(no subject)

[clumsy_auror]

Sunday lunch had been spent with the Tonkses, which was a nice change; it felt good to visit with her parents more often, and Nymphadora hoped that they could do so regularly now that Bernard was unbound.

Following the meal, Ted had gently shunted them out the door, saying that he and Sunny had plans for a cushion fort, and Andromeda and Anthony were hoping for a bit of a lie-down, and that 'Dora and Bernard would be in the way, anyhow, so why don't they go for a bit of a cuppa or an ice cream, or something.

It's one of those long August days, hot but with the promise of a chill towards evening, the death knell of a summer that's been one thing after another. She's quiet as they walk along, aimlessly passing through the streets of her parents' neighborhood.

Comments

[clumsy_auror]

"Okay."

Then she's quiet, again, her eyes wandering over the well-kept lawns and rambling gardens around them.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

Bernard drops her hand and slows, slipping his arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Hey, guess what?"

[clumsy_auror]

"What?"

Her arm slides automatically around his waist, and she leans into the kiss.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

"We're all gonna be okay."

[clumsy_auror]

Unexpectedly, her eyes prick with tears. "How do you know?"

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

He stops. "Because no family can go through this much bullshit in one year without getting some good luck along the way."

[clumsy_auror]

A soft, frustrated noise, but she doesn't disagree outright.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

"Since when are you the negative one, anyway?"

[clumsy_auror]

It takes all of Nymphadora's self-control not to lash out. Instead she takes a deep, measured breath, and keeps on looking straight ahead.

"I'm not trying to be negative. I'm trying to tell you that I'm scared. Which, if I remember correctly, was something you said you wanted me to do."

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

Quietly, "That I did. So am I. But I really do believe we're gonna be fine. At home, or elsewhere."

[clumsy_auror]

Her arms are crossed over her chest, now, and her breath gradually evens out.

"Okay. But I really don't want to talk about it any more."

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

"Fine." They start walking again, slowly.

"Can we talk about Crowley, or is that gonna be taboo as well?"

[clumsy_auror]

"Please don't be shirty," she almost whispers, looking down at the sidewalk. "We can talk about Crowley."

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

"Okay," he replies, spying a small park with benches and steering her towards it. "I think we need to think of some kind of... strategy for dealing with him."

[clumsy_auror]

"Like what?"

They come to an unoccupied bench and sit, the distant chatter of children playing on a nearby swing set drifting across the grass.

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

A laugh. "I dunno! Something! Anything to make him sit still for a few minutes more and talk to us instead of pulling back into his own head."

[clumsy_auror]

"That would... probably be easier if I knew how I felt about the whole thing."

A sigh.

"About him, I mean."

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

"I was kind of wondering."

[clumsy_auror]

"I mean, I love him because it's Crowley, but he--" Nymphadora breaks off, crossing her arms again. "He should've told me. You know he should have."

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

"He should have told all of us. It was monumentally stupid." Bernard leans forward, resting his face in his hands. "But he's not exactly a brain trust in some areas."

[clumsy_auror]

A hot breeze finally blows through the park, and idly Nymphadora eyes the ice cream cart that's a little across the way. Then, "And I know that he loves us. He does."

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

"Yes. And given his extremely twisted logic, this is the ultimate proof, isn't it?"

[clumsy_auror]

Finally 'Dora laughs, though it's sort of rough around the edges. "I suppose that's true, isn't it."

[the-woodpecker.livejournal.com]

"I believe it is, yeah."

[clumsy_auror]

Nymphadora looks over at him, squinting a bit against the afternoon sun.

"I'm not trying to punish him, you know."