Greyback was waiting when Remus returned from St. Mungo's looking positively primal. The other men were lined up as well, ready to back their ferocious leader with whatever plan he had.

"Where have you been?" Greyback asked, staring at him with suspicious, yellow tinted eyes. Remus swallowed, weighing his options before replying.

"I was restless after last night. I needed a walk." He lied, hoping he looked sincere. Greyback pointed a gnarled finger back to where Coraline's uncle lay, dirty and infected. He looked worse off even than she had. Remus felt a stab of guilt, remembering that it was he who had put the man in this position…loathsome pervert or not. What would Dumbledore have said if it had been he and not Dora who had come through the door.

"The girl's gone." Greyback said in an accusing tone, circling Remus. How he managed to remain calm and collected, he would never know. "Do you know anything about it?"

"When I woke up, she was gone." Remus said, looking Greyback square in the eyes and numbing himself so that he could play the part he'd been given. "I tried to follow her scent but lost it outside the cave." Greyback gave him a short look of disbelief, but did not question him further. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand and sneered.

"She'll be back…she will see there is no one out there for her now." His finger moved to point at the uncle. "As for him, I don't think he's long for this world. I think you got a bit carried away, Lupin." Greyback chuckled, a gruesome, horrifying sound. "Don't worry…the first one is always the hardest to restrain yourself on." The smile left his face. "However…I think it best if we put your induction on hold until you get a better grasp of the matter." Remus nearly sagged in relief. His punishment was his salvation. Trying to look remorseful, he bowed his head and nodded.

"I understand." He said, thinking of how soon he could simply do as Tonks had said and Obliviate Greyback so he could go home.

And go where?

He certainly could not impose on Molly and Arthur…Grimmauld was unoccupied, but it belonged to Harry. There was nowhere for him to go.

Obliviate him and come home. I'll be waiting…

Her words rang through his head over and over.

Dora. She was so infinitely good, quite a feat considering her blood lines. Even her mother, though a wonderful witch and a truly sweet person, still retained a bit of the Black haughtiness. Nymphadora was completely unguarded, accepting…the most wonderfully loving person he'd ever met. In truth, that part of her reminded him of Lily, poor Lily who was so good that she had willingly died to save her son even when she had been offered to be left alone. He now knew how James had felt when she'd chosen him. The only difference was, Remus could not choose Dora because, to choose her would be to condemn her. He could not see Andromeda, for all of her kindness, accepting the fact that her daughter was choosing him. Remus was unfamiliar with Ted Tonks and had only met his wife a few times, but she seemed the sort who liked to have a hand in her daughter's affairs. She was, after all, related to Bellatrix Lestrange…and Sirius Black.

Remus sank onto his filthy blanket and once again, pulled out the photo of Dora that was no longer a secret. He felt violated…unclean because Greyback had had his hands on her face. Had looked at her sweet porcelain skin and sparkling dark eyes and had actually licked his lips. The thought of him actually touching Dora…hearing her scream…it made Remus want to tear his own eyes out. He agitatedly brushed his long hair out of his eyes and sighed before carefully folding the photo and replacing it in the pocket of his rucksack.

November 2, 1996

"Oi, Nymphadora!" Aberforth's voice barked across the tavern, bringing Tonks's head out of the book she was scouring for clues about the Deathly Hallows. The closest she had come, was a photo taken at Nurmengard of the entrance in which the words For The Greater Good were marked into the wall with the symbol. Tonks knew that was the prison that Gellert Grindelwald had built himself to imprison his victims. She had learned about him in school, though vaguely and then again in Auror training. Grindelwald's cell was in the topmost part of the prison, placed there by Dumbledore himself when he'd defeated him years ago. She had noticed when she'd asked Dumbledore about the Deathly Hallows, that his blue eyes had darkened for a moment before he'd responded. She had brushed it off, but now it was clear why he'd been slightly surprised.

Aberforth was stalking across the room with an envelope clutched in his dirty hand. He smelled of goat when he reached her, making her eyes water a bit. She quickly thanked him and opened the letter that had arrived and was addressed in loopy, girlish script to Tonks. Frowning slightly, she wondered what it could be and opened it.

Tonks,

Sorry to bother you, I know you're busy, what with Auror duties and all, but I need advice from a girl. My prat of an idiot brother and his prat of an idiot best friend came upon me and Dean Thomas snogging after Quidditch practice. Anyway, not important…what's weird is the way that idiot best friend looked at me. Ron was being a complete asshole and implying that I am a slag, and it was almost like Harry was…defending me…I guess. I don't know…I was so angry at Ron, I could have imagined it. Still, he gave Dean this look…like, I don't know…like he wanted him dead. Ever since, he's turned red as a beet when he's seen me. Do you think he's mad at me? Or…I don't even believe I'm writing this…jealous? Of Dean and I? Which makes me angry because I spent so bloody long trying to get him to notice me and all I had to do was snog someone in front of him when he practically rubbed Cho Chang in my face last year? Who does he think he is? Anyway…today's Quidditch against Slytherin. Maybe I'll see you there.

Ginny

Tonks smiled, despite herself. She'd long known that Ginny fancied Harry Potter, but to see it all coming to fruition in front of her warmed her heart. It made her miss school and worrying about silly things like whether or not her breasts were big enough…or whether she'd made the infamous list of "hot females." Charlie had informed her that she was top of the list for Hufflepuff in sixth year before he'd asked her out. Whether or not she would score in Quidditch. It seemed like a lifetime ago. It was…six years ago.

"Hey, Tonks!" Charlie's voice came from behind her. She grinned, despite herself, feeling her cheeks turn pink. Adjusting her yellow and black Quidditch uniform, she turned to look at the Gryffindor seeker, decked out in his red and gold. Flinging her long, dark braid over her shoulder, she grinned up at him.

"Weasley." She nodded, trying to look fierce. His face brightened as he leaned down to kiss her and draped an arm over her shoulders. Tonks swallowed, staring up at his handsome face and wished she felt as excited as he seemed to at the sight of him. They were perfect for each other, really…they both liked the Weird Sisters and Charlie even had gotten a tattoo of a dragon that his Mum surely didn't know about. Still, something was missing for them…a spark. She liked kissing Charlie, that wasn't the problem, but she didn't feelanything other than his lips on hers. He was obviously very good at it…it was no secret that he'd snogged half the girls in Gryffindor senseless. Her friends raved about how sexy he was. Which brought her to her next conclusion…there was something wrong with her.

Clearly, if she couldn't understand why she didn't love Charlie as much as every other girl in the school seemed to. It was no secret that his ex Hillary Turner had been running her mouth because Tonks had been overlooked for Prefect the previous year. She liked to drive the point home that she and Charlie had once "shared" the Prefects' bath. She should have been angry…jealous…she should have marched straight up to that prissy little twat and pulled her ugly, straw colored hair out of her head. Instead, Tonks had laughed. She'd laughedat the fact that her boyfriend had allegedly shagged Hillary in the Prefects' bathroom. Not an ounce of jealousy.

It wasn't at all that Tonks didn't care for Charlie…he was one of her closest friends. Always had been since their first day of school. Maybe that was the problem, she decided, was that she loved her friendship with Charlie so much, that it was holding her back from truly giving her heart to him. And of course, there was the fact that they were only sixteen and Charlie had quite a reputation for leaving girls high and dry. Maybe it would be better for both of them if she called it off now…before it was too late.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked, pulling her closer by the waist and kissing the top of her head. She forced herself to smile. She would talk to him later.

"Yeah…now let's get down to the pitch so I can clobber you at Quidditch." She said, biting her lip. Someday, she would fall in love for real…and someday, she would be as happy as she wished she could be with Charlie.

Someday…

Tonks closed the heavy book she'd been reading and pocketed Ginny's note, checking the clock. It was almost time for Quidditch and she fancied seeing everyone to possibly take her mind off of dark wizards and werewolves. Not that anything was ever going to bloody change. She was starting to fear that she would never see her hair change color again unless she used her wand on it. It had been five months since her hair had been pink. Five months since she last felt her skin against Remus's. Five months since she'd had her own flat…

She sorely wished that things could go back to the way they were before everything had gone wrong. Before Sirius had died and left her alone in her fight to free Remus of his demons. Savage was gone home for the weekend to see his wife while Proudfoot and Dawlish had gone to their respective homes. Dawlish to his wife and Proudfoot to…whatever Proudfoot went home to. Tonks wasn't terribly informed on those two, and she really wasn't interested in their home lives. Her Mum had written her numerous times, imploring her to come home and visit. Tonks sighed, deciding she would drop home for dinner after the Quidditch match.

The November air was biting, creeping down the front of her robes and making her shiver. She wrapped her faded old Hufflepuff scarf around her neck and pulled on a knitted cap, letting her ever longer hair hang in loose waves just below her shoulders. The stadium was packed to the brim with students and teachers. It warmed Tonks to see it as if she'd never left. It had been ages since she'd been to a Quidditch game.

"Nice to see you out and about." A sardonic voice came from beside her. Tonks looked up into the unreadable face of Severus Snape, who wore his usual scowl. She blinked up at him, remembering the hurtful things he'd said about her patronus…and consequently, Remus.

"You too…and in the daylight no less." She quipped, glaring at him. For the smallest of moments, she thought she saw his mouth twitch into a smirk, but it could have just been a trick of the light. "What's your problem with me anyway, Profess—" She shook her head, remembering that he was not her teacher anymore. "Severus." His eyebrows raised at her use of his given name, but he did not correct her.

"On the whole, nothing." He replied dryly. Giving her a look, she thought she saw something in his eyes that she'd never noticed before. Was it sadness? Before she could determine, he was gone…disappeared into the throngs of people as swiftly as he'd come. Tonks decided the closest seat was the best decision and ended up sitting between Minerva McGonagall, who was all decked in her usual tartan headgear and cloak, and her old Head of House, Professor Sprout.

"Why if it's not our Nymphadora." Sprout said, eyeing her warily. Tonks blushed, remembering all the times she'd been caught out of bed, or playing jokes on fellow students, or pulling out her guitar and playing a jaunty tune about how mean Professor Snape was. Once, she'd even snuck into Gryffindor tower and slept on the couch in their common room after a particularly bloody game of Wizard's Chess with Bill Weasley. She was bollocks at it. "Good to see you dear." Sprout told her, and Tonks nearly grinned, knowing what the woman was thinking. Although, for all the trouble she'd gotten into, she'd always been a favorite of her Head of House…her marks had been excellent in all of her classes, and she could have been Head Girl if she'd really wanted. To her Mum's dismay, she wasn't, though Andromeda had never given her anything but praise.

"Captains shake hands." Madam Hooch's amplified voice came from the field. Tonks looked down to see Harry shake hands with the beefy Slytherin captain. He winced a bit. "Mount your brooms. On the whistle…three…two…one…" She blew the whistle and the match began in a whir of movement. Harry took off around the edges of the ring. Ron looked more confident that Tonks had ever seen him and Ginny flew with precise ease, putting pride into Tonks's heart. Her beautiful mane of red hair flew behind her like lovely red ribbons. The commentator began his quite interesting speech.

"Well, there they go, and I think we're all surprised to see the team that Potter's put together this year. Many thought, given Ronald Weasley's patchy performance as Keeper last year, that he might be off the team, but of course, a close personal friendship with the Captain does help…"

"Oh sod off you slimy little git!" Tonks heard herself scream at the boy, eliciting scathing looks from both Sprout and Flitwick. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Minerva McGonagall's mouth twist into a grin. Tonks saw Harry look up at the podium and glare daggers at the blond boy who had a piggy little nose. The boy had a Hufflepuff scarf on, infuriating her more that he was from her old house. It was said that Hufflepuffs were naturally good problem solvers…or "finders" as it were. Tonks thought that little prat could find himself a new attitude if one was really to be honest.

"Oh, and here comes Slytherin's first attempt on goal, it's Urquhart streaking down the pitch and—" Tonks held her breath watching Ron Weasley expertly knock the ball out of the way. "—Weasley saves it, well, he's bound to get lucky sometimes, I suppose…"

"He's very good." McGonagall muttered defensively. "Why people overlook him, I'll never know…" She was saying. Tonks felt a warmth toward her old Transfiguration teacher, agreeing mentally with her. Ron looked so much like Bill had at that age, it was slightly scary. The difference was, Bill had worn his hair long and had always been so sure of himself, whereas, his youngest brother, though just as handsome and talented, was the youngest of six boys who had all made names for themselves. She understood. Harry grinned at his best friend's save and Ginny flew by her brother, slapping him supportively on the shoulder. He beamed at her, scanning the stands for someone.

In a moment, Ginny had wrenched the Quaffle away from the Slytherin Chaser and was flying toward the other end. She barely looked like she was trying as she flipped the ball through one of the loops, scoring ten points. The red and gold side cheered loudly.

Another attempt to score on Ron was foiled when he practically flipped his broom upside down and swatted the Quaffle away lazily, winking down at a group of Gryffindor girls. This must have been amusing to Harry, because he laughed while Ginny rolled her eyes. Tonks sorely wished Bill and Charlie could be here to see how brilliant their baby brother was today.

Twenty-minutes later, Gryffindor was up sixty to nothing with the Weasleys proving fast to be the most valuable players of the game. Tonks spotted Hermione, standing next to Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, who was wearing some sort of Lion Headdress on her head. Hermione's eyes were glued on the Keeper, her hands up to her mouth, held in a silent prayer. Her big brown eyes were sparkling and full of something quite obvious as she watched Ron enjoy himself.

"Replacing the Weasley twins as Beaters are Coote and Peakes…of course," the Hufflepuff imbecile went on, "Coote isn't really the usual build for a Beater. They've generally got a bit more muscle—"

"Hit a Bludger at him!" Harry yelled to Coote, who presently hit his Bludger at the Slytherin Seeker instead, knocking into the dumb looking boy and disorienting him.

As Ron brilliant continued to save the attempts to score on him, the crowd broke into song.

Weasley is our king,

Weasley is our king,

He didn't let the Quaffle in…

Weasley is our king…

Ron did a quick spin around as another Quaffle was thrown his way before he blew a kiss to another group of girls. A blonde screamed loudly when he beamed down at her. Hermione's face turned a shocking shade of pink and her dark eyes flashed. Tonks felt a pang of sympathy for her, remembering how Molly had predicted that her son and Hermione were meant for each other.

Weasley can save anything,

He never leaves a single ring,

That's why Gryffindors all sing,

Weasley is our king!

Despite her general depression and exhaustion, Tonks felt her heart swell as Ron stared around in awe, loving every moment of being adored. It seemed like every girl in the stadium was cheering for him…even the Slytherins. The attention was brought off Ron for a moment, however, when the idiot Seeker for Slytherin crashed deliberately into Harry, causing the Gryffindors to yell in outrage. The Slytherin boy smiled meanly at Harry before zipping off with Harry hot on his tail.

"And I think Harper of Slytherin's seen the Snitch!" The commentator said excitedly. "Yes, he's certainly seen something Potter hasn't!" Harry rolled his eyes and Ginny stared at the Hufflepuff as if she were trying to hex him merely with her eyes. Harry realized however, that there was something to the boy's words and bolted quickly up into the blue. Harry yelled something that Tonks could not make to the Slytherin, who almost had hold of it, distracting him. The boy flew past the Snitch, allowing Harry to grab it.

"YES!" Harry yelled unmistakably. Tonks grinned, cheering with the rest of the stadium. McGonagall even turned to her and bent to hug her happily. The whistle to end the game sounded, but Ginny didn't stop to congratulate her teammates. Instead, she flew directly into the podium, destroying part of it and knocking the Hufflepuff boy flat on his arse. McGonagall's face became a mask of anger as she stared down at her star Chaser. Tonks hid her own smirk of amusement, winking at Ginny.

"Forgot to brake, Professor, sorry!" She gave a sheepish grin and pumped her fist into the air, beaming at Tonks before hopping off her broom and straight into Harry Potter's waiting arms. He pulled away from her almost immediately, however, as if she'd burned him. A sharp look of confusion came over both their faces before they went their separate ways…her to Dean for a kiss and he to congratulate his best friend and Keeper on a stellar performance.

Exhilerated and full of energy from her first Quidditch match since graduating, she said a quick goodbye to McGonagall and Sprout and left the Quidditch pitch with haste. Once outside the grounds, she apparated to the back door of her parents' house…the home she'd grown up in. Smiling to herself and humming "Weasley is Our King", she knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" Andromeda called from within, laughing. "Ted, stop!"

"Mum, it's me!" Tonks called. "I have an old guitar with two weird sisters emblems permanently stuck to it that I bought for myself with the money I got for my seventeenth birthday." The door opened and Andromeda smiled down at her, looking so much like Bellatrix, it made Tonks's heart lurch.

"Teddy, Dora's here!" She called, using her old pet name for Dad. Andromeda pulled her daughter inside and into a crushing hug before looking at her closely.

"Your hair…" She said, fingering a wavy tendril. Tonks felt her face flush.

"I've been having some issues, Mum…" She admitted. "Nothing to worry over."

"Nymphadora Elizabeth Tonks." Ted's voice boomed excitedly from behind her mother. Tonks smiled and walked around Andromeda to throw her arms around her Dad. She rolled her eyes at his use of her middle name, which had been her Muggle grandmother's name.

"And this is Nymphadora—"

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus…" She moaned with a shudder, smacking him in the arm. "It's Tonks." She told Harry, folding her arms across her chest. She heard Remus chuckle.

"—Nymphadora Tonks…" He winked down at her, "Who prefers to be known by her surname only."

"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you 'Nymphadora.'" She said under her breath. The smile of amusement did not leave his face as he turned to introduce Kingsley.

"I feel like we never see you any more, Dora." Ted said, wrapping his arms tighter around his daughter.

"I know." Tonks told her Dad regretfully. "The nature of the job, I suppose." Andromeda raised an eyebrow, but said nothing before waving them into the kitchen, where Tonks could smell something delicious. She'd heard numerous times about how, when Ted and Andromeda had first married, Andromeda had not been much of a cook or housekeeper. She'd been raised in a life of privilege, with house elves at her beck and call. Of course, with those privileges came certain expectations…such as marrying into a pureblood family.

When Andromeda had fallen in love with Ted, a Muggle-born, nobody had been more surprised than she was. Tonks's father always said that once he got past the icy exterior, she'd been quite lovely. It was strange to Tonks to think of her Mum being a part of that family…the same family that Sirius had come from. Even now, she hadn't told Andromeda the whole story about Sirius.

At the sound of people, her Mum's cat came wandering into the room, eyeing Tonks with her big, golden eyes. Tonks stooped to pet her, smiling as the feline pressed into her gentle hand.

"Wotcher, Midnight." She said, scratching the animal behind her big ears. Her mother had received Midnight as a present from her father after Tonks had left home. Andromeda had apparently been suffering from "empty nest" syndrome. The cat was some sort of Egyptian breed, and she was frighteningly smart.

"I'm not used to seeing you with your hair dark." Andromeda said, pulling biscuits out of the oven. "It suits you, but I've always said that."

"Mousy brown?" Tonks laughed, reaching for a biscuit and getting her hand slapped by her mum. She met her dad's eyes across the table. They sparkled conspiratorially.

"You need to wait for the rest of the food." Andromeda scolded, but she was smiling. Tonks felt her cheeks heat as her father patted her mother's bum, looking down at her hands. Their relationship seemed so easy…so natural. It wasn't fair. She longed for that…not to have to fight for what she wanted all the time.

"What's troubling you, love?" Ted asked, seeing Tonks's face. His eyes were full of concern. "Don't tell your old dad nothing, kiddo, because I know you. I haven't seen you without some ungodly hair color for years…you having boy troubles?" Tonks actually laughed, not able to meet Ted's eyes.

"Not boy troubles, Dad." She reminded him. "I'm twenty-four."

"Not until February, you aren't." Andromeda said, setting a bowl of potatoes on the table.

"Yeah." Tonks said, miserably, resting her cheek on her hand.

"Man troubles then…whatever." Ted remedied, watching her carefully, as Andromeda began to cut into the meat she had cooked. Turkey. Tonks did not answer, instead choosing to draw circles on the wood with her finger. "Dora?" She shook her head, wanting to lie to her parents, but she knew it wasn't going to happen. Her Dad could read her like a book.

"Yeah…" She repeated again, so quiet it was almost a breath. "Man troubles…I guess."

"Is it still Remus?" Andromeda asked, looking back at her over her shoulder. Tonks nodded.

"It's always been Remus." She admitted. "Since Sirius…" She stopped herself when Andromeda dropped a fork.

"What about Sirius?" She asked, coming toward her now.

"Mum, I know you've heard he died, but Bellatrix killed him." The silence seemed to vibrate around her…Andromeda's face was white. "He was innocent, Mum. He died defending Harry."

"Harry Potter?" Andromeda asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah." She answered.

"So where does Remus fit in?" Ted asked, putting a supportive hand on Andromeda's back.

"After Sirius's death when I got hurt…when I was in the hospital…he's on a mission…and he's been pushing me away for months. He refuses to be with me because he thinks he's not good enough for me." Tonks just knew her cheeks were red, and judging by her parents' expressions, she knew they were a bit surprised.

"Because he's a werewolf?" Andromeda asked, sitting down and forgetting dinner for a moment.

"That," Tonks nodded, "And he said he's too old and too poor for me…no one will hire him because of his werewolf status. He's—" She stopped herself, not wanting to say too much about his mission. "Stubborn." She decided on.

"You really love him, don't you?" Andromeda asked with her head tilted. Tonks nodded.

"He also thinks you two wouldn't approve of us being together." She admitted. Ted and Andromeda shared a knowing look.

"While I can't say I generally relish the fact that you want to spend the rest of your life with a werewolf, it is ultimately your choice, darling." Andromeda's eyes were kind. "I know he can't help that he's a werewolf…but I know what they are capable of…and if he's willing to stay away from you because of it, I'd say he must really love you."

"We know what it's like to face obstacles to be happy." Ted added, taking his wife's hand. "When your mother was disowned because of me—"

"Teddy…" Andromeda tried to stop him, but he gave her a small smile.

"I blamed myself. I even left her for a time." Tonks gasped.

"You did not!" She cried, looking at her mother, who nodded.

"He did…but he came back to me." Andromeda grinned at her husband. "And a good thing too, because I was expecting you already." She sighed.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that I can sympathize with Remus." Ted told his daughter. "But also, that if he loves you half as much as I adore your mum—"

"Ted!" Andromeda protested, blushing furiously. He winked at her.

"He'll come around, love." Ted finished, reaching across to brush Tonks's cheek with the back of his hand. "We always do."