Summary: Lupin Tonks, Black. Remus was looking forward to seeing Tonks again. If only he could find her? Special appearance by Ted Tonks and Andromeda Black.

Author Notes: Occurs during Order of the Phoenix on the night before Harry's hearing.

This relies on the physical features of Lupin as presented in the PoA movie. Written Nov 12, 2004. Disclaimer: The characters belong to JK Rowling. The story was written for the pleasure of playing with her characters.

BLONDES HAVE MORE FUN

BLONDES

"Tonks, don't nod off," said Kingsley Shacklebolt. He rolled up the Muggle magazine on Tonks' desk and swatted her shoulder with it.

"Hey! That's research," muttered Tonks as she grabbed the magazine from him. The picture of a curly headed blonde woman on the cover fell open as she tossed it on her desk.

"No time for research; you've got to meet with Scrimgeour."

"Why did they have to make him the Invisomens? We haven't had an Internal Affairs officer in decades," muttered Tonks. Stolidus Scrimgeour had recently been promoted to a re-activated post of Invisomens for the Aurors, in essence serving as an officer who policed the wizarding police.

"Because he has a gift for sticking his nose into people's business. Now, come on."

Tonks rubbed her eyes. Then she yawned and let her head fall with a thunk on her desk. Between her guard duties for the Order and a sticky Auror mission, she had been on her feet for the last 48 hours. Finally she pleaded, "Use your wand to obliterate me now."

"You've got to stay awake, Tonks. He was asking some peculiar questions when I met with him." Shacklebolt escorted her down the hallway and managed to prevent her getting tangled in the banner that read: Preserve, Perfect, Prune.

"How about a minor injury? You know, just a quick laceration on my leg. That'll send me to the infirmary." Tonks had stopped and gripped Shacklebolt's arm as she unleashed her puppy dog eyes. "Just a little one?"

Her comrade merely turned her toward the door and propelled her forward. "I'll give you a quick kick in the behind if you don't get in there."

Shacklebolt pushed his back against the woman who was holding onto the doorframe on either side to prevent entry. His larger mass made the outcome inevitable.

Tonks lost her grip and literally tumbled into the outer office. The young man who was the secretary looked at Tonks and said, "Oh, it's you. Go in, the Invisomens is expecting you."

Tonks got up with ill grace and a plot to get revenge on Shacklebolt. She scrunched her face to turn her hair into the Slytherin green and silver pattern he hated so much. Then she turned to him with a mock smile and waved good-bye. Her colleague rolled his eyes, but walked away chuckling.

Tonks left the fake smile plastered to her face as she entered the office of gloom. Stolidus Scrimgeour looked as dull as his first name suggested. His pinched face reflected a man totally lacking in humor. The only amusing thing about him was his vain effort to hide his balding plate by doing a comb-over with his long bangs.

"Nymphadora, do have a seat."

Tonks cringed at the way the man whined out her name, but the man seemed to think using first names made him appear warm and concerned.

"It's Tonks, sir, just Tonks, if you please," reminded the woman. She sat at the edge of the seat hoping that her efforts to maintain her balance would prevent her from falling asleep and sliding off once the man began to speak in his nasally monotone.

"Well, then, Tonks, first I'd like to remind you that these sessions are your opportunity to cleanse your conscience of any activities that might have a negative impact on the performance of your job..."

Tonks' eyelids began to droop. His voice had an unintentional hypnotic quality about it.

"...I am here to help you adjust to the stressors your job entails and to advise you on optimizing your efficiency as you execute your duties..."

Tonks dug her fingernails into her palm in hopes that the pain would keep her awake. The voice droned on, lulling her brain to thoughts of a nice, comfortable bed occupied by a very nice, comfortable man.

"...and my twenty years of serving as an Auror in addition to my the classes I've taken over the last five years ..."

Tonks felt her head tilt forward and jerked awake just as Scrimgeour was saying, "...the ludicrous idea that certain wizards have returned from the dead?"

"Uh--Huh?" Tonks shook her head and blinked twice. She quickly shifted her hair into a curly blonde to take advantage of the stereotype and said, "Say again?"

"What do you think of the nonsense that Dumbledore is spouting? Why he chooses to believe an attention seeker like Potter is hard to fathom. Really, the boy claims to see dead people. How original."

Tonks giggled. "Oh, I don't believe what gets into the papers. I just read the reports on my desk."

"I'm not surprised," drawled Scrimgeour. He always wondered who she had slept with to qualify as an Auror. He shook of the thought and continued, "It is very important that you report any strange activity you might find among those who do associate with Dumbledore. His influence stretches far and some of your acquaintances might actually be Dumbledore's followers."

"You sound like you think he's building an army," observed Tonks.

"I am privy to knowledge about Dumbledore's activities that you are not, Nymphadora," said Scrimgeour with a certain smugness. "In fact, one of his lieutenants appears to be in you circle of--friends?"

Tonks blinked her eyes as if confused. She began counting on her fingers, calling random names just to irritate the man.

Scrimgeour shook his head and cut her off. "Your mother sent a note regarding her, and I quote, concern over Nymphadora's relationship with certain unsavory elements, end quote."

"Unsavory elements? Is Mum still ranting about the fact I can't cook?"

"Cook? Oh, no, you misunderstand. Let me put this in simple terms that you can comprehend," said Scrimgeour. "While I know that young women of your age, especially one with your, ahem, colorful past prior to joining the Aurors, have certain needs that must be met, consorting with a werewolf is not advised. I'm sure there are other, more suitable men who could satisfy your appetites."

"You're right, how silly of me. I'm sure there are plenty of men out there who can cook. Me, I scorch noodles and blacken bacon," said Tonks with a vacuous smile. "No wonder Mum's upset."

Scrimgeour cleared his throat. He was trying to be delicate, but it appeared the woman was not only a clumsy floozy, but a dimwitted one. "I was referring to the intimate relationship you have developed with Remus Lupin."

"I thought we were talking about appetites, Mister Scrimgeour?"

"I meant sex. It's obvious you're the sort of woman who needs sex."

"I hope I misunderstood you, sir. Did you just proposition me?" Tonks fluttered her eyebrows in a confused manner.

"No, no, of course not," insisted Scrimgeour. "See here, associating with Dark Creatures is ill advised. No Dark Creature can be innocent."

"So I become guilty by association?"

"I don't think you understand how dangerous this creature is. We have reason to believe that Lupin helped Sirius Black escape from custody and since Lupin is Dumbledore's Lieutenant, well, I'm sure even you can add things up."

"Let me see. Lupin plus Dumbledore minus Black equals, er, one?" She held up her index finger in triumph as she smiled in delight.

Scrimgeour took a deep breath. "Let's approach this differently."

"Are we talking about counting or cooking?"

"We are talking about Remus Lupin." He sat back and steepled his fingers. "Now it would be helpful if you told me everything you know about him."

"Oh, well, let's see," said Tonks as she bit her lip and glanced upwards. Then she nodded and stated with full confidence. "He's very tall."

Tonks smiled brightly at Scrimgeour who scowled at her. "Are you denying intimate knowledge of the man?"

At this point Tonks sighed and said, "I guess the game is up. I really should apologize for being a naughty girl."

"This is more like it. Remember, I'm here to help you sort these things out."

"All right, I'll confess to my little game." Tonks sighed again and faced the man with a doe-eyed expression. "You can well imagine that I come from a, shall we say, dysfunctional family?"

"Yes, of course, it's so obvious. Go on, this is exactly what I'm here for."

"You see, my Mum only ever sees my father when she's fretting over me. And, well, Pops was just getting a bit lonely, so one day when Lupin was retrieving a book from me, Mum just showed up and, well, I let her think what she wanted. You can check with Pops. His name is Ted Tonks; he lives at 91 Baker. Ask him if he's been," here Tonks winked, "you know, with Mum lately."

Scrimgeour sneered at Tonks and asked, "And what was this book that Lupin was retrieving? And why was he at your apartment?"

"All right, if you insist. Now, this is going to sound silly, but it was a Muggle book to add to the collection at Hogwarts. It's a set of stories about rabbits and hedgehogs and geese and pigs and these wicked little mice--oh, and there's one about a squirrel--"

"I get the picture," said Scrimgeour.

"Yes, the illustrations are so wonderful I've been tempted to charm them into moving. Oh, I hope that confession won't get me into trouble?"

Scrimgeour cleared his throat and said, "You were telling me about Lupin's role in all this?"

"I thought I'd donate it to Hogwarts for their Muggle Studies course. Lupin was just the delivery boy, er, man. I think Dumbledore gives him tips or something for his trouble."

Scrimgeour's eyes narrowed, but Tonks was crossing her fingers behind her. In fact, she had sent the book by owl to Madam Pince after speaking to Hermione about Muggle resources at Hogwarts.

"If your association with Lupin is so innocent, I recommend you enlighten your mother."

"Yes, sir, I certainly will take your advice," said Tonks. It would be a necessary lie, but it had to be done. She estimated she had just enough time owl her parents so she could meet them for dinner before Remus Lupin returned. He had promised to make it back tonight since Harry's hearing was scheduled the next day. "Well, if that's all, then, I'll be off."

Tonks made her escape quickly, but she could hear Scrimgeour muttering, "She's off all right."

Scrimgeour closed his eyes and counted to ten before writing his commentary on his meetings. He sent them with a flick of his wand to the filing cabinet, turned off the lights, and locked his office as he left for the day.

In the darkened office, the drawer with the latest notes slid open. The papers magically copied themselves, then quickly formed paper airplanes. Unlike the purple interdepartmental memos found throughout the Ministry Offices, these were like gossamer. Instead of following the hallways, they flew to the ceiling like moon moths and slipped through a crack in one of the tiles.

Dolores Umbridge smiled as the new reports appeared. It was all part of the necessary process required to preserve, perfect and prune the wizarding world.

- - - - - - - - -

Remus Lupin stood in the misty rain for a moment. He was standing outside of Tonks' flat wondering what he should do. His return had been delayed by three hours, so now it was midnight. There were no lights on in the flat. Did he have any right to intrude on Tonks while she was sleeping?

On the other hand, if he neglected to keep his appointment with Tonks, though late, he was in danger of being hauled in front of the entire Order by one very irritated witch. His long legs took the steps easily and he let himself into her flat. She had told him that she set wards that restricted this access to anyone but him, but Lupin had not tested it until now.

Lupin walked silently into the bedroom. He knew his way around her room quite well now and could even anticipate the bundles of laundry strewn on the floor. He approached the huge bed and sat on the edge. He intended to wake her up just to let her know he was finally there, but his acute night vision revealed an unexpected form.

"Lumos," whispered Lupin. A small ball of light appeared in his left hand. At first he was shocked by his discovery, but on closer inspection he smiled. Tonks wasn't there, but she had left something for him.

Nestled against the pillows in the bed was the tweed Bear that Tonks had created from an old jacket of his. The Bear's paws held a bar of Honeyduke's chocolate while his ears propped a rose-colored envelope.

"Bearing messages?" asked Lupin as he pulled the envelope from the ears. The Bear stared back serenely as if he could withstand any pun Lupin threw his way.

The scent of roses was light, but discernable. Lupin felt his heart quicken as he realized he held a Honey note, the very antithesis of a Howler. One wanted to open this note so that the voice of the writer wouldn't fade. Although he had seen James and Sirius--and he had to admit even Peter-- with them, Lupin had never been the recipient of such a letter.

Lupin's heart fell for a moment as he remembered more details of the Honey note that Peter had received. A nice little Hufflepuff girl had sent a just-friends message. Peter had broken down sobbing.

He addressed the Bear and asked, "How can you bear the suspense? But then you know whether it's safe to open."

The Bear sagely remained quiet.

"Right, I won't know what's in it until I do. Tonks probably got called on a mission."

Lupin decided to fortify his courage and broke a square off the chocolate bar. The flavor soothed his fears.

"Well, at least she hasn't disbanded the Chocolate Lovers Club," muttered Lupin. He began chiding himself for acting like a schoolboy, but there was a thrill involved in this simple act of opening the Honey note.

He heard Tonks voice saying,

Remus, I know this is sappy, but that's how I get when I'm sleep deprived. I hope I haven't messed up the spell so that the note torches my flat or explodes into owl droppings or something horrid like--.

Right. On to the message.

In case you get here before I do, accept the chocolate as my apology. I'm meeting with Mum and Pops for dinner to, well, talk about things. I barely have time to finish this note. I'll fill you in later, but I'm not sure how long this will take. That will depend on how histrionic Mum isn't and how lucid Pops is.

Oh, and I--I REALLY miss you.

Lupin could hear her voice fade, but then the note folded itself into a facsimile of lips that kissed him lightly on the cheek before fluttering into a sparkle of confetti that drifted onto the Bear.

"And what are you staring at?" Lupin asked of the Bear.

The Bear maintained his silent forbearance, but the fallout of confetti seemed to make his eyes twinkle.

"Probably the stupid grin on my face," admitted Lupin as he moved the Bear to his usual position on the dresser.

Then Lupin frowned when he noticed the box that usually held the Wolfshadow amulets. The lid was left open and one of the moonstones was missing. Had Tonks been called away on Order business after all?

Lupin wrote a note to her quickly, but set off for Grimmauld Place. Sirius should know where Tonks was if something was afoot with the Order. He grabbed the other moonstone amulet before leaving Tonks' flat.

- - - - - - - - -

"No, Bill Weasley has guard duty tonight, not Tonks," responded Sirius. He and Lupin were sitting at the kitchen at number twelve.

"Maybe Moody grabbed her then."

"I doubt that. Moody's off at Dover for the next week. Could be an Auror mission, but Tonks just got off a messy case this afternoon. She told me about it when she dropped by for lunch." Sirius looked at Lupin sharply as he realized, "You've sent Tonks to check up on me while you're gone!"

"You're getting paranoid, Padfoot," responded Lupin smoothly as he sipped his tea. "She's obviously drawn to your charming company."

"Or Molly's cooking. Anyway, don't fret, Moony, leave her alone--"

"And she'll come home?"

"Wagging her tail behind her, most likely--" Sirius then noticed the gleam that came into Lupin's eyes. "I meant like a puppy, not--"

Sirius reached over and gave Lupin a swat across the side of his head. "Get your head out of the gutter, man. Tonks really has corrupted you."

Lupin smiled and said, "Not quite, but I'm getting there."

"So you two haven't, er."

"Gentlemen never tell." Lupin took a sip of tea to hide his laugh.

"Thank goodness for small miracles then because the more I think of it, I don't really want to know."

At that moment they heard Kreacher mumbling as he passed by the kitchen. Sirius visibly shuddered and said, "Why won't he just curl up and die? I can't have him around if Harry's to live here."

Lupin looked up abruptly at that remark. He put his cup down and gently said, "Sirius, Harry won't be living here beyond the summer holiday. He'll be exonerated and back at Hogwarts."

"You don't know that!" Sirius stood and made a show of looking for the biscuit tin.

Lupin kept quiet for a moment, but soon stood up and reached for a high shelf. He handed the tin to Sirius as he said, "I don't know why Molly hides it up there. Ron can reach it without any trouble."

Sirius didn't respond, but crammed a biscuit into his mouth. "Hmf. I don't see why women eat sweets to feel better. The mouth is too dry when you're worried."

"I think the preferred medium is ice cream," reminded Lupin as he put the tin back on the shelf. "Sirius, you're not getting your hopes up about Harry living with you?"

Sirius hunched his shoulders and shook his head. "It's a horrible thing to admit, but would it be so wrong for me to finally have some time with my godson?"

"You have time now," reminded Lupin.

"But not alone. That lot, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and even Ginny are--they're like the Marauders, Moony. I feel like an outsider, an old git."

"Padfoot, you know that Harry looks up to you," said Lupin as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I hate feeling helpless," admitted Sirius with a downcast gaze. "It's this house! It's worse than Azkaban. It just eats away the very life from you."

"And do you really want that fate for Harry? To be trapped in this house like you are?" asked Lupin.

"No, no I don't," admitted Sirius.

Lupin pulled him into an embrace and Sirius gave in to the need for comfort for the moment. Sirius leaned into his friend and took a deep breath. Lupin had always been an echo of his conscience, but Sirius felt the empathy along with the guilt. There was no condemnation.

"You're keeping your promise to James, Sirius. You are taking care of Harry," Lupin reassured, but a part of him was very concerned. Sirius remained gaunt and for the first time in their acquaintance, Lupin actually thought of him as frail. Lupin tightened his arm around his shoulders but felt a shiver crawl up his spine. It was as if a wind would blow away the very soul of the man.

Sirius gave a pat to Lupin's back as a signal that he was all right and they sat down again. They were silent for a moment before Sirius said, "It should have been you, Remus. You should have been their secret keeper. If only I hadn't lost my trust in you, none of it would have happened."

"We don't know that, Sirius. James had his own reckless moments, even after he and Lily had Harry. I would have died before revealing their hideout, but how do you think James would have responded if we'd still been close?"

"He would have gone after the beast and I would have helped him."

"And do you think Lily would have just sat around mourning her husband?"

Sirius sat back and looked at Lupin. "She had a lot of spirit and she loved James with all her heart. She'd have seen Harry was safe, but she would have tried to rescue James. Me she'd probably let rot in hell."

"No, Lily had a generous heart. I think I can say with confidence that she loved us all--like irritating brothers, perhaps, but she did care."

Sirius breathed deeply. "Women like that don't come along everyday, Moony. You go find Tonks. Maybe you should check with her father? Ask him if she was called away from the dinner."

"It's too late--"

"No, believe me, Ted Tonks is a night owl. Go check with him. He should still be at 91 Baker Street."

"All right, but you'll tell Tonks I'm looking for her if she shows up?'

"No, I'll tell her you ran off with the first dimwitted, clumsy floozy you found."

"You're such a good friend."

"I try." Sirius stood up and clasped Lupin's hand. "Just returning the favor."

- - - - - - - -

Remus Lupin knocked on the door at 91 Baker and waited patiently. He had seen lights on and knew that Sirius was correct; Ted was a night owl. Lupin knocked again, only louder, as he considered the addled mind with which Ted normally operated.

"I-is there someone at the door?" called a rather shaky male voice.

"Yes, Ted, it's Remus Lupin." The man waited patiently, but then a woman's voice became distinct as an argument ensued on the other side of the door.

Lupin took a deep breath and made a quick decision. He waved his hand over the lock and whispered, "Alohamora."

Lupin opened the door and walked in casually to find Tonks' parents debating the wisdom of opening the door to him. He decided to get to the point. "If you--"

Ted shrieked in surprise when he heard his voice and cowered behind Andromeda who growled at Lupin's presence. She warned, "Don't you dare attack a witless man!"

Lupin raised his hands palm out and said, "I don't mean to disturb you, but Tonks, er, Tonksie hasn't returned to her flat. I know she had dinner with you, so I was wondering if she got called on an Auror mission?"

Ted peered over Andromeda's shoulder and said, "No, but poor Tonksie was a bit glum when she left us."

"My daughter is of no concern to you," said Andromeda as she rose to her normal regal posture. "She ended her fling with you days ago, so quit stalking her."

Lupin stood there a bit shocked. What nonsense was she spouting? Had Andromeda been spending too much time with Ted? "I am not stalking Nymphadora; I'm worried about her. Thank you for your time. I apologize for intruding."

Lupin turned on his heel, but before he reached the door, he felt a hand on his arm. "Wait up, mate. How d'you know Tonksie isn't just dodging you?"

Ted removed his arm as soon as Lupin turned and gave a little squeak while he jumped back behind Andromeda.

"I know because all I found at her flat was a note from her telling me about her dinner with you and confirming she'd be meeting me later. That was almost an hour ago. I checked again before coming here."

"So breaking and entering is a habit, is it?" observed Ted. "Not quite the boffin I thought you were."

"Ted, don't encourage him!" admonished Andromeda with a roll of her eyes. She turned to Lupin and added, "If what you say is true, let's see the note."

Lupin pressed his lips together and felt a small blush creeping up his neck. "Tonks gave me unrestricted access to her flat and I can't show you the note because it, it was a Honey note."

"Eh? You mean the little kissy kind that dissolve into sparkles? I haven't had one of them in ages," said Ted with a meaningful glance at Andromeda.

"Nymphadora never could get the hang of them," muttered Andromeda. "They'd start to flame out and burn the fingers of the boy she was trying to impress."

"She's got the hang of it now," replied Lupin. "If you could tell me where you met for dinner, I'll start my search there."

"We ate at a little Muggle place called The Rangoon Club."

"Hush, Ted! We don't want to encourage him stalking our daughter."

"I dunno, Andi. Tonksie said she was heading back to her flat, remember? And she did seem awfully tired."

Andromeda frowned. "She wasn't very perky. They've been working her like a dog with no sleep in the past two days or so. The clumsy child could have hurt herself I suppose."

"I'll send a message to you as soon as I find her," said Lupin as he moved to the door again.

"Oh, no, we're going with you."

Lupin merely nodded in spite of his chagrin. Tonks' parents were the last people he'd want prowling around Muggle London.

"Ted, get my shawl!"

Ted grabbed the garment and put it over his shoulders. Andromeda merely whisked it off with a fluid motion and dragged Ted behind her as they followed Lupin out the door.

It was going to be a long night.

- - - - - - - -

Tonks finally stirred only to find her head was pounding. She tried to rub her forehead but found that her hands were tied behind her back. She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

This wasn't where she was supposed to be. She heard two men speaking about a ransom and her anger rose. No one was going to keep her from her appointment with Lupin. These kidnappers were going to discover just how much of a witch she could be!

TBC

Author Notes:

This fills in the gap of events just prior to Harry's hearing. That morning he finds Tonks talking to Lupin about Scrimgeour and she is obviously dead on her feet. Invisomens means, very roughly, an inspection of the mind. That's completely made-up.

The Honey note is not canon, but the paper airplanes at the Ministry are. It's an admittedly sappy idea, but you must admit that Lupin needs lovin'. Anyway, that's my excuse. And you can make up your own mind about how "sentient" the tweed Bear in Tonks' bedroom is.

The conversation Lupin and Sirius have about the outcome of Harry's hearing is based on observations Hermione makes regarding Sirius' behavior once they learn Harry has been acquitted.

Ted and Andromeda needed to make an appearance to redeem themselves. Obviously Tonks told them she and Lupin were finished so Andromeda wouldn't send any more notes to the Ministry about it.

But what happened to Tonks? That's the next chapter. Should only be two, I think.

Thank you all for reading and leaving the notes of encouragement and criticism. I think I got alohamora right this time!