A/N: This is the calm chapter before the storm. I think it's cute.

MrsAliciaWeasley: Thanks so much for your constant reviews. You're a star!

Poohdog: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Hope you're enjoying it.

Elf771: Tonks is one of my fav characters too. Thanks for the review.

Jennykim2007: Thanks for your review. For this fic to work I wanted Tonks to teach at Hogwarts but I didn't think she'd give up a job that she had worked so hard to get, so I had her fired. As for the nickname thing, well I wanted to build a relationship up between Sirius and Tonks, as they aren't that close in the book (JK probably thought that they wouldn't have known each other so young) so I created nicknames. I think 'Siri' is over-used so I chose something I hadn't heard of before and I think it works but thanks for your opinion.

Pickledishkiller: I won't keep you in suspense for too long. Like I said, the chapters are already written. Glad to know you are enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it!

Harry had not experienced such a boring Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson for a long while, in fact, not since Umbridge had been teaching. He gave a sigh and looked back down to his textbook. Quills were scratching against parchment in a staggered rhythm.

Tonks had told them that she wasn't really in the mood to do any work today, (something which most of them related to,) and had set an essay for homework, telling them to do it in class. Although the group of students had not been told to keep quiet, most of them were doing so. Lavender and Parvati, however, were partially carrying out their work and partially tittering to each other. Ron's eyes fell on them and then to Harry.

"Do you think there's something medically wrong with those two?" he asked dryly and Harry sniggered.

The window to the classroom was open a fraction, and let in a cool autumnal breeze. Most of the leaves on the trees surrounding the castle had turned to a rusty shade and were falling gradually in the cold wind. Tonks sat at her desk. She, too, looked incredibly uninterested as she marked a pile of essays with a bright pink felt tip pen. At that moment, a paper aeroplane flew through the open window at a pace and landed on her desk. She looked at it in surprise, feeling like she was back at the Ministry.

Harry, who had been glancing over Hermione's shoulder and receiving a sharp tap on the hand, looked up with interest as Tonks began to giggle. She stood, scraping her chair loudly and causing her class to look up. Their eyes followed her to the window. She opened it further and leaned out slightly, looking down.

"What are you doing here?" she called to the ground. A mumble of a reply was heard by the class. They were looking at each other in amusement and curiosity. Harry noticed Ron give a look of recognition, then frowned as if trying to multiply two large numbers together.

"Oh right," Tonks called back. She then paused, turning her class and giving a devious grin. Sticking her head back out of the window, she hollered again.

"Can we come down? … Great!" She closed the window over-enthusiastically, with a bang. "Right then, cloaks and scarves on now. We're off outside," she told the bemused students. They obeyed.

Once out in the grounds, wrapped up snugly against the sharp wind, Tonks took the lead and made her way in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

"Er, Tonks. What's going on?" Harry asked but she only grinned in reply. As they reached Hagrid's hut, they saw him stood outside talking enthusiastically to none other than Charlie Weasley.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked his brother suspiciously. Harry noticed that Hagrid was beaming.

"Right, well for those of you who don't know, this is Charlie Weasley. Say hi guys." Most of the class greeted him, but Malfoy and his cronies looked most displeased to have another Weasley around and started up a conversation at the back. Tonks continued. "Charlie is a Dragon Tamer."

"Ooh," Parvati cut in, "That sounds dangerous."

"Yeah it is," Charlie said proudly and gave a wink at Tonks.

"Hagrid has been working on Professor Dumbledore for a while now to let some of his classes study an actual Dragon, and it seems as if he's cave in." Hagrid blushed slightly, and gave a nervous cough. "So…" she paused, "You wanna see?"

"Yeah!" cried Dean Thomas. Charlie gave a laugh and began to lead the group around Hagrid's hut to the paddock behind.

"I know most of you will have seen the different types of Dragons at the Triwizard Tournament two years ago." He gave Harry a grin. Had it only been two years ago? Harry thought to himself absently. "And of course, the situation was controlled. There were many Tamers on the scene that day. However, I would not have agreed to allow students to study a Dragon up close unless I was absolutely sure that no harm would come to any of you."

"Even those who aren't listening, Mr Malfoy." Tonks added, causing Malfoy to turn around at the sound of his name. It wouldn't have been the first time that Draco had been injured in a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, because he wasn't paying attention.

"And so," Charlie concluded. "I bring you our most tamed Dragon; the most tamed Dragon ever recorded in history. A Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert." Harry, Ron and Hermione gave a laugh as the scaled creature came into view. The Dragon lay down in the centre of the paddock, rather like a dog. The wooden fence that bordered it seemed no match for a Dragon, but he had stayed in his confinements. Indeed, Norbert seemed incredibly tame, as he glanced up at his observers before resting his head back down on the ground. Hagrid's smile widened further, if that was possible, and he puffed his chest out in pride.

The class spent the remainder of their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson watching Norbert blow smoke rings out of his nostrils on command, and rolling over on to his back. They asked Charlie questions eagerly, and Neville even volunteered to approach the Dragon and stroke him. Malfoy also volunteered, not wanting to be shown up by Longbottom. However, as he approached, Norbert gave out a grunt of displeasure causing the blonde boy to run back with a yelp. Harry and Ron had not been so amused in ages.

When Tonks announced the end of the lesson, Harry was pleased for he could no longer feel the ends of his toes. The trio made there way back up to the Gryffindor common room and slumped by the fire in their chairs.

"Did you see the look on Hagrid's face?" Harry asked. "He was so pleased to have Norbert back."

"Yes well he'd better make the most of the time he has with him, as I suppose Charlie will be taking him away again soon," Hermione said bluntly, dampening the mood. Ron scowled at her.

"Always one to put a downer on things aren't you Hermione." She pursed her lips at him, but said nothing. Harry hoped he would defrost soon, before it was time to go down for tea. He noticed it was already getting dark outside; one of the down sides to winter. He held his hands to the roaring fire, watching the flames dance and crackle. His mind wandered to the times he had spoken to Sirius on this same hearth. It made him smile. Sirius always was a risk-taker. Hermione and Ron were squabbling. Harry broke out of his reverie and told them to be quiet.

"She's doing my head in, mate!"

"Well, you always start it Ronald!"

"Hey!" Ginny called them from across the common room. The trio turned around. Ron noticed she was sat incredibly close to Dean Thomas and that they were holding hands. "Come here a sec!"

"No thanks," Ron mumbled.

"No really, come and see this," Ginny persisted, gesturing for them to get up. Hermione did so first and Harry joined her, followed grudgingly by Ron. Ginny was pointing out of the window. Harry squinted in the fading light.

"What are we supposed…" but then he stopped. Walking together rather intimately across the grounds were Tonks and Charlie. Harry grinned at Ginny and turned back to look.

"Ooh, this is great!" Hermione squealed. "What do you think they are talking about?"

"Maybe it's none of our business," Ron mumbled shortly, but his face had also lit up at the sight of his brother with Tonks. The couple had stopped in their tracks.

"He's gonna kiss her, he's sooo gonna kiss her!" Ginny shrieked. Harry and Ron turned away in embarrassment, as Ginny's prediction had been correct.

Tonks walked with Charlie across the chilly grounds. The sun was going down behind the castle in the distance. Tonks swallowed uncomfortably and tucked a strand of electric blue hair behind an ear. Charlie had not stopped staring at her since her class had disappeared up to the castle.

"So…" she began, hoping the nerves in her stomach would fade in conversation.

"So," he replied. They continued to walk. His cheeks had reddened slightly, and he hoped that she wouldn't notice in the evening's light. What would Bill think if he saw him like this? Enough was enough; he was going to swallow his pride. He stopped abruptly, causing her to frown.

"What's wrong?"

"I like you." His sudden confession caused her jaw to drop. "I'm sorry. That was rather forward of me. Forget it." He continued to walk but she took his hand, holding him back.

"I like you too, Charlie." She smiled.

"Great, well… good that's good."

"I'm not sure if I'm looking for a relationship though," she added, causing his face to drop in obvious disappointment. She sighed, uncomfortably. "Listen, I think you're great. But I have my job at Hogwarts and you said yourself that you're thinking of heading back to Romania soon, so I don't really see us working, do you?" Charlie's head dropped. He wished he hadn't mentioned that to Tonks earlier.

"Well," he said after a pause, "I'd like it to work. And, if it's ok with you, I'd like to give it a shot."

"That's fine by me," she said, her whisper barely audible as he moved in towards her and put his arms around her waste. His lips were warm against hers. It was a brief kiss, lasting only a moment. Charlie lingered in front of her for a second before pulling away with a smile. Neither of them spoke. The silence was then filled by a distant cheer, which echoed around the stone castle.

"Wooooh!" Hermione and Ginny's cries of delightcould be heard.

"Yeah! Get in there!" Ron whooped. The pair looked up to Gryffindor Tower, seeing the glow from an open window high above them. Charlie gave a chuckle and put his arm around Tonks' shoulder.

"That's some family we have, huh?" Tonks gave a sigh of content.

"Yeah." The smile refused to fade from her face, as they made there way in from the cold.