"Severus, sir?" Tonks asked. This was not what she was expecting. Although, since Mad-Eye had described Snape's double agent role the day she was invited to join the Order, she shouldn't be too surprised.
"Yes, my dear," Dumbledore said. "You'll accompany him to the party."
"Well," Tonks said with a smile. "I reckon I'll have to shop for something proper to wear. Unless you think I can get away with this?" Tonks gestured to her outfit for the day: a short black pleated skirt with black tights, a Hufflepuff Quidditch t-shirt, and her usual black boots, topped by robes in a deep plum color. Her hair was morphed into her usual pixie style, the color matching her robes. "I am, after all, wearing a skirt."
"I think you should wear a skirt more often," Remus said absently next to her.
Sirius let out a loud bark of laughter, prompting Remus to look up with a startled expression, apparently unaware that he had spoken this sentiment aloud.
Dumbledore saved Remus from needing to say anything in recovery by quickly commenting on Tonks' attire. "As delightful as I find your ensemble today, I don't believe it suits the tone of this particular event," he said, the familiar twinkle in his eyes.
"I'll ask my mum to help me shop for something," Tonks said, smiling at Remus, who was busy trying to duck behind his copy of the Prophet he'd discarded earlier and was now hastily unfolding. "She'll be right thrilled to pick out something other than my usual choices. What's the date of this lovely gathering?"
"August eleventh," Dumbledore replied, his tone becoming business-like again. "Any thoughts as to who you'll be for the party?"
Tonks thought for a moment, then closed her eyes in concentration and began to morph her features. Her hair lengthened into blond curls, reaching just past her chin. She elongated her face to a more oval shape, softened her usually high cheek bones, changed her eyes to a sparkling blue, and added slight age lines at her eyes. The result was a pretty, yet slightly older, witch. "My name is Claire Daniels," Tonks began in a strong American accent. "I'm a graduate of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Massachusetts and went on to receive my Mastery in Potions. Severus and I have met on several occasions through Potions conferences. I happened to be travelling through Europe this summer on a lecture circuit to present my latest research project."
The three men stared at Tonks for a moment before Dumbledore spoke first. "That will do nicely," he said with a smile.
"You think rather quick on your feet," Sirius said, eyebrows raised, looking impressed.
Tonks rolled her eyes before she closed them again and morphed her features back. "Despite my career ambitions when you knew me as a six-year-old, I am in fact an Auror, not a unicorn tamer," she said. "It wouldn't do well if I was slow on the uptake, now would it?"
"Nice accent," Remus said approvingly, abandoning his paper once again. "Why American?"
"Liked that, did you?" Tonks asked with a grin. "If I'm American, nobody would think they should recognize me. And, they likely wouldn't go to the trouble of looking me up to check my story."
"I'll find a time for the two of us to meet with Severus before the party," Dumbledore said, rising to his feet. "And you're likely to hear from Alastor in the coming days as well. He has a wealth of knowledge, as I'm sure you're aware, on the Death Eaters' inner circle."
"Mad-Eye can no doubt bang on for hours over Death Eater ranks," Tonks said in an amused voice.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said, chuckling lightly.
The kitchen door opened as Ron and Hermione walked through, arguing with each other in whispers.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley. How are we today?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.
Ron gave Hermione a small shove forward saying "go on" under his breath.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hermione started, looking a bit anxious. "Ron and I were wondering about Harry's birthday." She paused, taking a breath. "You see, sir, we want to give him some presents, but we weren't sure whether we should send them by owl or if he would be here by then."
"I'm afraid you'll need to send them by owl, Miss Granger," he replied. "He'll need to remain at his aunt and uncle's for now."
"I see, sir," Hermione said, looking away with a frown.
"I daresay you don't agree with me," Dumbledore said, eyeing Hermione with his piercing stare.
Hermione looked up with a startled expression. "It's not—I mean—I would never," she sputtered.
Dumbledore held up a hand. "I understand if you disagree. You may even voice it, as long as it's done respectfully, my dear," he said, a small smile tugging on the corners of his mouth.
"Respectfully, sir," she started, a slight blush creeping across her cheeks. "I wouldn't say I disagree. It's just," she took another deep breath. "Well, he's going to be angry."
"Mr. Weasley? Your thoughts?" Dumbledore asked Ron, who was still standing behind Hermione, looking like he was hoping to fade into the background.
"What she said, sir," Ron said, gesturing to Hermione, the blush on his face reaching up to his hairline.
"I know he'll be angry," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "I'm trusting you two to help him. He will need your friendship this year."
"Yes, sir," they chorused.
"Now then, it's time for me to be off." Dumbledore swiftly left the kitchen.
Tonks let out a low whistle as she watched Hermione let out a long shaking breath she had been holding. "I'm impressed, Hermione," she said with a grin. "Most of what I was able to say to the Headmaster while I was in school was 'sorry, sir' and 'won't happen again, sir'."
"Hermione is quite courageous," Remus said with a smile. "The cleverest witch of her age, I believe I said once. She was the only student who puzzled it together that I'm a werewolf."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said quietly. "Although, somebody did give me a few pieces of the puzzle to work with."
"Git," Sirius said with a scowl.
Tonks looked around at the gloomy expressions held by everyone in the kitchen. "All right, then. What am I missing?"
"Professor Snape set an essay on werewolves when Professor Lupin had to miss class due to the full moon," Hermione said. "It didn't take me long to work out why he'd been missing classes. The day after Harry and I helped Sirius escape, he 'let slip' the news to the Slytherins."
Tonks looked over to Remus who was watching her intently. Her thoughts went back to something Sirius had said when she'd brought takeaway a few weeks prior. He's probably getting over his shock that you shared a dinner table with him. He had seemed surprised that she had known about his condition. Was he waiting for her to push him away or reject him in some way? Judge him for what happened at Hogwarts? They hadn't really discussed his being a werewolf at any length, but Tonks had hoped their conversation that night had let him know that she didn't care. Did he bring this up to see her reaction?
"Most of the students were desperately sorry to see him go after he resigned," Hermione said.
"Yes, well," Remus said, still looking at Tonks. "It was for the best."
Tonks wasn't sure what, if anything, she could say to him to help him understand that she didn't think less of him for any reason. "I'm certainly sorry Hogwarts lost a Defense teacher, since Merlin knows it's hard to find a proper one," Tonks said keeping her eyes on Remus. "But just think, Professor. If you were still teaching you wouldn't have had time for covert missions to dodgy bars with a sleazy witch who looked like she was on the pull."
Sirius laughed loudly again. "Tonks, you really are becoming my favorite person."
Remus shook his head slightly with a small huff of laughter. "I suppose you're right." Tonks held his gaze, hoping that he would understand that she truly didn't think any less of him for what had happened at Hogwarts.
Hermione was looking slightly scandalized at what Tonks had said, whereas Ron was looking at her interestedly. "Reckon you could fill us in on this mission?" he asked hopefully.
"I'm not going to suffer the temper of your mother by telling you the details," Tonks said, turning her attention to a disappointed Ron.
"We heard some of what's going on from Fred and George," Ron said.
"Just how do your trouble-making brothers think they know what's—" Tonks suddenly burst out laughing. She recalled the conversation she'd had with the twins over dinner discussing their Extendable Ears. "Tell them to enjoy it until they get caught." Sirius and Remus looked at her with curious expressions. "Have they told you about any of their joke shop products?"
"Ah yes," Remus said with a smile. "Extendable Ears."
Sirius smirked. "Those boys could give the Marauders a run for their money." He turned his attention to Ron and Hermione. "Tell me when you're sending Harry his gifts and, I'll send mine along as well."
"We actually need help in getting his presents," Hermione said. "We were wondering if you could go to Honeydukes for us, Professor, if we gave you our money."
"In the interest of Harry having birthday gifts, I will certainly go to Honeydukes for you," Remus told Hermione with a smile. The two teenagers left the kitchen to retrieve their money.
Tonks closed her eyes and gave a low appreciative hum in the back of her throat. "Honeydukes chocolate and I have a long-standing love affair. I haven't had any in ages," she said with a sigh.
"Fancy a trip to Hogsmeade?" Remus asked.
"Oh, I wish I could," Tonks said ruefully. She would love nothing more than to wander about Hogsmeade for a bit with him. "I have to relieve Hestia to guard Harry soon." She stood up from her seat and raised her arms over her head in a stretch. "Then I need to go round to my parents. I reckon Mum should know what sort of thing I should wear to a stuffy society party."
"Will you deliver a letter to your mum for me?" Sirius asked. "Albus doesn't want too many owls coming and going."
"Of course," Tonks said, taking the letter Sirius had pulled from the inside pocket of his robes. "The more letters she receives from you, the less she will pester me about how you're doing." Tonks reached down to brush the hair from Remus' eyes before she gave a cheerful "goodbye, boys" and left for Privet Drive.
The next morning Tonks was attempting to manage the chaos of her flat. After a couple of weeks of non-stop work, it currently resembled something that had been trampled by a herd of angry Centaurs. She had the volume to her CD player turned up, blaring U2's Joshua Tree album as she worked. Her mother was due later that morning to help her shop, and Tonks didn't want to endure her sighs of disapproval at the state of her living space. As she sang along loudly to her music, gathering the numerous pieces of laundry spread across her couch, she wondered what the boys were up to at Headquarters that morning. Just as she was convincing herself that she really had no reason, or time, to pop over for a visit, she heard a knock at her door. She picked up her wand and flicked it towards her CD player to lower the volume. Tonks looked up at the clock, puzzled since she wasn't expecting her mother until just before lunch, and her clock read half past nine. She made her way through her mess, attempting, quite unsuccessfully, to avoid tripping over the pile of clothes she'd deposited on the floor next to her couch. She pulled her door open, ready to tell her mother to avert her eyes to the mess, and was surprised to see Remus standing in the hall.
"Remus," she said, not being able to contain the smile that was spreading across her face.
"Good morning, Nymphadora," Remus said, leaning against the doorframe.
"Still on about that, are we?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip and giving him a mock glare.
"I feel like pushing my luck," he said with an impish grin as he took in her appearance. She'd yet to shower after her morning run and was still wearing her running tights and tank, her pink hair still damp with sweat.
Tonks quickly remembered that she'd been nearly sprinting through a nearby park just thirty minutes before. "Merlin, I must look terrible right about now," she said looking down at her sweaty clothes, brushing the wet fringe off her forehead.
"I wouldn't say that," he said keeping his eyes on her.
She looked up to meet his gaze, feeling her heart skip a beat. "Want to come in for coffee?" Or a snog on the couch? "You'll have to watch that my mess doesn't swallow you whole."
"I'm afraid I can't stay." Remus peered over her head to look into her messy flat. "Although I'm quite curious to find out how you walk through there without hurting yourself," he said in a teasing voice. "I've actually come to bring you this." He produced a large envelope and held it out to her. "Some reading material was brought to Headquarters for you and I offered to drop it on my way off."
She realized he was wearing a travelling cloak and had a rucksack slung over one shoulder. "Your way off?" She asked, stepping closer to take the envelope from his hands, trying not to let the disappointment show in her voice.
"I've been asked to check out a few things."
"Don't stay gone too long or your pooch will start whining," Tonks said, reaching up to brush his shaggy hair across his forehead. The gesture was becoming almost automatic by this point; such an easy and innocent way to reach out to touch him. She loved the feel of his soft strands under her fingers and the different texture of the gray hair mixed in with the brown. A small smile crept on her lips as she remembered running her hands thoroughly through his hair at the Poison Quill, wishing she could do the same at this moment.
"I should be back for the meeting later in the week," he murmured as he reached up and caught her hand in his, bringing it down to hold against his chest. Tonks felt her heartbeat speed up as she realized their bodies were close enough they were almost touching. Thoughts on the current state of her sweaty clothes flew from her head as she hoped desperately that Remus would lean down and kiss her.
A door opened sharply across the hall, startling them apart. Her elderly neighbor shuffled into the hall, giving them a disapproving look as she passed. Tonks let out an exasperated breath. "Batty old witch was probably spying out her peep hole."
"I should be going," Remus said with a sigh. "Before I go." He reached into a pocket of his cloak, a hint of his shy smile on his face. "I brought you something else that's far better than paperwork."
He brought a small bar of Honeydukes chocolate from his pocket and held it out to her. She reached out for the chocolate, brushing her fingers against his as she took it from his hand.
"Well, aren't you lovely?" Tonks said, with a smile. "I guess I'll have to count chocolate as a suitable substitute for your company."
"Most people would probably count the chocolate better anyway," he said with a shrug.
"Lucky for you I'm not most people. Now." She gave his shoulder a small shove. "Get on with your job so I can shower and enjoy some of my chocolate in peace before my mum comes to torture me about my wardrobe."
"I'll see you later this week, then, Nymphadora." Tonks watched as Remus turned and made his way down the staircase, not even slightly feeling the need to correct her name.
By the time her mother had arrived, Tonks had her flat in somewhat working order and had showered and dressed for the day. These tasks had taken sizable effort considering she had completed them while daydreaming about Remus feeding her chocolate…and her feeding him chocolate…and running her fingers through his hair. She was quickly brought back to reality when her mother began talking about her letter from Sirius Tonks had delivered the day before.
"Are you quite enjoying your new pen-friend?" she asked with a smile as she searched for a matching pair of shoes in order to leave for the dreaded shopping trip.
"Aren't I a little old for a pen-friend?" Andromeda asked in an amused tone.
"Well, I suppose you could call it something very mature like 'correspondence'," Tonks answered teasingly.
"Sirius wrote to say I should ask you if you'd met anybody interesting lately," Andromeda said, attempting to sound casual even though Tonks could tell her mother was watching her carefully.
Bugger that meddling man! "I've met quite a few interesting people in the last few weeks," Tonks said non-committedly. She was certainly not ready to discuss Remus with her mother. "Now, about this dress."
"Is this for a date?" Andromeda asked with a hopeful expression. "You didn't say much yesterday, just that you needed help finding something to wear."
"Sorry to disappoint, Mum," Tonks said, sliding her feet into a pair of purple flip-flops. "I mean, it's supposed to look like a date, but it's not really a date." She straightened up to look at her mother. "I need something that is appropriate for a society party, but won't draw too much attention."
Andromeda studied her daughter with a suspicious look. "Where will you be attending this party?"
"You know I can't tell you specifics." Although Dumbledore had made her parents aware of Tonks' involvement with the Order, she knew that details of her missions weren't something she should share with them.
"I think I know exactly where this party is being held," Andromeda said with a sigh. "I don't know how you do it, really."
"Do what?" Tonks asked with a quizzical expression.
"Any of it," Andromeda replied with a wave of her hand. "Your job is dangerous enough on its own, and now you've decided to fight against the most powerful Dark wizard in recent history all because someone's asked you to."
"I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do," Tonks said firmly. "Besides, you and Dad fought against You-Know-Who too, in your own way." Tonks breathed a dramatic sigh. "And, your way was so lovely and romantic."
Andromeda smiled and shook her head slightly. "Please do be careful, Nymphadora."
"I'll do my best" Tonks reached for her mother's hand and pulled her towards the door. "Now," she said with a cheeky grin. "Buy me lunch and I'll let you dress me up like a girl."
Her daydreams about Remus came in handy throughout the day as her mother forced her to try on far more pieces of clothing than Tonks felt was necessary. Much to her relief, they found something suitable for her mission to Malfoy Manor that she actually happened to like. Later that evening, she sat on her couch reading through the papers Remus had left while savoring the taste of her Honeydukes chocolate, wondering what Remus was up to.
.
Monday morning, Tonks found herself partnered with Dawlish for the week. Dawlish was all right, she supposed; now that he had ceased his show of making her aware of the pecking order, him being higher than her, of course. They'd been in enough scrapes together now that he trusted her work and didn't give her any grief. Although he seemed to have no inner monologue and drove her bonkers with his constant chatter. She had barely made it through her coffee and her in-box before Kingsley peeked over her cubicle wall and handed her the latest Sirius sightings that required follow-up. She sighed as she stood to find her partner to set out for the day.
Mid-day they returned to the Ministry to check-in and break for lunch. Tonks decided to take advantage of the lull in the afternoon while most of the office was eating to see what she could find out in the Magical Law Enforcement office. She walked down the hall to the loo, thankfully not encountering anybody, in order to morph into her disguise. She morphed her hair to tight-set grey curls, rounded out and aged her face, and transfigured her navy Auror robes into a set that were a brightly colored floral pattern. She left the loo and headed further down the hall to the MLE office and pushed open the heavy door. She took a quick scan around the room noting that their office was set up similarly to the Auror headquarters: the department head's and assistant head's offices along one wall with the rest of the space taken up by cubicles.
Thankfully, the office was rather quiet. Tonks was hoping it would remain quiet for the time being. She didn't need to be there long; just long enough to find out the name of the wizard she'd seen at the Poison Quill and possibly speak to him to determine whether or not he was under the Imperius Curse. She could tell there were a few people working within some of the cubicles, but there was nobody walking through the room, which was exactly what she wanted. She glanced toward the doors to the offices and realized that the Director's office door was closed, but the door labeled "Assistant Director: Pius Thickness" was open. Just inside the office was a desk, where sat the wizard she'd recognized on her mission. She walked into the office and gave an abrupt knock on the open door.
"Hello, young man," Tonks started in her best old lady voice. "Is this the office where I can register a complaint?"
"Well, that depends on the complaint."
"You see, I have this neighbor—ghastly fellow—who keeps his wireless up at high volume at all hours."
"You really ought to voice your complaint to your landlord for something so minor."
"Minor?" she said indignantly. "I'll have you know my cats can't sleep because of his racket."
"Yes, I'm sure that's a problem, ma'am," he said patronizingly. "But this office is for more serious violations of the law."
"Is disturbing the peace not a serious violation?"
"Of course it is, ma'am," he said, feigning patience. "But I—"
"Do you have cats, young man?"
"No ma'am, I don't," he answered with a sigh.
"Well, then. I'll not have you telling me what is and is not of importance," Tonks said, having to stifle a laugh at the expression on his face. She was fairly certain he was not Imperiused; his face lacked the vague expression that usually accompanied the curse. This actually made Tonks angry at this man for willingly meeting with Death Eaters.
"Of course not," he said. "Would it help if I gave you a piece of parchment stamped with the Ministry seal for you to lodge an official complaint with your landlord?"
"Oh, what a dear you are!" Tonks squealed. "Might I have your name, young man? I'd like to leave a comment on my way out telling someone of how helpful you've been today." What she'd really like to do is report him for handing out Ministry sealed parchment to barmy old ladies.
"My name's William Murphy."
"You seem to have so much knowledge of the Ministry, William," Tonks said with a smile and a pat to his arm. "Now, then. I want to make sure my comment gets to the right ears, young man. Who is your immediate supervisor?"
"Well, I work directly under Pius Thicknesse," he said in an arrogant manner. "I suppose you could call me his assistant."
"Perfect." Tonks reached out and patted his arm once more and reached her other hand out to pinch his cheek rather harder than necessary. "I'll be sure to include all that in my comments." She turned from his desk quickly, wanting to get back to her cubicle before anyone wondered where she'd gone.
Tonks pushed her way through the doors leading to the hall, turned toward the loo and found herself face to face with Scrimgeour. She stopped in her tracks, trying her best to keep the surprise off her face. Well, this had been too easy so far, she thought wryly.
"Gracious me, dear boy," Tonks said in an anxious voice. "I do apologize for nearly knocking you off your feet."
"Not at all, ma'am," he replied, studying her face intently, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Do you need assistance? You don't seem to have a visitor's badge."
Bugger. "Oh, no. I don't require assistance, thank you," Tonks said, waving her hand airily, searching her brain to remember if he'd possibly seen her in her hair morphed in this style before. "I simply took a wrong turn getting to the loo."
"Are you quite sure you don't need any help?"
"Are you offering to help me in the loo?" Tonks asked with mock astonishment.
"No, I—" he closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head a bit as if trying to clear thoughts from his mind. "I trust you know where to go from here." He stepped past her and opened the door to the MLE office.
Tonks smiled inwardly, glad that she'd managed to make him uncomfortable enough that he seemed happy to let her pass. She returned to the Auror office after a stop to morph her features and Transfigure her robes back to their earlier state. The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, although not quietly, as her and Dawlish investigated two more Sirius sightings. It was late, nearly dark, when she had finished her reports and made the short walk home to her flat. She climbed the stairs to the second floor landing and crossed to her door, tapping her wand to the handle to allow herself entry. As she opened her door, she caught sight of a figure sitting in the arm chair next to her couch. Reflexively, she drew her wand and cast a Body-Bind Curse while wandlessly switching on the lamp in the corner. Her curse rebounded off a well-timed Shield Charm, and she quickly ducked out of its path. With the lamp providing light to the room, she recognized who was sitting in the chair.
A/N: A little bit of everything in this chapter, I hope everyone enjoyed! Any guesses as to who's waiting for Tonks? Thank you to the readers who have left reviews, I love to read people's thoughts on the story. And, as always, my Beta is the best:)