Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, etc.

Chapter 5: Returning the Favour

Remus felt an unusual warmness beside him. He sifted slightly on the sofa and sighed; he longed to wrap his arms around this warmness and never have to let go. He knew he must be crazy to be thinking this; he didn't even know what this warmness was yet…

He forced himself to open an eye. What he saw made him jump to his feet immediately and scanned his brain for the memory of what had happened the previous night.

When he remembered he sighed and picked up the blanket that had fallen to the floor when he had torn himself from the couch. He looked over wearily at Tonks, making sure she was still asleep. At that moment she gave a very loud snore, and began making grabbing actions with her hands, apparently trying to pull up the non-existent blanket from around her waist. Remus gently wrapped the worn blue blanket around her small shoulders, making sure she was perfectly warm and comfortable.

Remus backed out of the room and slipped out door quietly as he could. He hoped dearly that no one would be there. If, by chance, Tonks came out a while after him, and the people that saw him exit the room, saw Tonks also, they would most definitely come to the wrong conclusion.

And, of course, sitting on the ugly green sofas, was Molly and Sirius, having a fierce, yet strangely quite, argument about Harry.

"He's too young Sirius! Why do you think he has to know everything…?" Molly's face was a deep red, and she was aggressively using her hands to aid what she was saying.

Remus looked around nervously for a way to exit without being heard or seen, but concluded solemnly there was none.

"Fifteen! Harry is fifteen! Sixteen this coming July! Not to mention you and me and about every other living, breathing, witch or wizard can vouch for that he can handle stuff pretty well! I mean, you can't have your parents blasted into oblivion by Voldemort and not-" Sirius stopped short. He had just noticed Remus.

Molly turned to see what had made Sirius stop yelling and suddenly turned an even deeper red, obviously embarrassed that Remus had just witnessed them screaming at each other.

Remus hastily tried to seem interested in a nearby magazine, which inevitably turned out to be 'Witch Weekly's Guide to Finding Mr. Right'. "Oh! Remus! G-good morning, dear," Molly shook off her embarrassment and began to usher him onto one of the couches.

"Sorry, Molly, I didn't mean to interrupt anything," Remus said apologetically, and nodded toward Sirius, whom at the moment seemed very interested in the magazine Remus had tried to hide behind.

"Oh no, it…it was nothing," she glared at Sirius as she said this, as if the fact that they were overheard was all his fault. "And what are you reading…seriously…" she snatched the magazine from his hands and rolled her eyes.

"Oi!" said Sirius, heating up again, "There are some pretty good tips in here, thank-you-very-much. I do have to catch up with the times! After being in Azkaban for about thirteen years, you get a little behind, if you know what I mean!"

"Well I don't think you should be getting involved with any woman right now-or man- for that matter, if that's the way you swing," she nodded briskly toward the magazine sitting beside her. "After all, you're not exactly a 'free man' are you?" Molly crossed her arms over her chest, stuck her nose high in the air, and turned away from everyone, looking plainly out the window. Discussion over.

Sirius opened his mouth stupidly, and then closed it, his jaw tightening. He turned to Remus, who had been watching the argument in awe, and finding it amazing that two people could find something to bicker about so easily.

"So Moony, what were you doing in the sitting room?" Sirius titled his head towards the door, and lay back lazily in his chair.

Remus could hardly contain himself from sighing when he heard Sirius use his old nickname. They were hardly school children anymore, yet Sirius seemed to not be able to get over it and start calling Remus by his true name. "Just fell asleep," he said, though that was hardly the complete truth. He expected Sirius would not take something like this subtly, even if Remus fully explained himself.

Sirius yawned in reply and began to inspect his fingernails carefully when all three heard the sitting room door crept slowly open, followed by an 'ouch'.

Remus felt himself go cold and watched in horror as Tonks straightened herself up (she had just tripped over the rug) and start to come toward them.

"Hello Molly, Sirius." She looked over at Remus and smiled sheepishly, making it, if possible, look even more suspicious, "Wotcher Remus."

Apparently oblivious to the tension and the stares she was receiving, she sat down beside Molly and began flipping through that fateful magazine.

Remus' feelings of horror faded immediately as she did this. It was hilarious how she could be so wrapped up in whatever she was doing and not even be fazed by reactions of other people. Remus began to feel the same odd feeling twist around his heart as when she hugged him yesterday. He shook it off, and nervously looked once more at Sirius. But Sirius was not looking murderously at Remus, as he had expected, but smiling wickedly and whistling to himself. When their eyes met, Sirius' grin widened and Remus felt immediately confused.

Remus turned his glance to Molly instead and saw she, for once, seemed to be agreeing with Sirius, as her smile was almost a mirror image of his. Remus raised an eyebrow and looked over at Tonks, hoping to see maybe she was as confused as he, but she still seemed engrossed in the magazine. "Well, I - er - have to go and…feed Buckbeak…Molly, care to join me?" Sirius said deviously.

Suddenly light dawned on Remus; they did think something happened between him and Tonks, but they weren't against it, they were encouraging it! Remus felt a rush of emotions invade his body and didn't know which to choose. Should he be upset at them for thinking such nonsense, completely shocked, or just…laugh it off?

As they bustled off to go and 'feed Buckbeak' Tonks spoke, her nose still buried in the magazine.

"Odd, don't you think?" she wrinkled up her nose at the magazine, apparently she had just read something she disagreed with, "Molly and Sirius actually doing something civil together…odd…considering I just heard them bickering over this dumb thing," she threw the magazine to the ground in disgust. "Maybe its a lovers' quarrel…" she shuddered. "Hopefully not."

Remus laughed, and Tonks grinned brightly before continuing, "It's funny how they jumped to that conclusion so quickly, don't you think?"

Remus furrowed his brow in confusion, "What do you mean…?"

She looked at him and spoke as though she was stating the obvious, "About us. They just assumed that we came out of that room together because we'd slept together. Or something to that effect. It's even weirder the way they acted towards it. All giddy and quick to leave us alone. You'd think they'd be furious." Remus looked at her and smiled, "I thought the same. I wonder what made them act like that."

"Maybe they thought they saw something between us, besides this, of course."

"Why would they?" Remus said with a laugh, "There's more a chance of those two to get together than me and you…having something."

"Is there?" Tonks replied, her smile fading, her eyes nervously observing him.

Her answer surprised Remus. Had she thought there was something between them?

Of course not, he told himself sternly, she's too young and you're too old, not to mention a werewolf. "Isn't there?" he replied lamely, his mind suddenly a blank to anything more intelligent.

Tonks smiled, though Remus noted that it looked extremely fake. "Of course not. Just-Molly and Sirius, I don't think a moment goes by that those two don't fight."

An awkward silence filled the room. After a few moments Tonks went over to the muggle 'CD player' that Arthur had installed and turned to a random radio station.

"I've found quite a liking to muggle music," she explained sheepishly, and started to walk back over towards the couches.

Suddenly, Tonks clumsily tripped over a pair of, what looked like, Extendable Ears. Acting on impulse, Remus jumped up and sprinted over to her, catching her right before she hit the ground. They were now locked in a very uneasy position; he was half-kneeling on the grimy carpet, and she was looking up at him from his arms. However, Remus felt a strange feeling of comfort around him, and dared not move. He glanced into her dark eyes, and saw she was looking at him as well. There was a very unfamiliar look in her eye; Remus could not describe it, but it made him feel extraordinarily happy, though a small voice in his head was telling him he should not feel like this, and that he should simply drop her and leave the room.

Unexpectedly, a loud blast of music from the CD player shook them both once more into reality.

Remus felt his face flush and saw that Tonks' face was a deep red also. He let go of Tonks and hastily straightened up.

"Sorry-" But Tonks looked infuriated. "If you apologize, for nothing mind you, I swear I will kick you so hard so won't know what hit you."

Remus began to laugh at this sad attempt at a threat, but stopped immediately at the look on Tonks' face; she was dead serious.

But before he could respond, Tonks half-skipped over to the CD player and turned it off, humming something that soundly remotely like 'You Are My Sunshine'.

Remus collapsed onto one of the couches, suddenly feeling quite faint and ill. He rubbed his throbbing temples and sighed. After a few moments, his eyes flew wide open and he jumped to his feet. He checked his watch and groaned, brushing a hand fervently through his graying hair.

Tonks turned around, startled. "What's wrong?" she asked caringly, and walked over to him.

Remus straightened himself up, and forced a look of cheerfulness upon his face. "Full moon tonight," he said. "I ought to have known it was. It's strange; I've never forgotten before."

"Something on your mind?" Tonks responded, almost hopefully.

Remus gave her a weary look, "I suppose." He yawned and gave a nod, signaling he was leaving. He grabbed his shabby coat and tugged it around his shoulders. As he approached the door, he looked back, but Tonks had already left the room. Remus opened the door a slit, and slipped silently out, closing it behind him with a small 'click'.

As soon as she was sure that he had left, Tonks slid out of the shadows. She rubbed her hands together and grinned wickedly. He had helped her in her time of need, and now she was going to help him.

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A/N: I hope you liked that chapter. Can anyone guess perhaps what Tonks is going to do? Please review!

Windedspirit: Wow. Thanks 4 ALL those reviews. It's funny how reviews can brighten your day, isn't it? Lol. Well, I'm glad to know its not too cheesy. Also, about your Kingsley/Tonks fic, is it posted here? Cuz that sounds really interesting, i'd like to read it. There's a tad of Kingsley/Tonks here too, in later chapters...oops did I just say that? Hehe../Ok, with the overgrown bats...it's Tonks half-consicious slipping into dreamland phase, right? Well I suppose sometimes you fall asleep thinking of the days events, but just in a more...muddle version. Well, I went 'soaring phoneixes, overgrown bats and howling wolves', which are really The Order of the Phoneix (well, yah), and Snape (remember how in the books he's described as being an overgrown bat a few times?), and Lupin. So, if anyone was wondering about that THERE IT IS ! Haha, well I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

smash: Thank-you! I know, Lupin is sweet...he just needs to realize that himself! Guys are so thick sometimes...

xxxroxyxxx: yeah, he's going to be telling himself that alotin this story. Hmm,oh well, he'll come to term with his feelings eventually. Thanks for the review, and I hope youliked this chapter!