Nymphadora Tonks looked around her surroundings yet again. Her training with Alastor Moody had given her an appreciation for scanning a room many times over for possible hiding places or security weaknesses. A small cupboard door shook slightly every now and then, suggesting an inhabitant. The place was filthy and looked unused for many years; besides the clear disrepair, she had not noticed any other security concerns.
When Dumbledore left with the others, the room seemed suddenly bigger. She sat in between two of her former classmates from Hogwarts, Bill and Charlie Weasley. She suspected the red-haired man and woman in the room to be their parents. She glanced around and nodded at Kingsley, who she had briefly met in her time at the Ministry as an Auror. She was aching to chat with Sirius, her first cousin once removed, and hear about his escape from Azkaban.
She took notice of the man sitting next to Sirius. He looked as worn as his clothing; his sandy brown hair was speckled with gray and his face showed premature lines. His clothing was patched and slightly tattered, but his warm brown eyes, flecked with streaks of gold, showed an alertness about them. He had half a loaf of bread in front of him, and gestured to Sirius as if to invite him to partake in it.
Tonks couldn't help herself and stood up as quickly as she could following the others' absence. She strode over towards Sirius, knocking yet another chair over in her excitement. With a sheepish smile, she put the chair right and tightly hugged Sirius, who had a bemused expression at her clumsiness.
She noticed Remus staring and almost looking away; she thought it better to introduce herself to the staring stranger.
"Hi, I'm -"
"You must be Nymphadora," suggested Remus.
She scrunched her heart-shaped face in frustration; her hair turned bright red. "Tonks," she declared. "Call me Tonks. I hate Nymphadora," she finished, with a frown.
Lupin looked slightly embarrassed. Tonks reassured him saying, "You didn't know. It's okay - just don't let it happen again," she said with a cocked smile and twinkling, dark eyes. She softened her expression towards Remus. She saw a gentleness in his eyes that she hadn't seen before, and his slight embarrassment had made him more human to her.
"This is Remus Lupin, Tonks. And Remus, this is my favorite cousin, Tonks," interjected Sirius, gesturing to Tonks.
"I thought you said my mum was your favorite!" replied Tonks.
"Well, before you, sure," Sirius conceded, "but you're in the Order now, not your mum. That makes you the new favorite!"
Tonks blushed and scrunched her face again, turning her hair into a bubblegum pink. Tonks looked away, unsure. She knew that cousins marrying one another was an unfortunate Black family trait. She hadn't thought Sirius would be interested in her, not with his own disgust at their family tree. She then noticed Remus' eyes dart to her changing hair.
At his curious look, Tonks clarified, "I'm a Metamorphmagus. Dead useful now, especially since my clumsiness nearly failed me out of becoming an Auror."
Lupin nodded and asked, "Was anyone in your family a Metamorphmagus? It's really rare." Lupin had a quizzical look. Tonks began to notice some of the scars on his face and hands, as if he'd been slashed by talons one too many times.
Tonks hastily replied, "Not that I'm aware of. My dad's Muggle-born, and I'm sure Sirius would know if any of our - family - had any unique traits."
Sirius laughed darkly, saying, "I'm sure that we would have known if anyone in our family would have had anything that unique. You're better off marrying someone outside this family to see if it sticks around."
Tonks shrugged, relieved, and said, "Who knows? I like changing my hair, at least." Lupin's eyes were still on her hair. His gaze was slightly unnerving; she felt like she was being studied.
Arthur interjected, saying, "I hate to cut in, but we've got to start assigning our duties."
He looked over at Kingsley, who had Dumbledore's parchment in front of him, eyebrows furrowed over the list of names.
"Kingsley," Arthur began, "how would you like us to proceed?"
Kingsley's deep voice rang out to the group, "Arthur, you and I will go to the Ministry. You'll go to investigate the Department of Mysteries. We need to see what defenses they have in place. Meanwhile I'll investigate those working there to see whose side they might be on. Molly, stay here with Sirius. This house needs to be made habitable if we're going to use it for the Order. Once your children are here, Molly, they can help too. Bill, get back to Gringotts and learn what you can from the goblins. Try to check on what they are doing and who they're working with. We'll want to do what we can to get them on our side. Charlie, do the same with your connections with magical creatures."
Kingsley's eyes wandered over to Tonks and Lupin. Tonks felt apprehensive. Kingsley didn't know her well. What would she be assigned to?
He continued, "Remus, Tonks - we'll have you start spying on the known Death Eaters."
Kingsley looked pensively at them. He continued, "Go together. Start with Lucius Malfoy. I suspect that, with his connections, he'll be hosting visitors he won't want others to know about. Leave at nightfall tomorrow."
Tonks' heart sank. She noticed that she had been the only one (other than Lupin) to be paired with someone else for a mission. She was glad not to be stuck with Molly and Sirius cleaning out a house - she was terrible at household spells - but while the others were able to adventure solo, she was going to be sent with the shabby man to play spy with him. "It might have been the clumsiness," she murmured to herself.
Kingsley looked over again at Lupin and said, "Try to get some rest, Remus," before beckoning the others towards him to the fireplace.
Molly kissed Arthur and her sons goodbye, whispering, "Be safe." At this, her two eldest sons and husband went into the fireplace. Kingsley followed them, giving a grave nod to all those left behind.
Sirius, Remus, Tonks, and Molly remained in the quiet, dark basement kitchen. Molly looked resolute ahead of her task, while Sirius looked grim. Cleaning did not appear to be a cheerful task for him, however necessary the task was for the Order.
Lupin broke the silence. "Is there a place I can stay here?" he asked.
Sirius looked back at him and thought for a moment. "Yes," he replied. You can take one of the guest rooms. I'll warn you - they haven't been used in years, so they might be a bit…"
Remus gave Sirius a wry smile. "I'm confident that it will be as good or better than the accommodations I'm normally accustomed to."
Sirius grinned widely at Remus, stifling a laugh.
Tonks looked at Remus curiously and wondered what he meant. She had never seen or heard of Remus Lupin before. He'd been briefly introduced to her by Sirius before receiving their assignments. Sirius seemed to know him well, which reassured her, but he seemed weak to be joining in a war against the Darkest wizard of all time.
Sirius turned to Tonks, and asked, "Will you need a place to rest?"
Tonks replied brightly, "No, not at all! I'd like to help you and Molly with the cleaning. I hear Molly's excellent with household spells." Tonks winked at Molly, who beamed at Tonks' praise. Despite her own inaptitude for household spells, she was looking forward to learning under Molly in the Black family home.
Sirius led Remus up the stairs to the bedroom, while Tonks stayed behind with Molly to help with cleaning 12 Grimmauld Place.
As soon as they could no longer hear Sirius and Remus' footsteps on the stairs, Molly cleared her throat. "Tonks, do you know much about Remus Lupin?"
Tonks turned towards Molly, and replied, "No, I've only just met him."
Molly hesitated. She began, "I only say this to let you know, and I hope you don't think ill of me - or him - for it."
Tonks was curious. Had he been a prisoner at Azkaban that Sirius had met while there? Had he been a former Death Eater like Severus Snape? The questions swirled in her head while Molly stood in front of her.
Molly continued, "Remus is a werewolf."
Tonks stared at Molly. Tonks was taken aback by this revelation. Of all the scenarios she had dreamt of, Remus' being a werewolf had not crossed her mind. Suddenly, his pale appearance and scars flashed in her imagination.
Molly, seeing the look of apprehension on Tonks' face, gestured for Tonks to sit down. Molly said, "Remus was bitten when he was very young. Dumbledore made preparations for him to come to Hogwarts and study there. Because of so much anti-werewolf legislation from the Ministry, he has been unable to find a steady job in the Wizarding community. Last year, he taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, but when Snape let it slip that he is a werewolf, he resigned to avoid the backlash he expected from parents. He was best friends with Sirius, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew while at school. He's a highly trained and talented wizard, and Dumbledore thinks very highly of him."
Tonks understood at once why he was so shabby-looking and tired. There had just been a full moon two nights prior. She was certain that this, along with the anxiety of starting a war, had led to his exhaustion and appearance. She suddenly felt remorse for admonishing him over something as trivial as a name.
Molly lowered her voice and said, "I do hope that this does not deter you from working with him tomorrow night. Kingsley told me that if you prefer not to work with him, we can reassign him to a different role. I thought it best to tell you now, so it isn't a shock later. Even though we're very accepting and welcoming here, I would understand if you felt hesitant to have him at your side without getting to know him better."
Tonks stared at Molly, and cried, "Of course I will work with him! If I can work with Moody, I can work with anyone!"
Molly looked relieved. Tonks was slightly unsure about her new pairing for the evening's task. She knew very little about werewolves outside of books and Dark arts. Most of her training had been in capturing rogue werewolves or those involved with former Death Eaters. She felt reassured that Dumbledore and Sirius both trusted Remus, despite her own fear. There was an unusual feeling brimming within her as well. Was it fear? She admonished herself again; it couldn't be fear.
She decided to set up the stairs to find Sirius. He appeared quite close to Remus, and perhaps she could ask him questions about his friend. As she went up the steps, she inevitably bounded into the umbrella stand, swearing, and set off the shrieking woman again.
FILTHY HALF BREEDS AND BLOOD TRAITORS! SHAME OF MY FAMILY COME TO STAY, DISGRACING THE HALLS OF MY ANCESTORS-"
"SHUT UP, WOMAN!" roared Sirius. He and Remus had come down the stairs to the landing where the portrait hung and struggled to close the curtains. With one last tug, the curtains closed on the portrait and the screeching stopped.
"Who's that?" she asked.
"My dear departed mother," said Sirius, with a grimace. "She put this portrait up to haunt these halls. With any luck I'll never hear her voice again."
Tonks stifled a laugh - it felt so good to have someone in her family who despised the pureblooded mania as much as she did. Sirius gestured to her to come up the stairs with him and Remus. Though apprehensive about having Remus join them, she followed slowly behind the two men to the drawing room upstairs.
They entered a handsome room, the sound of their footsteps dulled by a thick layer of dust on the floor. Remus and Sirius sneezed as they cast cleaning and scourging charms over the worst of the dust. Removing the dust helped brighten the room somewhat, revealing emerald velvet upholstered armchairs, a sofa, and shelves filled with what looked like Dark objects. Sirius flicked his wand a few more times, and the room lit with candlelight. Remus flicked his wand towards the fireplace, and a cheerful fire appeared at the hearth. The light improved the room and made it cozier to Tonks. She had never preferred such formal spaces, but she enjoyed seeing Sirius' disdain for the place.
"So, you've discovered the ancient and most noble house of Black, my dear cousin," said Sirius, with a sullen smile.
"It's...something," she replied. "You grew up here?"
"Yes, unfortunately. It's worthless to me, but at least I could offer it for the Order," said Sirius. "I can't leave, but it's an improvement from the old prison," he laughed darkly. "I hadn't seen this place since I ran away in my sixth year at Hogwarts."
"Is that house-elf your prison guard, then?" asked Tonks.
"Ha! No, I s'pose Buckbeak might be...or Moony here," winking at Remus.
"Who are Buckbeak and Moony?" asked Tonks.
"Buckbeak is a fugitive hippogriff up in my bedroom," said Sirius, "and Moony is…" Sirius gestured at Remus, who took a small bow towards Tonks.
"What a cool nickname!" exclaimed Tonks. "There aren't many nicknames for Nymphadora, so I stuck myself with Tonks. Not the girliest, I guess, but I like it that way - blokes tend to take me more seriously with a name like Tonks."
"They don't take you seriously?" asked Remus.
"Not at first, no. Once I get a few hexes in, though, no one messes with me," Tonks said, grinning widely. "I'm a lot tougher than I look." She stood proudly in front of the two men, comfortable in her combat boots, torn jeans, and t-shirt underneath her Auror robes.
"Spoken like a true Black," said Sirius, beaming back at her.
Over the next few hours and several butterbeers, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks swapped stories from their Hogwarts days.
Remus and Sirius roared in laughter, recounting their adventures as the Marauders.
"James had the Invisibility Cloak, so we could get anywhere-"
"-and they made me a prefect in fifth year to try to rein them in-"
"-but of course it meant making trouble in the prefects' bath-"
"-it took AGES to clean that up with our limited charms-"
Tonks laughed heartily at their adventures, wishing she could have been there for some of their troublemaking. It was in the early hours of morning that they decided to call it quits. Tonks felt much better about working with Remus; he was a more soft-spoken and gentle than her lively cousin, but knowing he'd shared his childhood with her rebellious, animated cousin increased her confidence in him, and his company.