Title: Photographs
Author: Mucada
Rating: PG-13 for language and the mention of drugs and alcohol
Disclaimer: Not mine, JK's
A/N: Okay, so I write lotsa Remus-Tonks stuff. This is my take on how they met. Pretty simple. If you read my other stories featuring them, you know how I portray them, and the settings I use. All my other works are plotless, as is this (thusfar) and are simple characteristics of them.
Summary: Perhaps WIP, not sure yet. Remus and Tonks meet for the first time.

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"Well, everything seems to be in order. Until our next meeting," Albus Dumbledore, said, facing the room filled with murmuring witches and wizards. The old man stood up from his seat at the head of the table, which seemed to have signaled everyone else to begin chatting and moving around. Molly Weasley began to shout over the cacophony, asking if anyone would like some tea. There were many responses all at once as she began to prepare a pot. Someone opened the door to the kitchen, and more people began to enter to already crowded room. Soon the Weasley kids began to ask questions, Molly Weasley hushing them quickly.

"Remus," Dumbledore said, to the man standing behind him, "I have somebody for you to meet. I believe she just joined our ranks. Miss Tonks?" There was clatter and banging and loud talking, and Remus thought for a moment that the old headmaster might have gone mad, thinking someone would hear his voice over all the commotion.

But the young woman came forward from the sea of people, stumbling once and making a face of mild embarrassment. The headmaster held his arm out gallantly, and she grabbed it, obviously feeling even more embarrassed having taken his aid. She was a small woman, with wild pink hair that messily stuck up in every direction. With hair like that, Remus surprised himself that he hadn't seen her sooner. She had a pleasant face, a very pleasant face, he admitted. Sexy almost, in a way that would keep a man on his toes, a way that he would regret but love at the same time. Remus smiled toothlessly, not yet able to admit to himself that he felt intimidated.

"Nymphadora," Dumbledore said, "I would like you to meet Remus Lupin, an old friend of mine." An old friend of mine. Remus couldn't help but feel a small pressure of emotion building inside his chest, feeling honored that the headmaster considered him a friend.

"It's Tonks," the woman said, holding out her hand boldly, in a way that was quite confident, as if she had totally forgotten moments before how embarrassed she had been.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Tonks," he heard himself saying, taking her small hand in his. She had an unusually strong grip. Tonks. That name was familiar, very vague, like a name he once heard a long time ago. He couldn't have known her; she was too young to be at Hogwarts during his time there. And he didn't remember her from any of his travels, either.

"Nymphadora is the daughter of Andromeda, Sirius' cousin." There it was. That same girl, about 7 or 8, being ignored by the older kids one summer at Sirius', lost amongst the restless teenagers and arguing adults. Why the hell hadn't Sirius told him they were still around? They obviously weren't like the rest of the Black family, in a manner more kindred than Sirius could say about any of his other relatives. He was sure Sirius would have mentioned, quite happily in fact, that one of his cousins was joining their ranks. Unless, he wasn't happy about Tonks being in the Order. He continued to look at the petite woman. The top of her head barely reached his neck. That bastard, Remus thought, so fucking self-righteous.

"I think I'll leave you two at that," the old man said, a hand on each other their shoulders, like the kind and happy grandfather figure he was. He left to go speak with Mrs. Weasley, politely asking if he may have a biscuit from the tin she was placing in a cupboard, away from her hungry children. She told him as respectfully as she could that dinner was being served shortly. Remus grinned.

"Quite a tiger, that Molly is," Tonks said, nodding her head in the direction Remus was looking. Remus nodded, still smiling.

"You're that artsy friend of Sirius' right?" she asked suddenly, more of a statement than as actual question.

"Smartly observant for a 7 year old," he replied. They only met once, if he remembered correctly.

"I was 8, and I have pictures of you." He laughed. Tonks perfectly arched eyebrows shot up into her tousled pink hair. "I'm sorry, that sounded so much like I've stalked you over the years. What I meant was that I for some reason have pictures from that lovely family get together. And they're muggle too, which is quite odd, isn't it? I really have no idea why I have them, actually…" She was rambling, her voice ending in mild curiosity, and mild embarrassment.

"I was rambling, wasn't I," she said, as he laughed lightly. She really was a pleasant person to be around.

"It's alright, Nymphadora," he said, smiling as her.

"My name's such a mouthful, don't even bother with it. I'm just Tonks."

"Do you want to get out of here?" he found himself saying suddenly, "It's really crowded here."

"I'd actually like that. What to see the pictures? They're actually quite funny. You're all drunk, as was the person taking the pictures."

"I'd love that."

"Professor Lupin!" a shout came from the other end of the kitchen. Remus grinned, almost sheepishly, looking over to see two devilishly happy twins, a dreadful looking Ron, and an imposingly skeptical Hermione. It was Ginny who had called him, with a grin on her face that matched the twins.

"I've been beckoned," he said, turning back to her.

"Meet me in that old study, it's the one filled with old muggle records and books. Professor." She grinned wickedly at him, turning around and walking around all the people. He exhaled with a nervous smile, his stomach for some reason flipping. He couldn't help but watch the way her hips swung with each step she took. He breathed in quickly, and walked over to the group of teenagers.

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"Of course I know this room well. I sort of claimed it as my mine," he said, taking a seat on the old couch. Now Tonks saw it, all of the interesting things around her. It made her excited and embarrassed at the same time. All the vinyl must have been his, as well as the stringed instruments and old books. She wondered, more excitedly, if the lingering smell of musk and coffee in the couch was from him as well.

"I'm sorry, I really had no idea this was your room. I just offered it because it was comfortable." And, she thought wickedly, because it smells like weed and has funny old muggle records in it. She'd never admit to spending time in here, even though she liked to search through the music and read the old books.

"Don't be sorry, how would you have known? Feel free to come in any time you wish."

"Thanks," she said in a small voice. She did feel like she was intruding on his space, even though he seemed unfazed. He was a polite man, and Tonks to tell, also a gentleman.

"Are all those records yours?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

"Yes, I'm quite fond of muggle music. Have you listened to some of them?"

"Just a little." Or many. She was surprised they hadn't run into each other.

"Do you have any particular favourites?" he asked, standing up and crouching down to flip through the boxes on the floor, his back to her. She would see the muscles of his shoulders contracting with his movements.

"Actually, if you don't mind, she sings about taxi's. I don't really know who she is."

"Joni Mitchell," he answered, automatically, pulling out an old record. Miles of Aisles was its title. "She's a painter as well. Her older work is the best though, but I do like Big Yellow Taxi and Both Sides Now."

"Do you know a lot about muggle music?" Tonks asked, leaning forward on her elbows.

"More than your average witch or wizard, but probably not as much as a muggle, obviously," he said, placing the needle of the player onto the record. It crackled at first, followed by the growing sound of an audience cheering. He rejoined her on the couch, and she watched as the record spun around, light dimly reflecting off of it and onto the open lid of the machine. Some things where more powerful than magic.

"Did you bring the pictures?" he asked, almost like he was asking if she brought drugs. In fact, she should probably be the one asked him that. He appeared to be the type who might just smoke weed on the weekends. In fact, the smell lingered in the room, and he probably did. He looked like one of those old muggle hippies that she had seen in photographs in Muggle Studies while she was at school: long hair, weathered sandals, a cotton shirt halfway unbuttoned that he might have slept in, if he slept on the couch they were sitting on now. But he had a very gentle, almost aloof demeanor, with light, soft green eyes and a strikingly handsome face. His hair wasn't too long, wavy and sandy brown, the type she would love to just run her hands through. What? She mentally smacked herself.

She had an entire box of photos, some muggle and some magical, all mixed up. Some were from before she was born, from her mother, from her days at school. She and Remus were content just sitting on the old couch, with music playing softly in the background, looking from picture to picture, swapping stories about anything. Tonks told stories about her time training to become an auror, and he told some stories about his friends at Hogwarts.

They finally got to the end, looking at the old pictures from the night a long time ago. Indeed, Tonks had remembered correctly, and everyone seemed to be drunk. For a family too burdened by evil and intense hatred for each other, while intoxicated they appeared to be enjoying themselves, all except Tonks, easily the youngest person there.

"You seem so miserable," he murmured, as they came to a picture of Tonks feigning a smile for the photographer, who she came to realize, was probably her father, who was too busy having fun to notice the teenagers, not that he would have cared. Her father liked everyone happy, regardless. She was sure her dad and Remus would like each other. Sure, she thought, get a jump on that. Have him meet the parents.

"Yeah, well you were off getting wasted and I was too young to find fun in all of it," she said, pulling forth a picture of a young Remus and Sirius, their arms around each other as they clicked bottles together. She thought of her cousin, probably downstairs, and of the man sitting against her on the sofa, and how they changed so much, over not too long of a time. She glanced quickly at Remus, catching a glimpse of his younger self in his eyes and smile. The photographed Remus was only a younger stage of the same man. He was more mature looking than James or Peter, who were in the next photo, but still held some innocence that was no longer seen in the older Remus.

"We're all happy here," he said softly, a hint of sadness in his hoarse voice. "Thank you for showing these to me, Tonks."

She nodded, looking down at the old photo, which was still, capturing a moment in time, all the emotions, the joy and short lived ecstasy of their young lives.

"Hey," she said brightly, nudging him lightly with her arm, "I haven't seen you since I was 8; tell me what you've been up to. And only the happy parts right now." He smiled, mirroring her expression.

He stood up from the couch, walking over to the record player and flipping the vinyl over. After doing so, he paused for a moment before pulling a book out from the crammed shelf. He rejoined her on the couch, and opened the small book. It appeared to be a journal, old pages crisp in his hands. He pulled a picture out between the pages. It was a muggle photograph, of tall buildings and bright lights. The sky behind the buildings was a strong blue of twilight, and seemed to shine unlike anything Tonks had ever seen before.

"I traveled," he said simply, motioning with the photograph.

"Where's that?"

"New York City. I stayed there for a little bit, in the early eighties. I traveled to California, and in-between, as a muggle." He began to flip through the pages, pulling out more photographs, and continued, "Spain, Australia, India, Iceland even, but that was on business for the Order." Impressive.

"Why as a muggle?"

"I… wanted a break from the magical world. It hadn't been too kind to me," he said in a low voice. She wished she hadn't asked, now knowing what he was referring to.

"You got around," she said, examining the photographs. She didn't want to bring him back down that path. Pictures of waterfalls, beautiful green hills, the large waves of the ocean. She felt small next to Remus, her short life seemed like nothing next to his fulfilled one.

"Just for a little while. I was going some work for Dumbledore, after Voldemort disappeared. I taught briefly, in France and then at Hogwarts."

"Do you like teaching?"

"Very much so. I love being surrounded by academic minds."

"Are you a writer?"

"Not of words, but I like music."

"Was Defense all you taught?"

"Yes, but it was for a short while."

"I'm sorry, it seems like I'm interrogating you," she said, looking down at the picture in her hands, of dark, jagged cliffs high above the force of a storming sea.

"Don't," he said. A moment went by and he then said, "I like this." She looked up at him, "I like talking with you, Tonks."

She smiled, unsure, but responded, "Me too, Remus." She felt like a teenager, stomaching flipping and face red.

Time passed, and the warm summer night found them still sitting in the study, asking each other questions. Remus opened the windows, letting in the cool summer air and dying sunlight. Downstairs became more quiet, members of the Order leaving after dinner. Remus produced a bottle of Firewhiskey, and they passed between themselves, soon becoming unbothered by anything. Tonks found herself enjoying Remus' company perhaps more than she would have while sober, as they began to tell each other more stories. Tonks hadn't had this much fun with a man in a while, probably before she started working for the Ministry, and she soon became more comfortable with him since when they met. He was wonderfully calm and nice, and he told good stories. And he was still gorgeous, even in the dim sight of her intoxicated mind, not that Tonks really noticed.

Much.

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This story might be a one night stand, but I'm not sure yet. I have some time on my hands right now, which means I might have time for a committed relationship with this one! ;)

As always, let me know what you think. :)