My co-writer unique normality I would like to thank all the people who took the time to review! You guys really make our days! I shall reply to your reviews soon! It's been a busy week for me with work and life! So I apologise for the delay! Enjoy!

Sirius shifted slightly and looked longingly back towards the street. He could run now and no one would know. Well, that wasn't true. Andy would tell Dora, Dora would tell Remus, and Remus would lecture me about building bridges and family being important, especially for Harry. Sirius sighed heavily. Harry was always the trump card that either of them used to win an argument.

He swallowed and was about to lift his hand to the knocker when the door was flung open and Tonks stood there, arms folded, eyes twinkling.

"Wotcher."

"Tonks!" Sirius' eye widened. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, as this is my childhood home, I used to live here." Her eyes danced with mischief. "And," she leaned forward to stage whisper, "Remus, Harry, and I were plotting against you last night; they may have mentioned the distinct possibility of your running away."

"Why does that not surprise me," Sirius grumbled. He followed her into the house. "I knew you three were up to something last night! Harry had to keep hiding his face against Remus' shoulder so I wouldn't know he was laughing."

Tonks rolled her eyes. They had entered the room her mother was nervously waiting in and Sirius' words had held a touch of defiance.

"Yes. Between the two of them I was well warned what to expect." An eyebrow rose pointedly and Sirius scowled.

"Sirius." Andromeda's voice was soft. "You look well." She had risen and stood nervously watching her cousin for a long moment.

"So do you, Andy," he smiled crookedly before stepping forward and hugging her.

Andromeda's arms tightened around her young cousin. "It has been too long." She pushed him back and scrutinised him closely. "How are you?"

"Good!" Sirius smiled as she led him to a chair and pushed him into it. "How about you? Congratulations on getting the awards for your paintings."

She looked up, surprised. "You know about them?"

"Remus told me." Sirius spoke slowly.

"Oh." She busied herself making tea. "How is Harry?" She was searching desperately for safe topics of conversation. Sirius' face brightened.

"He is brilliant. Dora tell you that he plays football?"

"She said he was quite the player."

"He is. Best kid on the field," Sirius boasted. "And he is rather good at school too, though I can't really take any credit for that."

Tonks laughed. "You mean you didn't sit down with him and help him with homework? How shocking."

"Oh shut up," Sirius grinned good naturedly. "Your daughter has far too much, cheek, Andy. And no, come to think of it, I don't think I ever helped with homework."

"Probably safer for Harry's grades."

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda looked horrified but Sirius laughed.

"No, don't scold her. She hit the nail on the head, I taught Harry how to play football and cricket, and Remus was the scholar."

"He does well at school?"

"Brilliantly. He pushes himself, he is a much better student than his father and I were. Makes me question his paternity, really." Sirius smirked, causing Tonks to laugh.

"Why didn't you send him to Hogwarts Grammar? It is one of the best schools in England and he would have been accepted seeing his parents both went there."

"We thought about it." Sirius admitted. "But neither Remus nor I was willing to give him up. It was different for us, I was sent there to be gotten rid of, Remus was a scholarship student and a damned brilliant one, and James... Jamie was family tradition, but the idea of Harry being away most of the year…" Sirius shrugged. "None of us wanted that. We asked him when he was old enough if he wanted to go and he refused. He has friends at the school he is at and they have a very good reputation."

Andromeda nodded.

"How have you been? And Ted?"

"Good. He is still enjoying his job, thinks being a news reader is the most fascinating thing in the universe," she rolled her eyes affectionately. "He apologises for not being here today, but he was called into work early to work on something. I keep telling him that he should retire but he insists that the day Dora has a baby is the day he will retire."

"Mum!" Dora's shriek made Sirius grin. Her cheeks were bright red and she looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"What? It's the truth isn't it?"

"Sirius will never let me forget this," she moaned.

"Don't forget when I go home I'll tell Remus and Harry," Sirius chuckled. "Harry will never let you forget it."

"I hate you." Dora glared at her cousin. "So much."

Andromeda watched wistfully.

"So, ignoring your kid, how are the paintings? Are you still doing artwork for books?"

"Occasionally, I rather thought that Remus might write something again maybe?"

"Nope, didn't trust me after I published that first one of his, he refused to write anything down after that."

Andromeda frowned. "But it was brilliant."

A wistful expression crossed Sirius' face. "Yes. It was."

"Mum has been commissioned for another series in the art gallery; they want her to display all her portraits!"

"Andy that is brilliant! When is the showing?"

"Not until January, I still have a lot of work to do; I need another three portraits before it can go ahead." She looked speculatively at her cousin. "I don't suppose I could paint you?"

"Me?" Sirius looked startled. "Why?"

"I thought the vain peacock would have liked that," Dora's eyes were twinkling.

Sirius reached over and covered her mouth with a calloused hand. "Why me?"

"Because you are in interesting person. You have triumphed over sorrow, you had a terrible childhood yet you have raised Harry brilliantly. I think that all that complexity would make a brilliant portrait."

Sirius frowned. "Can I think about it and let you know?"

"Of course! I can do it here or at your house, whatever you are more comfortable with."

Sirius pulled his hand away from Dora's mouth suddenly. "Did you just lick me?"

"Yes." She looked indignant. "Fancy doing that to a lady!"

"Are you a lady?"

Tonks simply huffed at him.

Andromeda smiled. "When Dora told me that she found you at that football game I was very happy to hear that you were well."

Sirius nodded slightly. "The feeling was mutual."

She sighed softly. "How is Remus?"

Sirius' jaw clenched and a stubborn look entered his eyes. The elephant in the room was finally being addressed. "He is fine."

"Sirius." Dora's voice was soft; she reached out until her hand rested on his arm.

Andromeda sighed, so in this her daughter sided with her cousin. "I am sorry, Sirius, for the things I said that day. I was worried about you but I did not mean to hurt you or insult your friend."

"You never liked Remus, Andromeda, we all knew that. And after he came home you liked him even less. He knew that. When you said those things you were insulting my best friend, a man who was braver than you could ever imagine. You had no idea; you glimpsed into our lives and you saw only that he had reacted badly after a nightmare." Sirius swallowed. He looked away.

"I know." Andromeda leaned forward, her voice pleading. "And I am sorry, truly sorry for what I said that day, Sirius. I will not take back the sentiment for that was real, I was worried about you and I was worried about Harry, but I was wrong to say those things. Please, forgive me."

"Why did you never come to me and apologise before?" Sirius wasn't going to make this easy.

"You never apologised for telling me that I had no business meddling in your life. You never replied to the messages I left on your answering machine. And I'm as much a stubborn Black as you are, Sirius."

Sirius nodded curtly. "I won't forget what you said," he warned. "But I will forgive you." He relaxed a little, relenting. "I know you only meant good, Andy, but never say anything like that about Remus ever again."

"I won't," she promised.

Sirius glanced at the table for a moment before he looked up, a crooked smile on his face. "Now, it's my turn. Forgive me for being such a prat before and… and now too. I promised I would be nice and I haven't really stayed true to that. I should have returned your calls long before they stopped and I should have been a little nicer when you asked my forgiveness."

Andromeda's eyes widened. "Of course I forgive you," her eyes twinkled. "Fancy that, Sirius Black apologising, I never thought I would see the day."

Sirius laughed and Dora relaxed visibly. "It's what comes of having to raise a kid," he admitted.

"I'll walk you home." Sirius offered as he and Dora left the Tonks house.

The young woman glanced up at her cousin and smiled. "Thanks, but you don't have to."

"Nonsense, Remus would have my head if he knew I let you walk home alone."

Dora blushed. "I highly doubt that but thanks, I will enjoy the company."

Sirius was quiet for a moment before he spoke gravely. "Thank you for coming today, Dora. I know Remus and Harry asked you to. But you didn't have to."

"She loves you but she's a Black, as she said," Tonks said, raising her eyebrow pointedly at him.

"I should have called her back all those years ago."

Dora shrugged. "I don't blame you." Her honesty surprised him. "She told me what she said that day about Remus and I don't blame you. I probably would have done the same, Harry would definitely do the same, and from what I have heard about James and Lily they would have done the same. She had no idea, has no idea, and so she said things that she shouldn't have."

Sirius looked down at her averted face. "I'm guessing that she doesn't understand why you do what you do?"

Dora shook her head.

"Remember that day I told you that if you ever need to talk our door is always open to you?"

Another silent nod.

"Well, I meant it. Remus and I may not have been cops but we still get it and both of us are always willing to listen, ok?"

"Thanks." She smiled shakily.

They were quiet for a long time as she walked through London streets. "Want to come in?" She pointed to the small flat above a shop space. "It's not much but I can make you tea."

"Ta. I need to talk to you."

"Oh dear." She grinned, her usual sunny smile back in place. "What have I done now?"

Sirius grinned. "Get upstairs."

She busied herself in her tiny, closet-sized kitchen. "Can I get you anything to eat? I have chocolate biscuits."

"Sounds brilliant." Sirius looked around the photographs on the wall. "These yours?"

"Yup." She emerged balancing a plate of biscuits on one of the mugs she was carrying. "Help."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Is that safe seeing you are the biggest klutz I know?"

"Shut up." She sighed, relieved, when he took both the plate and a mug off her. "Right, what is this serious conversation I feel like we are about to have. If you want to tell me about babies then you are about ten years too late."

A vaguely horrified expression crossed Sirius' face and Tonks giggled.

"No. Not babies, I was hoping your mum had that talk with you."

"She did. You are safe." Tonks folded her feet underneath her and waited expectantly.

"It's about Remus." Sirius spoke gravely.

"What about him?" She wished she could control the hot flush that worked its way up her neck into her cheeks. Dammit, she had to stop blushing every time she heard his name.

"You fancy him, don't you?" Sirius was blunt.

"Well, you certainly don't beat around the bush," she grumbled. "What makes you think that?"

"Dora, you are as red as a tomato, you hang on his every word, and I have seen the way you look at him."

She moaned and buried her face in her hands. "Does he know?"

"Totally oblivious as far as I can tell."

"Thank god."

"Dora, Remus… Remus is fragile." Sirius was struggling to find the right words. "If this thing you feel is just a passing fancy because he is a tragic hero figure then please, please don't act on it. Remus doesn't love often but when he does it is with his whole being... and it is fierce. He has been hurt so badly in his life, hurt by people he has loved and trusted, and I don't think he could survive being torn apart again."

"Sirius—"

"No. Hear me out. If you do want to make something of it then please make sure you mean it first. Don't let him know that you fancy him and then pull back because you find someone else, someone who is easier to love. He has been through hell, Dora. And he is terrified of being hurt again. I don't need two hands to count the people he has ever trusted properly, and two of them are dead, one betrayed them, and the others are… out of the picture. If you do decide you care about him enough to make it work please be gentle. I can't see him hurt again." Sirius' eyes were dark.

"I would never hurt him, Sirius," Tonks whispered, trying to convey her sincerity.

He shook his head. "You wouldn't mean to. But if you made him care and then walked away because he is… Remus; then it would break him. He has baggage, Dora, things that I can't and won't tell you. He won't be easy to love; he won't make it easy to love him when he knows but…"

"When he loves it is fierce," she repeated his words and he nodded. "I can stay away?"

"Do you want to?"

"No."

"Do you think that you could love him completely? All of him?"

She was quiet for a long time as she thought about his words and slowly she nodded. Tonks, for most her life, was rarely decisive and sure about things. But when she was, she meant it. "I think I could."

Sirius smiled. "Then I fully support you. But, if you break his heart then I will never forgive you. I have seen him broken I don't think I could bear to see that again."

"Sirius… I… what if I'm not strong enough?"

"You need to decide that before he realises that he cares for you." He rose. "I have to go or else they will think I bolted to France. See you on the weekend?"

She nodded numbly and watched him leave. His words rolled over in her head. He loves rarely, but he loves fiercely. Don't break him...again. Before he realises that he cares for you.

Tonks buried her face in her hands. What was she going to do?


"Forget about the paperwork, Lass," Mad-Eye Moody said gruffly, shaking his head as he stopped Dora from getting to her desk. "Head on home. Take a few days. You did well."

"But... we didn't..." Dora started but couldn't finish. After days, this certain case was over, but it did not end in the way they had wanted. She had black bruises under her eyes and she couldn't remember the last time she washed her limp hair. But her weariness hadn't hit her until just now and she swayed.

"You did well." Moody's tone left no room for argument as he clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Head on out, Tonks. I don't want to see you until Monday."

She just nodded and grabbed her bag from her chair, haphazardly swinging it over her shoulder as she passed a few other officers in similar states as she.

Dora walked out into the street and half expected it to be completely dark outside, or raining. But it was the middle of the afternoon and the sun was, oddly, shining brightly, making it the complete antithesis of her current mood.

She knew, as a police officer, that her job was to deal with the unsavoury, and sometimes evil. But it did not stop her from feeling the effects of a "mission" gone wrong. Dora's guilt and sorrow even overshadowed the emotional stressing she had brought upon herself since her talk with Sirius about her feelings for Remus. But she had to push that aside, for her sanity, in order to deal with the whirlwind in her mind currently.

Dora kept walking, somehow managing to stay upright and out of people's way as she stumbled along. After a while, she blinked and looked around, unsure of where her feet had taken her. But she let out a breath when she recognized the building before her. Knowing it was where she needed to be now, she walked in as she had many times before.

Without remembering the journey, she found herself in front of the door. She lifted her arm and knocked on the wood as she felt all the stressful emotions begin to break the dam, not helped by her fatigue and hunger. She heard the doorknob turn as tears began to form.

Tonks realized she had brought herself here to talk to Sirius as she wanted the comfort of family without dealing with her mother's lack of understanding. She realized who she had been expecting when he wasn't the one that opened the door. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Remus standing there, his eyes widening slightly, but she tried to push away those feelings for now.

"Dora?" Remus' wary expression was transformed into a deep frown, finding the person before him the complete opposite of his friend's usual state. She looked upset, obviously, but also tired and worn out. Her hair lacked its usual vibrancy, as did her face with its lack of smile. Without knowing the reason behind her current appearance, Remus found himself with the inner need to punch someone for the first time in years. Yet he stood frozen at the door, shocked.

"C- can I come in?" Tonks choked out, knowing she probably looked at least ten years younger with her current expression of sheer misery.

She shuffled in as soon as Remus stepped back, barely feeling the hand he put on her arm to help guide her to the couch. She dropped her bag and kicked off her shoes before curling up on their comfortable sofa, drawing her knees to her chest. Dora was almost disappointed in the fact that the apartment was too quiet for Sirius to be available, she needed her cousin's loud voiced distraction, but she was glad she wasn't completely alone.

Tonks started violently when she felt Remus sit beside her a few minutes later and found him holding out a mug adorned with Harry's team colours.

"We don't have anything stronger, unfortunately, but I always thought chocolate helped sooth things," Remus said, his voice gentle as he watched her take the mug of hot chocolate.

She murmured a thank you before taking a sip, allowing herself to let out a deep breath and relax a little as the warm liquid slid down her throat.

"Sirius is at work, I'm afraid," Remus started, assuming she was here for him but he fell silent with the pitiful look she bestowed on him.

"Could I... just... stay here for a bit?" Dora asked, afraid she might start crying again if he refused her.

Remus looked almost horrified before, very hesitantly, placing a hand on her arm once more. He felt as if he were comforting Ginny... but it was different.

"I don't think I'd let you leave if you wanted to," Remus assured her with a careful smile, watching as she sniffled a bit before giving him a watery attempt at a smile in return.

Remus tried to relax on the couch, keeping watch of Tonks out of the corner of his eye as he sipped from his own mug. He knew she had to be here to talk but wanted her to begin on her own time, especially if whatever happened made her this upset. He found himself more than a little worried about her, almost scared to hear about something that may have hurt her. He stretched his hand and what was left of his fingers as a sharp stabbing pain reminded him that he was holding the ceramic mug too tightly. He glanced over at Dora once more and winced as she let out a sob.

"We almost had him," she gasped, her trembling hands shaking her drink. She knew she shouldn't really talk about case details but she also knew Remus would understand more than anyone. "We've been after him for d- days and we almost had him! We had him practically cornered and we were so sure we'd be able to take him down before he h- hurt his hostage. B- but we were too l- late... She was only seven a-and he... before he..." Tonks trailed off as she let out another sob, the stress and the guilt pushing her to the breaking point. "We were too late! We should have known! We should have stopped him!" She was crying in earnest now, deep, anguished sobs that shook her slight frame.

Remus pulled the cup from her hand and it joined his on the floor, she didn't see him hesitate before pulling her into his arms. He held her tightly, rubbing her back gently. He didn't speak, didn't offer empty platitudes.

Her weeping slowly eased. And she pulled back. He handed her a tissue and waited for a moment.

"Do you want to start at the beginning?" He spoke warily.

"I probably shouldn't leave another patch of tears on your shirt," She whispered.

Remus' eyes were riveted on her face and she found that she was unable to look away from his compassionate brown eyes that read to her soul. "I think my shirt will manage."

Tonks nodded. She shifted so her back was against the arm of the chair and she was facing him. "Two months ago a woman in her fifties was kidnapped, her family received a ransom phone call and then a week later she was found dead on her doorstep. Two weeks later, a woman in her forties went missing. We were so close. We were about to go on a raid, he had killed four women, one of them was eighteen. The raid was set up, we had all the evidence we needed when he vanished. The house was empty there was no trace of where he had gone. Three hours later we got a call." Her eyes were closed and she was twisting her hands desperately. Remus sat motionless, watching her. He didn't touch her, he knew from experience that touch would not be welcome, but he longed to wipe away the pain. Dora was sweet, innocent and bubbly; she should not have to endure this hurt.

"There was a girl, Tatiana, who was missing." Her voice caught and her eyes fluttered open. "She was seven."

Remus face twisted with sudden grief. He shoved his own memories down, the memories that her words had sparked; she needed him to be strong. He wished Sirius was here, Sirius would know what to say, how to make his cousin laugh again.

"It was the same as the others. Ransom call. We looked everywhere; he knew he was close to being caught. He knew and he was careful but we found him. Oh god, Remus, we were so excited. We were going to get this little girl back! It hadn't been a week yet and we knew we would find him. We surrounded the building, it was a perfect raid. King and I were some of the first there… And…" She hunched forward and Remus reached out his good hand slowly to her. She caught it and clung to his strong fingers. She wondered, distractedly, that his hands were so big compared to hers. "There he was, sitting in a chair. He was waiting for us and he began to laugh." A violent shudder ripped through her. "I will never forget his laugh. There was blood." Her voice was a broken whisper.

"Dora." Remus' voice called her to him; his face was pale, strained. He gently disentangled her hand and held his arms open to her.

She went to him, burying her face against his shoulder.

"Keep going." He whispered. He knew that she needed to finish.

"So much blood and she was lying there. Remus she was still warm! Still warm!" Her tears began. "He killed her fifteen minutes before we got there! It was brutal! He—" She broke off suddenly as she remember who she was talking to. A man who had been imprisoned and tortured for a cruel, cruel year. "We were too late."

"I am so, sorry, Dora." Remus' voice was so gentle and the tears which were slowly leaking from Tonks' eyes began to flow faster. "I am so, so sorry you had to endure that."

"We had to tell her family. King and I went after we had changed our clothes. I told them that it was instant, that she was not hurt badly."

"But you lied." It was not a question. "You did a good thing, Dora. A brave thing."

"She was so small. We failed. I failed her! If—"

"No. You do not get to blame yourself for this. It is not your fault. You look as if you haven't slept for days; you and your colleagues did all that you could. You do not get to blame yourself!" He pushed her back a little so he could see her face. "You do not get to blame yourself." He repeated more gently this time.

Tonks found herself closer to Remus than she had ever been. If she had been in a better state of mind, she might have been flustered over how close their faces were. But, now, she just relished in the comfort he was giving her. Most people, if given the opportunity to be this close to such a mysterious man, would probably take a closer look at the scars on his face, or even the questionable marks that were on his neck. But Tonks found herself almost mesmerized by his light eyes; eyes that held so much compassion.

Hating to break their contact, but knowing she needed to if she were to stop herself from doing anything stupid, she nodded and looked down at her hands.

"I know," she sniffled, wiping her face as she felt him shift away. "It's his fault for doing this. It's just... hard."

"But he won't hurt anyone again," Remus whispered firmly, causing Tonks to look up and meet his eyes once more.

She stared at him for a moment before giving him a slightly less watery smile than before.

Now that she had gotten her story off her chest, she felt a bit better. Reaching down, she found a mug still relatively warm and picked it up. Hoping it would lift her up a bit, Tonks chugged the whole cup of hot (or, by now, warm) chocolate.

"Oh!" Tonks looked down into her mug and then at the outside, finding a publisher's logo. "I think I drank yours, I'm sorry."

Remus looked at her in surprise as she reached down to pick up her mug in order to hand it to him. Most were afraid to get near him, he had discovered during the years after his return. Very few were willing to touch him. Yet this girl... woman had just drank from his mug without a second though. He knew he had no diseases, but that didn't stop others from acting like he did just because of his scars, the damaged hand and his uneven step. But Tonks only apologized for taking what was his by accident. He felt the usual curl of fear unfurl inside him as he realised just how close she had been to him, the fact he had held her tightly trying to comfort her, he breathed in shakily, he wanted to escape, there had only been three people who had ever gotten this close to him since his return. Sirius, Harry and Ginny, and now, this young woman who never seemed to care that he was frightened of noises, of people touching him, of people in general, had somehow set him so at ease that he was able to offer her comfort.

Tonks interrupted his thoughts when she seemed to curl up into herself on the couch and lean her head on the back.

"Can... can we maybe talk about other things?" Tonks asked hopefully, still looking tired but her eyes had brightened somewhat.

Remus blinked at her before taking a small sip from her mug. "What would you like to talk about?" He asked, trying not to over think his actions towards her; he didn't understand them, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"Do you know any good stories?" Tonks asked, half teasing yet half serious. She just wanted to sit and listen to him talk; his voice was soothing.

Remus cleared his throat and shifted slightly. "I don't suppose you would want to sit through childish nonsense, would you?"

"I'm all for nonsense, Remus," Tonks assured him with a smile, still looking rather small as she curled deeper into the lounge.

"Perhaps some stories from school?" He suggested, surprised once more at the way her eyes lit up at the suggestion.

"Please! I would love to hear about what you were like." Colour flew into her cheeks suddenly. "And Sirius, he must have been a dreadful scamp!"

Remus' smile took on a distant edge. "Yes. He was. He and James were always into mischief."

The phone rang suddenly and Dora's eyes flitted to Remus' face. His whole body tensed and he remained motionless as it continued to ring. Finally the answering machine picked it up.

"Rem! It's me!" Sirius' voice was loud and bright. "If you are home pick up! Cause I want to ask you something."

Dora watched Remus rise and limp across the room. "Yes?"

The conversation was one sided for a long moment.

"Sounds fine," Remus finally replied. "Sirius, Dora is here. You need to come home as soon as you can."

She could hear her cousin's voice rise sharply.

"She is fine," Remus reassured hastily. "Bad day at work. Just… please."

A moment later Remus hung up the phone. "He told me you need to have a shower and I was to find something that would fit you."

Dora snorted. She allowed her eyes to sweep him up and down. "You are a good foot taller than me, and so is Sirius, not to mention that you are both twice as wide as I am, in a perfectly acceptable way of course."

Remus half smiled. "He is right about you needing to change, if I give you a towel you can jump in the shower while I find you some clothes?"

"I should go home."

Remus glanced at her sharply. "If you think for one instant I am letting you go home to an empty apartment you are sadly mistaken. Sirius would never forgive me."

"It's exactly what either of you would do!" She argued. As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them. Remus paled. He turned away and moved to a cupboard that she had never noticed before.

"Go shower," he handed her a towel.

"Remus, I—"

"No. You are right, it is what Sirius and I would do but that doesn't make it healthy." His face was expressionless. "Take as long as you need, make sure you use whatever you find in the bathroom."

She watched him vanish into Sirius' bedroom and slowly dragged herself into the bathroom. She let out a sigh, rather disappointed that their connection had been broken.

It was twenty minutes later when she emerged in a shirt that belonged to Sirius and sat mid-thigh on her with football shorts of Harry's that were rolled up several times, and her hair, finally washed, dripped water down her back. Tonks tried not to blush as she found herself wishing the shirt was Remus' instead.

Remus looked up. "Better?"

"Yes," she wanted to apologise again.

"Good," he motioned for her to sit again. "What did you want to hear about?"

She stared at him blankly.

"Sirius will be home in half an hour, until then, I have been ordered to distract you, and you wanted to hear stories about when we were at school."

"Oh, of course," she was astonished; she had half expected him to have locked himself in his room. "Erm, anything?"

Remus took a deep breath as he leaned against the couch, clasping his hands together in his lap. He took on a serious expression before looking at his guest.

"Animal, vegetable, or mineral?"

Tonks just stared at him for a solid minute before some colour returned to her cheeks. She pressed her lips together before allowing a smile to take over her face.

"You're taking the mickey," she accused before watching him shake his head, his expression still borderline grave with a sparkle in his eyes.

"I solemnly swear that I am not," Remus assured, holding up his right hand as if taking an oath. "I am rather ashamed at the type of antics I begrudgingly participated in" (Remus ignored Tonks' doubtful snort) "yet the variety is large. So, you must pick."

Tonks just smiled at him, curling up in the corner of the couch once more. She found herself immensely grateful for his company, and his friendship. Very few of her friends outside work understood what she went through. Few would take this much time out of their day to comfort her. She knew Remus probably just felt bad for her but was still thankful all the same.

"Animal," she finally said, just allowing herself to look at him with a small smile on her face.

Remus cleared his throat, trying not to flush at the way she was looking at him. Her eyes were warm, affectionate. He reached behind him to the table and handed her a chunk of his best chocolate before he straightened back up.

"Animal. Right. I'm going to take the liberty of choosing a story that will be more embarrassing for another member of this household, is that alright?" Remus asked before nodding at the grin on Tonks' face.

"If we get expelled for this, you're explaining to my mother that it was your fault."

"Don't be such a downer, Lupin," Sirius scoffed as they slowly and silently made their way to a large group of bushes outside the Main Hall, having made it there from their dorms relatively unscathed.

"I would like to live to see sixteen, thank you," Remus muttered as they crouched behind the prickly bushes, feeling rather silly wearing all black.

"And I would like to live to see a date with Evans. We all have high expectations out of life, Remus, but we can't back out of this," James stage whispered, only to be elbowed by Sirius to quiet down while ignoring the incredulous look on Remus' face.

"Once Peter gets here, we know what to do, yeah?"

Remus sighed. "As if you haven't drilled the plan into our heads in the last week." He rolled his eyes. "You have the English hall, Sirius. James will take Maths. We'll leave the Science hall alone since Lily spends so much time there, per your request, James. Peter covers History while I, for some reason, take the Head's office."

"Oh good, you didn't start without me," Peter gasped, obviously out of breath as he turned the corner and found his friends kneeling in the dirt. He carefully set down four heavy plastic bags, one for each boy.

"Pete, you have the stuff. There was no way to start without you." James shook his head before pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Alright, lads, are we ready?"

The four teenagers adopted firm expressions as they looked at each other in turn before nodding once. They each grabbed a bag and silently crawled away from the bushes and towards the school.

It was dark and their way was anything but smooth, but the four troublemakers were adept at sneaking around, much to the chagrin of both parents and teachers alike. They walked, hunched, quickly and deftly until they were able to make it to a back door that was easily opened after Sirius worked some magic.

Once inside, they let their eyes adjust to the dimness within; security lights remained on every few meters, luckily, so they could somewhat see. Sirius gave the others a thumbs up before doing a somersault on the ground past a doorway. He then pressed himself against the lockers dramatically and slid against them to his destination.

Remus rolled his eyes and casually walked, with some urgency, the opposite way. He heard Peter whispering frantically to James before he let out a squeak.

"Just go," James urged after giving him a shove. The bespectacled boy pulled a hat out of his pocket, pulled it on his head, and started towards his portion of the school with his bag, all the while looking this way and that, as if for an enemy.

Remus turned around, waved his hand at Peter, and took the stairs to the front offices. He made sure his feet didn't make a sound as he lithely found his way to their Head's office. Shaking his head at himself, he pulled the key Sirius had nicked out of his pocket and opened the door.

The room looked fairly plain: the desk with folders and papers, the walls adorned with a few diplomas and a picture of a young girl, and a potted plant overtaking the corner. He expected more but he figured the less furniture, the better. Getting to work, Remus allowed himself to appreciate the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins as a smirk developed on his young face.

Glancing at his watch, Remus realized he had taken longer than planned. Knowing the other three were most likely finished and waiting out by the bushes, Remus exited the office and locked the door behind him. He threw the key into another potted plant outside the door and made his way to the hallway, his arms empty of his previous supplies. He was halfway to the exit when the hall lights were turned on and footsteps were heard. Before he could make a move, he heard a voice at the other end of the hall.

"Freeze! Don't you move, kiddo," a voice called.

Remus slowly pulled thick glasses out of his pocket and put them on. He then turned around and saw the grumpy janitor making his way down the empty hall, snarling.

"What's your name, boy? You'll be sorry when I report you, you hear? Whatever it is you've done..." The old, miserable janitor continued to hobble along, glaring at Remus.

"My name?" Remus asked nonchalantly, casually stuffing his hands in his pockets and cooly raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, your name! What is it? And don't make up some nonsense, either!"

"Oh, I am as anti-nonsense as they come, Mr. Filch. Don't you worry," Remus assured him, wondering if his mock-serious tone was too over the top.

"NAME!" Filch the janitor demanded once he was a few meters away.

"Why, I thought you'd recognize me. I'm only the best looking bloke in school. Or so they say," Remus sighed, letting his fringe fall into his face. "They call me Black. Sirius Black."

Filch looked triumphant as he dropped the mop he had carried all the way down the hall onto the floor. He took out a notepad from his pocket in order to write down the culprit's name. But just as he began to search, he looked up at the boy who had begun sniffing.

"Do you smell something... fishy?" Remus asked slowly, pointing to the Maths classroom across the hall.

Filch pointed at him before shuffling towards the room. Just as he opened the door and turned on the light, Remus bolted; unfortunately missing Filch's string of clever curses at the sight that beheld him.

Remus finished his story, casually breaking off a piece of his chocolate and putting it in his mouth. He looked at Tonks and found her sitting there, open mouthed, as if in shock.

"Y- you... you gave him Sirius' name?" Tonks gasped.

Remus shrugged. "I wasn't going to take the fall for his stupid idea," he said. "But I knew what I was doing. Old Filch couldn't get any more details out of me since I ran. And when he went to one of the administrators, his description of me didn't fit Sirius'. And we left a few hints that led to many different culprits, of course. So they couldn't pin it on us."

Tonks continued to stare at him, looking very impressed and a little bit surprised. Despite herself, she felt her crush on him expand while her previous worries diminished a tad.

"So... what did you all exactly do?" Tonks asked slowly, almost afraid to find out but still very eager.

Remus coughed into his fist, a light blush developing on his cheeks. "It's a bit silly now but..."

"We used to get fed fish at least twice a week there, it was revolting so we stole the fish from the kitchens and proceeded to decorate the faculty members offices and classrooms with them.

Tonks spun around laughing, and saw Sirius leaning against the wall, obviously having slipped in unannounced. He assessed her from a distance before walking into the living room.

"Alright?" He asked, squatting beside her.

Tonks nodded, gladly accepting the hug he offered.

"Please continue, Lupin," Sirius said with a mock glare as he pulled back. "I'd love to her more biased stories."

"Where is Harry?" Remus was frowning.

"Out the front, don't worry I didn't abandon him. Now, more of your lies!"

"I speak nothing but the truth," Remus said with a raised eyebrow. "But Dora is our audience, let's see what she wants to hear next... if she isn't bored."

"No, I like this," Dora said quickly, smiling lightly at Remus. "But I do have a request."

"Do tell, m'lady," Sirius said, standing and throwing himself into his armchair.

"You said that James acted as if dating... Evans was as improbable as you living past sixteen," Dora said, laughing lightly. "Tell me about that."

"You already know the end of that story," Sirius scoffed as he slumped in his seat like a teenager.

"What?"

"Evans is Lily Evans. Harry's mum," Remus explained.

"So Harry's obviously the end but I want to know the beginning," Dora urged. "How did they get to Harry if a date was laughable?"

Remus shared a chuckle with Sirius. "James had a crush on Lily since he was ten, at least. She was a bright girl, even then, and was not impressed by the class clown... er clowns, really. He was a typical boy. He tugged on her pigtails and teased her. But she gave it all right back. As we all grew up, he stopped tugging on her hair but continued to tease and play jokes; all were interruptions to Lily's schooling, something she did not appreciate. James... well, all of us were rather mean to a friend of hers as well but Lily eventually stopped speaking with him after he said a few nasty things to her..."

"Lily hated how he could goof around yet still make such good grades. But he came around when he ended up getting on the student government team with her, or whatever it's called. That and football deflated his head a bit, eventually. So they got to be friends," Sirius said with a wistful smile. "But they didn't get together until the beginning of our last year. When pigs took to the sky..."

Remus opened his mouth to add to Sirius' words but was interrupted by the front door opening.

"I met the delivery guy out front," Harry said loudly, dropping his backpack by the front door and walking into the living room with two pizzas in hand. "So someone owes me twenty pounds- are you okay?"

Dora looked up to see Harry looking at her, worried. She smiled at him, touched by the sentiment, and nodded. "Just a bad day. Going to share that or do growing boys need two whole pizzas to themselves?"

"I might have to fight you for it, we never get pizza," Harry said, putting the boxes on the table and sitting on the ground. He then stood back up when Remus gave him a look, going into the kitchen to get plates.

"I called in on my way home, I thought we could enjoy some unhealthy, fat filled carbs," Sirius shrugged.

"Thanks," Dora said sincerely, giving both him and Remus a smile. "I mean it, I feel loads better."

"Come to us anytime," Remus said firmly, ignoring the look on Sirius' face.

"Yeah, anytime. We get pizza!" Harry grinned.

Dora laughed at him. "So, why the no pizza rule?"

"Uncle Remus is a health nut," Harry was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Rubbish," Remus replied. He rose and vanished into the kitchen to return a few minutes later with a stack of glasses and ice cold water. He settled himself into a chair in the corner of the room, the shadows of the room obscuring his features. Dora felt a pang, she wanted him to sit beside her on the couch. Sirius was quick to fill Remus' spot.

"Rem insists if Harry wants pizza we make it ourselves. He is probably the healthiest of all of us," Sirius winked in his friend's direction.

"Doesn't strike me as hard when there is you and a teenage boy."

"Hey! That's harsh!" Sirius was grinning. "I'll drive you home by the way."

"Nonsense, I don't want to put you out."

"Dora, it's not putting me out, it gives me a chance to make sure you are really ok."

She smiled at him. "You two are both teddy bears."


It was nearly midnight by the time that Sirius walked down to the garage where the car and his motorbike was kept. Her sides ached from laughing; Sirius and Harry had competed to see who could make her laugh the most and both had declared victory. Remus had barely said another word. He would speak when called upon but he had spent the night hidden in the shadows, observing but not participating.

"Did I make Remus angry?" Tonks' voice was small as she buckled her seatbelt.

Sirius glanced at her quickly. "Why would you say that?" He sounded surprised.

"He was so silent."

Sirius was quiet for a few minutes before replying slowly. "He was really worried about you, Kid. He said you were a mess."

"When did he say that?"

"I called him back when you were in the shower."

"Oh. But why did he just… I don't know."

"Remus doesn't trust many people. He comforted you and told you stories to distract you, that's the most I have ever heard him talk with someone who isn't Harry or me. He probably scared himself."

"But… I…"

"You have a little bit more than a crush for him, don't you?" Sirius' voice was understanding. "He has been through hell, Dora, and what happened to you today…" He swallowed. "There are memories that your story brought back, for both Remus and me. He… Like I said, he hasn't spoken that much to anyone outside the family for fourteen years. Not even the Weasley's. You have worked your way into his heart, even if it's only as a friend and he is now trying to determine whether it is safe to trust himself or not."

"It's more than what he went through isn't it?" Her voice was soft.

Sirius' hands tightened over the wheel. "Much more." There was hardness in his voice that caused Tonks to go silent with a frown. She wanted to know what had caused his mistrust, but she was so afraid of what it could mean for her.