Author's Note: This fic was written as a sweet dessert for those of you who ingested the bitter herbs of my last fic, "Hands Outstretched". I had initially intended this to be a one-shot fluff piece and I really had no clue as to where it was going, but the idea of Tonks going through lessons with our favorite Potions Master to learn how to brew Wolfsbane could be fun, especially since Snape is one of my favorite characters to write. We'll see where it goes, but for now, enjoy your dessert!

Wolfsbane and Chocolate

As she strolled into number twelve Grimmauld Place, Nymphadora Tonks was immediately greeted with an extra large chocolate bar being pushed in her face.

"Hey what th-" the rest of her statement was cut off thanks to her feet tripping, once again, over that damned troll leg umbrella stand.

She snapped her eyes shut, waiting for the jolt of pain on her backside to come, but she instead felt two powerful hands catching her elbows and helping her back to her feet.

"Sorry, Nym- I mean, Tonks…" Remus Lupin smiled from behind her and took the opportunity to breathe in the smell of her shampoo, which was quickly becoming one of his most favorite scents.

"But you were just… how did you… wha?" Tonks cautiously spun around and confronted her savior.

"Well, it is the waxing moon, so my reflexes may be more… ahem." He looked down with a slight blush and then hastily excused himself, drawing an immediate interest to the drapery inside number twelve's study.

Tonks giggled and followed Remus into the library, doing her best to avoid all of the obstacles in the room and sneak behind him. Remus, whose attention had shifted from the drapes to the extensive catalogue of books, jumped ever so slightly at the delicate hands that were wrapped around his waist.

"You're getting a little bit better at stealth," he mused as he allowed his hands to rest on top of hers.

"Constant vigilance!" she growled with her best gruff voice.

"Tonks, if I turn around and I'm looking into the eyes of Mad-Eye Moody, I may just have to leave Grimmauld Place and thoroughly wash myself to get the image out."

The two chuckled. Tonks spun Remus around to reveal that other than a peculiar look of iron gray tips, it was indeed his Nymphadora. "Ah ha, so you WERE…"

"Concealment… and disguise practice?" she smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, that's what that was," Remus mused. He took a deep breath and looked his companion in the eyes. Merlin she has beautiful eyes…

"Tonks, you know that the full moon is tomorrow night, and I'm going to be-"

He was cut off by her soft lips pressed against his. Remus's eyes went wide at the initial shock of it, then gently closed as he immersed himself in the beautiful feeling. After what seemed like ages, she eased away.

"Remus John Lupin, I am not leaving this house. You know as well as I do that the Wolfsbane Potion that Snape gives you is perfect and that you wouldn't harm me at all. Hence the whole human mind in wolf's body thing… unless you forgot what Wolfsbane does to you."

Remus shook his head. "No, no. I can remember things all too well. And Snape doesn't exactly have an affinity for the Marauders, so he may accidentally slip sometime." The words had an unintended bite to them.

"Remus, I didn't mean… I just… I just want to be here with you. I love you and I'm not going to just let you go sulk in your wolfish form. Dammit, I'm going to show you that I'm not afraid of you!" The resolve in her eyes was evident.

"Fine. You can stay, but Sirius is staying watch during the transformation. If there's any danger, he's getting you out of the room as quickly as he can. Deal?"

"Deal." She lifted a gloved hand to her forehead in a salute. "And if you're so worried about Snape, why don't you get someone else to make it for you?"

"Unfortunately, it takes an experienced Potions Master to brew one successfully. Make it too strong, and the subject dies. Make it too weak, and it loses its desired effect. Severus is one of the few in Wizarding Britain that can properly brew it."

"Then you know what? I'm going to learn!" Tonks pushed her hands to her hips in determination. "If you're soooooo worried about attacking me, then maybe I have incentive to make it the right way! And that way, I can be with you, wolfy or not."

The glint in her eyes made it evident that he would never in a million years win this fight. Remus resigned himself to his fate. "If that's what you wish… it will take a lot of work, and believe me, I can understand if I'm not worth-"

She gently placed a gloved finger to his lips. "No more of that. This is something I want to do- for us. I promise I won't bug Snape until after the full moon. That way he won't be insulted that you want a new batch. Then I'll do whatever it takes to be your own personal Potions Mistress."

She giggled and gave him an exaggerated wink. Remus rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded remarkably like "yes, dear," and turned back to face his books.

He was once again assaulted by the Auror's arms on his waist as she wrapped him into one last tight hug. "My lunch break is over in a minute. I'll be back after work and we can enjoy the night before the full moon together."

Remus patted her hands and nodded. "That sounds lovely." He quickly spun around to plant a kiss on her forehead and saw her out the door. "See you tonight, then."

With a giggle and a blown kiss, Nymphadora Tonks disapperated out of sight, leaving her magnificent scent wafting in the air for a moment. Remus sighed and smiled, allowing himself to be content in the moment. He reached down into his front pocket to dislodge the chocolate bar he had off- oh, she's gotten good...

Postscript: So here we go! This will definitely be a multi-chapter fic, but I'm not sure if I'm going to detail the full moon or perhaps a date, or if I should just jump right to asking Snape for help. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!

-HnS