DISCLAIMER: Don't own it blah blah blah J.K.Rowling blah blah blah don't sue me blah blah etc.

Authors note: Okay, now it gets confusing. I have no plan for this, so unless I get suggestions this will just go with the flow I guess. This chapter's a bit short, but I figured it should stop there (plus I like to tease you guys, hehe). R&r, like I know you will!

Rider-of-Rohan23: I'd say it'll be more like a love hexagon by the end, lol. Guess it goes to shows how adhoc this fic is.

trevor-bruttenholm: Thanks, I'm glad they come across like a little familly, I guess the oddballs go together well!

BlackHorntailJunior: I know what you mean, I think I may have read too many RL/NT fics as well, but I am determined this won't be as straight forward as that. (It never is, is it, heh).

Big thank ye to Analia's Broom and Megaroony, you reviews are very much appreciated. Now on with the story!

Mirror, Mirror

Chapter five: A First Glimpse

Tonks gazed at the greyish parchment. Had she imagined it? There was no proof either way, her full name was back as if it had never left. Tonks wanted to open it as soon as possible, but she didn't want to do it in front of Harry and Remus. Some things were just best done alone. She crammed the letter into the pocket of her dressing gown and turned her attention back to the room.

Remus had picked up the letter addressed to both of them, once he had finished reading it, he read it aloud for Tonks' benefit.

"Dear Remus and Tonks,

I hope you are both well, please extend my regards to your young companion. Moody and myself shall be paying you a visit some time before the summer is out, and will also be visiting our dear Mrs. Black this weekend. I would be grateful if you would join us, as I'm sure would she, I dare say she will give us a warm reception.

Sincere regards,

Albus Dumbledore"

Tonks chuckled. "Oooh that was sloppy," she remarked on the not-so-subtly coded message.

"Hmm?" Harry managed, his mouth full of tea and toast. He clearly needed a little clarification.

"My great au.." Tonks was loathed to call her family. "Mrs. Black happens to share her birthday with my mother, which happens to be this coming Friday, so..." She waved her hands to encourage Harry to carry on the train of thought.

"...So.." he began. "So that means Dumbledore's coming to see her on Friday, and since she's long dead and her portrait is here..." Remus and Tonks watched patiently as the cogs whirred round Harry's brain.

"..There will be an Order meeting here on Friday." He looked pleased with himself.

"Very good Harry" Remus said, helping himself to more tea.

"We'll make an Auror of you yet," Tonks winked across the table, subconsciously fingering the paper in her pocket. She'd taken time off work, but the Order was too important to forgo. This was war after all, and despite the losses they had suffered, it wouldn't wait for you while you took a holiday.

The thought of the meeting changed the happy mood of the room to a much more sombre one. Friday's Order meeting would be the first without Sirius present. It would be much quieter without his arguing with Severus and his understandable constant whinging over being stuck indoors.

War waited for no dead man.

This time Tonks didn't bother trying to lighten the mood like she normally would. The three of them simply sat in silence for a good long while, until Tonks decided it was perhaps time she got dressed.

She got to her room and shut the door behind her. Still leaning on it, she took out the envelope. She wanted desperately to know who it was that kept calling her Ymp, but at the same time she didn't want to know. There was definately something a little sinister about this.

She bit her lip and opened it.

Ymp,

I apologise if this seems a little unexpected, but I felt it was time to write to you. I have noticed you from afar, admired your beauty, in whatever form you chose to take. Despite your best efforts to prevent the real you being seen, I believe I have caught a glimpse of it, and it took my breath away. The way you bunch your nose when you change, even the way you fall over enchants me. There is so much more to you than meets the untrained eye, your beauty runs so much deeper than most, and, if I may, I would like to get to know the real Ymp a little better. I'm sure you would feel uncomfortable with a meeting at this stage, and I'm sure I would be far too nervous to be able to even pretend to be worthy of one such as yourself. I simply ask for correspondence for now.

Affectionately yours,

R

P.S. The owls will find me