After three days, Tonks realized that the novelty of being back at Hogwarts had worn off. She missed Remus. Nothing had happened in Hogsmeade, no Dolohov sightings. There was no word from Ron or Harry and she was finding the lack of noise and mischief throughout the school downright depressing. The students were all quiet, acting as though they were afraid and couldn't get to their classrooms quickly enough. Even the teachers were acting anxious and subdued.

She had sat in on a couple of classes. No one spoke out of turn, there was no open discussions or questions. The professors lectured to distracted students who didn't bother taking notes. It just wasn't the same and Tonks thought it was just plain sad. She fought the urge to call out questions in a classroom or to race Peeves through the corridor.

"Knut for your thoughts."

Tonks looked up at Dunne, almost forgetting he was walking through the castle with her. It was late evening and they were on duty, making rounds within the castle and the surrounding grounds. "What?"

"You look to be about a million miles away."

"Oh, I guess I did let my mind wander a bit."

"What's up?"

"I'm just a little sad to see the turn the school has taken."

Dunne nodded, "It has been kind of strange around here, almost like there aren't any children."

"Exactly. I miss the noise, the fun, the worrying about tests, the teenagers sneaking off to snog in broom closets, the pranks, everything."

"Noise, snogging, and pranks? What did you do when you were here, Tonks?"

She smirked, "Made a lot of noise, snogged a few guys, and pulled some pranks, weren't you listening?"

He laughed, "And I just studied and worked hard."

"Nerd," she teased. "But nothing compares with the stories I used to hear about my cousin."

"Your cousin? Oh, you mean Sirius Black?"

Tonks bit back the remark that flew to her lips. She had to mentally remind herself that most of the wizarding world still thought Sirius was guilty of turning the Potters over to Voldemort and killing Peter Pettigrew and several muggles. "Uh, yeah, Sirius. He and his friends, James Potter and Remus, they were real hellions when they went to school here. Remus was made a Prefect, he thinks Dumbledore did it so he could rein in his friends, but there was no reining in Sirius and James."

"If they were such good friends, why did he turn against Potter and Pettigrew?"

Tonks regretted bringing up the subject of Sirius. She knew the truth, but there was no way she could convince him of it and there was no way she could do it without giving away some information about the Order. "I, uh, I don't know."

"And if Remus was so close with them, how do you know he won't do something like that?"

Tonks whirled around and glared at her partner. "That's it, Dunne. I have told you time and again to keep your opinions about Remus to yourself, you have no idea what you're talking about. When we get back to the Ministry I am putting in a request for a new partner."

He blanched. "But…but, come on Tonks. Don't be like this, we've worked together for months and we work well together, even Robards has said. I'm just looking out for you."

"No, you're being judgmental and mean. You don't even know Remus and you are making all these wrong assumptions about him. He is the kindest, gentlest, most wonderful man I've ever known. I love him and I plan on spending the rest of my life with him. Things aren't always what they seem, you should know that, but, for some reason, when it comes to Remus and Sirius, you automatically think the worst."

"The worst?" Dunne asked, shocked. "Sirius Black was convicted of thirteen counts of murder, turned the Potters over to You-Know-Who, and he sided with the Death Eaters!"

Anger and hurt burned hotly inside her as she leaned closer and lowered her voice to a threatening hiss. "You have no idea what you're talking about. Don't you ever, ever, talk about Sirius like that. You can only wish to be half the man he was."

Fear flashed across Dunne's face. He took a step back and pulled his wand out, pointing it directly at her, "You've gone mad."

It didn't occur to Tonks that she was glaring at her partner, extolling the virtues of what most of the world considered to be an evil man. Many still thought Sirius was Voldemort's second hand man. No, to her, she was standing up for her favorite cousin, the brother she never had. She was sick and tired of everyone thinking he was capable of murder, of turning against James and Lily. She wanted to shout his innocence from the rooftops.

"Expelliarmus."

It was little more than a hoarse whisper, but Dunne's wand flew from his hand. He turned, fear and worry etched across his face.

"Remus!" Tonks cried. She was relieved and excited to see him standing at the intersection of the corridors behind them. Her feelings changed, though, when she saw the angry expression he wore.

"What are you doing here?" Dunne asked, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

"I have business with Professors Slughorn and McGonagall," he replied, never moving his gaze from Tonks.

"You…you didn't tell me you were coming," she stammered.

"When are you off duty?"

She glanced at her watch, "Not for another hour."

Remus looked at Dunne. "May I please have a moment with Tonks?"

"Can I have my wand back?"

"Of course," he held it out. "Just don't let me catch you pointing it at her ever again."

Tonks winced as Remus wrapped his hand painfully around her arm, pulling out of Dunne's earshot. "Remus, why didn't you tell me you were coming? What are you doing here?"

"Slughorn contacted me this morning to tell me the latest batch of Wolfsbane potion is ready, I thought I would come pick it up and surprise you. Now, just what in the world do you think you were doing?"

"What?"

"I heard part of your conversation while I was coming down the hall. You can't just tell him about Sirius, not yet any way. For Merlin's sake, he thought you were a dark wizard."

"He did not."

"He pointed his wand at you. He thought you had sided with Voldemort and Sirius. He, and the rest of the wizarding world, isn't ready to hear the truth yet. I know you're frustrated, so am I, but we have to patient. The truth will come out and Sirius will be seen as the good man he was."

Tonks blinked back moisture that gathered in her eyes, "It's not fair."

Releasing his grip on her arm, Remus gently cupped her cheek. "I know it isn't."

"And he was saying some mean things about you."

"They're just words, Dora."

"Words hurt."

"Only when you let them."

She closed her eyes and sighed, gathering her composure. "I know, you're right."

"What was the last thing you spoke about before you talked about Sirius?"

"What?"

"I'll perform the memory charm."

"Remus, you can't perform a memory charm on an auror," she hissed.

"We have to. He thinks you're siding with Voldemort, combine that with the fact that you're intimately involved with a werewolf and you're in big trouble."

She nodded slowly, "We, uh, we were talking about what Hogwarts was like when we were here."

With a small smile of understanding, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "No one likes this. Sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done."

"I know." She slowly led him back to her partner.

Remus smiled at the younger man. "Sorry about the misunderstanding. Things are so crazy right now, it's hard to tell who you can trust and who you can't. You were pointing your wand at someone who is very important to me."

Dunne watched him warily, "Yeah, we all have to be careful."

In one smooth movement, Remus whipped his wand out, pointed it directly at Dunne, and cried, "Obliviate!"

Tonks looked away for a moment, dread and shame filling her as she listened to Remus telling Dunne that the last thing he remembered was talking about his school days at Hogwarts.

A moment later, Dunne's cloudy eyes cleared and he slowly focused on Remus. "Remus Lupin! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in a while."

Remus smiled, "I have a meeting with Professors Slughorn and McGonagall. Thought I would stop by and say hi. How are things around here?"

"All quiet so far, luckily."

"That's good. Well, I have to go find Horace. It was nice seeing you again, Paul, take care." Remus turned to Tonks. "Come find me when you're done with your rounds."

She nodded.

"You okay?" Dunne asked as they continued down the hallway.

"Yes. I'm fine."

"I bet you're happy to see him here."

"Yes, it was a pleasant surprise."

"What's wrong Tonks? You seem out of sorts." He narrowed his eyes. "It's Lupin, isn't it? What did he do?"

"It's not Remus," she sighed, tired of this argument. "I have a lot on my mind."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Let's head outside and do the perimeter before it gets much colder."

Tonks and Dunne met with Fitzgerald at the end of their shift. They filled her in on what they saw and that the castle had been quiet throughout their shift.

"I think we'll be called back to the Ministry before the week is up," Bridget told them. "Nothing is happening here and I am sure they can use us better elsewhere. You two are doing a fine job. I'm sure you can get something to eat if you're still hungry."

Dunne nodded.

"Tonks, Professor McGonagall sent word for you to go straight to her office when you're finished."

Tonks nodded, "Thank you, Bridget."

Trying to ignore the dread that weighed heavily down on her, Tonks made her way through the corridors. McGonagall was going to be mad that she almost slipped up and told Dunne too much, Remus was already angry with her.

It had always been a bad habit of hers that she spoke before thinking. She reacted with her heart long before she thought with her mind. Sirius used to tease her that she was as clumsy with her tongue as she was with her feet, she tripped over both.

"Catnip." She muttered the password and found her way in front of the door that led to the Headmaster's office.

"Come in," Professor McGonagall called out when Tonks knocked.

Lupin and McGonagall were seated at a small table beside the fireplace. They each had a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits sat between them.

"Tonks, how are you?" Minerva asked, conjuring up a chair for her.

"I'm fine, Minerva. And you?"

"I'm doing well, considering. I take it you didn't find anything out of sorts during your rounds?"

"No, Ma'am, everything's clear."

"Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please."

Minerva poured a cup of tea and nudged the plate of biscuits toward the young auror. "Remus and I have been having a nice chat."

"Oh?" Tonks added too much sugar to her tea, unable to meet the Headmistress' eyes. "Anything new?"

"I told her I performed a memory charm," Remus told her.

Minerva folded her hands on the table and leaned closer, "Tonks, you're young and you're headstrong. I know it can be difficult at times, but you must be patient. While everyone has accepted the fact that Voldemort has returned, people are still confused as to who they can and cannot trust. Unfortunately, Sirius Black is still considered a criminal, a dark wizard. But I promise you, as soon as Voldemort and his Death Eaters are defeated, I, personally, will make sure Sirius' name is cleared. All that he did will be recognized and he will be seen for the good man he was."

Tonks continued to stare at the golden liquid in her cup. Wordlessly, Remus reached over and took her hand.

"What happened tonight will stay between the three of us," Minerva continued. "Just be careful in the future."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Now then, have either of you heard from Molly or Arthur?"

Remus nodded, "I spoke with Arthur yesterday, they haven't heard anything in the last couple of days."

"Ginny got a letter from Harry," Tonks said.

Minerva looked at her sharply, "She did? Why hasn't she said anything?"

"I was there when Hedwig arrived. She said it was personal."

"Personal? He may have said something important. I'm going to send for her now…"

"Minerva," Remus interrupted. "If there was anything in the letter that Ginny thought we needed to know, she would tell us. Most likely it was a personal letter from a boyfriend to his girlfriend."

"Molly said they broke up."

Tonks shook her head. "They claim they did, but it's just in words only. The two of them are in love."

A smile crossed Minerva's faced, "It's nice to think that Harry was able to enjoy some of the fun that comes with being young. Ginny is good for him."

"But Ginny is having a very rough time of it right now."

"I know. I received word that she has skipped a few classes. I'm going to speak with her about it tomorrow."

"I spoke with her," Tonks said. "She's depressed, understandably, and is feeling a bit left out. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have gone on their mission and she isn't old enough to be in the Order."

"May she needs to do something to keep her mind off worrying," Minerva suggested. "As a Prefect she has so much to do. At the beginning of the year she expressed interest in starting up the DA, but she never really followed through with it. I could use her help with the younger students, she could be setting a great example and helping them feel better about being here."

"That's a lot of responsibility to place on a young girl who's brother, friend, and boyfriend are out fighting Voldemort," Lupin commented.

"You're right," Minerva sighed. "There are times I wonder if I am cut out for this position."

Tonks looked up, startled to hear Professor McGonagall voice such a worry. "You're doing a great job, Minerva."

She smiled unconvincingly, "Thank you, Tonks."

Tonks and Remus spent another hour with the Headmistress, talking about Hogwarts and the Order. By the time they left, all three of them were feeling better. It helped to have friends to depend on during difficult times.

"You met with Slughorn?" Tonks asked as they walked, hand-in-hand down the hall.

"Yes, I'm all set for this month."

"Do you really have to go?"

Remus chuckled and squeezed her hand, "Yes I do."

"Wanna sneak into a broom cupboard and have a quick snog?"

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Remus," she teased flirtingly. "Let's pretend we're kids again. Didn't you ever sneak off to steal a few moments with a girl in a broom cupboard or empty classroom?"

"Dora."

She stopped and looked at him, "Oh, honey, didn't you have a girlfriend while you were here?"

"Of course I did," he said defensively. "None too serious, I mean, I wasn't a virgin when we met and I made out with a few girls back in my day, not as many as James and Sirius did. It…it wasn't easy finding a girl I could tell my secret to and if I did tell them, they always ran away."

"I'm not running away," she said seductively, leaning closer to him.

"I know you aren't. I tried to run away and you just chased me down."

Grinning, Tonks tugged at his hand, "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Just come with me."

Remus allowed her to lead him down the hall, through a tapestry, up a flight of stairs, down another hall, and finally to a small door between two classrooms. "Dora, this is silly."

"No it isn't." She pulled open the door and glanced up and down the deserted corridor when the hinges creaked.

"Dora…"

"Shh, if Filch catches us we'll get a month of detentions."

"This is ridiculous. We're adults, we are not going to cram ourselves into a closet and pretend we're teenagers."

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, but…" He trailed off when she pulled him into the closet with her and shut the door.

They were plunged into darkness and the door made an odd squelching noise when Tonks performed the Colloportus charm to seal the door. He heard her moving, but couldn't see what she was doing.

"Dora?"

She groped in front of her until her hands came in contact with him, sliding over his chest, unclasping his robes and letting them fall. "Remus, let's have a little fun."

He chuckled quietly, "Minx."

"Animal."

"I can't see what I'm doing."

She slid her hands down a bit more and gripped his belt, "Then I guess you'll have to use your other senses."

Remus grabbed her arms and pulled her flush against him. He lowered his head and sought out her mouth with his own. Tonks wound her arms up around his neck and stood on her toes as he ran his hands down her back and slid them into the back pockets of her snug jeans. The closet soon became a little too warm for the two of them as their hands groped and fought to remove clothing in the dark. Remus was pinned to the wall as she pulled his shirt from his waistband and pushed it up his torso until he released her and pulled it all the way off. His hands returned to her and quickly yanked the sweater she wore up and over her head. Heated flesh met heated flesh as they met again in a passionate kiss. His fingers slid up her back and quickly released her bra, tearing it away from her body, eager to feel all of her pressed against him.

Tonks' hands fumbled with his belt and fly, finally loosening his slacks. He murmured something under his breath and they both felt the familiar warmth wash over them as he performed the contraceptive spell. She slid her hand inside his pants and wrapped her fingers around his length, feeling it pulsate in her hand. Remus' head fell back against the wall and a groan flew from his lips as she continued to stroke him.

"Did you ever do this in a broom cupboard when you were in school," she whispered.

He opened his eyes and made out the faint outline of her cast by the light that crept under the door. "Whatever I did before we met means nothing. All that matters is right now, with you."

"Good answer," she whispered, sliding to her knees and pulling his pants down to his ankles.

"Sweet mercy, Dora," he moaned as she took him in her mouth.

He had spent so many years alone, convinced he would never know love. Now that he had found her, found love, any time they had spent apart had been torture. But it was no comparison to the sweet torture she was putting him through now.

Tonks slowly released him and stood. She unzipped her jeans and quickly shed them. "Enough of this," she murmured. "I need you, Remus."

"I need you too."

None too gently, Tonks turned him and pushed him back so he landed on an overturned crate. In the darkness, she laid her hands on his shoulders as he gripped her waist and pulled her close. His lips pressed to her stomach and she moaned as his tongue circled her belly button. His mouth moved lower, peppering her thighs with gentle kisses. She slid her hands into his hair and almost unconsciously guided him to the juncture between her legs. He nuzzled her moist curls with his nose and earned a gasp when his tongue parted her and sought out her taste.

"Remus," she sighed as her knees weakened and she raised her hands to brace herself against the wall above him.

He gripped her waist and pulled her close, lowering her onto his lap. It wasn't easy when they couldn't see what they were doing, but they finally connected and he slid within her. Tonks groaned his name and locked her arms around his neck as she rode him. Remus leaned back against the wall, his hands still holding her narrow waist.

It was hot, dark, and intense. Neither noticed nor cared about the noise they made. His hands slid up her stomach and caressed her breasts before moving to her back and pulling her closer so his mouth could seek and capture her hardened nipples. She ground against him, her clitoris under pleasurable pressure and she came with a cry as he nibbled her flesh.

Remus continued to thrust into her as she collapsed against him.

"Oh, Remus," she croaked in a half sigh, half moan.

"Dora."

"I love you so much," she gasped.

He tightened his arms around her as he thrust one last time.

For several minutes, Tonks continued to straddle him, feeling him soften within her as they tried to catch their breath.

"Well, I can honestly say I've never experienced anything like that any where on Hogwarts ground," he muttered.

"Me either. Remus?"

"Hm?" He pressed a line of kisses across her bare shoulder.

"It has never been like this before."

"I know."

"Have you noticed that every time we…we make love, it…it's so…"

"Intense? Passionate?"

"Amazing."

Remus cradled her against him. "Yes, I've noticed. When its right, it's right, I guess."

"And this is so right."

He laughed quietly.

"I guess we should go before anyone finds us."

"And I have to get back to the common room so I can brag to my mates about the hot bird I bagged."

Tonks giggled, "And I have to go tell my roommates about the sexy man who made me a woman."

"I can't believe I had reservations about this. Good idea, Dora."

She slowly disentangled herself from him and tried to stand, tripping over her jeans and falling against him.

"Accio wand," Remus whispered, steadying her. "Lumos."

A beam of light shot from his wand and helped them find their clothing. It took longer than usual for them to dress, the cramped quarters and minimal lighting causing problems. They were both breathless and giggling when Tonks unsealed the door and they stumbled into the hallway.

"I'll be at Grimmuald Place," he told her quietly as she escorted him to the door. "If you need anything, let me know."

"When I'm done here, will you come back to my flat?"

"We'll see. It's only been a few days, Dora."

She sighed, "Okay. But feel free to visit any time. There are plenty of cupboards to explore."

"Take care of yourself, Nymphadora."

Wrinkling her nose at his use of her full first name, she replied, "You too, Remus. I love you."

He studied her, his hands coming up to frame her face. He licked his lips as he contemplated his response. Tonks knew he loved her, he had shown her in so many ways, but she wanted to hear him say the words. For a brief moment, she thought this would be it, he would finally allow himself to put into words how he felt. Instead, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a lingering kiss.

"Remus," she whispered when he released her. "You're worthy of my love."

A look of shame crossed his face before he smiled, "No, I don't think I'll ever really be worthy of you or your love."