Upon entering the dimly lit room, Nymphadora is blinded by the flashing lights of the television. Jordan sits anxiously on the edge of the bed in the corner of their 450 sq ft studio flat, seemingly mesmerized by what is on the screen in front of him.

"Val!" he yells, hearing the door click closed behind her. Many years ago, Jordan had decided he didn't want to use the same nickname for her as her father. He landed on shortening her middle name, Vulpeca, to Val.

"Jo, it's nearly four in the morning," she groans, throwing her keys down on the kitchen counter to her right. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I am in bed," he retorts. He presses pause on his video game and crosses the small space to meet her. "Everything alright?"

"I don't know," she admits. "The Ministry is trying to keep the incident very hush-hush."

"What happened?"

She considers him for a moment, feeling a pang of guilt. Had Jordan actually completed Auror training with her, she could've had this discussion with him. However, she was explicitly told her to keep what she knew to herself. She sighs heavily.

"I'm not sure how much the public is supposed to know."

"Val, come on. I'm not the public," Jordan complains. "You can tell me."

"I really can't," she argues back. She steps around him and starts getting ready for bed. He follows her, grabbing her t-shirt and pulling it over her head.

"I missed you," he whispers in her ear. She suppresses the urge to groan as Jordan starts to work on getting what he wants. All Nymphadora wanted to do was sleep off the horrible night she had had, but Jordan had other ideas. Used to this treatment, she obliged, knowing it would be much easier to go with it than resist.

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On Monday morning, Nymphadora drags herself out of bed and into the office. When she left, Jordan hadn't even gotten out of bed, too tired from staying up the night before. He didn't usually work until noon and got home at least 3 hours before her. Yet somehow, he was the tired one. Pulling 12-hour shifts was nothing new for her.

Before she could even sit down at her desk, Alastor calls from his office "Tonks!"

She is startled, not expecting him to be back so soon after the incident on Saturday night.

"Mad-Eye," she says, turning and following his voice into his office. "What are you doing back so soon?"

"Doesn't matter," he answers gruffly. "Close the door behind you."

She does. "Not that I'm not happy to see you it's-"

"I need your help," he cuts her off. "Sit down."

Alastor proceeds to explain that what he needs would stay between the two of them and would require a time commitment beyond what she was already doing for the Ministry. Having grown up during the Wizarding War, Nymphadora had heard of the Order of Phoenix and their role in fighting Voldemort. Her parents hadn't been involved, but they were well-known heroes. She had grown up hearing stories about their bravery and sacrifice, and now Alastor was telling her that he wanted her to join.

"So, what Harry said was true?" she chokes out in disbelief. "He's back?"

"The Minister refuses to acknowledge it, but if you trust Dumbledore, then yes, he's back."

"And Dumbledore trusts the word of a child?"

"Harry has no reason to lie," Mad-Eye growls back. "If you don't want to believe them, that's fine. You can leave."

She sighs, kicking her boot into the leg of her chair.

"I picked you not only because you're the most talented young Auror to walk through those doors, but because I like and trust you. Take it or leave it."

She considers him for a moment. "I'll take it."

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July 1, 1995

Another Saturday night, another dinner round her parent's house. However, Jordan had been acting odd all night, antsy and red in the face. Annoyed, Nymphadora tried to ignore him and enjoy her time. It was hard, for all that she could think about was how excited and nervous she was for her first Order of the Phoenix meeting the next day.

Some time later, after her father has taken his last bite of pie, he glanced over and gave a short nod to the young man. Confused, Nymphadora turned to investigate only to find Jordan on one knee, holding up a small black box. Panic rose inside of her like a tidal wave.

"Nymphadora Vulpeca Tonks," he starts. She feels her heart skip a beat, and not necessarily in a good way. "I've loved you for over three years now. Would you do the honor of marrying me?"

She glances nervously over at her parents, who sit staring at them, beaming. She can't even make a coherent thought; she is so incredibly caught off guard. Before she can stop herself, she hears the word "Yes" escape her lips. Jordan slips a small gold band onto her left ring finger and gets up to hug her.

She feels like she's having an out of body experience. That this moment she's experiencing is not her own. She feels his arms wrap tight around her yet can't bring herself to move her arms and return it.

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