Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it's characters, plots, etc., you know the rest. We all know the rest. What's the point of this again?

--

She took another swig from the cold glass, then slammed it back down onto the table. It attracted no one's attention. The man running the place just kept on minding his own business, cleaning out some old bottles. She sighed and dug her hand into her pocket, looking for some change. She found two gold coins sitting at the bottom and figured that this would suffice. She plopped them down on the table and took her leave for the night.

--

She was at the Muggle bar again. This was where she'd been spending most of her nights lately, hoping to wash away the pain. Stupid, she knew, it was utterly stupid, but there was no other way she could think of. A man walked in then, slamming the door shut. She didn't look up. Not when he walked determinedly toward her, not when he sat down beside her, and not when he turned to face her. She noticed he'd disguised himself before coming out.

"Tonks, you've got to stop this."

"Stop what?" It was late at night, and the alchohol had done nothing to improve her mood.

"Stop this. You won't be able to drown out all of your problems. So he's an idiot, so what?" People always used this excuse. He's not the idiot, she was, for loving someone that loves her, but wouldn't admit it.

"So, what else am I supposed to do, Sirius? Tell me that."

"Get over it." He'd said this so bluntly and with such a straight face, it angered her even more. Why couldn't anyone understand?

"I can't get over it," she whispered, "I can't."

"That git. I'll need to talk to him later."

"No, Sirius, no. Don't."

"Why?"

"Well, for one thing, he's your best mate. For another, it'd make me seem even more pathetic than I am," her head drooped and she rested it on her crossed arms, covering her face.

"It's okay, Dora, just cry it out."

She raised her head back up at once,"I wasn't crying. I'm not that much of a loser," she was offended at first, but then she muttered, "at least, not yet."

"Don't you ever talk like that, you hear?" Sirius was being a bloody git of a too protective cousin. Then he said, in a softer tone, "Does he know what he's doing to you?"

She scoffed, "Yes. But he figures I'll get over it. As if I'll ever get over him..."

"Well, if he's passing on such a great girl, that's his problem isn't it?"

"Why are you talking about him like this anyway? He's your best mate." She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Not when he's going to treat my baby cousin as such," he said with a slight nod.

She pursed her lips, "Baby cousin? Thanks." She looked into her glass, there was still some in there...She took another sip.

"Oh, give me that," he said as he yanked the drink away from her. Her eyes widened for a second and then she sighed.

"I don't know Sirius. I think I might...I-I might...love him." Sirius' mouth fell open. Tonks gently nudged it back up for him, and gave him a slightly apologetic look. "I know, I know, baby cousin falling for best friend, horrible."

"Remus," growled Sirius. "I can't believe him! God! That stupid prat!"

Tonks was shocked, "What did he do?" she asked slowly, almost afraid of the answer.

"You know what he told me this afternoon?"

"If I knew..."

"Point taken. He told me he loved you too. He knows he's head over heels for you and he's still...WHY?" There was a mad glint in Sirius' eye. It was hereditary, his mother had it too.

"Something to do with the fact that he...erm...has his monthly, erm, issues," she said, then realised what she just said and the other meaning for that. Sirius was already in hysterics.

"Nymphadora Tonks, do you realise what you just sai-"

"Yes, yes," she said, her hair turning red to match her already flaming cheeks.

Still laughing slightly, Sirius replied, "Have to tell Moony about that one," then recieving a look from Tonks, immediately ammended, "but I won't tell him who exactly said it."

Tonks smiled a little, but didn't cheer up much. Noticing this, Sirius' laughter died down. "Look, Dora, Remus'll come around. He can't live without you. If, after two years he still hasn't seen that, then you have my full permission to beat him up." She smiled genuinely this time and he pulled her up out of her seat, "Now come on, let's get back to my horrible wretched house. They'll be worrying where we've been." They walked out of the bar together, each feeling a bit better than when they'd first walked in.