11th of July 1995

Tonks woke up way too late the following morning. She was supposed to be at the Ministry by 7, but considering she opened her eyes at 6:30, that wasn't really possible. But that didn't bother her. She will update Kingsley about what happened, and he will cover for her for sure. Kingsley seeing Snape carrying Gwen into the Headquarters worked in her favour too. She didn't bother rushing. Whenever she did something in a rush, she crashed half of the things in her apartment. She got up, yawned hard because she didn't really have much sleep, and stretched with a loud moan. Oh, if only she could stay in the bed and sleep until noon.

She decided to tone down her outfit, and looks today. Escorting Gwen should run smoothly, and they must remain unseen. She didn't intend to get back to her apartment before that task, so she decided to wear the most ordinary things she could find in her apartment; pair of mom fitted jeans, a dark orange shirt without any print, and a pair of black All Star sneakers. Perfect. She morphed her hair in the natural blonde bob cut. It was always her go-to look when going undercover. While looking at herself in the mirror, she remembered Gwen in Sirius' clothes, and figured she would fit her clothes better. She didn't really knew what she would like, so she picked a simple pinkish summer dress with some twirly pattern on it. Perfect.

It was half past 7 when Tonks marched into the Auror's office. Half of the office was empty, and she liked that even more. However, she saw the top of Kingsley's head in his cubicle, and she noticed Mary was twitchy which meant that Moody was somewhere nearby. Tonks left her rucksack in her cubicle, and went straight to Kingsley. He was so focused on his paperwork that he didn't even notice her coming.

"Wotcher, King…" Tonks couldn't even finish her sentence, when she heard a really familiar voice grunting behind her back. She turned in a second.

"You're late, and not here," Moody was now standing right next to Tonks, who was left speechless. Kingsley looked at them both, sighed, and showed them towards the Scrimgeour office. Kingsley had a key of the office, and he knew Scrimgeour put all kinds of special charms on it. If there's anywhere in the Office they could talk privately, it was that room. He unlocked the door, and let Moody and Tonks in before he got in there too.

"So…" Tonks started again.

"Shut it, Tonks," Moody said, and cast another of the protective spells. This one was against any kind of eavesdropping. Both Tonks and Kingsley were amused by this, because Tonks made her funny hand gesture with symbolised Constant Vigilance.

"I saw that, lass, how many times I have to tell you?" Moody turned towards the younger Aurors. He was way thinner than usual, but he looked better than the first day he turned up in the Office after the kidnapping.

"Oh, raise a hand if you've ever been kidnapped by a mental Death Eater," Tonks said mockingly, and Moody smiled sarcastically at her.

"We don't have time for you two bickering, so please let's get straight to business," Kingsley was again working as a mediator between Tonks and her mentor, pointing his long finger at both Moody and Tonks. He was sure that they had such a great relationship because Tonks would never remain indebted to Moody when it came to comebacks. She always had something to say, and Moody valued that more than being obedient all the time.

"Right. Dumbledore informed me what happened at the Grimmauld Place, but he left the details vague. What do we know about that Gwen person?" Kingsley asked, leaning on his cane. Both Kingsley and Moody now looked straight at Tonks.

"Well… Kingsley you know her from the Triwizard Tournament," Tonks said, and Kingsley nodded.

"I do, but I haven't had time to chat with her even for a second. I know her name is Gwen, and that she lives in Hogsmeade."

"Well, I know that too, and I guess you do too," Tonks now looked at Moody, who grunted in agreement. "But we don't know what happened to her."

"Her father was a Death Eater," Moody said at last. "Really close to Voldemort, nasty one. He worked here as the Unspeakable, that Doherty lad. Maybe you remember him Kingsley, he worked here during the first war. That tall, pale bloke who was always snooping around the Office, and who was very suspicious whenever I got to the Department of Mysteries."

Kingsley nodded. Tonks was a bit struck now. She didn't expect this, but she learned not to judge people by their family. Her mother is the best living example. And now Sirius, too.

"What happened to him?" she asked.

"I put him in Azkaban myself after Voldemort's downfall. He died sometimes in 1983, I think. I still have his file at home."

"Of course you do," Tonks muttered under her breath, and Kingsley gave her the look of warning.

"I already researched a bit, but I didn't get any real clue or something interesting, for that matter," Moody said, and Tonks was now a bit concerned. Who is this Gwen woman?

"Snape told me she was attacked by the Death Eaters. I can't really assume who could it be, but we'll find out. Snape mentioned Yaxley to Dumbledore, but he wasn't alone. Dumbledore said something about escorting her to get her things at Hogsmeade. I guess he put Lupin on that assignment," Kingsley said, and Moody agreed with a grunt again.

"He wanted to, but…" Tonks started. "Lupin has a thing coming, so he can't do it. I'll do it instead," Tonks said with a smile on her face, proud to be chosen for, what now seemed like an important task. She was sure Kingsley and Moody knew about Remus' condition, but she didn't want to say it out loud. In fact, she hadn't thought about it since she found it out.

"Oh, right," Kingsley said, understanding the hint. Moody understood too. "Then, Tonks, be careful, and try to find out more from this Gwen woman. Maybe some detail, or anything."

"Well, she talked to Sirius for a while. I doubt she'll open up to me like that." Tonks was now a bit nervous. She wasn't a subtle person, and if finding out more about Gwen depended on her, she must admit they're screwed.

"We don't need her life story, lass," Moody grunted. "We need the details about the attack, so that we can identify who did it. You'll be in her house, so observe. Look for clues. I trust Dumbledore, and if he gave her a place at the Headquarters, he surely trusts her. You of all people know how you can miss the details when overwhelmed."

Tonks blushed a bit. That was true. When she got overwhelmed, she wouldn't really notice the details.

"I will talk to Hills," Kingsley said calmly. Hills was a retired Auror who was his mentor. "Maybe he remembers something about Doherty, or someone who was close to him. And I'll definitely pay a visit to the Department of Mysteries. And by the way, Tonks, you being late is already covered." Kingsley winked at Tonks, and she smiled at him. She was happy to have Kingsley in her corner.

"You do that, Kingsley. But both of you remember, especially you Nymphadora," Moody was now staring with both of his eyes at Tonks, who flinched and changed her hair colour in violent red. Like always when she heard her horrible name. "We do as Dumbledore said, without question. And he said it's imperative we find out exactly who attacked this lass. Don't do anything irrational, and of course…"

"Constant vigilance, we know, Mad-Eye," Tonks said, and rolled her eyes slightly.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, lass, I don't want you dead. I've spent too much time on you, and I think I can't stand another Black woman hating me," Moody said matter-of-factly, not giving Tonks chance to argue. She knew he cares about her, maybe even like she's his daughter. "The dark times are coming, and we must be careful at all times."

"Of course," Kingsley's deep voice filled the Office. "And Tonks, you're in Office today, no field work for you. I noticed you are a bit behind with the reports, and Scrimgeour homework."

"I took care of that," Moody grunted, and added a bunch of curse words describing Scrimgeour. He didn't like him even a little bit. All Tonks could think was how lucky she is that Moody likes her. And how lucky she is to have him around. He was the one who got her into the Order. He taught her everything she needed to be the best Auror she could be. Tonks never thought about it since his kidnapping, but she was so happy he is alive and here. She smiled at the old man, bounced in front of him, and hugged him. Moody was a bit surprised by that, but he always had a soft spot for her, so he hugged her with one arm. Kingsley just smiled at the scene before him.

"Enough now, Tonks, get back to work," Moody said. He perfectly well understood the meaning behind the hug he just received. They left Scrimgeour's office, and soon after that both Kingsley and Moody were out. Tonks was now alone in her cubicle.

She really didn't want to do the reports, but she knew they had to be done. It took her two hours to finish them. Her focus was lost every five minutes. She looked around the Office, and all the Sirius Black's mug shots in it. An innocent man. And no one would believe it. She felt sad because she couldn't tell her mother the truth. She felt sad because she, as an Auror, was supposed to be able to do something about the injustice that was done in his case. But for now, she mustn't do anything. Moody explained that to her before the first meeting. And she perfectly well understood that Dumbledore's word is like a Bible for the Order. They don't question him, and most definitely they don't disobey him. She glanced at the Daily Prophet on her desk. It must've been Kingsley's. He would usually leave it on her desk when he read it because he wanted her to be in touch with everything. She saw anti-Dumbledore and anti-Harry propaganda, and it made her so mad. Those people were idiots. Fudge was an idiot, and he made all the other people idiots too.

And then she remembered Remus' lycanthropy, again. She flinched a bit. When she was younger, she was terrified of the werewolves, and the werewolf stories. When they learned about them in the Defence Against The Dark Arts, she couldn't sleep the next night. She always pictured them like really bulky, brawny blokes. And Remus Lupin was neither. He was just tall, and tired. Of course, she wasn't scared anymore. She was an Auror, for Merlin's sake. Moody thought her all the tricks how to potentially subdue the werewolf. But he advised her not to ever try it, only if really, really necessary. And she couldn't imagine doing that to Remus. He was so gentlemanly, and nice. How can he be a werewolf?

At that moment she decided she will definitely ask him some questions about it. Although, she didn't know when or how to open the topic. She just knew she will have to ask him, because her curiosity will kill her. If Dumbledore let him teach at Hogwarts, he obviously knows how to behave himself. Dumbledore was old, but his mind was the sharpest mind there was, and Tonks could never doubt his decision. She knew that the well-being of Hogwarts students is his top priority, and that he would never jeopardize them.

She thought about Remus for the rest of the day. When was he bitten? Where was he bitten? The scars on his face, and the small ones she saw on his arms were definitely not it. He went to Hogwarts, and Sirius became an illegal animagi to stay with him during the full moon. She was, again, a bit jealous to hear about the friendship like that. She wasn't sure that any of her school colleagues would dye their hair pink because of her, for instance. And that was nothing in comparison with what Sirius has done. The funny thing about this was that she didn't even notice how fast the time passed, while she was exploring her memories from the night before. It was 10 minutes before 3, and she was happy to see that. It meant her first Order task is beginning, and that she could finally prove herself as worthy. The last 10 minutes, however, took forever to pass. At 3 sharp, she grabbed her rucksack, and rushed out of the Office, and the Ministry. It took her exactly six minutes to get to the Grimmauld Place. She was again in front of the knobless door. "Let's do this," was her last thought before entering the house.

Gwen woke up with a slight headache, and she flinched because it wasn't the space she was used to. She rubbed her still sleepy eyes, and yawned. She looked around the room she was placed in, seeing it in the daylight for the first time. Wallpapers were in a terrible condition, but the hardwood furniture was as beautiful, and good as new. When she saw the Slytherin emblem on the wall, she remembered the one which used to hang over the fireplace in all of their houses. It was her father's, and it was the same as this one.

"Of course," she thought, wiggling out of the bed. She didn't even know what time it is, and she didn't notice a clock in the room. She didn't have any other clothes to change, and she really needed to use the bathroom. She exited the pale looking room, and looked around her. The house was so quiet, and empty, even though it now had three residents. She figured that the room next to her's was Sirius' by the sign on the door, and prayed that the other door was a bathroom. And it was. It was small, and mouldy, but the tub, the basin, and the toilet were squeaky clean. She scoffed at that, knowing it was the work of Remus Lupin since Sirius was incapable of cleaning it the Muggle way, and most surely didn't know cleaning spells.

She decided to try and find them. She didn't have a clue where Remus slept, and she was still feeling bad for him leaving because of her. She noticed the library's door open, but no one was in there. The door of the room next to it were open, too, and by the things she saw from the doorstep, she figured that must've been Remus' room. She descended slowly, and heard voices silently coming from the ground floor. The silence was broken with Sirius' bark laughter. She wasn't so slow anymore, but the sight of shrunken house-elf heads made her feel so uncomfortable. She was bare feet, and she felt her feet getting dirty, but she didn't care. With a hippie mother, she spent a lot of time bare feet.

She reached the dining room, and found both Sirius and Remus sitting there, having a cup of tea. When she entered, both of the men turned towards her. She knew how Sirius looked like in every light, and time of the day, but Remus looked even more tired, and ill than yesterday. His tired face was lightened up with a small smile he gave her.

"Good morning, sleepy head! You surely did your beauty sleep," Sirius said with his famous grin. "Sit with us, have a cup of tea. Do you know Remus here makes the best tea in the whole wide world?"

"Oh really? Then I can't refuse," she reached the chair that was on Sirius' left. He sat in his usual place, and Remus was on his right, like usual. Remus stood up at once, and said calmly.

"Coming right up. But I'm not really sure it's the best tea in the world."

"Let me decide! I did my fair share of travelling," Gwen said, feeling relieved with both of them so relaxed around her.

"I don't know why you got up, Moony, you're a wizard for Merlin's sake. Use the power!"

"Spoken like a true Black," Remus scoffed at him as he was coming back, and handed the mug to Gwen. "You alright? I must say I'm surprised by how long you've slept."

"I'm fine, a bit sore, but fine. And again, I'm sorry for intruding. I know this one doesn't mind," she pointed with her thumb at Sirius, but her eyes were fixed on Remus. "But I've put you out of place. And I blurted out your… condition? I'm sorry, I don't know how to address it…"

"Furry little problem," Sirius said, interrupting her. "And thank Merlin you did because he would never do it straight ahead like that."

"I wouldn't, but you don't have to apologise for anything, Gwen. It's nothing I'm not used to, and your safety is obviously important. Don't feel sorry for me. And about my condition, you can call it whatever you want. There is no way of saying it to sound any better, or worse than it is."

Gwen felt blood coming to her cheeks. She felt like she was at Hogwarts, listening to some professor. The mug in her hands was warm, and she took a sip of her tea.

"Mmmm… this really is the best tea I had in a long, long time," she tried to change the subject. She felt too uncomfortable. "What time is it?"

"Almost noon. You really did your share of sleeping," Sirius said, and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, but wasn't sure what he wanted. Remus stood up again, picking up the empty mugs.

"I'll be in the library. There is a really stubborn boggart there, and I can't stand it anymore," Remus said nervously, twitched a bit, and left the room. Sirius' hand was still on Gwen's shoulder, and she was now looking at him annoyed.

"I'm fine. It wasn't a fair fight, otherwise they wouldn't stand a chance against me," she said, and Sirius was surprised how she knew what was he thinking.

"You're really self-confident, you know?" He said, removing his hand.

"I know, but I know what I'm capable of so I have a right to be."

"Fair point. I won't ask you again about it. So, how did you like your room?"

"It's a bit too Slytherinish for my taste, but the bed is really comfortable. Your room is right next to it, right?"

"Yes," Sirius said, and lowered his look. He hated the house. Every single bit of it.

"I know you hate it in here, but I think we can make this place liveable. It just needs some thorough cleaning. So Remus and I will take care of it, I guess."

"Oh, ha ha ha," Sirius fake laughed, but it ended up with a real laugh.

"So what is this place? Why is it so secret? I figured it's protected with Fidelius?" She knew perfectly well what this house used to be. She was never in there, but she knew it was the Black house, the famous one.

"It was my parents house… And they died, and forgot to change the will, so it's mine now. I offered it to be the Headquarters."

"Headquarters of what? Lonely wizarding hobos who were in too much danger?" She tried to make him smile because his face was now without any expression. She hated that. He looked like he just saw a Dementor, and he spent way too much time with them. He deserved to laugh, and smile.

"Hah, almost. I guess you will find out sooner or later if you're going to live here. The Headquarters of the Order of the Pheonix. It's a secret organization. Guess who's the leader?"

"I would put all my father's fortune on Dumbledore," she took another sip of the tea. It really was delicious.

"And you would win. Our main goal is to get Voldemort," Sirius noticed Gwen flinch at the sound of the name. "Sorry. Habit." He apologised.

"It's fine. So this is it? Who's in it?" Gwen was still fascinated by how good Sirius looked, even after spending 12 years in Azkaban. Like he did some super magic to prevent himself from turning into a lump of grey skin, hair, and bones.

"Well, you've met Tonks. She is my cousin…"

"I know," Gwen blurted, and regretted it immediately. Sirius looked suspicious, but decided to let it slide. He got used to her knowing things about him he never told her.

"Remus, me… And your best friend Sni… I'm sorry, Severus." He noticed her look, and stopped himself at the right time.

"Severus is not my… Oh forget it, you wouldn't understand. So, I guess I knew exactly where to go," Gwen said, giving up on her tries to make Sirius at least civil to Snape.

"Yes, you're one really fascinating woman, Gwendolyn Doherty," he said and winked at her.

They talked some more, mostly about Sirius' memories from the first war. Gwen was away, and didn't really know what was going on here. Her mother left her in vague on purpose, and Gwen didn't mind at the given time. But now, she wished she knew more. When she finished her tea, she decided to have a bath. Sirius teased her about wearing his Gryffindor clothes, and even suggested her to take some of his mother's clothes, which were hideous. When she was done with her bath, he found Remus cooking them lunch. It was some kind of a stew, and she was quite hungry, so she was a bit impatient. While Remus was cooking, Sirius and Gwen got rid of the doxies in one of the bedrooms on the second floor. They had a nice lunch, and Gwen really liked both of their company. Sirius was loud, someone who you would notice from miles away, and Remus was quiet, but witty and sarcastic. She liked him picking on Sirius, and she couldn't remember when she laughed that hard. They sat in the drawing room, talking about nothing and everything when Tonks interrupted them.

"Wotcher, everyone," Tonks stood a bit nervous on the doorstep. They heard some noise before, but blamed the boggarts. In fact, that was Tonks' tripping over the umbrella stand. Again. They all greeted her in unison, which made Tonks laugh.

"Have you been practicing that since I've left?" Tonks sat next to Gwen, who was sitting on the same couch Tonks did yesterday.

"No, but we just couldn't wait for you to join us," Sirius said grinning. "New look? I liked the pink better."

"Well, business first, fun later. My hair is no exception," Tonks started searching her rucksack. She definitely brought a bunch of useless things with her.

"Spoken like true Mad-Eye disciple," Remus commented under his breath, but all of them understood him. Tonks gave him a sassy look, but didn't answer.

"Here it is," she said, pulling out the dress out of her rucksack. "I brought this for you. I guess it will fit you better than this, Gryffindor, merch," she emphasised Gryffindor mockingly, imitating the Sorting hat. Both Sirius and Remus lifted an eyebrow at her, but she ignored them, and handed the dress to Gwen.

"Wow… That's really thoughtful, Tonks, thank you," Gwen hugged Tonks, who was a bit surprised by the hug, but which Hufflepuff doesn't like hugs? "Let me change, and grab my wand, and we can be on our way."

Gwen left the room on her toes, gracefully, like she was floating.

"Wow, she really is something," Tonks said, looking at Gwen leaving.

"You tell me, I spent two weeks at her house. She is weird, but not bad weird. More like… interesting weird," Sirius commented.

"And what will you two do today?" she asked the men in front of her. Sirius looked at Remus, waiting for his answer.

"Well, we could do some cleaning, and I will be out by 9, I guess," Remus said, lowering his look. He didn't want to discuss his lycanthropy now, and he was too tense. He breathed deeply, trying to remain calm.

"Oh… But the full moon is not until tomorrow, right?" Tonks blurted, figuring she probably should be a bit more considerate.

"You're right. But I feel it earlier, so it's better for me to keep my distance."

"You don't really look dangerous…" she stopped herself at once, thinking how she should really put some filter on herself.

"Well, you should see him transformed then," Sirius said, frogging Remus, who wasn't amused. "He's really scary!"

"No she shouldn't…" Remus voice was now a bit louder, and huskier. He couldn't hide him being so nervous. Tonks figured he is not comfortable, and regretted her words immediately. She thought about how inconsiderate Sirius was. He should really pick his words better.

"So, I guess I'll see you when we come back, then," she said, as she saw Gwen descending on the stairs. "Take care, boys. I would say not to make a mess, but could you really tell in this house?"

She winked at them, and joined Gwen on the doorstep. Gwen waved to Remus and Sirius, without a word, and headed towards the front door. It was really nice, warm and sunny summer day.

"Apparition? Or have you had something else in mind?" Gwen asked Tonks.

"Yes, it's easiest. Together, or apart?"

"I would prefer if you do it. It makes me nauseous to lead, and I'm still sore from yesterday," Gwen said and grabbed Tonks' arm.

"Then hold tight."

In a matter of seconds they were in front of the Three Broomsticks. Tonks loved Hogsmeade, and took a deep breath.

"I love it here. Where is your house?"

"Follow me," Gwen said, and Tonks obeyed. However, she took a good look at her surroundings. There was barely anyone in the streets. After all, it was summer.

"So, you're new here, or you're one of the old residents?"

"Well, both. I lived here as a girl, and moved back a few years ago. You see, I travelled a lot before. And before moving back, I lived in the Muggle world. Like a Muggle."

"What? Really? You can do that?" Tonks was surprised, and looked at Gwen waiting for an answer. Gwen smiled at her.

"Really, and you can. But I came back, I guess a witch can't just stop being what she is."

"Why did you come back?"

"Love. Well, mostly. My heart got broken, and my mother died in a matter of months after that."

"Sorry to hear about your mother… And your heart."

"Thanks… But you know, they say heart can heal, and I feel like after that mine just became stone like," Gwen said, as they strolled past the shops, getting closer to her house.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I fell in love with someone. And he loved me back," Gwen said with a small smile on her face. "But he couldn't handle the truth about me being a witch… So I obliviated him, and left. Better for him not to remember me, than to live disappointed."

"Oh…" Tonks didn't know what to say. She was never really in love with someone. She had some crushes, but it wasn't anything serious. "Well, men are a bunch of pathetic sods, anyway."

Gwen laughed at that.

"I'll ask you what you think about that when you fall in love, Tonks. Oh, what is your first name? I remember you went by Tonks even in Hogwarts."

"It's Nymphadora. Even more pathetic than men, really. And don't call me like that. Ever."

"Okay, it's too long anyway." Gwen accepted Tonks' game, and Tonks appreciated it. "So you're an Auror?"

"Yes, trained by none other than Alastor Moody."

"Hah, that's funny considering he put my father in Azkaban," Gwen spat, and realised it sounded like she hated Moody, not her father. "I'm sorry, I'm still bitter about my father being a Death Eater, I guess."

"Your father was a Death Eater?" Tonks asked, even though she already knew the truth. She didn't want to seem like she did full on investigation of Gwen's life.

"Yes," Gwen answered the question shortly. She figured Moody must've told her already, but appreciated her attempt at pretending like she doesn't know.

"So you think that's connected to the attack on you? Did you see who attacked you?"

"Yes, and no. I recognised that awful Yaxley, but the other two I don't know."

"I hate Yaxley, he looks like the broom is stuck in his arse all the time. And he smells funny," Tonks' face turned into a grimace, and Gwen laughed. Her laughter was soft, and decadent. It reminded Tonks of her mother. Andromeda had the grace of a noble house of Black, and she couldn't deny it. And Tonks saw a bit of that in Gwen too.

"Well… I agree completely," Gwen said, and pointed at her house. "Here we are."

"Wow, I never noticed that house before."

"Because I didn't tell you about it. It's a Durmstrang magic. Quite handy."

They entered Gwen's house, and Tonks was amazed with all the shiny stuff on the shelves. She didn't even notice Gwen using her abilities of wandless and non-verbal magic to make her suitcase fill itself, and flow near the entrance.

"Well, I guess my clothes is all set," Gwen said, and Tonks flinched.

"You're fast."

"Well, with clothes yes. However, I won't leave the house without my essentials for brewing, so please wait here."

"Will do!" Tonks said, greeting her in a military way, with two fingers on her temple.

Gwen left the room, and headed to the basement. She will just take everything with her. Her potions, and potion making equipment were priceless to her. She couldn't leave them. At the same time, Tonks was looking around the living room. She noticed a bunch of photos, all taken on the 8th of August, but different years. The shelves in the living room were filled with books. "True Ravenclaw," Tonks thought. She heard a noise from the basement, but decided to not go in there. If Gwen wanted her there, she would call out. Tonks figured that 8th of August was Gwen's birth date, and kept looking at the photos and books.

It took about ten minutes for Gwen to get everything from her potions room. Thank God for the Undetectable Extension charm. Everything fitted in a small handbag. Gwen took one last glance at the room, and realised she forgot about her prophecies. She stuffed them in the bag too, and met Tonks in the living room again. She noticed her staring at the photos, so she took one.

"This is my mother, you see," Gwen explained. "She comes from sort of Bulgarian royalty. Well, not really royalty, but quite noble."

"She was beautiful. And who are they? Your sister?" Tonks pointed at the photo of Polly and Brianna. Gwen smiled sadly.

"You could say that," she took that photo too, and stuffed them in the same bag with her potions equipment.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm being nosy… I don't really have a filter, and I almost always blurt something stupid, or uncomfortable."

"Don't be so dramatic. That was my best friend, and her daughter." Gwen explained, hoping Tonks won't ask more questions.

"Oh… You said was?" Tonks, however, couldn't stand her curiosity.

"Well… they are dead. Both of them. The Death Eaters…" Gwen sighed. Tonks felt uncomfortable at once, seeing Gwen's face.

"Okay, I'm really a dumb twat, and can't take a hint. It's better for us to leave, because few more questions, and you might hex me into Oblivion."

"It's okay. I guess now when I'm part of all this craziness, I shouldn't be so… secretive." Gwen said, but something outside of the house caught her eye. It was Yaxley, strolling into the village. He couldn't see her house, but maybe he learned where it was. Tonks turned, and she noticed him too.

"Give me a second," Tonks morphed her face not to resemble her. "He can't recognise me, wish I could do the same for you."

"Why? You think he can get me? Pfft, I know things not even Moody knows about, and he caught me off guard yesterday. And I have you with me. I'm not afraid of him." Gwen crossed her arms on her chest, looking bold, confident, and proud. Almost like she was a Slytherin prefect. Tonks made a face of approving.

"Alright, let's get out of here then," Tonks said, and figured how excited she sounded.

"Right, but we won't be apparating back. I have something here I really adore, and I won't ever leave it unsupervised."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's just leave Hogsmeade, and I'll show you." Gwen said, and grabbed a small box from the book case. They left the house, and saw Yaxley strolling down the street, with his back turned.

"Let's go this way," Gwen said, but as soon as they turned, Tonks felt something happened, so she looked behind. She saw Yaxley on the ground.

"Gwen… I don't want to panic, but Yaxley is…"

"Unconcious, and he will be for the next three or four hours. Sorry, I know this was stupid, but I couldn't help myself."

"What did you do?"

"I just stupefied him really hard," Gwen now looked at Tonks mischievously, and Tonks was impressed.

"You're really good with wandless and non-verbal magic. It scares me a bit." Tonks said jokingly.

"You shouldn't be scared. I wouldn't use it on you. You're nice. I can help you master it if you want. I can't imagine Moody letting you become an Auror if you're not good at it."

"Hmm… Well that is the idea. We'll definitely talk about that later."

They walked for about 20 minutes. They talked about their usual lives, nothing special. Suddenly they found themselves in the Muggle village which was nearby.

"Perfect. Now…" Gwen opened a box, and pulled out a small black model of a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette. She waved her hand, and the car grew until it became normal, full-sized car. Tonks was confused, surprised, and impressed. This woman really was interesting.

"Hop in," Gwen put her bags in the trunk, and took the driver seat. Tonks took the passenger's, and was still stunned and speechless. Gwen read her face, and couldn't leave her wondering like that

"It was my mother's. It was the only gift from my father she kept. He bought it while we lived in New York."

"Wow… Don't get me wrong, but you're full of surprises."

"If you think this is a surprise, I can't wait to see your face when we get on the road."

"What do you mean? We have a long way to go?"

"It works similar as the Knight bus, and it could fly. I would say that we'll be at London sooner thatn you think."

"Oh…" Tonks was really surprised by everything Gwen owned, or said to her.

"I guess I do owe you some filling of the gaps," she started the car, and they drove from the village. On their way back to London, Gwen told Tonks most of her story. Even though it was the shorter version of the one she said to Sirius. She left out the parts which were too painful for her to repeat. Tonks was impressed, but understood more now. Tonks shared some things about herself, too. She liked Gwen. She was warm, and funny, even though she was so closed as a person. Tonks didn't want to pry, but figured it was because her heart was broken so many times by so many people. She let Gwen talk about herself. And Tonks then promised to herself that she will at least try to be Gwen's friend. And Gwen thought about the same thing for Tonks.

I know I said someone will be joining us in this chapter, but I decided to make two out of one... And the next one will be in a few days, so patience my loves! Thank you for all the lovely messages and reviews :3

I decided that Tonks really needs a female friend, so here is Gwen!

And what will happen in the next chapter?

Some Sirius and Severus drama for sure! What is Snape up to? Is Gwen really better at potions than him?

Someone will join us, but who? :)

What happened with our favourite werewolf?

And who will be paired for missions on the next Order meeting?

All of that and much more is coming, so stay tuned, and don't forget to review, or just let me know what you think!

xx