Chapter Six – Confidants and Choices

Tonks laid her head down on the table with a thud. It had been two weeks since she and Remus had kissed and she'd barely been at Headquarters in those two weeks, by her own design. Yes, she'd been avoiding Remus. When they had kissed, it had felt so perfect. Like something inside of her had clicked. She'd smelled the scent of fresh earth, soap and dark chocolate on his skin, just as clear as she had when Molly had shown her the Amortentia.

"Dora?" Andromeda Tonks' voice cut through her thoughts. Tonks lifted her head up to look at her mother.

"Hi, Mum," she said, fidgeting with the cuff of her sleeve.

Andromeda sat down by her daughter, rubbing her back. "Poppet, what's the matter? You've been moping around here for the past two weeks."

Tonks sighed. She knew she couldn't hide from the situation forever. "Well, there's this man…"

"A man? Oh, Dora," Andromeda gushed. It wasn't very often that her daughter dated. She had been a bit tomboyish during her childhood and early teen years. She had been on a couple of dates during her last year at Hogwarts and when she was in Auror training, but none of them had ever amounted to anything.

Tonks laughed at her mother's eagerness, thanking her lucky stars that she wasn't anything like Molly. With her dark hair and eyes, she looked like her sister Bellatrix. But then she smiled and you knew the difference. Andromeda was sweet and caring, always taking care of everyone else before herself. "Yes, Mum, a man. He's so sweet and caring and he would do anything for anyone. And Mum, he's so handsome. He's got these blue eyes and they just look right into your soul, like he's reading me perfectly. And…"

Andromeda looked at her daughter curiously. "And what, love?"

"And… We kissed the other day," Tonks blushed.

Andromeda had a difficult time not laughing. "Is there something wrong with that, Dora?"

Tonks laughed a little. "Well.. Not really. But he lives at Headquarters and he's really close friends with Sirius…"

"Oh, Dora," her mother said. "You kissed Remus, didn't you?"

Tonks gasped. "How'd you guess that? I never said his name!"

Andromeda laughed. "My dear, you forget that Sirius and his friends were second years when I was a seventh year. Seeing as James Potter is dead and we know Peter Pettigrew isn't in the Order, it only leaves Remus. Don't you know that mothers know everything?"

Tonks stuck her tongue out at her mother. "It was an amazing kiss though. I felt… whole."

"Then why have you been hiding out here for the past two weeks?" Andromeda asked the girl.

"Because," Tonks sat back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not good enough for him. I'm clumsy and I can never say the right thing. I can't even walk in a straight line without falling!"

"There's more though, isn't there?" Andromeda prodded, knowing her daughter well.

Tonks nodded. "I'm… afraid. I'm afraid he won't love me." A singled tear rolled down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away.

"Why wouldn't he love you?" Andromeda wrapped her arms around her daughter. She'd never seen her so distraught.

"I'm so young, Mum! He probably thinks I'm too flighty and I'm nowhere near pretty enough for him!"

"Dora, Dora!" Andromeda cut off her rant, pulling her crying daughter into her arms. "If those are reasons why he doesn't love you, then maybe you shouldn't love him. I don't think that Remus Lupin of all people is that shallow."

Tonks sniffled.

"You know what I think?" The medi-witch asked.

"What's that?"

"I think you're scared of how you feel for him. You've never been in love and your first experience with it just happens to be at the beginning of a war." Andromeda said knowingly. She kissed her daughter's head as she heard the front door swing open.

Tonks sighed, hugging her mother. "I love you, Mum. Thank you for everything."

"I love you too, Nymph-girl." Andromeda hugged her back.

Just then, Ted Tonks walked into the kitchen, holding a large bag of take away food, oblivious to the female bonding scene he had just interrupted. "Who wants curry?"

Remus laid down the novel he'd been reading and sighed. He couldn't concentrate. All he could think about was kissing Nymphadora. Her lips had molded to his perfectly, making blood rush through his veins. Her perfect body pressed to his, her every contour lining up with his body with ease. He could remember with faultless precision the way her lithe fingers had knotted themselves in his hair. The way she smelled so flawlessly like candy floss, vanilla and cinnamon…

Suddenly, a realization hit him like the Knight Bus. The sweetness of candy floss, the warmth of vanilla, the bite of cinnamon… Amortentia. That's why he was so drawn to her. She was his ideal match. She was what attracted him; he knew that without a doubt. Her smooth curves, the heart shaped face, her big, innocent eyes; her laugh made him smile and her clumsiness was endearing.

"Moony?" Sirius' voice broke Remus out of his reverie.

"Padfoot," he greeted his best friend. "Did you need something?"

Sirius shook his head. "I was just wondering if you'd seen Tonks."

"I haven't seen your cousin in two weeks, Padfoot. You know that," Remus sighed.

Sirius sat down beside him on the couch. "Moony, I don't know what happened between the two of you or what has caused her to avoid Headquarters like it's full of dragon pox but still, you've got to stop moping around here like you have been. It's not healthy nor does it help Harry. You know his trial is tomorrow."

"I know, Padfoot, I know. I just… I shouldn't even have gotten my hopes up about Nymphadora. I'm a werewolf, for Merlin's sake! That kiss was just an accident and it shouldn't have happened." Remus slumped back against the couch.

"Wait one second. You kissed her?" Sirius said, his gray eyes boring into Remus' blue ones.

Remus sighed. "Yes, we kissed. That day you all saw us having a pillow fight. She just kissed me and then freaked out and left."

Sirius just shook his head. "I dunno, mate. Girls are strange like that."

"It doesn't matter though," Remus said, Summoning two butterbeers from the kitchen. They landed with a soft clink against the table.

"And why not?" Sirius opened his butterbeer, taking a large gulp.

Remus opened his own bottle and took a drink. "Well, let's see, I'm too old for her, I'm a werewolf and her becoming in any way romantically involved with me would make her a social outcast! I can't do that to her, Padfoot."

"Remus," Sirius said, "I doubt she'll care."

"Well, I do. And that's that. I can't become involved with her." Remus drained the rest of the butterbeer and sat the bottle back on the table.

Suddenly, there was a gush of female affection down in the kitchen, followed by thunderous footsteps on the stairs leading to the living room. Nymphadora Tonks in all her pink haired glory stood at the mouth of the stairs, looking as adorable as ever.

"Wotcher, Sirius, Remus!" She said with a bright smile.

Remus sighed. Things had just gotten more complicated.

(A/N: Yeah, you better love me. I should be working on my government class. I only have like twenty days left and I'll be at camp for six days next week. You should leave me some love and encourage me to get my class work done before I leave. Then when I get home, I'll be able to write up a storm for you, ym loyal readers. :D

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