The rest of the Order meeting was uneventful. Moody ran them through the plan twice, barking "Constant vigilance!" ever few sentences. Once he was satisfied that there was no confusion, the Order trooped downstairs for some of Mrs. Weasley's snacks.

"Tonks!" Moody barked.

"Yes?"

With a crooked finger, he beckoned her over. Pulling out a piece of folded parchment, he handed it to her.

"What is this?"

"For you. To be opened if and only if something happens to me."

"Grandpa, don't talk like that!"

"I'm an old man. Maybe my time isn't up yet, but it will be soon."

Her lip trembled. "B-but, we need you. I need you!"

Lupin realized that this was probably a private matter. He excused himself from the room.

Moody pulled Tonks into a rough hug. "You don't need me. You've proved yourself beyond anything I ever expected. I couldn't be prouder."

He never showed emotion. Years of being an Auror had taught Moody to detach. Tonks was truly touched by his words. Slipping his letter into her pocket, she started to walk out the doorway. So engrossed in her thoughts, Tonks didn't realize that Lupin had shut the door. She slammed face first into it.

"Constant vigilance!" Moody reminded her.

"I know, Grandpa. I'll see you later."

She opened the door and descended the staircase. Tonks was proud of herself for not falling once. Starving, she looked for a place to sit. Ginny and Lupin were both sitting on the counter. After she filled her plate, Tonks squished herself between them. As she lifted her fork to her mouth, Tonks accidentally elbowed Ginny hard in the ribcage.

"Ow!" she squealed.

"Gosh, Ginny, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Ginny massaged her side. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Moony! Control your monster!" said Fred, who was sitting next to Ginny.

"It's harder than it looks!" Lupin answered.

Tonks changed into the young girl with wide, solemn eyes. She nuzzled Lupin's shoulder with her cheek.

"See? Not so hard," she murmured.

Lupin suddenly became aware of the entire Order watching them. His neck turned pink, a sure sign that he was embarrassed.

"Dora, could you please not do stuff like that here?"

She looked at him innocently. "Stuff like what? Oh, you mean this?" Tonks brushed her lips against his.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean!"

"Come off it, Moony," George called. "Have a little fun!"

"Sorry, everyone!" said Tonks to the silent kitchen. "If anyone has a problem with me being madly in love with my husband, feel free to look away. Or I could just go back to my last year's self."

"No, please don't!" said Kingsley, speaking for them all. "Keep your clothes on and nobody will mind."

Everyone laughed. "Kids these days!" Molly said to Arthur. The incident was soon forgotten. As she talked with Ginny, Tonks began their favorite form of entertainment. She Morphed her nose into all different shapes, ending with the pig snout.

Before long, Moody announced that it was time to leave. Tonks picked up her broomstick, which she had stashed in the entry hall. Lupin followed suit. He noticed Hagrid outside. The half-giant was seated on Sirius's motorbike. Three thestrals surrounded him. A little sadly, Lupin noticed that every person in the Order could see the thestrals. They had all seen death.

"Terrible, isn't it?" Arthur said. "There's so much war. I'm amazed that my whole family is alive. So far at least."

Lupin felt a great deal of sympathy for the kindly older man.

"We can't predict who will be next, but I know that if any of your family was in danger, we'd be there in a minute."

"Thank you, Remus. That means a lot to me."

"5:33 Portkey to the Dursleys'!" Kingsley called. Everyone gathered around the old bottle. It was glowing blue and pulsating slightly. "Three, two, one…"

In a swirl of colors, Lupin felt himself being lifted off the ground. After a few seconds, the Portkey landed inside number 4, Privet Drive. Harry was in the pristine living room. Immediately, the young man stood and bounded over to them. Harry moved like James, Lupin thought: long strided and proud. He had grown another inch and filled out some.

"Moony!" said Harry warmly.

"Hello, Harry. You look well."

"Better once I'm out of here!"

Tonks broke into their conversation. She waved her hand in Harry's general direction. "Wotcher, Harry," she said. "Check this out!"

"You two are married?" Lupin and Tonks nodded. "That's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Ms. Tonks, how many times do I need to tell you that highly dangerous Order missions are not the time for gossiping?" Moody called.

"Sorry, Mad-Eye. Won't happen again." She looked up at him with an unconvincingly serious expression on her face.

He grunted. It was plain that he didn't really mind. Everyone knew that Moody had a soft spot for Tonks. In fact, Lupin couldn't think of anyone on their side who didn't have a soft spot for his kind, outgoing and clumsy wife.

"Now, unless anyone has any more gossip, I suggest we get the hairs," said Moody.

"Hairs?" Harry asked, puzzled.

Hermione quickly filled Harry in on the plan to impersonate him. He protested, unwilling to let others risk their lives for him. God, he was so much like James. Eventually, Harry gave in. He relinquished some black hairs from the generous mop that fell over his eyes.

The six volunteers drank the Polyjuice Potion. Their features distorted as if they were standing in front of the fun house mirrors at a carnival that Ted Tonks had taken his daughter to when she was little. When Tonks next looked back, seven Harrys stood before her.

Moody began pairing the Harrys up with one of the remaining Order members. Tonks was going to take Ron. If all went as planned, they would arrive at their safe house before taking a Portkey to the Burrow.

Just before they departed, Tonks took Lupin's large, squarish hand in her own. She squeezed it. "I'll see you soon," she said.

Not trusting himself to speak, a pale-faced Lupin nodded.

"All right, everyone. Mount your…whatever you are riding," Moody called. "Now, ready? Let's go!"

The seven Harrys and their escorts flew out of the Dursleys' house, scattering. Instantly, Tonks knew something was wrong. They were surrounded by Death Eaters. Lupin. She had to find her husband! No, Tonks's rational voice said. You need to get Ron to safety.

She flew her broom as fast as it would go, trying only to escape the Death Eaters. As she flew, Ron shot spells in all directions.

"That's it," she muttered. "You're doing great!"

"Bloody hell. It's him. He can fly."

Tonks didn't need to ask who "he" was.

Ron let out a moan. "They know. Look, they're all leaving us. They know who the real one is. We need to go back!"

"We can't, Ron."

"They've got my best mate!"

"Harry's got Hagrid, and they should be near my parents' house. Ron, we can't go back."

"I know. I'd just never forgive myself if something happened to him or Hermione."

"You're very brave. I'm proud of you."

"Harry would've gone back."

If she hadn't been steering her broom, Tonks would have slapped him. "You're not Harry. You're your own person and if I ever hear you talk like that again…Oh, here we are. This is Kingsley's house."

Tonks had always liked Kingsley's house. It was a simple two-story brick cottage. A small garden that he tended religiously was in front. Inside, the house was tidy and welcoming. Once they were inside, Tonks checked her watch.

"Perfect. The Portkey leaves in two minutes. There it is, right there." She pointed to an old wizards' hat glowing from the kitchen table.

Ron followed Tonks over to the kitchen. They each grabbed a part of the hat and waited. A minute or so later, the Portkey brought them to the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley hurried to fuss over Ron. Once she decided that he was unharmed, she turned to Tonks.

"Are you feeling all right, dear?" Molly asked. "You look a bit peaky."

"A little nauseous and tired but nothing too bad. I'll be all right once Remus gets here."

Mrs. Weasley didn't answer, didn't even look Tonks in the eye. What little color was left in Tonks's skin vanished.

"He was supposed to be here already, wasn't he?" she demanded.

Wordlessly, Molly hugged Tonks tightly. They stood together like that until Fred arrived.

"Dad's gone back to help," he announced.

"Wotcher, Fred," said Tonks. Her voice lacked any emotion. Numbly, she sat on the couch and stared at the spot Fred had appeared from.

The twin sat down beside her and took her hand.

"Old Moony's tough. He's probably just a little delayed," he said.

"Thanks, Fred."

"Anytime."

Desperate for contact, Tonks seized Fred into a tight hug and began to cry. Bewildered, Fred patted her back. It wasn't that Tonks was close to Fred. She wasn't. Not in the way that would allow her to cry on his shoulder. He was simply the closest human to her, the one who could most easily help her feel less alone.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "I just…I couldn't bear it if…well, he's my life. I don't know if I could live without him…"

"So I've tamed the monster at last," Fred joked weakly.

He was doing his best to cheer her up. For Fred's sake, Tonks attempted a small smile. Gradually, the room filled. Everyone appeared unhurt. Five minutes after Bill and Fleur returned, Hermione appeared. She was alone and quite shaken.

"M-M-Mad-Eye is dead," she announced.

Up until that moment, Tonks had been sitting on the couch, waiting for Lupin. Upon hearing Hermione's news, she couldn't stand it any longer. She sprinted out of the room and didn't notice the pain as she fell and rose again. Miraculously, Tonks made it up five flights of stairs before slamming the door of one of the rooms and collapsing on the bed.

She picked up the closest thing to her (a pillow) and threw it to the wall. When that wasn't enough, she pointed her wand and lit the pillow on fire. Tonks lay on the bed, watching it burn and feeling completely detached.

Suddenly, Tonks realized what she was doing. With a jet of water from her wand, the fire went out. Tonks pulled the parchment Moody had given her earlier from her pocket. Reading the short note gave her a job, something to concentrate on. It helped, a little.

Dear Miss Tonks, the letter began, I know you're married now but you will always be Miss Tonks to me. If you are reading this, I am dead. Don't mourn me. Instead, learn from my mistakes. Constant vigilance! You are the closest thing I have to family, so I am leaving everything to you. When I first met you, you were 17 and naïve. I told myself you would never be an Auror. You were too clumsy, too trusting, not serious enough, not to mention being such a small girl. Nonetheless, I took a liking to you and vowed to help you succeed. I was so proud when you joined the Auror force; prouder still when at great risk, you joined the Order of the Phoenix. If I had a daughter who had even half of your fire, Miss Tonks, I would be pleased. Take care and remember, constant vigilance! Yours, A. Moody

"Constant vigilance," Tonks repeated. "This is war. I'll make you proud, Grandpa."