Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Remus, Tonks and all recognizable characters and places. Sigh. I want to be her.
A/N: Hey reviewers!! You guys are so sweet!
Harryluvzginny—sorry love. I have absolutely no control over these characters. I start going one way, they immediately drag it into the gutter.
After a morning of whirlwind shopping, Tonks, Hermione and Ginny collapsed at a table at Florean Fortescue's to take a break. After ordering fortification in the form of decadent ice cream sundaes, they settled in to chat. Tonks had anticipated questions about what the Order was up to these days, or maybe gossip about Hogwart's. She never anticipated the question Hermione posed.
"So what is going on between you and Professor Lupin?" The bushy haired teen asked.
Tonks' mouth dropped open. "What?"
"You and Lupin." Ginny said with a grin. "Spill it."
"I don't know what you mean." Tonks lied.
Hermione laughed. "Oh, come on Tonks. We saw how he was looking at you this morning."
"What?" Tonks looked back and forth between the two younger girls. "How was he looking at me?"
"Like he wanted to have you for breakfast." Hermione replied with a wicked grin.
"Really?" Tonks looked to Ginny who nodded, giggling. "Really?" She hadn't noticed that. She had been to busy trying not to stare at him.
She waited to speak until after their sundaes were served. Picking up her spoon, she dug into the chocolate ice cream.
Ginny drummed her fingers on the table. "Come on, Tonks. 'Fess up. Is something going on?"
"Even if there was, which I'm not saying there is, what makes you think I'd tell you?"
Hermione eyed her shrewdly. "If there was, I would imagine you'd be bursting to tell someone."
Tonks blinked.
"Ok. Fine. You're right." She blurted out. "But you have to swear not to say anything to anyone."
"We swear." Both girls chimed.
"So there is something going on?" Ginny asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"Something." Tonks said. Then she told her rapt teenage audience about the letter. And how he'd invited her down for cocoa.
"And then, we all showed up and got in the way." Ginny grimaced.
"Well, kinda. But I worked around that." Tonks admitted. "I went looking for him after everyone went to bed last night."
"Did you find him?" Hermione asked, her forgotten sundae melting in front of her.
Tonks nodded. "Yeah. I did." She couldn't stop the dreamy smile that crossed her face.
"Ooh." Hermione sighed. "What happened?"
Tonks took a deep breath. "He kissed me."
The two younger girls squealed. Tonks grinned at their excitement.
"And?" Hermione prompted.
"And what?" Tonks asked.
"How was it?" Ginny supplied.
Tonks shook her head. "No. No way am I going to discuss that with you."
"Come on…" Ginny pleaded.
"I bet he's a really good kisser." Hermione said softly. "He's so intense. Focused."
Tonks gasped. "Hermione!"
She shrugged. "What?"
"You shouldn't say things like that about him. He's your teacher." Tonks scolded.
Hermione shook her head. "Not right now he's not. Right now he's the guy my friend is snogging. So anything goes."
Ginny licked ice cream off her spoon. "Tonks, all the girls think he's hot. It was a big topic of discussion at school when he was there."
Tonks gaped at them. "Are you kidding?" Then a strange thought occurred to her. "Oh, Merlin, please tell me neither of you were harboring any schoolgirl crushes."
The girls assured her they weren't, then dug for more information. Tonks finally relented.
"It was fantastic. That's all I'll say." She dug into her sundae again, scooping up a spoonful of hot fudge. "There is one other thing, though." She said thoughtfully.
The girls looked at her expectantly.
"He said the sweetest thing…" She told them softly.
"What?" Ginny asked eagerly.
Tonks smiled. "He said I was better than chocolate."
Ginny and Hermione gave heartfelt sighs.
"I wish someone would say that to me." Ginny said wistfully.
Tonks saw an opportunity to do some digging of her own. "Wouldn't that be 'better than Quidditch' instead?" She said with a wink.
Ginny blushed, her cheeks becoming almost as bright as her hair.
"I thought so." Tonks nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Hermione. "And you…"
"Oh, look." Hermione exclaimed, cutting her off. "Professor Lupin!" She waved.
Tonks looked over her shoulder, and sure enough, there was Remus, striding down the street towards them. She took a moment to watch him approach; noticing the way the sun glinted off his hair, taking in his broad shoulders and his loose-limbed saunter.
He was hot, all right. All that animal grace mixed with brains and an edge of civilization. Mm-hmm. A very nice package indeed.
She tore her gaze away from him to shoot a warning look at the girls. "Not a word. You promised."
They nodded, looking up innocently as he drew near.
"Good afternoon, Ladies." He greeted with a smile. "How was shopping?"
"We had great fun." Tonks told him, waving to the mass of parcels piled on an empty chair.
He nodded. "Good. Molly sent me to fetch you. She said it's time you came back."
"Ok." Tonks and the girls stood up and began gathering their belongings.
Remus looked at Hermione and Ginny. "You two go ahead." He told them. "We'll catch up."
The two girls exchanged knowing looks and left, giggling.
"They're going to think something's going on." Tonks warned him.
He grinned. "Like they hadn't already dragged it out of you. I know that's what you three were talking about when I showed up."
She blushed. "Oh." She glanced up at him. "Do you mind?"
"What? That they now know that an old werewolf like me was lucky enough to catch the eye of a pretty young thing like you?"
Oh, Merlin, he said the sweetest things. "You're not old, Remus." She told him.
He shrugged.
She smiled impishly up at him. "Did you know that the girls at Hogwart's think you're hot?"
He actually blushed. It was adorable. "Umm, well…uh. They do?" He seemed to be at a loss.
Tonks batted her eyes at him. "Oh, Professor Lupin." She sighed in a high-pitched voice.
"Tonks…" He said in a warning voice, but there was amusement in his eyes.
"I think I need to stay after class for some extra credit." She added, snickering.
"That's quite enough out of you, young lady." He said with mock severity.
"Oh, but Professor…"
"Miss Tonks, one more word and I'll have to give you detention." He was getting into the spirit of things now.
She moved a little closer. "Promise?" She breathed.
His eyes darkened. "You're a trouble maker." He said softly.
"And you love it." She replied, eyes twinkling.
His lips curved up. "Maybe." His gaze lowered to her mouth. Then he lifted his hand, touching on finger to the corner of her lips. "You have some chocolate, just there."
She lifted her hand to wipe it away, but he stopped her. "Allow me." He whispered.
Then he lowered his head, until their mouths were a breath apart. He licked the smudge of chocolate off, and then turned the gentle touch into a kiss.
Was he a good kisser? Tonks thought back to Hermione's question. He was amazing, she decided as she melted against him. Abso-bloody-lutely amazing. Who knew the mild mannered professor had moves like that?
When they broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers. "We should head back for dinner." He whispered.
"Right. Dinner." Who could think about food after that? Her eyes met his, her hunger mirrored there. "I'm famished."
He grinned wickedly. "Do I detect some sarcasm?"
"Well, honestly, Remus. How can I think about food now?" She replied. Al she could think about was dragging him into some dark corner for some serious snogging.
He must have read her thoughts, because he slid his arm around her waist and led her down the street. "Now's neither the time nor place, Nymphadora. We'll have to finish this later."
A heated thrill went through her. Finish this? Oh, boy. Had she thought him mild mannered? Try seductive. Try very, very sexy. Even when he was being very proper, he still managed to get her started.
She was in big trouble.