Muggle scientists have done numerous studies disproving the idea that the full moon has an effect on human behaviour. The Ministry wouldn't waste the Galleons. The moon's influence has never been a matter of tidal pull. It's magic. Increase in crimes of passion, suicide, unexpected births, and other strange phenomena were only myths to the Muggle world. It was a fact of life in mine.

October's moon was already casting its pale shadow over the various Department of Magical Law Enforcement Offices. Owls were constantly delivering new reports of suspected use of Dark magic, and the patrol squad had officers on call in anticipation of a rise in all manner of crimes.

"Are you going to moon about all day?"

Julia received a dirty look for her insensitive question. Earlier that morning, I'd made the mistake of confiding to her about my disappointment over Remus being out of town. Now I bitterly regretted it. Finishing the report on the suspected Dark wizard who had turned out to be a Squib with a love of Muggle magic tricks, I tossed it into the air and sent it winging to Gulch's inbox. Spitefully, I hoped it was as overflowing as Arthur Weasley's filing cabinets. I smirked at the blonde sitting with correct posture in the cubicle's lone visitor's chair. "Look who's talking, Miss 'I wonder how Tom's day is going?'."

She grinned. "It's not moonshine to care about someone."

I groaned. "If you make one more moon reference." I shook my fist. "To the moon, Alice!"

"Who's Alice?"

Banging my head against the desk didn't hurt because it was so well padded with files and paperwork. I finished venting my frustration and said, "It's a famous line from an old Muggle television show. You don't have a Muggle Gran, so you wouldn't know." I sighed and admitted, "I've got a thin skin today, and the jokes don't help, mate."

"Sorry."

I shrugged off my bad humour. "Hey, I dish it out, I can take it." A popping sound was heard before a parchment materialized into my inbox. Bollocks. Gulch had sent us a new case to investigate immediately, thanks to her no-good-work-goes-unpunished mentality. Julia scanned the report that had been filed and red flagged.

"This is strange, even for a full moon. Wizard reported not to have left the house in days. According to the neighbours, eerie noises have been heard. They're afraid the suspect is using Dark magic on his partner, who seems afraid and unwilling to talk." A pale brow arched. "She doesn't want to share her personal business with nosy neighbours, so they think she's under an Imperious or coercion spell? Sounds more like possible wife-battering or another false report."

I stood and put on my robes, assuming a serious mien. "Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and try."

"Isn't that do and die?" Julia said as we hiked toward the exit and a Floo.

"Uh uh, I've got too much to live for." She saw Tom strolling toward us and agreed with a sigh. Grabbing Julia's arm to prevent her from following Fenton into a cubicle and ruining our chances of finishing the investigation before lunch, I said bracingly, "Duty before pleasure, Auror Clearwater." She threw me a black look that brightened my smile. Misery did love company.

The address of the suspected Dark wizard was a rundown block of flats near Knockturn Alley. We knocked on the door of the neighbour who had filed the report, flashed Auror badges and were invited inside.

"My husband and I are quite concerned." The witch's wispy voice matched her short white hair. I was reminded of a dandelion puff. She insisted on making a pot of tea while Julia and I sat on a settee that looked Victorian but felt more like vinyl than velvet.

My partner noticed my expression and whispered, "Furniture Guard Charm. Puts an invisible barrier over the upholstery."

I made a face. "It may look good, but it's uncomfortable as Hades to sit on. I feel like I'm going to slip off!"

Our witness and now hostess returned rolling an old fashioned tea cart. I accepted a delicate china cup and a biscuit with a smile after surreptitiously using my wand to employ a detection spell. Sometimes the persons who reported a possible crime were the ones who perpetrated them. They wanted the attention. In addition, I'd seen too many mystery programmes with Gran to trust Mrs. Underhill merely because she looked a nice old lady. Nothing in the food or drink was harmful, though, so I ate my ginger nut biscuit and listened to Julia lead the witness through the standard routine of questions.

Mr. and Mrs. Dunne had only resided next door for a couple of months. During that time, the Underhills had become increasingly concerned over the combination of the newcomers' extreme secretiveness and the ominous sounds heard from the adjoining flat during the full moon. Thanking the woman for the tea and her time, Julia and I headed over to have a talk with the neighbours.

A woman's pale face gazed at us through a narrow crack of open door. "May I help you?" she asked warily.

I said, "Mrs. Jenny Dunne?"

"Yes."

"I'm Auror Tonks, and this is Auror Clearwater. We'd like to come in and ask you a few questions."

Jenny Dunne stood back to allow us entry. "All right, but we have to keep quiet. My husband hasn't been well, and he's sleeping."

Julia and I exchanged glances. That could mean anything, and we'd keep our wands at hand. Inside the small, almost bare flat, a lone illumination orb dimly lit the space. I said with deliberate cheer, "My uncle's hobby is finding ways of keeping the illumination company from growing rich at his expense. He uses this charm all the time. Illustrare!"

The orb instantly brightened. I saw Jenny mouth the spell for future use. There were two comfortable reading chairs with ottomans and a large, ornate mahogany bookcase in the lounge. The furniture was a striking contrast to the bare walls and dingy carpet. I went and peered at the titles on the shelves to distract the woman. She acted increasingly nervous. "Someone likes Science Fiction," I said, pointing to a shelf.

Perched on the edge of a chair, the witch smiled fleetingly. "My husband is from a non-Wizarding family. Even after receiving his letter from Hogwarts, David loved to read about distant worlds as well as this one."

I pulled out a book of short stories. "I haven't read that much, but one story by this author, Larry Niven, really made an impression on me." Opening the tome, I pointed to the table of contents. "Inconstant Moon. It's about a bloke who notices the moon is unusually bright, figures it's a solar flare that's going to wipe out all life, and how he spends what he thinks is his last night. Ever read it?"

Bitter laughter drifted to us from the entrance to the bedroom. I turned, palming my wand in a concealed pocket, to see an unshaven, peaky looking man leaning against the doorframe. "Read it?" he asked gruffly. "Hell, Auror, I live it."

I flashed a glance at Julia. She nodded slightly to encourage me to begin a dialogue with the suspect. I asked, "How's that?"

He didn't answer, saying instead, "Nosy biddy next door said I was a Dark wizard, I expect. Well, wave your wand, check the place all you like, but you'll find it's not true." His voice roughened. "I'm something, all right, but that's not it."

Julia was already engaging the standard detection charms. I nodded to the wizard. "Mind if I take a look round the bedroom?"

Lank brown hair shook. "Go ahead." He let me pass and followed me into the room.

After brightening the orb that rested on a stack of books on the floor beside a mattress set, I noticed that the duvet on the bed, like the furniture in the lounge, was surprisingly fine. Aside from a small wardrobe, nothing was in the bedroom except a curious pile of objects within a large circle that had been drawn on the floorboards in chalk. I recognized wizard restraints and bent to pick them up along with another item. "What are you doing with restraints and a muzzle?" I pointed my wand, ready to use it. There were no traces of Dark magic, but plenty of blokes were sick bastards without it.

David smiled bitterly. "I told you, I'm not a Dark wizard, but I'm something almost as frightening. I'm a werewolf." His eyes went to the window. "Sunset to sunrise, those items and that containment circle are the only things stopping me from tearing somebody's throat out."

I stared. "What about Wolfsbane Potion?"

He turned and walked into the other room, where he said to his wife, "I can't tell the story one more time. You do it."

Jenny stood and gave him her seat. While he slumped in the chair looking ill and wretched, she sat on the ottoman. In a monotone that spoke volumes, she said, "Three months ago, we ran a little shop not too far from Diagon Alley. Used books, not a lot of Galleons in that, but enough to get by. David went camping with a mate one weekend. They were attacked. Griffin didn't make it, and my husband became a werewolf the next full moon. Werewolf Support Services told us his name was automatically added to the queue, but it could be months or even years before he's on the Ministry Wolfsbane programme." She looked from Julia to me dully. "Do you how expensive Wolfsbane is on the open market? We lost our shop. David can't find work. While I clear enough for this place and food, it's not enough to make his life more bearable."

"The neighbours think I use Dark magic." David smiled bitterly. "If it would help, I'd be tempted."

The grimness of his tone worried me. I wondered how the Ministry could be so blind. If they didn't assist werewolves and Dark wizards did. The thought was too horrible to contemplate. I asked, "There's no other help available?"

"Not that I've found." David seemed to have abandoned hope.

Julia said, "We regret adding to your pain, Mr. Dunne. Hopefully, our report will prevent similar questioning in the future."

"But you can't promise," he said heavily.

"No, we can't promise." Julia glanced around and asked, "Did you consider employing sound-proofing spells?"

Jenny answered, "The only one that's completely effective takes the power of three to accomplish, and we don't have friends anymore, I'm afraid."

Julia looked at me. I nodded. She smiled. "You do now."

I was still blinking madly over how grateful the Dunnes were that we'd given them a bit of help when we left the building. Julia bumped my shoulder with hers and said with a smirk, "We were shooting for the moon with that spell back there."

I gave a watery laugh. "I'm over the moon that it went so smoothly. The Underhills won't know what to do with themselves without their neighbour's sounds for entertainment."

"There's always the flat on the other side to listen in on."

We had a bit of a giggle over the thought of the old couple with their ears pressed against the wall. I perked up when Julia offered to buy lunch. It was lovely to have posh mates. The restaurant she chose made me glad official black robes hid my embellished denims and the dark rose and pink tunic. Otherwise, my clothes would've been out of place amongst the classic, tailored apparel of the Ministry officials and businesspeople who patronized the establishment.

The server said, "I love your pink hair."

I smiled ruefully at Julia when he'd left. "Why didn't you remind me to change it?"

"I like that colour . Brings out the roses in your cheeks."

We snickered and enjoyed our lunch. After Julia handed payment to the server, she confessed a need to visit the lavatory. I stayed put to finish my coffee. A feeling of déjà vu swept over me when Evan slid onto the vacated bench. "Hello, Nymphadora, my dear. Being treated to lunch again?"

"I'm not your dear, yeah, and I still won't work for you."

His eyes drifted down to my mouth. "Pity." He held up an envelope. "I've just had lunch with an associate of mine. Crowley accompanied his son to a local park a week ago, and while taking pictures, saw a girl that caught his eye. He recognised her and took a photograph to show me what my ex-fiancée's been up to." Evan handed me the photo with a mocking smile. "I must say, I was shocked."

I fought not to blush as I viewed the wizard photography which showed me playfully pushing Remus onto a bench and straddling his lap to snog him. All colour drained away when Evan said, "I could tolerate being replaced by someone old and poor, but Merlin, darling, did you have to embarrass me and yourself by choosing a werewolf?" His expression sharpened. "You do know that your new lover is a werewolf, don't you?"

My mind was reeling. A werewolf? Remus?

Seeing my involuntary head shake, Evan said, "Oh yes, Remus J. Lupin, former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, ironically is indeed a werewolf. If you'd read the Daily Prophet anytime over the last year, you'd have known." He chuckled darkly. "I wonder how he taught the children to recognise a werewolf. Drew his picture on the blackboard?"

I shook my head again.

He placed a scroll on the table. "Crowley remembered you fondly. It seems you always recalled his child's name, which Priscilla never has, I'm sure. Since he couldn't believe you'd knowingly consort with someone who's no better than a beast, really, Crowley obligingly went by the Magical Beings office. He procured an official copy of the Werewolf Registry, asking me to send it to you." His lips curved. "When I saw you sitting here, I said I'd be more than happy to give it to you."

Swallowing hard, I unrolled the parchment and scanned down the list until I found Lupin, Remus J. I tossed it back to him. "Tell Crowley I hope Michael is doing well, but my private life is none of his, or anyone else's concern."

Evan murmured, "I will." He tapped the photo with a manicured finger. "I must say, I found this picture very interesting." I shrugged. He lifted a golden eyebrow. "It reminded me of another couple I'd seen in this exact same position recently."

My lip curled. "I knew you were twisted, but voyeurism is a new low."

He said, "Priscilla told me after the party that she'd overheard Elspeth Travers begging to borrow perfume. She found it in poor taste, but I found it enlightening."

I tore the photograph into shreds while rising. "I don't know what you're blathering on about, but you did what you came over here to do, so go away." I threw the pieces at him and stepped toward the ladies' lavatory.

He stood and clasped my wrist with an implacable grip. "What are you and your werewolf up to, Nymphadora? Is he your lover?"

"None of your business to both questions," I snapped, yanking my arm away.

His pleased smile reminded me that the devil had been an angel of light. "As I told you before, I'll enjoy finding out. But he's not your lover, or you would've thrown it in my face like those scraps of paper." With arrogant satisfaction, the prat said, "I'm still your one and only."

I left him without dignifying that remark. His wicked laughter followed me into the lavatory where Julia was chatting with the house-elf handing out towels and assisting with Cosmetic Charms. I asked the house-elf, "Do you know a Cleansing Charm that will remove all traces of scent?" She nodded eagerly. Afterwards, I tipped generously.

Julia asked as we left the restaurant, "What was all that about?"

Averting my eyes from the diners, I said, "Evan dropped by the table when you left. His touch made me feel dirty, that's all." My closed expression kept my friend from asking more questions. We returned to the Ministry. When Tom suggested trading partners for the afternoon, I agreed. I didn't want to have to tell my best mate to leave off if she started to pry. The rest of the day found me trailing after my new partner, Simon, and letting him interview the witnesses while I recorded the conversations. The two cases we investigated turned up nothing. I didn't care, because my head was trying to get around the fact that I hadn't added up all the clues that Remus was a werewolf.

The health problem that seemed to worsen as the full moon neared and went into remission as it waned. His hyper-acute senses, the continued strength and appetite even while looking tired and ill, and even his ironic, bloody name. I realised that Jan, my parents, hell, everybody in the Underground and maybe at the Blue Moon, too, knew that he was a werewolf, while I'd been oblivious. L'amour est aveugle; l'amiteie ferme les yeux. I'd been blind, and my friends had closed their eyes.

By the end of the day, I was furious with myself and angry at Remus too. Did he believe I'd reject him, think I'd become a werewolf by kissing him or something equally stupid? I had to know, but he was out of town…or was he?

Wanting to make it to Remus's before the sun went down, I skived off work early. I Flooed into his lounge, grateful that he hadn't warded it against me after I'd been caught snooping. It was kind of funny how he trusted me with his stuff, but not his secrets. My stomach roiled. I ran into the loo, but didn't toss my biscuits. Since I was there, I decided it was a good idea to ensure my bladder was empty before I tested my theory about the invisible door handle. After washing my hands, I told my reflection, "What are you waiting for? Do it!"

The handle turned easily. Heart pounding, I pushed open the unseen door enough to squeeze through and enter the room.

"Tonks, get out of here." The low, hoarse voice was Remus's. He was sitting on the floor against the side wall, head in his hands, elbows braced on upraised knees.

I pushed the door shut with a defiant snap. "I'm not going anywhere."

He looked up and agreed wryly, "No, you're not. That door's charmed only to open from the outside from sunset to sunrise on the full moon, and the sun…just…set."

I glanced up at the small, square window high in the brick back wall. "How do you know? It's boarded over. You can't see that."

He rose in a fluid motion that made my eyes widen. "I don't have to see the sunset. I can feel it, like I feel the moon rising, waiting…calling me." The look in his eyes was hungry, primal.

To say that I felt the animal magnetism Remus exuded as he prowled toward me was putting it delicately. When he came within reach, I slapped him. "How dare you lie to me about who you are?"

He inhaled deeply before smiling wolfishly. I threw my arms around his neck while he pushed me back against the hidden door. The heat of his gaze and body made the breath caught in the back of my throat release in a sound of need. Remus's mouth settled hungrily over mine. I pressed harder against him, burying my fingers in his hair, never wanting this feeling to end.

We kissed ravenously.

A/N: If I promise the next chap takes up where they left off, does that make the snoggus interruptus easier to take? Didn't think so. (imagine the penitent sigh, without the corresponding evil grin) When you've forgiven me for being an awful tease, wonderful reader, please review and let me know if Tonks reacted the way you thought she would! Thanks to the fabulous reviewers who did so last week! 40/16 Camillia Vincent Carnivalgirl cupcakeswirl devilish angel eleen ElspethBates Embellished Fawkes309 FNP GraceRichie Gutter and Grace iamafairy ishandahalf kathaania NazgulGirl Quicksilver Foxx sea-ess-eye Slipknot- 3113 sunny9847 Super Kawaii Lamb Tie Dye The Demonic Duo TrinityDD