Hi! Here's the next chapter. I wanted to alternate, with one chapter focusing on Lupin and one on Tonks (cliché?) Tonks is honestly my favourite character in the books and I wanted to explore more of her life- young, in her 20s, thrown into a war and a secret mission while struggling to keep afloat in her actual job (anyone who can relate raise their hands?!)

E xxx

It had been a crazy few weeks. The ministry seemed to be in chaos, paper work was slipping through the cracks as Tonks spent most of her time on protection missions. Two night shifts, and an undercover mission infiltrating an underground network of foreign wizards who the ministry suspected of having ties to dark groups in Albania. She felt like she hadn't had time to stop and think about the Order beyond trying to keep up her job at the ministry. It was a Friday afternoon, and she was just finishing up a report on her first mission with the Albanian group when she heard Kingsley's low voice cut through her thoughts.

'Tonks. Do you have a moment?'

The rest of the aurors looked up. Her boss, Rufus Scrimgeour glanced at Kingsley with a quizzical look.

'I want to talk to you about your last night shift- I haven't received your report yet.'

Understanding followed her fleeting moment of confusion- she'd handed him her report yesterday.

'Whats up?' She said quietly, as they left the room.

'Could you go to headquarters tonight?'

'Why? Is everything okay?'

'Yeah, it's fine. Molly and Mad Eye have some updates from their guard last night, they want to discuss it with everyone in person. I hope that's okay,' he said apologetically.' I know you've been really busy lately.'

'It's always busy. I'll see you later.'

Tonks didn't mind heading to Grimmauld place after work. She was actually glad of another reason to go back. She still felt slightly like an outsider, despite everyone being extremely welcoming. Lupin in particular had been kind to her, going out of his way to ask her questions and ask for her opinion in meetings. But since joining the order, she'd only been on one mission with Mad eye. That felt like an extension of her training days, them bickering and squabbling about Tonk's attention to detail, her teasing him about what she called his 'dramatic flair'. She hadn't been on missions with anyone else yet, and was keen to get more involved. As she packed up her bag and threw on her leather jacket, she called 'see you on Monday' to the office, avoiding Kingsley's eye, and headed out of the building. She decided to walk to Grimmauld place. Usually, she apparated when travelling to work. Although she lived in London, the journey from her poky flat in north hackney into town couldn't be done on foot. But Sirius lived closer to the Ministry, in an area rich in history and obvious wealthy. Tonks smiled to herself at the irony; the Black's were obsessed with showing off their wealth, but being in a muggle area the house had to be completely hidden.

xxxx

'Do you think he's a Death Eater then?'

The tension hung around the room after Remus' question. Molly and Mad Eye had told everyone the news that they'd spotted the Minister of Magic's top advisor meeting Lucius Malfoy late at night in the ministry, but no one could decide what exactly it meant.

'I don't know,' sighed Molly. 'But it is strange that he was in the ministry that late last night, isn't it? She paused thoughtfully. 'And with Lucius…'

'He could be imperioused, couldn't he?' Said Tonks.

'We can't be sure,' grunted Mad Eye. 'But we should have been tailing Malfoy more closely. We think he has plans to meet him again this weekend. Constant vigilance is what's required here! Who's going to tail him tomorrow?'

xxxx

The meeting drew to a close. Tonks was slightly exasperated at herself for signing up to a mission on the weekend when she was looking forward to winding down. If she was completely honest with herself, she knew the fact that the mission was with Lupin had something to do with her eagerness to agree. There was something about him that drew her to him. Even during the meeting, they had sat opposite each other and she had pulled a funny face when Moody was droning on about vigilance. He had suppressed a smile as his eyes twinkled back at her. She'd winked back.

'Sorry I didn't have time to cook anything' fretted Molly, to choruses of 'don't be silly' 'It shouldn't always be your job to cook'

Why don't we get some pizzas? Suggested Tonks. There's a muggle pizza shop round the corner, I could go and pick some up. It would only take 20 minutes.

'Do you have muggle money?'

'I always carry a bit around,' Tonks said.

'Do you need a hand?' Asked Remus

'Maybe,' she smiled.

They left together, turning up the road to meet Pentonville Road which was buzzing with Friday evening energy.

'No Friday night plans then?' Remus asked

'The only thing this meeting interrupted was me in a bubblebath,' laughed Tonks. 'It's been a pretty crazy week,' ahe explained.

'And now you've got to do another mission with me...' Remus said ruefully. 'I'm sorry, I should have suggested someone else come.'

'No no, Tonks brushed his apology aside. 'I wanted to come.' She smiled up at him. He smiled back.

They turned into the pizza shop and Tonks ordered 10 pizzas of different toppings, chatting away to the cashier with ease as she handed over the muggle money. She leaned against the shop wall next to Lupin while they waited for their order to be done, watching crowds of muggles begin to gather around the big pub on the corner.

They picked up their pizzas and chattered happily as they walked back down the road to Grimmauld place. Lupin asked about her muggle grandparents, and said how much of a natural she was in the muggle world.

'You have to be,' she said. 'As an auror, you need to be able to fit in when you have to- wizard or muggle world!'

'I can't imagine Mad Eye getting away with it.'

Her laugh echoed down the street. 'Naa you're right, Mad Eye is somewhat..'

'Distinct.' He finished, grinning.

'I have muggle friends, she said. 'And I listen to muggle music, watch muggle sport. I'm pretty assimilated.'

'What sport?'

'Do you know football?'

'The game where you kick the ball into the goals, right?'

'You're an expert' she chuckled. 'It's not as good as quidditch but it's pretty cool. Muggles go CRAZY for it.'

'I hear you were an amazing quidditch player.'

She looked at him. She liked the idea that she had come up in his conversation. She wondered if he'd been asking Mad Eye about her, or if someone had mentioned it off hand while the conversation was already about quidditch. She wondered if it mattered.

'I was alright,' she said.

'Is there anything you're bad at?'

'Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr Lupin. Save something for our evening together.' She said before she could stop herself.

He flashed her an amused look and paused at the door of Grimmauld place, before saying the password.

xxxx

Tonks felt weirdly anxious as she waited for Lupin outside the Malfoy's house. She had been on hundreds of missions with the ministry, but she felt a strange desire to prove herself with the order. She was the youngest in the Order, which normally didn't bother her since she was used to being the youngest at work. But she wanted the mission to go well with Lupin. She was impressed by his knowledge of defence; she assumed he would have been a great teacher. But it was his calmness, steadiness and fierce intelligence that really impressed her. She knew she could be hot headed, and wanted him to think of her as an equal. She supposed that was why she had butterflies in her stomach.

'Hey' a voice said quietly behind her. 'Sorry I'm late.'

'You're not. I'm early.'

'Any sign of life?'

'Not really. All three of them are inside- I checked hominus revelo. You can't apparate in or out of the house, I've checked, and Artur's put a trace on their floo network so if he leaves from inside the house we'll know about it. I reckon we just keep quiet, watch and regularly check how many are in there for now.' She caught her breath, realising she'd been speaking quickly.

Lupin looked impressed. 'Nice work,' he said genuinely. He looked at the dark Wiltshire mansion. 'Looks about as cosy as Grimmauld place. What is it about pure blood families and shit décor?' He said quietly.

'Lacks a certain 'soul' doesn't it' mused Tonks, relaxing into conversation with him. 'I recon a few climbing plants would do wonders, and roses down the side. They should see the hanging ivy I've got at home and take note'

I thought you'd be the kind of woman who killed her house plants in 3 days.'

Tonks smiled at the playful insult. The fact that forms of her existed in his mind, that he had opinions on what she might be good or bad at or do with her spare time gave her a jolt of pleasure. 'There's a lot you don't know about me,' she said.

They sat together in the dark, watching the house and occasionally checking hominus revelo with a lazy flick of their wands. It was looking like it was going to be a fairly standard night shift- that was, a whole lot of nothing, when the porch light flicked on.

Both Lupin and Tonks tensed, alert. A tall, shadowy figure with long blonde hair strode down the steps and walked a few meters down the front lane, before putting on a mask.

'Bingo,' breathed Tonks. Wordlessly, she pointed her wand at Lucius and cast a spell. She knew she'd been successful because she saw the corner of his coat ruffle, before he disapperated.

'Very cool,' murmured Lupin

She'd placed a magical parchment in his pocket. Blank to anyone who read it except the Order, it would write down everything that was said within a close radius of him.

'We've just got to hope he doesn't notice it's there and throw it away' sighed Tonks. 'I always have random parchment and god knows what else in my pockets, but I'm not sure everyone else does.' She pondered anxiously. 'I just didn't have a good look at where else I could have hidden it!'

'You were brilliant,' said Lupin reassuringly. 'We're just going to have to wait and see.'

Tonks yawned and glanced at her watch. 'How long do you think evil death eater meetings usually take?' She said ruefully

'Do you want to take a nap? I can take watch. You've done all the hard work so far. I know you're tired.'

She protested briefly, but after the week she'd had the thought of drifting off for just an hour or so seemed like such tempting option. The air in Wiltshire was cooler than it was in London and had been doing a good job of keeping her awake so far, but the night was dark and her eyelids were feeling heavy.

'Come on,' Lupin said. Tonks shuffled further down the stone wall they were sat leaning against, rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she felt him wrap another layer around her.

'Told you,' said Lupin

'Shut up,' she murmured before drifting off.