In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I give you this bit a Remus and Tonks. It's AU because the 13 year age difference between the two is nowhere near that big a gap.

He was walking. He was walking through a shop. It was a tea shop. It was in Hogsmeade. He was walking through it. Remus John Lupin had no idea why he was in Madam Puddifoot's, especially on Valen—Single's Awareness Day, when his loneliness would only be amplified by the multitude of couples around him.

Remus had a problem. Remus was a werewolf, and while no one but his teachers and closest friends really knew, he still couldn't get a date. More accurately, he wouldn't let himself. He knew that if he were to date someone, then once a month, he'd put the person in danger.

He could always tell them about his issue, but Remus believed that any sensible girl would leave him once she found out.

So hear he was, walking through Madam Puddifoot's, couples' central. It was about two o'clock, so no one was actually there, save the cashier and tons of stuffed creatures. Remus walked to the front, in between a gaily painted wall and the windows to the streets outside.

The werewolf quirked a smile as he watched James, one of his best friends, chase after that special redhead of his, Lily. Chocolate frogs were jumping all over Potter's body. It was quite an amusing sight, and Remus thought it would be an even more amusing story later.

A cloud passed over the sun, and during the shift in light he noticed the window was very reflective.

He stared at his face for approximately thirty seconds, believing himself to be at least moderately attractive. On a whim he decided to lean to his side. Remus brought his hand up, pointing his first finger at the reflection. He continued to lean, mimicking the slow-motion dives he had seen on muggle tellies every once in a while. He swished and flicked his finger as if it were a wand.

He mentally ran through several spells, imitating the proper wand motions with his finger and moving down a line of 'targets' as he 'dove.'

Then he noticed her. The sun had glinted through a cloud, bathing her pink hair in its glorious natural light and definitely catching Remus' attention. Especially since she was looking right at him.

Half in alarm and half in embarrassment, Remus found himself stumbling, falling on his side. Holding his unbelievably red face in his hands, he tried to calm down. Once he thought himself up to the task, Remus sat up and looked out the window again. Focusing past his reflection completely, he looked for the pretty pink-haired girl.

He found her hiding behind a bench, swishing her right first finger at him.

Remus gawked for two whole seconds at the girl, who was undoubtedly casting the Stunning Spell with her first finger. Almost picturing the red bolt of magic flying towards him, the man side-stepped as much as he could while sitting, before he adjusted himself into a crouch.

He found himself engaged in a phantom duel of sorts. Whenever the street was clear, the two would just fire non-stop spells, ranging from something as trivial as the Sparks charm to something as mock-serious as the Stunning Curse. He quickly figured out that the girl was a metamorphmagus when he spotted her mid-change. From that Remus easily deduced that she had been changing at random intervals to throw him off.

That fiend.

Whenever anyone passed between the two, they would switch tactics. The girl would roll from the bench to a nearby rubbish bin, or roll back to the bench. Remus would dive to the window on the other side of the door.

Just as Remus was recovering from his latest dive, he popped up, readying the Anti-Boggart charm when he saw Sirius staring at him. He figured it was the metamorphmagus girl, just looking like his friend.

He was wrong. Sirius' seeing his good friend Remus wiggling his finger at him must have been a sight. Sirius, who Remus noted had Amelia Bones hanging off of his arm (How Black had managed that, he'd never know) started towards the door, revealing the pink-haired girl staring in mortification at the couple.

The door creaked open agonizingly slowly, and Sirius, almost surreally stepped in to the small tea-shop.

"Moony?" The other man asked quizzically.

"Padfoot." Remus replied as casually as he could.

"Why were you wiggling your finger at us just now?"

"Oh, wasn't meaning to wiggle it-" He felt slightly ridiculous saying it that way, but he sure wasn't going to show it, "At you. I thought you were someone else, you see. Speaking of someone else," He shamelessly tried to turn the subject, "Hi, Amelia. You on a date with Padfoot? Fancy that."

As Sirius went into a whole speech, doubtlessly rehearsed, Remus sneaked a look outside. He saw his opponent now sitting on the bench, red as a tomato, looking everywhere but at him. Every few seconds, she would glance at him, before turning a darker red and turning away.

Sirius, noticing the tension, peered out the window and cut himself off, "Oh, it's Tonks."

Remus started, flustered, "W-what?"

"Tonks. My cousin. See her, with the pink hair?"

"C-Cousin?" Remus paled.

Seeing the distraught expression and realizing immediately what had been happening, Amelia stepped in. "Black, I'd really rather not spend our date just talking to Remus." She didn't bother with the rudeness of her comment, knowing Remus was too stressed to care, and Sirius was just that insensitive.

"You're right. Fancy some tea?"

Remus watched the couple head further into the shop before turning back to Tonks.

Patiently, Remus waited for her to turn to look at him again – he noticed that she was acting as if she were waiting for someone – and when she finally turned toward him, he jabbed his finger one last time.

He watched she jumped, eyes widening, before she swayed and clutched her chest, she sank sideways down the bench, ending up lying on it. Remus waited for a moment, noticing that Tonks wasn't moving. Bemused, he got up, and walked out of the shop and across the street to the girl.

When he got to the other side, and was about to introduce himself, the girl peaked open an eyed and asked, "What did my cousin, that boy you were talking to, want?"

Blushing once again, Remus answered, "Ah, Padfoot—I mean, Sirius was just wondering why I was—Ah." He felt ruddy ridiculous saying this, "Why I was 'wiggling' my finger at him."

He thought he heard angel bells jingling and had, for one ungodly second, presumed he actually died of embarrassment. The sound was just Tonks' laughter.

She had sat up. "I thought he was asking about me and I was so scared because I wasn't there and had no idea what he was saying." She bit her lip and looked down, which Remus was convinced was the most adorable sight ever. "So, you know him then?"

He smiled, "Yeah. He's one of my best friends. My names Remus."

Her eyes widened, "His werewolf friend?" Realizing what she said, she amended, "Oh Bugger! I'm not supposed to know that!" She clasped her hands over her mouth, worriedly observing Remus' flabbergasted countenance.

"Um… Yeah. That's me." Remus stared oddly at the girl.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For… Knowing, I guess?" She flushed again and looked away.

"Oh. Um, it's alright, I suppose. Just don't go telling anyone."

"I won't." She assured him. The two just stayed there, looking awkward.

Tonks was the first to speak. "My name's Tonks, by the way. Nymphadora Tonks, but never call me that."

Remus kindly smiled at her and held out his hand for her, "Nice to meet you, Dora. Would you like to-"

Cutting off Remus was a shout, "Moony! How glad I am to see you!" James rushed the pair, covering from head to toe in brown mush.

He slowed to a stop, glancing at the girl and quickly saying, "Sorry, but this is an emergency."

James then started to drag Remus away, saying frantically, "The chocolate didn't work. I need more ideas. Now."