AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'

Summary: It wouldn't be the Auror Christmas party without a mystery to solve, a spot of mischief, and a very well-earned slow dance.

Characters: Tonks, Remus; various minor characters

Words: ca. 7,000 total; this chapter 2,000 words

( Chapter 3: Aint Misbehavin )

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AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'

Summary: It wouldn't be the Auror Christmas party without a mystery to solve, a spot of mischief, and a very well-earned slow dance.

Characters: Tonks, Remus, briefly Sirius; various minor characters

Words: ca. 7,000 total; this chapter 1,900 words

Notes: My main fic from this winter's rt_morelove event!

     By the nature of their canonical relationship (compressed timeline, inherent tragedy, so much personal struggle and interpersonal angst!) I feel like when I write Remus/Tonks so much of it ends up being intensely emotion-focused. Even when it's positive emotions and fluffy moments, it feels like I'm fighting to give them as much happiness as possible before their inevitable end! So with this one I wanted a different focus, wanted to give them something fun to do, a bit of an adventure – showcase Tonks and Remus doing cool stuff as the interesting characters they are, not just having relationship angst. I don't know whether I've succeeded, but that was the intention. :-)
     I've borrowed one small but crucial detail from the great Dorothy L. Sayers. I'd like to hope she wouldn't mind!

     Written for the following plethora of prompts:
#11, 'I would always rather be happy than dignified.' —Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
#9, The Auror Christmas Party
#15, [picture of a really snazzy red dress, here]
#14, 'My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities...like the ability to behave myself.' ―J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
plus a bit of #7, Sirius' Christmas

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AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'

( Chapter 1: Puttin on the Ritz )
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BE THE LIGHT IN MY LANTERN

Summary: In which Remus and Tonks fight battles, arrest criminals, befriend werewolves, overcome inner demons and, despite it all, find themselves a happy ending. A love story, and a story of the Order years. (At long last, my Remus/Tonks epic, which has been years in the making!)

Notes: Yes, the day has come: This is the final chapter of Part One! More notes about the upcoming Part Two are in the end note.


( Chapter 18: The Aftermath )

BE THE LIGHT IN MY LANTERN

Summary: In which Remus and Tonks fight battles, arrest criminals, befriend werewolves, overcome inner demons and, despite it all, find themselves a happy ending. A love story, and a story of the Order years. (At long last, my Remus/Tonks epic, which has been years in the making!)

Note: Okay, so here's my posting plan for the next weeks – because things are about to get (even more) hectic for me, I'm going to switch to posting chapters every two weeks. So I won't post a chapter next Friday, but I will post on or around Friday two weeks from now. And on or around Friday two weeks after that. And then that's it for Part 1! (Part 2 will follow...) Oh, and as always, this story is simultaneously updating at AO3 and FF.


( Chapter 16: The Calm before the Storm )

BE THE LIGHT IN MY LANTERN

Summary: In which Remus and Tonks fight battles, arrest criminals, befriend werewolves, overcome inner demons and, despite it all, find themselves a happy ending. A love story, and a story of the Order years. (At long last, my Remus/Tonks epic, which has been years in the making!)


( Chapter 14: A Little Hope )

BE THE LIGHT IN MY LANTERN

Summary: In which Remus and Tonks fight battles, arrest criminals, befriend werewolves, overcome inner demons and, despite it all, find themselves a happy ending. A love story, and a story of the Order years. (At long last, my Remus/Tonks epic, which has been years in the making!)

( Chapter 12: Healing Wounds )

BE THE LIGHT IN MY LANTERN

Summary: In which Remus and Tonks fight battles, arrest criminals, befriend werewolves, overcome inner demons and, despite it all, find themselves a happy ending. A love story, and a story of the Order years. (At long last, my Remus/Tonks epic, which has been years in the making!)

( Chapter 10: Everything for the First Time )

BE THE LIGHT IN MY LANTERN

Summary: In which Remus and Tonks fight battles, arrest criminals, befriend werewolves, overcome inner demons and, despite it all, find themselves a happy ending. A love story, and a story of the Order years. (At long last, my Remus/Tonks epic, which has been years in the making!)


( Chapter 8: 'Tis the Season )

BE THE LIGHT IN MY LANTERN

Summary: In which Remus and Tonks fight battles, arrest criminals, befriend werewolves, overcome inner demons and, despite it all, find themselves a happy ending. A love story, and a story of the Order years. (At long last, my Remus/Tonks epic, which has been years in the making!)

Notes: Yes, I've changed the title of the story – to "Be the Light in My Lantern" from the old working title "The Beginning of Something." The new title is from a song by Josh Ritter, "Lantern." Josh is one of my all-time favorite songwriters, and this is a song of his that I also sometimes play/perform; it's an anthem of hope and love even in dark times.

( Chapter 4: The Captive and the Cousin )