. He is cruel and evil, he accepts his wolf part with no regrets. He is strong and can use his inner werewolf to do harm. When in werewolf form, he is proud and self-confident.

I think that could be a good explanation of the werewolf psyche in Potterverse. Because I don’t think every werewolf is the same. And their differences have to be visible somehow.

She was so excited about the decorations! Well, maybe too excited… She frowned and waved her wand, erasing all that sugar sweet frills she used. She sighed and started over, as a new song started to play out of nowhere. This time she was more careful about what suits the house and what might be too much.

She placed a big tree into the kitchen and covered it with fake snow, white flowers and blue lights. She hung holly and coniferous branches above the fireplace and set two candlesticks on the mantelpiece. This is really nice, even Sirius could like it, she thought and moved to the next room.

She only placed a small tree next to the piano because she remembered this tradition of Black family, which was still upheld in Grimmauld Place. There always has to be a Christmas tree next to the piano, Sirius said. She doubted even he knew why.

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, 

just like the one I used to know…” 

Tonks closed her eyes and smiled. Remus loved that song. She was totally planning to dance to this one with him, once he gets back.

She ran upstair, to put some decorations to the library and on the doors of rooms. She kept the living room unadorned till the end. That was the room its decoration she really wanted to enjoy. 

She conjured another Christmas tree (it had to be done), change the colors of upholstery to red and green and added few candlesticks. She smiled contently and with one simple “Incendio!“ she lighted the fire. It was perfect.

Tonks sat on the couch and breathed. Then she jumped back on her feet and ran to the kitchen. She frowned and looked around. She was sure she forgot something. Of course! She waved her wand once again and a small bunch of mistletoe appeared above the doorjamb. Now it was perfect.

“Merry Christmas,” she said to herself and returned to the living room, where she sat on the couch again and calmly opened a book, waiting for Sirius to come home.

Tonks woke up in a very Christmas mood that morning. She was even humming carols during the breakfast with Sirius, which scared him a little bit. He was so grumpy about this year’s Christmas. Actually, he was grumpy about everything lately. Tonks was hoping Christmas could cheer him up, especially with Harry around.

When she moved to Grimmauld Place two days ago, she was sad and depressed. It was always intense at the Ministry before Christmas and now with Remus on a mission, she didn’t have anyone to hide and comfort her in the evenings after hard days at work. She decided she would move back to Sirius’ until Remus gets back.

But today, everything was different. Her mood was perfect even when she went to the work and when she was coming back, she got even happier. It was snowing. When she saw the white islands of snow lying on the ground, she started to laugh and sing Christmas songs aloud. She didn’t care much about people around her who were watching her rather curiously. 

“Sirius?” she shouted as soon as she entered the house. No answer. She peeked to the kitchen and living room, knocked on the door to the library and his bedroom. Her cousin wasn’t there and neither was Kreacher. “Good,” she said, assuming Sirius is probably somewhere outside, enjoying the snow in his dog form.

She pulled out her wand and waved to the air. Loud music started to play, what else than Christmas carols. She smiled contently and with a singing she started with the work she wanted to do from the morning. Grimmauld Place needed to be decorated for Christmas.