Hi everyone! Alright, first off, I am SO sorry for taking bajillion years to update; needless to say you are all probably ready to chop my head off. Well here is the seventh chapter, and it is LONG! So there it is, compensation for the long wait. Hope you all enjoy!

To Noni-noelle: I am so sorry that I insulted you, I just was a bit shocked by the comment and looking for something funny to say, I didn't realize that I made you the scapegoat of a mean joke, being a liberal agnostic from NYC I guess our tongues are a little bit looser here. I wanted to apologize for the bantering you got from me and our other reviewers, I am touched that after that you are continuing to read the fic, you're so NICE! So yes, deepest apologies. –Laanessness (proud lead writer of Thepotteridentity)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 7

Some time later, after much cleansing, cleaning, and mild molestation, Tonks had unwittingly allowed herself to be physically dragged to the library (not that she had much of a choice….) by Remus, and was currently sitting next to him, being very bored. Despite the fact that she was sitting next to her dream dude, she felt less stimulated than she had all day (probably because she'd already shared a shower with aforementioned dream dude, but still) as she sat, twitching her toes inside their gigantic stripy socks and watching Remus read. Her hands, she realized, were less than a foot from his ass, but alas, that is the curse of love: so near, yet so far.

THE AGONY!

So, like any quasi-normal person, Tonks relieved her frustration by singing bad nineties' music. She took her potentially sinful hands up to the tabletop and began to drum them on a stack of books. She cleared her throat and began to wail.

"I'm gonna soak up the sun! Gonna tell everyone…"

Remus jolted upright. How odd. Not that being attached to his best friend's cousin wasn't odd, but really. Well. Perhaps he could block it out….

You could join in, the naughtier voice in his subconscious suggested.

Agh.

Luckily, he didn't have to worry about his predicament for long.

"WHOEVER'S LETTING TONKS SING, MAKE HER STOP!" Sirius shouted from the other side of the rather large house.

Remus gave Tonks a gentle disapproving look. She nodded compliantly. Remus returned to his reading, only to hear a second rendition of Sheryl Crowe's pride and joy via humming.

"MMMM! MMmm, mmm, mmm-mmm-mmm-MMMMMMM!" The pink hair bobbed. The abrasive voice from the other side of the house returned.

"WHOEVER'S LETTING TONKS HUM, MAKE HER STOP!"

Remus met eyes with Tonks again. "Sorry," he shrugged.

She sighed, paused, and began to do the most atrocious of sitting down dances. Remus looked rather alarmed. Sirius, in his plotting lair, seemed to expect the development of distraction.

"REMUS, MAKE THAT CHILD STOP DANCING! NOW!"

Tonks swiftly shifted to a new method.

"AND DON'T LET HER SING INSIDE HER HEAD, EITHER!"

Tonks looked positively flabbergasted. "How does he do that?"

Remus shrugged again and turned a page in his book. "I've spent years trying to figure that out. He used to be able to tell when James was stealing his boxers. While he was sitting in the Great Hall. Eating my oatmeal when I wasn't watching." He looked puzzled. "How does he do that?"

"Maybe he was dropped on the head at birth and got positive results," Tonks suggested thoughtfully. "I wish I'd gotten positive results."

Remus nodded sleepily. Tonks leaned closer.

"What're you reading?"

"A book about the history of Gulping Plimpies, and why they can't possibly be real—"

"Hey. Don't insult the Gulping Plimpies. I happen to be suffering from a very terrible case," she said, playfully poking him. He jumped with a squeak like the Pillsbury Doughboy's. Tonks gasped happily. "That is so cute!" she exclaimed.

Remus sat down, slightly flustered. "You shouldn't scare people like that."

"I'm sorry," Tonks said, hugging him. She sniffed his hair. "Ooooh!

"What?"

"You still smell like coffee!" She buried her nose into his hair again. "Mmmm."

Across the house, Sirius considered yelling to make Tonks stop thinking lustful thoughts, but he decided to resist the urge.

Remus didn't know quite what to do. He was apparently spending quality times with a girl he was extremely fond of (I mean, who doesn't like watching other people read books?), and her response to his efforts was to…smell him.

What?

He wasn't sure if he should smile or joke or sniff her or just go back to reading. So instead, he took the easy way out, and fell asleep.

Remus woke to the afternoon sun streaming in golden strands through the library windows and to Tonks' face, which was currently clad in a particularly ugly pair of reading glasses. He blinked. The glasses remained.

"Hi!" Tonks said cheerily. "I started to read your book. Gulping Plimpies really are quite interesting!"

"Good…I'm glad you enjoy them…." Yes, his response was stupid, but….the glasses…so gross….

"Do you like my glasses? Bill gave them to me for my birthday!"

Remus swallowed very hard and tried not to blink, as he looked straight into her bespectacled eyes. "They're lovely."

"Thanks!" Tonks was touched. Only someone who truly cared would make so much effort to lie about such a horrid set of glasses. Stupid Bill. Just because her birthday was on April Fool's Day….

"What time is it?"

"Time for you to get a watch!" Sirius said, swinging into the room with a smile and an ancient metal tea set. "Who wants to polish silver?"

Tonks and Remus exchanged glances. "Um, we can't do it," Tonks said hurriedly.

"Right," Remus said. "We have to go do, um, that…that…thing!"

"Yeah! Yeah, of course, that thing…uh…so we'd better get going—"

"To our room—"

"Yeah, to do the thing…."

They were halfway out of their chairs when Sirius winked suggestively and said, "OH! That thing! Hey, nice going, Moony!"

Remus stopped dead and sighed. "We'll polish."

"Damn!" Tonks said. Remus and Sirius stared at her. "I mean…." She suddenly wrung her hands. "Look at these hands! They're so soft and beautiful! Think of what will happen to them after being submerged in cleaning supplies and worked to the bone!"

"We've heard it all, Nymphie. Sit down and shut up," Sirius said with a grin. "Nice specs, by the way." He pranced out of the room, leaving the silver accoutrements behind.

"Shit!" Tonks whined.

"You know, Nymphadora, we can use our wands."

"Oh, right." She paused. "Stupid Mum!"

Fifteen minutes and shiny silverware later, they paraded into the kitchen to prepare dinner and relocate Remus' dearest, darlingest dishtowel.

Shortly afterward the three current (human) inhabitants were sitting at the rather unpleasantly large dinner table. Picking at steak, meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

"This is a really stupid meal."

"Shut up Sirius, at least WE can cook!"

"You mean at least Remus can cook."

"I resent that."

" Tonks can cook." Remus piped up in an attempt to end the argument that was bound to come.

"Since when?"

"Since forever!" The pink haired young woman protested.

"Nu-uh."

"Uh-huh."

"Nu-uh"

"Uh-huh."

"Nu-uh"

"Uh-huh."

"Nu-uh"

"Uh-huh."

"Nu-"

"SHUT UP!"

"Sorry."

"No you're not."

"No really, I am."

"I'm not starting this again."

"Eh, have it your way." Sirius said non-chalantly as though nothing had happened.

"Argh."

"You're telling me."

The meal continued in silence for a few minutes. Remus was having trouble eating with his left hand. The steak was missing his mouth multiple times, and eventually he was reduced to lunging out to grab the piece of meat with his teeth, precariously dangling from his fork. After the third time this had happened Tonks couldn't stand it anymore. She burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry." She choked out in response to Remus' glare as Sirius joined in the laughter. "It was just to pitiful to stand anymore, here let me help you."

"What?" Too late. Tonks hand pulled her chair around to face him and picked up his fork with the increasingly annoying meat on it and held it out for him. "Tonks I…."

"No buts! I am going to help you eat and that is final!"

"This is degrading."

"Deal with it buster. Now do you want the choo choo train or airplane?"

"Ugh."

"Look, I can be much more crude if you prefer."

"Airplane."

"Vvvvvvvrrooooommmmm! Here comes ickle Remie-poo's steak!"

"Tonks if you don't cease and desisit right now I will refuse to eat another bite of my dinner."

"I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

"Damn."

"Open wide Remie-poo!" Sirius taunted, practically gasping for breath at the hilarity of his best friend's situation.

"Fuck off."

"So it's that time of month is it?"

"HOLY SHIT!" Tonks yelled jumping up and accidentally overturning her water on Sirius' plate. "The full moon!" She was hyperventilating, "What'll we do? What'll we do? What'll we do? What'll we do? What'll we do? What'll we do? What'll we do? What'll we –"

"Tonks"

"What?"

"Its not for three weeks, Sirius is just being an ass."

"Oh……..Fuck you!"

"No thanks, I don't do incest."

"Argh. Asshat."

"I don't appreciate that."

"Good."

"Why do you both always seem to spill things on me?" Sirius asked annoyed, as he examined his now dampened plate.

"Not on you, on the meatloaf."

"Is this your twisted idea of the next Noah's ark?" Sirius asked hysterically, poking the floating meatloaf.

"Right, the last human of the earth sailing to safety on a giant meatloaf, that'd make an absolutely fantastic myth." Tonks replied huffily.

"But my meatloaf." Sirius said, still examining the watery remains of his late dinner.

"I thought you said this dinner was stupid."

"It was but I was still planning on eating it!"

"Whatever, maybe Buckbeak will eat it."

"Eww, even I'm not that cruel!" He received two pointed glares. "I'm not!"

"Not comment there, cous."

"You guys are mean. Fine I'll see you later." He got up with his soupy food to find a more creative way of disposing it then putting it in the ever-trusty trashcan.

"I'm tired." Tonks said pretending to yawn. Remus knew better. She wasn't that tired, but she knew he was. For that he was grateful, but he highly doubted that she would be able to successfully amuse herself until she got sleepy, and not disturb his sleep. 'Ah well' he thought, 'Might as well give it a try.' So he nodded his agreement.

"Me too. Should we head up to bed?"

"Well when you put it that way Mr. Lupin…."

" Tonks."

"Spoilsport."

"Am I?"

"Depends."

"I see."

A few minutes later found them in Remus' bedroom, dressed in their jammies and ready for bed.

"Are you actually going to sleep tonight?" Tonks asked as she crawled in between the warm comforters dragging Remus after her.

"Perhaps."

"That's not an answer."

"Yes?"

"I'm not sleeping till you do."

"I highly doubt that you'll be able to do that Tonks."

"Remus you need to sleep. Am I really that scary?" She added a slightly hurt tone to the latter part, she was a little nervous to hear his response, maybe she really was disgusting while she slept…..when was the last time she had shaved?...SHIT! Hang on, she thought, I can metamorph it away! Stupid men.

"Don't worry Tonks you're anything but scary." He said, a hint of…was it lust? In his voice. "It just doesn't feel…proper."

"Being stuck to your hand doesn't exactly feel proper either Remus."

"Good point."

"Will you sleep then?"

"I will."

"Promise?"

"Nymphadora, you can trust me."

"I know, but sometimes you worry me. You and your bloody propriety."

"Come now the world needs the last remaining gentleman."

"Indeed, now get some sleep before I slip you something during dinner that'll knock you out for days!"

"Now I know you wouldn't do that."

"Oh yeah? Try me."

"You'd get too bored."

"I'd always have Sirius."

"You know you love me better."

"I do."

"Really?"

"You can trust me Remus."

"Hey no using other people's serious phrases!"

"Serious or Sirius?"

"I really hate that pun."

"Have you ever talked to him for awhile trying to say serious as many times as possible in a single sentence?"

"YES! I never knew anyone else did it!"

"Oh my god, totally! What's your record?"

"Three days."

"Shit! Mine was two hours." Tonks hung her spiky head. "I never win at making fun of Sirius contests."

" It's a very difficult art."

"Of course."

"Do you sleep with your hair like that?"

"Dunno. I usually make it long and silky before I go to bed so I don't impale myself in my sleep, but apparently it changes styles as I sleep, most likely depending on what I'm dreaming at the time. Its anyone's guess as to what it'll be the next morning. I've woken up with a green and orange checkered Mohawk before."

"What were you dreaming then?"

"No idea."

"The epitomy of bead head huh?"

"You're telling me."

"Let me see you change it."

"Alright." She suddenly got sort of shy, she had no idea how she looked when she changed but she stopped and made her bubblegum pink spikes turn into long soft golden-brown waves. "Do you like it?" she asked tentatively, he was staring at her.

"Its beautiful." He said softly reaching out and running his fingers through it. "I love it. It suits you." She looked so adorable when she transformed. She squeezed her eyes shut and wrinkled her nose in a way that made him want to just reach out and tweak it. He grinned at her and she blushed.

" Thanks." She replied, as she snuggled closer to him. "I'm cold."

"Well then we'll get another blanket." He said starting to get up.

"NO!" she said hastily pulling him back down. "Don't bother."

"But if you're cold…"

"Body heat works wonders Remus." He smiled. He knew what she was getting at. He had wanted to touch her, to hold her in his arms for so long, even the smallest amount of contact was appreciated. Yet dangerous. He somehow didn't trust himself to let it stay at just that, snuggling in bed, especially when he wanted so much more.

"Well, when you put it that way Miss Tonks…" She grinned cheekily at him. He reached out pulling her closer. Her small body pressed up against his, with her head on his chest. He rested his chin on her head, breathing in her scent through her soft brown hair. He liked it, of course he'd like any style on her, even a green and orange checkered Mohawk…

She sighed. "Mmmmmmm…" and snuggled closer. It was all he could do from kissing her right there, but he somehow held back. A few minutes later he could hear her soft even breathing. Shortly afterward he fell into a deep sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alrighty! So yet again, the deepest apologies for taking so bloody long to update, so many Midterms! Gah! Ok anyhoo, hope you guys liked the latest chappie; hopefully we'll be able to crank the next one out before thanksgiving! Reviews might encourage us to do that! (Hint hint!) Ok, so thanks to all the previous reviewers for their comments and we'll see you next time!