Disclaimer: All the characters, seting, and anything else recognizable belongs to J.K Rowling, not me.
That said, enjoy.
Chapter One: One June Day
It was a very hot June day. I was walking home from the Ministry to get some well deserved rest; all good pay and benefits asside, work as an Auror is stressing, to say the least. So, here I was a pink haired woman walking the streets of Enland and occasionally tripping with nothing, all in all a normal day...
But then for a moment I felt as if someone was following me, when I turned around all I saw was a big black dog so I guessed that it might just be me over reacting ( being close Moody tends to have that reaction), still I started to move faster just incase, it would have been easier to just apparate but I was on a street crowded with muggles and couldn't risk been seen.
Once on my flat I started to get undress so I could: get a shower and go to sleep. As I was getting to the shower I heard a loud knock in the door. "Who could that be?" I asked myself and put my towel coat on; after making sure I was not showing anything I went to answer the door.
Once I opened the door all I saw was a big black dog; it was the same dog that had followed me to the flat. I must have made some weird facial expression because he barked in a sort of laughing at me, way. I wonder if dogs can laugh, if they can he just did. Wait, dogs don't laugh but animagu's do.
"Animagus" I said out loud. As if it was waitting for this same answer it turn into my cousin. Sirius Black.
"Hi cus' can I come in?" How he recognized me after so many years is still beyond me. Still numb I moved away from the door an let him in, closing the door once he was inside...
I know that any other Auror would have arrested him, he is a wanted man after all. My mind drifted to all the wanted posters at the Auror headquarters and then to my mothers words, "He's innocent." she had repeated time after time.
I was brought out of my mind and into my body with another knock on the door; I went to get whoever it is away from here. I can't risk to be seen with a wanted man, I need a job to live on afterall... Apparently that wouldn't be a problem since Sirius has just entered the bathroom and closed the door; so much for a calming shower. I took my gaze out of the bathroom and went to open the front door, when I did I found myself chest to face with a man much taller than me with mousy colour hair, which had a little gray on it, and deep blue eyes.
"Hello I seem to have lost my dog, he's really Black and he answers to the name of..."
"Sirius Black," I cut in. "He's really big and ran away from the pound about a year ago?"
"Yes that's exactly it, have you seen him?" he asked in a very kind way, as if waitting for me to scream and run away. Well, I can't say that didn't cross my mind.
"Yes I have." I found myself looking at him up and down studying every inch of him, part of the Auror trainning you do upon meeting someone instantly.He seemed normal, but I stopped at his hands which were cut, when he noticed me staring he quickly pushed them back and hid them from my view under the cloak; I stared at his face, it was also cut as if he had been on a fight very recently... I got to his eyes, they are blue and guarded.
"Nymphadora, could you please let Remus in, he's a good friend of mine and it's rude to leave friends outside." said Sirius. He had come out of the bathroom and was sitting on the sofa staring at Remus and me. I slowly moved away from the door and let him in, he went to sit at a very distant chair.
"Ok, Sirius before anyone else comes here, could you let me go and put on some clothes on? When I come back you can tell me what are you doing here. And I'll decide wether or not to drag you myself to Auror Headquarters."
"Sure thing cus.'" He said, but I sensed that he was also a little nervous.
I went to my room and put on my unmentionables along with something that looked like a skirt and a pink shirt. When I re entered the living room Sirius's eyebrows went into his hair.
"I though you were getting some clothes on you, I can see more that I did when you opened the door."
"When I opened the door you could see nothing I was covered. But it's June and it's hot, so tell me what are you doing here? I don't know if you've heard, but I'm an Auror." Lupin moved, probably to take his wand out. I would like to see if he could beat me.
"Well first let me congratulate you on the un-Black path, and second I'm here to tell you the truth about how Lily and James died, and then if you believe me we'll see."
Sirius explained to me everything that had happened, from the change of plans, to how he escaped from Askaban, to what had happened just a few weeks ago that brought the Dark Lord back from the dead.
"..so cus' do you believe me?" He asked. His voice sounded as if he was afraid that I would curse him right there.
"Of course I believe you cusin." I got and went to him, we hugged each other, he did it so tightly that I was almost out of breath, Remus noticed this and yelled to Sirius .
"Hey Padfoot, let her go before you kill her."
"Sorry," he said, "now the next thing that we have to tell you is that Albus Dumbledore formed a secret Organization years ago when Voldemort was in full power, it's name The Order of the Phoenix and we are recruiting new personel I wanted to know if you wanted to join." If Albus Dumbledore believes that He Who Must not be Named is back, then I believe him.
"Me, really?" I looked from Sirius to Remus who nodded in aproval, "I would love too."
"Are you sure? You shouldn't agree to something so important without so much as a second thought." It was Remus this time, he had risen from the chair and was looking directly at my eyes.
"Yes I'm sure. I'm an Auror after all, my job is dangerous."
"Facing Death Eaters is nothing like facing petty criminals. Death Eaters mean to do damage and cause pain, no amount of training can prepare you for that." Sirius was looking from me to him, his eyebrows fully raised, but somehow clearly enjoying the show.
"You probably think that because I am young, but let me ask you something. How old were you when you joined the Order?" I do not like to be underestimated because of my age.
"We where twenty two." answered Sirius
"Two years younger than me. And don't worry, I know how to take care of myself." Before he could say anything else Sirius interrupted.
"Good now that we are done here we need to go."
"No wait why don't we go out to dinner tonight to celebrate the reunion of family members." And because now I will not be able to sleep, thanks to that bit of information.
"Well I'm quite hungry, but you are forgeting that I'm a wanted man."
"Well then you can come as a dog and changeback to your normal self once we are in a private room."
"We?" he asked
"Yes I was hopping Mr. Lupin could acompany us, if he wants to of course." Not that it will be anything missing if he doesn't.
"He will love to Tonks, and I don't think he'll mind if you call him Remus, would you Moony?"
"Not at all. But how do you plan to get a dog on a restaurant."
"We could say that he's yours because you are partially blind, after what you said about me, I doun't doubt they'll beieve it. We'll go to a muggle restaurant just in case."
"That sounds like a good idea to me, what do you think Remus?"
"Very well."
"Great let me change my hair and you get your cloak off, and we'll be ready to go." I looked at myself in the mirror and changed my pink bubble gum hair to long and brunnet curly hair, when I turned around Remus was staring at me as if I had just fallen out of the sky.
"I'm a metamorphmagi." I said he just nodded and smiled. Best response anyone has given. He might fall in my good graces yet.
The restaurant was not to far away so we walked (unfortunately I fell and made a total fool of myself in front of Remus while going down the stairs). It is a nice Chinese restaurant very quiet and peaceful. No one whould ever think to look for a wanted criminal here.
"Hi welcome to The Dweling Dragons" said the hostess.
"Table for three please"
"We don't serve dogs here ma'm." She said eyeing Sirius with some mistrust.
"You see the thing is that my friend thinks that the dog is a real person, he's a little touch in the head you know. I'm trying to prove that he's wrong, so please could you give us a private room."
She looked at Remus and then at Sirius and nodded. Remus was looking at me as if I had suddenly lost my mind, but Sirius was obviously enjoying Himself because after the waitress had taken us to the table and leaved, (being warned that she should knock before entering), he turned normal again and started laughing.
"That was hilarious cus' don't you think so Remus?"
"Why did you change the plan Nymphadora?" asked Remus very seriously. He seems so infuriating. I'll probably have such a bad relationship with him.
"Because if she took a good look at you, which she did by the way, and look deep at your eyes she would have notice that you are not blind. You seem to guarded, a blind man shows no expression on his eyes." I said in a very mature voice, so unlike my own. "And please don't call me Nymphadora, call me Tonks, Mr. Lupin." I added
"Well we surely weren't expecting that were we Remus?" Sirius looked at Remus, who was staring intensely at me as if trying to decide if I was fiend or foe. I looked back, my Auror training had taught me not to look at my enemy in the eyes unless they were not gifted in Occlumensy, I don't know if he is but I'm, and I don't like backing down from a challenge."Remus... Are you there? Mooney!!"
"I' ll call you Tonks as long as you call me Remus." He said, not paying attention to Sirius
"Okay ..."
"Well this should be a very interesting night." said Sirius
We had a very good time. Remus and Sirius told me about their years at Hogwarts and we had a good laugh, specially wen the waitress came in and found Sirius plate with knive and fork dirty on them and Sirius cleaning his face, in dog form, with a napkin.
"I stand corrected," I told the waitress as she was picking them up with a fritghtfull look on her face, "this dog is almost human." Sirius very generously paid the bills and we went back to my appartmentto get their stuff. Remus managed to fal into my good graces after all, perhaps someday we'll be good friends and look at this meeting and laugh.
"Remember cus' next Monday night at 8:00pm on 12 Grimauld place..."
"And don't tell anyone I know, I know."
"Well good bye then."
"Goodbye, nice to meet you Remus."
"Nice to meet you too Nymphadora."
"So... why did you attack my cousin Remus?" Asked Sirius the moment they were back in Grimmauld Place.
"What are you talking about?" Said Remus not taking his eyes of the book he was currently reading.
"Don't play innocent with me. Why did you have to act so serious and try to scare her away?"
"Because she seems to young for us to get her involve in this. You do realize she could come face to face with some nasty Death Eaters?"
"Of course I do, but she's an Auror. Besides Moody himself said she would be a good asset to the Order, especially since she is a metamorph. And she's half a Black so she's bound to be stubborn and reliable, when she puts her mind to it." Said Sirius, with more than a hint of pride.
"I won't deny that. Never saw someone chase after a girl more than you, except maybe James."
"Poor Lily, had to dodge him everywhere she went."
"I felt sorry for her," answerED Remus, with a sad smile on his face.
"So, what did you really think about my cousin?"
TBC