MEETING

Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it, and don't forget to Review at the end, please!

Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling

As the years passed, things gradually started to become normal. Even though Sirius' imprisonment grated on my conscience, I knew that I had to be careful about what I said, lest I raise suspicions about the legitimacy of my freedom and make his sacrifice worthless.

Time passed so quickly, and as it neared ten years since Tonks had gone back and Sirius and I were put in Azkaban, I started to long for the way things used to be. I missed seeing Sirius and Tonks around my tiny house. The rooms felt so empty and bare without Tonks tripping over everything and Sirius' joking comments. I never knew that an emptiness could be so suffocating. Hopefully everything would go back to the way it was soon, at least Tonks had said everything was all right in her time.

It was so strange. I thought that I saw her in the most random places. I could have sworn I saw her once in Diagon Alley in the late eighties. She looked only maybe ten or eleven, but there was no mistaking the electric blue hair and dark eyes. I'd almost said something to her then, but I'd decided against it. She looked so happy with her mother and father on either side as she eagerly made her way down the cobbled streets. I couldn't help but smile. In that one moment, I felt the slightest glimmer of hope that everything was going to turn out all right in the end.

Things weren't all bad. A little more than ten years after my trial, Dumbledore offered me a teaching position at Hogwarts.

Not only did this offer me a chance have a semi-normal job, but it also gave me a chance to meet James and Lily's son, Harry. He looked so like James. In fact the resemblance was almost uncanny, and I could see a bit of his parents in everything Harry did. It made me feel a bit better, seeing him. It was almost as if I was back at school with James and Lily and Sirius. Things felt right for the first time in a long time.

That same year, Sirius broke out of prison for a second time, but I'm told you know all about that. As I hear, a Muggle woman with a most peculiar name wrote a book about it. I want to focus on the parts of the story that she didn't tell, like that day in the summer of 1995 that changed my life forever.

It was early July. Harry had just had a rather nerve-racking encounter with Voldemort, and now everyone besides Fudge and Ministry officials knew that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back. We had re-formed the Order, hoping to get some support against Voldemort and his followers. Our numbers were small. We had very few members of the old Order to begin with, and even fewer that were willing to rejoin. It's not that I could blame those who opted not to become members again. Things were changing, and now, anyone that joined us was not only risking their own lives, but the lives of everyone they held dear. Their families, friends, brothers, sisters, everyone could be taken away just because of the sheer fact that they had signed their name on a small piece of parchment.

Nevertheless, we were still looking for new members. Dumbledore suggested talking to those that had been too young to fight in the last war. He argued that it would help us spread our influence across generations.

Mad-Eye said he knew of just the person. He said he had a new recruit. According to him, she was young and inexperienced, but she was talented and had a lot of spunk. He promised to try to bring her in for the next meeting, and we all waited with anticipation to see who may be joining our ranks.

The next week, Sirius and I waited in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Sirius sat at the head of the table and leaned back in his chair. "Well," he began, propping his feet up on the table, "let's hope Mad-Eye brings us a good one." He looked older now; his face began to show the first signs of age. There were now several lines outlining his mouth and eyes, but he no longer looked as skeletal as he had that day I'd gone back to see him in Azkaban (in fact he'd gotten his appetite back within the hour of his escape, and he'd been eating almost nonstop since).

"I'm sure Mad-Eye knows exactly what he's doing," I commented, not bothering to look up from the copy of the Prophet that I had been reading.

"Remember the last time he brought that bloke from Switzerland?" Sirius questioned, leaning back further in the chair. "'Made such a mess out of his bedroom, he had Molly in a state for weeks."

"Mmhmm," I answered, still scanning my eyes across the paper.

"I don't see why you even bother reading that rubbish," Sirius stated as he removed his feet from the table and put all four legs of the chair firmly on the ground with a light thud. "You know there's not going to be anything worth reading in there."

"I know," I responded, flipping the page absentmindedly.

Sirius groaned out of frustration. "When's everyone going to get here anyway?" he asked. He had risen from his chair and started pacing around the room.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. "They should be here soon."

Almost as if on cue, sounds of the door swinging open echoed down the hall. An uneven step came across the threshold followed by the sound of something heavy falling on the floor.

"Abominations!" screeched the portrait of Walburga Black from upstairs. "In my house!"

I could just barely make out Mad-Eye's angry mutters through the screaming painting. Sirius rolled his eyes. "I'll go shut her up," he growled before slumping up the stairs.

I followed him into the hall to see what had caused such a commotion.

I found Mad-Eye helping up a young witch as she pushed the ugly troll leg umbrella stand to the side.

"Tonks, I swear you're clumsier than a drunken troll," Mad-Eye scolded as he pulled the witch to her feet.

"I'm sorry, Mad-Eye," she apologized, brushing off her robes, "I promise I didn't see it."

"And what am I always telling you about constant vigilance," he returned.

"'Always remain constantly vigilant,'" the woman repeated. "But it's not my fault they chose to put that old thing there," she argued. "I mean it's right in the way of everything!"

Just then, Mad-Eye turned and noticed that I had entered the entryway. He cleared his throat loudly.

The woman stopped her rant about how ill-positioned the umbrella stand was and whipped around to face me.

As my eyes found hers, I felt my breath catch inside my throat, like a large cotton ball had lodged itself in my windpipe. I couldn't believe it. There she was. I was positive it was her this time.

She had short, spiky hair that was a vibrant shade of violet. Her pale, youthful face had an unmistakable mischievous glint. Her eyes were a deep green, highlighting her purple hair.

It looked just like her in every way possible. From the spiked hair down to the tattered combat boots.

"Wotcher," she greeted, sticking out her hand. I shook it, still in a daze.

"Remus, this is Nymph—" Mad-Eye started.

The woman cringed. "I told you never to call me by that dreadful name," she interrupted.

"Nymphadora Tonks," Mad-Eye finished, seemingly un-phased and clearly accustomed to the woman's antics.

"It's just Tonks," she corrected. I stared blankly at her, unable to do anything but stare in disbelief. She shot me a puzzled look, "And who are you?"

That question, that one simple question shook me so much, I was sure I was going to tumble. Why would she ask that? She had to remember me; I'd certainly remembered her. Why would she let on that she didn't?

I looked to Mad-Eye, who gave me an expectant look. Of course, I thought, Mad-Eye doesn't know we know each other. She must just be putting on an act so as not to confuse him.

That thought offered me some comfort, at least enough to answer Tonks' question. "I'm Remus," I responded. "Remus Lupin."

"Well," she enthused, "Remus, it's nice to meet you." She looked around the house for a moment before turning back to me. "Mad-Eye had said something about a meeting," she offered.

"Yeah," I answered lamely, "in the kitchen. Everyone else will be here soon."

She strut passed me and into the kitchen. "Sorry about that," Mad-Eye apologized as he walked by me. "She's a good worker and she tries hard, but I'm afraid she's not the most graceful," he explained gruffly.

I chuckled. "It's fine. Sirius went upstairs to deal with his mother," I responded, pointing toward the staircase.

We headed into the kitchen, and I could hear Sirius' footsteps make their way down the stairs.

"Sorry to be late," he started, making his way into the kitchen. "Dear old Mummy was making quite the fuss. Good to see you're here Mad-Eye," he greeted, nodding to the man at the table. Mad-Eye merely grunted in acknowledgment. "Where's the great new recruit."

"You called me 'great'?" the woman asked from the corner of the kitchen. "That's high praise coming from you, Mad-Eye."

I could have sworn Sirius' eyes were going to pop out of his head when he took in the sight of his little cousin standing in his kitchen.

"Dora?" he questioned in disbelief. "Is that really you?"

The woman rushed up and gave Sirius a firm hug. "No one told me you were going to be here," she enthused.

Sirius eyes immediately shot over to the doorway and met mine. "Would you excuse us for a moment?" he asked. "I need Moony's help with some preparations for the meeting."

Sirius marched from the kitchen, grabbing my arm and dragging me out with him. He pulled me into the library and shut the doors.

"Sirius, what's going on?" I groaned.

"It's Tonks!" he exclaimed. "She's back!"

"I know," I allowed.

Sirius looked slightly disheartened. "I thought you two were madly in love when she left." I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. "Why aren't you saying anything to her?" he finished.

"Because, Mad-Eye, and most everyone else in the Order for that matter, doesn't know what happened," I explained. "They don't know that we've met before or what happened between us."

"So you're just going to sit back like you've forgotten her," Sirius reasoned sarcastically.

"No," I countered. "I'm just biding my time. It's been fifteen years for goodness sake! How do I know things haven't changed?"

"Moony," Sirius began, "a blind man could see that she was mad for you."

"Still," I responded, "I think it's best to wait until after the meeting, when everyone else is gone. Then we can set some things straight."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Moony."

Hope you liked this chapter! Tonks and Remus' conversation to come in the next chapter!

I actually wasn't sure how happy I was with this chapter. I didn't want to spend too much time in the eighties because I knew eventually that would get boring, so I kind of had to push things along. Let me know what you guys thought in a Review!