2. All That Glisters Is Not Gold

The Merchant of Venice

Remus Lupin woke up early.

It had been a long time since the last time he had. Now that he had a job, he finally had a job, he was determined to make the most of it. He had a year, and he was going to make an impression.

There were things about Remus Lupin that were undesirable. For example, most people didn't take nicely to learning he was afflicted with lycanthropy. And that was why nobody needed to know.

Remus Lupin had sacrificed a lot in the name of his lycanthropy. Someone who had believed that he could never make friends, he had been lucky to make three brilliant friends during Hogwarts.

Now, two were dead, having been killed by the other one. And the other one was none other than mass murderer and escaped convict, Sirius Black.

It had hurt. Spending thirteen years alone, all alone, isolated, miserable and depressed every morning, not knowing what he should do, if he should do anything, if there was anything he could do at all, because what was there to live for? It was the life he had been condemned to: the life of a werewolf who could never befriend, who could never love, who could never father. Because no matter what he felt on the inside, it was discredited. Nobody cared about how he felt. They were scared of him. And of the few people who didn't care, there were several other reasons that he was undesirable.

Over the ages, Remus Lupin had liked people. Both platonically, or romantically, or however else you could like people. But a romantic relationship was something he could not envision, so he would train himself to get over his feelings. Just get past it, Remus. You'll get over it.

It had worked so far, and now that he was older, and more mature, he was hoping that he would have to use it less.

As Remus was walking to the staffroom early Thursday morning, where he had discovered a Boggart in the wardrobe, he heard his name being called.

"Professor Lupin!"

The voice was sweet and melodious, but sharp and alert at the same time. A female voice.

He turned around to find an Auror with vibrant, shoulder-length pink hair at the other end of the corridor, rushing towards him.

"Hi, Professor Lupin, good morning," she said, sounding a little flustered, once she had come within conversational length of him.

He smiled at the young woman. "Good morning. You're one of the Aurors stationed here, aren't you?"

"Oh. Yeah, Auror Tonks," she introduced, smiling back at him. "Er, you can call me Tonks, though."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he acknowledged, shaking her hand firmly. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, actually," she said, sounding conversational. "Er, I heard something about a Dementor on the train that day? And Draco… oh, wait, no, you wouldn't know who Draco is, what am I doing?"

"It's all right, keep going," he said kindly.

"Okay, er, so I talked to Harry Potter… you know who that is, right?"

"I do," he replied, smiling.

"Right. So I talked to him, and he said that you were the one who produced the Patronus? To, you know, get rid of the Dementor? So I thought I'd seek you out, but I didn't want to be rude that night, it was your first day and all, and then I really got side-tracked with other things, including stupid Jared King, who's a downright pain in the rear, but, er, what exactly happened that day with the Dementor?"

She seemed extremely nervous, and he had a feeling it didn't have anything to do with his lycanthropy. This was a different kind of nervousness. And he rather liked it.

"It wasn't a big deal, honestly," he responded. "There was a Dementor in the compartment, so I cast a Patronus to get rid of it. Then I went and spoke to the driver about the entire incident. Incidentally, Harry was especially traumatised by it, so I gave him chocolate. It's a very good remedy. That's why the train was delayed, you see."

"Oh. Okay, that makes sense. Good for you," she replied, smiling. "Was it searching for Black?"

The mention of his old friend was something he was slowly getting accustomed to. "I presume so."

She bit her lip uncertainly. "Okay. Er, okay then. Thank you, Professor. It's been great meeting you."

He could tell that she did not want to leave and, for some reason he could not quite fathom, he didn't want her to leave either. "I have a few minutes until a class, actually, would you like to talk until then? If you're free, of course."

She smiled, a wide smile, a beautiful smile. "I'd love to."

He didn't know what it was about this woman, but something about her sent his Marauder spirit rushing to the surface. "All right, then. Tell me about this Jared King."

"He's the worst moron you'll ever meet in your life," she muttered darkly. "Absolute most. Annoying. Egotistical. Jerk. Ever."

"Oh?" Remus asked, tilting his head to the side. "What does he do?"

"Everything," grumbled Tonks. "He's the most frustrating git ever. He's only an Auror because his daddy was one, and he's rude, and he's mean, and he doesn't do any work… agh!"

She had just tripped and fallen over nothing in particular. He caught her waist as she tried to right herself, and she blushed beet red. Peculiarly, her hair turned a violent shade of magenta.

"Thanks," she muttered, as he let go of her waist.

"No problem," he said absentmindedly. "Er, how did you…"

She gestured to her hair. "This? I'm a Metamorphmagus."

"You're a… you're actually a Metamorphmagus?"

"Yeah," she said, not sounding too thrilled about it. No doubt she'd been asked before.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean to…"

"No need to apologize," she assured, smiling at him. "You're fine."

"It's just… you didn't sound very enthusiastic, I know probably everyone brings it up, I didn't…"

"No," she repeated, "that's not it. Actually, it's just that once people figure out, they start asking me to morph into all sorts of things. You know, make your hair pretty. Change your eye color. Become taller. Skinnier. Things like that."

He must have been staring like he had never seen her before, because she quickly added, "N-not that I think you'd make me do that, it's just… in general…"

"People make you do that?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah," she replied, watching him closely. "All the time."

It was just cruel. She was who she was; more importantly, she was who she wanted to be, so why did people take advantage of a talent that should be appreciated?

"I'm really sorry," he whispered. "You're lovely the way you are. You don't need to change yourself to conform to other people's standards."

She smiled. "Thank you, Professor. As they say, it's the inside that matters. Not like I have a heart of gold, or anything. Quite the opposite, actually. Or that's what the others say."

"I guess that's what Auror training does to you," he remarked, as she laughed.

"That's what Mad-Eye did to me, actually," she corrected. "Wait… do you know who Mad-Eye is? Alastor Moody? The ex-Auror?"

"Yeah," he said softly. "I fought alongside him in the first war."

Her face immediately grew serious. "I'm sorry. Forget I asked."

"It's okay," he assured her with a small smile. "He's your mentor?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly. "I'm actually still in Auror Training. It's my last year. But, I mean, I've been qualified in protection, so I can still do the job like any of the others."

"That's impressive," he muttered.

"Thank you," she said, and then her eyes grew wide. "Shoot. You're probably late for your class, aren't you?"

He glanced at his watch and realized that he was, indeed, late for his class, but he found that he simply couldn't care.

"Don't worry about it," he responded, smiling at her. "I don't mind skipping a class to talk to you."

Merlin, what was he doing? He was a Professor, he was a werewolf, and here she was, all of…

"How old are you, by the way?" he asked, frowning at her, trying not to think about the fact that her hair had re-assumed its previous shade of bubblegum pink at his comment.

"Twenty," she answered promptly. "Why?"

"Just wondering," he mumbled. She was twenty. He was thirty-three. This relationship would not work.

Wait, what?! Why was he even envisioning a relationship between them? Lack of female company. Yes. That must be it.

"Oh. Okay," she replied, still watching him closely. "Well, I don't think you'd want to… you know, completely skip class, so…"

He smirked. "Unfortunately, you're right. I should head over. Er, where can I find you during the day?"

"The Auror quarters are behind the Transfiguration classroom, but I really only spend the night there. During the day, I'll really just be around the castle, wherever the students are. Entrances, exits, secret passageways…"

Her eyes glinted at this.

"You get the idea," she finished. "We're here to protect the students from Sirius Black. And provide Dementor relief."

"Aren't you going to protect the staff too?" asked Remus, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Yes, we will protect you too. Don't worry."

He smirked. "Good." He didn't know why, but the idea of this woman protecting him was very appealing.

Her dark brown eyes bore into his. "You should... probably go…"

"Yeah," he sighed, with great effort managing to tear his gaze from hers. "It was very nice meeting you."

"You too," she responded, with a cheery smile. "Thank you, Professor Lupin!"

"Of course, Auror Tonks."

She grinned, whipped around, and walked down the corridor, her bubblegum pink hair bouncing around her.

He didn't know how long he stood there; definitely a couple of minutes, thinking about the woman he had just met.

Pull it together, Remus. You still have to teach a class!

She had, he thought, as he made his way towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, sounded incredibly flustered towards the beginning of their conversation. As it had progressed, however, she had opened up to him more, which told him that she was, indeed, chatty. Her personality was very bright, and cheerful, and he found himself smiling as he entered the classroom where a group of anxious third-years awaited him, Harry included.

Harry.

The son of his best friend.

Harry had no idea that had things gone a little differently in his life, Remus would've been over at Harry's house basically every day. If Sirius hadn't betrayed James and Lily. If James and Lily hadn't lost their trust in Remus, himself. How easy it would've been to carry a grudge and remain salty for the rest of his life.

But he didn't want to do that, because that wasn't the right way to live. And besides, it would make him like Snape, and that wasn't who he wanted to be like.

He taught the class the way he used to help James and Sirius and Peter study for their practicals, the same way he used to help struggling first-years, the same way he knew he learned best, the same way that he knew would motivate his students to appreciate learning.

And yes, that meant playing dress-up with Boggart-Snape.

The next time he saw Tonks was as he made his way to dinner. She was scolding a Gryffindor sixth-year who had his wand out, menacingly pointing it towards a Slytherin second-year.

He stopped to watch, amused, as the sixth-year spat back an insult.

"Is that the best you can do?" she asked coolly. "Pick on someone your own size. Actually, do you want to duel me? Right here?"

Faster than Remus could've imagined, the sixth-year's wand shot out of his hand, and flew in the air towards Tonks, who caught it and inspected it, twirling it between her fingers.

"I wouldn't, if I were you," she stated calmly. "But, it's your decision."

The sixth-year growled and slumped away. With a Banishment Charm that she made look much easier than it was, his wand retreated back to his hand.

"Impressive, Auror Tonks," Remus muttered.

She sighted him and grinned. "Hi, Professor. How was your class?"

He smirked. "Memorable, shall we say. Ask any of the third-years, they should all know."

"I heard someone talking about Professor Snape the Boggart…" she began, smiling slyly.

"That's the one," he replied. "Though, in all honesty, I wasn't expecting Neville Longbottom to have… such a vivid imagination."

She laughed, a tinkling, happy sound, and at that moment, Remus made it a personal goal to make her laugh as often as he could.

Just then, one of the other Aurors, Robards, walked over to them, looking worried. "Good evening, Professor. Could I borrow Tonks for a second?"

"Of course," Remus responded courteously, as she smiled at him and turned to Robards.

"What's up?" she asked, twirling her finger through her hair.

"Where in the name of Merlin is Dawlish?" hissed Robards. "I haven't seen him all day!"

She shrugged. "Last I saw him was yesterday morning. He was asking me if I had a darn coffee machine. His sleep schedule is completely wacky."

"Who's watching the grounds, then?" Robards asked, clearly anguished. "Dawlish is supposed to be watching the grounds with Larson! What about Black? What if he gets in?"

Remus watched, amused, as she bit her lip, clearly thinking. "I'll be looking out for him, Gawain, we all will! Don't worry! We'll be fine. We won't let Black into the castle. And I'll go tell off Dawlish tomorrow, if it bothers you that much."

Robards nodded, though clearly still unconvinced. "Okay. Okay, that works. See you around."

As he left, she turned back to Remus with a smile. "Sorry, Professor. That's Gawain Robards, he's one of my friends. He's just like that."

"Call me Remus," Remus insisted, as they walked towards the Great Hall together.

"Remus Lupin, huh?" she mused. "Remus Lupin. It sounds really pretty, actually. Has a nice flow to it."

The way she said his name was like drops of dew sliding off leaves. Clean, pristine, pure.

"And you can call me Tonks," she replied, smiling. "I don't go by my first name, so don't even ask."

"Maybe one day," he said, smirking. "So, Tonks, shall we go to dinner?"

A rosy pink hue overtook her cheeks. "Sure."

They began walking down to the Great Hall together.

"So…" they both started at the same time. Remus laughed.

"Go ahead," Tonks offered.

"No, no, you go ahead," Remus returned.

"Nah, it was nothing. I was actually talking to a few sixth-years earlier, and they mentioned that you were the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher they've ever had."

"Really?" Remus was genuinely shocked.

"Well, duh. I wish I had you as a teacher when I was in school, but no, I was stuck with a whole bunch of idiots in a row." She paused. "I guess Rakepick wasn't too bad until the end, though. But from what I've heard, you're really good!"

Remus was touched. "Thank you. I try to make the lessons relatable for the students so that it's fun for them."

"Apparently they really loved it," Tonks informed him as they entered the Great Hall, but then she stopped. "Oh, brother, what do they think they're doing?"

"Who?"

She gestured to a bunch of Hufflepuff fifth-years who seemed to be smuggling various things into their robes. "I'm supposed to be here on the lookout for Sirius Black, and instead I'm forced to confiscate items from smugglers."

He smirked. "You'd make a good caretaker."

Her eyes widened. "Are you comparing me to Filch?!"

"All I said is that you would make a good caretaker."

She slapped him playfully and strode over to the fifth-years, demanding them to hand everything over to her. In a few minutes, she headed back over to him, carrying a handful of small vials in her palm.

"Do you recognize these, Professor?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

He did. "Indeed. These are excessively cheap love potions, no doubt from Zonko's."

"Good for you." She held them out to him. "D'you want them?"

He stared at her in shock. "Are you implying that I would need cheap love potions to attract someone?"

She smirked. "All I asked was if you wanted them."

Remus laughed as they approached the staff table. "Clever, you are. I'll talk to you later."

"You too," she replied sweetly. "Enjoy your dinner."

Remus watched her go, her lively pink hair swishing from side to side as she walked to join one of the other Aurors in the Great Hall.

She had undoubtedly opened up more to him that evening, even allowing him to see into what her personality was like. She was fierce, but good-natured. Definitely Mad-Eye's protegeé.

But Remus couldn't help but smile at the thought of how flustered she had originally been when he had first met her.

A/N: And here's part two! With Remadora, I'm normally not a fan of the 'love at first sight' kind of thing, but I think since this is only twelve chapters, and we're already a sixth through, it's going to go by a bit faster! :)

I'd really love your thoughts. Please leave a review!