Firewhisky sloshed out of Sirius' glass as he laughed. Remus hadn't heard him happy in ages. It was a good sound, even if he had to look the fool to hear it.
"So I came around the corner and there they were, pair of lovebirds, and Remus looks like he's about to be sick…"
"Never were good with the ladies, were you, Moony?"
"So it's lucky she's really a fraud, because I was able to sneak up behind her without her knowing I was coming. I really wish I had a picture of her face when she saw me grab your arm, Remus. How long had she kept you trapped there?"
Over Sirius' laughter, he admitted, "A few minutes."
"The old bat wouldn't leave him alone at Hogwarts." Sirius explained to his cousin. "She kept trying to sneak up on him in the staff room and drag him off to her attic."
"In desperation, I even broke into Filch's office to get the Marauders Map back to help me avoid her, but the twins beat me to it. It lucky that I was able to confiscate it from Harry, really."
The kitchen door opened and Minerva McGonagall walked into the room "I was looking for Mad-Eye."
"He's not here. He said something about a tip-off and left."
"Well, I am running a bit late," she said briskly, obviously annoyed about something. "I spent an hour this evening with Sibyl. She was very upset about something."
"Care for a cup of tea, Minerva?" Remus offered, moving toward the kettle.
"No thank you, though I will have a biscuit if it's all the same. Sibyl finished off mine." She took a couple from the tin. "I have guard duty tonight. I will see you at the next order meeting, Sirius, Remus, Nymphadora. Oh," she paused and fixed an eye with a decided twinkle in it on Remus and Tonks. "I understand I should congratulate the two of you." She winked and left.
Sirius exploded with laughter again. "Did McGonagall just wink?"
"I told you she had a better sense of humor than we used to give her credit for. She does a fair impression of you the time she caught you trying to sneak into the staff room through the window."
"Sirius?" a booming, gruff voice echoed through the hall.
"MONSTER! HALF BLOOD FREAK! YOU DARE ENTER MY HOUSE!"
Hagrid peeked around the door, ducking to avoid hitting his head. He looked sheepish a moment, then broke into a grin. "All right, Lupin? Tonks? Sirius, I brought a treat for Beaky. Didn't mean to set her off." He jerked his head back toward the screaming portrait.
"It's all right, Hagrid. We'll just go shut her up and I'll take you to Buckbeak. These two could probably use some alone time anyway." He sauntered out the door.
Remus was suddenly very aware that he and Tonks were alone in the dark kitchen. He wasn't sure why that would suddenly make him uncomfortable. They had certainly been alone before. He cleared his throat. "I'm not sure I got to thank you for coming to my rescue."
She grinned at him, shifting to look up at him. "You didn't mind, then? The way I rescued you?"
"Of course not."
"It's just, the way you looked at me, it was, well, funny. I wasn't sure what you were thinking."
"Tonks, I was impressed. You thought very quickly, much more quickly than I did. If I take you to the castle every time I go, I'll never have to deal with Sibyl Trelawney again. No more hiding in broom cupboards."
"Ah," she said, a little smile on her face. "Hogwarts broom cupboards. I used to make myself look like Professor Sprout and scare the hell out of anyone I could find snogging in them."
"Were you ever caught?"
"Six nights of detention. But it was worth it to see that look on Harold McGivins face. He'd just dumped me for the girl he was in there with, you see."
"Someone dumped you?" It was out before he could stop it, before he thought about how she might interpret it. Before she could respond, he frantically searched his brain for a way to cover his slip. "And lived to tell about it?"
"Well," she looked down into her mug and bit her lip. He was surprised to see a blush creep up her cheeks, and decided that it was cute. "On the first anniversary of the day he dumped me, I showed up at his door, with a different appearance, and gave him a box with a niffler in it." She laughed a little, "It was childish, but I just couldn't resist."
"I am quite sure he deserved it."
She smiled at him, her eyes holding his for just a moment. Remus wondered why he had never before noticed how intimate a place the basement kitchen could be. Firelight flickered against the stone walls, the rest of the room was dark and still. They were cut off from the rest of the house; no noise but the occasional pop of flame entered the room as he gazed into her eyes. Remus realized with the vigorous jump of his heart that he knew where the panic that he had felt as she caught him in that hallway with Trelawney had come from. He knew why he sought her out at order meetings, why he delighted in making her laugh, or making her eyes widen with surprise. It wasn't just that she was becoming one of his best friends, nor was it because he was keeping an eye out for Sirius' "little cousin." He looked in the beautiful—breathtakingly beautiful—eyes of Nymphadora Tonks and realized that it was for a while different reason entirely. He drew a deep breath. Damn.