Tangled Yarn

Rating: K
Warnings: None
Pairings: Remus/Tonks
Siummary: When Dora takes on the new found hobby of knitting, Remus realizes that her horrendous knitting skills are just another thing that he loves about her.

I was used to Dora's clumsiness. I was used to her bubbly personality and enthusiasm. I was gradually – very gradually – getting used to the idea that she loved me despite my disease and the little displays of affection that were normal for a relationship of this kind, which I had never experienced before. But, as I learned one night at an Order meeting, there was a lot I still didn't know about Nymphadora Tonks.

When I flooed into the Burrow, the Order's new headquarters for a meeting that was meant to be short, quick, and to the point, there were only two other people in the tiny living room: Molly and Dora. Molly, looking overwhelmed and exhausted, was knitting with gusto. Dora looked as though she had stepped out of the floo just moments earlier, covered in a light dusting of ash.

Molly glanced up and schooled her expression into one that was much more relaxed. She smiled. "Good afternoon dears."

"Good afternoon, Molly," I replied, but Dora didn't say anything.

Her eyes were locked on the knitting needles in Molly's hands, her gaze intense. I knew Molly normally knitted her children scarves and mittens and the infamous Christmas sweaters, so I didn't usually find it all that fascinating to stumble upon Molly and the furious clicking of the needles. Dora, however, seemed to find it completely entrancing.

"Yes, dear?" Molly asked, glancing up again as she noticed the intense gaze focused on her.

"Just... watching..." Dora responded distractedly, eyes still trained on the constantly moving needles.

Minerva appeared around the corner a moment later. Her hair was beginning to show signs of grey and there seemed to always be a certain air of exhaustion about her lately. When she spoke, her voice was tight and sharp. The stress and strain of the war that made itself apparent in all the Order members was certainly apparent in Minerva.

"The meeting is about to start."

"Thank you, Minerva. We'll be along in a moment," I said, taking a step toward the kitchen. "Come on, Dora."

"Coming, Remus," she responded, still rather distractedly. She seemed disappointed when Molly waved her wand and the yarn, knitting needles, and half-made scarf disappeared into a basket by the fireplace.

I peered curiously at her and wondered what she found so fascinating.

As the three of us exited the living room and moved into the kitchen, our thoughts were focused on the more serious matters at hand. Dora's sudden obsession with knitting was pushed to the back of my mind and I didn't think about it for weeks afterwards.

The next Order meeting called was on a full moon and I was, of course, unable to attend. But I was able to make the following meeting a few weeks later. That evening, when I stepped out of the floo and into the living room of the Burrow, I was greeted by a surprising sight.

Dora and Molly were sitting in the two armchairs near the fireplace. Each had a pair of knitting needles in their hands and a ball of yarn at their feet.

"Loop the string around, dear. Like that, yes. You've got it. Now..." Molly was saying, moving her hands in with exaggerated movements as she manipulated the yarn around the needles.

Dora was sitting on the edge of her seat, her eyes wide and transfixed quite intently on Molly's hands. With clumsy and uncertain movements, she mimicked Molly.

"Now just do that again," Molly instructed gently. "No, dear. Like this. Yes, that's right."

I cleared my throat, making my presence known.

Dora jumped, startled, and the needles clattered to the floor.

"Look, Remus," she cried excitedly, scooping the needles and the tangled mess of yarn off the floor. She waved them in front of my face. "Molly's teaching me to knit!"

"I see that," I replied, smiling at her child-like enthusiasm. I leaned over and placed a kiss atop the wild mess of purple that was her hair that day. "How very kind of you, Molly."

Molly smiled, raising to her feet and bustling around to gather up the knitting. "It's my pleasure. None of my children were ever very interested in learning to knit. Not even Ginny."

As the weeks – and Order meetings – went by, Molly continued to guide Dora through the intricacies of knitting. In her spare time, Dora would pick up the needles and continue to make attempts at creating something out of the yarn. It was slow going but, soon enough, Dora was wearing a pair of navy blue mittens everywhere she went, no matter the weather. They held only a slight resemblance to mittens, in my opinion, but I didn't say a word. Dora was very proud of her work and I wouldn't be the one to discourage her from this new found hobby. As the war escalated and the accompanying stresses did as well, distractions were always welcome. There were times that I almost wished I had taken up knitting as a distraction as well, but just the thought of how much James and Sirius would laugh if they knew prevented me from doing so.

A long scarf – a deep red color – followed the misshapen mittens. It seemed grow and shrink in width in no recognizable pattern and there were more holes than I could count, but I simply smiled and told Dora that it was wonderful and surely Molly would be proud. She grinned, looking happier than she had in days, and proudly bragged about it to everyone who was unfortunate enough to encounter her at the next meeting.

After that, she began working on a patterned sweater. As far as I was able to tell, the intent was to alternate between the dark grey and lighter grey colored yarns in a specific pattern. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. The sweater began to morph into a crumpled mess of yarn – there really was no better way to describe it – with uneven splotches of color.

A few weeks after the sweater project began, I was due to go on a mission for the Order. I was unsure of how long I would be away nor if I would even live to return at all.

Dora had promised come over to say goodbye before I left, so I wasn't surprised to hear the whoosh of the floo that morning as I finished packing.

"Remus?" her voice called from the living room.

"One moment!" I called back. I finished folding the shirt I was holding, then set it aside.

When I hurried out into the living room, I was surprised to find Dora standing beside the fireplace with something hidden behind her back and a brilliant smile lighting up her face. I raised an eyebrow at her.

Dora opened her mouth to explain, but then closed it again with a slight laugh. She seemed too excited to speak, so instead she brought the mystery object out where I could see it. She threw me the horrible sweater she'd just knitted and grinned happily.

"You like it?"

I looked down at the mess of a sweater and then back up at her, noting the dark circles under her eyes. She must have stayed up all night to finish it in time to give it to me, I realized.

"Remus? Do you like it?" There was an eager hopefulness in her expression as she waited for me to respond. She bounced from one foot to the other with nervous energy.

"I love it, Dora. It's perfect." I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight. "I will wear it every day until I return."

Dora gave a laugh and pulled away from my embrace. "Don't do that!" she admonished. "I know the sort of things you get up to when you go unsupervised, Remus Lupin. There's no telling what damage would come to the poor thing!"

I had no retort, so I kissed her on the lips instead. "It's perfect," I said again.

I knew, in that instant, that the moment I returned from this mission – and I would return, for her if for nothing else – I would ask her to marry me. I loved Dora and everything about her. And that included her knitting skills.

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