Remus Lupin was staring at a book. Though he stared at it constantly, rereading the lines over and over again, none of the elaborated words that should've opened his imagination wide seemed to seep into his mind. The seemed to elude him, not letting him sink deep into the story, because his imagination was so busy reliving reality. He was so preoccupied on his memories that he didn't realize he wasn't supposed to remember these parts of his past. He had been trying to train himself to forget like he should… Forget his past with Nymphadora… Nymphadora Tonks. He was recalling his first meeting with her, even though he should pretend they had never happened…
Kingsley had gotten her to join the Order a day before. She was one of their first new recruits since the reforming of the Order.
Kingsley had arrived earlier than the other members so he could introduce her to the house and Sirius, and now, apparently Remus, arriving early to see his friend.
"She's a bit clumsy," said Kingsley tentatively, after first mentioning the new member, glancing at his watch once again, "But she'll be an excellent tribute to the Order. Quick when she needs to be, smart, and always a good laugh."
"What's her name?" Remus asked, as interested as Sirius, who sipped at his coffee.
"Nymphadora Tonks, though she prefers to be called Tonk-" but Kingsley was interrupted by Sirius' choking.
"Tonks?" he spluttered, "Tonks as in Andromeda's daughter Tonks?"
"You obviously know her," shrugged Kingsley.
" 'Course I do. She's my cousin," said Sirius, grinning. "The best part of the family. Used to make me laugh… I wonder if she's still ticklish."
Remus blinked, surprised.
"She was eight years younger than me, or was it nine? Anyways, she's a metamorphmagus. Had the most terrifying faces sometimes. Used to wake me up in the middle of the night and scare me, the little nymph. And then she'd have the funniest to make me laugh again. She was always a surprise. Her poor mom could hardly keep up with her. Imagine she must've been a horror at school, just like her cous."
"I wouldn't doubt it, being related to you, and yet, Sirius, horror was a bit of an understatement for you," Remus commented, with a smile.
"Ah thanks, Prefect boy," Sirius said with a laugh, "Though I suppose you're right… So she'll be here, soon?" he asked Kingsley tentatively.
"She should be here now, but being Tonks, she's late," said Kingsley with another glance at his watch.
"Did you tell her about me?" Sirius asked, even more nervous.
"She seemed anxious to meet you."
"Anxious? As in good anxious or bad anxious?"
Kingsley grinned, "Well, I promise you she won't haul you off to Azkaban again." He glared at his watch, "Where is that girl?"
And as if it was staged, the doorbell rang.
Remus cringed at what he knew would come.
"FIFTHY BLOOD TRAITORS! FREAK HALF BREEDS STALKING THROUGH MY HOME!! IN MY DAY I WOULDN'T HAVE IT AND I WON'T HAVE IT NOW!! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" shrieked a voice from the floor above.
"Joy, she woke up Mummy dear," groaned Sirius, standing and starting up the stairs to the entrance, followed by Kingsley and then Remus. "Oh shut up," he told the portrait of his wailing mother, forcing the currents closed, helped by Remus as Kingsley opened the door.
A pink haired blur leapt from the open door and at Sirius, causing both to topple over in a heap. Remus spotted Kingsley's grin, as the giant man closed the door.
"Hello, Tonks," Kingsley said in his deep voice, though he never got a response.
"Tonksey, what the-"
"SIRIUS! Why didn't you tell me? I shoulda been the first to know and all these years I've been "trying" to hunt you down and you had no consideration for me and me being family for Merlin's sake! Instead I get to have Kingsley tell me for you, you coward! You thought you'd get out of it, huh? Well, too bad!" she scolded him. Remus couldn't help but smile at her liveliness, and Sirius' horrified look transforming into one of more confidence.
"But you're an Auror now," Sirius said, with an uncertain smile.
"Just 'cause I'm an Auror doesn't mean I'll blast you to pieces or anything, though I should for you not telling me and all," she said grumpily, "You just didn't want me to scare you again with my faces…"
"No, I thought you'd hold hard feelings or something," said Sirius, evidently happy to see her again now that he knew he was safe.
"Me? Hard feelings?" Tonks said, startled, and then added sarcastically, "Never."
"Not even the time when I hung you upside down out the window when you hid my wand from me?"
"You dangled her outside a window? And I thought I had it bad with you," said Remus, shaking his head in wonder at his friend's antics.
"Ah, you're too tall," said Sirius, looking up at his friend, and then said after a thought, "Though maybe off the Astrology tower we'd get somewhere-."
"Ha ha," said Remus sarcastically, folding his arms. His friend knew perfectly well he didn't like heights. He was suddenly aware of a pair of vibrant purple eyes fixed on him.
"Sorry," she said, "Didn' see you there. I'm Tonks," she lifted her hand for him to shake at the same moment as standing, and unbalanced after stepping on her robes. She let out a short yell, preparing for the crash to come.
But it never came.
Remus' quick reflexes were the reason that she hadn't collided with the floor.
The purple swiftly became a purple blue in her eyes.
"Thanks," she said slowly as Remus pulled her back up once again.
"No problem," he told her, and offered her his hand to shake. "Remus Lupin," he introduced himself.
"Professor Remus Lupin," added Sirius.
"Not anymore, Padfoot. You know that," Remus said, contradicting his friend as he shook Tonks' hand. He smiled at Tonks. She was good-looking, beautiful in a punkish way, but she seemed smart. He could see intelligence, confidence and a constant joy that welled from inside. He rarely had confidence, and the well that had been in drought was now producing the happiness now that he had his friend back. To him Sirius had been as good as dead and worse when he had been inside Azkaban. He now admired the confidence, and the innocence in Tonks. He hadn't either anymore. He knew how cruel the world was. He knew what it was like for the worst off.
"Professor, huh?" grinned Tonks, "Watch out, I play pranks on Professors."
"I'd expect none the less from Sirius' family, especially one he respects so much," he said, smiling his regular shy smile.
"I'll have you know, Tonksey, that I still play pranks on him," grinned Sirius wolfishly. "Though they aren't as good as they used to be."
"I expect you're rusty. All the more fun for me," Tonks laughed. "I'm starved, Sirius, whatcha got for sustenance?" she asked him, walking to the stairs that lead to the kitchen. She apparently had been here before by the way she conducted herself. Sirius followed her cheerily down the stairs.
Kingsley, who had been observing with obvious amusement then told Remus as they followed the cousins at a slower pace, "Always the center of attention, though she doesn't mean to be most of the time. She's rather loud," he said, glancing at Remus who smiled in response. "Great Auror, like I said before, though when she's off duty I wouldn't leave anything on the floor, and put everything breakable in secure cupboards. Great introduction, very Tonks," and then Kingsley glanced at Remus and a sly smile slid onto his face, "You caught her as though you two had planned it."
"Lycanthropy reflexes," said Remus quietly in a bitter tone, "I should be slower now, for my age, but I'm faster than ever." They started on the stairs.
"Uh huh," said Kingsley his bright white smile widening, "And I'm sure that you finding Tonks attractive had nothing to do with it."
Remus didn't reply. Kingsley was making him feel like a schoolboy again.
"And I'm sure if Sirius or I had fallen we would've gotten a slower version of help," Kingsley said, reading him.
Remus changed the subject rapidly, "C'mon, let's go get some coffee."
"Coffee?"
"Sirius has me hooked. It's his fault I'm addicted," Remus shrugged.
"I think I'll stick with tea. You better make a lot, the others should be arriving soon," Kingsley said, "And don't worry, Remus, I won't say anything to Tonks."
"Don't be ridiculous," said Remus, annoyed, but more at himself. He stepped into the kitchen. This was insane. He didn't like Tonks. He barely knew her, and she was too young in any case. And yet- Her first name was beautiful, a very good description of her of what he had seen of her so far. He wanted to see her again. No. He told himself. Stop right now.
"-nothing?" Tonks was repeating what Sirius had just said, opening and closing cabinets, "Bare,… bare,… bare,… jackpot!"
Remus started coffee, and placed a kettle of hot water on the stove. As Remus worked, he watched Sirius grinning at his cousin from the table.
Remus grabbed three mugs, and then questioned, "Tonks," politely using the name she had requested he use no matter how he wanted to say Nymphadora to see how it rippled— Stop It! , "Sirius, would you like coffee, or tea?"
"No thanks, I've got my cereal. Seriously, Sirius, is this all you have? You really need to go to the grocery," said Tonks, pulling down a box from the cabinet.
"I'll have coffee, Remus," Sirius replied.
Tonks reached across Remus to open the cupboard for a bowl. His breathe caught. What are you thinking? You're eight years her elder for Merlin's sake!
"'Scusy, Remus," she smiled at him.
He smiled his usual smile back, and then went back to his work. He didn't look when he reached for the cabinet with the silver wear in them. As he touched the handle, his nerves told him he was also touching-
He glanced at Nymphadora's hand.
Both had flinched back at each other's touch. Their eyes met and they laughed tentatively in the new silence that had spread over the kitchen. Sirius and Kingsley were looking on in earnest, both having the same idea swim through their head.
Both Remus and Nymphadora both tried again to grip the handle, and shied away from one another's hand. Once again they made an attempt, but this time only Nymphadora pulled back. Remus opened the drawer, and handed her a spoon. She took it, and laughed, before sitting down at the table next to Sirius.
Remus served his friends, and sat next to Kingsley, as conversation started again.
"So what happened these past twelve years?" Nymphadora asked her cousin after a bite of cereal.
"Nothing much, I've only been in Azkaban. What else is there to tell? How about you? What have you been doing? How on Earth did you become an Auror? You must've bribed the guy."
"Since when do you not eat milk on your cereal?" asked Kingsley, distracting Nymphadora and her glower at her cousin.
"She never has," supplied Sirius being that Nymphadora had her mouth full of dry cereal. "How she gets it down I have no idea."
Nymphadora grinned after swallowing, "What can I say? I don't like milk."
"Not even on your cereal?" asked Kingsley, a little disgusted.
Nymphadora shook her head. "Nope. So, to answer your question… How I became an Auror. It's quite a story to tell," she said thoughtfully, "How I did it? I dunno. I should've failed my stealth class, and I don't even want to start on my final stealth exam."
"She tripped on her own shoelace," Kingsley grinned. Nymphadora slugged him from across the table. Kingsley laughed, though rubbing his arm, and added, "It was tied too."
"It was not!… well sorta, I guess… but it was tied at the beginning," she said, trying to defend herself.
Sirius and Kingsley laughed on, Remus adding his own chuckle. Nymphadora laughed too, however, she was blushing. Remus thought it added a nice ting to match her hot pink hair. You can't do this! Think, Remus Lupin, think He quickly looked away, and sighed, placing his head in a hand, elbow connecting with a table.
"Other than that, though, it's been great. Kinda boring lately; desk duty, paperwork and the such, so when Kingsley told me about the Order of course I signed up," she said with confidence for another bite of her cereal.
Remus paused. That's exactly what the Marauders and Lily had done. (well actually James refused let Lily join the Order at first but she slowly found her way in, with Dumbledore's help). They had offered immediately to join the Order. Now look what had happened to them all. James and Lily had been killed, betrayed by one of their best friends, Peter Pettigrew. Sirius had been imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve long years for the belief of killing Peter and in the assisted murder of the Potters. Even Remus had believed this, even though he couldn't bear with the thought. Remus himself had lived alone for twelve years, afraid to open his heart to others, wanting to relinquish the pain that had sucked him soulless for the space of that time, only a friendly mask, never really himself.
How could she be allowed to through her life away like this? She couldn't understand, couldn't comprehend the horrendous thing that she was doing by signing up. She was young, beautiful, shouldn't be allowed to die like Lily had… She shouldn't be betrayed like James had, shouldn't be caged like Sirius had, shouldn't feel utterly alone, like Remus had…
He bit back his thoughts. She had every right to do this. They were much better organized this time, their headquarters were sufficiently better for their meetings, and they knew much more about Voldemort this time than the last. She would be fine, he was sure, and he couldn't go off about this girl. She'd be offended, to say the least. She was an Auror. She could handle herself. And he couldn't scare away all the newbies, or they wouldn't be a threat.
The doorbell rang.
They cringed as the yelling began once again, "FIFTHY, DISGUSTING BLOOD TRAITORS! HALF BREEDS! DISGRACING THE BLACK FAMILY NAME!!-"
"You know, Sirius, I can't honestly say I've missed your mum," said Nymphadora to her cousin, covering her ears with a repugnant look on her face.