A/N: Sorry for the hiatus! School has me swamped. I wanted to make this one a little longer a chapter too, but in the interest of getting this out, we'll just get this out and move on from here! There is also a chunk that should seem familiar. The dialogue is directly from OoTP and is cited just below here. Enjoy! Review! And I'll be back sooner rather than later (sorry).

Rowling, J.K. ( ). Harry Potter: The Complete Collection (Kindle Locations 23656-23696). . Kindle Edition.

The Watch

"We need a couple volunteers to scope this out," Minerva said. "It will be two days in the south of Scotland."

"Sign me up," Tonks said, leaning onto the table.

"At least one more," Minerva said.

"I can go with her," Remus said.

Tonk turned towards Remus and smiled. It was certainly better than a lot of people she could be stuck with trying to make conversation on an operation. In truth, most of what the Order did had little action attached. Not that Tonks would complain about that, but it did make assignments tedious, depending on the company. She rather enjoyed Remus.

"Then that's all we need for today," Minerva said. "The next meeting will be longer, I believe, and Albus will join us with more specifics on transporting Mr. Potter here."

Everyone talked in small groups as soon as the meeting was adjourned.

"Hey, Bill," Tonks said, taking Diggle's seat that he had just vacated. "I heard you finally moved back in country."

"Yeah, I figured it would be easier to be closer, considering everything else going on," Bill replied.

"Alas… we can both be equally jealous of Charlie and his adventures," Tonks said. Bill smiled.

"I suppose so."

"How's he doing anyway?"

"Charlie? Charlie's good," Bill said. "Drumming up some support from where he's at. Which is a good thing. I heard through the grapevine that Viktor Krum has been staying in touch with Dumbledore, too. At the very least, we might have the Bulgarian Quidditch team on our side."

"Well, that should balance the scales a bit, then," Tonks said, leaning back.

"I heard my brothers have been giving mum a hard time trying to listen into the meetings," Bill said.

"The twins? They're a real laugh," Tonks said.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it," Bill said.

They devolved into talking about the various members of the Weasley family, Bill sharing stories about when he was younger and left in charge any time his parents went out and the chaos that would ensue. Tonks had always wished she had siblings, but never as much as now, when she saw the energy between all the Weasleys. Even when they fought, she wished she was a part of it. Tonks felt a particular draw to Ginny. Ginny, who was toughing it out amid a gang of boys and often managed to come out on top, even when her brothers didn't realize.

Ron's friend, Hermione, had come as well, all of them making up a cleaning crew trying to get Sirius's house to rights. Tonks had noticed he seemed happier with a full house, though he was getting anxious for Harry to join the crowd. At least everyone in the Order was warming to him. The only problem came whenever he volunteered for an assignment and Minerva or Dumbledore had to gracefully skirt the fact that he wasn't in a position to help as everyone else.

"Tonks," Remus said from Bill's other side. He looked between the two of them. "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt, but I thought we could plan for when…"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Tonks said. She turned back to Bill. "Make sure to tell Charlie hello."

"Will do," Bill replied.

Tonks stood, making her way clumsily around Bill's chair, tripping so that Remus had to catch her by the elbow. They found an unoccupied corner of the kitchen.

"So, er… We should probably do this one sooner rather than later," Remus said.

Tonks grinned.

"You know, just seeing as you have work and they might switch positions if they catch any wind of us looking in on them, and everything," Remus added.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Tonks said, pushing down her smile. "Sooner would be good. I have dinner with my parents on Friday. My mum has been having fits about not seeing me lately, so maybe right after that? I can meet you at your place around… nine? Half-nine? We can go from there."

"Alright, I'll be ready," Remus said. He swallowed and waited.

"Alright, good," Tonks said. She turned and they both moved towards the hallway. "Did they already tag you for the Potter pick-up?"

"Yeah, I'm helping Alastor with plans."

"You've told them you already promised me a slot in the mission, right?" Tonks asked, raising an eyebrow. She enjoyed the amused and reserved smile Remus gave in return.

"I'm under obligation not to discuss plans," Remus said. "The less people with details, the safer it will be."

"Ah, I see Mad-Eye has you under his thumb now."

Remus smiled and shrugged.

"Tonks," someone whispered from above. Tonks and Remus looked up. There were two identical faces looking down at them over the banister.

Tonks started up the stairs, Remus following at a slower pace behind her. As she came up, she could see the others, waiting with Fred and George for them to come.

"Wotcher," she said. "What's going on up here?"

"Well, we thought you might be able to help us out," Fred said.

"Seeing as you're the only half decent adult here," George said. He looked at Remus and added, "no offense, Professor Lupin."

Remus put a hand to his chest as though covering a wound.

"You've cut me to the quick," he said with a sigh. Ginny snickered, then choked it back. "But since I've been rendered useless I'll head out. I'll see you later this week, Tonks."

Tonks watched as he headed back down the stairs. He gave her one more glance her direction before ducking out the door with Mundungus and into the rain.

"So what's up?" Tonks asked.

"We couldn't hear anything this time," George complained, holding out one of their clever little ear inventions. It was twitching in George's hand.

"Ah, that," Tonks said. "Your mum had us do an impeturbable charm on the door."

"What?" Fred asked, incensed.

"She's such a nut," Ron muttered.

"No, your mum is trying to keep you out of Order business where you belong," Tonks said with a grin. The twins groaned. "Well, that's what you get for calling me a half decent adult, when clearly I'm the most awesome person here, age be damned."

"Is she always going to do that?" Ron asked. "That… charm… the impellible—"

"Impeturbable charm, Ron," Hermione said. "We learned about them in Flitwick's class at the end of last year."

Ron waved her off. "Is Mum going to do that all the time now?"

"Don't know," Tonks said. Of course she knew that Molly couldn't do it all the time. Snape came in late to the meetings often enough that if he were expected she probably wouldn't be able to use the charm. Tonks wasn't going to tell the teenagers as much.

"Well, since we have some new information to… digest," George said, heading towards the stairs upward. "We'll be off."

"See you, Tonks," Fred added, following.

"Let's go figure out what those two are planning," Ron said, tugging on Hermione's elbow. "Maybe you can help."

"Ron, we shouldn't be trying to break into those meetings," Hermione said with a breathy irritation. She still followed along. "Fred and George shouldn't either."

Hermione continued to lecture Ron as Ginny went to the bed, sitting cross legged against the headboard. Tonks tried to imagine what it was like, being a child in this home; not for a summer, but indefinitely like Sirius had been. The drapes were sober and dreary. She wondered if her mother's childhood home had been like this one.

"You going to join the others in their insurrection?" Tonks asked, falling onto the end of the bed, facing Ginny.

"No," she said, reaching over for her journal.

"What's wrong?" Tonks asked.

"It's just… you and Professor Lupin said Harry's coming?"

"Yeah," Tonks said. "Soon. Ish. Don't know for sure. That one's apparently privileged information right now. Why?"

Ginny shrugged.

"Do you fancy him?" Tonks asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Well, I mean… sort of," Ginny said, looking more abashed than Tonks imagined a girl like her could. "Not that he's ever noticed me."

"Never?" Tonks asked, tilting her head. "I thought he spent summers with you. Didn't he go with all of you to the World Cup last year?"

"He spends summers with Ron," Ginny countered. "I'm just Ron's… dumb sister."

"Hey, who had that brilliant idea last week to put liquid hiccupping drops into Mundungus's drink when he was here for dinner?"

Ginny almost broke, a grin growing, then falling again. Tonks wished she knew what to tell a fourteen year old girl about dating. The only advice she had been given at that age was to look better and act better and to act more like others her age. She thought about what might have actually helped her—the clumsy, bumbling teenage who struggled to be seen as a girl when the rest of that breed was navigating the world of boys. She thought about the best advice she'd ever been given and how it came from her own mother during a screaming match not long ago.

"Ginny, anyone who makes you feel like you're not enough isn't worth your time," Tonks said.

Ginny's eyes met hers.

"But it's Harry," she said. "He's one of the nicest people I know. I just…"

"Anyone who makes you feel like you're not enough isn't worth your time," Tonks repeated. "Nice or not."

Ginny seemed to at least consider this, pursing her lips to the side.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Ginny asked.

Tonks looked at her watch.

"Yeah, I think I will," Tonks said. "Though I should go actually help your mum."

"Exploding Snaps after?"

"You got it," Tonks said, pushing herself up and walking towards the door. Ginny put aside her book and walked with her. "I'm not going easy on you this time, kid."

"You were not going easy last time," Ginny said. "I beat you, fair and square!"

"Tell yourself what you'd like," Tonks said with a wink as she skipped down the steps, walking slower on the landing and heading towards the kitchen, Ginny at her heel.


Remus hung his cloak on the hook at the kitchen for that evening's work as he took a cup of tea from Molly.

"Thank you," he said, his voice nearly at a growl from the lack of sleep. Of course, he was still bouncing back from the full moon as well. The older he got, the longer it seemed to take. "You're up late."

"Oh, Arthur is still at work," Molly said. "Would you like some more pudding, Minerva?"

"Alright then," Minerva said with an almost childlike sparkle to her eye.

Remus sat across from her and next to Sirius as Molly waved her wand and the shepherd's pie on a plate floated his way. There was a thump from the floor above them. All of them looked up.

"Those boys," Molly growled.

"Let them have fun," Sirius said. "There's not a whole lot of damage they can really do."

Molly seemed torn, but Sirius's suggestion won out. She sat with the rest of them, catching Remus up on the latest goings on of the day. There were more cleared spaces, including the attic, which had apparently been the favorite gathering spot for urban gnomes—similar to the garden variety, but generally dirtier and more likely to nick and stockpile things from around the house. Sirius was telling them how a scarf had managed to wrap around his hand, Ron and the twins trying to get it to detach, when the front door slammed open. They all stood, wands out, Minerva's eyes narrowed.

"I need you looking up case law," Dumbledore said loudly, striding down the hallway. Mrs. Black was screaming, the curtain having flown in at Dumbledore's entrance. "Get me Arabella in the floo now!"

"Albus, what—"

"Now, Minerva!" he shouted. Molly was heading towards the portrait, trying to calm Mrs. Black.

"Mum, what's going on?"

"Back to bed!" she shouted up the stairs, fighting with the curtain. Sirius had grabbed some floo powder, sticking his head in and making the initial call as everyone else gathered around, waiting for Dumbledore to explain. He didn't. "Bed! The lot of you!"

Sirius pulled back from the fireplace, standing and dusting his robes with a nod to Dumbledore. The fire flickered and Arabella Figg appeared there.

"Oh, Dumbledore!"

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked. He began to pace.

Remus looked at Sirius. They both knew what it meant that Dumbledore wanted to talk to Arabella. Whatever had happened had to do with Harry.

"Fletcher," Arabella spat. "He was supposed to be on watch. He just popped out… disappeared without a how'do or anything! And the dementors—" her head shook as though a shiver had come over here. "Dumbledore, the boy was with that ill-mannered cousin of his… walking back… they just showed up!"

Molly gasped loudly. Mrs. Black was still shouting in the background and Molly had clearly given up, wanting to hear what was going on. Minerva looked horrified, a hand over her mouth.

"D-did they…"

"No, the boy made himself a patronus," Arabella said. Remus had a swell of pride, then immediately felt guilty, knowing what a problem this was.

"We must move fast," Dumbledore said. "Where did Mundungus go?"

"He should be back there by now," Arabella huffed. "I gave him a piece of my mind when he decided to show up again."

"I will visit you later tonight, Arabella," Dumbledore said. "I'm sending Fawkes in case you need to send me a message."

Arabella nodded, catching the hint and disappearing.

"What do you need me to do," Sirius asked.

"Stay put," Dumbledore said. "Minerva, I need to be at the Ministry as soon as is possible. If they intend to bring action against Harry I will receive notification at my office, but it might not be soon enough—"

"Arthur is working late tonight," Molly said.

"Tonks is there," Remus said. He cleared his throat a bit. "And Kingsley too, I believe."

"Molly, send Arthur a message."

"Dumbledore, I think I should—"

"You should stay here," Dumbledore said. "Remus, I need—"

"Dumbledore, Harry is my godson," Sirius said, his voice rising a little more.

"I said I need you to—"

"I won't just sit here at let him wonder what's happening!" Sirius shouted. Everyone else stilled, shocked in the midst of the silence. "I will go visit him! Or find information! Anything but sit on my hands while Harry is in trouble!"

Remus swallowed. Dumbledore settled back on his heels and raised his chin.

"And how will it look if the Ministry finds you in Harry's company," Dumbledore said. "As they are looking for reasons to pin him. After all the articles discrediting him. And the meetings we know Fudge is having to find dirt on Harry."

Sirius didn't soften, but he didn't answer.

"I don't have time to make you feel better about the role you are playing in the Order," Dumbledore said, lowering his voice. Molly moved again, Minerva looked away. Everyone seemed to understand that this moment had turned into a private conversation. "You keep Mundungus here if he shows up. I will be back to talk to him."

Dumbledore turned to Remus again. "Remus, go take up watch on Privet Drive. Disillusion yourself, since Mundungus didn't bring back to the cloak. If any Ministry workers show up, I'm depending on your to be certain they do not take Harry's wand. Disarm him and hold onto the wand if you must, don't let them take it."

Remus nodded, looked towards Sirius who wouldn't meet his eye, and moved to the front door. Mrs. Black's voice rung in his ears as he left. He first disillusioned himself, then disapparated. He moved towards the hydrangea bushes on the side of the house, leaning against the wall. He could hear Lily's sister screaming at Harry inside. He wished he could go in there and stop it. But he couldn't. He waited, watching.


Tonks knocked over the plate in the Dursley's kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Emmeline Vance asked as Tonks straightened up.

"Damn cloak," Tonks said.

"Dear Merlin, you couldn't help but make a mess of things," Moody growled.

"I didn't know that gracefulness was a prerequisite for this shindig, Mad-Eye," Tonks retorted. "I mean, you knew this about me when you invited me anyway."

Moody growled something under his breath. Remus was glad to be able to smile unabashedly at her retorts without anyone seeing in the dark. They moved towards the stairs, following Moody's lead.

"Wonder why he hasn't come out yet," Kingsley said from the middle of the crowd heading up. "You don't think he's stuck in a room, do you?"

"That's probably exactly the reason," Remus said, knowing all too well how Harry must have been treated in his aunt and uncle's home. Lily would be mortified. James would do something drastic. But they were both beyond knowing. Remus didn't dwell on it. Even a decade and a half later, it made him ill.

"Well, there's an easy way to take care of that," Moody said.

Moody waved his wand and all the doors on the upper floor flew open. Harry's silhouette was accentuated with the street light coming through the window, framing him in the doorway. He looked taller than the last time Remus had seen him. Of course he was, but in Remus's mind, Harry had stayed the thirteen year old, the child. He looked much closer to adulthood. His arm was up, his wand raised.

"Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone's eye out," Moody growled.

"Professor Moody?" Harry asked, disbelief saturating his voice.

"I don't know about 'Professor.' Never got round to much teaching, did I? Get down here, we want to see you properly."

Harry hardly moved.

"It's alright, Harry. We've come to take you away," Remus said. There would probably be little of comfort that could be said besides the fact he would be leaving.

"P-Professor Lupin? Is that you?"

"Why are we all standing in the dark?" Tonks asked just in front of Remus. "Lumos."

Remus squinted at the sudden light beside him, but smiled as he saw Harry, thin and tall and looking more like James than ever. The boy blinked at him, but Remus couldn't have been happier to see one of his best friend's children.

"Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would," Tonks said. "Wotcher, Harry!"

The others all chimed in, exclaiming how much Harry looked like James, but how he had also gotten his mother's eyes. Remus wondered if Harry ever got tired of hearing this. Remus revelled in the facts.

"Are you quite sure it's him, Lupin?" Moody asked, half squinting. Of course he would be the skeptical one of the group. "It'd be a nice lookout if we bring back a Death Eater impersonating him. We ought to ask him something only the real Potter would know. Unless anyone brought any Veritaserem?"

"Harry, what form does your patronus take?" Lupin asked.

"A stag."

"It's him, Mad-Eye," Remus said.

Harry finally started to move, walking towards them as he tucked away his wand.

"Don't put your wand there, boy!" roared Moody. "What if it ignited? Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know!"

"Who d'you know who's lost a buttocks?" Tonks asked, an eyebrow raised. She winked at Remus as Mad-Eye scoffed.

"Never you mind, you just keep your wand out of your back pocket!" growled Mad-Eye. "Elementary wand safety, nobody bothers about it anymore . . ." Tonks rolled her eyes. "And I saw that!"

Remus reached out for Harry's hand, taking it in his own. "How are you?" he asked, examining Harry. He looked dishevelled and a little underfed. Molly would take care of the latter, Remus was sure.

"F-Fine," Harry replied, clearly still dumbstruck. "I'm—you're really lucky the Dursley's are out."

"Lucky, ha! It was me that lured them out that way," Tonks said. Tonks and Sirius had conspired for two days figuring out this plan finally. It was Tonk's invention, but the real brilliance was her ability to pull Sirius out of his anger at being excluded from other aspects of retrieving Harry. "Sent a letter by Muggle post telling them they'd been short-listed for the All-England Best-Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They're heading off to the prize-giving right now. . . . Or they think they are."

"We are leaving, aren't we? Soon?" Harry asked, clearly not ready to trust them just yet.

"Almost at once," said Lupin, "we're just waiting for the all-clear." "

Where are we going? The Burrow?" Harry asked.

"Not the Burrow, no," said Lupin. They followed the others down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Too risky. We've set up headquarters somewhere undetectable. It's taken a while. This is Alastor Moody, Harry."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, still looking uncertainly at the older man.

"And this is Nymphadora—"

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," Tonks cut in expectedly. Remus smiled, having planned to hit this nerve for a while. The payoff was great. She turned to Harry after narrowing her eyes at him. "It's Tonks."

"—Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only," Remus added with faux innocence.

"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you 'Nymphadora,'" muttered Tonks.

Remus had noticed she was balancing her time with her parents more lately. She would complain about things her mother said, from time to time, but he could tell for all her complaints, she valued her parents. Remus introduced the rest of the guard.

"We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off. We've got about fifteen minutes," Remus said.

"Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?" said Tonks. "My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right old slob. I suppose it varies, just like with wizards?"

"Er — yeah," said Harry. He turned to Remus. "Look, what's going on, I haven't heard anything from anyone, what's Vol — ?"

"Shut up!" Moody said amid everyone else's hushing.

"What?" said Harry.

"We're not discussing anything here, it's too risky. Damn it, it keeps sticking — ever since that scum wore it —" Moody altered the conversation, digging two fingers into his socket to pop out his magical eye with a squelching.

"Mad-Eye, you do know that's disgusting, don't you?" said Tonks matter-of-factly.

"Get me a glass of water, would you, Harry?" asked Moody. Harry obliged, bringing Moody a glass with water from the tap. Remus got some pleasure out of what the Dursley's would think of an eyeball being dropped into one of their glasses. "Cheers! I want three-hundred-and-sixty degrees visibility on the return journey."

"How're we getting — wherever we're going?" Harry asked.

Remus took a deep breath. "Brooms. Only way. You're too young to Apparate, they'll be watching the Floo Network, and it's more than our life's worth to set up an unauthorized Portkey."

"Remus says you're a good flier," Kingsley noted.

"He's excellent," Remus said, looking at his watch. "Anyway, you'd better go and get packed, Harry, we want to be ready to go when the signal comes."

"I'll come and help you," said Tonks. She practically skipped up the stairs after Harry.

Moody poked at the eye in the glass. Remus leaned back, looking around the kitchen. Others were wandering the downstairs as though going through a museum. It could be a museum, someday. The place the famous Harry Potter grew up. Remus was concerned for Harry. That his entire life would be hounded by his fame. It was something Sirius could sympathize with more than anyone, even if his was infamy. Two sides of the same coin. Remus supposed it was suiting that Sirius was Harry's godfather after all.

"I saw you, too, ya know," Mad-Eye said, his good eye on Remus as his magical eye kept spinning happily in the water.

"Saw me, what?" Remus asked.

"You know what," Mad-Eye said.

Remus felt hot around the neck, looking elsewhere in the kitchen. "I don't think I do."

Mad-Eye huffed, sitting back. Remus was afraid he hadn't needed his magical eye, in this case. He needed to be more careful. He needed to get over Tonks.


Tonks set down the trunk and went over to the table, squeezing herself between Remus and Sirius, where there was little space, though she nudged both with her hips as the meeting got going. She was rubbing her hands together, her skin still icy from their flight. Sirius reached over, sandwiching her hands between his, helping to warm them. She smiled at him gratefully. She enjoyed having a cousin around. They talked about times they remembered and she sometimes would make a challenge out of getting him out of whatever funk he was in. Most of the time she succeeded. There were times no matter what she tried, it didn't work. She could only imagine what he was going through.

"The latest schedule for the Department of Mysteries watch has been posted," Minerva said. "Having Potter here should ease your constraints, but there has been some information that might shift that, so no one be too comfortable, just yet."

"Thank you, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Severus? Any new information concerning the prophesy?"

"Not particularly," Snape said in his usual drawl. Tonks was starting to suspect his speech habits had to do with keeping attention on himself as long as possible. "He is still solely focused."

"I don't get it," Sirius said, scratching the side of his head. "I mean, a prophesy can't really do anything for him."

"Once again, Black doesn't get something," Snape said.

Tonks felt something crawling up her chest. She was getting to where she tolerated Snape and his sneering less and less. Remus grabbed Tonks by her elbow, which was when she realized she was lunging forward. Both her and Sirius stayed put, though. Everyone else pretended they hadn't heard.

"Regardless of whether the information can do anything, it is in our best interest if Voldemort finds himself preoccupied with this task," Dumbledore said. "So far, he seems to think he cannot continue with his plans until he has the prophesy. So we will keep him from it as long as possible."

Tonks didn't like the last sentence. It sounded too much like Dumbledore assumed Voldemort's success in getting the prophesy was inevitable.

They discussed other missions, other projects. Remus reported on the last watch he had been on with Emmeline Vance. Tonks had tried to get onto that one as well, but her mother made up some urgent event that she expected Tonks to go to. It turned out it was just a normal family dinner. Her mother suspected something. Tonks knew it. And, of course, Andromeda's only mode to combat was to preoccupy Tonks's time as much as possible. Ironically, Andromeda's tactics were not unlike the Order's with the prophesy.