"Why are you dressed like that?" Sirius demanded.
"Oh," Remus said, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth as he thought of a bright-eyed, wild-haired witch. "Tonks asked me to have some drinks with her at a Muggle place."
"Who else is going?"
"Just me and Tonks."
Sirius grinned.
"What's so funny?" Remus asked, although knowing Sirius, he already knew where the conversation was heading.
"Nothing. Just you and Tonks," Sirius repeated.
Remus decided to ignore the heat spreading up his face and try to act as casual as possible. "Come on, Padfoot. You know we would ask you along if it weren't for—well, you know."
For a second, Remus cringed at reminding his friend of his unpleasant situation. But the grin remained plastered on Sirius' face as he said sarcastically, "Of course, Professor. But don't you forget that I was quite good at Potions. I know chemistry when I see it." And with that, he pushed Remus toward the door.
ooooooo
When Remus arrived, Tonks was already perched on a stool at one of the counter tables, sipping an icy red drink. Greeting him with a cheery "Wotcher," she patted the chair next to hers.
Remus noticed that her hair was in bright blue spikes to match the glittery blue lettering on her Weird Sisters shirt. Then he noticed that he shouldn't be concerned about what Nymphadora Tonks wore to have drinks with him.
The waitress stopped at their table. Tonks ordered something that Remus had never heard of, but was sure contained alcohol. Remus ordered a lemonade.
"You're no fun," Tonks complained.
"Maybe I don't want to get incredibly drunk. Perhaps that's why you're always tripping over things," he teased.
"Too serious," she replied with a playful pout. Remus suddenly drew in a sharp breath. Her lips were shiny and red from the punch she had been drinking earlier, and he wondered what they tasted like...
Now where had that thought come from? He was certainly too old to be thinking of her as anything but a niece who enjoyed teasing her graying uncle about his uptight ways.
The clinking of glasses against the table interrupted his self-reprimands. Tonks swiftly grabbed the lemonade and took a long sip as she pushed a smaller glass filled with clear liquid towards Remus.
"Now drink up," she ordered. And with a grin that would make Sirius proud, she added, "And no, it's not water."
ooooooo
"And one time, Sirius and James charmed Professor Hendy's wig to jump off his head, split in two, and do the tango!"
It was several hours and four alcoholic drinks later—one for him, three for her. The tales of the Marauders' exploits were far more delightful to Remus with the giddiness brought on by the alcohol and Tonks' tinkling laughter. The logical side of him told him that they should be heading home, but when the waitress came back, he ordered another lemonade.
"Can I get you a soda, Nymphadora?" he asked, knowing that if she agreed, he could talk to her for at least another half hour.
"Forget the soda," Tonks said, a little too loudly. "Tequila, please."
Remus opened his mouth in protest.
She rolled her eyes, which were a deep blue to complement her hair. "You know, Remus," she said, "sometimes it's fun to do something that you'll regret the morning after." With a poke to his arm, she added, "And don't call me Nymphadora!"
He felt a shiver through him at her touch and her suggestive words. What would he do with Nymphadora Tonks if he wouldn't remember it later? Probably take her into his arms and run his fingers through her electric blue hair and explore her mouth with his tongue and...
Oh, for Merlin's sake.
"Look!" Tonks exclaimed suddenly, pointing to a dark corner. It was a Muggle couple, passionately kissing. She giggled. "Doesn't the guy look like Snape? I'm traumatized."
Remus stared, but his thoughts weren't on Snape at all. He imagined that the girl was Tonks and the young man was...
Stop.
Tonks turned to look at him, frowning. "Ever had a girlfriend, Remus?" she asked casually.
He shook his head. And, trying to convince himself that he was asking only because she had asked him, and not because he was curious or anything, he inquired, "How about you?"
She shrugged. "Just back at Hogwarts. I've done stuff like that before, but never anything serious."
Remus silently reached for his drink, which had arrived without him noticing. He chewed at his straw as the guilt chewed at him—guilt at his elation that she was single. He stole a sideways glance at her.
She downed her drink in one gulp, then yanked the lemonade out of his hand. She grabbed his wrist and said, "Come on! Let's dance the tango like Professor Hendy's wig!" Without giving him time to protest, she dragged him toward the dance floor.
They zigzagged dramatically through the crowd of bouncing Muggles, laughing and ignoring the amused stares. In ordinary situations, Remus Lupin would have been reluctant to engage in such undignified behavior. But tonight, the heat radiating from their joined hands was too pleasant for him to care.
Suddenly the music stopped. Tonks slowly looked up at him, and the light caught the sparkle of blue glitter on her eyelids. She bit her lower lip and took a step forward.
Remus' heart began to speed up. She was going to kiss him, he knew it. He tried to call himself a dirty old man for his anticipation, but all he could think about was her, leaning forward and closing her eyes.
She fell forward onto his chest. She had passed out.
The wave of disappointment gave way to a stab of concern. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to ignore how warm and soft her body felt against his, and dragged her out of the door.
ooooooo
As he tucked her into his bed at 12 Grimmauld Place, his hand accidentally grazed against the flushed skin of her heart-shaped face, and a tingling sensation traveled up his arm and into his chest. As he studied her in the moonlight, he could only think of how he wanted to brush his lips against her soft eyelids...
No. He was just too drunk and exhausted to think properly.
ooooooo
The next thing Remus knew, sunlight was hitting his face. He turned over on top of the covers to see Tonks sleeping beside him, still tucked in except for a slender arm that was now resting on top of the gray blanket.
Listening to her soft breathing, he thought of how peaceful it would be to wake up next to her every morning. Then he realized with a start that he had fallen asleep on his bed with Nympadora Tonks in it, and when she saw him there, she would probably slap him and run from the room screaming.
Before he could slip off the bed, Tonks stretched, hitting him in the shoulder with her arm. Her eyes abruptly opened at the unexpected contact.
She stared at him, blue eyes wide. "Where am I?" she whispered.
"Grimmauld Place," he said carefully. "You passed out and I took you home."
She frowned, and he saw the sparkle of her eyeshadow again. "The last thing I remember is trying to ki—" Tonks suddenly went quiet and blushed. She had realized that she was lying in bed with Remus Lupin.
Trying to spare her any further embarrassment, he quickly stood up and said, "Don't worry, nothing happened. I was going to sleep on the couch, but I guess I fell asleep after I tucked you in. I'm sorry about that."
She smiled. "You're welcome in my bed anytime," she whispered suggestively. When he turned red, she sat up, chuckling at her ability to fluster him. Her laugh was cut short as she brought a palm to her forehead and winced. "My head," she moaned.
Diffusing the tension with a mock scolding, Remus bantered, "That's what you get when you drink too much." His heart ached as her eyes stayed squeezed shut, and he cheerfully tried, "I'll make some potion for hangovers in the kitchen. But you need to come downstairs. The way I brew it, it only works just when it's done."
Tonks groaned, flopping back on the bed and covering her face. "I don't want to move," she whined.
Remus decided that it wouldn't hurt to make a racy retort of his own. "Maybe you enjoy staying in my bed all day, but I won't allow it!" he said slyly. Then, arguing that he was only doing it because she needed that potion, he threw the blanket off and picked her up in his arms.
"Hey!" she protested, as he carried her through the door. Suddenly the side of her mouth twitched in a half-grin. "Well, I guess your scandalous side is coming out after all."
ooooooo
As Remus lugged Tonks down the hall, they ran into Sirius, who was munching on a pecan muffin. Sirius grinned in greeting at first. Then he froze.
Tonks gasped. Wriggling out of Remus' grasp, she fell onto the wooden floor with a soft thud. He found the time to notice how cute she looked when she was flustered.
Sirius gaped as his eyes wandered from Tonks sprawled on the floor, scowling and rubbing her backside, to Remus standing there with his hands at his side. Remus realized what it must look like—his collared shirt untucked and Tonks' hair in utter disarray. Remus blushed. Tonks blushed. Sirius smirked.
Tonks found her voice first. "It's not what it looks like!" she squeaked.
Sirius grinned and took another bite of muffin. "Sure it isn't."
Remus jumped into the defense. "We had too many drinks and—" He stopped, realizing that he was making the situation worse.
Sirius held up a hand, saying, "You don't need to say any more. I've seen everything that needs to be seen." He strode away, whistling.
Remus and Tonks stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds. Then Tonks got up and brushed the dust off her black pants. "Come on," she said, snatching Remus' hand and pulling him toward the stairs. "Sirius can think whatever he wants to."
Remus nodded, but as he felt her small, soft fingers against his, he couldn't help thinking that maybe, just maybe, Sirius was right.