THC

Hufflepuff

DADA Professor

Round 8, Year 8

Standard

Words: 1,205

Prompts: (Dialogue) "I just don't see why we couldn't have stayed by the nice warm fire."

(Prompt) The smell of peppermint

A/N Thank you so much to my wonderful teammates, without whom I wouldn't have been able to write this story.

Remus Lupin was walking around Diagon Alley when he first caught a whiff of the overpowering smell of peppermint. He looked around to try to find where it was coming from, and he noticed the woman with pink hair about to turn the corner. He followed after her, hoping desperately to find out who she was.

The woman seemed to disappear into thin air, which, given their abilities, would make sense, but he hadn't heard the tell-tale sound of someone Disapparating. That led him to believe that the mysterious woman knew he was tailing her, which frustrated Remus to no end because he prided himself on his stealth and tracking skills.

Having no other option, Remus went back to Hogwarts and resigned himself to figuring out who the woman was another day.

The next time Remus caught a whiff of the peppermint-scented woman, he was conducting business for Dumbledore in a less savory part of London. As soon as he smelled the familiar peppermint scent, he whipped around, looking desperately for the woman.

This time, he caught a better look at her. She had bright pink hair that was in a cute pixie cut. Her outfit seemed like an odd ensemble of leather and pops of color. Unfortunately, he couldn't see her face, but now he was even more intrigued by her than he originally had been.

The woman was ambling down the street. She stopped to look at a display in one of the windows and didn't notice that she was close to a box. As soon as she started walking again, she tripped over the box. She got up a moment later, briefly looked around, and brushed the dust off of her. It looked as though she was used to tumbling in the middle of the street.

Just like last time, as soon as Remus started following her, she turned a corner and disappeared. He was angry that she'd gotten away from him again.

Remus decided it was time he started practicing his tracking again. For starters, he needed to work on his smelling techniques, then a hefty course on stealth.

It had been nearly a year since Remus's last encounter with the mysterious woman who smelled of peppermint. Since then, Voldemort had been resurrected and the world had been turned on its head. The woman had become the furthest thought from his mind. Especially now that they had reinstituted the Order of the Phoenix.

Remus was in the library with Sirius as they both worked diligently on the work Moody had assigned to them. The fire was blazing, warming them from the cold winter storm raging outside.

"Are you ready for tonight's meeting?" Remus asked.

Sirius snorted. "Am I ever?"

Remus chuckled. "I suppose not, but I hear we're supposed to get a new recruit tonight. That ought to make things more entertaining."

"The only thing that makes things more entertaining is when Moody decides to clean his magical eye at the table."

Before Remus could respond, he smelled that all-too-familiar scent of peppermint. The pink-haired woman was there, in the building. This was his chance to finally figure out who she was.

"Get up, Padfoot," Remus said as he stood up. "The woman is here."

Sirius sat up and looked at his friend with a strange look. "You mean the one who you've been obsessing over for the past two years?"

"That would be the one," Remus confirmed.

"Okay. I have nothing better to do than go on a wild goose chase. Let's go find your bird."

"I just don't see why we couldn't have stayed by the nice warm fire," Sirius grumbled as they sat down at the kitchen table, where everyone was already gathered.

They'd been unsuccessful, which didn't surprise Sirius in the least.

"Because I need to find out more about this woman that smells like peppermint," Remus replied calmly.

"It's probably just another dead end like last time! For Merlin's sake, Moony, get that snout of yours checked out," Sirius said pointedly.

"Says the Animagus who went headfirst into a rubbish can because he thought he smelled a doggy biscuit."

Sirius glared at his friend, who stifled a laugh. "I thought we agreed to never mention that again."

Remus shrugged. "You brought it upon yourself, mate."

Sirius grumbled something unintelligible. "Fine. We will go looking for the mysterious woman who smells like peppermint. But once you realize that it's coming from a store or something, I will tell you that I told you so."

Remus was about to say something, but Moody started the meeting right at that moment.

A few minutes later, a young witch burst through the door. "I'm sorry I'm late, Moody! I got tangled in a web."

Moody was not amused. "Sit down, Nymphadora."

Remus was about to dismiss the woman, but then he realized that she smelled of peppermint.

At the end of the meeting, Remus pointed her out to Sirius.

Sirius burst out laughing. "The mysterious woman you were looking for is Nymphadora, my niece!"

She punched Sirius in the arm. "It's Tonks, you numpty! How many times have I told you not to call me Nymphadora?"

"How about I call you Nymphie, then?" Sirius asked.

She crossed her arms and cocked her hip. "How about I punch you again?"

"Tonks it is," Sirius mumbled.

"So, why are you two stalking me? You do realize I'm an Auror, right?" Tonks asked rhetorically.

Sirius snorted. "If you're such a good Auror, how did you not notice this bloke trying to track you for the past few years?"

Tonks turned to look at Remus, completely flabbergasted. "Have you?"

Remus nodded sheepishly. "Yeah."

"You need to teach me your ways, oh wise one. Moody doesn't allow me to trail people anymore," Tonks said gloomily.

"Whyever not?" Remus asked.

Sirius clapped a hand on Tonks's shoulder. "Because she's a walking hazard to herself and others."

That earned him another punch from Tonks.

"Ow!" Sirius yelped.

Tonks shrugged. "You taught me how to punch, Sirius. This is on you."

Sirius glared down at the ground.

Tonks turned back to face Remus. "So, what was this about you two tracking me? I need some answers."

Remus's cheeks turned a bright, furious red that rivaled Tonks's pink hair. "There's… an explanation. I'm just not sure you will like it."

Tonks quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? Now you have me curious."

His cheeks got impossibly redder. "I… a couple of years ago, I smelled your scent of peppermint. About a year later, I caught it again, only that time you intrigued me because of your unique style. However, every time I tried to find out who you were, you would disappear."

Tonks grinned evilly. "I do believe you're infatuated with me, Professor Lupin."

Remus was at a loss for words. Tonks noticed this and laughed.

"I'm only teasing, Professor. I'm well aware of your… situation. My scent must have really struck a chord within you if you've been tracking me all these years."

"You… could say that," Remus said sheepishly.

"I think you have properly humiliated Remus for one night, Nymphie," Sirius said as he threw an arm around his friend's shoulders.

This time, both Tonks and Remus punched him.