DISCLAIMER: I don't own them.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.

Joy in Small Places
By Janine

 

Tonks eyes fluttered shut as she felt Fleur's warm, delicate body press against her side, a soft moan escaping from her lips as she felt the blonde's lips press against her neck, trailing tenderly over the smooth skin she found there as Fleur's hand began to trail over the rounded curve of Tonks belly until the blonde was gently cupping her breast.

"Eez this okay?" Fleur whispered softly, her hand beginning to massage Tonks breast through her shirt as she stared down at the metamorphmagus, Tonks' hair becoming a shimmering blonde that matched the woman on top of her as they stared at each other.

"Yes," Tonks replied breathily, her hand moving up to Fleur's face to cup her cheek. "It's very okay," she continued smiling before urging Fleur's head down so that she could taste her lips once more.


Tonks brought her water glass to her lips, her eyes peering over the edge of it to discretely look at the woman sitting opposite her. Fleur Weasely, Tonks thought shaking her head. If someone had told her a year before that she would have been sitting down to a quiet dinner with former Miss Delacour she would have suggested that they check themselves into St. Mungo's immediately. Then again, if someone had told her a year before that she would find herself pregnant and abandoned she would have made the same suggestion. So really, she shouldn't have been surprised that was she sitting down to a quiet dinner with Fleur, or that the invitation had not just been accepted but eagerly so.

Life was funny.

"Eet eez unbelievable," Fleur murmured softly shaking her head, silvery blonde hair shimmering around her face as she did, the sad look in her eyes only making her more hauntingly beautiful. "They are conveekted criminals and we serve them as if nothing eez the matter."

"There are known Death Eaters working for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement now," Tonks responded shaking her head, her hair turning a brown so dark that it was almost black as she spoke, for a moment appearing to be every inch her mother's daughter as she scowled at her water.

"Zee world has become a funny place," Fleur said standing, her movements graceful as always though Tonks thought she could detect some weariness in the blonde's motions. "But I do not like zee joke," the French-woman continued her gaze settling on Tonks, staring at her intently for a moment before smiling softly, the expression softening and lightening up her entire face. "Shall we retire to zee living room? Perhaps a lighter room will lead to lighter conversation."


Fleur twisted her wrist slightly stopping the flow of wine coming from the bottle without wasting a single drop, and then leaned forward to rest the dark bottle in the bucket of ice on the living room table before filling up Tonks' water.

"You can talk about eet you know," Fleur said turning her attention to Tonks once the bottle was secured. They had talked more about her job at Gringotts, and about how she and Bill were settling into Shell Cottage. And they had talked about what living at home again was like for Tonks, and about how Tonks was sure that her fondness for purple hair was an act of rebellion against her mothers elegant perfection. But there was a subject they hadn't talked about, the subject that brought them together that night in a roundabout way, and Fleur thought that it was about time.

"It?" Tonks asked lifting an eyebrow at Fleur before smiling darkly and shaking her head. "Of course, there can only be one 'it' worth bringing up," she continued lifting her water glass to her lips, drinking long and deep , wishing she was able to have something stronger before she lowered it again and turned to look at Fleur her body curling in on itself a little as she did. "What is there to say really?" she went on breathing in deeply. "I feel how I should feel, how everybody expects me to feel."

"And 'ow eez dat?" Fleur asked able to see the emotions rippling just underneath Tonks' calm surface.

"Angry," Tonks responded her voice quivering a little as she spoke. "Really fucking angry," she continued angling her head away from Fleur. "Lonely and abandoned," she continued thinking about the empty bed she had been sleeping in for the past two months. "Confused," she went on blinking against the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. She had cried so much after Remus left that there was a part of her that was surprised that she had any spare moisture left in her body to shed.

"I … I thought I knew him," Tonks said suddenly turning around to face Fleur once more. "We got married quickly, but I was confident, I trusted him … I trusted my judgment," she went on her eyes dropping. "I thought I knew him, but now I wonder … I never would have thought him capable of doing something like this to me," she continued some of the bitterness and angry she felt towards her absent husband showing in her voice. "I mean I knew that he had issues with being a werewolf, but I had no idea his fears and insecurities ran so deep; that they could make him so cold and cowardly.

"Even before he left he wasn't sharing his feelings with me. Talking to him was like trying to hold a conversation with a tree or a slab of rock. I felt like I was in this marriage alone … I had no idea how right I was," she finished looking down into her lap, surprised at the flow of words that had come out of her. She hadn't realized how badly she wanted to say those things out loud.

Fleur reached out, gently gathering up Tonks hands in her own holding them for a moment before she spoke.

"I cannot say that I know completely what you are going through," she began softly. "But I do understand some of eet," she went on, pleased when Tonks looked over at her. "Bill, 'e is a good man, but 'e treats me like I am made of glass. I was a tri-wizard champion, I fought Merpeople and dragons, and 'e thinks I cannot 'andle news reports," Fleur continued shaking her head, anger and frustration evident in her tone. "I already 'ave a father, and not need another one. I wanted a 'usband, not a guardian."

"Hecate save us from the good intentions of wizards," Tonks murmured softly when Fleur finished, a small smile touching her face when the blonde gazed over at her, her small smile turning into a grin when Fleur smiled back at her.

"Relationship woes really do cross all divides," Tonks continued a moment later, once again struck by the oddity of she, the 'Quidditch jock', holding hands and baring her heart to Fleur the 'Beauty Queen'. They were unlikely friends, but they had become friends and Tonks needed a friend badly … and it seemed that Fleur did too.

"I'm sure we would 'ave gotten along famously at school," Fleur responded gazing at Tonks, her face completely serious until Tonks snorted indelicately and began to laugh.

"Oh, I should have just listened to my mother's rants and dated witches," Tonks sighed shaking her head a little. "At least then I wouldn't have ended up dumped and pregnant."

Fleur laughed softly at that before shaking her head. "You are probably right about zee pregnant part, but women come with their own set of problems," Fleur commented with a surprising certainty.

Tonks looked over at Fleur questioningly but also impressed. No one would have been surprised to learn that she had experimented with girls while at school, and that her one real relationship before Remus had been with another witch, but Fleur was slightly surprising.

"Dee classes and dormitories at Beauxbaton were segregated, so we spent a lot of time together," Fleur said in response to Tonks look, her eyes sparkling as she spoke. "Beside, I knew zee girls who liked me were not under my Veela thrall," Fleur continued her look becoming slightly more serious as she went on. It was a revelation for her the first time she had kissed a girl and pulled back to see that her partner was there with her completely, pleased and excited but still entirely themselves.

"Wow," Tonks commented shaking her head. "I bet you broke a lot of hearts."

Fleur shrugged her shoulders demurely, managing to hold the bashful expression for a moment before she broke out into a toothy grin that made Tonks laugh.

"I didn't mean too though," Fleur commented a moment later looking at Tonks keenly. "Eet is just that I 'ave just never been able to resist soft, pretty, sweet smelling things."

Tonks stared at Fleur for a moment longer and then whistled appreciatively. "You know," Tonks began a second later. "Until a minute ago, I never wished that I'd gone to school anywhere but Hogwarts. But you make a very strong argument for Beauxbaton," Tonks commented. "Oh, to have been the older girl who led you astray," she finished sighing softly before smiling.

"I 'av always 'ad an appreciation for older women," Fleur responded teasingly, looking at Tonks appraisingly.

"Not that much older," Tonks pointed out quickly, mock glaring at Fleur as she spoke.

Her lips parted a second later to add on to the statement, but before she could say anything her hand flew to her stomach automatically as the baby kicked. Instinctively, Tonks reached out to grasp Fleur's hand which was resting only inches away from hers and drew the blonde's hand over to her stomach where the baby was kicking.

"Oh," Fleur gasped as she felt the first faint movement again her palm. "Oh!" she declared again delightedly as she felt the baby move again, her eyes drifting up to stare at Tonks a moment later as she kept her hand firmly against Tonks' stomach.

"What?" Tonks said somewhat self-consciously long moments later when Fleur continued to gaze at her.

"Nothing," Fleur said blinking, her cheeks turning slightly red before she looked away. It was almost as if she hadn't realized that she had been staring. "Eet is just dat pregnancy agrees with you," the blonde went on a few seconds later though she still didn't meet Tonks's eyes. "You are glowing. Eet is … you look very lovely."

Tonks watched Fleur silently, stunned momentarily into silence by the blonde's words.

"Sorry," Tonks said a few moments later finally forcing herself to speak when she realized that her silence was agitating Fleur. "Thank you," she continued smiling a little uncertainly, a shade of red matching that on Fleur's cheeks coming to her own. "It's been a while since anyone has said something so sweet to me," she went on getting the blush under control as Fleur finally looked at her again. "If you keep that sweet talk up, I might not be responsible for my actions."

It was Fleur's turn to be silent after that as she looked at Tonks thoughtfully.

"Do you want to be responsible?" Fleur asked finally, her tone neutral though her eyes pierced though Tonks.

Tonks stared at the blonde beauty in front of her acutely aware of the warmth of the blonde's legs against her own, sweet smell of her, and of the lovely, intense blue eyes gazing at her.

"At the moment, no," Tonks replied leaning unconsciously forward, seeking out Fleur's body.

Fleur smiled softly at Tonks, her hand lifting to the metamorphmagus's cheek, stroking it softly. "This eez 'ow I got all the girls," Fleur whispered softly a brief smile touching her lips before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Tonks'.


Tonks sighed raggedly as Fleur's lips moved against her own, the warm weight of the blonde's body pressing her into the cushions of the couch as the blonde's hand trailed up her nude torso. The kisses were harder than what Tonks would have imagined from the slight Fleur, but they were tender, and passionate, and she found herself becoming more and more excited by the blonde's obviously desire. It felt nice to be wanted, to be kissed without reservation, to feel someone groping at her desperately.

Tonks arched up into Fleur as she felt the blonde's hand run over her breast before it moved down over her stomach, where it came to a stop.

A moment later Fleur's lips pulled away from her.

Tonks took a deep breath as she realized that it was probably really registering with Fleur for the first time that she was really quite pregnant.

"I'll understand if you don't …" Tonks began.

"No," Fleur breathed out softly. "I 'am not 'aving second thoughts," she continued softly her hand moving over the curve of Tonks' stomach. It was true she'd never been with a pregnant woman before, but she wasn't put off by it. The truth was she found it to be incredibly erotic. Tonks' body was so soft and full and womanly. It made her realize that she had been with girls not women in the past, and she wanted so badly to be with the woman beneath her, to hold and kiss Tonks full breasts, and run her hands over the curves of her body.

She was just momentarily overwhelmed by the beauty of it all and had paused. But in no way did she want to stop touching Tonks.

Fleur dropped her head down pressing a soft kiss to Tonks' throat, physically trying to show the woman what she knew she would not be able to express in words. Then slowly, Fleur shifted her body down, kissing Tonks' collarbone and the sides of her breasts until her lips were pressed softly against the smooth, soft skin of Tonks' stomach, the blonde's tongue sneaking out of her mouth to taste the metamorphmagus's skin.

Tonks moaned, her hand moving to the back of Fleur's head, caressing her hair gently as the blonde woman kissed her stomach lovingly, almost reverently, the sheer sweetness of the touch making Tonks throb with want and her thighs slick with desire.

"So beautiful," Fleur murmured against Tonks' skin, her lips moving up, licking and nipping at Tonks' skin until she reached her breasts, a smile coming to her lips before her left hand covered Tonks' right breast and her mouth claimed the other one.

"Ooh," Tonks whispered as Fleur's lips closed around her swollen nipple, sucking on it gently. "Ahh," she sighed again as the blonde's tongue began to swirl around the erect nub, her eyes fluttering closed as the sensations Fleur's lips were producing tore through her.

It felt so good. Tonks had always loved to have her breasts played with, but the amount of pleasure she was getting from the blonde's simple touch was almost indescribable. She had heard that pregnancy would make her more sensitive, especially in her breasts, but she had been alone for so much of the pregnancy that she had never had a chance to find out. But she knew now that it was true, and as long as an electric current of pleasure continued to shot straight to her center every time Fleur so much as grazed the underside of one her breasts, she would never complain about her swollen ankles again.

"Merlin," Tonks exhaled as Fleur's teeth began to tug at her nipple, her hips lifting, pressing into Fleur's body instinctively. Tonks' fingers drifted back to Fleur's head, her fingers scraping Fleur's scalp as her hand held the blonde firmly in position, her hips bucking again as her eyes squeezed shut.

Tonks' head arched back, digging into the arm of the couch as Fleur continued to suck on her breasts, her mouth now torturing her other nipple as her fingers rolled around the other one, damp and slick from the blonde's previous attention. Her fingers were grasping at the silvery blonde strands of Fleur's hair more tightly, and she had an idle thought that she should try and relax her fingers before she began to hurt the blonde, but as Fleur's teeth clamped onto her nipple while her tongue flicked over the trapped button again and again, Tonks could do nothing but moan and arch her chest forward, offering more of herself to Fleur, as she wondered with a note of mortification and wonder if it was possible for her to come just from Fleur simply playing with her breasts.

"Fleur," Tonks moaned her hips bucking again. "Fleur," she whispered raggedly once more a second later, her voice desperate and wanting. "Fleur, please," she continued her hand running down Fleur's arm shakily until she found the blonde's hand, quickly dragging it between her legs once she found it. She needed Fleur inside of her, she needed to come, it was imperative. "I need …"

"I know," Fleur murmured softly, a beautiful smile on her face as she looked down at Tonks. She could feel the older witch's excitement mounting, Tonks' juices had begun to dampen her thighs minutes before and she knew the other woman wouldn't be able to hold off for much longer.

Fleur slipped inside of Tonks and began to move her fingers, her head bowing again to take possession of Tonks' lips as she began to move inside of the other woman, knowing that once she had taken the edge off they would really be able to enjoy themselves.


Tonks stretched out luxuriously, her toes pointing towards the door as she sighed happily. After her first orgasm on the couch, Fleur had suggested they move into the bedroom and Tonks was very glad for the suggestion because resting in post-coital bliss on the bed was much more comfortable than it would have been on the couch.

"I feel ridiculously good," Tonks breathed out smiling happily as Fleur's hand moved over her stomach before the blonde placed a kiss on her shoulder.

Fleur smiled against Tonks' skin. "Mm, you do feel ridiculously good," the French-woman agreed.

"Very funny," Tonks murmured shifting slightly, dipping her head down so that she could capture Fleur's lips when the blonde looked up at her.

"I am French," Fleur responded stretching herself, her body loose and relaxed. "Eet eez to be expected, we are a funny people."

"Oh, right," Tonks said in response settling against the pillows as Fleur pressed her body up against her side, the blonde's head resting on the pillow beside Tonks' shoulder, the older witch's skin within perfect kissing distance. "I read an article in the Daily Prophet the other day about French comedians storming the globe. I think it said that one disarmed a Death Eater last week with nothing but 'knock, knock' jokes and a rubber chicken."

Fleur laughed softly. "Ahh, zee rubber chicken gag," the blonde sighed nostalgically. "Dis one eez always a crowd pleaser."

Tonks smiled at that but remained silent and the two women lay in peace for a while, enjoying the feel of each others bodies and the soothing sound of their mingled breaths.

"When is Bill coming home?" Tonks asked finally, sighing softly as reality intruded on their peace. As much as she enjoyed lying with Fleur it wouldn't do for them to be snuggling when the blonde's husband came home. The intimacy that they had shared was special and it was something that they had both needed, but it didn't change their situations and because of that it needed to stay between them.

"Not until tomorrow morning," Fleur responded softly, her tone slightly dampened as well. "Most likely tomorrow 'fternoon," she continued. "Stay, we will wake up early," she went on grasping Tonks' hand knowing that Tonks was thinking of leaving and not wanting her to. She needed to lay with the other woman for a while longer, to feel connected to someone, to feel loved instead of confined.

Tonks squeezed Fleur's hand and nodded. She didn't really want to leave the warmth of Fleur's embrace for her own cold bed. The possibility of spending the night in someone's arms was too good to pass up, and Tonks turned her head to the side pressing her lips against Fleur's once more as the blonde's hand began to move over her again.


Tonks hesitated outside of the door, listening for a few seconds to see if she could detect any noise from within before she finally sighed and reached for the doorknob. She felt like she was sixteen again. She just hoped that sneaking in as the sun rose would work better for her now than it had when she actually was sixteen.

A soft sigh escaped from Tonks' lips a few seconds later as the door closed behind her and her eyes settled on her mother's figure standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a mug of tea in her hands.

"Are you just getting in?" Andromeda asked her eyebrow lifting high on her forehead as she considered her daughter.

"Yeah," Tonks said looking away not wanting to meet her mother's eyes. The woman had an absolutely aggravating ability to know what she was thinking just by looking at her. "Dinner went well. We stayed up late talking, and I was tired so I just stayed the night," she continued thinking that it sounded perfectly plausible.

Andromeda was silent after that though she continued to stare at her daughter and Tonks began to move further into the living room, hoping that despite her mother's continued gaze that it would be that and she would be able to escape to her room without further comment.

"Am I supposed to believe that?" Andromeda asked finally as Tonks made it to the hallway leading the bedrooms.

"Yes," Tonks responded a little peevishly, her mother's expression was inscrutable but Tonks was certain that she knew she hadn't simply talked herself to exhaustion and passed out.

Andromeda nodded and Tonks turned to continue on her way.

"In that case, you might want to take care of that mark on your neck before your father wakes up," Andromeda began just as Tonks began to walk again. "I've never heard of conversation causing one of those before, it might cause him to suspect your story."

Tonks sighed and tipped her head back wearily. Fleur had been spending a lot of time kissing her neck, she should have checked to see if she had a hickey before she left.

"Mom," Tonks began turning around to consider her mother trying to figure out how she would explain to her that after months of loneliness and despair she had been given the opportunity to experience some joy, and had taken it because she was scared she was beginning to forget what it was to be happy and loved.

Andromeda waved lightly before bringing her mug to her lips. "Sometimes our hearts lead us astray," Andromeda murmured a moment later, her gaze focusing on Tonks once more. "What matters is that it leads us back to where it was meant to be," she finished with a faraway look in her eyes before she smiled reassuringly at her daughter and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Tonks shook her head and continued towards her bedroom, hoping that her mother was right and her heart would find its home again.

The End

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