6th of August 1995

The day of Harry's transfer came, and Tonks was eager for some real field work. She didn't mind the nights she spent with Remus on a stakeout, but she wanted something more exciting. And, he is joining this Advance Guard mission, so she'll see him anyway, and there is an Order meeting afterwards, followed by Molly's dinner. Tonks was really excited to meet Harry. She liked all the children that occupied the Headquarters, and Remus and Sirius spoke only very best about Harry. And, as a real Auror, she wanted to meet the only person who survived the killing curse. She was just getting ready, and she decided to make her hair short and violet today. Her hair was now different with every time she stepped into Grimmauld Place, and Remus noticed all of the changes.

Tonks entered Grimmauld Place in a really good mood, carrying her broom over her shoulder. She tripped, and accidentally hit old Walburga's portrait with the broom. The portrait screeched, and screamed, until Sirius came to rescue.

"Oh will you shut up? I will set this house on fire along with you in it, as soon as I don't need it anymore, I swear," Sirius gasped, while they pulled the curtains to cover the portrait.

"Wotcher, Sirius," Tonks said embarrassed. To be honest, she, Sirius and Remus were the people who Walburga mostly cursed. Abomination, blood traitor, and a half-breed; those were the nicknames she generously provided for them.

"Hi, Tonks. Moony is waiting for you in the drawing room. Mad-Eye asked not to meet here, so get him for more information," Sirius said with a frustration in his voice. He was frustrated with not being able to help in any other way than stay out of everyone's way.

"Thanks, Sirius," Tonks said, and saw the flinch on his face. "We'll bring Harry here safely, alright? I promise you that! I get that you maybe don't trust Moody, or the Order, but trust me. And Remus."

Sirius nodded, but haven't said anything. He appreciated her words.

"Where is Gwen? She's usually the one at the door," Tonks asked, looking down the hallway.

"She has a study session with Hermione, and Ginny. I thought of joining, but when I hear her talking about potion making, all I see is Snape floating with his cloak, his ugly face all over the place," Sirius twitched, and Tonks frowned.

"Well, I guess that her potion skills are as high as they are because of him, so we can at least be grateful, right?" Tonks smiled, and went to find Remus. She didn't like Snape, but Gwen told her about how many times he helped her, so Tonks grew some respect for him. However, she was still resenting him that he outed Remus' condition, forcing him to quit the job he liked, and was surely brilliant at.

She found Remus curled up in an armchair. He looked peaceful, and so focused on the book he was reading. This was the cosiest he ever looked, but the effects of the coming full moon were visible. His eyes were bloodshot, and the dark circles were more darker on his now paler skin. Tonks never thought to catch him this relaxed, but he didn't flinch much.

"Hi, Tonks," he said, uncurling himself, and placing the book on the coffee table. "Talk to me while I gather my things, right?"

It became their thing. When she came for a mission, she would tail him, and talk about her day while he gathered the things he found useful.

"Well, Kingsley was pretty tense at work, and Scrimgeour gave us a bunch of his so-called homework," she rolled her eyes at the thought of that, and Remus noticed that with the corner of his eye, thinking about how cute she is rolling her eyes. "But I have a day off tomorrow, so, It's not all that bad, I guess. And you? I've never seen you so…" she did some funny body movement, imitating the pose she found him in. He smiled under his breath when he saw her.

"I get really uncomfortable before the full moon. Weirdly enough, that was the only way to feel comfortable in this body," he moved his torso, looking like he is in pain, as he picked up his coat, and a wand.

"Are you sure you're okay? We have a long flight in front of us," she said, biting her lip nervously, looking his tired face. She didn't doubt his skills, she was worried about his well-being.

"I'm alright, I look worse than I feel, actually," he said brightly, and that surprised Tonks. "I mean, my body is feeling it, but I don't feel… off." His tone changed, as he stood in front of her, and looked her straight in her eyes.

"Gwen really knows what she's doing," Tonks said. Because of some unknown reason she felt relaxed as soon as she looked him in his eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, but they looked calm.

"I can't argue with that. Shall we?" he let her go in front of him, as he grabbed Sirius' old broom. It was old, but in good shape and it will definitely serve its purpose. Tonks left her broom at the entrance, because she was afraid she will knock some of those hideous elves' heads off the shelves, just like she woke Walburga. Sirius waited for them, looking nervous, but he knew that now he simply must wait for them to get back. With Harry. He stood in front of the front door, and took a deep breath.

"This is it," he said trying to remain calm, but his voice shook a bit. "Don't mess it up. Get him here safely."

"We will, Padfoot, I already told you that," Remus said, patted his best friend's shoulder, and opened the door, waiting for Tonks to get out first. She stood for a second, and then hugged Sirius hard. He stood there frozen for a second, when she protested.

"Hug me back, tosser!"

And he did. Remus was watching them, and felt warm. Because the craziest idea was on his mind. That Tonks was hugging him like that. He didn't even notice when Tonks skipped by him, carrying her broom. He gave Sirius a worried smile, and left.

"You ready?" she said, mounting her broom, with a strange spark in her eyes, shining like a brightest star.

Remus mounted his broom, feeling a bit sick. To be honest, he never liked flying with a broom. He was good at it, but he didn't like it. His head used to hurt like hell after every flying lesson, and he read in some books that it's, of course, because of his lycanthropy. It was kind of obvious. Who saw a wolf on a broomstick? No one ever.

"Ladies first," he looked at her, giving her a shy smile, and she returned with a devilish one, as she took off.

7th of August 1995

Gwen was nowhere to be seen during the Order's meeting, and she didn't even go out of the cellar for dinner. Molly sent Ginny for her, but she refused. Why? Because she messed up one of Remus' potions, and now she had to brew two others. She couldn't just redo the one she messed up because it needed some time to be perfect. And you can't stop the full moon. She was nervous, and frustrated with herself, and blamed Sirius for it. Since he took her main potions set, she worked on her spare one, and he didn't give her any ingredients, so she had Snape sent them to her. Being so focused, she became completely oblivious of what was happening in the house.

When she finally got up in the dining room, there were only two people sitting in the long room. Remus and Tonks shared a box of chocolates, and a cup of tea. They didn't even notice Gwen walking in, so she looked at them for a second. Tonks laughed so naturally, and Remus looked tired, but she could almost see the sparks in his eyes shining like stars. She was wondering does anybody else see that, or is it only her.

"Hey, Remus, Tonks," she said quietly, quite confused. She wasn't even sure what time it was. She never looked at the clock while making potions. She just knew when it was ready, and when to do the next step, or add new ingredient. Like a little clock inside her head, telling her what to do.

"Wotcher, Gwen, I thought you ran away," Tonks looked at her smiling. "Sit with us?"

"Where is… Well, everybody?" She asked, looking at the clock hanging on the wall. It was half past midnight. "Oh my…"

"Gwen, I know what you're doing down there, and you really don't have to… Breathe a little," Remus said kindly. "Everything went well, I think Harry must be asleep by now. Sirius too. He had one too many glasses of firewhiskey to celebrate that Harry's here."

Gwen stood in front of them, widening her eyes. She forgot about Harry.

"I'm such an idiot…" she said and rushed from the room, on her toes bare feet. She ran up the stairs like a wind. She didn't know where Harry is but that was not important now. She felt bad she wasn't there for Sirius while he waited for Harry. And the meeting was tonight… She cursed herself as she reached the fourth floor, and opened Sirius room a bit too abruptly. The room was dark, and the candles were off, but she noticed the shape of Sirius laying in the bed, snoring silently.

Gwen closed the door and rush by his side. She looked at him for a second. He really slept like he didn't have anything to worryabout, when he had everything to worry about. But she had to wake him up. She kneeled by his bed, placing her arms and her head on the mattress.

"Sirius, wake up," she whispered softly, and nudged him a little. But he was still asleep, and now she smelled the liquor on his breath. "Sirius!"

He opened his eyes at once, and looked straight into her, not even flinching.

"If you changed your mind about me seeing your underwear, you could come before I fell asleep," his voice was husky, and sleepy. He laid on his stomach, lifting himself on his elbows.

"Are you alright now?" she asked, ignoring what he just said. She just can't joke like that.

"I am, but if you let me…"

"Stop it. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you today. I'm such a mess… I tried to fix the potion for Moony, and I lost track of time…"

"Oi, don't worry, mhm? Everyhing's alright, and Snape was asking for you, but didn't want to come to get you," Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. He was a bit embarrassed because he was naked under his sheets, and even though she saw him naked, he felt uncomfortable being butt naked and aware of it in front of her.

"It'll never happen again, I promise," she said softly.

"Right, right, can I sleep now?" he asked as his head fell on the pillow again.

"I'm sorry I woke you… I felt terrible, and I had to apologise," she lowered her look and stared at the mattress now.

"'ey, don't worry about that, believe me if I really needed you I would come and get you. You know how needy I can be," he pinched her cheek, and she slapped him softly on his biceps.

"Good night, Sirius," she stood up, and walked towards the door. Now she needs to search the house to see if maybe this boy Potter is awake.

"Oi, Gwen," Sirius called out, and she turned to look at him in the dark room, now enlighten with the candle light coming from the hallway. "How can you promise something like that? What if we're apart? You haven't thought of the details, Brainy." He teased her, and when he wanted to point out that she's a Ravenclaw, he called her Brainy.

"That's easy. I'll always find you," she said, and left the room.

He descended down to the third floor. Remus' room was open so that meant he's still in the dining room with Tonks. The other bedroom there was opened too. She saw the lights on in the library, so she peeked through half-opened door. Harry was in there, looking at some books. He was looking so distracted. And that meant he felt safe, because his guard was completely down.

"Oh, hi there, Harry," she said, entering the library. The boy looked confused at her, but when he saw the colour of her hair, he knew who she was. Sirius told him about one of his roommates, and he spoke fondly about Gwen. For a second, Harry thought about how familiar she looks. Like he knew her.

"Hi," he said, trying to remain calm. "And you are?" Harry decided to play like he doesn't know anything about her. She wasn't at the meeting, or the dinner, so she wasn't familiar to him enough to get comfortable.

"I'm Gwen," she approached him, and stretched her arm. Harry noticed her nails being painted in black, and that her hands looked like she never did anything in her life. Somehow, Harry wondered why her hands are so nice, and Snape's just aren't. They shook hands, and Gwen gave Harry a small smile.

"Oh, you're Sirius' roommate? And Remus'?" he asked, wanting her to talk more, and not asking him anything.

"Yes, in a really strange circumstances, I became their roommate," Gwen sat on the couch, inviting Harry to sit. He did, and was surprised by her. He couldn't figure what was she up to.

"Let's be honest here, okay?" Gwen asked him, and Harry nodded. "Right. Well, you're not playing me with acting oblivious. I know Sirius told you about me… Look, I know how smart, and talented you are, and I want you to know I'm completely on your side. I'm not part of the Order. I help around, but I'm not part of it. But I'm on your side because…"

Harry looked at her surprised. She basically talked like she could read his mind. And he was suddenly asking himself if that's possible.

"You're not the only one who lost a family because of You-Know-Who. He didn't kill my parents, sure, but in a way he did. And believe me, if I can help in any way with getting him, I will help you."

"Right," Harry said surprised, but Gwen felt and looked honest. And Sirius believed her. So he should too, right?

"Now when we got that straight, I want to see that map those two quacks are bragging about," Gwen smiled at Harry broadly, and he returned her smile, summoning the Marauder's map from his suitcase. They stayed at the library, and talked some more. After a while, Harry felt more relaxed, and he now understood why Sirius talked so nicely about her.

8th of August 1995

It was half past 2 in the morning of Gwen's birthday. The broken window handle was swinging in the air coming from the open window. The pitchy noise woke Gwen up. She went to bed earlier, so she can at least postpone the fuss Molly will make because it's her birthday. But Gwen played that tactically. She asked Ginny to tell her mother not to do anything grand, so Molly agreed on making a cake, and maybe a bit fancier dinner than usual. Gwen agreed on that. It was a compromise, even though she didn't want it. She rolled on the fresh cotton linens, wearing a dark red babydoll set. She stood up to close the window, so that maybe she could fall asleep again. When she closed the window the room fell silent. She curled on her bed, and fell soundly asleep.

On the other side of the wall, Sirius slept like a baby. He felt really calm since Harry was there, even with his hearing, and all that drama. He knew that Dumbledore won't let Harry get expelled, and Dumbledore assured him of that. His sleep was interrupted when silent screams woke him up. A woman's screams. Not too loud, but loud enough. He wasn't sure what was happening. He sat on his bed, listening carefully. Remus and Tonks were on their mission, and he couldn't possibly hear girls or Molly. Gwen. Sirius darted from his bed, and entered Gwen's room only to find her shaking on her bed, half asleep.

"Gwen, wake up, it's just a dream! Wake up!" As he kneeled by her bed, he used her wand to light up the candles. She wasn't sleeping. It must've been her vision. Sirius' eyes widened, and he was petrified. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, or how to help her. He just stared at her, and in a second, she was looking at him. Completely conscious.

"Sirius…"

"Was it…"

"I think it… Ah!" she blinked hard, and started to rub her temples. "Yes, it definitely was. Did you…"

"No, I came here at the end, I guess… Do you need anything?"

"No, no," she waved her hand, and two vials came out of her suitcase, right in her hand. She drank both of them instantly, shook her head, and sat on her bed. Sirius was steel kneeling on the floor, looking at her carefully. She looked fresh. Her hair was loose, long and curly, and her eyes sparkled like stars.

"I'm fine, don't look at me like that, please," she asked him.

"Can you walk?" he asked her, completely not planning it.

"Yes, why?"

He stood up, and offered her his hand. She took it, and he helped her get out of the bed. Her night attire wasn't see-through, but it was provocative in a way. He felt uncomfortable, like she shouldn't look at her, but he couldn't help himself. He was a man after all. And she was a good-looking woman.

"Please, put something over yourself," he said, and couldn't believe he just said that. She looked at him a bit embarrassed, and put on a long, black silk robe. He grabbed her hand again, and they walked out of the room. He led her to the bookcase standing in a hallway.

"Pick your favourite book," he said, and let her hand at once. He looked at her curiously. She smiled at the sight of books. Those were both Muggle and Wizard books. Brilliant. But, she picked the Muggle book. The Stranger by Albert Camus with dark green leather hardback. But as soon as she touched the book, the bookcase became transparent. She looked surprised at Sirius, who gestured her to walk through it. And she did, followed by him. When she entered the secret room behind the bookcase she saw her potions set placed in the centre of the room, walls were full with various ingredients, and her utensils were shining on the cabinet. It wasn't much, but it was something that made her heart melt. She looked at Sirius confused.

"Well, I figured you'd like a place for your experiments, potions eh, and I remembered this room. Of course, there were no Muggle books here before, but… Well…"

"This is… Wow!" Gwen placed her hands on her mouth. She felt so happy because she wasn't so pleased with making potions in her room, and the cellar was too dark, and it smelled rotten. Her wasn't so dark because she charmed the ceiling, and it definitely didn't smell so rotten.

"It's not like your place at Hogsmeade, but at least it's not boiling in your room." Sirius smiled at her, and she jumped in his hug. This time Sirius didn't need to be told, so he hugged her back briefly.

"It's… Everything I would want, definitely," she said, forgetting about her vision, and a nightmare she had before it.

"Well, I wanted to tell you sooner, but when you decided to deviate from our Remus and Tonks plan, I wanted to make you wait out of pure spite," he said mockingly. "And Remus helped me to the point we found aconite. It almost made him throw up. Quite funny seeing him green!"

"You don't understand. They both like the way that is now. If we make them work together every night, like you proposed, it won't be good. Tonks would be too exhausted, for first, and maybe they would get bored with each other. This way, they definitely won't. And as I said, they love working together." Gwen said, explaining herself. "And don't ever touch my set again, thank you!"

"I made you fail a potion," he stuck out his tongue at her.

"And I made two others," she stuck her tongue out too, and they shared a laugh.

"Happy birthday, Gwen," he pinched her cheek, and gave her a small peck.

"Thank you!" she smiled warmly at him. "And thank you for this."

They left the secret room, and Sirius stood on the doorstep of his room now, looking at Gwen.

"So I…"

"A moment, please. Do you think I could borrow Hedwig to send Sev a message? We should know what happened in the vision," Gwen said determined, and Sirius wasn't happy because that meant that Snape will come over again.

"I guess not, but shouldn't we use the Patronuses?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"No, Sev told me not to do that because I might be revealed in front of the Death Eaters. You know, if they know the shape…"

"I don't know the shape of your Patronus," Sirius stated, just sharing this thought. He didn't know how her Patornus looked alike. And he knew the Patronuses of all the Order. "But I guess you could use Hedwig."

"Right," Gwen skipped down the stairs, looking like flying. She moved so gracefully, and her robes danced around her body, and the ending tickled her ankles. She wrote a short note – See you at five. Hedwig was reluctant to take the letter to Snape, but eventually she gave up and flew away. Gwen came back in her room, but she felt strange when she laid down. She rolled for a half an hour when, she heard Sirius' door opening, and closing. What is he doing? She didn't have to wait long for an answer, as Sirius entered her room.

"Awake?" he asked.

"Come in," she invited him.

"I thought if you…" he felt awkward. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, but he saw she's still not quite right. Maybe she needed to talk, or just not be alone.

"Stay here with me, will you?" she interrupted him like she was reading his mind.

"Okay, but I won't sleep in a same bed with you."

Gwen frowned, and laughed under her breath, trying not to burst into laughter.

"Gwen, I'm not joking now. Only if…" he turned into a dog in a second, and climbed her bed. He placed himself a little lower than her, curled up, and squealed a few times. He left her speechless again. But she patted him on his head, and fell back to bed. Both of them fell asleep quite shortly after that. Even in the house full of people, they felt alone for a second before, and now they weren't. Making falling asleep quite easier.

Meanwhile, Remus and Tonks were sitting on a cushions, sharing a bar of chocolate, and drinking tea from the thermos Tonks so thoughtfully provided. It became their thing too, sharing a chocolate and drinking tea. Tonks always drank the fruity one, and Remus herbal ones. Tonks hair was now black with neon blue tips. She looked older with darker colours, and Remus liked bright ones better. Pink, especially.

The night after they brought Harry in the Headquarters, Tonks slept there too. They stayed up talking, and playing Muggle card games until almost 3 in the morning. It was the time Remus would most likely wake up, not still be awake. But he wasn't sleepy at all, he wanted to spend some time with her, and he let her cheat purposely, acting like he doesn't see her doing so. She grinned mischievously, and he would let her cheat ten more times, just to see her smile like that. But the morning after that was kind of embarrassing since Tonks did the most Tonksian thing ever. Fell.

It was almost 10 in the morning, and Tonks just walked out of the shower. Her bed in this house wasn't as comfy as the one in her apartment, but she never liked apparating while tired, because she would always apparate too far away, and the walking made her even more tired. Gwen usually let her borrow some of her clothes, and as much as they weren't Tonks' style at all, she managed to find some pieces that fit her right. She even thought about bringing some of her own clothes there, so that she could have something new to wear when she sleeps over.

While she was wiping herself with a towel, she figured she forgot the clean clothes. Of course. She wrapped herself in a towel, and tried to leave the bathroom. But the door was stuck and she couldn't open it. Great. Just what she needed. To be naked, and stuck. As she pryed the door with her weight, Remus was just passing by, and he heard her attempts. But as soon as he reached for the handle, something warm, damp, and pink landed onto his chest. Again.

"Oh my God…" she muttered, when she figured what just happened.

"Are you alright?" he asked, straightening her up, holding her by her upper arms. Her skin was so soft, and she smelled so fresh. Like a field of flowers. He saw her cheeks turning red, and at that moment he figured. She's naked. Wrapped in a towel. In front of him. And she was pressed to him just a second ago. Naked. In a towel.

"Yes… I… Um… Can we talk? Like after I fall from the face of this world out of embarrassment?" she said, and darted into her room, closing the door too harshly. She looked at herself in the mirror, and saw that her cheeks are pink just like her hair. And she went to take a shower with blue hair. When did that happen? How could she ever talk to Remus after falling on him. Again. This time naked, and soaked.

Remus, however, stood in a hallway for a half of a minute. He was trying to comprehend what just happened. And he was surprised by himself. The full moon was in three days, and naturally, he would firstly notice that Tonks is naked, not worrying about her well-being. But no, he wanted to know she's okay first. And he didn't even notice that she was naked while she was practically falling into his arms. The arms which caught her once before. He was struck by the fact that a young, beautiful woman just fell into his arms, and the first thing he looked at were her eyes. Which he saw for a second, because she was embarrased. But he felt kind of embarrassed too. Because she thought about her in a way he never expected to.

They were now sitting, eating, and chatting, when Tonks decided to overcome her embarrassement.

"So… About this morning, I got stuck, and I…" she felt the rush of blood on her cheeks again. Why does she keep blushing like that?

"Oh… I was looking to fix that door, but I forgot. I got stuck once, too. Only I haven't fallen out," he mocked her, because he wanted her not to feel embarrassed. If they tiptoe around the topic, she would be more embarrassed than before, right?

"Mad-Eye was right, I am a catastrophe on two feet," Tonks said, disappointed, and still a bit embarrassed.

"No you're not," Remus smiled at her. "You're many things, but you're not a catastrophe."

"Is that a compliment?" she asked, frowning at him. "No, don't ruin it, I'll just say thank you like a real lady, and ignore the rest."

Remus laughed at her for a second, and then stretched his arms in the air.

"So, I guess it's your time to talk. What will you tell me, Tonks?" he looked her straight in the eyes, and she felt like she was again naked in front of him. But this time she didn't mind. As a matter of fact, she liked it.

"Oh, I can tell you about the time Charlie and me got detention because we put soap in the courtyard fountain," she smiled widely now, and Remus lifted his eyebrows.

"I'm listening."

Snape entered the house at five sharp, only to find Gwen waiting for him.

"Hey," she greeted him uncomfortably. She knew why he looked for her; he knew that she went out of the house, and was mad.

"I would like to talk to you in private, if you don't mind," he said sharply, and she nodded, gesturing him to follow her. She led him to her room, closed the door, and put a silencing charm, so no one could hear them.

"Do you have any idea how stupid that was, Gwendolyn?!" he spat at her at once, and she couldn't really argue that.

"I know it was, but…"

"No buts. You must stay here and safe. You don't understand what's happening out there, and I really don't want to see you at ne…"

"Whatever I do, I surely won't be captured by them, and I believe me when I te…"

"I'm not listening to this. You're careless, just like that Black. I guess it's his influence," he scoffed at her, and his voice sounded so mean now.

"That's unfair, it's not like I've never done something as stupid as this." Gwen hated that they hated each other. They did manage to be civil around the order, but they weren't sparing each other behind each others backs.

"You really don't get it, huh?" Snape was now standing in front of her, grabbing her by her upper arms. He wasn't hurting her, but it was something unusual. Physical contact. "I risk my life every day, lying to those who are hard to deceive. I lied them about you, risk it all because of you, and why? So you could strut around to see that fool?"

"You're not doing this because of me, don't say that when you know it's not truth," Gwen scoffed rudely.

"I beg your pardon?" Snape flinched, lifted his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.

"And this is our problem from the beginning. You're talking like I'm on the first place, when you and I both know that I am not," Gwen shook his hands off her, crossing her arms on her chest.

"That's not fair," he said, gritting his teeth.

"Oh? It's not fair you are still trying this. I told you, Sev, I'm not a second. First or nothing."

Snape looked at her swallowing the words he wanted to say so bad, but was too afraid to.

"And if I could ever be that in your life, we would be in a really different situation here, right?" she said matter-of-factly, and Snape shook his head.

"I know you can protect yourself, but don't do that again. Do I have to say please for you to listen to me?" he said flatly, trying to seem as emotionless as possible.

"Don't play those tricks on me. But alright, I won't do it again, only if really necessary. Okay?"

Snape let out a loud sigh. It was one of the rare times she agreed with him quickly. Other times he really had to make some effort for that. But he liked that about her. She being so stubborn and determined.

"Happy birthday," he muttered under his breath, standing awkwardly. Gwen smiled at him widely, and flied to hug him. This time she didn't even need to threat him with Imperio curse to hug her back.

"Thank you," she said softly, while hugging him. When they parted, she took a deep breath. "I need you, though."

"For what?" Snape asked suspiciously.

"Well… I had a nightmare, and Sirius thinks it was a vision. But he came too late, so he didn't hear me saying anything, but I would like you to check," she asked reluctantly. She knew he doesn't like to roam through her mind because he always found something that she didn't want him to find. And then they fought, and he didn't have time for that. He rolled his eyes, sighted loudly, but pulled out his wand at once. Gwen understood the hint, and distanced herself from him.

"Legilimens," Snape said, and pointed his wand at her. She saw a building that was a source of even his nightmares. Azkaban. Dementors flowing. And a crackling laughter. Woman laughter. And Snape knew that laugher. Bellatrix. But what does that mean? He wanted to look some more, but then saw Gwen hopping into Sirius room the day he found her knickers in his clothes.

"That's enough, Sev," she said, and the spell was off. He wanted to see what happened, and why Sirius had her underwear in his hands, but he respected her too much to pry, and find out without her consent. Only one question roamed Snape's mind now; are Gwen and Sirius more than roommates, and friends?

"I'm not shagging him," Gwen said with a small laugh under her breath. "It's funny because he at least asked me directly if I'm shagging you."

Snape lifted his eyebrows as high as he could. Black asked her that about him? Really funny.

"And what did you say?" he couldn't help himself, he was too curious to let it slip.

"The truth? What kind of question is that?" Gwen scoffed at him. "He doesn't know, though… About what happened."

"I guess nobody does then. Accept us two," Snape said flatly. Gwen was now a bit annoyed by his flat voice. He did that when he wanted to change the subject.

"Right. Well… How are you?" she asked him genuinely concerned.

"Fine as I could be. The thing you saw… I think they will break Bellatrix and others out. I already thought of that idea, but that idiot Wormtail is the most useless lump of human parts I've ever seen," Snape's voice was now filled with hatred, and he couldn't help it to not sound so flat as before. "You saw Azkaban, the Dementors, and you heard Bellatrix laughing even more maniacally than before."

"So they are breaking them out?" Gwen asked.

"I suppose. But, I think Lupin and that clumsy klutz could investigate some more on that?"

"Tonks is a magnificent Auror, and a friend, just so you know," Gwen said kind of offended now. Snape was surprised to hear Gwen calling someone her friend. She hasn't done that since Polly died.

"Fine. Lupin and Tonks, happy?" he gritted through his teeth, and Gwen smiled widely. "I'll try to gather some clues to investigate. I'll send you a note as soon as I find out more."

"You won't stay?" Gwen was kind of hoping he'll make an exception to share a meal.

"Surprisingly, not," he said sarcastically. "I have some other things to do. But I got you this."

He handed her a small package, wrapped in a usual brown paper. His hands cupped hers as she took the package.

"Thank you," she said, but knew better than to open it now. Snape waited to give her this gift, so he probably doesn't want her opening it right away.

"If you need me, send me a note, and I'll be here as soon as possible. Just don't…"

"Leave the house, I know, and I won't."

Snape looked at her, let her hands, turned and left. Gwen shook her head behind his back. However, she didn't notice Sirius noticing Snape leaving her room.

She sat on her bed, and carefully opened the package he gave her. It was an antique brooch. The middle was a big, blue sapphire looking stone, rounded by black gems. It was a beautiful piece of jewellery, and she figured it wasn't something he picked personally, so it must've been an heirloom. Maybe his mother's? With Snape, who knew? Sirius caught the sight of Gwen admiring the brooch, and felt a bit disgusted. He would gladly give her a better gift than the one he gave her, but he wasn't in a position to go around and choose gifts. And he didn't want to give her any of Black's jewellery because he hated them. He wasn't jealous, he knew his gift was rocking, but he was most displeased to see Snape gave her a gift she liked, too.

In the evening, Tonks, Remus, Sirius and Gwen got together at the library again. They toasted to Gwen's birthday, and Tonks brought her a gift wrapped in a shiny blue paper. Tonks morphed her hair in Gwen's colour, but her hair was short and flat, not curly at all.

"Open it, open it!" she was eager to see Gwen's face, even thought the gift wasn't much. Since Gwen couldn't leave the house and buy Tonks a gift, she gave her a vial of her Felix Felicis. Tonks carried it with herself since then, because as Gwen said, you never know when you could use some luck. Tonks wanted to return the favour, so she bought Gwen a little something. Gwen unwrapped the paper, and she found a really nice vintage dark orange daily planner, a stack of fine quills, and a box of random chocolates.

"Thank you! This is really nice," Gwen said and hugged Tonks. "And thank you Remus, I almost forgot… Sirius told me you helped with his plan."

"Don't mention it," Remus said. "Just keep that aconite out of my site, because it makes me want to… I don't know is it leave, or die."

"Moony, stop with depressing jokes," Sirius growled, being rather cheerful. "Let's play some music, eh?"

"I choose!" Tonks jumped, and rushed to the Remus' room. All of them looked confused by her outburst of energy, but went with it. Remus showed her his record collection on the first morning she slept in the house. And she knew those were precious to him, so she was extra careful. She chose Led Zeppelin II, and rushed back to the library. Remus' old record player found a permanent spot in the library, since they mostly hung out there and the music was a must for their meetups.

All of them grew quite fond of each other. Gwen and Remus were each other's reading partner, and that was something for both of them. They valued their privacy, and solitude, but yet found it rather comforting sharing it. When they talked, they talked about the things that fascinated them. Remus could never talk like that to Sirius, since Sirius had a nasty habit of turning everything into a joke. With Tonks, he let her lead the conversation in a direction she liked. It was different with Gwen, because both of them were bookworms, and thought similarly because of it. They even commented, and talked about Muggle books, and that's how Sirius knew which is her favourite – Remus found that out, and told him. Gwen and Tonks established a ritual in their coffee drinking, and both of them felt glad with having a female friend to talk to. Sirius and Tonks talked seriously only when something important was happening. Otherwise, they would just joke around. All of them were similar, but different, and that's why they liked to be together like that.

Tonks put the record on, and started dancing when she heard the first notes of Heartbreaker. She looked so unsafe on her legs, and she didn't really know how to dance. Gwen came to her rescue, and stood up and started dancing too. Sirius was always the one to dance, or at least simulate dancing. Remus was, however, a good dancer. He had the rhythm, and he felt the music differently. And was now the only one still sitting. Tonks decided that he won't be sitting this one, so she grabbed his arm to stand up. As uncomfortable as he was because the full moon was in two days, he stood up and started to move in rhythm. In seconds, all of them danced. And they danced some more, while drinking Sirius' father's firewhiskey. For that one night, they acted like there isn't a war raging. And like everything is normal, and they were free, alive, and happy.

It was another night Tonks decided to stay at Grimmauld Place. After their mission, and the breakfast, she went home only to get some sleep, and to get her things for the next day. Kingsley gave her an extra free day, but she had to do Scrimgeour homework as soon as she comes back to work. But she already did that on her mission with Remus last night. He helped her with some stuff, but she mostly knew how to do the reports, and she did them perfectly. She didn't like it, but she knew how to do it. Just like Moody. She was already in her bed, reading some drama book Gwen borrowed her. It wasn't too interesting, but it wasn't completely dull, so it might get her to sleep. She was, however, distracted by soft knocks on her door.

"Come in," she said quietly, expecting drunk Sirius or Gwen. But it was Remus.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked politely.

"No, I've been just… No."

"Good, because I totally forgot about this," he gave her an old piece of parchment. And she instantly knew what that was.

"Oh is it…?" her mouth was now O shaped, and she looked at Remus, who chuckled devilishly. "Sit here."

"Only one way to find out," he said, wiggling his eyebrows with a clear message. Tonks cleared her throat at once, grabbing her wand. Remus now sat on her bed, looking at her.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she said and tapped the parchment.

When the letters were presented to her, she widened her eyes in surprise. She opened the parchment and saw why Remus said it's not an usual map. It wasn't a floor plan, but the pieces of Hogwarts placed together. Like a mixed up puzzle.

"I can't… Oh my… Look it's Dumble… Oh my holy Merlin!" she said, and Remus was now chuckling harder at her.

"Let me explain it to you, right?"

"Oh explain it to me, Messr Moony, the first of the Marauders," she mocked him, inviting him to sit on her bed.

She was in her usual pyjamas – an oversized T-shirt and knickers. She said a little thank you to God and Merlin for being covered from waist down. Remus sat on her bed, and got closer so he could see the map better. Their arms touched, but both of them liked the feeling the other one's body warmth. He explained her the map in details, with his Marauder spark in his eyes, looking younger than ever during the full moon week. He stole small glances of her, while she was focusing on the map. But he didn't notice something else. Even though she was listening to him carefully, she lifted her look from time to time just to see his face shining so bright while talking about the past he and his friends lived. And again, Tonks was jealous at the Marauders. But for the first time because the Remus then was the one she was looking now. The one with a spark in his tired eyes shining bright like stars on a clear night sky.

Interesting days at Grimmauld Place :)

In the next chapter...

What will happen on the night of the full moon?

We'll do some time jumping, but I guess the chapters will be a bit longer ;)

Review, comment, whatever :D

xx