A/N: It's been a little while since I posted here (nearly two years in fact) but I like to think that my writing style has changed enough that I'm no longer terribly embarrassed at the thought of sharing it. Was inspired to write this after listening to The Magnetic Fields and because I have an assignment due.
Disclaimer: Still not my world, even if my knowledge of it is flawless.

Fools rush in,

Where wise men never go,

But wise men never fall in love,

So how are they to know?

- Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread), Bow Wow Wow

The sun hung low over The Burrow, casting the world into golden shades that for some reason reminded Remus of the seventies. Though Dumbledore had finished speaking ten minutes previously people still milled around the flowery garden, laughing and drinking as though they had not just been discussing the return of a megalomaniac murderer and potential wizarding dictator.

Remus himself stood on the edge of the orchard, content to watch and sip from his gin and tonic. Across from him Sirius was talking animatedly to Hagrid while everyone else gave him a wide birth and shot furtive glances in his direction. Though it had been ascertained by Dumbledore that Sirius was innocent, the people in the garden were still suspicious of him. Sirius did a good job of hiding it but Remus could tell that it bothered him.

"Quite exciting, isn't it? Fighting dark wizards?" a voice next to Remus asked.

Remus started. A young woman had silently taken her place beside him. She smiled at him expectantly; a nice wide smile that matched her strangely familiar twinkling silver eyes. Most noticeable about her was her hair – an obnoxious shade of turquoise blue that Remus found oddly endearing.

"I, er, I suppose," he stuttered out, "Sorry I –"

"Tonks." She said holding out her hand for Remus to shake, "Nymphadora Tonks, only don't ever call me that."

"Why, what's wrong with Nymphadora?"

Tonks-not-Nymphadora grimaced, "Are you kidding? It's awful. Sounds like a sex obsession or something."

At this Remus snorted rather unattractively into his drink. Shaking her hand he said, "Well when you put it like that. Personally I quite like it – you sound like a wood-nymph."

"I suppose. How about you? Any unfortunate names to share?" she asked, taking a sip of butterbeer. Remus was unsure but he thought he detected a soft northern accent.

"Remus Lupin. Not the luckiest name to have." Replied Remus, cringing internally at the sickening appropriateness of it.

"Oh, I like that!" Nymphadora Tonks said brightly, its meaning lost on her entirely, "Very classical. Like you're a Roman myth and I'm a Greek one. Funny that."

"It is a little odd, isn't it." Remus agreed already feeling a little lighter. He finished his drink, "Erm, I'm going to pour my self another one," he said holding his glass up, "Care for it?"

Tonks drained the rest of her drinks, "Yes please, if you wouldn't mind. I brought a bottle of rum to share so just mix that with some orange. Help yourself."

"Ah thank you, but I think I'll stick to gin and tonic."

At this Tonks made a face.

"Not a fan?" asked Remus, amused.

"Not at all."

With this Remus headed through the open French doors and into the house where sat a table that heaved with assorted bottles of alcohol. He had just found the rum when another voice sounded behind him.

"Who was that girl you were flirting with?"

Remus turned to fix Sirius with a glare, "I wasn't flirting, we were just talking. Her name's Nymphadora Tonks."

Sirius' eyes widened, "Wait – that's Nym?"

"What?"

"Andromeda's daughter, little Nym. Don't you remember her?"

"I knew I recognised the name! Should have known she was your cousin with those eyes. I don't think I've ever met her before, though."

"Yes you have," Sirius pressed, "We used to babysit her."

This made Remus wince. He had noticed that Tonks was younger than him but not young enough for him to have once been responsible for her. "You mean that someone I once babysat is now of legal drinking age?"

"Don't worry, she's only about twelve years younger than us. You can still have a go."

Once again Remus frowned at his friend, "Piss off, Sirius."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Fine. Don't flirt with the pretty, leggy girl who seems to like you already. Continue with your vow of celibacy. I might come over to you later; it'd be nice to see Nym again. Provided she doesn't run away from me screaming, that is."

He skulked off back to Hagrid with a can of lager in hand. Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' ever increasing tendency towards sudden mood-swings.

Was Tonks really flirting with him? Of course not, Remus thought, young, good-looking women don't flirt with old, broken men. Don't be ridiculous. Still, he could not help the sinking feeling in his chest. He would never do anything or expect Tonks to either, but it would have been nice to entertain the thought.

He wanted to hold back for a minute and stay in the safe confines of the house, possibly forever, but Tonks had just finished a conversation with Kingsley Shacklebolt and was now fixing her broad closed-mouth smile back on Remus. She wiggled her fingers at him.

He crossed back over to her and handed her a drink, "Do you know Kingsley already?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, I work with him. He's not my boss but he's the next one down from that." She explained.

"Oh wow, you're an Auror?"

"Yes. Why is that so shocking?" Tonks enquired with narrowed eyes.

Remus back-tracked quickly, "No, I mean – I'm not – you're just so young so –"

A throaty laugh escaped Tonks' mouth, "I'm fucking with you, Remus. Sorry, it wasn't a very good joke."

"Oh, thank God. Didn't want you to think I was being rude."

"I get the impression you're not capable of such a thing." If Remus was not mistaken, it appeared that Tonks was blushing. She hid her face in her drink for a moment then said, "Do you know Kingsley too? Were you in the Order together last time?"

Remus cocked an eyebrow, "Tonks, I'm only twenty-six. I wasn't old enough to be in the Order last time."

"Oh, Christ!" she clapped both hands over her mouth, sloshing rum and orange down her t-shirt, "I am so sorry! I wasn't implying – " she cut off at the sight of Remus laughing, "Now you're fucking with me, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. And yes, I was in the Order with Kingsley last time."

At that moment Sirius loped over with a new can of lager in his hand, "Hey, Loops, looks like you're having a good time. Hi," he said turning to Tonks, "I'm not sure if you remember me I'm-"

"-Sirius. Yes, I do remember you. You used to babysit me, right?" Tonks flashed a friendly grin and held out her hand, which elicited a smile from Sirius who had grown used to people avoiding him all night.

"That I did," he said taking her hand, then nudging Remus, "and Remus here used help. He was the 'responsible' one." Sirius held his fingers up in air-quotes.

Tonks laughed her infectious laugh again and engaged Sirius in conversation about their shared family. Quite content to see his friend smile for the first time that night, Remus zoned out.

The meeting had slowly devolved into a summer party of sorts, with music floating through the air and mingling with the chatter. Over on one side of the garden Hagrid and Charlie Weasley were raving loudly about the beauty of dragons and other such creatures, Hagrid waxing lyrical about his 'baby Norbert'. Across from them Molly Weasley could be heard cackling loudly as she shared what Remus imagined to be rather scandalous stories to Hestia Jones and Minerva McGonagall, who laughed so hard that her hat fell off, though she did not appear to notice. Their scene was mirrored by Mad-Eye Moody who was swaying as he told the enraptured Bill Weasley and Sturgis Podmore about his days as an Auror - "And as I grabbed him by the neck he shoved his wand as far into my eye as he could until -pop! It was rolling away from me-!" Around the patio furniture Arthur Weasley, Dedalus Diggle, and Emmeline Vance played a particularly unsuccessful game of exploding snap, none of them capable of reacting in time but more than able to knock back firewhiskey like water. In a chair next to them Filius Flitwick dozed peacefully. Down at the very end of the garden Remus was surprised to see Albus Dumbledore sat with his arm Elphias Doge's shoulders as they reminisced about their school days and had to lean up against each other for support.

"-anyway, I thought I best come over to save you from Moony. I could see him turning on the old charm the minute you walked over to him."

Remus' head snapped over to Sirius, his eyes catching up a moment later, "What? I'm so sorry, Tonks, he thinks he's being funny."

"Oh believe me I don't mind." Tonks insisted. She blushed again.

Eyebrows raised Sirius said, "And on that note I am going to get myself another drink and leave you two to yourselves. Don't do anything do anything I wouldn't do."

"Sirius the only thing you don't do is think before you speak." Remus retorted only for Sirius to ignore him and walk off with a wink. "Whatever he said about me it isn't true."

"Really?" said Tonks, amused, "Because he was singing your praises."

Remus laughed incredulously.

"No, honestly, he kept telling me how clever and kind you are."

"Did he?" Remus asked, somewhat touched.

"Yep. Also what a spectacular shag you are."

Remus choked on his drink and sputtered. His eyes watered and he began trying to respond.

"Anyway," continued Tonks, clearly enjoying making Remus squirm, "I've never seen Mad-Eye this steaming before so I best go take advantage of it while I can." She began to walk over to her inebriated mentor then paused and turned to Remus, stormy grey eyes sparkling, "It was wonderful to meet you, Remus Lupin. I hope we see each other again soon."

"So do I. It was absolutely heavenly to meet you too, Nymphadora."

"Remus. Piss off."

She grinned once more and disappeared into the party. Remus watched her go and smiled into his glass. He had a distinct sense that the carefully composed order of his life, which had taken him nearly fourteen years to construct, was about to be torn apart and thrown out to sea, though surprisingly he found that he did not mind. No, he did not mind at all if this was to be done by an ostentatious young woman named Nymphadora Tonks.