Oh, let's go back to the start

June 1995

"Welcome, friends," Albus said with an air of cheerfulness. He beckoned us to take a seat around the long, elegant looking table, where a group of about twenty or so sat down in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Some faces I recognized from the first Order, but some were young and new that I did not know. Sirius sat in the corner near Albus in his dog form. Albus remained standing as he started.

"I have been in contact with each of you individually and I must stress that each of you has my utmost trust. Before arriving here each of you has been given a slip of parchment with the address. I will ask you to please take those out now and burn them before me."

There was sounds of rustling of cloaks as people moved around in their seats. Wands out, several murmurs of "incendio" was muttered throughout the room.

"Now," he said, his voice taking a more serious tone, "you have all been made secret keeper and I ask you to be very cautious. Introductions must be in order, but first I must ask you to remain calm about what I will say next." He turned to Sirius and waved him forward. "If you will..." he said to him.

Sirius transformed into his human form, looking increasingly better groomed than when I first saw him, but his skin was still pasty against his face which looked pale, and there's a haunted quality in his eyes from thirteen years in Azkaban.

There was a small outrage from the majority of people in the room. Several people gasped or seemed to growl in hatred, while others were shell-shocked, frozen in their seats, mouths hanging open.

"Black!"

"Murderer...killed thirteen-"

"Silence!" Dumbledore said above the group, his voice took an authority at once. "Sirius Black is innocent. He was not secret-keeper for the Potters nor did he have any association with Voldemort." Several people winced at his name. "Peter Pettigrew was the traitor and there has been evidence to prove this to which shall be explained at a later time. Who you see before you is an innocent man who has suffered many years falsely accused. He has willingly allowed us to use his family home to our disposal as Headquarters for the Order."

Many faces looked unconvinced and doubtful, but from shock or respect for Dumbledore, they remained silent. "Please, have a seat, Sirius," Albus said as he sat down at the head of the table.

"For those of you who do not know, when Lord Voldemort first rose to power, I had formed a secret society that worked against him called the Order of the Phoenix. The day before last, Lord Voldemort has been reborn and the ministry fails to believe the inevitable truth. Voldemort will attempt to regain followers and rise to power once again. Our mission will, for the time being, be mostly underground work, as we try, to the best of our abilities, to ensure that he does not succeed.

"I will ask you all now to come forth and sign your name to this parchment," he finished, indicating the parchment resting on the table. I let others rise before me and caught Albus's gaze through his half-moon spectacles. His blue eyes seemed to dimly sparkle, and he bowed his head slightly, smiling at me. Walking forth was professors and aurors, a few Weasleys, ministry workers, even a young woman with bright pink hair.

After the meeting, which was mostly introductions, questions, and overviews from the last Order, everyone began leaving. Mrs. Black's began screaming obscenities as everyone passed her portrait.

"Mudbloods and traitors!"

"Theif! Half-bloods in the noble house of Black!"

"Beast!" She snarled at me as I walked by, Sirius trailing along behind me.

"Oh, shut it, dear mother," Sirius snapped at her, his voice like venom.

Together, Sirius and I managed to pull the curtains shut over her portrait, though she was still wailing. We began making our way towards the entryway where the last of the order members were making their way out the door. Albus and the woman with pink hair stood talking in the middle of the hall. "Now I remember why we never visited here during summer vacation," I said to Sirius as we walked.

"That's her being pleasant. Just imagine the real woman," Sirius laughed, giving me rough clap on the back.

"Good evening, gentlemen, Nymphadora," Dumbledore said, just before disapparating in silence.

The young woman, Nymphadora, I think Albus called her, stood lingering in the hallway, traces of a faint scowl on her face. She strode forward toward us, her scowl fading from her face, and I noticed that she wasn't at all unpleasant looking and her dark eyes seemed to sparkle in the light. There was a loud thud against the wooden floor as she knocked the umbrella stand over, and stumbled a bit. She mumbled under her breath words I couldn't hear and I felt my lips twitch upwards just briefly.

"Sirius," she breathed as she approached us. Her lips curved in a faint smile that reached her eyes. She looked almost timid, and to my shock, she leaned forward and engulfed him in a brief hug. When she pulled away, Sirius looked baffled and he stood awkwardly, swinging his arms back and forth.

"Er..."

"Silly me – sorry, I must seem mad," she said bashfully. "I'm Andromeda's daughter."

Sirius opened his mouth, and looked vaguely past her for a moment. Almost instantly he gasped, "Nymphadora!"

"Tonks, if you please," she told him instantly.

He acted as if he didn't hear her. "Your mother was my favorite cousin," he said reminiscing. "Yeah, she was alright. How is she?"

"She's fine, spending time with dad now that I'm out of her hair."

"Brilliant," he said. "It's mad, I haven't seen you since you were maybe this big-" he used his hand and hovered it beside him at his waist "- and you had red hair, not pink," he finished pointedly.

She laughed softly and her hair changed into a fire red shade. I had to blink my eyes a few times and looked at her again feeling astonished. "You're a metamorphmagus?" I said, intending it to be a question, but I sounded more enthused. I had never met someone with that ability before.

She turned her head to me and smiled. "I am," she said, "uhm...?" Her eyes darted back and forth a few times between me and Sirius, but he didn't seem to notice. Typical.

"Remus Lupin," I said, and extended my hand between us.

"Wotcher, Remus," she greeted and took my hand, shaking it briskly.

"Nice to meet you, Nymphadora."

A brief scowl played on her face. "Only call me Nymphadora if you want me to curse your bum off."

I smiled despite myself. This one was full of fire. "So what shall we call you then?"

"Tonks," she muttered. "Call me Tonks."

"You prefer your surname?" Sirius asked.

"Well," she teased, extending the word twice as long, "you would too if your mother named you Nymphadora." She scrunched her nose up and stuck out her tongue, making a sound like mock-gagging.

"I'd be glad to have traded mothers any time," he responded.

She shook her her head, eyes wide, as she groaned. "Reckon she'd be a bloody nightmare."

Sirius smirked at her, and his worn face was more relaxed than I remember seeing it for a long time. I know he was nervous about how his old acquaintances would respond to him after Azkaban, and Tonks seemed all right. "Moony and I were going to play a few games of Exploding Snap. It's been ages since I've gotten the pleasure of beating him. Care to join, Tonks?"

She moved past us in the direction of the front room. "Only if you don't mind losing to a girl," she called over her shoulder in a sing-song voice. I saw the faintest glint in her eyes before she turned her head forward. Sirius and I caught each others eyes and he smirked at me while I chuckled to myself in amusement.

She was going to make this all the more interesting.