"You're beautiful."

Tonks glanced back him with shock, confusion, and disgust. "You're mental."

Charlie just grinned. "You're brilliant."

Tonks couldn't help but smile, even as she pulled him along with her looking for an empty class room. "That might be slightly more true." She stopped outside a classroom and peeked her head in. Professor Flitwick was speaking to a group of first years and demonstrating the proper swish and flick motion of the wand. Shaking her head, Tonks scanned the hall for an empty rooms.

Charlie followed, a little too closely for her liking. "You're perfect."

Tonks couldn't resist the unladylike snort. "And you're mad."

That grin looked stuck to Charlie's face. And it was starting to annoy. He sighed, in a way she was sure her roommate did over her favorite Quidditch star. "Mad for you," he quipped.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Weasley." The corridors were nearly empty now, she only hoped that one of the classrooms would be empty. None of the common rooms would work. She couldn't just drag Charlie into Hufflepuff with her, and she doubted he even remembered the password for Gryffindor, but she had no idea where to go.

Charlie was obligingly quiet for the next few minutes as Tonks searched, but the looks he sent towards her scared her almost as much as his declarations of love.

Footsteps alerted Tonks to someone approaching. She shot Charlie a look that would have, under normal circumstances, warned him to keep his mouth shut. However, today she wasn't sure he got the message.

Glancing around and seeing nowhere to hide, she pulled Charlie along down the hall. No use running away. She was almost relieved when she saw two red haired boys round the corner and approach them. They shared a glance and grinned identically.

"Hello." The twins spoke in unison. Tonks wasn't sure she had ever heard one utter a sentence unaccompanied by his brother.

"Wotcher boys." She really did like Charlie's kid brothers, but she wasn't in the mood for a chat right now. She tried to move past the twins while dragging their brother behind her. The twins blocked her path, unwilling to let their prey leave under suspicious circumstances. Especially what with all the rumors already floating around the castle.

"Guys, really, I've got to go. I've got some major potion brewing to do."

Fred and George looked suspicious, and Charlie picked that moment to speak up. "Nymphadora Tonks," he murmured. "You have the most beautiful name in the world." He spoke quietly, but not so that the boys didn't hear him.

Tonks groaned and the twins grinned wickedly. "So it's true then."

"Our dear brother..."

"...Has got himself..."

"...A girlfriend."

Tonks shook her head vigorously. "No! No, no, I'm not his girlfriend! He kind of, um, had a love potion spilled on him."

The twins raised their eyebrows in identical displays of skepticism. Charlie didn't help matters by opening his mouth. "I like your hair this color. It brings out your dark eyes. They're the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen."

Fred and George snickered and batted their eyelashes in mock flirtation. "Love potion, huh?" Fred began.

"Did you try to drown him in it?" George finished.

Tonks glared at them and decided to ignore that last remark. "So you can see why I need to brew the antidote as soon as possible." She looked at Charlie and sighed in frustration. "As soon as I find a place to do it." This last she muttered under her breath, but the twins (who seemed to have a very acute sense of hearing) managed to hear her.

They turned to each other a moment and then back to their brother and his friend. George started this time (at least she guessed it was George), "You need a place to work?"

Tonks nodded absentmindedly, racking her brain for the ideal spot. Fred continued. "We know a place."

"It's this supply room..."

"...On the first floor. Totally unnoticed.."

"...You wouldn't get caught..."

"...We should know..."

"...We use it all the time."

"Wait a second." It always took a moment for her to process when they talked like that. "You have a place where I could work?"

The twins nodded. "Brilliant. Where?"

George (or was it Fred?) told her, "It's on the first floor..."

"...the corridor on the left before the Great Hall..," Fred (or maybe George) said.

Tonks nodded. Seemed straight forward enough. She didn't think she could manage to get lost on her way. "Great." Another thought struck her as she began to hurry off, "How do you guys know about it? And how do know that I won't get caught?"

The twins really had perfected that wicked smirk of theirs. "Just trust us. We'll know if anyone goes there but you."

"How? Never mind. I don't have time for this. See you boys later." Tonks grabbed Charlie by the arm and pushed him ahead of her. He just smiled.

Fred and George said their farewells. "Good luck!" Fred called.

"You'll need it!" His brother added. "Don't let him drool on your robes!" continued Fred (Wait! Wasn't the other one Fred?).

Tonks made a face at the boys as she retreated with Charlie. Left before the Great Hall. It wasn't like she had any better ideas, so she might as well go with the twins' suggestion. As she got closer she wondered what trusting the twins would cost her. Probably nothing more than spilling a love potion on her best friend.