Disclaimer: Yeah, um, you may be shocked to learn I STILL don't own anything ... if you're like, a moron or something ... so, yeah. Pretty much, not mine. Kinda sucks, but you know. That's life. That's why we have fanfiction, after all.
A/N: Kate: Lol! Glad someone likes that joke - thought it was just me who liked writing it :P And thanks:D
LotrNaustenfan: Lol yeah, kind of me being mean ... that's going to be something you'll need to get used to, I apparently write mean all the time:P And thanks for reading and reviewing:D
DelightedChild: That's a popular line, I see :P Glad you're enjoying!
ladirambaldi: LOL!!!!!!! Yes, yes, Alli is mean, but you all keep coming back for more (are you stupid?? Just kidding!! Keep coming :D ) And thanks so much for your kind words :D
Love you all my reviewers!!
Once again, thanks to those who read and didn;t review and those who story-alerted this fic, it all means a lot to me :)
Right, longest chapter I've ever written in a fic, EVER, so you'd better enjoy it - I changed it about 7 times Here's chapter 7:D
"Auror Tonks!" Tonks turned around, amused, to see a second year running after her in the corridor on her way to the last class of the day. Just ahead, Harry and Ron stopped as well, looking over their shoulders. They had recently become much more relaxed around Tonks, and didn't seem to mind her tagging along, almost as one of them. Once again, nobody had any idea where Hermione was. Tonks smiled at the second year encouragingly.
"Auror Tonks, Professor Dumbledore wants to see you," the little girl said breathlessly. Tonks raised her eyebrows, perplexed. Dumbledore wanted to see her? She had been sent to Professor Sprout, her Head of House, and occasionally even McGonnagall during her own school days to receive lectures, but she didn't think she had ever been summoned to see the Headmaster before. In fact, she wasn't even sure she knew where his office was! "And he says he likes Cockroach Cluster," the girl added, looking confused.
"Thank you …" The girl ran off, and Tonks frowned thoughtfully. "He likes Cockroach Cluster? Well, always good to know … I mean, it's about three months to Christmas, but I guess it never hurts to start dropping hints in advance."
"I think it's the password," Harry said, grinning. "Last year I remember being sent to him, and it was Sherbet Lemon."
"Typical," Tonks laughed. "Okay, well, I'm going to go see what this is all about – I'll see you in Potions, okay?"
"Sure." Harry and Ron wandered away towards the dungeons, and she pulled out her wand. She performed a quick Point Me spell, concentrating on Dumbledore's office, and followed the direction it sent her in. She was so busy focussing on her wand, she didn't even notice the figure approaching her, and consequently let out a squeal of shock when she walked right into it, losing her balance.
"Whoa! Steady," said a familiar voice teasingly, and she shot Remus a pretend-annoyed glare, then allowed her face to split into a grin, and she used his arms around her as a support to right herself again. She then looked him up and down, and was pleased to see he looked much healthier than he had the previous day.
"I'm beginning to think you follow me around waiting for me to trip," she informed him.
"Not that it doesn't amuse me, but I'm afraid I would have no reason to wait for that to happen, when I get such enjoyment from my students. The Weasley twins are particularly entertaining, as Minerva had suggested they might be."
"Hmm, I think you just want an excuse to hold onto me, Remus." He let out a throaty laugh and stepped slightly closer to her. This, she hadn't anticipated. She felt her throat constrict as he leant in uncomfortably close to her, his breath tickling her neck as he murmured into her ear.
"What makes you think I'd need an excuse?" The huskiness of his voice was enough to make her faint – but she didn't. Instead, she flipped her hair, today long and black, over her shoulder, and smirked flirtatiously.
"Because I intimidate you," she said, and a grin spread over his face. Tonks couldn't hold in her own laughter, and soon the pair of them were in fits.
"Incidentally," Remus managed to say through his laughter, "what had you so focussed on your wand that you didn't even see me coming?"
"Oh, I had a Point Me going on," she smiled. "Dumbledore wants to see me in his office."
"Really? Same here." Remus sounded mildly surprised. "And … you didn't know where his office was, is that it?"
"No, I've never been there."
"Shocking." He shook his head and tutted at her. "And here I was thinking you were a troublemaker in your Hogwarts days, Dora."
"I think you'll find there's a large gap between regular troublemaking and Maraudering!"
"Your cousin would be disgusted!" he laughed, then stopped himself quite suddenly. The night before at dinner, neither of them had mentioned what had happened that morning – although, Tonks supposed, nothing really had happened. And their little argument over Sirius hadn't been mentioned since it happened, and neither had the man in question, until now. Remus cleared his throat unsurely, then began to lead her towards the Headmaster's office. He seemed awfully familiar with the route.
"So can I safely assume the Marauders spent their fair share of time in Dumbledore's office for disciplinary reasons, then?" Tonks teased, hoping to lighten the mood again. Remus only half-smiled, but she supposed it was better than nothing.
"I believe we spent a lot of people's fair share of time in Dumbledore's office for disciplinary reasons," he replied. "Sirius and James were … quite the pranksters."
"I have trouble believing they were the only ones," she said tauntingly, this time earning a real smile for her trouble.
"No idea what you mean," he informed her, a look of sublime innocence arranged on his handsome features. Wait – handsome? "I was always the good one of the four. Prefect, putting all my friends in detention. It was certainly interesting."
"And if I were to ask Dumbledore about it, you think he'd tell me the same version?"
"Dumbledore was a tad busy saving the wizarding world to notice who exactly put James and Sirius in detention," Remus said casually, and Tonks chuckled appreciatively.
"I see – your Prefect's badge kept you away, is that it?" she snorted.
"It did indeed prove a useful deterrent," he admitted, a mischievous smirk flashing across his face before he could disguise it. "I take that to mean you were never a prefect?"
"Apparently I lacked 'certain necessary qualities,'" Tonks said, pouting.
"Do I dare ask?"
"Oh, mainly the ability to behave myself," she grinned impishly, and he laughed aloud in response. "I see they somehow overlooked that little problem when appointing Remus Lupin, though. Or are the rumours of the infamous Marauders' Map no more than that?" She was quite delighted to see his eyes widen and his jaw drop just a fraction. "What?" she asked, hoping she'd managed to sound quite as innocent as he had earlier.
"I was under the impression that only Marauders were privy to the details of that particular – ahem – venture," he said, his tone irritatingly light. Tonks merely smirked.
"Drunken babysitting cousins really are the most entertaining," she informed him tartly. "But you must have done a real number on him – he wouldn't tell me anything other than how it showed everyone and the secret passages. Never let slip how to get it working to start with, or where to find it … unless it was left in the care of the most responsible Marauder of the group?" she asked hopefully, and he grinned.
"Not guilty – for once," he replied cheerfully, as he stopped walking outside a large stone gargoyle. Tonks really did think the thing was one of the ugliest of the many displeasing articles to be found embedded into the school walls. She looked around blankly.
"Cockroach cluster," Remus said, and Tonks gaped as the gargoyle sprang aside.
"Harry was right!" she said, almost indignantly. Her companion smiled amiably and stood aside to allow her to step onto the now moving staircase first.
"After you," he said, smiling. She grinned and stepped on, feeling him close behind her as they rose. A moment later, when the staircase ground to a halt, he took the lead – not out of any sort of discourtesy, she knew, but to make her feel more at ease with the situation, by not having to walk in first.
"Ah, Remus, Tonks," Dumbledore said pleasantly as they entered. "So glad you could join me. Please, have a seat."
"Afternoon, Albus," Remus said politely, not hesitating to sit down in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. Tonks followed his lead, trying to steal surreptitious glances around her at the many unrecognisable silver instruments on spindly-legged tables.
"May I offer either of you a drink?" asked the Headmaster. Remus accepted cheerily, but it was several moments before Tonks was jolted back to reality and realised she was expected to answer.
"Uh, thank you," she said bemusedly. Dumbledore smiled and sent two glasses of Butterbeer flying towards them. Perhaps it was a tad early, but who was she to complain? If the Headmaster condoned it, she would gladly go along with his wishes, she thought smugly as she took a long drink. She did love Butterbeer.
"Now, I asked you both here this afternoon for what will – at first – appear to be a purely superficial reason, but I can assure you right now, it is not so," Dumbledore said, sounding strangely chipper given the seriousness of his words. "The truth of it is, I chose you two because you have one major similarity. You both have first-hand experience of the Muggle world and Muggle culture – yes?"
"Indeed," Remus said, a small smile on his lips. Maybe he guessed what was going on. Tonks certainly had no idea, and merely nodded dumbly. Dumbledore smiled indulgently.
"Well, an idea I have been toying with for a while now – as I believe I expressed to you during part of your … interview process, Remus" he said, with more of a gleam in his eye than usual, "– is that perhaps it's time we stamped out the bad blood – if you'll excuse the pun – between those 'pure-bloods' and the Muggle-borns among the students."
"And you think we're the ones to help?" Tonks flushed slightly – she still got nervous speaking around the Headmaster – but Dumbledore merely smiled again, exchanging an infuriatingly superior glance with Remus.
"I most certainly to," he replied simply. "Remus, you know what my plan is – if you think you have enough time, I think we ought to put it into action on Halloween night. Keep me posted on the developments, would you?"
"Certainly, sir," Remus said, standing up, and Tonks stood up too – so abruptly, in fact, that her chair fell over behind her. She groaned inwardly, hurrying to right it, and shot her best embarrassed smile at the Headmaster, who simply chuckled.
"I look forward to hearing your reports," he said cheerfully, not drawing any attention to her mistake. She smiled gratefully, then followed Remus out, both of them offering a polite goodbye to Dumbledore as they left. The second the office door had closed and she had stepped onto the now descending staircase, she groaned aloud and leant against the wall.
"It's official," she said scathingly, "I am the world's biggest klutz! Oh, and I have also lately developed the very annoying habit of blushing every time I make a fool of myself – which happens to be all the time!"
"Oh, I don't think Dumbledore minds," Remus said mildly. "Now, you have a class to get to with Harry – how about we meet this evening to, er, discuss things?"
"Oh! Yeah, how about you tell me what exactly he was on about?" Tonks demanded, eyes narrowed and fixed upon the man before her, wearing a roguish grin she was sure was some kind of living memory of his Maraudering days.
"Well, for such a brilliant wizard, Albus does have something of a … taste, for Muggle music," Remus said slowly and carefully. She just looked at him, eyebrows raised. "All right, well, we had talked – jokingly, at the time – about throwing some sort of a Muggle party, with Muggle music and food and culture … you know, just to give the wizarding kids a shot at seeing what they missed out on, and make the Muggle-borns feel more at home here, with stuff they grew up with, rather than feeling like outsiders all the time."
Tonks considered the plan for a moment. It was daring, bold – guaranteed to cause problems with a few of the students of Black ancestry, granted … even better, she thought with an internal snort. She smirked.
"I love it!" she said happily. "We'll get planning tonight! Now, why don't you explain to me exactly what Dumbledore meant when he said this had come up during your 'interview process'?"
"What do you mean?" Remus asked calmly, but his face had flushed a couple of shades redder than usual, and he seemed reluctant to meet her eye. Tonks cried out in triumph.
"Aha! I knew it! Right, if you don't tell me right now what the big joke or secret or – whatever – is, Remus Lupin, I swear I will hex you into next month, and I'll tell Mad-Eye you snuck up on me in a dark corridor. He'd be proud of my constant vigilance."
"Alastor and I have known one another for about fourteen years," Remus retaliated, rising immediately to her challenge, "and if I tell him his protégée's blackmailing me, he'll listen."
"You sure you want to test that theory?"
"How about my office after dinner, to start planning?" Damn. He was good at this. "I'd suggest more neutral territory for continuing this battle of wits, but I suspect Albus wouldn't appreciate us having it out in front of the students."
"I have a sneaking suspicion you may be right," Tonks said, rolling her eyes. "All right, I'll see you tonight, then."
"Absolutely. If you'll excuse me …" He nodded his head in acknowledgement of their arrangement, and then he turned and walked off towards his office. She watched him go for a moment, then headed for the dungeons in a hurry.
Even Snape's jibes about her lack of punctuality, and the fact that she managed to spill seven different ingredients and trip over her own feet twice in that class alone, couldn't bring Tonks down. She practically skipped back to the common room with the others, sat and braided Ginny's long hair by hand by the fireplace, and even played three games of Exploding Snap with Fred and George. She won two. She then wolfed down dinner at the staff table, Remus being conspicuous only by his absence there. She half-wondered if he had forgotten about their meeting. But she pushed the thought from her mind and left as early as she dared, rushing the whole way to the Defence Against The Dark Arts room. She walked straight in and up the stairs, and rammed hard on Remus' office door.
"Come in!" his voice called, and she opened the door and marched in, only to be stopped in her tracks in shock. She looked around her bemusedly, as she took in the sight of the totally reformed office. Remus smiled at her from behind his desk.
"Ah, you're early," he said happily. "Excellent – the more we get done tonight, the better. We only have a little over three weeks until Halloween."
"Yeah … Remus, where's all your stuff gone?" For the stacks of books, assortment of papers and other clutter had vanished, and all that remained was a very old record player, the desk, two chairs and one small cupboard in the corner. He smiled pleasantly, although she caught a distinctly Marauderish gleam in his eye as he stood up.
"I thought we could use the extra space," he said mildly, and she narrowed her eyes.
"Why?"
"Well, I ran into Albus on his way down to dinner, and he mentioned a part of the night ought to include some formal dancing, as that is a Muggle tradition at events and parties. So I thought we could use some practice."
"You have got to be kidding me!" Tonks threw herself down in the nearest chair, all prepared to throw a full-on strop. She couldn't dance to save herself. But Remus merely continued to smile and leant against the wall, watching her. "I'm not doing it," she said, before he could comment. His smiled widened, and he tilted his head to one side, watching her in a thoughtful manner.
"Wimp."
"Excuse me??" She sat up perfectly straight, glaring at him, and the fact that he still looked perfectly at ease and … amused, just made her worse. "What did you say?!"
"I said, you're being a wimp, Nymphadora," he repeated, stepping around his desk and rummaging amongst a large pile of records stacked there. "You're afraid."
"What exactly am I supposed to be afraid of – getting my feet stood on? And it's Tonks!" she snapped, thoroughly annoyed now. He just smiled and pulled out one of the shabbiest looking records of the lot, placing it on the player. He then offered her his hand.
"Dora," he amended. "If it makes you feel at all better, I happen to be a supremely gifted dancer, and I will sweep you – literally – off your feet. And it's just for fun. Just us – nobody to know if we make fools of ourselves." He waggled his eyebrows, and Tonks laughed, although she wished a second later she hadn't. Her huff had lasted all of two minutes, if that.
"You're a git," she muttered half-heartedly, as she took his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. He grinned boyishly.
"And glad to hear it," he smiled. "Come on – do you know how to waltz?"
"Do I look like the formal dancing type?" she asked, one eyebrow raised, and Remus chuckled. She wasn't sure if that was a yes or a no, but she forgot to wonder as his hand slid around her waist, pulling her close. She inhaled sharply.
"All right?" he murmured in her ear, his breath warm on her skin. She nodded and swallowed – if she tried to speak, she thought she might be sick. Which was ridiculous – she had no reason to be this nervous. "Okay, now take my other hand … good, and put your other hand up on my shoulder."
"Like this?" Tonks stiffly positioned her hand just above his collarbone, barely allowing her skin to touch him. He laughed softly.
"Try this …" His voice was husky as he released her hip, placed his hand over hers, and brought it up over his shoulder to where his neck joined his shoulder, and slowly she felt her fingers being curled around to rest at the nape of his neck. "Better?" he asked. She nodded again, looking determinedly at a point on the wall behind him, even though she could feel his gaze searching for her own.
"Much," she said hoarsely, hoping speaking would somehow show him that he didn't need to stare at her. A moment later, he seemed to become aware that he was still holding her hand in place, and his own was hurriedly replaced on her waist. As if that made her much less uncomfortable, she thought wryly, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
"Now, I'm going to lead," he told her, and she thought his voice got quieter every time he opened his mouth. "When I step forward with my right foot, step back with your left, okay?" Did he actually expect her to be able to concentrate on coordinating her feet with his when her brain and senses were so busy going into overdrive about being so close to him that she wasn't even sure she would be able to move her feet to begin with? Evidently, he did, as he took a step forward and bumped right into her.
"Oh! Sorry …" Tonks felt her face heat up, but Remus smiled kindly.
"Not to worry," he told her gently. "Let's try again. Step back with your left foot … now." And much to her surprise – and, she suspected, his, although he didn't say as much – she actually managed to do so, and neither of them fell. She let out a squeal of delight.
"I did it!" She then glanced up at him, wondering if he found her enthusiasm childish and strange – which she supposed it was – but found him grinning at her, seeming pleased.
"Well done!" he told her, looking far too deep into her eyes. Why did he have to be so alluring? Just the way he looked at her was special – like she was the only other person in the world. Or sometimes like he wanted her to be … she couldn't explain it. She just felt like things always made less sense around him; logical thought went out the window, and all that was left was just … feeling. And it was pretty intense. She smiled dreamily into his eyes.
"Thanks … so what's next?"
"I thought you didn't want to dance?"
"I don't, but if we're going to have dancing at the party then now's as good a time as any to learn, I figure. So are you going to teach me to waltz or just stand around waiting for an opportunity to feel me up?" Remus' eyes glittered.
"You're better not leaving that decision up to me."
Tonks smiled shyly, hoping he wouldn't notice her blushing. Deciding she'd better not answer him, she instead made some kind of head motion, supposed to indicate they would carry on dancing. Thankfully, he took the hint. And it took them several hours – it was after ten before Remus seemed happy that Tonks had mastered the waltz, the foxtrot and the tango. She collapsed into a chair, her feet aching, and he laughed and waved his wand. Two steaming mugs of coffee materialised there, and she grabbed hers, taking a very long drink, even though it burnt her tongue.
"Ah! Coffee!" she gushed happily, as Remus resumed his position leaning against the wall and watching her. "It's so bad for me, so naturally, I absolutely love it!"
"Naturally," he chortled. "So, Nymphadora, do you love everything that's bad for you?"
"Most things," she grinned, "and don't call me Nymphadora," she added, pretending to scowl. She still hated her name, just not quite so much when he said it. He smiled, straightening up and crossing the room. He knelt down in front of her, and her heart began to pound in her chest.
"Is that so?" he asked softly, setting his mug down on the desk beside him. She gulped and nodded – she definitely couldn't speak now. Remus watched her for a couple of moments, his face reddening ever so slightly, his eyes never leaving her face. "So, um, I guess we should … well, I mean … that is to say, we ought to … uh …"
Exactly what they should do, she never found out. He seemed to give up on finding the right words after a moment, and instead, she felt his mouth covering her own. His lips were soft and warm – and, oh Merlin, so unbelievably tender – against hers. One of his hands moved up and cupped her face just around her jaw and chin, and the other rested uncertainly on her knee. For a few short, but wonderful seconds, he kissed her – kissed her in a way she'd never been kissed before: as though he were doing it to convey his affection for her, and not just because of some sort of primal male desire. He kissed her as though she were the only one he wanted to kiss this way, and as though by doing so, he could pour into her his heart and soul. And it was incredible.
Remus seemed to hesitate after a short time, perhaps realising what he was doing, and his lips drew away from her with agonizing slowness. But they had barely left hers when she slid a hand around his neck and pulled him back, pressing her lips back onto his eagerly. For a split-second, he seemed to be stunned, and then they both sank into this kiss, giving everything they had over to the other. Her hand found and toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck, then travelled up and tangled in his brown and grey-streaked mop, and her other caressed his face. He used one of his hands to hold her face close to him, and his other rubbed her knee and a little way up her thigh. She bit down on his bottom lip, and a second later, felt his tongue running in loose circles over her lips. For just an instant, she pulled away, needing to breathe, and check this was real.
Their eyes met in that brief moment, and he looked so adorably nervous crouched there, watching her to see why she had pulled away, that she couldn't help herself. She lowered herself quickly onto the floor and kissed him again, opening her mouth to him the second their lips met. As they kissed more passionately; his tongue exploring her mouth keenly; their arms wrapped around one another tightly, drawing them together in a kind of frenzied embrace. Tonks slid her arms around his neck, holding him close to her, and a low moan escaped her against his lips as his hands trailed down her back, tingling all the way down her spine.
"Yes, this is Remus' office here …"
In that second, Tonks felt Remus' arms drop just as hers did the same, and simultaneously; they jumped to their feet, like a pair of teenagers caught by their parents. Tonks threw herself back into her chair at the exact moment the door opened, and Dumbledore stuck his head in, smiling pleasantly.
"Ah, Tonks!" he said, seeming delighted. "I assume you two are working hard?"
"Hardly working, sir," she replied, not meeting Remus' eyes. The Headmaster laughed softly, and stepped inside, opening the door wider behind him.
"Well, time for a break," he smiled. "Remus, you will never believe who I discovered when I went to the Hog's Head for a quiet drink this evening."
"Who might that be?" Remus asked quietly, sounding totally relaxed. It was as though nothing had happened, Tonks thought almost angrily. Didn't it bother him that they had been interrupted?
"Remus!!" His eyes widened in shock, and Tonks was sure hers were doing something similar, as a beautiful woman swept into the room behind Dumbledore. She had long, perfectly straight hair, so dark brown it was almost black, and hazel eyes to match her tanned skin. "Remus, oh, my goodness, it is you!"
"Carolyn!" Remus sounded totally stunned as the tall woman threw herself into his arms, embracing him tightly and laughing loudly. "I don't understand – what were you doing in Hogsmeade; especially in the Hog's Head?"
"Work," she grinned. "I was working in the next village and popped through for a little trip down memory lane to our Hogwarts days, and I ran into Albus in the bar, so …"
"I absolutely insisted she come back to the castle," Dumbledore smiled. "Minerva and Pomona will be thrilled to see you again, my dear Lady Carolyn. And once I told her you were here, Remus, she hesitated no more! I was a tad surprised to find you hadn't mentioned it yourself, actually."
"Yes, I would have been and gone and never known!" Lady Carolyn chided Remus with a sickly girlish laugh. Tonks contemplated hexing her. What made her a Lady anyway?
"Well, you were gone on business – and it was very last minute," Remus explained quickly, and Tonks felt a surge of anger when she saw the grin that was spreading over his face now. "Merlin, I can't believe you're here, Carolyn! You look wonderful."
"And so do you! Especially considering full moon was only two nights ago – what's the new trick, Remus?"
"I can't believe you remember when the full moon is," was all Remus said in response, still not looking Tonks in the eye. She felt tears threatening to escape her eyelids, and knew she had to get out of there. How could he??
"Of course I do," said Carolyn in a hushed tone, looking at Remus with concern and what Tonks could only describe as love. "I always sit up until the moon goes down. Force of habit, I suppose, after so long sitting up waiting to make sure you were all right."
This was too much. Tonks blinked back the tears furiously, and stood up from her chair, attracting the attention of everyone else in the room.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said in the coldest tone she could muster, hoping Remus could tell fine well she was perfectly happy to interrupt. But he just smiled at her, as though he didn't even realise! Bastard. "But I think I'd better head off for tonight – I didn't realise how late we'd worked, Remus … we can make some more plans another night."
"Certainly," he said, a glint in his eye. How could he be so cold? She really would have slapped him, had Dumbledore not spoken just then.
"I think I will walk out with you, Tonks," he said, smiling. "I'll leave you two to catch up. Remus, make sure she joins us for dinner at least once before she leaves the village again, won't you?"
"Absolutely," Remus grinned, and Lady Carolyn rolled her eyes in response.
"Excellent. Goodnight, Remus; Lady Carolyn." Dumbledore bowed to the woman, who smiled widely, and he turned and left. Tonks cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"Nice to meet you … night, Remus," she mumbled, making her exit as quickly as she could. She met Dumbledore outside and they left the classroom together, with him insisting he would walk her to Gryffindor Tower.
"Lady Carolyn seems nice," Tonks said offhandedly as they walked. Dumbledore glanced at her sideways, and she had the familiar unsettling sensation that he knew there was far more in her words than she was saying. However, whatever he suspected, he kept to himself, and he smiled pleasantly.
"Indeed, she is a wonderful woman," he agreed. "A remarkably kind soul … I know she has been invaluable in Remus' life. She is one of the few people in his life who never judged him based on his condition, Tonks. Even his own parents did, to an extent, and although Remus will pretend it doesn't bother him, it does. He does not love easily, and having Lady Carolyn around to love and be loved by all these long years, it really has done wonders for him. Especially since his friends and his parents died."
"Hmm," Tonks agreed quietly. Great. She was competing with Mother bloody Teresa.
"Well, here we are!" Dumbledore said cheerfully, stopping next to the portrait of the Fat Lady and waving his hand at it, so that it swung forward. "Thank you for the pleasure of your company, Miss Tonks, and I shall no doubt see you at breakfast. Sleep well."
"Goodnight, sir," Tonks said, forcing a smile. She turned and made her way through the common room, not even paying attention to the small groups of students still up and watching her cross. She somehow managed to hold it in until she got to the third year dormitory, exchanged pleasantries with Hermione, Lavender and Parvati, her roommates, and changed into her pyjamas and climbed into bed – but once there, she drew the curtains around herself; performed a quick Silencio on herself; laid her head down on the soft feather pillows; and cried herself to sleep.
A/N: Thanks once again to everyone who's read this - I know, I know, you're all sitting going: WTF?? How can she do this to us? but I'm sorry! I go where the muses take me, and the muses love angst ... besides, I can't write pure fluff forever, so this will make the fic longer :P
Don't hate me!! (This means YOU Farah and Belle!!!)
I promise cookies in exchange for forgiveness - the muses are mean, I am not :P
Thanks again!!
Alli xoxo
