Half-Blood Prince. Between the Hospital scene with Bill and Dumbledore's funeral.

-Afraid to love beyond what I can lose when it comes to you

Nymphadora Tonks had her hand raised, poised to knock on the looming door in front of her. Her Lumos-illuminated wand drew much attention from the ungrateful portraits that were trying to catch a wink of sleep. However, their hisses and jeers were not the subject of her uneasiness. It was the door. In all respect, it was just a door. It didn't hold any nasty hexes or jinxes or charms. Just a wooden door with a protective locking charm. Silently, Tonks debated if she should finally knock when a nearby portrait finally hissed out a venomous "Put that light out and get back to bed missy!"

Deciding she wasn't strong enough, Tonks whispered "Nox," extinguishing her light and turning on her heel to escape back to her own guest room at Hogwarts. But of course, that troubling door opened before she could slip away. There, in that narrow doorway, stood Remus Lupin, who appeared rather spent and tired. His half-open eyes added to the aging look of his wrinkles and graying, disheveled hair.

Tonks stuttered. "H-How'd you know I was here?"

Remus pointed in the general direction of his ears. "I –heard you. A week after. Generally… you know…" He let himself trail off, embarrassment evident in the way he ruffled the hair on the back of his head. The werewolf-wizard nodded for Tonks to come in.

"Oh, I should be going," she refused, but Remus insisted, nodding through the doorway. The witch relented and strode into the room. "I'm sorry about what happened at Pomfrey's," she apologized. "I shouldn't have put you in the spotlight."

Remus chuckled good-naturedly, scratching the back of his neck. "Only you would apologize for something like that Tonks," he smiled. "Others would have no guilt whatsoever to yell at me again."

Tonks managed a feeble smile, nothing compared to the one that adorned Remus's face. To her, his words only meant that she had fallen deeper than she thought. "Well, I really should be going," she insisted. "I only came to apologize. Besides, you look like you'd do with some rest."

She was halfway to the door when Remus said, "Nymphadora…" The Metamorphagus's hair, which had returned to its bubble-gum pink blended into a soft mousy brown, instead of the angry scarlet it put on whenever anyone called her by her given name. If she had turned around sooner, she would have caught the small, fleeting, twitch-of-a-smile on the corners of Remus's mouth.

"Yes?" she asked casually, turning around and watching as the man approached her.

"I know I haven't been exactly good about this," he admitted with a deep sigh. Tonks nodded in understanding, all of a sudden even more eager to get away. "You're a brave, charming woman. An excellent Auror, a charming character. And you deserve so much more than me. Someone who could give you the world and beyond that." Tonks nodded again, adding a dazzling smile to the mix. She'd heard words like these before. Christmas Day, and before that. Whenever Remus tried to push her away.

"I'm fine Remus," she assured with her false and cheery disposition. Leaning in, she gave a small peck on his cheek –a friendly exchange. "Get some sleep for tomorrow."

Once again she turned to leave but Remus caught her hand, spinning her around. "If you're going to do it, do it properly," he scolded, stepping once pace closer. Tonks squirmed subtly, her breath hitching in her throat as the wizard leaned in, lips meeting hers.

When Remus pulled away slowly, Tonks joked, "What happened to old, poor and dangerous?" Remus refused to meet her eyes, messing with the hairs at the back of his neck again. His usual composed demeanor had been replaced by a flustered smile. Feeling slightly braver, Tonks took his face her hands and emitted a real laugh. It was a sound that hadn't come from her in months. "Alright?" she questioned.

"But this doesn't change anything," Remus immediately blurted out, ignoring her question. "No strings and it doesn't mean that this'll las-"

"I know," Tonks interrupted with a soft smile. She was still caressing his face. "But it'll be nice to know that we gave it a chance nevertheless."

Remus Lupin's face slowly covered Tonks's. "Stay tonight?" he ventured.