A/N: This is the second to last chapter, I can't believe I've actually managed to finish this!

Thanks to my new beta, K.M. great job xx

Back at his desk Sirius looked over all the statements they had collected. They all matched up, there was no one suspicious. He was at a complete loss. He thought about going for a walk to see Hermione, surely she would have some fresh perspective from which he could find a solution. He sighed, gone were the days when she could fix all his problems for him. He stared at the faded photo on his desk; Hermione getting pumpkin'd in the face by baby Flora, how could that be a decade ago? It felt like last year.

"So what do you think about Snape's levitating sugar theory?" a voice said suddenly from behind him.

Sirius nearly fell off his chair, he got such a fright. It was just Frank, leaning against the cubicle wall and looking just as lost as Sirius felt.

"I hate that it was Snape's idea," Sirius said honestly, wheeling his chair back into the desk on awkward tiptoed footsteps.

"Yes, I thought you would." Frank replied, "But should we bring Fawley in again?"

"We should at least check his bag and pockets for sugar I suppose." Sirius said, getting a piece of memo paper out and starting a message to Fawley. God, the man would be furious with them.

"And what about Poppy? We really can't ignore that it could have been an accident, she was under a bit of pressure that afternoon."

This was the thing Sirius was dreading the most. What if it was all just a big mistake and Poppy Pomfrey had to stand trial for medical misadventure or something equally ridiculous?

"I suppose." he said, reluctantly, "Did you want me to talk to her again this evening? I'm on guard duty tonight."

"It might be an idea."

"Why are you reading about silent movement?" Sirius asked, as he lifted the large pile of books on Remus's sofa and put them on the floor so that he could sit down. He was glad to be here this evening, Remus even had the whiskey out.

"I've been helping Tonks study," Remus replied, his voice was casual but he seemed to be focusing rather harder than necessary on pouring their drinks.

"Have you, now?" Sirius's question was high pitched and leading, and he was amused as Remus put a bit more whiskey in his own glass, clearly preparing himself for Sirius's mood. Sirius just enjoyed teasing him far too much. "Since when do you know about silent movement?" Sirius asked, accepting his drink enthusiastically.

"After seven years as your friend at school?" Remus said coming to sit next to him, "I'm the one who got caught the least, so I'd say that makes me a pretty good source of information."

"How is it going with you and Tonks anyway?" Sirius asked, unable to help himself.

To his complete delight, Remus's cheeks suddenly coloured quite dramatically, and he leaned over and picked up one of the larger books from the pile to hide behind. Opening it at random, and apparently becoming instantly absorbed with whatever it was he found there.

"It's going fine, thank you." Remus said shortly.

"Because she seemed in excellent spirits today," Sirius continued lightly, "said you'd been, and I quote 'At it like rabbits'."

Remus spluttered, choking on a mouthful of whiskey, and dropped the book to glare at Sirius, "We are not! She did not say that," he looked horrified, "it was one kiss, or well, maybe a few kisses, and well, not… not rabbits!"

This was better than Sirius could have hoped for. "She did say it, but she was absolutely joking, and everybody knew it." Then he grinned broadly, genuinely pleased for his friend. "Did you really snog her? Good for you!"

Remus was still processing the first part of Sirius's comment, "What do you mean everybody?"

"At work this afternoon," Sirius shrugged, "I asked if you'd been keeping her up all night, a very innocent question. She's the one who insinuated shenanigans, and you're the one who confirmed it."

Remus looked furious with himself. "Right, well, yes, it so happens that we seem to have a connection," he sounded less annoyed as he continued, "she isn't bothered by my celebrity, or impressed by it. She's very determined; even though she's struggling with her stealth and tracking assessment, she is still so focused on passing. We have a lot in common."

"Moony, mate, I think that's brilliant." Sirius said sincerely, but he was unable to resist one more little jibe, "You're sure she isn't a bit young for you?"

"Don't joke about it." Remus said, falling back against the sofa and looking rather defeated, "I really do think that she is, and a bit like her idiot cousin," he shot Sirius a scowl, "a bit too prone to speaking her mind." He sighed, looking into his glass as though hoping it would solve his problem. "Not that I don't like it, just that people will want to know about her, because she's with me, I'm not sure how good she'll be at the … diplomacy required."

Trust Moony to get all hung up on the future implications, Sirius was quite sure that Tonks could handle that stuff better than Remus himself did. People certainly wouldn't cross her twice.

"Diplomacy," Sirius snorted and batted his hand at Remus's frowning face, "A dose of reality would be good for some of these bigots we're still dealing with, who better than the canny Auror wife of Remus Lupin, Voldemort Slayer?"

"Wife?" Remus blanched, as though the idea was ridiculous. "Padfoot, it's a couple of kisses and a bit of a cuddle," he said awkwardly.

"Well," Sirius gave a smug shrug, "sometimes these things are just meant to be."

Remus was watching him with narrowed eyes. "Meant to be? You really don't think that do you? I know you joked about it being her, but this is just more theorising from your wife's clues, right?"

"Who would know?" Sirius threw up his hands in dramatic defeat, but he couldn't stop himself smirking, "She's very busy and important, doesn't get much time to tell me things anymore."

"Well, don't take your communication issues out on me. Even if you are right, and I was married to Tonks in Hermione's world, I don't think it has any real impact here."

"Shut up, Moony." Sirius said. "If you like her, go for it, that's all I have to say."

Remus did shut up and they drank in a companionable silence, leaving Sirius to think about Christmas holidays approaching, and how great it would be to have Flora home. Hermione was even taking a real holiday. Two full weeks off work. It was going to be excellent.

"Okay," Remus said at length, "so what's the latest on my would-be assassin?

Sirius snorted at the reluctance in Remus's voice. "They're imaginary?" he said. "Honestly, we have no more leads. I talked to Poppy again on my way in tonight, just because we needed to rule out a genuine, accidental error, but she doesn't even put sugar in her own tea."

"Definitely sugar then?" Remus asked. He sounded how Sirius felt, frustrated that something so simple was able to nearly get him killed.

"Looks like it, or Snape thinks so," Sirius grimaced. "And as much as I hate him, I know he'd desperately like to be the one that solved this, even if it is just to prove me incompetent, the petty little prick, so I'm taking him at his word."

Remus raised a shrewd eyebrow at him, "You mean Frank and Moody are taking him at his word?"

"Yes, Moony." He tutted. "Of course that's what I mean. Put more whiskey in here, please," he held out his glass feeling rather petulant, and thinking it would have to be his last one for the evening. Wouldn't do to get caught out drunk on the job.

As he left his final class of the day and towards the hospital wing, Remus felt only the joy the Christmas at Hogwarts could bring. Even though he was heading for his first dose of wolfsbane for this month, and all the worry that should bring him. The corridors from his classroom up to the hospital were decorated with icicles and fairy lights, boughs of greenery crisscrossed the walls in graceful arcs, giving the whole place pleasant wintery scent. December was upon them.

"Lupin!" It was Frank Longbottom, hurrying along looking at his watch. "I thought you didn't leave your class until four pm? It's only three fifty-five."

Remus shrugged, "We finished early. Mondays, you know."

Frank fell in step beside him. "Not really," he said, "I've always found Mondays pretty productive."

"You're not teaching teenagers," Remus explained. "Their heads are all too full of the weekend's social fallout to be of much use on a Monday."

Frank was quiet as they assendened the next staircase. As they passed a group of third years hurrying downstairs toward dinner he smiled.

"It has been nice visiting Hogwarts again," he said. "I always loved Christmas here. Much less stuffy than at home."

"Sirius always felt the same," Remus said. "Though, he would have chosen Hogwarts over his home any chance he got."

"I don't blame him for that in the slightest,'' said Frank. "I had a run in with old Pollox last week."

"And he's the nice one,'' Remus said. "He actually talks to me now. Walburga still wont."

"I can't imagine that's much of a loss."

"No, I'm not particularly bothered by it." Remus said with a grin.

They reached the hospital doors and Frank went in first, his wand out. Remus really thought this was over the top, but he'd learned to keep his mouth shut about it now. Madam Pomfrey seemed to share Remus's opinion. She gave the vigilant Frank a put-upon eye roll as he inspected behind all the curtains.

"The potion will be arriving very shortly, Remus,'' she said, ignoring Frank as he poked around in her office.

Greta entered the ward then, distracting the matron from her annoyance with Frank. He seemed to have finished his inspection, because he left the ward, pausing to lock them in.

"Good afternoon, sweetheart," Madam Pomfrey said as Greta approached. "Come and sit next to the Professor here, and we'll get started on your tests."

"Hello, Professor," Greta said with a small smile. "Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yes, thanks," Remus said truthfully, thinking of the Room of Requirement and Tonks's mischievous smile. He couldn't share that with a student though. "I went to Hogsmeade," he said instead. "It's lovely there in the snow."

Greta nodded, "my Mum took me Christmas shopping there when I was little," she gave a quick tentative smile as she looked up at him briefly. "It's very nice, romantic even."

Remus's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he looked at her. She was now determinedly watching Madam Pomfrey's office door, but Remus thought her pale cheeks looked a little pink, and the corner of her mouth was twitching just slightly. This girl had been spending too much time around Flora Black.

"I suppose," he agreed at length, "but you're a bit young for romance aren't you?"

"I'm nearly twelve," Greta said, as if this meant there wasn't anything in the world she didn't know about. "But no, the boys in my year all seem to care about Quidditch and food more than girls. It was something Flora said." Ah-ha! Remus was right. The Blacks, they would be the death of him. "She said that some third years saw you holding hands with a lady there. That you must have a girlfriend, is that true?"

"Not really," Remus said, with a little sigh, he had expected this after all, people always noticed, "she's just a friend." He found it very odd to be talking about this with a student, he probably shouldn't be, but he was quite pleased that little Greta was opening up to him. So he would go with it for now.

Madam Pomfrey returned then with her tray of testing instruments, nothing too invasive thankfully. Thermometer and swabs for their cheeks, little golden clips that she attached to their forefingers to read heart rate and oxygen. It was while Remus was sitting with his mouth open and the matron's long cotton swab swiping about his cheek that the hospital doors opened and Lily and Snape entered, carrying a small cauldron and escorted by Frank.

"Hello Rem," Lily said, coming over to give Remus a hug once Madam Pomfrey had removed the swab. "You look well. Do you feel normal?"

"Yes, but I felt normal last month too."

Lily nodded. "Well, we've got a perfect batch ready, so much better than the first one I ever made. Severus must have sold his soul to get his hands on the ingredients."

Remus looked towards Snape who was glowering out the big windows, obviously furious to be outed as someone who would go to any effort at all for Remus. "My standards of work are not affected by the person who is to receive the potion," he sneered aloofly, still not looking at them.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Yes yes, Severe Severus, we know."

"I would have sold my soul rather than buy wyvern fang from Dung," Remus said, glad that Snape's determination to be faultless was so beneficial for Greta and himself. "But Sirius was so determined. I think he just liked the cloak and dagger of it all."

"That does sound like Mr Black." Madam Pomfrey put in, amused, as Lily nodded in agreement.

"Right then, Lupin," Snape interrupted, raising his wand, and finally turning his cold and sinister gaze on Remus, "let's get this over with." Thankfully, it was only a few spells from Snape, Remus didn't even know what half of them did. But none of it hurt. Just the occasional magical prickle as they did their job. Then he moved on to Greta, the same routine of mild little murmurs as he checked whatever he thought was necessary to make sure the potion worked.

"All clear,'' Snape said, stepping back from Greta. "I'll be in my office if you need me." he said shortly, glancing in Lily's direction. Then he turned, black robes swirling as always, and stalked the length of the ward.

Lily smiled after him, "Why must he be so furious all the time?"

Remus didn't reply, he was wondering how James would feel if he saw Lily smiling so fondly at Snape. Frog guts all over again, no doubt. He then thought that this whole situation just showed how much James really had matured - frog guts notwithstanding - his precious Lily had been at Hogwarts, and in Severus's company for a whole week, with another whole week to go, and he wasn't even complaining about it. Remus was sure that Sirius would have told him if he was having to listen to James's whining.

"We'd better get dispensing, Lily dear." Madam Pomfrey said, and the two women set to work with their wands and measuring cups. Then Remus and Greta were presented with their doses. Remus threw his back without hesitation, relishing in that fact that it did taste as disgusting as usual.

Greta hesitated, clearly dreading it. But as always, she found the courage to drink it eventually, pressing her hand to her mouth the moment she swallowed, and closing her eyes to focus on the task of keeping it down.

And so this routine continued for the next six evenings, Remus and Greta would sit in their assigned chairs, while Snape assessed them and then Lily would unlock the potion for Madam Pomfrey to dispense. All done in plain view so there could be no tampering.

By Friday Remus was looking forward to the end of the day even more than he normally did. After five nights of Frank and Sirius taking turns sleeping in his sitting room, tonight Tonks was meant to return. Sirius had told him this with an unnecessary amount of eyebrow wiggling that very morning.

She'd had the week off night duty because her final stealth and tracking assessment had been set for that morning. Remus was very keen to know how she'd done. He'd had one note from her during the week, thanking him for all his help, and asking if when all this was over he would consider helping her study for her final exams the following year too.

He'd replied that he'd be happy to help, as long as she could handle Sirius' teasing. He'd wanted to say that he hoped he didn't have to wait until her end of year exams to spend more time with her, but couldn't find the right words. For now at least he would see her tonight.

If he'd worried that it would be awkward to see her after their last meeting, he shouldn't have. Tonks with her easy smile practically jumped on him when he opened the door.

"I passed!" She cheered, her arms around his neck, giving him a face-full of her long disguise hair as he hugged her back.

"I knew you would,'' he said happily. "You worked so hard."

She pulled back to look at him, and suddenly she looked uncertain. "Sorry," she said, shrugging her giant sweater back into place, disarranged by her exuberant greeting. "That wasn't very professional was it?"

"Do I look bothered?" Remus asked, genuinely concerned because he wasn't bothered, he was the opposite of bothered.

"No but…" She dropped her arms and stepped away, then shut the door and picked up her bag.

"Tonks?" Remus said, struggling to understand. After she'd kissed him so thoroughly on Sunday night a hug was hardly a big deal, maybe she was worried about leading him on? "I don't expect anything from you, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's a pity," she muttered under her breath as she passed him and went to put her bag by the sofa.

Remus stared at her back, dumbfounded for a moment. "I said I didn't expect it, like you don't owe me anything," he repeated shortly, feeling frustrated, "I didn't say I didn't want it."

"Remus Lupin," she said in surprise, turning round to look at him once again. "Sirius told me you'd never admit it."

Sirius bloody Black. Remus wanted to roll his eyes, did he have to interfere with everything? "What would he know?" Remus sighed, going to sit on the sofa, this conversation was exhausting already.

"Isn't he your best friend?" Tonks said, like it was perfectly normal for grown men to gossip about each other.

"Well, yes," Remus admitted reluctantly… regretfully more like, "But it's not like I've ever asked him out is it?"

"Is that what you're doing?" she asked, and although the tone was teasing, there was excitement in her expression. "Asking me out?"

Remus huffed, exasperated. "You are too much like him," he muttered. "It's quite stressful."

"Are you though?" she pressed, she was still standing next to the sofa, and he had to look up to see her face as she continued in a flighty, eager voice, "Asking me out? Because I'd quite like to ask you, but I definitely can't do that," her eyes widened in imagined fear. "Moody would beat me to death with his stupid cane."

"Okay just– " he needed to breathe. He closed his eyes, why was he making such a big deal about this? Sirius had got in his head with all his talk about Hermione's world. The sofa dipped as she sat down beside him.

"Sorry," he apologised, feeling like a grumpy old man as he looked at her again. "It's the full moon tomorrow, I'm not a hundred percent."

Her whole expression changed, her brows drew in, her mouth turned down, and his old, long forgotten fear of rejection on grounds of being a werewolf suddenly resurfaced. Was it too much for her after all?

"I thought you didn't have symptoms now?" she said, concerned. "With the potion, does that mean it's not working again?"

"No, no, it's working." he assured her, trying to keep the disappointment at her reaction from his voice. "Before wolfsbane… by now I'd be feverish, foggy brained and tea-dependent. The twenty four hours before the moon rose were always pretty rough."

"But you still feel a little bit like that now?" she asked, her hand reached out to rest on his forearm. It finally dawned on Remus that she wasn't rejecting him, or even worried that the potion wasn't working, she just didn't like that he wasn't feeling great.

"It comes and goes," he said truthfully. "I'm fine though, don't worry."

"Tea-dependent?" She asked him with a querying grin.

Remus shrugged, a little embarrassed. "It used to be the only thing that helped. Sirius and James always made me tea, and they were quiet because my head hurt, we'd just sit and talk. It's strange but when I think back now, those days are some of my best memories with them. They were quite a handful the rest of the time."

Tonks was smiling indulgently at him. "Do you want a cup of tea?"

"I always want a cup of tea," he said, feeling more at ease now that she'd stopped picking at him.

Remus got to his feet to make the tea. His trusty stainless steel teapot sat next to the tiny sink and kettle. He heated the water and filled the pot. He didn't have a proper tea tray, so he just made the cups at the bench and brought them back to the sofa.

"So will it be a real problem when I tell you I prefer coffee?" Tonks teased as she accepted her cup, "I mean tea is fine, but if someone puts tea in front of me in the morning," she shuddered. "Heads have rolled for less."

"I'll remember that." Remus laughed.

"For when you bring me coffee in bed?" she quipped at once, and Remus realised he'd walked right into that one.

"Do you enjoy this?" he asked, only half joking. "Making me feel awkward and presumptive and like I can't say anything without it being taken the wrong way?"

"Immensely," she snickered, but then she softened, catching his eye more seriously. "Truthfully though, I have to keep reminding myself who you are. It all just seems so easy in here, but it won't be, will it? If we did go out?"

Remus shook his head. "People will want to know about you. The papers will write things about you, things that aren't even true."

Tonks nodded, and then she bit her lip, looking nervous for the first time. "And… now don't be mad at him–"

"What else did Sirius say?" Remus interrupted, sighing heavily, I'm actually going to kill him.

"He just said that you have issues with being a werewolf," Tonks said, not quite meeting his eye. "And that I shouldn't listen to you if you go on about it, but I don't know what he meant."

"He's right I suppose," Remus admitted. "I'm not like I used to be though, back at school, I was too scared to go out with anyone for very long, even before Hermione cam– " he broke off, a bit shocked that he'd slipped up, he hadn't done that in years. "Before Hermione met Sirius," he corrected, "and Lily made the potion, I was twenty-one by then, I still hadn't ever had a real girlfriend."

"In the middle of the war?" Tonks asked kindly, "I think that's understandable."

Her hand crept into his, their fingers laced together without conscious effort. It felt right. Remus smiled. She was sitting sideways on the sofa with her purple tight-clad legs tucked underneath her, her head resting quite close to his shoulder. Twenty-one, Remus thought, that's how old Tonks was now. He'd been old enough to fight a war, and he was worried she wasn't old enough to decide if she wanted to date him? He really was an idiot.

"No, I just mean that I wouldn't let myself be close to anyone. I think Sirius still thinks I'm like that. I'm not really though. Or not for the same reason anyway."

She smiled encouragingly. Their hands were still joined and her thumb traced across his wrist, the light touch sending tiny shivers through him, but he continued, it seemed important for her to understand. "It's actually become very difficult to find someone who doesn't just see me for my fame. Or who doesn't have some kinky idea about werewolves in bed."

"Oh, well now I'm really disappointed," Tonks said quietly, clearly amused as she leaned closer.

"Honestly," he chuckled nervously, "you wouldn't believe half of it." She was so close now, and Remus felt the thrill of anticipation, there was no point denying himself this was there? Not really.

The choice was taken out of his hands as she moved suddenly, climbing into his lap. Then, she took his face in her hands and kissed him so thoroughly he had to remind himself to breathe in. Her lips were greedy, meeting his urgently, like she'd been holding herself back, stopping herself, and now had given in, no longer fully in control. Her mouth moved along his jaw and against his throat, and he was lost. It had been so long since he'd done anything like this, his brain seemed to be shutting down, there was just her, everywhere.

Her hands were trailing up his arms, in his hair, flicking the top button of his shirt undone so that she could pull his collar aside and expose more flesh for her adventuring lips. His own hands had found their way beneath her baggy jumper, and to his surprise and delight, his fingers met the bare skin of her waist above her tights. He'd expected layers, but only encountered the strap of her bra at her back as he splayed his hands over her ribcage, pulling her closer.

"Is this alright?" She breathed in his ear, her fingers busy undoing more buttons.

"Do you hear me complaining?" Remus managed; talking seemed very complicated at that moment.

"Yes, but you said," she was kissing him again, frenzied and perfect, "with the moon tomorrow…"

Somewhere in his singularly focused mind her sentence clicked. "You're worried I'm not up to it?" he asked, slightly indignant. He couldn't have that.

"I –" but her explanation was cut short. He held her tight where his hands were still resting on her sides and tipped her sideways onto the sofa, so he could hover over her, looking down at her surprised face with a grin that felt almost predatory. "I'm definitely up to it." He assured her.

She beamed, and Remus realised that her hair was short and pink again. He really did like it like that, but he didn't get a chance to comment because she'd pulled him in for another desperate kiss.

He really should spend every full moon eve this way, Remus thought. Tonks and her surprisingly talented hands were a much better distraction than a cup of tea ever could be.

A/N: I'm such a fangirl, Remus getting his girl makes me way too happy. xx