-

The makeshift Auror Office was probably the cleanest room in the Hog's Head. It was still a dump. The walls and floorboards were dull grey, bare of any decoration. A coat of paint would have greatly improved the space, but a pleasant work environment wasn't a priority to Dawlish. He made it clear that his—and their—sole focus would be security. Students would arrive in three days' time. As of that day, patrols were to be doubled, and no personal leave would be granted during the first month of school.

Tonks stared at the wall-sized map of Hogsmeade and its surroundings, thinking, Am I the only one in this room with a life?

She glanced at her colleagues. Proudfoot, thin and pale, spent his free time playing chess or holed up in his room, reading. Savage lived in the pubs. Neither showed any reluctance to be on call for the next month. They were nodding in agreement. Fabulous. It was up to her to be the lone voice of dissension.

"Sir?" she said, doing her best to sound respectful. "With Anti-intruder jinxes and all the other castle security measures in place, isn't this...excessive?"

Dawlish said grimly, "The Ministry directive is clear. Student safety will be guaranteed at all cost. Is that understood?"

Tonks was the only one not to answer, "Yes, sir!"

She said, "If they really meant that, we'd have a fifth Auror stationed here to—"

"—personal cost, not taxpayer Galleons," Dawlish cut in.

She refused to back down. "If the Office doesn't authorise spending a few Galleons, we'll be the ones paying the price for sleep deprivation, and the cost might be higher than they can afford." Tonks shook her head. "I don't believe this. I was told we'd have more help."

"I declined it."

Tonks stared at Dawlish. "Why?"

"Headquarters needs every Auror available."

"Bollocks."

Proudfoot reacted before Dawlish. "That's uncalled for. You aren't the team leader. You don't make the decisions."

She never took her eyes off the man facing them across the desk. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. Team members should provide input on decisions affecting their wellbeing."

Savage said derisively, "If you get tired, have Snape brew a potion."

"We need the extra manpower," she said, ignoring the taunt. It wasn't a shock that Savage knew about her visits to the castle. Tonks wasn't naive. Men gossiped every bit as much as women.

Dawlish said, "My decision stands."

Oh yeah? Tonks said silently. She wasn't foolish enough to say it aloud.

Her boss wasn't pacified by her silence. He braced his hands on the desk, leaning forward. "If you attempt to challenge my authority—"

"No, sir." Elbows on the arms of her chair, Tonks threaded her fingers together. "I would never speak against you, sir." But I'm going to write to someone with the power to reverse your decision, and there's nothing you can do about it!

Glacial blue eyes thawed slightly. "Very well."

The words triggered a memory.

The other Aurors had left Scrimgeour's office after being apprised of the Hogsmeade mission. Tonks stayed behind to ask if her work as the future Minister's bodyguard was the reason she was included. When he admitted that it was, she said, "Fine, but Jerry Connelly gets a transfer too. I want somebody to play darts with when I'm stuck in a twee village in the middle of nowhere."

Scrimgeour gave a bark of laughter. "Very well."

Tonks almost smiled when Dawlish asked her to stay behind when the others filed out of the room. "Should I leave the door open? I wouldn't want to cause any more rumours. There are enough already."

He didn't deny it, or tell her to shut the door. "Savage heard talk in the pub and reported it to me. I never shared information concerning your whereabouts."

Bet you judged me on them, though. "Okay, ta, thanks." She made to leave.

"Auror Tonks."

She glanced back over her shoulder. "Yes, sir?"

"I have been an Auror for twenty-five years. If you owl the Minister, I will know about it before the message crosses his desk."

Did he think that would intimidate her? Tonks widened her eyes. "You haven't been chatting up Scrimgeour's personal assistant, have you? Lucy Tinsley's going with Martin Canterbury, and he's...well...possessive."

Dawlish said tightly, "I refuse to dignify that remark. You're dismissed."

Had she offended his moralistic sensibilities? Good! Tonks strode out of the room.

In the pub, the barkeep scowled when she asked for parchment and a quill. "Do I look like I have pen friends?"

Tonks said brightly, "Never too late to start."

Was there a glint of humour in the man's blue eyes? It was hard to tell. He really needed to trim his eyebrows. In silence, he bent to retrieve a piece of parchment and a dingy white turkey feather quill.

She tried to joke, "Don't s'ppose this is a Spell-Check?"

"It has ink."

"So it does. Thank you," she said, scratching out her letter.

Q,

I hope you and Mrs. Stevens are both well. I would owl the boss directly, but the post isn't secure these days, so I'm asking you to do me the favour of passing along a message.

I'm still waiting for a certain Auror to be assigned to Hogsmeade. Despite reports, we need the help.

Thank you for helping me, in the past and in the present.

L

She folded the parchment to create its own envelope and asked the barkeep, "May I have a bottle of Butterbeer and some sealing wax?"

He raised a brow over the Galleons she placed on the bar. "I don't serve imported Butterbeer."

Tonks used the Butterbeer cap to seal the wax, pocketing the change with a smile. "Thanks again."

She discovered Savage loitering outside the pub. He fell into step with her as she walked. "Where are you going, Tonks?"

"The Owl Post Office."

"I don't believe it."

Tonks raised her letter. "Proof I have friends."

"That isn't what I meant." In a sudden move, Savage grabbed the letter. "When I tell Dawlish you're sending a letter to—who the hell is Stevens?"

"A friend, not that it's any of your—or anyone else's—business." She snatched the parchment back. "Feel free to tell Dawlish. He'll learn that you're even more of a gossip than he'd thought."

Savage flushed. "At least he doesn't think I'm a slag!"

Tonks said, "Does it burn that I wasn't interested? Get over it." She walked on, not caring if Savage was glaring daggers.

-

Remus slept for hours. He wasn't utterly drained the way he used be before Nymphadora used blood magic to bind his wolf, but the change still took its toll. His body needed time to recover from the strain of transformation. Instead of still looking like hell when he awoke, however, he only looked tired.

Will hadn't bothered to unfold the futon into a bed. He lay on his side looking tired and hung over. "Did you have to make so much bloody noise?" he asked, taking the mug Remus offered.

The sound of water filling a kettle and a few cupboard doors opening had not been loud. The boy's senses were overly acute. "You need more rest," said Remus, taking a seat across the room.

"Your girlfriend didn't need any rest." Will gulped his tea and set the mug on the floor. "She left all bright-eyed and bushy tailed."

"Really?" Remus continued to sip his tea.

Will sat up. "If I hadn't heard her enter your safe room, I might have thought she wasn't a werewolf."

A chill ran down Remus' spine. "Nym is my mate. That is all you need to know."

"No need to yell. I was just curious."

Remus had spoken forcefully, not yelled. He decided silence was the best reply. Will's curiosity could prove dangerous.

That night, Nymphadora's disclosure that Aurors were denied leave for the next month forestalled Remus suggesting they spend the next full moon apart. He didn't tell his love it was for the best. She wouldn't have been receptive. Instead, he encouraged her to share all that had happened.

Remus was against any contact with Scrimgeour. That was another area in which they differed. He could only say of her decision to owl Stevens, "I hope you won't be disappointed."

In the mirror, her eyes were dark and vulnerable. "He promised."

How many promises had Rufus Scrimgeour broken in his quest to be Minister for Magic? Remus said, "If Jerry is assigned to Hogsmeade, Dawlish won't be able to prove you countermanded his authority, but he'll blame you nonetheless. Are you prepared to handle the consequences?"

She made a face. "What can he do to make my life worse?"

"Is being stationed at Hogsmeade that bad?" Remus asked. "I thought you had begun to make friends in the village."

"It isn't that easy." Nymphadora's explanation spilled out. "Hamish and Fiona have their family and the scouts. Rosmerta is always rushing off to deal with something in the pub. A friendly chat now and then isn't enough to keep me from feeling isolated and bored out of my skull. If I didn't have you to talk to, I'd go mental!"

His lips turned up at the corners. "I feel the same way at times."

"I'm sorry! I should have considered—"

"—don't apologise," Remus said firmly. "I am far less social than you are, and most of my need for intellectual stimulation is satisfied with books." His tone became rueful. "Now that Will is my pupil, I'll likely yearn for the days when I had no one to talk to."

"You'll always have me."

He smiled, wishing his fingertips touched skin instead of glass. "And you will always have me."

-

That assurance was what Tonks clung to in the days that followed. During the moments she spoke with Remus, it was easy. When she flew her solitary patrols or ate her dinners at the bar listening to the impersonal chatter of villagers, it was hard. Her colleagues avoided her. Snape postponed Potions lessons until after the start of term, and Jerry hadn't shown up yet. She was lonely.

Not even the imminent arrival of the Hogwarts Express lifted her flagging spirits. Tonks had looked forward to flying beside Ginny's carriage, but Dawlish took her off escort duty at the last minute.

"Do a sweep of the train to ensure there are no traces of Dark Magic or Dark Objects," he said coolly. "Afterwards, double-check the school grounds."

They were standing on the train platform. There was no time to try and change his mind. She nodded briskly, keeping her gaze averted from Savage. If he smirked, she'd flip him off and get his hopes up.

The sight of the Hogwarts Express dissipated anger. Nostalgia welled. Life had been so simple during her years at Hogwarts.

Immediately, a little voice in the back of her mind began sniggering. You were sneaking around with a Slytherin whose friends called you a half-blood freak, worried that you wouldn't pass your NEWTs and scared your best mate would become a teenaged pregnancy statistic because she couldn't keep her hands off her boyfriend! How was that simple?

It wasn't. Life always had challenges. In the past, she'd just had more faith in her ability to overcome them.

Tonks watched the children disembark, feeling empathy for the ones who looked anxious and a bit of envy for the couples who obviously couldn't wait to find a statue to snog behind. A few students looked at her curiously, but most passed by without noticing her presence.

It's the mousey hair, she thought with black humour. Works like a Disillusionment Charm.

She turned sharply when someone yelled her name, but couldn't see past the tall boy who had stepped in front of her. He had broad shoulders and a yellow striped tie. If he was a Beater, Hufflepuff might have a chance of putting another House in last place for a change.

"You make a better door than a window," said Tonks. "Move along."

He acted offended. "You can't tell me what to do. I'm a Prefect!"

She flashed her badge. "I'm an Auror."

"Oh."

Once her view was unobstructed, Tonks put an arm up to wave. "Ginny! Over here!"

The girl ploughed her way through the crowd to reach her. "Harry used his Invisibility Cloak to follow Blaise Zabini and no one's seen him since!" Ginny seemed torn between anger and tears. "What if they hurt Harry and put his body somewhere no one would find him?"

"I'll find him." Tonks hugged Ginny. "Go on with the carriages. I'll undo whatever prank the Slytherins have pulled and have Harry up to the castle before the end of the feast. Don't worry."

"I can't help worrying," said Ginny. "It's Harry."

So much was conveyed in two small words. Tonks identified, because she felt the same way about Remus. It didn't matter that he was more than able to defend himself. Where there was love, there was worry.

"Trust me," said Tonks. "I'll begin searching right now."

It took her longer than she'd expected to find Harry. She'd given the Slytherins too much credit, thinking they would hide their enemy in a storage cupboard. When she pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, the blood on Harry's face made her stomach clench.

Sympathy wouldn't do the boy any good. Tonks kept her cool, releasing Harry from the body-bind curse and ushering him to the door of the train. The engine was beginning to leave the station, so they had to jump to the platform.

She let Harry regain his balance and composure without offering assistance. It was plain that he didn't want help and wouldn't thank her for it. He was almost glaring at her when she returned his cloak.

Tonks didn't react outwardly to the news that Draco Malfoy was responsible for Harry's condition. What could she say? "Too bad we can't choose relatives the way we get to choose friends?" She offered to fix his broken nose, and was almost as surprised that Harry accepted the help as he sounded when he thanked her for the Healing Spell.

If she'd been able to perform a Side-Along Apparation, it would have saved the poor boy a trudge through the dark in the cold. Tonks sent her Patronus to Hogwarts, answering Harry's questions about it and the other Aurors stationed in Hogsmeade with a flatness that came from suppressing anger. She was furious with herself, with Malfoy, and Dawlish too.

When she saw a lantern glowing in the darkness, Tonks was even angry with Hagrid. The light was much too low to the ground to be held by a half-giant. Who had intercepted the message?

It was Snape.

Although he opened the gate with sneering contempt for Harry's tardiness, there was something in the way Snape said "Nymphadora" that made Tonks wary. His tone wasn't the curt, impersonal voice of sarcasm she was used to. This was something different...silky, malevolent...and directly squarely at her.

She gaped in disbelief when Snape mentioned her new Patronus in front of Harry. Why would he bring it up? The harsh clang of iron bars striking together matched the cruelty of his parting words.

"I think you were better off with the old one," said Snape, the malice in his voice unmistakeable. "The new one looks weak."

Tonks continued to stand in the darkness until anger overrode shock. The snarky bat had gone too far. She might have to put up with unfair treatment from Dawlish, but she wasn't going to take shite from Snape.

A wave of her wand ripped chains off bars with a satisfying clatter. She kicked the gate open. First, she'd patrol the school. Then, she'd confront Snape.

He refused to be confronted.

Tonks pounded on the door to his quarters with her fist and the toe of her boot. She used a Sonorous Charm to amplify her voice. She even gave the panel a few side-kicks that left imprints of her heels in the wood. Nothing worked. She decided to fight dirty.

A Comfort Charm made the stone floor less cold and hard. Tonks sat cross-legged in the middle of the corridor, using her wand to lead an imaginary orchestra as she sang.

Oh Hufflepuff, Oh Hufflepuff...!

The Sonorous she had cast was impervious to Muting Charms. She raised her voice. "Ever patient, ever true, unafraid of toil and..." Tonks couldn't remember, so she improvised. "Hagrid's stew! Oh Hufflepuff, oh—hello, Severus," she said when the door opened. "Are you going to invite me in, or should I sing another song? There's one about a magic dragon I used to hear in the common room..."

Snape didn't speak. He retreated into the shadows of his quarters, leaving the door open. Tonks scrambled to follow.

There were no chairs in the lounge this time. On the centre table, a single candle burned. She said, "Insufficient light is bad for your eyes. I'll conjure—"

"No."

The word was a breath of sound. She looked in the direction of Snape's voice.

He whispered, "And I thought werewolves had keen sight to match their hearing."

"They do." Realisation hit. Tonks' jaw dropped. "You think I'm a werewolf? Why?"

"Your Patronus betrayed you."

"Lumos," said Tonks, lifting her wand to try and see better. "My Patronus is a wolf."

Shadows surged forward like a dark wave. Snape faced her with eyes glittered with loathing. "A she-wolf."

"I don't believe it," she said. "How the stars could you tell?"

He curled his lip. "The tail."

She refused to ask for clarification. "That doesn't make me a werewolf any more than your Patronus makes you a—what's your Patronus?"

"None of your concern."

"Why not? What's the big secret? Is it something cute and fluffy?"

Snape's lips tightened.

Tonks laughed at the irony. "Merlin, that's it! You got shirty because my Patronus could eat your Patronus!"

"My Patronus is stronger than yours will ever be, werewolf!" Snape spat bitterly.

"I told you, I'm not a werewolf, you prejudiced git!"

"Prove it."

She acted on instinct; striking so fast Snape barely had a chance to protect his face.

He stared at the bloody scratches on his palm with a horror that turned to fury.

Images began racing across her mind's eye at dizzying speed.

A woman's hand stroked a wolf pelt...two wolves ran through the forest...

Tonks was frozen in place, unable to close her eyes to block Snape's access to her memories.

Stop fighting, a sibilant voice whispered. She listened, allowing the flood of images to drag her under.

Her world turned black.

-

A/N: Don't mess with Snape! Tonk's memory was taken from Wish Upon a Dog Star, and Martin Canterbury was the mail clerk who tossed packets onto the floor...and no one complained...in ch 19 of Moonlight and Shadow, for anyone who could use a reminder. :D The train duty and what took place afterward was inspired by chapter eight of HBP, with the "I think" quote taken from page 160 of the US edition. MollyCoddles inspired the 'my Patronus could eat your Patronus' line. Huzzah for inspiration! Remus didn't have much of a pov this chapter, but couples don't always share the load 50-50 (puts hand to ear to listen for the laughter of married readers) and he'll get his chance next chapter!

The readers who read the last chapter and let me know they enjoyed it in a review were...40/16, adrienne06052, alix33, Calenmarwen, Diary, ElspethBates, Enorance, FNP, Freja Lercke-Falkenborg, GraceRichie, ILoveDoctorMcDreamy, ishandtwofourths, Kates Master, Ladyofthebookworms, MollyCoddles, Moontime, Mrs.Hermione Jane Weasley, mslupin21, obliviate36, Operamuse, RahNee, rowanHoodofTheROWANwood, Slipknot3113, Siriusblack18, siriuslycoco, Sophia Loren, sunny9847, tambrathegreat, twouble, UnderworldBabe, your nightmare and Ziroana.