It was almost a quarter past midnight when a disgruntled Tonks apparated onto the step immediately outside the doorway to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Not expecting anyone aside from Sirius to be present at Order Headquarters this time of night, she finally allowed her guard to drop as she stepped across the threshold of her cousin's childhood home. Sure that her entrance had gone unnoticed to potential onlookers both within and outside of the house, Tonks wearily slumped against the heavy, wooden door. The exhaustion and disappointment from the night's events had caught up to her at last. She had just returned from yet another long day of work at the Ministry; in addition to her regular responsibilities as an Auror, which were demanding enough, Tonks had to contend with the challenge of collecting useful information for the Order of the Phoenix without attracting attention to herself. This wasn't exactly an easy or thrilling task, especially for someone so energetic and eager to make a difference.

Apparently, Tonks let her guard down too soon, because as she advanced into the parlor and headed toward the kitchen, she felt her shin collide with something solid. Startled, she looked down to see that blasted umbrella stand come crashing onto the hardwood floor with a great echo. Cringing at the stab of pain the impact had caused to jolt up her leg as well as the prospect of disturbing Sirius with the noise, Tonks hastily tried to set the umbrella stand upright once again. However, she had barely crouched down to do so when a man whirled around the corner and pointed his wand menacingly against her chest.

"What do you think you're doing here? Show yourself!"

Tonks recognized the shabby robes and young yet weathered face at once. "Remus! It's me, Tonks! Don't jinx me, I'm sorry to bother you, I only expected Sirius to be home at this hour!" Tonks quickly whipped off her traveler's cloak, exposing her cropped, bubblegum pink hair. Lupin, however, wasn't entirely convinced, and although he slightly relaxed his hold on the wand jabbing her, he didn't drop it completely.

"If you really are Nymphadora, you won't mind-"

"Oh for the last time, I hate that name! Please, call me Tonks. Just. Tonks." She sounded exasperated, although her ire was not entirely directed at Lupin. On the contrary, seeing her friend again after so many weeks had quite bolstered Tonks' spirits.

Lupin, satisfied that only the real Tonks would correct him if he tried to use her full name, let the rest of his interrogation die on his tongue and smiled at her sheepishly instead. "Forgive me Tonks, I've had a long night myself, and I had to be sure that I wasn't about to receive another nasty surprise in the form of an intruder." he said softly.

"Don't mention it." She said brightly. "Say, you wouldn't happen to fancy a glass of fire whiskey at this hour would you?" Although Lupin wasn't particularly in the mood for a drink, he eagerly consented so that he could have an excuse to spend more time with the sprightly young witch. He followed Tonks into the kitchen, where he poured two glasses of the finest fire whiskey he could find. Giving Tonks her glass, Lupin made a mental note to restore Sirius' stash before his friend noticed that anything was amiss.

"Thanks, Remus!" Tonks drained her glass in one swig, unfazed by the sting of the liquor. Lupin, who admittedly preferred to sip his drink, couldn't help but be sort of impressed. Taking advantage of the fact that she now held his full attention, Tonks began to vent her frustration at the day's events. Somehow, Lupin always knew just what to say to lift her spirits and put things back into perspective.

"Oh Remus, I've had the longest day. Mad-eye has sent me on a fool's errand, it seems. I understand that I'm still young, but I do have some experience under my belt. I mean, I was part of the Advance Guard that escorted Harry to school at the start of the year. That's something!" she exclaimed, clearly distraught that the Order hadn't entrusted her with another task as important as escorting Harry Potter to start his fifth year at Hogwarts.

"He's just trying to protect you, Tonks. He's pretty fond of you, even if it's against Mad-Eye's common practice to pick favorites among his protégés." Lupin replied kindly. Despite her best efforts to hide her delight at Lupin's praise, Tonks could feel her cheeks burning traitorously.

"I understand that he can't confide in me as he usually does, not since that new bloke Scrimgeour is hell-bent on tracking my every move at the Ministry. I think Scrimgeour is suspicious of my association with Mad-Eye, but he doesn't have any proof that the Order has reassembled." Tonks explained. "Although, that doesn't stop him from grilling me about Mad-Eye's whereabouts any chance he gets." She added, clearly irritated. She dropped her gaze, not trusting herself to meet Lupin's warm green eyes. "I just hate that no one seems to take me seriously as an Auror recently."

"Nymphadora, look at me." Taken aback by the tenderness of his tone, Tonks didn't even bother to reprimand Lupin for his use of her full name. "No one in their right mind would ever doubt your abilities as an Auror. You were one of the last ones to be accepted into the force, and as the trainee of the famous Alastor Moody, no less! Believe me, the job he's given you- to essentially spy on the Ministry without giving away your own position- well, that's not something he would entrust to just anyone."

"Thank you, Remus. That means a lot." Tonks hardly dared say any more lest she give away just how much his words had impacted her. Deep down, she had already known that she had the makings of a great Auror; still, it certainly didn't hurt to hear that her talent hadn't gone unnoticed, especially since she didn't feel like it was being put to the best use at the moment.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Lupin added: "Just because you can't see the impact of the work you're doing right away doesn't make it any less valuable. Take it from someone who's been doing the Order's bidding in not one, but two wizarding wars now." Lupin owned this fact with a grim kind of pride, although he hated to highlight the age gap between himself and Tonks. If he could only ignore that one little caveat, in addition to the various other obstacles he would face if he allowed himself indulge the possibility that there could be something more than friendship between himself and Nymphadora…