CHAPTER ONE

"Nymphadora?" A small and quiet voice called out her given name, an act that the young Nymphadora Tonks considered to be unforgivable. The 5th year Gryffindor sighed heavily and restrained herself from loudly correcting her caller. Had she not been in the library, she might have thought differently. Since the day she first set foot on the Hogwart's Express, she'd demanded that she be referred to by her last name.

She turned around to find the source of her annoyance. "Yes?" she said quietly, but rudely. After all, it wasn't as if her face was unknown in halls of Hogwart's School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was on the Quidditch team, and had a propensity for landing herself in Dumbledore's office. The former she attributed to her tomboyish nature, and the latter to her inability to keep her mouth shut around Professor Snape.

Speaking of Snape, the student standing before her was in her potions class. Tonks remembered her only because Snape gave her a particularly difficult time in class. Since Professor Snape was head of Slytherin House, he expected all the students in his house to get top marks in his class. Tonks wasn't sure what this girl's preferred class was, but it certainly wasn't potions.

"Do, um, do you have a moment?" Tonks could barely hear her whisper. She looked terribly out of sorts, continually shifting from foot to foot and staring at the ground. Since Gryffindor House and Slytherin House historically don't get along, Tonks assumed that to be the source of the girl's unease.

"What cha need, doll?" It gave Tonks a slight thrill to watch the girl squirm.

"I was wondering if I could borrow your notes from potions class today. Snape's been riding my ass kinda hard lately and I noticed that you seem to always get top marks, even in potions class."

Tonks chuckled. "Well, If you want to be an auror, you have to get good grades all around. I absolutely hate potions. But what can I do? The Ministry Of Magic will never take me if my marks aren't top notch." She shuffled through the scrolls of parchment in her bag until she found the days notes. Tonks hesitated handing her notes over when she noticed a particularly nasty caricature of Professor Snape in the upper left hand corner of the parchment. She shrugged and handed it over. "Uh. Don't mind my little bit of art there."

The girl giggled. "It does kind of look like him." She smiled crookedly at Tonks and stuffed the parchment in her own bag. "Do you mind if I give these to you after supper? I have to run off to herbology in a moment, but I'll be done with them by the time supper rolls around."

"Sure, sure. I'm not particularly attached to them, you know. And besides, I have Quidditch practice this afternoon." Tonks was pleased as punch to be the Keeper for Gryffindor this year. Last year she had to play as a Chaser since they were short a Chaser but had a fantastic Keeper. The bloke that took her spot as Keeper graduated and Tonks gladly stepped up to fill the position. Oh how her mother had howled and complained about it! Nyphmadora! You are a pureblood wizard, and I expect you to act like one. I haven't sent you off to that school to turn into a tomboy and spend your days dirty and scuffed up! Tonks could still hear her mother's shrill voice, nearly two years later.

"So, I'll see you at supper then?" The girl started to head off, walking backward and grinning widely.

"Uh, yeah, yeah. Um. Enjoy herbology." Tonks found her grin to be completely disarming.

"I shall," said the Slytherin girl. Tonks could swear she saw her blushing a little as she turned away.