Chapter 3: The Welcoming Party

Present day

Tonks knew that Maya would prefer to take the train to Hogwarts. The excitement growing in her friend was becoming more and more obvious even in her letters. Tonks could tell that the older woman was eager to return to England and guessed that she would want to take the long journey on the train to take in all of the countryside. With the unusually early snowfall however, Tonks was beginning to question whether Maya would have indeed come early to Hogsmeade or if she had decided to forgo the train and just apparate in the morning.

Under the assumption that Maya would choose to arrive early, Tonks had decided to put together a little welcome party. Maya's response came around tea time the next afternoon, carried by an owl through the fireplace in the parlor of Grimauld Place. In it she had explained that Dumbledore had requested a face-to-face meeting at Hogwarts castle. Tonks had squealed with delight. Unfortunately she tripped and landed in Remus' lap where he sat reading on the sofa of number 12 Grimauld place. After blushing immensely she had asked, "Remus, would you come with me to Hogsmeade? Maya hasn't been home since she was a girl, and I want to give her a proper welcome."

Although Remus had no idea why Tonks would consider asking him to go with her to meet her friend, she looked so excited he couldn't refuse. He asked, "How do you know she'll go to Hogsmeade? Wouldn't she most likely just apparate in front of the castle gates?"

"She sounded so eager to get here I think she'll try to get here early. Maya loves the country. I'd bet ten to one that she comes early on the Hogwarts express. Won't you come with me to meet her?"

Remus took in Tonks' bright eyes and the slight pout on her perfect bow shaped lips and knew he couldn't say no. Then he realized that she was still sitting on his lap and he felt a blush move up his neck. "I'd be happy to go with you to Hogsmeade, Nymphadora." He smiled at her as he moved to set her on to the sofa next to him and off of his lap.

"Remus, don't call me Nymphadora," she chided him, but her smile in her eyes betrayed her reprimand. Without thinking, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. It means a lot to me." She felt a warm blush move up her face.

At the touch of her soft lips on his cheek, he was suddenly very aware of the burning warmth creeping up his own neck and cheeks. He quickly moved his face farther behind his book and murmured a quiet "You're welcome."

While Maya sat in the Three Broomsticks finishing her soup and sandwich, Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin walked down Main Street in the snow. Remus smiled to himself. He found himself a captive audience as Tonks chatted away about her adventures with Maya. He watched her hand. It swayed back and forth as they walked and waved around animatedly as she talked.

'It would be so easy just to reach out and take her hand,' he thought. He had been thinking about Tonks a lot lately. She was, without a doubt, the most interesting person he had ever met. She was funny and kind, and he could talk to her for hours about magic, politics, music or books. Whether she morphed her eyes and hair or appeared with her natural light brown hair and hooded brown eyes the color of dark chocolate, the essence that was uniquely Tonks always showed through. He found her beauty intoxicating. He could look at her for hours, which could be problematic during Order meetings. If it weren't for his lycanthropy things might be so different.

Her love of life reminded him that he was still young. Usually, what with his condition and money troubles, he felt like an old man, not a man still in his mid-thirties. But a normal relationship, a normal life for him was out of the question. It simply wasn't safe, he was a danger to anyone that got close to him.

Two years ago, Remus had been walking down the main street of Diagon Alley, looking forward to a fresh start and feeling lighter than he had in years. Albus Dumbledore had sought him out to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class! It had been so long since he had a regular position. His condition usually kept most doors closed to him, but Dumbledore knew his secret and gave him a chance anyway. Remus had never considered teaching, had never thought it would be safe. Now there was the Wolfsbane potion that would render him a harmless wolf at the full moon, and Dumbledore had promised that a supply of the potion would be included with the position. How could he refuse a steady income doing something as wonderful as teaching and access to a potion that would lessen his affliction? It was more than he had dreamed of for years.

"Remus? Remus Lupin?" he froze when he heard his name. His circle of acquaintances was quite small, so he couldn't imagine who would be calling to him. When he looked around he saw a sprite-like young woman with shockingly pink hair and violet eyes set in a heart shaped face.

She grinned. "I thought that was you!"

"Yes, can I help you?" He was at a loss for how the pretty young witch could know him.

"You probably don't remember me. I'm Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks."

Her nose wrinkled when she said her first name. "Dora? Sirius' cousin, yes? Blimey!" Remus had not seen her since they were children and he had been a mate of her favorite cousin, who had become a murderer. He didn't want to stir up bad memories and was sure she was only acknowledging him out of politeness.

Her face fell and Remus felt as if the sun had gone behind a cloud. "You probably don't want to hear from me. I'm sorry - I didn't mean to drag up the past for you."

"No! Not at all, I was just thinking the same thing," Remus said. He was rewarded with another bright smile.

"I saw you there and just – Would you like to grab a cup of tea?" she asked hopefully. "If you have time, that is."

"I would love too."

"Brilliant!"

The wolf who was always just under the surface, normally left Remus with a river of tension beneath his calm exterior, making him afraid to ever let his emotions go unchecked. But from the moment Nymphadora Tonks smiled at him, the wolf was calm, as if soothed by a tonic. Remus saw her a few more times, meeting for tea or shopping in Diagon Alley. The position at Hogwarts had demanded much of his attention that year and then when the secret of his Lycanthropy became public and he was forced to resign he had been too ashamed to contact her again.

When Dumbledore's owl reached him, recalling him to the Order of The Pheonix, he was eager to accept. Dumbledore's owl had said he would be met at the Leaky Cauldron and given the date and place of the first meeting. He had been standing at the bar nursing a butter beer and making small talk with Tom, the barman, for twenty minutes when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and looked into bright violet eyes.

"Oi! Wotcher Remus!" said Tonks through carefully sculpted pink spiked fringe.

Remus thought she looked lovelier than ever in her Support Ireland quidditch tee and muggle jeans. She must have come straight from work, because her Auror robes hung on one arm. "Tonks! How are you?" he said. "Tom, a butter beer for the lady, please."

"Ta, Remus!" she said blushing, which Remus only thought made her look more beautiful.

"You've been a hard wizard to find."

"I didn't realize."

"Yes, Sirius said Dumbledore started looking for you months ago."

"Sirius? You've been in touch then?" Remus asked, surprised.

"Oh! Didn't I say? Dumbledore sent me to meet you." She eyed Tom at the other end of the bar. When she was certain they weren't being overheard she whispered, "I'm your contact for the meeting."

Remus leaned in closer to Tonks, their heads almost touching. "You're in the Order then?" he asked.

"I am a fully trained Auror, you know. Kingsley put in a good word with Dumbledore. When they told me what you lot were up to I signed on straight away."

"Congratulations, then," he said, giving her a shy smile through long fringe that was constantly falling in his eyes.

"Ta! Making contact with new members has been my first assignment," she said proudly.

"How goes it?" he asked, mostly because he didn't want their conversation to end.

"Well, you've been the best so far."

She smiled at him again and Remus felt his world light up. "Glad to be of service."

"I guess I'll see you at the first meeting."

"It's a date." He smiled at her, feeling like a co-conspirator.

Tonks' eyes twinkled with excitement. "It's a date."

"Remus?… Remus did you hear me?" Tonks asked.

"What?" he questioned coming out of his thoughts. "Sorry, Nymphadora. What did you say?"

Tonks smiled, taking in the youthful look of ruddiness in his cheeks. Her eyes never noticed the batched and worn look of his robes. In her eyes he was perfect. His sandy hair, touched with gray gave him a distinguished look. But it was his eyes that always captivated her. His amber eyes always seemed to be shining and had just a touch of mischief behind them, though he was always too polite and proper to cross the line.

Feeling herself begin to blush, she said, "I was saying we might as well look here first. The Three Broomsticks is the most comfortable of the pubs. Don't you think? Plus, I think Maya would like the fact that it's crowded. She wouldn't stick out as much then."

"Yes, you're probably right," he said as they approached the heavy wooden door at the entrance of The Three Broomsticks.

Tonks and Remus entered the pub and set off to find Rosemertta. They hoped she could tell them if Maya had been in. Before they could make their way through the gaggle of men that always surrounded Rosemerta, Tonks spotted a mass of dark chocolate curls at a small table in the back of the crowded pub. Tonks all but squealed in delight. At the sound of Tonks' cry the young woman turned to face them.

"Maya! I knew you'd come early. Couldn't resist the train, could you?" Tonks teased.

Tonks' wild cry startled Maya out of her reminiscing, and she looked around for the source of the sound. Her face broke into a wide grin at the sight of Tonks. She raised a mischievous eyebrow at the sight of Lupin. "Tonks, it's great to see you! I thought I would take in the countryside from the train. The snow has been beautiful."

Remus hung back as the two women greeted each other in an excited frenzy of compliments and hugs. Belatedly, it occurred to him that he might look a dutiful husband accompanying his wife to meet a friend. 'Where did that come from?' he thought in shock. He wasn't just filling his mind with lewd thoughts of the young witch - now he was imagining them as a couple. He shook the thought from his mind. He was an out of work werewolf; relationships were far too dangerous for someone like him.

He tried to focus on the conversation going on between the two witches. The woman in front of him was not the warrior he had expected from the rumors of the Black Dragon. Maya was young, only a little older than Tonks, twenty-eight or thirty? Her face held none of Tonks youthful excitement or bubbliness. The witch with the chocolate curls had expressive wide dark blue eyes and a pale but pretty face. Even when she laughed or smiled there was sadness in her blue eyes.

As the women broke their embrace, Tonks blushed. "Oh Merlin! Maya, Remus, I'm sorry. You both know I'm rubbish with introductions. Maya, this is Professor Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Ms. Maya Ladon."

Remus smiled and took both of Maya's hands in his own. "Most pleased to meet you at last. Tonks has told me so much about you already."

Maya returned his warm smile. She knew immediately what had attracted her best friend to the older wizard. They complimented each other perfectly. The professor had a quiet manner about him and the graying hair at his temples gave him a distinguished look. His amber eyes were kind and inviting, instantly putting her at ease. The lines at the corners of his mouth suggested he loved to laugh but the scars, some old, some new, that lined his face and hands said he experienced his share of pain as well. "All good things I hope? Won't you both sit and have a cup of tea with me?"

"We'd love to, but Remus and I are buying and I think this occasion calls for something stronger than tea. We're your welcome home delegation, of course," Tonks said as she slid into the chair next to Maya. Once Remus was seated they placed their orders.

"Ladon, like the Greek myth of the dragon?" Remus mused out loud. "Funny, the rumors equate your talent to that of a dragon?"

Maya's face went blank and unreadable and an awkward silence stretched out between them. "My family is connected to the ancient Greek dragons. In fact, many chose to work with dragons before they were relocated and band to the dragon colonies," Maya said shortly. Discussing her work as the Black Dragon so openly, having others know her identity left her feeling exposed and vulnerable. Working with and trusting others would be harder that she had expected.

"I'm sorry, if I offended you," Remus apologized.

With a sigh the tension in her shoulders and neck deflated and she forced her face to relax. "No, don't be. I've been away from our world a long time. I have to get used to the idea that there will be others that know my secret."

"Rest assured your identity as the Black Dragon is not common knowledge among the Order," Remus assured her.

"Yes, only the small committee who review potential new members know your secret," Tonks agreed.

"Thank you, both," Maya said gratefully. "I'd hoped to be as discrete as possible."

"I understand completely," Remus said.

Tonks decided it was time for a change of topic. A puckish grin spread across her face. "Maybe we should have brought Charlie Weasley with us, Remus," she said with a chuckle.

"Perhaps he would have made a better representative of the Order than myself," he laughed with her, still not sure why she wanted him to accompany her in greeting her friend.

"Don't be silly, Remus. You're the best representative of The Order we have and my personal friend." Maya watched the banter between the two and couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since anyone had made Tonks light up this way.

"Maya, don't let his modesty fool you. Remus used to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. He's an expert. Teaching 3rd years how to perform the Patronus Charm? Imagine! I was in my second year of Auror training before I could get that spell to work correctly," she said as she beamed in Remus' direction.

"Now Nymphadora, that was a very gifted student. You exaggerate my teaching abilities," he said quickly, feeling a flush grow up his neck as he saw Maya's eyebrow rise.

"Patronus? Very impressive, professor." Maya looked at the tall slender man in front of her with sandy hair and blush rising up his neck and face. There was no doubt that he was 'Mr. Wonderful'. She and Tonks were definitely going to have to find time to talk alone.

"If you've managed to impress Tonks I'm sure you're worthy of the praise," Maya said with a smirk. "Now, who is Charlie and why would I be interested in getting to know him?" She looked between the two and then directly at Tonks. "You wouldn't be trying to arrange one of your blind dates, would you?"

"Maya, how could you say that? I only ever think of your happiness. Charlie is a dragon tamer in Romania," Tonks replied with an innocent expression that Remus knew well. It meant trouble would soon follow.

Maya, feeling very playful for some reason and quite unlike herself, smiled at Tonks. "So... you think I could be tamed so easily do you? And Romainian? How exotic…" Maya said and laughed as both Tonks and Remus blushed and laughed with her.

"Charlie happens to be English. Went to Hogwarts with me but moved to Romania to work with the dragons. But I swore to leave your love life alone after the last disaster. Besides, Charlie's my age and a redhead. I happen to remember you like your men tall, dark, and older." Both women laughed.

Remus had to chuckle at the two women in front of him. It was reminiscent of listening to Lilly and the other girls talk when the Maurauders would get together. He wondered how often women discussed men this way? Wasn't it supposed to be men that talked about women as if they were inanimate objects?

"Good for you, Tonks," Maya replied. "I'm glad you learned your lesson after that one. I'm here to try and avoid a disaster - not create another," she said as she noticed their empty glasses.

"Let's have another drink, shall we? This one's on me," Maya said as she caught the attention of the serving girl and ordered another round of drinks.

"No worries about tomorrow's meeting, right? You'll love Dumbledore and I know he'll see the talents you could bring to the order," Tonks said.

"No, I'm not worried, Tonks. He'll either approve of me or not. I gave up trying to impress men years ago. However, I don't think it's my talent that concerns him. I think its more my methods and whether I'll be able to restrain myself," she said, that sad look returning to her eyes.

"I'm afraid the American MLE hasn't painted such a good picture of the Dragon," Remus said in an apologetic tone. A quiet comfortable silence settled over the trio as Maya thought over Remus Lupin's words.

Maya suddenly felt the need to justify her actions, something she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt the need to explain herself not just to Tonks but also to this quiet-mannered Englishman. Could she be beginning to feel the need for people in her life again? She decided it was time to begin the new openness she would need to work with a team.

"Professor Lupin, I feel the need to be open with both you and Tonks, I ask for your patience because I am used to a very private life. I have never used an unforgivable or illegal curse and have no interest in the Dark Arts other than knowing enough to defend myself against them. If a Death Eater lost his life it was the result of his own carelessness," she said. Maya looked Remus in the eyes, hoping that he wasn't taking her comments the wrong way.

"I'm truly sorry if I've offended you, Ms. Ladon. It was not my intention," Remus stated.

"No apology needed, Professor Lupin," she responded. "Given the rumors that have begun to circulate, I completely understand your concern. I would worry about Dumbledore's sense of security if it were otherwise."

"Maya, no one is accusing you of Dark Magic. It's just that the stories are quite impressive, you know. People aren't sure what to make of it," Tonks said in an apologetic tone.

"Tonks, people are right to be concerned. I will answer any questions Dumbledore has for me. If I'm to be a member of the Order I want no one to doubt my loyalties or feel their lives are in danger because of my presence," Maya said. "As hard as it will be for me, Tonks, I have to learn how to trust and be open with others again if this will ever work."

"Ms. Ladon, I think I speak for Tonks and myself when I say that you can count on our support when the Order makes its decision," Remus said smiling warmly at her.

"Thank you both. It means a lot to me." Maya returned his smile. In that moment, Remus could have sworn that the sorrow in her eyes was somewhat less.