An: Hi. this is a series of snapshots in the life of Tonks and Remus, starting from when she was 9 and ending…well, with her death. It will be in chronological order, and hopefully that makes sense. To all the RL/SB worshippers, I agree. Really, I do. But this came to me, and I had to write it. There's slash in there if you look hard enough and really want it. So, sit back, have fun. Enjoy.

1982– Spring

"Thanks for coming," Andromeda smiled at him, as she opened the door. He looked shabbier than ever, almost broken. She knew he was having difficulties getting a job - his condition saw to that - but she hadn't realised how bad it was.

He shrugged, only a glimmer of a smile on his face. "You offered food and money, how could I refuse?"

As she ushered him through the hall into the kitchen, she replied, "It used to be booze. One mention of the magic word alcohol and you'd come running."

"That was never me," he said quietly. "I came because they did." The pain on his face was heartbreaking, and Andromeda wished she'd never mentioned it.

"Her tutor's ill," she said brightly, trying to recover a lighter atmosphere. "And I've heard many stories about your excellent teaching techniques." Biting her lip, she realised she'd done it again. Yet another reference to the friends that were no longer around.

"Yes." Remus sighed. "But even then Peter still couldn't master defence against the..." He trailed off, as he recognised the irony in what he was saying.

"Remus!" A nine year old girl with black hair bounded into the room, hugging him tightly around the waist. "Are you teaching me today? Cause Mom said you were, but then Dad said you might not come.

Unable to supress a smile, Remus tousled her hair. "Yeah, you're stuck with me." He turned to Andromeda. "What did you want me to do with her?"

"Maths," Andromeda replied. "History I can do, same for French, and Ted's good at the biology, anatomy side of science, so science s pretty much covered. But neither of us is any good at explaining fractions or percentages to her."

Nymphadora pulled a face at the mention of fractions and tugged on Remus' hand. "If we're quiet, Mom won't know what we study," she whispered conspiratorially.

"Mom will know," Andromeda told her daughter with a smile. "Because moms know everything. But if you're good, and actually work without getting Remus off on tangents, I will let you have cake. "

Nymphadora grinned. "How much cake?"

"Oh, either an eighth of a cake, or maybe, if you're lucky, twenty-five percent," her mother teased, planting a kiss on her confused daughter's head. "Remus, do you want a cup of tea?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," he smiled, as Nymphadora took him by the hand and led him into the dining room. "One sugar, please."

When Andromeda brought the steaming mug through to him, Nymphadora's face was screwed up in concentration, as she divided a pile of apples into two halves. "Thanks," Remus said gratefully, as he took the mug from her.

"How's she doing?" Andromeda asked, watching as Nymphadora deliberated over whether the two piles she'd created were equal.

Remus nodded. "We'll make a mathematician of her yet."

"Is that like a pirate?" Nymphadora asked, looking up with a grin. "Like, Bluebeard the most feared mathematician that ever sailed the high seas?"

Andromeda stifled a laugh, as Remus nodded solemnly. "Yes. And the sworn enemies of the mathematicians were the grammarians."

Andromeda watched as Remus held his daughter rapt, as he created a world where mathematicians were pirates and grammarians were landlubbers and they were fighting a fierce war over an island called algebra. She left them to it, knowing that Remus would not only teach her daughter maths, but make it interesting so she would remember it.