A/N: Hey everyone! This is a new story with two main pairings I have never done before. The timeline will roughly follow canon and some canon events, but there will be some changes and in many ways, this is an AU story. This story is mature and does feature a 'rare pairing' so please, no flames if you do not like the pairings. You have been warned. Also, Benkins1 will be helping me out here!
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July, 1995
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"Nymphadora Tonks, it is quite a pleasure to finally meet you. Kingsley has told me so much about you," Dumbledore gave the young Auror a small smile when she stepped into his office at Hogwarts. She had been sent there by Kingsley Shacklebolt under the orders that Dumbledore needed a favor from her. Now the twenty-two year old woman with the striking pink hair was simply trying not to wreck any of Dumbledore's artifacts littering every surface of the office with her inherent clumsiness.
"If you could just call me Tonks…" she requested and he nodded, stepping out from behind his desk. He moved over to Fawkes, his phoenix, and gently ran a withered hand down the bird's tail feathers.
"I trust you know that whatever I request of you today will stay between us unless a time comes where I say otherwise?"
"Of course," Dora told him. Six months ago she had become a member of the Order of the Phoenix, a group reinstated from the previous war against Voldemort by Dumbledore himself. So far, their ranks included herself, Molly and Arthur Weasley, Kingsley, and her superior, Alastor Moody. There was talk that others would be joining, but Tonks was not told much of anything. This lack of information was why she was so surprised to find herself in a private conference with the man leading this mysterious initiative against the Dark Lord.
"I have seen an opportunity for a spy to infiltrate the ranks of the Death Eaters and I do believe you are the very best hope we have." Dumbledore's voice was calm and level, but Tonks was instantly excited. All she had wanted, since her first years at Hogwarts, was to become an Auror. And now, she had been hand-picked to fight from the inside by the greatest living Wizard. There was no doubt she was confident in her abilities and this only further proved that. She was one of the youngest professional Aurors in years, which was also why Dumbledore saw so much potential in her, along with her other remarkable ability.
"Thank you sir," she grinned, reaching out to shake his hand, her hair turning even more florescent from the excitement.
"This position will require the utmost discretion. No one in the Order will know what you are doing. If you reveal yourself in any way in front of the Death Eaters, I am afraid the consequences are too grim to describe at present, do you understand?"
"Of course. I suspect you will want me to use my Metamorphagus abilities…" she shrugged. It was a skill she was proud of, and had just recently totally been able to control. She didn't love that it was that very skill that got her so much attention, but if it placed her in an important position, she wouldn't argue with it.
"Not only those, but they will provide some help, yes…" Dumbledore mused, the wrinkles covering his face becoming more pronounced as he frowned, "I am not sure how aware you are with the goings-on of the current Death Eaters?"
"Aware enough. Some of them haven't exactly been keeping a low profile lately since what happened at the Triwizard Tournament," Tonks sighed. Every time that Voldemort seemed to disappear once again, some Death Eaters thought themselves protected within society, which resulted in the throwing of large parties…what was the particular case for one specific family.
"I assume you have a certain Death Eater in mind when you say that?" he smirked.
"Malfoy, yeah. He's in the Ministry practically every damn day like he owns it," Tonks groaned when she thought of the haughty, blonde man strolling into the Auror office with signed papers from the obviously corrupt Minister that prevented any more searches from taking place on his property.
"His recent behavior has proven to me that he is the key to you getting access to the Death Eater's plans. As you know, Harry Potter will be moved from his Aunt and Uncle's house in two weeks to the new Order Headquarters. The boy is at a considerable risk, so the earliest that you can gain access to any pertinent information, the safer he will be."
Tonks agreed, "But what does Malfoy have to do with anything other than living under a false sense of security?"
"You are to become his mistress." The words left Dumbledore's mouth as if they were the simplest fact in the world, but her eyes went wide in disbelief. This was certainly not what she had been expecting.
"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but I thought you were requesting for me to perform a task, not whore myself out for that scum!" She didn't care about her language; she knew she was a better Auror than to use her body to pry information out of some bigot, "Why can't I metamorphasize into someone who works in his office? Maybe a friend or confidant he doesn't often see?"
Dumbledore was worried that she might be hesitant about the nature of his assignment, but he couldn't afford to lose her as an asset. "Tonks, I understand what I am asking is repulsive and degrading to you. I also know that this assignment will change all aspects of your current life. But please…consider it. We have Harry to worry about, and as long as Harry is safe, I know that there will be a day when Voldemort will not be a stain on this earth. If there was another way, I wouldn't ask such a thing of you. But Lucius Malfoy is a smart man with only one weakness…beautiful women."
Tonks looked at the ground and the dirty tops of her combat boots. It was starting to become clear to her. She trusted Dumbledore, and if he truly felt that Lucius' secrets would be divulged during some pillow talk, then hopefully she could get what she needed from him quickly and as painlessly as possible, "But what about my Aunt?"
"You will be disguising yourself and you won't use your given name. But if everything goes according to plan, Narcissa will never know you exist. It isn't the first time he's been unfaithful to her, but hopefully it will be the last. I heard it is rather hard to carry on an affair in Azkaban," Dumbledore continued and she appreciated the levity of his remark, but the twinkle in his eye was gone as quickly as it came, "We will meet once weekly in this office. I suggest you start practicing your alter-ego and making sure that it is consistent before we begin. I know this is quite a lot to think about, but I do hope you agree…"
"I'll do it, sir," Tonks cut him off. She couldn't imagine sleeping with a man like that, but there are spells to numb her mind and body if need be. This could be the beginning of the end of Voldemort and if she refused to help, she couldn't forgive herself, "Is there anything else?"
Dumbledore considered her question for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching upward like he knew something he wasn't going to reveal to her, "Tonks. I don't think it would be wise of you to have any relationship with another man at this time. You must be completely focused on the assignment."
She laughed. Loudly. Her love life at the moment was just that-laughable and nonexistent. She thought it ironic that she was about to get more action than she had in prior months, all with a man she detested. She promised Dumbledore he had nothing to worry about and they made plans for a meeting one week before Harry was to be moved.
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Two nights after her next meeting with Dumbledore, Tonks couldn't help but think the man knew about that very moment. The moment she walked into Number 12 Grimmauld Place for the first time and saw him.
She knew Dumbledore was not a Seer, but his warning to her to not start a relationship filled her mind when she shook hands with Remus Lupin for the very first time. The man was introduced to her by Molly Weasley as a former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts and a good friend to their family. He was joining the Order, but she was hardly listening to what Molly was bragging to her about him. His hazel eyes were all that she could concentrate on and it scared her. She rarely ever got caught up in a man so fast and felt childish for doing so, especially when he didn't give her anything more than a polite nod after she told him her name. Don't get ahead of yourself babe, he's definitely not looking for any relationship with you, she thought.
Grimmauld was a nightmare for her klutziness, but it was the safest place to be Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, even if it did look like it needed a major scrub-down. Molly was fussing over her hair as she led her and Remus to the kitchen, where the man she had previously been looking forward to seeing the most was sitting.
"Baby cousin, what a sight for sore eyes," Sirius Black immediately got up from the table and rushed to Tonks, embracing her in a strong hug. She had never known him as an adult; she only had some fragmented memories of meeting him as a little child, when he was at Hogwarts, but still his hug felt like she was home again. With her mother and father dead, he was the only one left besides her horrible Aunts.
"This is your cousin?" Remus spoke up and Tonks broke the hug from Sirius at his words. He was already making her jumpy and she hated that.
"Of course, can't you see the family resemblance? She's gorgeous. So am I. And she's part of the Order, so that makes her the only blood on my side right now," Sirius winked at Tonks and then looked at the others in the room, "Just waiting for Snivellus and we can get started."
Tonks tried her best to avoid Remus' eyes and instead focused on the comforting, if slightly drawn, faces of the Weasleys and their oldest, Bill, and the familiar ones of Kingsley and Alastor. She couldn't get caught up in a stupid crush on a man at this moment in time. Not when in a mere few days she would be trying to work her way into Lucius Mafoy's bed. She was thankful, but slightly hurt, that Remus went out of his way not to speak to her or look at her throughout the course of their meeting to plan the safe delivery of Harry from his Aunt and Uncle's to this location. To distract herself from worrying about what this stranger might be thinking about her, she allowed her mind to drift to how happy she was that Sirius was free from Azkaban, out of hiding, and looking well. Although she hadn't been in contact with him since she was young, she always worried about him and never once doubted his innocence when she saw the haunted and tortured image of him in the Daily Prophet. She found herself leaning into him often, wishing that she could divulge Dumbledore's plan for her to him, but knew she never could. She watched the interaction between her cousin and Remus and the slightly greasy raven-haired man that was late to the meeting and extremely pale. It was clear that Sirius had incredible disdain for this Professor Snape and made it clear, even though they would all be working together in this fight against the Death Eaters and Dark Lord, that he would never trust him and the made a note to ask them why the next time they were alone.
Tonks was offered a bedroom by Sirius when the meeting finally ended at well past one in the morning, but she declined. She wanted to be able to return home and continue practicing metamorphasizing into the alter-ego she had devised for Dumbledore. Nothing could be left to chance and she had to know the way that particular transformation felt by heart so that she could do it without thinking and maintain it no matter what her emotions tried to do to her appearance. She gave her cousin a grateful hug goodbye and left the warded and invisible residence before Remus Lupin could come out of the kitchen and distract her once more.
A/N: This is just a little taste…just the beginning! There will be lots of lemons, lies, intrigue, and some romance, so stay with me! This story is titled after a song by Molotov Jukebox, which is Natalia Tena's fantastic band.