AN - If you skipped the last chapter due to the warning, all you need to know is that Remus fancies Tonks but is aware that she's young and convinced she'd never be interested in him. He's been popping into the Wesley's for years (since the first war) but this is the first time he has accepted their invitation to spend Christmas with them. In this chapter, Remus does talk about his parents passing away, but it's only mentioned briefly.

Chapter Four - Assumptions and Assurances

Remus had always considered himself logical.

Sensible.

Not prone to flights of fancy like so many around him. He had prided himself on his ability to control his emotions, not forsaking them entirely, but never allowing them to control him. It was a skill his Father had instilled in him from a young age. So much stronger and angrier in the last few days before a full moon, as it waxed, awakening the wolf, pulling it slowly to the surface – his Father had wanted Remus to be able to stay in control until the last possible moment, when man faded and creature finally took over.

It was a lesson Remus had carried into all areas of his life. Allowing himself to lose control only in those first few months after his friends…

In general, he never allowed hormones, feelings or emotions to determine his actions. Always stopping, breathing, dampening, controlling. Measured.

Remus Lupin was always under control.

Until he met her.

He watched from his broom as she darted and dove between the twins and Ginny. Pink hair whipping wildly in the wind. Unable to remove the goofy grin which had spread across his face, making his cheeks hurt in the bitter December chill.

She was dazzling.

Swooping down to Ginny and hovering, Tonks whispered something to the youngest Weasley, before the pair turned their eyes on him. Suddenly speeding towards his position, directly in front but slightly above them.

Whizzing past, they circled behind him, swapping sides and came to hover next to him. "Wotcher Remus! Enjoying the view from up here? The action is all happening down there you know."

Remus couldn't stop the smile that swept across his face, "Yes, it's the action of the twins I'm staying away from. I've been caught up in their mid-air shenanigans before." There was a snort beside him, though not from Tonks, but Ginny.

"That was so funny. We were playing a mini game of Quidditch, Ron and Bill were here too," Ginny started to tell Tonks, "The twins were hitting a bludger between the two of them, when Remus saw the snitch and dived for it," Ginny was wiping tears from her eyes with the sleeve of one arm, whilst she tried to steady her broom as she laughed, with the other, "he, fell… he fell.."

Remus shifted uncomfortably on his own broom, "Yes, well I fell, end of story. So…"

Ginny gasped for air, "in the pond. A pond the twins had been throwing left over dye into that they'd been using for some experiment," she gave another squeak as she swiped at her eyes, "he was green for a week!"

Tonks joined in with Ginny's laughing. "Yes, it was hilarious for all involved." Remus said dryly, "especially when I had to show up at work looking like the Jolly green giant."

Tonks burst, tipping her broom forward as she grabbed her stomach laughing; righting herself she looked at Remus and Ginny. Pureblood Ginny had no idea what the two with a muggle parent each found so funny. "That's something you could call him Gin-" Remus furrowed his brow as Ginny's cheeks tinged pink.

"Who could call me what?" Remus looked between the woman on his left and the girl on his right.

"Ginny was feeling a bit weird about calling her Professor by his first name…" Finally spotting Ginny and realising she may not have wanted Remus to know about their earlier conversation, Tonks faltered.

"Ginny, is that true? I guess I didn't really think about it. I've been here so many times, but I can see how it would be a bit weird for you, now I'm your professor…"

Ginny scrunched her face up, "I love you being here, you know that! It's just… well I had to try so hard not to call you… Remus, at school the last few months, if anyone heard me calling you by your name" Ginny shuddered, "I'd never live it down! I don't want to start calling you it now and then have to stop again after the holidays."

"Ginny, I'm sorry, it hadn't occurred to me that you might get teased if people find out I was at your home over the holidays. I don't have to stay, if you're uncomfortable…"

Looking horrified, Ginny shook her head, "No! You have to stay! Mum would kill me if you left… I mean, I guess it wouldn't be so bad if people that knew you'd been here… in fact," a smile crossed her face, "it's you. People might actually think it's quite cool." Seeing the confusion on Remus' face, Ginny continued, "Everyone thinks you're really cool, you know - for a teacher."

Remus scoffed, "No, I mean it! Everyone does your homework first, and the older students talk about your lessons in the common room. I can't wait until we get to do the lesson on boggarts." Ginny spoke quickly, excitedly, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "I mean a few Slytherin's might try and wind me up, but I can handle them."

Remus chuckled at that, "Of that, Ginny, I have no doubt!"

As Remus was thinking that he almost felt sorry for any Slytherins that even tried to mess with the red head next to him, she sped off after George who had passed her and ruffled her hair.

After she had caught up to George and pushed him into Fred, Ginny sped off again and began doing loops, flying literal rings around her older brothers. At 12, it was clear to see she was already a very skilled flier and would make one heck of a Quidditch player one day.

Tonks nudged Remus' shoulder. "You ok? I thought you'd be down there doing loops too! You should be thrilled! Sounds like you're a hit, Professor."

Remus looked pensive, "I'm very touched."

"You should probably tell your face that." Tonks smiled, until she saw the look on Remus' face, "Remus?"

Remus tried to force a smile, "I'm grateful, I am… but they don't really know me…" He turned as much as he could, whilst hovering on a broom, "Tonks, last night, I wanted to tell you…"

"Professor Lupin!" Ginny screeched to a halt in front of him. "Tonks suggested maybe I could call you something other than Remus or Professor Lupin."

Remus nodded, "You could call me Lupin."

Ginny screwed up her face. "Mmm, loads of people call you that. What about Rem? Tonks, what do you think?"

Trying desperately not to laugh, Tonks nodded, "Rem - I think it suits you." She said as she looked at him.

As Ginny flew off, Remus turned to Tonks and smiled, "You'll pay for this."

"Whatever, Rem." The pair took off flying, Remus chasing Tonks, until finally, both panting, Remus clinging his chest, a truce was called.

As lunch had been such a big, busy meal, Molly had prepared an array of sandwiches for dinner, leaving them in the kitchen for people to help themselves. Remus was roped into helping Arthur levitate the far too large Christmas tree into the house. Once secure in the stand, Remus decided that the fact that at least half a foot at the top of the tree was bent over to one side because it didn't fit, was exactly how a Weasley Christmas tree should look. He and Tonks took to decorating the tree whilst Ginny, Fred and George decked out the rest of the house with ornaments, lights and tinsel and Remus suspected, a few surprises, curtesy of the twins.

Arthur, who had insisted that they use one set of muggle fairy lights, was gleefully playing with the plug. "Marvellous these muggles, with their 'eclegctricity'" Tonks gave Remus a knowing look, chuckling.

Celestina Warbeck warbled through the house, as Molly sat knitting, occasionally humming along, in between shouting orders at her children.

Remus found himself humming along to a familiar song too and chuckled at himself. "I didn't have you down as a Warbeck fan?" Tonks was considering him, a smirk on her face.

"Oh, absolutely. Card carrying member of her fan club. You should see the posters I have plastered all over my office." He wasn't sure whether it was the posters or the grin that gave him away, but Tonks laughed, clearly not believing a word of it. "Some of her Christmas tunes are quite catchy I suppose, some things just stick. What about you? Do you not share Molly's love for Celestina?"

Tonks screwed her face up, "I'm more of a Weird Sisters kind of girl than a warbler fan."

Remus nodded in understanding, " Argh, so you prefer noise as opposed to actual music." He chuckled at her mock offence, "Don't let Molly hear you calling her Warbeck a warbler. You'll be spending Christmas with the Gnomes!"

Tonks laughed, "If she keeps playing this stuff, that might be preferable."

Remus watched in amazement as Tonks suddenly towered above him, hanging an ornament on a particularly high branch. "Ingenious!" Remus exclaimed.

"Why do you think Molly risks allowing me around her old Christmas ornaments? No need for a ladder or levitation charm when they've got me. Hand me some more ornaments up will you?"

Remus passed Tonks an ornament elf, "So you've been coming here for Christmas for awhile then?"

Tonks smiled, looking at the Weasley matriarch over her shoulder, "Mmm, since I was a teen, about Ron's age. Ginny was just a baby, Ron an adorable little toddler and the twins…"

Remus matched her smile, "Already pranksters?"

Tonks chuckled, "Exactly. I've spent every Christmas here since, then I go to my parents for new year. We spend most of the 31st deep cleaning the house and getting ready for my mother's spectacular party."

"By the look on your face, I'm guessing you don't find it spectacular?"

Tonks, shrinking to her usual height pursed her lips, "I do enjoy it, even though Mum always makes me dress up for it."

"You don't enjoy dressing up?"

Tonks screwed up her face, her hair taking on a festive shade of green, "Of course I do, but apparently bright green hair and a Dragon hide leather jacket over a Weird Sisters t-shirt doesn't count, according to my mother."

Remus chuckled, "Well, for what it's worth, I think you look lovely with green hair."

She looked even lovelier with green hair and flushed cheeks. "You definitely need to meet my Mother. She doesn't believe any man is ever going to want to take me seriously when my hair resembles a packet of Bertie Botts every flavoured beans apparently." Tonks flashed her hair through a cycle of colours, that did indeed remind Remus of the sweets he'd been partial too as a teenager. Finally, he was glad to see, that she settled back on her usual pink.

"Still, new years day and the 2nd of January are great. We stay in our PJ's and eat tons of left-over party food. To be fair, Mum's party food is great! We just curl up with that and watch muggle Christmas films."

"It sounds wonderful." Though from the look on Tonks' face, she didn't seem to agree with him. "Tonks? You ok?"

Tonks looked at Remus, as though she'd forgotten he was there. "Huh? Oh, yes sorry. It's just… I love this time of year, I do, but… well Mum just gets a bit antsy. Especially these past few years. Always making comments about how no one will ever want to marry me if… insert any number of things about my personality or appearance here." Tonks paused, her brow furrowing, "What with Charlie staying in Romania this year, I really thought I was going have to endure Christmas and New year listening to it…"

Remus tried not to focus on thoughts of Charlie, the young, strapping Weasley, who was of course a perfect match for Tonks. Though he couldn't help but thinking that if he was dating someone as lovely as Tonks, he'd definitely have made the effort to see her over the holidays. As those thoughts seemed inappropriate to share with someone he'd only met a few days ago, instead he said, "I think it's a mothers job to worry and fuss…"

Tonks smiled, "I know. She doesn't mean it the way it comes across. I just, sometimes I wish that my accomplishments, being an Auror, moving out on my own, making my own way in the world; I wish they could be enough for her. Anyway… tell me Remus "What were Christmases like for you? As a kid?"

Remus smiled, noting her change of topic, "When I was young you mean."

Tonks rolled her eyes, "Yes Rem; what were Christmases like in the olden days?" She ducked as Remus threw a strip of purple tinsel at her.

"It was nice. Quiet. Just me, Mum and Dad." Remus looked pensive as he spoke. Remembering the way his Father would hold his mother close and twirl her round the living room every Christmas eve. "Dad loved Christmas. Everything we had was muggle, at his instance. He loved being a wizard, but he was a Christmas purist. We'd decorate the tree, bake cookies, wrap presents, all without magic." Remus laughed, it was a deep rumbling sound that Tonks found oddly pleasing, "Mum would sneak her wand into the kitchen as they cooked Christmas dinner together, but he'd always find it and banish her and her wand into the living room with me, where we'd curl up and watch Christmas movies."

Tonks smiled at Remus, she could imagine him as a little boy, in a cardigan that was far too big for him, snuggled up watching Miracle of 34th Street as she had as a child.

"We didn't have a lot of money, not once… well once my Father stopped working, so we would make each other presents, just like the Weasley's do." He looked fondly at Molly, still happily humming away to Celestina whilst knitting.

"It sounds wonderful." Tonks said quietly.

"Mmm," Remus looked at her, as though awakening from a dream, "It was. We didn't have much, but we had a whole lot of love. That made it magical, even without using our wands. Gosh, that sounded corny."

Tonks smiled, "I don't think so. I struggled growing up, for a few years. Feeling like I didn't really fit in with my little family. Especially after the first Christmas that Charlie bought me here. The loud, rambunctious Weasley's seemed like such a natural fit for me. But as I grew older I realised, what made our little, odd family so special, with my muggle Dad and my pureblood mother and their constantly shapeshifting daughter, is that despite all our differences, we love each other so very much. There is definitely some magic in that."

The pair quietly continued to decorate the tree, until Tonks, placing a Hufflepuff crested ornament right in the centre, declared they were finished. Molly shuffled into the kitchen to fetch hot chocolate and biscuits and Tonks and Remus flopped onto the sofa. Fred, George and Ginny, having finished turning the rest of the Burrow festive, came to inspect the tree. Apart from their dissatisfaction at Tonks' placement of her house ornament, the tree was declared a success. It wasn't until Molly returned with drinks announcing there was also chocolate cake in the kitchen, that Tonks realised Remus had slipped away. She spotted him from the kitchen window as she was helping herself to a large slice. He was sitting on the wall where they had chatted last night. She stood in the kitchen, eating her own piece of cake, much too quickly – another trait her mother would discourage. Then took another large piece and headed outside.

"Hey. I bought you some cake. Had to wrestle it from the twins, but they came out of it largely unscathed. I only had to hex them a few times before they gave in and handed it over." Tonks offered the plate to him.

Remus smiled and took the cake, placed it on the wall and helped Tonks up next to him. "Thanks."

Tonks nudged his shoulder with her own, "You ok?"

Remus looked at her, "Yes, sorry." He tried to summon a genuine smile. "I very much appreciate your efforts to bring me cake."

"Remus – are you really ok?"

Remus considered Tonks for a moment. He rarely spoke about his parents. It had been nice reminiscing about Christmases, but those beautiful memories were always attached to more painful ones. He placed the now, almost empty plate on the wall and pulled out a pocket watch. "Both of my parents passed. A few years ago now. I was just thinking about my Dad. He gave me this just before he passed. It has been in the Lupin family for years, passed down from Father to son – my dear old Dad said he hoped someday…" Remus looked at the watch and felt his heart break at the acknowledgement of knowing that he would never have anyone to pass the watch on to. "Well, anyway – I just like to sit and look at it sometimes. He used to tell the most wonderful stories my Father. He'd tell me about all the things this watch had seen, all the secrets it held. Sorry –I don't mean to be maudlin, it's just, talking about family earlier…"

Tonks put her hand on his shoulder, "Remus, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have prattled away about tradition and parents, I didn't know, didn't think…"

Remus smiled; she was so lovely. "Tonks, please don't worry yourself. I enjoyed hearing about your family traditions and telling you ours – it keeps them alive, talking about them. I don't have much occasion to do that anymore. Besides, it's just the time of year you know. Always makes me think of them." He placed the watch back safely in his pocket and turned to face Tonks.

In the fading light of the December evening, Tonks' face seemed impossibly beautiful. He closed his eyes. Charlie Weasley – that was who got to look at that face and notice its beauty. "You must be missing Charlie." Remus wanted to take the words back as soon as he'd uttered them. Why put himself through the pain of hearing her gush over another man?

"Yeah, I guess. Though he's always a bit surly when we're here for Christmas. I think he finds it all a bit much, being back here. Having lived out on his own since the minute he left Hogwarts, he finds the chaos a little too…well chaotic."

Remus smiled, "But you don't." It wasn't a question.

"Me? No, I love it. Takes a few days to get used to that pitch Ginny hits when she's screaming at Fred and George of course," Remus knew just the sound Tonks meant, it really was ear splitting, "But I love it here. Couldn't imagine spending Christmas anywhere else. Charlie has promised he'll come home for Easter, so hopefully we'll catch up then."

Remus' brow furrowed, "Easter… doesn't it bother you – seeing him to little. It must be difficult…"

Tonks shrugged, "It did at first I suppose. When he first went away, but I've gotten used to it now."

"You go to Romania regularly then?"

Tonks looked at Remus, "I went once a few years ago for a quick visit. We're both so rubbish at making time for each other. I got super busy with Auror training…"

Remus, who had clasped his hands together in his lap, looked down at them. "I'm surprised Molly lets him get away with staying away for so long and leaving his lovely girlfriend to spend Christmas with an old Professor." He nudged her shoulder and smiled.

"Oh, Molly gave up years ago, especially with Bill and Charlie. I think she always knew they wanted to travel… wait – did you say girlfriend."

Remus leaned back and turned to face Tonks; "Yes, I thought..."

Tonks snorted as she threw her head back and guffawed loudly, "Oh Remus no. Charlie and I – we're just old friends. Always have been."

Remus could feel heat that was not coming from the chilly December air, creeping up his neck to his cheeks. "Sorry… you said you'd been coming here with Charlie since you were a teenager, I just assumed…"

Tonks laughed, "The romantic exploits of Charlie and I," Remus wasn't sure he wanted to here whatever she was going to say next, "could best be described as non-existent. Mol thought we were destined for each other, of course, when he showed up with me, and friends at school always insisted that we couldn't be such good friends and not fancy each other a bit…"

Remus noted that it was now Tonks' turn to blush, "The only time we attempted to stumble into something more than being just friends, I literally stumbled and we ended up a heap on the floor laughing our heads off… until Charlie made a comment about my lack of co-ordination, so I punched him in the arm."

"Oh, so you're a puncher, as well as a pincher, good to know."

Tonks pinched Remus' upper arm as she continued, "anyway, after that we decided to ignore our friends and family, agreeing that we just didn't feel anything other than friendship for each other. We've just always been good mates. I think to get attention from Charlie for more than five minutes, I'd have to morph into a dragon or something and I think that might be just a little beyond my talents."

Remus laughed, but tried not to show just how thrilled he really was. Just because she wasn't with Charlie, didn't mean she wasn't involved with some other young and devastatingly handsome charmer.

"That's why Mum gets so annoying. She seems to think that I'm purposely single. She doesn't get that it's hard to meet people, in my line of work you know?"

Remus nodded, hoping that Tonks wouldn't hear the 'woohoo' he'd just screamed in his head.

"The guys I work with are all older, most of them married or settled. Even if they weren't, camped outside some dark wizards hovel hardly screams romance." Tonks snorted. "Anyway, the few guys I've dated these last few years have utterly convinced me that focusing on my career is the way to go…"

She smiled up at Remus, who smiled back before quietly saying, "Perhaps - you just haven't been dating the right sort of guys."

Though the light was fading, Remus could see Tonk's eyes as they grew darker, suddenly serious. She looked away from him, speaking much quieter than usual, "No, perhaps I haven't."

Remus wanted to reach out and take her hand. To let her know, he had meant exactly what she had clearly thought he'd meant. He wanted to just be a normal man who liked a woman. He wanted to sit here, on the wall at the edge of the Burrow, her hand in his and edge into that flirtatious stage of liking someone.

Looking up at the moon and stars, Remus sighed. He wasn't a normal man and Tonks deserved someone much better, younger and more whole than he had ever been or could ever become.

"It's getting chilly out here. Why don't we go inside and see if we can persuade Arthur to bring the muggle TV he has in his shed into the house. We could watch a muggle Christmas film together. In memory of your parents. Keep one of their traditions alive? I would suggest the – no magic at Christmas- one, but I think the entire Weasley family and home would instantly fall apart without it."

Remus stared at Tonks, a smile returning to his face. At least he'd had the good fortune to meet someone as lovely as her. Perhaps, fate would smile kindly on him and they would become good friends.

"That would be lovely. Miracle on 34th Street is my favourite."

Tonks beamed at him as he jumped off the wall and helped her down, "Great minds think alike."

AN - Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm certainly enjoying writing it :) I had someone suggest that Remus flirting is out of character - Don't worry, I address it in a later chapter :) Also, he ends up with someone 13 years his junior... he definitely did a bit of flirting :D And there is definitely more coming up in this fic :) More to come soon. As always, I appreciate any comments, questions, feedback, favs or follows :)