It was a lot bigger than she'd expected.

Behind its tiny, elegant front windows, "The Magic Shop" went back and back and then opened out behind adjacent premises. It did indeed sell magic as most Muggles understood the word: strange and pretty things and silver, as well as clothes, in muted jewel colours, smelling faintly of patchouli. The main line of business, however, and Tonks hadn't dared venture into that part of the shop, was bespoke perfumery. "Bull in a china shop" wouldn't begin to describe what would happen if she tripped amongst the glittering, little bottles and miniature, demonstration flasks of essential oils.

'How can I help you?' Lucy Reive, her long hair fastened back, almost unrecognisable in a white garment suggestive of a lab coat and a professional smile, appraised Tonks' boots and punkish, black attire. Her nose twitched. 'Tonks?' And now the smile was hesitantly real. 'I wasn't sure you'd come.'

'I had to. It was the only way of escaping house arrest.' She morphed back. 'Not the Ministry. My mum. Probably still outside; although she must know that I know she followed me here. Doesn't want me returning to work just yet. Thinks I should be resting.' Or doing something useful like acquiring new shoes or seducing Severus Snape, thought Tonks, hoping against hope that she'd persuaded her mother not to interfere. Andromeda had decided that she wanted Snape for a-son-in law and, like the rest of the Black family, had few qualms concerning direct action.

The werewolf went to check through the window. Glancing back over her shoulder she asked: 'Does she look as though she's just stepped out of "Vogue"?'

'That's her.'

Lucy opened the door, waved, closed the door, locked it and flipped the sign to "Closed". 'But you will be staying?'

Tonks hadn't intended to. Lucy's invitation for 'not really a hen party, just a few drinks' had arrived only a couple of hours ago. While wondering what had prompted it, Tonks had decided to make the most of her opportunity. Gently, Lucy took her wrist. 'You are staying,' she said. 'Sit down.' Tonks was manoeuvred onto an excessively chic bit of chairage. 'I just need to set alarms and lock a few things away.'

'This is yours?' asked Tonks.

'My parents,' said Lucy, slipping gracefully through the displays. 'They've retired now; apart from the usual couple of days a month. The perfumery's mine, though. One of the few good things about being a werewolf is the heightened sense of smell.'

With a whir of electric motors, metal shutters began to unroll outside the windows. Tonks sat marooned amongst the sparkling shelves realising that "shabby, down at heel," had been an act: what the Umbridge and the Ministry expected and wouldn't interfere with. Now, the last minute invitation made sense: Remus must have decided to come clean. Very carefully, Tonks stood up. 'You don't know me,' she said. 'If you'll just let me out the back way.'

'No.' Suddenly Lucy reminded Tonks of Andromeda. 'You took down "the toad". There wouldn't be a wedding if not for you. You're a friend. You're welcome.'

'You've not seen the 'Prophet',' muttered Tonks, forgetting about the werewolf's enhanced hearing.

Lucy snorted. 'At least you've never had fleas.'

In the flat above the shop, the werewolf kicked off her shoes and deftly punted them under an Art Deco monstrosity of a sideboard. As Tonks perched on the sofa to unlace her boots, the doorbell rang. Lucy bounded out in her stockings. Tonks listened as the street door opened, down below. 'Floosies,' intoned Lucy, disapprovingly,' I said six o'clock.'

'We've been to Marks and Sparks,' came the reply, followed by a chorus of 'Food Porn!'

A muttered spell extricated Tonks from her boots. She got up and tossed them under the sideboard and turned as five women, wearing beautiful clothing and understated jewellery and who were very plainly Muggles, reached the top of the staircase. 'This is Tonks,' said Lucy. 'Tonks is in law enforcement. Tonks is having a night off so be nice and don't talk to her about it. Now, who's for fizzy plonk?

She forced herself to relax as Lucy made introductions over Champagne.

While she received curious looks, no one mentioned her job and it was very nice, for once, not to be an Auror. It was nice to wear her own face and not be known as a Metamorphmagus.

It would have been a pleasant and relaxing evening if she hadn't, very quickly, discovered that Lucy and her friends had been at school together. And this was odd because, while Muggles sometimes survived the werewolf's bite, she wasn't aware of any having survived subsequent transformations. Despite or perhaps because of her relationship with Remus, Tonks had never really thought about it. Her lover hadn't wanted to talk about Lycanthropy and, somehow, she'd come to see even thinking about it more than strictly necessary as a sort of betrayal. Curled in the corner of the sofa, the Auror watched Lucy over her wineglass and wondered if she knew that she was, in all probability, a witch.

If what Potter had told her was true: if only those who performed magic went to Hogwarts, it would make sense. Raised in a comfortable and loving home, a Muggle born child could quickly grow out of believing in magic. Only after she'd been bitten would Lucy have discovered the truth. Tonks needed to speak to Remus. And Granger. And a number of other people.

In the meantime she needed to use the bathroom.

When she came out, Lucy was being chivvied into the bedroom to get changed into 'something that doesn't look like a dentist'. As Jenny and Sara shut the bedroom door behind them, the other three women rounded on Tonks.

'Law enforcement?' said Julia, handing Tonks her refilled glass.

'Not tonight,' said Tonks.

'Ok, then. Let's talk about Lucy.'

Tonks sat down as the others arranged themselves around her.

'So,' said Julia, 'Lucy's in Edinburgh being an analytical chemist. And then she comes back and something's wrong and she doesn't want to talk about it.'

Tonks said nothing.

'And then Lucy disappears. She's gone nearly five years and then she comes back looking like death dug up and she still doesn't want to talk about it and her parents are over the moon but they're not saying anything either. Least of all about her unexpected change of career. And now you're in "Law Enforcement".

Tonks made a thoughtful moue and sipped her wine.

'And Remus Lupin, her husband to be? We're not sure if someone of that name actually exists.'

'Leave it alone,' said Tonks.

'You tell us why we should,' said Julia.

Or? thought Tonks. The closed look on Julia's face suggested that she knew something, or thought she did. 'What does Lucy say?'

'Nothing.'

'Nothing at all?'

'She said that she'd been in a war.' Julia looked at her glass as though it contained something sour. 'We hoped we'd get more out of her tonight.'

The bedroom door swung open. 'Back off girls.' Lucy emerged, hair loose, still fastening her dress. 'Tonks can't tell you anything.'

'Lucy, there are people I can talk to. People I have to talk to. I don't know what you're doing but you're an analytical chemist. You've got your own laboratory for your perfumes. And you're bloody hiding something. You disappear for days! It's hard not to . . . If you're in trouble, Lucy, there are people I know who can help.'

Tonks choked on her wine as light dawned like an incendiary device: Lucy's friends were worried about illegal drugs. Well, that she could do something about. 'She was in a war.' The Auror sighed and stood up. 'But now the people who might have gone after her family, can't.' She reached into her jacket pocket for her MLE identity card. Witches or wizards would see the real thing; Muggles would see whatever they needed to see. Whatever Julia saw made her straighten and stare at Tonks.

Tonks smiled apologetically. 'Ok?'

It seemed to be. 'Sorry Lucy.'

Lucy grappled her friend's head and smacked a kiss on her forehead. 'Thank you.'

There was a small, choked huff. 'Wrong time of the month,' muttered Julia, blushing. 'Always makes me a bit . . .'

'Right time of the month,' said Louise. 'Personally, I enjoy it. Be as bolshie as I like. Not to mention what it does to the old libido.'

'Not so old,' said Julia. 'If you don't mind.'

'Point, is' said Louise, 'men are like that all the time and because we're like that a couple of days a month, we get treated like monsters.'

'You are absolutely right, Louise,' said Lucy in careful tones. 'I absolutely couldn't agree more.' She paused for effect and then muttered 'Wouldn't dare,' into her wineglass.

'Bitch,' said Louise. 'Even so, Remus Lupin's still very strange.'

'Undercover work,' said Tonks.

Julia looked at her. 'Thought he said he was a teacher.'

'Ah yes but, did he say what he taught?'

'I think he avoided that.'

'Well, if that's all settled,' said Lucy, 'who's hogging the Rioja?'