Author's Note: This is my first attempt at Harry Potter Fan Fiction, and indeed my first attempt at a Fanfic at all. Reviews are appreciated, but not necessary. I intended this to be a Harry/Tonks fic when I first started it, but it evolved into, well, what it is, almost without my input. I hope you enjoy. Also, I own none of the characters, locales, terms, etc etc, they all belong to J.K Rowling. All I came up with was the plot.

It was a Tuesday night like most others in wizarding Britain. Shops in Diagon Alley were closing, and most wizards and witches were headed home to their families. One, however, had some paperwork he needed to catch up on. It was for this reason that we find Harry Potter walking alone down the streets of Diagon Alley at half-past eleven. Or, rather, the reason he was in late enough to decide that he may as well put in one last patrol down the street. That reason was good enough to throw suspicion off of his presence, granted his status as an auror would do the same for him. Still, mostly his reasoning was that he needed some time to think.

It had been 5 years since his defeat of Voldemort. In 5 years he had mostly gotten over the horrors of the war, but nothing really makes it all go away. For the longest time he had thought something was amiss about the entire thing. The whole scenario seemed so bizarre. It was almost like the entire war was planned by 5th graders. Sure, near the end Voldemort had managed to turn the wizarding public against him with semi-cunning use of propaganda, but that didn't take into account the poor strategy on both sides involving a door in the Department of Mysteries for an entire year. The fact that Dumbledore had to erect Anti-Apparation wards made him suspect, and now his employment at the ministry confirmed, that there was nothing that stopped either side from just apparating into the Hall of Prophecies and stealing the damned thing, which they could have had him do, or Voldemort could've done himself. So why did neither side simply do it?

Harry was brought back to his senses by a figure moving in the darkness around Knockturn Alley. He brought his wand to bear and nonverbally cast the Lumos charm, while yelling "Freeze!" at the figure. A blonde witch stood in his wandlight, using her hand to shield her eyes.

"Could you lower that thing please? It's pointed right at my eyes!"

"Sorry" Harry said "but all the shops in the alley are closed, and so it's my job to know what you're doing here this late."

"Actually, I've been here the last few nights hoping to run into you, Harry."

Harry was only slightly surprised at this news. As it turns out, after news got out that Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World, Man-Who-Lived-Twice had become an auror, the crime rate rose by a bit. Many were baffled, until Harry realized that most of these new crimes were committed by young witches in their late teens to early thirties, though a few fell outside that age range, including one witch who, Harry was sure, was older than his old Professor McGonogall. So he launched into a memorized speech.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but I'm already married and am expecting a baby in a few months, though I am flattered-"

"Oh heavens no, I wouldn't dream of taking you from Ginny, Merlin knows she's gone through enough to get you."

"How did you know my wife's name? And just who are you anyway?"

"Now we get to the real crux of the issue, don't we? Harry, I don't expect you to believe me, not with you having gone through the Auror training courses, and just because of your nature, but… well, it's probably best to show you."

The blonde witch screwed her face up in concentration, and her features began to change. She grew slightly taller, and her form filled out a bit. Her hair turned to the most vivacious pink known to muggle and wizard alike, and became short and spiky. Her face became a very familiar heart-shape, and her eyes, after she opened them, had become a deep violet. Harry tensed seeing this familiar face.

Harry raised his wand slightly towards the woman "I don't know who you think you're trying to fool. Nymphadora Tonks is dead, I saw her body during the final battle."

"Harry, you saw me, faking my own death."

"Tonks would never do something like that."

"Harry, I assure you I could."

"Prove that you are who you say you are. What was the girls' favorite nose for you to make at dinner time?"

"Usually the one shaped like a pig snout" she answered. She paused to screw up her face, and a very snout-like nose appeared on her face, giving Harry a fleeting memory of his thoughts of a female Dudley. "Though sometimes they liked my bird-beak impression" she screwed her face up again, and her nose turned very beaklike. A third funny face, and her nose went back to normal. She then looked into Harry's eyes "Satisfied?"

Harry's expression softened, before looking at her once again with suspicion. "What form did your patronus take during my 6th year at Hogwarts?"

"A werewolf" She answered immediately, though Harry noticed that her expression hardened somewhat "It was a werewolf, instead of the lizard it used to be, because of the romantic troubles I was having with Remus at the time. Remus was your teacher in your third year at Hogwarts, my husband, and father of my son, Teddy Lupin, who is, coincidentally, your godson."

Harry blinked, and lowered his wand. "Tonks, it really is you?"

Tonks nodded, and smiled as she said "Wotcher, Harry."

Harry paused again, unsure what to say. Then, because there were no words, he simply closed the distance between them and engulfed her into a hug. Tonks was startled for a moment, but returned Harry's hug. After they separated, Harry asked "But why? Why did you fake your death? And why come back after 5 years?"

"Well... That is a long story. Walk with me."

"Alright then" Harry agreed. They set off at a slow pace through Diagon Alley. "So let's start from the beginning. I saw you in the hall, next to Remus, and I know he was…is dead. What happened with you?"

"Well, Harry, I know he's dead too. I saw him get killed. Bellatrix LeStrange caught him in the shoulder with the killing curse. I was so angry I shot a killing curse back at my aunt. I was knocked out by a piece of the castle that she banished at my head, and she dodged my curse easily enough. They found Remus and I together, and assumed we fell together. That was fine by me. By the time the battle had moved into the hall, I planned to exact my revenge from my fake death, something I heard worked well for you, by the way." She added the last part with a small smile "Anyway, I heard the goings on, and heard Molly kill Bellatrix.

"With that out of the way, I have to admit that I just wanted to go. I tried to just will my death to be real. I was doing a good enough job at controlling my heart that the healers thought I was dead. I was buried, and for what I recently learned was slightly less than 5 years, I have been in a state of near-death. However, recently, my body started itself back up. I guess that my natural will to live outweighed my selfish desire to die. I dug my way back out, and took up this disguise. I've been living on the streets for a couple of weeks now, and noone is the wiser. I covered my grave back up, and cast some charms to make the grass grow back. It looks like nothing was disturbed. I've been looking for you to tell you, because I think you're the only one who wouldn't be incredibly pissed off at me for this.

"I wish I could say more for myself, but I just tried to take the coward's way out. I guess that's why I was never Gryffindor material. But I wanted you to know. I wanted you to know because, well, I love you, Harry. I've been in love with you since we first had a conversation. But I knew I was too old for you. It wouldn't do for an auror to get involved with a 5th year, much less the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, so I transferred the feelings to Remus, because he was the closest thing to a father you had, I guess… or at least the closest thing that wasn't my cousin. I did like Remus a lot, but I never really, truly loved him the way I loved you. So, that's why I thought you deserved to know, Harry. Now that you know, I'm going to disappear."

Harry, who was completely speechless since the middle of the speech, came to his senses around now. "What? Why?! Tonks, you're back! Everyone will be happy to see you! Not to mention Teddy! He'll have a mother!"

Tonks, however, shook her head. "After 5 years? Harry, Teddy has a new family. He has you, and my mother… He'll just be confused if I come into the picture now... don't get me wrong, I love him… but I just can't come and disturb everyone's lives now. I feel bad enough disturbing yours, but I felt you deserved to know. Just make sure that Teddy knows that I love him."

Harry stared at her, unsure of what to say. Again, like before, he let his actions speak. This time, however, instead of a hug, he brought his lips to hers, and gave her a gentile kiss. Tonks gasped, and then let out a soft moan as she returned the kiss. Harry then deepened the kiss, and his tongue danced along her lips, seeking entrance. She parted her lips for him, and their tongues danced inside her mouth. Harry then pulled back, feeling a pang of guilt. Here he was, in the middle of Diagon Alley, in the middle of the night, kissing a woman who was supposed to be dead, when his pregnant wife was at home, probably waiting up for him. He sighed.

"Tonks… it's probably obvious now that I shared some feelings for you too, but it can't happen. I'm married… about to have a baby… and you're…. you're going to be gone again soon. While I admit I enjoyed that… that's all there can be."

It was Tonks' turn to sigh. She looked into his eyes again and said "I know, Harry. I knew there could never be anything between us. I'm glad I got what I did." she finished with a small smile.

Harry hugged her one last time. While hugging her, he whispered in her ear "Goodbye, Nymphadora."

Tonks laughed and whispered back "Only because I'm about to leave the country will I let you get away with calling me that. Goodbye, Harry. I'll never forget you."

Harry released the embrace, and then apparated back to his home, where he found Ginny sitting up in the living room, waiting for him as he expected.

"Hello love." He said "Sorry I'm so late, I had a lot of paperwork to catch up on."

Ginny stared at him for a moment, and said "And I bet you went on a walk and thought a bit, didn't you?"

Harry smiled at her "You know me too well. How's little James doing, kicking a lot?"

Ginny smiled back "Yes, in fact, he is, but you're changing the subject. Why so much thinking lately?"

Harry shrugged, his smile fading "I don't know, I guess I just miss them all sometimes. I've mostly gotten over it, but there are times when I guess they just… come back to me, in ways." He said rather shrewdly

Ginny gave him a sad smile "Well, you know they're always here with us, in some way or another."

Harry just smiled back at her "Yeah, I know. I also know that I am incredibly tired, and that you must be as well."

Ginny then, as if on cue, let out a loud yawn, and said "Yeah, I guess we should get off to bed." They both headed upstairs to their room, and curled up next to each other, Harry being thankful that he was holding his wife in his arms that night. However, that night there was also a slight twinge of both guilt and doubt; Guilt that he was keeping the events of the earlier night from Ginny, and doubt about whether or not he truly wanted to stay with her, knowing that Tonks was alive, and had reciprocated those feelings he harbored for her for so long…