Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter. Or Lord of the Rings.
I would like to thank my regular reviewers:
Buzzcat- You've commented so many times and it makes really happry plus you make me laugh quite a lot with both your messages and your fanfictions.
Audburrito- Thank you for commenting when you could tell me all this in person!
That's all! i know sad, but I think of regular reviewers as someone who comments for more than one story, so if I missed anyone I'm sorry!
Plus, I'd like to mention that if you like Pokemon or Lord of the Rings, read my story My Gardenia Experience, 'cause I've have one person read it (thanks for the review, Audburrito)!
Now this is the third chapter of Remus's New Hope. Tonks starts to realize she has feelings for someone, and the twins are up to their usual idioticy. Their awesome idioticy!
Now review, or I'll Avada Kedavra your butt.
Nymphadora Tonks looked down at the piece of parchment that Mad-Eye had given her.
The Order of the Phoenix resides at Number 12, Grimmauld Place.
"What-"she started to say, by Mad-Eye shushed her.
"Just think about it." he grunted.
She did, and before her very eyes another building rose between number 11 and number 13.
"Whoa." she breathed. She started to go in, by Mad-Eye stopped her and clomped in front of her.
"You don't want to wake anything." he muttered.
Tonks followed Mad-Eye inside. The hall was gloomy and cramped, but before Tonks got a good look, she tripped over something shaped vaguely like a troll's leg.
"D'Arvit!" she swore. Massaging her bruised leg, she realized that what she had tripped over was an umbrella stand.
It was like the house was already out to get her. She grumbled a little then hopped up to rejoin the annoyed Mad-Eye.
They entered a kitchen where a red-haired woman was ordering about several red-haired teenagers, obviously her children. She entered tentatively, stopping about a foot into the room.
"Hello." she said nervously.
The woman turned and smiled. "You must be Nymphadora. Albus told us you'd be here for tonight's meeting."
"Call me Tonks." scowled Tonks.
"I'm Molly Weasley. You're a bit early, but you can explore and meet everyone before the meeting."
"I'm early?" questioned Tonks.
Mad-Eye, who had entered the room, shrugged. "I like to get here at least three hours early to make sure nobody's following us."
Tonks sighed. "As usual, constant vigilance."
Mad-Eye smirked. "Exactly." He limped off to an unknown room.
Two unknown entities suddenly popped into view directly behind Tonks, nearly giving her a heart attack. Turning, she saw pair of twin redheads, slightly taller than herself.
"Hi, I'm Fred Weasley."
"And I'm George Brandybuck."
Fred rolled his eyes. "He means Weasley. Sorry. We have a little too much Lord of the Rings on the brain."
Tonks didn't know what Lord of the Rings was, and she wasn't about to ask. "I'm Tonks."
Fred and George grinned. "What a pleasure to meet you, Tonks." they said in unison, and disappeared back into the kitchen.
After several minutes she was introduced to Ron Weasley, another redhead, Ginny Weasley, a girl this time, Bill Weasley, whom she recognized from her days at Hogwarts to be a couple years older than her, and she had talked to Kingsley Shacklebolt, who she knew as an Auror at the Ministry.
Tonks headed upstairs to check out the rooms up there. She peeked into one on the rooms on the first floor, and saw a brown-haired girl writing a letter next to an orange-haired cat. She moved on. She opened to drawing room door, but quickly shut it when a doxy attacked her. Ok, then. Next floor.
The next room she peeked into was a bedroom, she could tell. But it was different that the girl's room. There had been two beds there, and an air of laughter and fun. Here, the atmosphere was quieter, more reserved.
In one corner stood a made bed with clean sheets. In the other corner there was a solid oak desk with a cluttered collection of papers on it. There were only three photographs. Tonks walked closer for a better look.
The one nearest her showed a teenage boy with messy black hair and glasses laughing at another boy with longer black hair named (she recognized him with a jolt) Sirius Black. Sirius seemed to be wearing a French maid's outfit and was scowling and repeatedly making obscene hand gestures at the camera. Another boy in the background was reading a book, although he looked up occasionally and gave them a look halfway between a scowl and a smile.
The picture next to that one had the same boy who had been reading sitting up in a hospital bed at the hospital wing at Hogwarts. He looked tired and wane, but was smiling broadly at his three friends, Sirius, the black-haired boy, and a new one with small, beady eyes and mouse-brown hair.
The third picture was almost entirely hidden by the first two. There were two unknown adults in it, a man with brown hair that was graying and a stiff back and a woman with blonde hair who as smiling gently at the little toddler clutching her trousers' leg. The little boy had brown hair and a broad smile. With a jolt Tonks realized who the toddler was, along with the boys in the other pictures.
"Having fun looking at Moony's pictures?" said a jaunty voice from behind her.
Tonks whirled around. A man with shoulder-length black hair and a haunted face looked back at her. The man in two of the pictures, although the smile on his face now was a lot sadder than it had been.
"Sirius Black." she snarled, reaching for her wand. But before she could hex him another figure appeared behind Sirius.
"I'll ask you what you were doing in my room later. But first I'd like to mention that hexing Sirius won't do you any good as Sirius is innocent." said the man.
Tonks didn't drop her wand. "Prove it."
"Sirius didn't betray the Potters. Peter Pettigrew did. He was their Secret-Keeper and told Voldemort where they were. Then he chased down Sirius and yelled that Sirius betrayed Lily and James for everyone to hear and killed twelve Muggles, cut off his finger, and transformed into a rat." said Remus Lupin calmly.
"That's not proof."
Sirius smirked and before she knew it, a great black dog bounded up to her. Tonks lowered her wand slowly. Remus grabbed Sirius by the scruff and thrust him out of the room. It looked like he'd done that before.
"So, um, hi Remus." said Tonks awkwardly.
Remus pulled out a chair and pointed to it. She sat. He sat on the bed, springs creaking.
Tonks now knew why Dumbledore had appointed him as a teacher. She felt very much a disobedient schoolgirl.
"Why were you snooping in my room?" He didn't sound angry, just tired.
"I didn't know it was your room! I'm really sorry, Molly told me to explore and I peeked in here and saw the pictures…" Tonks didn't know why she felt such a need to explain herself. Maybe because she hated the idea of Remus being mad at her.
"Did you see them?" asked Remus quietly. She noticed his gaze was focused on the picture of the toddler.
"Erm, yes." said Tonks.
Remus got up and walked toward the picture. He bent to pick it up. Tonks noticed his change in demeanor; he was no longer angry, just sad.
"It's me." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Before I was bitten. I look so happy there. After I was infected, my parents never really looked at me the same way again."
Tonks didn't know what to say. What was she supposed to say? I'm sorry? She stood up and put her and on his shoulder. He flinched slightly, but didn't say anything.
They stood there like that for a while, not moving, until they heard Molly yelling at someone and the moment ended. Tonks removed her hand quickly.
"Hey, at least you're not injured this time." she joked feebly.
Remus gave her a tired smile, and she realized that she had never seen him give her a real smile: it was always tired or sad or worn. Never happy. All of a sudden she was possessed by a sudden desire to make him smile, to see him give her a look of pure joy, knowing that she had caused him to have that moment of happiness. She took a step back, surprised at this sudden want.
Remus saw her step back and mistook it for something else. "Sorry if I scared you off." he said, setting the picture back on the desk.
"Oh, no, I'm not scared, it's just-I'm…" stuttered Tonks, her face and hair turning bright red.
Remus gave her another sad smile, and Tonks bit her lip to stop herself from saying something stupid.
"I'm just trying to say…that I'm not scared of you." said Tonks, fully aware of how pathetic that sentence was.
"I know." Remus's tone was understanding, and Tonks realized something else. He didn't quite believe her. Remus Lupin's life might not be worth much to the Ministry, but it was worth a lot to her. He was infinitely more understanding and experienced in the ways of the world than herself or anyone she knew. And it all came from too much personal experience.
Going back to reality, Remus was staring at her. "Are you there? Earth to Tonks."
"Oh, sorry."
"Would you like to go downstairs? This conversation is getting a little awkward for me. "said Remus lightly, holding open the door.
Tonks nodded gladly, and rushed down the stairs, where she waited for the meeting to the start, and she was forced to watch the twins', who were reenacting "Lord of the Rings". From what she could tell, it involved four short guys with a ring (played by an equally confused Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Crookshanks), some guy with black hair named Aramorn or something (played by Fred), a blonde dude with pointy ears who managed to stay impeccably clean during gory fights, (played by George), a short man with a red beard (Mundungus was dragged into the production), and an old guy (played by a very amused Remus). They tried to force Tonks to play someone called "Boromir", but she wasn't having it. She was staying a member of the audience.
The reenactment ended abruptly when Sirius sneaked up on Fred, screamed "I hate elfish princelings!", and caused a riot between the short ones and Sirius and Fred and the others.
Tonks snuck out the back door of the kitchen and ran into Remus, who had taken off the fake beard and was attempting to escape also. She blushed red again, and he grinned. Not a sad grin, a real grin!
"What?" she asked, secretly hiding her triumph.
"You look just like a red tomato." he chuckled. "Dumbledore just arrived, so get ready for the meeting."
Tonks nodded, half embarrassed and half happy. What was wrong with her today? Ever since shed seen him, she'd acted like a complete moron. She sat at the long dining room table just as Mad-Eye clomped up to her.
"Have a good time?" he asked.
"Yea." she said vaguely.
"Remus speaks very highly of you, you know."
"He does?" said Tonks, her voice uncharacteristically high.
"Yep. Says you helped him out of a couple of tight spots." shrugged Mad-Eye. "Whatever."
Tonks went through her first meeting completely oblivious to anything but her own thoughts. When she was introduced to everyone by Dumbledore himself, she merely waved. See, her thoughts were on someone else entirely…