thattimeofthemonth | Open RP Post

He was going to bloody well stay outside, thank you. Remus rubbed his face, fingering an old scar that threatened to itch. Sometimes he didn't understand why Tonks had any interest in him. He looked old enough to be her father - Metamorphing out of the way - and the scarring only made it worse. Damn was he grateful for her, though.

He looked up at the half moon, frowning. Sometime closer, he would explain the rules around the moon. That was another issue all together but one they had well in hand. Thanks to the Wolfsbane, his family didn't have to worry.

Thankfully they had quieted down, when Draco returned with his trunk. He could tell that his parents were still fuming but were civil enough when they went to see their son off.

Draco noted that his father had given him an extra pouch of money to hand to Remus later. His mother had also left him a box of sweets to take as well. He listened to the few words of advice and warnings as well. He then hugged the both of them before meeting Remus outside.

Once outside, Draco handed the pouch to Remus not wanting to forget about it later. "My father wanted to make sure you received this. It was for giving me a place to stay."

Remus paused at the pouch - the weight wasn't insignificant - and almost immediately felt awkward. He never wanted to be a charity case, and even though he expected the Malfoys to take care of their son's expenses, he hadn't expected extra. His pride raged with his common sense. The former said to hand it back, that they weren't hard off and didn't need it, while the latter snapped that yes they did, that this could go to making certain that Teddy had everything he would need in the future.

In the end, the latter won out purely because he was a survivor. The idea of throwing away galleons sounded too stupid to be believed despite his pride, so he nodded slightly and tucked the pouch away. He could still feel the weight of it, though. Equally, his mind pointed out that Draco had in fact given it to him, not kept it for himself. All little proofs of how the young man had changed.

"Thank you," quietly spoken before he offered over his arm. He actually wasn't certain if Draco knew how to Apparate, but more importantly, Draco had no idea where his home was. "Make sure you've got a tight grip on your trunk."

Had he been a few years younger, Draco would have kept the money pure and simple. Not because he didn't need it but out of spite. But he respected Remus and he also knew that his father was trying to help. If his father had given it to him, Draco felt for sure that Remus would have turned it down on the spot...but since he had Draco do it..it probably helped ease things.

He simply nodded and did as told, clutching onto the trunk and holding Remus's arm. He knew how to Apparate, but he didn't know where Remus lived either.

Draco would have been right; if Lucius himself had offered the gold, he would have declined it. That? That his pride couldn't have taken on in any method, even against his common sense. He couldn't help that, not after everything he'd gone through in his life.

When he glanced over to the trunk, making sure it was well in hand, he gripped his wand in the other hand and concentrated carefully on his home. There was a specific place that everyone Apparated, just to be safe - basement. No one was down there and for good reason. Draco might catch it as they landed after what was a particularly longer Apparated that the basement was nigh on empty except for some large pillows, a large metal bowl, all tucked up in the corner.

He took his curse seriously, since no longer did he have any Animagus friends to keep the wolf occupied during the full moon.

"There we go! Not too bad." Apparation was always harder on a Side-Along. He gave an easy smile towards Draco, already looking more relaxed now that he was home. He ignored the room he was in and instead went for the door, popping it open so Draco could get his trunk through. On the other side showed that the basement was divided and the other room was quite nice. A simple little play room for Teddy.

It took a few seconds for Draco to regain his sense of direction and that his stomach had settle back down. He noted the basement and how sparse it was and the pillows tucked away in a corner. He kept his comments to himself.

Hesitantly, Draco followed Remus and quietly took in everything. His eyes were wide with curiosity. He was a little fearful of meeting Tonks, knowing that she wasn't too keen on the idea and what her job was. It also didn't help she was related to his mother as well.

"You're free to the house while you're here, but we'll have to discuss leaving as this probably isn't the sort of area you're living in." Which only too much reminded him that they would need to get Draco new clothing so that he could... oh dear. This would only get more complicated. He still tended to dress in very Muggle-like clothing and barely thought about it, and Tonks switched back and forth easily. It would all be new for Draco.

"Teddy has a playroom down here, and this leads up into the kitchen-" Trusting Draco to levitate his own trunk on this, Remus tucked away his wand and headed up the stairs. The kitchen was probably like nothing Draco had seen - it was cozy, wood, and warm with a strange mix of Muggle and Wizard spread across it. A proper fire pit sunk down, separate from the living room floo, but there was a white metal box tucked up on the counter space that was clearly Muggle. "Dining room and living room- there's three bedrooms upstairs and the loo as well. Teddy's room, our room, and the guest room which will be yours while you stay."

"You mean...that you live around Muggles?" Draco replied. Not in a disdainful voice, but one of curiosity. The way the house was decorated in various Muggle and Wizard stuff told him that much.

He realized himself how much he was going to stick out over here...verses to where he was used to living. This was his first time being among Muggles and he wasn't sure what to think about it. He knew his parents would not have been happy. This was going to be hard to adjust to

"We do." Oh this should go well. Remus did watch curiously, uncertain of just how the young man would react to all of this. This would be a tricky part. "In fact, we live in the middle of a Muggle area of the city. We're friends with our neighbors to a degree, though we do have charms on the house as well. That's why we avoid owls coming around as well. We're even on the electric grid for the city." He hesitated for a moment, then gave a little laugh. "Grew up in a very Muggle home, and it never left me." He gestured for Draco to follow him upstairs.

"Tonks!" He called out, not even sure if his wife was home.

If Draco's eyes could get wider they would. His pale face flushed slightly, but he simply nodded. He spoke in soft almost timid voice. "I...I've never really interacted with a Muggle or know much about their culture..."

He didn't bother to say his father wouldn't allow it. He took note of where everything was and followed Remus upstairs.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure you get through it. They're not all that different from us, I promise. Still people. They just know about as much about our world as you know about theirs, but we have to keep our secrets."

He gave an easy smile as he led Draco upstairs, bringing him to the guest room. Simple, neat, not much to it, but it would suffice. "Feel free to put your things wherever you'd like. It's yours while you're here."

"So that means being careful about mentioning magic and using my wand," Draco replied.

He gave a nod of thanks and then placed his trunk at the base of the bed. He didn't bring a whole lot of stuff, mainly clothes, a photo album, some pictures, some books on quidditch, and a snitch he had taken long ago and never returned. He figured if he needed anything else from home it could be sent.

"Wand stays pocketed at all times," Remus said in a tone of agreement. "Muggles, and people in general, hear what they want and ignore most everything else. They aren't another species, Draco." He looked a hint amused and couldn't help it. "And they don't bite, nor are they foolish. Just think - they have to learn to survive in the world with no magic at all. They're exceedingly clever. My mother could do things my father boggled about. Things like the internet, television... fascinating things."

He sulked slightly at having to keep his wand pocked at all times, but nodded in agreement. That explained a few things about Remus being so familiar with everything.

"Internet....television? What are those?" he couldn't help but ask finding the strange words cumbersome. He then jumped slightly when a loud clatter could be heard from downstairs.

"I thought I put that away so I wouldn't trip over it..." Tonks muttered to herself. She was just relieved that she didn't hurt Teddy when she tripped and dropped the bags everywhere. The baby only giggled finding it funny. She felt that the groceries were easily replaceable at this point.

That's what she got for trying to carry too much. Hearing voices upstairs told her that her husband had returned and had brought their guest with him.

"Remus?" she called out.

"I'll show you later. I think you'll find it interesting, at least." Remus' smile was so much easier here, clearly just comfortable in his own home in ways he wasn't out of it (in particular the Malfoy summer home.)

"Up here! Hold on, we'll come down," Remus called downstairs, shaking his head. "She's always a bit of a klutz..." Murmured to Draco before chuckling, then led the way back down to the living room.

He leaned over and decidedly gathered the take out before it was completely ruined, seeing as Teddy was still held carefully. "Still cyan?" he murmured, glancing over at his son. "The neighbors are going to wonder soon." Sigh, but from the smile, he was still proud.

Draco followed suite and helped picked up the remaining pieces of what he assumed was their dinner. He kept his comments to himself and was trying to get on the right side of things in Tonks view...knowing that he was going to have a harder time earning her trust verses Remus.

"I was hoping to get everything ready before the two of you arrived, but it looks as if you beat me," Tonks replied in a cheerful tone as she tried to mask her own nervousness. Seeing that everything was picked up she went ahead and placed Teddy in Remus's arms and went to grab the dishes.

"She doesn't bite, I promise," Remus whispered to Draco, though he could already feel the anxiousness in the air. So he smiled down to his son and held him close after putting the food down on the kitchen table.

"Least you'll act happy about it all," he murmured to Teddy, who giggled again and looked up at his father with eyes that matched his - at least today. The house was already filling up with what he thought smelled delicious, but he'd introduced Tonks to Chinese takeout and she had become a bit hooked.

Draco couldn't help but give a curious glance at Teddy. He noted that the baby had picked up Tonks ability to change and thought it was rather neat.

He gave a skeptical glance at the various contents of the Chinese takeout. It was nothing he had eaten before. It did smell good. His family never done anything like that before. If they didn't cook they went to one of the restaurants to eat. But lately it was just them cooking never going out anymore.

"I hope he wasn't too much of a handful," Remus said over to Tonks, cradling Teddy carefully in one arm and doing his best to help set the table with help from his wand in his free hand.

But to Draco, he ended up quickly gesturing to a seat and giving a quick flick of his wrist, sending the chair scooting out. "Feel free to have at whatever looks good, but avoid the chicken covered in orange sauce. Tonks gets stabby with a fork if you go after her General Tso chicken."

"He was a little fussy after you had left, but he quieted down. The walk to get dinner seemed to cheer him up a bit. Will you be staying home for a few days or do you still have more business to deal with?" Tonks answered as she reached over for her favorite dish...just in case.

Which she didn't have to worry about, since Draco made a note not to go near it. He was still hesitant on what to try. Finally he just decided to grab the nearest dish and give it a try. He was too hungry at this point to really care what it was. He didn't understand the point of the sticks and just used his fork instead. After two forkfuls he found himself inhaling the dinner.

"I'm going to need to handle a few things, but nothing that's going to take me away for more than a few hours," Remus told Tonks with a hint of a smile on his lips as he glanced pointedly towards Draco. It involved their young guest. "Took care of those dementors, but... I don't like the idea of them getting in groups of more than two. I've never heard of more than that until tonight unless it was-- you know where." Careful of the mention of the prison given their guest.

Still, able to use the pointy sticks with some skill, it amused him more to watch Draco eating with gusto. "Good, isn't it? That's a dish called Moo Goo Gai Pan. Chicken and vegetables in that garlicy white sauce."

Tonks gave a thoughtful nod. It was rather unusual for them to be found in large groups...but the area they were located in was rather uncivilized and the Malfoy's summer home was the only thing there. It probably did attract them. "It is rather unusual and something worth investigating."

She wanted to say more, but felt it would be inappropriate to discuss in front of their guest. She just wondered if some of the Dark Lord's followers were trying to round them to cause trouble. Not all of them were caught. The smart ones hid and didn't reveal themselves.

Draco made an attempt to say the name of the dish, but ended up butchering it and gave up. "Why do you use those sticks to eat?" he asked as he watched Remus use them.

Remus gave a meaningful look to Tonks, suggesting while he couldn't read her mind, he had a pretty good idea of what was going through it anyway. He had thought much the same, and had even had concerns that perhaps the Malfoys had been the center of that gathering. It would, unfortunately, make all too much sense. Something they could speak about when they were in bed later.

Remus gave a quiet chuckle at Draco's attempt, pointing towards him with the chopsticks in hand. "Chopsticks. Muggles and Wizards in the Far East use them instead of forks. I learned to use them as a child, though." He looked a bit amused, but also a little sad. "My mother used to wonder if in a hurry, Asian Wizards would get their wands and chopsticks confused."

Tonks gave a small smile back as she proceeded to watch Remus interact with Draco. It was a shame that Remus couldn't continue to be a teacher. He was really good at explaining things and having the patience to repeat or find other approaches to get through to his students.

She noted that Draco was trying hard to accept what was before him despite his upbringing. What she was seeing at the table was not like the stories she had been told. She tried to take what she saw before her with a grain of salt.

After dinner and lessons on Chinese culture were done, Tonks quickly put away everything. She then went to give Teddy his bath since he managed to get covered in food. It seemed that most of the time it never made it to his mouth.

Draco used the time to unpack and retire for the night. The day itself had been long and difficult for him.

Remus decided to let Draco get used to his room, his surroundings, while he went to get himself ready for bed. Ridiculously oversized pajamas (they were one of the few things that felt comfortable instead of just being nude) with little stars on them had been Tonks' gift at Christmas - she thought they were hysterical and he thought they were comfortable - but otherwise, he had only relief in him that they had managed to get this far. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he hoped.

So all he could do was wait for Tonks to put Teddy down and ask her what she thought, so far.

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