Chapter Two-

Tonks made her way back to her small flat, on the top floor of a three-story building. It was in a quiet area, which she complained was boring, but secretly treasured the privacy it allowed her. She unlatched her door and breathed in, confusion flittering around her. It certainly had been an interesting day. She had a minor mishap that caused Marcus to really tell her off, and she didn't know why he was acting like such a jerk-off. And Lupin...oh boy. Her crush on him sure hadn't gone away.

But what could that bring, she thought, as she had thought a hundred times before; what would it be like to be with Remus Lupin. She was sure everyone would think that she was being a silly little girl, if she let it out that she fancied him. What could a mature, dignified man like Remus ever see in a punker with pink hair?

She wandered around her flat dreamily, coming not so accidentally across a very special memento. It was a photograph of the members of the Order, taken shortly after it was reformed. It was significant because Lupin had put his arm around her, and the picture was taken before she began to blush. She valued the photograph so much that she displayed it on the mantle above her fireplace, so she could look at it whenever she walked by.

Nymphadora thought of that moment, of him, and of things she had only dreamed about, dancing a sort of waltz, lost in the bliss of fantasy.

She was jarred back into reality by a loud bang on the door. She jumped in surprise, but quickly remembered she was a witch, and a trained Auror. She went to the door and used a spell to determine who was on the other side.

Marcus. She groaned and threw open the door, ready to tell him off when she saw him standing there with a fistful of roses. Purple roses. Her favorite.

"Nymph? I have to apologize, please, I was such an asshole. Can I come in ?" He extended the flowers to her. She took them.

Rather numbly, she stood aside and welcomed him in. Marcus showing up at her door with a gift had thrown her completely off. This explanation had better be good.

They sat down on her orange paisley couch, her boyfriend looking pitiful. She had heard this spiel before, and he always seemed to sway her back. She didn't even know how he managed to do it. One minute, she was swearing to herself she'd deck him if he ever dared to come near her again, the next, she remembered what a sweet guy he was, all the cute little details about how they first met, and all the reasons they should stay together. Something in her just hated to give up on anything, even a relationship that was going nowhere. He apologized, and she had accepted.

Back at Grimauld Place, Lupin paced around his room where he had moved in last year. He took a vacancy at the top of the staircase, where several accommodations had been made for his monthly transformation. Walking about his space, he willed himself not to think of her. It didn't work. It was no use. No matter how much he reprimanded, berated, or disapproved of himself, he couldn't help it. He had a thing for Nymphadora Tonks. I'm an old fool, he thought, to think that such a pretty young woman could ever take an interest in an old werewolf like me.

He had always liked Tonks. She was so bright and happy, that he found it near impossible not to be cheerful when she was around. Even her clumsiness he found endearing, when she was apologizing profusely for whatever mayhem she had caused.

He recalled how proud he was the day she became an Auror. The first time she fought along side him was monumental. He stopped seeing her as his best friends baby cousin, and started seeing her as what she really had been all along; an equal. Realizing this had only fueled his unbidden thoughts.

Remus Lupin stared out the window into the blazing night. He closed his eyes and inhaled, taking in the essence of latent rain. After but a moment of tranquility, a panicked thought raced through his mind. Had she made it home ok? He had raced downstairs to the kitchen fire before his strong rational side regained control, saying to him, I'm sure she's fine. She's a capable young lady, I'm sure she doesn't need an old man like you checking up on her. Then a voice crept into his head, the careless voice of Sirius. His friend. 'Go on. You don't need to think, just feel. If you want to do it, than do it.'

And Lupin sunk his hand into the pile of floo powder.

Back at Tonk's flat...

"By the way, love, what were you doing when I got here? You looked all lovey-dovey." Her eyes strayed to the photograph on the mantle. Before he could make any astute connections, Lupin's head appeared in the fireplace. Marcus, who was not really used to such occurrences, yelped in surprise. Tonk's emotions ran asunder, like an excitable sprinting puppy, keenly unaware that it was about to run out of leash, she remembered that Marcus was there.

"Oh! Wotcher, Remus!"

"Evening, Tonks. Just calling to see that you've made it home safely. I didn't realize you had company. I'm sorry to bother you." He bowed and removed his head from the fireplace, returning completely to Grimauld Place, feeling completely stupid.

He left before she had the chance to say goodbye, disappointment was painted all over her heart shaped face.

"Who the hell was that git?" Marcus interrogated, not failing to notice the longing in her eyes, clear blue today.

"Hmm? Oh, just another member of the Order." She tried to be vague. She tried not to reveal anything. He followed the path of her eyes to the photograph on the mantle and he made the connection.

"You fancy that old man?" He asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"What? No, Remus just works with us in the Order. He's just a friend." Her valiant, but nonetheless lame attempt to mask her feelings failed miserably, as even Marcus could identify the emotions working behind her eyes.

"I see. And he's a wizard?"

"Of course. A brilliant wizard, he used to teach at Hogwarts. He helped me through my Auror training."

Marcus unconsciously cracked his knuckles. An issue was surfacing, an issue as old as their relationship. He loved her, but why couldn't she just be normal?

"Nymph...Tonks, isn't there something else you can do besides being an Auror, besides being in this Order?"

A familiar anger flashed up inside her, that he was dredging up this old argument. Seeing the sparks about to fly, he hurried up to explain himself. "You know I don't mind you being magical. It's just that what you do is so dangerous! I'm sure you could find a safer job. There's an opening at the guitar shop, I know you like music."

Tonks made every effort to steady herself, before starting the speech she'd repeated for him so often it was starting to sound like a recording. "Marcus, I am a witch. I appreciate your concern about my job, but I have worked hard to get to where I am now, and I cannot, will not give it up. Voldemort is back. There is a war coming, we have got to be ready!"

"THERE IS NO WAR!" Marcus exploded, on his feet. "Do you see a war, has the Queen been notified? Where are the armies, the ships, the soldiers? You talk about this damn war like it's coming tomorrow, and there is no war!" He panted, having spat out at her with all his feeling, expelling all that he had pent up. Her face went uncommonly stiff.

"No war that you can see."

He had never heard her say anything so cold before.

"None that I can see? Because I'm a...what do you call us? Because I'm a muggle?"

She softened a fraction. "I didn't mean it like that..."

"That's exactly how you meant it. Please, Nymph, give it up. Forget the war. Just stay with me. Join our world."

Why didn't he understand? She was duty-bound to the Order of Phoenix. It stood for everything she believed in, she could never turn her back on that.

"I can't, Marcus. I'm sorry."

He stared at her a long time, almost as if trying to commit her mutable features to memory. "Fine. If that's the way you feel, if you won't meet me halfway, then I'm gone." He walked out the door, Tonk's calling after him.

Writer's Note- Hey, thank's for reading. Now how 'bout a review? Please? They make me so happy.