Chapter two....

It wasn't possible. Was it? Grimmauld Place actually felt colder than before. Remus stepped in from the July summer day. The sun light up the hall. His heightened sense of smell was telling him rain was on its way.

It was wrong that they were using Sirius' house. Not when he wasn't there. However, it was a pressing matter that the meeting had been called for.

He could hear the muttering of The Order as he rested his cane upon the wall. It slipped knocking the dreaded portrait open-

"FILTHY. HORRIBLE. ARGGGGGG. LEAVE MY HOUSE." Sirius' mother roared. The instant the racket stopped. Molly appeared in the hallway.

"Remus dear. We thought you were Tonks for a minute then. How is she?"

"Asleep. Is everyone here?" Remus was late. He had no idea what time they were having the meeting.

"We've been waiting for you dear. Would you like something to eat?" Molly led him into the solemn meeting room. All eyes turned to him.

"No thank you Molly. I'm fine." He took his seat opposite Albus. "Shall we begin?" He looked to Albus. He couldn't stand the silence. Did they all expect him to break down there and then because he was the only Marauder left? He had been the lone ranger once before. He could do it again.

"Yes. Of course." Albus turned to Severus. "Have you received a reply." Severus nodded.

"He will meet with someone. Not Miss Tonks though. He does not regard the company of females." Severus explained. Remus felt like he had missed something. "So someone will have to accompany her to Switzerland." All eyes turned to Remus. All except Severus. "Unfortunately Mr Kant does not solicit with werewolves either." A sneer spread across Severus' face. Remus had heard of Mr Alexander Jericho Kant. He had trained Severus in potions right before he joined Voldermort. He was a man who liked his solitary and Severus was one of only nine people to learn under the watchful eye of the potions master. Mr Kant, according Remus' knowledge, had not looked upon a woman in fifty years when his mother died. Why he would not share the company of a werewolf was nothing new to Remus. Many people feel the same.

"Who else is there Severus?" Minerva questioned coldly. "Nyhmpadora needs this help. There is no one else to take her to get the potion she needs-"

"It is his request that he does not meet with anyone unnatural." Severus reasoned painfully.

"And who is he to judge. He hasn't been outside his own company in twenty five years"

"I'm sorry that this woman's life lies in his hands... but without this potion she will die." Severus did sound sorry. However it occurred to Remus that it was possibly his handicapped ability that he was mourning.

"How will he know that I am a werewolf?" Remus questioned boldly. Severus faltered. "Honesty, unless I tell him, or there is a freak full moon, will he know?"

"No." Severus answered.

"Albus. Is there no one else to take her?" Remus looked around the table. Auror's. The lot of them. They were already one down. They could not afford to loose another one. "Then we are left with no choice; I will go and meet with Mr Kant." Severus looked disgusted. "When am I to meet him?"

"You are to leave on the Hogwarts Express the day the students arrive at Kings Cross station." Albus answered Remus' question. "You have a week to make sure Miss Tonks is fit for travel." Albus paused.

"Perhaps we should talk about someone to replace her as-" Minerva began.

"- It has taken me three years to get Nymphadora to agree to be our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. She will be fit to teach in September Minerva. I have faith in her."

Severus looked sick. He was helping the woman who was beating him to his wanted job. She was an old student. Clumsy. And a Griffindor to boot. Remus couldn't help but stifle a grin, only Tonks could manage it.

After the meeting Molly sat Remus down and was just about to threaten to force feed him when he finally relented. She was pottering around the kitchen when Albus appeared in the doorway.

"She'll make a good teacher Albus." Remus pulled the bourbon bottle towards him and filled two glasses. Handing the second to his former headmaster. After taking a sip a thought occurred to him. "Why did she refuse?"

"Because she wanted to free Sirius. She couldn't do that at Hogwarts." Albus looked to his glass. "She never knew what she wanted to be." He chuckled. "She once threatened that no matter what she did, she'd beat Severus to the Defence Against the Dark Arts job. She was joking of course."

"You'd have a hard time proving that to Severus of course." Molly set two plate of steaming beef stew in front of the two men.

"I did. I had quite forgotten the remark that had gotten Miss Tonks into detention until I offered her the position and Severus kindly reminded me." Albus took a mouthful of stew. "He seems to think I've had her down for the job since she was in Hogwarts."

"Doesn't help that no matter how clumsy she is, she came out tops in her potions either." Molly took a seat opposite them both.

"Ah.... Now Molly, she wasn't always like that." Remus took a clump out of the uncut loaf Molly had placed between himself and Albus. "That was Severus' doing." He mopped up the gravy from his bowl. "I watched him destroyed her confidence. Each time I went to Hog-" Albus coughed. Remus had almost revealed his return to Hogwarts. "-Er. Went to see her, she was more... more-"

"Clumsy?!" Molly finished. Remus just nodded.

"That's why when it came to the exams, she passed with flying colours." Remus finished his tale. "She could go into any profession she wished."

"And she still picked to be trained my you." Albus added. A gleam in his eye.