A/N: Story is almost done! Just a couple more chapters and maybe an epilogue. But you finally get the first part of your explanation here. The title, as you may have guessed, comes from the phrase "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," which seemed appropriate because it is someone pretending to be someone else... and also the wolf reference was fitting. Anyway, this chapter is a turn around from the rest.

The Sheep

Ladies and Gentleman, Wolf in a Sheepsuit through the eyes of Nyrandosanphranoradora Tonks. Or whatever Sirius called her.

The first day of school was about the worst thing I'd ever experienced… that is, until I ran into him.

Literally, ran into him. I fell to the ground in the corridor of the train in a pile of my own books. I sat there wishing I could be someone else… anyone else. Someone that a guy like Remus Lupin could fall in love with. That's when the idea hit me: if anyone could be someone else just by wishing, I guess that person is me. Why else could I have been given this ability?

Now don't start judging me right away. I'm only twelve, to start with, and I am about as in love as you can be at that age. Those to factors don't often lead up to the most well-thought-out decisions.

After he helped me to my feet and stole my heart, I sat in a compartment alone and made one of the rashest decisions I have ever made. I was going to break school rules and become someone else to win the heart of the Hogwarts head boy… who happened to be five years older than me. I know, it's crazy. You don't have to tell me.

I pulled the blinds of my compartment and I tried to think of the type of person a guy like him would notice. She would probably have wavy golden hair like a princess—that's no trouble. With a scrunch of my nose, it was done. She would have clear skin, rosy cheeks, thick lashes… done done done. I tried to lengthen my nose… it was much too short and pixie-like, in my opinion. Gazing at my reflection in the window, I couldn't quite get it right. I realized that I was going to have to use someone as a template, because the most realistic features probably already exist in some face or another.

I remembered at my family Christmas party last year, my cousin Regulus had tried to set one of his mates up with a relative… my second cousin or something like that. Lila Smith, that was her name. He wouldn't set a friend up with someone ugly. And Regulus and Remus had been together on the train… perhaps they have similar tastes? Or was that Sirius I had seen with him… they look so similar. Lila had the wavy golden locks, the nice skin, the perfectly formed nose… and just like that, I pulled her features one by one into my brain, and consequently, onto my face. One check in the mirror and I knew I had it right.

I slowly slid the door open and stepped out with caution. A boy walked by me and looked me up and down… with suspicion? Misgiving? No… appreciation. It wasn't a look I was familiar with. I smiled confidently… this was going to work!

Then he came—Remus came—down the hall before I was prepared for him. Once again, I toppled to the ground. A wave of panic raced through me. If my clumsiness gave me away so soon…

But it didn't. He was looking down at me with an unfathomable expression on his face… once again, appreciation. Confidence like nothing I'd felt before washed over me from my toes to my hairline. I wasn't afraid of making a fool of myself because I wasn't myself. Does that make sense?

"Are you alright?" I asked, tossing my voice out in a way that I hoped sounded nothing like me.

"Oh, of course, I should be asking you that." He blushed and took my hand, helping me up for the second time that day. I… made… him… blush.

"I'm Lila Smith," I said. Might as well make the lie complete.

"Remus Lupin," he replied.

"It was nice to meet you, Remus."

"You too."

And just like that, I was hooked. What did it matter if I spent every night in detention? Remus Lupin wanted to hold my hand! The head boy, seventeen-year-old head boy, wanted to see me. I made him smile. I made him laugh. And you expect me to be logical about this?

Of course I had a nagging fear that he would find out the truth about me. The first time I was actually doubtful of my ruse was that first night when I went after detention to see him in the hall, and Sirius was here. I had forgotten that Sirius and I... or Lila, I mean, were related. Would he recognize me as his...second cousin… third cousin once removed… or however he and Lila were related? I'm sure he didn't, because I felt like he was flirting with me, and that would just be gross if we were related… which, I reminded myself, we still were. But he didn't know that. Besides, Lila had been schooling at Durmstrang because her family didn't want her under the influence of any "bad seed" like "Sirius Black… the blood traitor." And he hadn't been at the Christmas party… it was possible that they'd never met at all!

I had to cover for myself several times in that conversation, but I thought it went fairly well.

"It was good to run into you again, Lila." Remus said politely.

"Yes, perhaps are next rendezvous should be intentional." I still can't believe I said that. It sounded so bold! Sophisticated! So not-twelve-years-old of me! I walked away feeling very pleased as he stuttered behind me.

When I went to breakfast the next morning, the blood drained from my face. Lila smith was at the Hufflepuff table. The real Lila Smith. How could I have made such an error!? Wasn't she supposed to be at Durmstrang? I found out later… much too late… that she had transferred because her parents were concerned about the accusations being flung around the school. Hogwarts was a much safer place to be if you don't want your Death Eater father to be suspected…

Of course, Lila was uninvolved in all that. She was nowhere near intelligent or gutsy enough to choose a side in the war. But I knew that if Remus spoke two words to her, he would know she wasn't me—I wasn't her. Perhaps he wouldn't notice her there? Too late… he walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. But something wasn't right, and he went back to his table. I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe I didn't look similar enough…?

But then she got up and followed him to his table! He asked her to Hogsmeade! My plans had been ruined! I slammed my fork down and raced out of the great hall. I had some serious rethinking to do.

I ended up doing my thinking in detention. McGonagall came up to me right after breakfast and informed me that I had once again broken the rules and landed my butt in her office. But… what luck! Remus was running detention again.

Whenever I was Tonks and not Lila, I lost all confidence around him. Even though he could never fall for me, I still wanted him to like the real me. That would justify the whole lie, if I could manage it… wouldn't it?

So when I felt him approaching my desk, I tried to pretend he wasn't. It didn't work. I snapped my quill in half out of nerves and swore as the ink spread across my lines. I saw him shaking a bit beside me… at least I could still make him laugh.

"Tonks," he whispered. "What are you doing? You know you can't metamorphose before you're of age. You already landed yourself in detention twice, and it's only the second day!"

I didn't want to meet his eyes because I thought he would see through the facade. To cover myself, I pretended this was all about the hair color from breakfast. "I got detention for the purple this morning. But the pink is muggle dye. I did it at lunch so I won't have to get in trouble for it anymore."

"Why don't you just leave it the color it is?"

"I shouldn't have to. Don't tell me you wouldn't change your hair and your face if you could." I was speaking blasphemy. I wished that he would never change a hair on his head.

He ran a hand through his hair and frowned. It was such a deep look that I looked away, afraid to intrude. "I suppose," he finally settled. "But try to stay out of trouble from now on."

He walked away from me though I wished he would stay. I muttered my desires under my breath. "But I don't mind detention so much."

I heard a snicker and glanced up. To my horror, I knew that wretched James Potter had heard what I had said.

"Somebody's in loooove!" He crowed as they left the room.

Remus defended me. "Don't be so hard on her. Little girls get crushes on you and Sirius all the time. She'll get over it."

He called me a little girl. Little girl… like I was five! I stopped behind them with a gasp. They didn't notice and kept going.

"Yes, besides, that's illegal." James was saying. "Still, if you're in love with anybody, it's Lila. I can't believe you got a Hogsmeade date so quickly!"

They rounded the corner and I stopped following. I could never have Remus as myself, and I knew that. There was only one way for this to work. I would have to live precariously as Lila Smith.

A/N: This covers the first four chapters. The rest of Tonks's story will probably be up later tonight or tomorrow! Please take a moment to let me know what you think.