Rating, Summary, and Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Chapter Note: This is mostly the Lupin and Tonks Show chapter (with Sirius as a guest star). They are my favourite HP 'ship. The Weasleys move in next chapter, a reunion with Professor Lupin and meeting Sirius Black.

Sorry it took so long to get the chapter up. My beta started classes again. New chapter soon, I promise!

Chapter Five- Metamorphmagus, Werewolf, and Animagus

Sirius was concentrating on not tipping over backwards as he balanced his chair on its rear two legs. The Order meeting was over and everyone had left except for Lupin and Tonks. He grinned at his young cousin, who was chatting away to his best friend. With her black hair and dark eyes, she looked just like Sirius.

Noting the dazed look in Lupin's eyes, his smile broadened. It was either that Lupin he had no idea what to make of Tonks or he was infatuated. Sirius was leaning towards the latter.

"So, Moony, what do you think of the Weasleys moving in? Ready for all those kids? I can't believe they have seven."

"There are only four children moving in, and I've taught all of them. They're good kids, though the oldest two are 17. They are not kids. Quite a pair of toublemakers, they could—" Lupin noticed Tonks' expression and paused. "Are you all right, Nymphadora?"

Tonks had a look of horror on her heart-shaped face. "What did you call him?" she demanded of her cousin.

"Call who? What?" Sirius looked confused. He landed his chair on all four legs. "Oh…you mean Moony?"

"That's horrible!" Tonks stood up, pushing her chair back. Her dark eyes were glittering dangerously at him." Remus, you let him call you that?" she asked.

Lupin and Sirius exchanged glances. "Of course I do. He's been calling me that for years, since school," Lupin told her. "It's okay, Nymphadora."

Tonks glared at Sirius one last time and then resumed her seat. "All right then." Suddenly, Tonks' expression transformed into a sunny smile. "Tea?" she asked him sweetly

Sirius was shocked at her passionate defence of Lupin. He was also surprised that she could change emotions so quickly. Women, he thought to himself. "Tea will be fine, Tonks," he said aloud.

Tonks bustled over to the stove and began to prepare tea. With a small, but perplexed, smile on his face, Sirius watched Lupin watch her. Sirius thought he might have an inkling about what was going on in Remus's head. He was sure it had been years since someone had defended Remus as Tonks had. He then realized that Lupin had called her 'Nymphadora', not 'Tonks', twice, and she had not corrected him. He decided to test a theory.

"I take my tea black, Nymphadora," he called over to her.

Without turning around, she responded, "You call me that again, and I swear, head of the family or not, I'll hex you into next week."

"Head of the family…I suppose I am, huh?" He grinned at Lupin, who shook his head in amusement. Leaning in closer, Sirius whispered to Lupin, "I noticed you can call her Nymphadora."

Lupin glared at him. "We just met a few hours ago, Sirius. Don't get any ideas."

"Ideas? I think she's perfect for you." Sirius grinned at the look on Lupin's face. Sirius tilted back his chair back again and began to whistle.

"Sirius, no," Lupin said in a warning tone. "Sirius! Are you listening to me?" he asked.

Suddenly, Tonks thumped a teapot down in front of them. Sirius started and toppled over. "How'd you do that?" he demanded from the floor.

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"I didn't hear you come up. Shut it, Moony," he told Lupin, who was laughing.

"I am a fully trained Auror."

"You're a klutz. You've been here for only two hours and yet you've managed to trip over the umbrella stand, break a glass, and spill your butterbeer all over yourself and Remus." He righted his chair and sat back down, poking Lupin, who was still laughing.

"I apologized to Remus for that! For your information, I passed Stealth and Tracking, thank you very much. I had to study really hard, but I did it. Thank God, I didn't have to worry about Concealment and Disguise," she said as she morphed her hair back to bubblegum pink.

"Cool!" Sirius exclaimed. "How'd you do that?"

Tonks shot Lupin a look. "She's a Metamorphmagus," he explained.

"Right, I'd forgotten. So you'd know all about transformations, huh? Ouch, that hurt," Sirius told Lupin, who had poked him, likely trying to get him to be quiet.

"Yes, I do." She sighed. "Will you two stop?" Sirius had poked Lupin back. "Honestly, how old are you two?"

"Thirty-five," Sirius answered in a cheeky tone. "Though Moony's a few months older than me."

Tonks looked thoughtful. "You two are thirteen years older than me, yet I feel like the only adult in the room right now."

Lupin and Sirius exchanged glances again, looked at Tonks (who had an annoyed expression on her face) and back at each other, and then burst out laughing.

"See what I mean?" Tonks muttered loudly enough for them to hear, which just made them laugh louder.

Two weeks later, Tonks was once again standing on the doorstep of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. She had been at the house practically every night since that first meeting of the Order.

She stood there with her wand raised as if to open the door, trying to convince herself that she was not there to see a certain werewolf. No, she was there to keep her cousin company. Sirius had not been out of the house for two weeks, and he was starting to get cabin fever.

Tonks started as the front door was wrenched open before she had a chance to knock. In the doorway stood Lupin. "Good evening, Nymphadora. I'm headed for take-away, care to join me?"

"Wotcher, Remus. I was just about to knock when you opened the door. Where'd you get the dog from?" she asked, as a large black dog nudged Lupin aside and smiled (smiled!) up at her.

"No, Padfoot. Dumbledore says that you're to stay inside," Lupin sighed as the dog whined.

"Padfoot…Dumbledore? Is that…Sirius?" Tonks gasped. The dog barked happily. "I had heard how you escaped, my God."

Lupin sighed. "You can't go…." He trailed off as the dog turned around and went back inside.

"Guess he figured that out." Tonks smiled at Lupin.

However, in a matter of seconds, the dog was back, this time with a leash in his mouth. He nudged Lupin aside again and went straight for Tonks. He sat back on his haunches and smiled at her again.

"No," Tonks told him firmly. He whined and then looked at Lupin, who shook his head no.

The dog shot both them an unmistakably reproachful look and then re-entered the house. "We'll be back in just a few minutes," Tonks called. She then gasped as the dog growled at her.

"He's just sulking," Lupin reassured her, pulling the front door firmly closed. We will need to talk to Dumbledore. Sirius can't stay inside forever."

Tonks looked over her shoulder at where the house was supposed to be, now hidden by its magic, as they walked away. "No, he can't," she agreed. "Maybe we can take him someplace in the country."

"Perhaps," Lupin said. "However, the Weasleys move in tomorrow, so there will be people—well, besides us—to entertain him. Then Harry will be along in a bit as well. He'll keep Sirius occupied."

"So, this is our last night of take-away. Molly's back tomorrow. You boys will be eating a five-course meal tomorrow night."

"You're not coming by?" Lupin asked, taking her arm as the crossed the street. Was it her imagination, or did he sound disappointed?

Her heart skipped a beat as he drew her even closer as a car cut around them. "I'll try, but with work and all…It's been getting busy. They're sending the Aurors to check every tiny little thing now. You know, with the Ministry denying everything, they're just making sure it's really not Voldemort."

"Well, Sirius definitely can't leave the house if the Ministry has Aurors out and about everyday. Ah, we're here."

"Oh, Italian, yummy," Tonks said happily as they entered the restaurant.

They made their way home quickly to keep the food warm. Lupin tapped the front door with his wand. It opened to him.

"Sirius?" Tonks called. "We're back. And we come bearing food."

Silence reigned. She glanced at Lupin, who shrugged. "He might be up feeding Buckbeak. Let me go see. Set the food out in the kitchen."

She nodded and proceeded to trip over the umbrella stand. Lupin caught her and set her on her feet again. "And make sure you don't break anything," he finished.

Lupin smiled as Tonks stuck her tongue out at him and then stalked off towards the kitchen. Lupin glanced up the stairwell. Sighing, he began to climb. On the third floor, he stopped.

"Sirius?" he called down the corridor.

"Feeding Buckbeak," came the answer from the direction of the master bedroom.

Lupin sauntered down the corridor to the master bedroom. He knocked on the door and then, without waiting for an answer, he entered. Inside, lying on the master bed was Buckbeak. Sirius was feeding him dead ferrets. Lupin bowed to the Hippogriff. He knew from experience that when Buckbeak tensed up that the Hippogriff had sensed Lupin was a werewolf, but Buckbeak eventually bowed back.

"Are you done sulking?" Lupin asked Sirius.

"Yeah. I just need to get out of here. Just for ten minutes, even."

"Nymphadora and I are going to speak to Dumbledore. The Aurors are out in full force checking every little report of Dark magic out there, so the Ministry can deny that Voldemort has returned. Kingsley also has them on the lookout for you constantly. But perhaps we can coordinate with him and take you to Lupin Manor for an afternoon."

Sirius' face brightened. "I hope so. This place is starting to drive me insane. It's worse than Azkaban."

Lupin shuddered at the thought of the wizarding prison. "Ouch. We'll definitely talk to the Headmaster."

"I thought the worst of it was over when I escaped. But it seems I've traded one prison for another." Sirius blinked rapidly and then said abruptly, "So, how'd your date go tonight?"

"It was not a date. We went and picked up the take-away together." Lupin glared at him.

"You like her, admit it."

"Of course I like her," Lupin told him, purposefully misinterpreting his words.

"No, you like her. Admit it. And don't try to change the subject. I'm asking as her cousin, not your friend."

Lupin sighed. He had managed to avoid Sirius' questions regarding Tonks for the past week. "Do I like her?" He smiled. "Define like."

Sirius scowled at him and then turned at a noise in the hall. The noise did not repeat itself, and after a few moments, he said, "As in 'Do you want to snog her?' like?"

"Snog her, no." Lupin hid a smile as Sirius sighed in exasperation. "I would kiss her, though. It is much more polite. Will I…?" he paused as both Sirius and the Hippogriff leaned in to hear his response. "If the opportunity ever presented itself…yes."

"Yes!" Sirius yelled, punching the air in glee. "I knew it! The Hippogriff squawked his displeasure. "Sorry, Buckbeak. Calm down, boy!" He paused at another noise. "What was that?" he asked.

Lupin, laughing, told him, "Nothing, you're hearing things. Come on, Sirius, Nymphadora has the food waiting in the kitchen."

Sirius finally managed to calm Buckbeak (with no help from Lupin), and the two wizards left the master bedroom to head towards the kitchen. As they hit the second landing, Sirius said, "I need to wash up. Oh, hello, Tonks." Lupin glared at the knowing sideways glance Sirius shot him as Tonks met them in the corridor.

"Hello, yourself. Are you hungry? Everything's in the kitchen, all ready for you boys. Kreacher came in while I was setting up. I asked for his help, but all he did was mutter stuff about 'half-blood' and 'mutant freak' again and then wander away. Why won't he listen to me? I am part of the Black family, as much as it pains me to admit it." Lupin sniggered, and Tonks smiled at him.

"Thanks, Tonks." Sirius feigned a wounded look. "I have no idea why he won't listen to you. We'll check the family tree later. I have a feeling that since your mother was blasted off; you never made it on there. Therefore, Kreacher doesn't have to listen to you, technically. Why are you up here, anyway?"

"Er." She paused. "Same reason you are."

"Washing up, right. I'm hungry, let's eat." Sirius bounded down the corridor to the bathroom. As they headed down the corridor, Sirius, now finished washing, passed them again, calling, "Hurry up, or I'll eat it all."

"He wouldn't, would he?" Tonks asked Lupin, blushing. He was suddenly acutely aware of how close they were, since the bathroom was so small.

He raised an eyebrow at her blush. "Yes, he would," he replied. There was no way she knew what he had just told Sirius about her, was there?

"Oh, er, then, er, we had better get down there," she stuttered.

"Are you okay, Nymphadora?"

"Er, yeah, I'm fine."

Her response was rather…breathless, and she was blushing even harder. Lupin's eyes narrowed. "Nymphadora?"

"Yes?" she squeaked as they left the bathroom.

"What's wrong?"

"Er, nothing, long day at work."

Lupin's eyes narrowed even more. "Really? You were wide awake when we went to get the take-away just a few minutes ago." He reached for her elbow and stopped her as she began her descent to the ground floor. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she muttered, turning even redder.

"Nymphadora," he said taking her chin with his index finger and raising her face to his. "I've known you only two weeks, but I know you. Something's wrong. Tell me."

"It's nothing. Stop asking me questions," she pleaded.

Lupin looked into her dark eyes. "What's happened? Tell me," he demanded. She was wide eyed. He normally would have left it alone, but something was nudging him to get an answer. "Was it Kreacher calling you a mutant and a half-blood again? If so, you should hear what he calls me."

"No, it wasn't Kreacher. It's just…I fancy someone and… I'm not sure how would I tell him. He's rather…shy."

Lupin's breath hitched up. He knew she was talking about him. She had been the noise in the corridor that Sirius heard. "Shy? It seems like you'll have to take the initiative. Be-"

He was cut off as she pressed her lips to his. She quickly pulled back and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Lupin looked down at her. What had he just told Sirius and Buckbeak—"if the opportunity ever presented itself"? Well, here was the opportunity. "Nymphadora, am I to understand that I am the person you fancy?"

"Yes," she whispered, staring at the ground.

"Good," he said.

Raising her face towards his again, he kissed her gently, but firmly. As she gasped her surprise, he took the opportunity to kiss her opened mouthed. She didn't react at first, but a moment later, she reached up and pulled his head down to hers, and their mouths fused in a very passionate kiss.

Lupin pressed her up against the wall for more leverage. She moaned as he kissed a trail up to her ear and back down to her mouth.

Suddenly, Sirius's voice rang up from the ground level, and they both jumped. "What are you two doing up there? Come on or I really will eat all the food." He stomped back down the stairs. His shouts must have woken up his mother's portrait, for loud complaints about mutants, half-breeds, and blood traitors started echoing up the stairway. "And shut my mother's curtains while you're at it," he called.

Lupin and Tonks glanced at each other and then took off at the same time. Running down the stairs, they fought Mrs Black (who was unsure who to insult more, Lupin or Tonks, so she screamed everything at them) until they finally got her curtains closed. "You don't think he saw us, do you?" Tonks whispered, leaning up against the wall across from Mrs. Black's portrait.

Lupin looked around. "I don't think so," he whispered back. As they made it to the ground floor landing, he grabbed her arm and spun her around. Leaning in, he kissed her again.

After they broke apart, Tonks giggled. "Let's not tell Sirius. See if he can figure it out on his own."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Lupin grinned down at her. "I'm always up for torturing Padfoot. He's been panting to get us together."

"Ugh, don't start with the dog puns." She rolled her eyes. "We'll just have to be sneaky."

Lupin pressed a quick kiss on her lips. "Yes."

"Come on!" hollered Sirius from the kitchen.

"Come on," Lupin said, taking her hand. "I've worked up an appetite." He led her downstairs.

"Oh, the naughty professor. I like him," Tonks whispered.

"He'll come out to play," he grinned wolfishly down at her, and then released her hand.

"Sounds like fun."

"What's fun?" Sirius demanded as they entered the kitchen.

"Nothing," they both replied.

"Whatever. Let's eat, I'm starving." He noted the exchanged glances and grinned. Perhaps later he would get another show just like he got on the first floor landing.

TBC