Tonks padded softly down the last few steps in her pink fluffy socks, mindful not to slip on the stony floor of the basement, light was pouring out of the kitchen and she shuffled slightly in her chequered pyjamas hoping like mad that the occupant of the kitchen wasn't Molly Weasley or Sirius so she could sneak in and make her self a mug of hot chocolate and be gone. What was this person doing up at this time of the night anyway?

She tiptoed towards the door and ruffled her short spiky bubblegum pink hair, swinging round the door frame and colliding with something big, grey and smelling of…chocolate powder?

'Remus!' She hissed jumping backwards, 'you scared me'

He looked pale and drawn, his cheeks white and his eyes puffy and tired, 'Sorry Nymphadora, didn't see you there'

He retreated back into the kitchen, sitting down at the candle lit table, 'did you want something?'

Tonks scowled, she had planned to nip in and out of the kitchen without being stuck in an awkward conversation , especially not with Remus Lupin who always made her suspiciously more-

'Oops!' The mug slipped out of her hands and hit the floor with a crash and shattered into pieces over the stony floor.

Clumsy.

'No Matter,' He said flicking his wand effortlessly and catching the mended mug, handing it back to her.

'What is that smell?' She asked clicking the kettle to boil the water for her hot chocolate.

'Oh- I, Don't know' he said stuttering slightly, it was a musky chocolaty smell, which made Tonks wonder interestedly what Remus had been doing in here.

'Want one?' She said pouring out the hot chocolate slowly into her mug, Remus shook his head.

'Just had one'

Tonks took her place at the table next to him and sipped the hot drink, but it didn't warm her up much.

'Not doing the trick?' he asked with a slight smile, his silvery grey eyes showing slight more emotion than they had done in the doorway, less worn out, and more …alive.

'not really' she shrugged.

'Maybe you should try wearing more clothes' he observed nodding to her small strappy top which hung limp over her collarbone, and she felt her cheeks redden considerably.

'I am wearing enough clothes' she said defensively, 'its just cold in this old house, that's all'

She studied his face, slender, old beyond his years, speckled sandy hair, those deep silver eyes sparkling as he locked them with hers and she had a sudden wave of shivers that she put down to the cold.

'You have some chocolate powder on your cheek' she stated. Sure enough, there was brown powder clinging helplessly to his left cheek. She leant up, without thinking to brush it off.

Aha. Now that's how to warm up.

The moment her hand touched his soft cheek, her own cheeks burned red hot, the hot chocolate forgotten she withdrew her hand immediately, fixed her gaze on the table and fanned her face.

'couldn't sleep either then?' she said without meeting his eyes.

Remus shook his head, 'I was cold' She told him that she was too and he had smiled.

'Are you cold now, Nymphadora?'

Tonks blew a few strands out of her face, she could feel her heart beating fast and hard in her chest as if it was about to jump right out. 'No, I'm not' she said quietly. She dared let her self gaze up at him, warm smile, those eyes twinkling, bewitching her…slowly she was falling under his spell and she didn't think she wanted to know the counter curse.

'Did you know, Nymphadora' Remus replied leaning on his hand, 'I am the only person you let call you by your real name'

Tonks wanted to flippantly reply, 'that is because you are to dumb to notice how much I hate it' but deep inside she knew that wasn't the truth. Remus could call her what ever he liked, he could call her Nymphie, Flora Dora or even Nymphy-poo and she wouldn't care. Because he was talking to her and that was enough to send her head spinning.

She merely nodded. 'Why is that, Nymphadora?' He said, there was inches between them, she could see every scar on his eyebrow, ever freckle across his pale smooth cheeks.

Nymphadora.

'I-I like it when you say it' she said so quietly that even a passing extendable ear would have struggled to here it. Remus, however, did not.

'I will then,' he continued, his lips brushing her ear, his hand running through her soft short hair, 'endeavour to call you it more often'

After what seemed like an eternity, his lips found hers and she ran her fingers through the soft hair, something she had been longing to do and Tonks decided once and for all, she might just get used to her given name. After all, she wouldn't be Nymphadora Tonks forever.