Chapter 1 Running into Arthur

Nymphadora Tonks was late again! For the second time this week Tonks had

nearly not made it into work as she had fallen down the stairs outside her flat

again. It wasn't that she was stupid enough to repetitively fall down the same stairs

day after day it was just that Tonks was extremely clumsy. All ways had been and she

realised she probably always would be. Tonks didn't fancy getting shouted at by her

boss Scrimgeour. The guy was a royal pain in the ass a good auror in his day but the

years had taken their toll and the guy only knew how to bark out orders from behind

his desk these days. He had already berated Tonks for being late this week and she

Didn't need a repeat performance.

She suspected that everyone in the office already thought of her as some sort of a

joke, how much more did she have to prove herself? She was currently the youngest

auror in the ministry, straight outstandings in her newts passed through the academy

first time. For goodness sake no one had even been accepted to the academy since

herself. Perhaps it was because she was constantly changing her hair from pink to

purple to blue that people didn't take her seriously. But she wasn't about to let people change her she liked the fact she could change her appearance it will, it made her original, different from all the other boring people going about their daily business.

As she raced through the atrium she caught the lift just as the doors were closing. She managed to tumble into the lift only to fall on her face.

"Hello there Tonks, need a hand up" an amused voice sounded in front of her.

"Oh Arthur, thanks a lot i'm so late for work and you know what Scrimgeour is like he will kick my ass if i'm late again," Tonks addressed the red headed man in front of her. She had known Arthur Weasley since she had been a friend at Hogwarts with his son Charlie. Although Tonks hadn't seen Charlie in a while, as he worked with dragons in Romania, Tonks still spoke to the Weasley when she could.

"Yes well i'm sure they have you working hard up there any interesting work your doing at the moment?" Arthur asked.

"They have me doing paper work load of rubbish if you ask me I mean Fudge isn't letting us as much as check out a little disturbance. Between you and me Arthur I wouldn't be surprised if you know who was back and Fudge is trying to hush it all up. I mean surely if Dumbledore says he's back he's back if we can trust Dumbledore who can we trust. There just is something not right about all this" Tonks rambled until she saw what she thought was a look of amusement on Mr Weasleys face.

"Your not making fun of me are you Arthur"? Tonks said heatedly.

"Not at all Tonks, you have just reminded me of how well you and Charlie used to get on ready to stand for what you believe so let me ask you Tonks if you had the chance to stand up and fight would you take it"? Arthur asked calmly.

"Hell yer I would, I mean yes Arthur I would stand and fight it's what I became an auror for not bloody paper work," Tonks looked determinedly at Mr Weasley.

"Ok Tonks we haven't got much time do you know Kingsley Shacklebolt?" Mr Weasleys asked as the lift was slowing down for Tonks floor.

"Yer isn't he the auror in charge of looking for Sirius Black?" Tonks felt her heart beat quicker as she mentioned her cousin's name. She still remembered the day he was thrown into Azkaban and how her mother had cried for days still to this day protesting his innocence. Tonks wasn't sure herself if he was innocent, she remembered him like she had only seen him yesterday. He was always ready with a smile and a present for her when she young. She remembered him bringing his friends to meet her, she remembered James Potter laughing with her cousin. She used to wish that when she got to go to Hogwarts she had a best friend like Sirius had James. In a way she did she found Charlie and the thought that she could do anything to hurt Charlie was unbelievable. This was the main reasoning for half believing her mothers rants of how unjust the legal system was for locking up an innocent man. Tonks had seen her cousin around James Potter she couldn't imagine Sirius betraying him. But she had read the reports heard the stories the evidence was overwhelming. Shaking away these thoughts Tonks tried to concentrate on what Mr Weasley was saying.

"Meet me in his office in your lunch break at one o'clock and please don't mention it to any one, can you do that Tonks?"

"Sure Arthur no problem see you then" Tonks had a fleeting feeling in her stomach like somehow she was going to be able to make a difference.