It was a Monday evening, ten days since the first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix in Remus Lupin's flat, and twenty-four hours since Remus, Sirius and Molly Weasley had descended upon the Black family's house in London. They were attempting to make the house vaguely habitable, and it had taken poor Molly the entire day just to get the kitchen into a clean enough state to use it, while Remus and Sirius sorted out enough of the bedrooms to give them all somewhere to sleep. Molly and Arthur had decided to stay in the house once it was ready, along with their four youngest children, so that they could devote as much time as possible to their work for the Order.

Dumbledore had joined them when they first arrived at the house and had spent a long time examining the house for protection spells already in place and adding many of his own to make the place completely safe and unplottable. As soon as he was satisfied, he rushed off again to continue the work he was doing for the Order: neither Remus nor the others knew what it was.

Sirius had worn a strange expression since the moment he walked in the door. He did not say very much, but it was plain he was not happy about being back in the house that he had planned never to return to. Remus was well enough acquainted with Sirius's moods to know not to press the matter, but Molly insisted on trying to get him talking, asking question after question about the house and his family. Sirius's curt answers became shorter and shorter until Molly finally took the hint and, giving him a rather severe look, ceased her interrogation.

Yesterday, their first day in the house, Remus was knee-deep in dust cleaning out underneath a bed, when the doorbell rang for the first time since they arrived. Seconds after the chiming began, a blood-curdling scream ripped through the air. Remus jumped to his feet in shock, trying to locate the source of the noise. His first fear was that it was Molly, but as the screaming droned on and on Remus realised it was a completely unfamiliar voice. There were words forming in the screeches that he could not make out. He rushed into the hall and met Sirius, emerging from the opposite bedroom. His face was chalk-white.

'Who is that?' Remus cried. The noise intensified on the landing. Realising it was coming from the hall on the ground floor, Remus made for the stairs, but Sirius remained rooted to the spot as though in a trance.

'Sirius!' he shouted over the din. 'What are you waiting for?'

Sirius sprang out of his catatonic state and pushed past Remus, hurtling down the stairs with Remus close on his heels. At the bottom, the noise was unbearable but Remus still could not see the source; it had to be someone in the hall where they stood, but other than them it was empty. Molly appeared from the basement looking just as alarmed and confused, glancing around wildly for the source.

Sirius, however, strode right up to a filthy curtain hanging halfway along the hallway. For the first time Remus realised that the curtains were now open, and behind them hung the most hideous portrait he had ever seen. A very old woman was bawling her head off, her grey hair matted and tangled and her grey eyes wild and unfocused.

'Hello, Mother,' said Sirius derisively. 'It's been a long time.'

Remus and Molly's mouths fell open.

'Not long enough!' screeched the portrait. 'How dare you disgrace my house with your presence after you betrayed the name of Black, you filthy, ungrateful beast! Bringing a blood traitor and a freak, no less! You are no son of my mine! Get out! GET OUT!'

'Give me a hand here, Remus,' said Sirius evenly, and as Remus stared at the woman in repulsion, Sirius wrenched at the curtains. Remus sprang forward to help, and when they managed to force the curtains shut, the horrific screams stopped abruptly. Molly hastened towards the front door before the bell rang again and set off the screaming once more.

'Ah,' said Remus. 'So, that was … ?'

'My dear old mother.' Sirius continued to stare at the closed curtains, his chest heaving. He looked livid, and he was still rather pale.

Arthur Weasley stepped through the front door. 'Goodness! What was that racket?' he asked as he peered around the dimly lit entrance hall.

'Screaming portrait. Long story,' Sirius replied gruffly.

'Ah. So this is the infamous Black house, then, Sirius?' said Arthur eagerly, not quite sensing the tension in the hall. Sirius barely grunted in reply. Arthur's face fell slightly as he took in Remus and Molly's shocked faces and Sirius's furious expression, and he fell silent.

'Er … cup of tea, anyone?' Molly offered hesitantly, glancing at Sirius in concern.

By Monday evening they were growing accustomed to the awful din from Mrs Black. The doorbell rang regularly in the run up to the first meeting they would hold in the house, and with each new arrival it took two of them to answer the door and subdue the painting.

'We really must do something about that!' Molly exclaimed after the fifth time, wringing her hands in despair as Arthur and Bill headed upstairs. She stole a concerned glance at Sirius, who was looking more and more disheartened each time his mother's portrait recommenced her yelling, although he pretended not to hear it. After the first encounter yesterday, Sirius had not once faced the painting again.

'We can have a look at it in the morning,' Remus assured her.

'She won't go easily,' Sirius grunted, speaking for the first time in a long while. 'I'm fairly certain there's more than just nails keeping her up on the wall.'

It was slightly eerie how Sirius referred to the portrait of his dead mother as 'she' rather than 'it.'

Sirius replaced his mug on the table with more force than was strictly necessary. Molly gave him a rather stern look, then quickly smiled at him and patted his arm soothingly.

'I'm sure we'll find a way to remove the painting,' she told him kindly. Molly seemed to see for the first time how hard it was for Sirius to be in this house, and was being more compassionate towards him than she had all day.

At ten to eight the doorbell rang one more time. Remus looked around at his fellow Order members and tried to work out who they were still expecting, but it seemed from the dozen or so of them milling around the gloomy kitchen that everyone was already there.

Arthur turned eagerly to Kingsley Shacklebolt. 'Aha! That must be …'

Kingsley nodded, and the pair of them headed for the stairs. Remus realised excitedly that they must have managed to recruit a new member from the Ministry, something they had been trying to do for two weeks with little success. Remus wondered who they had found – one of the Order's most recent recruits was a slightly dodgy character named Mundungus Fletcher who, in Molly's words, 'looked as though you couldn't trust him as far as you could throw him.' Remus had no doubt that Arthur and Kingsley's new find was a rather more respectable character; hopefully someone quite high up in the Ministry who could go far in convincing others.

So Remus was startled when a bright pink head appeared in the doorway.

'This is Nymphadora Tonks, everyone,' Arthur announced as he hustled the young woman into the kitchen. The girl glanced around, smiling nervously but her expression was bright and eager. She looked very young, maybe in her early twenties. Her hair was short and spiky, and most importantly, a vivid pink. She had a pretty, heart-shaped face and twinkling eyes that vaguely reminded Remus of someone.

'Hello there, dear,' said Molly warmly, rushing forward to shake hands with the girl. 'I'm Molly, Arthur's wife. Lovely to meet you, Nymphadora.'

'It's great to meet you too. And, er, actually … well, nobody calls me Nymphadora except my mother,' she said, blushing a little so that her cheeks were almost as pink as her hair. 'It's just Tonks.'

Molly looked a little perturbed for a second, but she quickly smiled and said, 'Right! Well, Tonks it is, then.'

Arthur began introducing each Order member to Tonks. 'Now then, that's Severus Snape, he's a teacher at Hogwarts …'

Severus did not smile or offer his hand, but inclined his head with a slight sneer.

'… and this is Remus Lupin …'

Remus smiled and leaned across the table to shake Tonks's hand. She gave him a quick grin, then her eyes slid on to the rest of the witches and wizards congregated around the table as Arthur listed their names.

'… and that's Mundungus Fletcher over there, and Kingsley you know, of course, and this here is my eldest, Bill …'

Bill stood up to shake her hand.

'Oh, I remember you,' said Tonks, squinting at Bill. 'You were Head Boy at Hogwarts, weren't you, when I was in my fifth year?'

'Oh, really?' Molly interrupted with great interest. 'Do you remember Tonks, Bill?'

'Of course I do, she was hard to miss – walked into the Great Hall every morning with a different colour of hair,' Bill teased.

Tonks laughed.

'And I'm sure you are anxious to meet your cousin, Tonks. This is Sirius Black,' said Arthur, gesturing to where Sirius sat at the table, sipping wine and looking sullen. Remus was stunned. Tonks was a Black? As far as Remus knew, Sirius was the only member of that family who was not at least halfway to becoming a Death Eater; and yet here stood this girl, about to sign up to the very association which stood against everything the Black family believed in. Plus with her bright pink hair and unusual robes, she looked nothing like a member of the noble, traditional family of Black.

Looking a little reluctant, Sirius rose from his seat and shook hands awkwardly with Tonks.

'I've heard a lot about you from my Mum,' Tonks told him enthusiastically.

'How is Andromeda?' Sirius asked stiffly.

The cousins conversed uneasily, Tonks sounding shy but nevertheless quite animated, while Sirius strained to sound friendly. Remus learned that Sirius's cousin Andromeda had been disowned just like Sirius after she married a muggle-born, which explained Tonks's very non-Black-like beliefs.

'Well, we still have a few minutes till the meeting starts, would you like a cup of tea, Tonks?' Molly asked warmly, and Tonks nodded gratefully, settling herself into a seat Bill conjured for her.

'So what is it you do at the Ministry, Tonks?' asked Bill.

'Oh, I'm an Auror,' she replied brightly.

'Really?' said Bill, pushing his long hair back. 'That's pretty cool.'

Molly positively beamed.

Dumbledore was unable to attend, so Arthur led the meeting. Firstly Kingsley Shacklebolt reported on his shift guarding a door in the Department of Mysteries the previous night. No one in the Order except Dumbledore knew what the object was, which was extremely frustrating, but there was little point in even speculating what it was – none of them had a clue.

'Once again, there was no sign of Voldemort or any of his Death Eaters in the Ministry. I was almost caught by an Unspeakable, but I detected his approach and managed to conceal myself in time,' Kingsley told them.

After a brief account from everyone on the work they were doing, Arthur turned his attention to Tonks and explained some of the work the Order of the Phoenix were doing.

'We have two main priorities at the moment: to watch over Harry Potter, and to guard this object in the Department of Mysteries, as you have just been hearing from Kingsley,' Arthur explained. 'Obviously it is easiest for those of us who work at the Ministry to do that part – we are less likely to be questioned for being there.'

Tonks nodded enthusiastically. 'Whatever you need me to do, I'm there,' she said sincerely.

'There are significant risks involved,' Remus found himself interrupting. 'We have no idea how or when Voldemort will try to reach this object, and we can assume it is dangerous if Voldemort is after it, so even just being in the vicinity of it may be deadly.'

'I realise that,' Tonks said calmly, her grey eyes boring into Remus. 'No offence, but I am an Auror. I trained for three years, I have experience with this sort of stuff.'

Remus couldn't help feeling slightly dubious – this girl seemed so young, and at first glance she gave off an air of being a little bit silly and inept. But on the other hand she appeared to be a very capable witch, and on top of that, extremely willing to help. He knew he was letting Tonks's young, unconventional appearance cloud his judgment, but all the same, Remus felt that she was not fully aware of what she was getting herself into.

'Yes, well, this is not exactly that same. No amount of Auror training can prepare you for what Lord Voldemort is capable of.'

'I don't expect it to, but you can't say I am any less capable than the rest of you.' She looked at Remus expectantly, almost as though challenging him to argue.

'You're very young –'

''I'm twenty-three years old. How old were you when you first joined the Order?'

Remus sighed. 'Eighteen.'

'So I don't think age is really a problem here, do you?'

'You're too young to remember what Voldemort's reign was like the first time round –'

'I do remember.' Tonks's eyes flashed, and for a second she looked uncannily like Sirius did when he was pissed off, before she relaxed again. 'I was young, but I remember. And I know this time I can help.'

As he opened his mouth to argue again Remus was suddenly aware the everyone in the room was listening to them in stunned silence. Sirius's eyebrows had almost disappeared under his long hair and Arthur's mouth was hanging open in bewilderment.

'Well, I'm sure you'll be an asset to the Order,' Remus backed down finally, guilt and embarrassment inching in at the edges of his mind. What was he thinking, questioning her competence like that?

'Right! I'll just call the children down for dinner!' Molly announced pointedly, giving Remus a slightly stern look as she headed out of the kitchen.

Several people got up to leave now that the meeting was over, leaving only a scattered few around the kitchen table. As the others chatted, Remus glanced at Tonks, hoping she had not taken what he said personally. He smiled at her in what he hoped was an apologetic way.

'You're welcome to stay for dinner, if you'd like,' he told her.

'Thanks very much,' Tonks replied. 'So, Remus ... what do you do?' Her tone was light, her expression back to her original open, friendly one.

'I'm just working for the Order at the moment,' he replied. 'It's sometimes a little hard for me to find work …'

She nodded slowly with a slight frown, looking expectantly at him, waiting for a reason. Damn. He hated admitting what he was to people. Everyone else in the Order knew, and there was no real reason to hide it from Tonks, but it was still horrible saying the words out loud. He could only hope she was as understanding as the rest of them.

'I'm a werewolf.' Remus felt himself cringe slightly, unable to look directly at her as he waited for her response. Her eyes widened in shock for a split second and she opened her mouth to speak, then faltered slightly. She hesitated, her expression turning neutral again, then took a deep breath.

'That must be difficult. There are so many people prejudiced against werewolves.'

Remus nodded.

'Oh don't worry, I'm not one of those people,' she added quickly.

'That's certainly good to know,' Remus said, amused by her earnest tone. He suddenly saw how keen she was to be accepted by himself and the others, and he liked it about her.

Molly and her four youngest children entered the kitchen. The three boys settled themselves around the rough wooden table while Ginny, the youngest, and Molly headed to the stove to make a start on dinner. Tonks, Remus and Bill all jumped up to help. Soon the smell of Molly's chicken casserole wafted through the air, covering up the damp, musty smell that had permeated the basement kitchen after years of disuse. As Remus stirred a large pot, he let his mind wander, occasionally listening to the idle chatter around him. Beside him, Bill and Tonks chattered quietly as they fussed over the vegetables, cleaning them with a spell from their wands and bewitching knives to dice them. Bill laughed when Tonks knocked a chopping board of mushrooms onto the floor.

'Oops,' she muttered, turning slightly red, but still grinning.

Bill swept the mess back up to the worktop with a casual sweep of his wand and the pair chuckled together.

'Mum? Now that we're here in London, is it all right if Hermione comes to stay, like you said?' Ron Weasley asked eagerly. Molly looked up from her cooking, seeming rather harassed.

'Yes, of course, dear,' she replied absently. 'As long as Mr and Mrs Granger don't mind.'

'Great!' Ron replied with a large grin. 'Oh, shut up, George!' he added. Ron's older brother, George, had nudged his twin Fred in the ribs and Fred raised his eyebrows meaningfully in Ron's direction. Ron shook his head at them, his ears turning pink.

'How is Hermione planning to get here?' Arthur asked with a furrowed brow. 'I really think she should have an escort of sorts, can't be too careful. Voldemort may know she is a friend of Harry Potter's.'

'Can't she just come by floo powder?' one of the twins asked. Remus always had trouble telling them apart.

Sirius shook his head. 'There are too many enchantments guarding the fireplace from unwanted visitors, and it wouldn't be safe removing them. Anyone could just walk in.' Sirius took a long sip of his wine.

'Well, I don't mind going to meet her,' Remus offered. As one of the only Order members without a full time job he felt the urge to offer every sort of help he could. Although babysitting fifteen-year-olds was not exactly the kind of work that made him proud to be part of the Order. He sighed, swallowing the resentment. His condition limited him from doing the kind of work he might want, but he could not justify turning anything down.

'I could help out too, if it's in the evening. I'm on day shifts in the Auror office this week,' Tonks offered brightly. As she swung round her sleeve caught on a saucepan, which Molly just managed to catch before it tipped over.

'Tonks, dear, why don't you have a seat? I think I can manage on my own now,' Molly suggested in a strained tone, nervously inching a couple of pots out of Tonks's way.

'Tomorrow evening, then?' Ron asked hopefully, eyeing Remus and Tonks.

'Sure,' Tonks agreed happily as she took her seat.

'Oh …' Remus suddenly remembered. 'I'm afraid I have work to do tomorrow evening.'

Remus's work for the Order had so far been divided between two jobs, one of which had proved extremely uneventful and, if Remus was honest, rather boring; the other risky and incredibly daunting. The first was Remus's share of shifts guarding Harry Potter's house in Surrey and following the boy wherever he went. Since Harry's furthest ventures were to the nearby swing park or hanging around the local primary school's deserted grounds, and the most dangerous thing Harry had encountered so far was his fat cousin, Remus hardly relished those watches. But his second duty he dreaded for altogether different reasons, and it was to this that Remus was obligated the following evening.

'I can go then,' Bill volunteered easily as he swept a pile of chopped vegetables neatly into Molly's cauldron.

They sat down to dinner. The group was rather sparse now – only the Weasleys, Remus, Sirius and Tonks had stayed on for dinner. While Remus and Arthur discussed the various charms protecting the house, Tonks and Bill chatted and laughed quietly next to each other. The younger Weasley boys were talking loudly about Quidditch, while Ginny and her mother argued in harsh, whispered tones over whether or not Ginny could visit her boyfriend, Michael, during the holidays.

As they finished off the meal, Remus noticed a flash of movement by the door. A large pig snout poked into the room, followed by bulging eyes and a pair of large ears that resembled a bat's. A funny little creature wearing a ragged sheet around its waist slunk through the kitchen doorway.

'What are you doing skulking about here, Kreacher?' Sirius called roughly.

'I see Master is back, and he has brought some friends,' came the harsh, croaky voice. It was the Black's house elf. Sirius had warned Remus that he might appear and that he would be far from happy to serve them. Indeed, the little elf looked less than pleased to face his old master.

'Get out of here, Kreacher,' Sirius ordered, and Remus could sense hatred for more than just the house elf in his friend's tone.

Kreacher looked like he might explode as he realised he had to obey Sirius's every command. He gave Sirius a murderous look and slouched into the shadows, muttering under his breath.

'Well, it looks like the whole house is pleased to have me back,' Sirius joked, although behind his smile he looked rather strained.

'At least he still has to obey you,' Remus pointed out. 'It would have made life awfully difficult otherwise.'

Sirius nodded. 'He should take orders from you as well, Tonks.'

Tonks raised her eyebrows in interest. 'Really? I might have to try that out. I never had a house elf!'

The evening became more and more mellow as it wore on. It grew past the point where everyone would usually retire to bed or go home, and instead they drank endless cups of tea and conversed lazily without noticing the late hour. Remus listened absently to Tonks chatting intermittently to Molly, Bill and Ginny. She seemed to be the catalyst keeping everyone entertained, always knowing just what to say to everyone, hardly ever stuck for conversation. During the occasional moments when she was not talking or laughing and her expression relaxed, there was a trace of the haughty, bored look Sirius used to wear when he was young. She even had the same grey eyes as Sirius: Tonks was a Black, no question about it. Though evidently not everyone shared the opinion.

'Can you make us some more tea please, Kreacher?' Tonks asked politely.

Kreacher stared at Tonks from where he stood half hidden in the shadows. His face was contorted in fury and Remus half expected steam to burst forth from its ears.

'Bad enough that Kreacher has to take orders from his Master after he broke his poor mother's heart, but Kreacher will not answer to this filthy blood-traitor, no, Kreacher won't! Calling herself a Black, poisoning this house. Oh, if only Kreacher's Mistress could see …' The house elf's voice started off as a growl and swelled into a miserable wail.

Tonks burst out laughing and Kreacher howled and backed out of the kitchen with incoherent insults rolling of his tongue.

Eventually everyone began to yawn, and Molly sternly ordered her children up to bed. Tonks stood up to leave, stretching indulgently.

'Goodness! I didn't realise the time! I'd better be off home,' she said. 'Thanks for the meal Molly, it was lovely.'

'I'll let you know when we need you for night duty at the Ministry, Tonks,' Arthur told her. 'It will probably be later this week.'

Tonks nodded and after shaking hands and saying goodbye to everyone she headed for the stairs. Remus followed her up to the front door so that he could lock the house up behind her. Tonks watched patiently as he undid the magical locks and bolts.

'I hope we haven't scared you into not coming back,' said Remus with a smile, keeping his voice low so he did not awaken Mrs Black's portrait.

Tonks eyes widened. 'Are you kidding? Wild thestrals couldn't keep me away. This is great!' she exclaimed in a whisper. Her expression became more serious, although she rolled her eyes and her tone was slightly sarcastic. 'And yes, I understand it's dangerous, don't worry. I just mean it's great to be a part of this, really make a difference, you know?'

'Of course,' Remus replied. As the last lock was undone, he opened the door, A warm breeze drifted over them, wafting a musky, flowery smell into the house. 'And I'm sorry about earlier, Tonks. I just wanted to be sure you knew what you were getting involved in. I didn't mean that I doubted your ability or –'

Tonks laid a hand lightly on his arm for a second. 'No hard feelings.'

She smiled at him and held out a hand to shake his.

'It was nice to meet you, Remus,' she said simply, before turning to the door. She walked down the stone steps to the pavement, where she turned and disapparated, a wide grin just visible on her face as she vanished into thin air.