August 25, 1995

Friday morning dawns just as any other – with Nymphadora's alarm breaking the peaceful silence. With a groan, she stretches over to shut it off, thinking she would do anything for just five more minutes of sleep. As she moves to sit up, a pale arm wraps around her waist and pulls her back down.

"You know I've got to get to work," she mumbles, voice muffled by her face smashed against his chest.

"Well, I can't let you go THAT easy," Remus replies, mindlessly stroking her back. There's a long silence, the two just enjoying each other's company.

"Really, Rem, I've gotta get up."

She pulls away and stumbles over to the dresser to pick out an outfit.

"Dora?"

She whips around, looking at him curiously. "Only my father calls me Dora."

"Apologies," he mutters, sitting up and eyeing her with his bright, sparkling, amber eyes. He pulls the sheets up to cover his bare torso and runs his fingers through his hair. "I just thought…I don't know, thought it was a little weird to call you by your surname like everyone else."

"I guess maybe a little."

"What did your ex call you?"

She, again, is taken aback. "Val."

"Val?"

"My middle name is Vulpeca," she laughs. "He shortened it to Val. Always said it was too weird to call me what my father calls me in case it slipped out during…yanno."

"Does it bother you?"

She considers him for a moment. "Not really. As long as you don't call me Val."

"I can do that," he smiles. "Anyway, I wanted to know…would you like to go on a proper date tonight?"

"A proper date?"

"Yeah. I feel sort of guilty, yanno, just treating you like my mistress. You're worth more than that."

She suppresses a smile. "Alright then. I thought we weren't supposed to be too serious, but if it helps relieve your guilty conscious, I'll make do."

"There's nothing serious about dinner."

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That day at work was especially hard to get through for Nymphadora. She hadn't been asked on a proper date in years, not since she began dating Jordan. She felt like a schoolgirl, daydreaming and smiling stupidly at the thought. Someone cared enough about her to want to show her off and treat her right? Unheard of.

As soon as her shift ended, she rushed back to Grimmauld Place to get ready. Again, she felt silly prancing around her room, picking out an outfit and debating what hairstyle to wear for way too long. Being the punctual man that Remus was, he knocks on her door at precisely 7 o'clock. She quickly throws in a pair of earrings and answers the door.

"Wotcher," she greets him breathlessly, feeling as if her heart was about to pound out of her chest.

"Miss Tonks," he says, offering his hand. She grabs it and he leads her down the hallway towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he replies with a smirk.

The pair descend to the ground floor, where they release each other's hands just in case a member of the Order, or worse, Sirius, was nearby. As soon as they slip out the front door, Remus grabs her hand once again.

"Ready?" he asks.

"For what?"

"Apparating."

"What? Where the hell are you taking me?"

"Somewhere very special."

He tightens his grip around her hand and suddenly the sensation of apparating takes over all her senses. When they land, she feels a hard, cobblestone walkway beneath her feet. She opens her eyes to see a bustling city.

"This isn't London," she states the obvious.

"It's Cardiff," he replies. He begins to lead her further down the small alleyway they had apparated to.

"What's in Cardiff?"

"My mother used to work here," he replies. "There's a pub she used to take me and my father to a lot when I was a kid. I've always had a soft spot for it."

She doesn't reply, simply overwhelmed at the level of effort and thought he had put into this date. They approach a small, shabby looking pub at the end of a street. He holds the door open for her, letting her lead the way inside. The pub resembled the Leaky Cauldron in almost every way except the patrons. Although this place was filled with Muggles, the small tables, illuminated by candlelight and shoved clumsily into dark corners, reminded her of the wizard pub in London. Remus leads them to a table isolated in the corner. He pulls her chair out for her and helps push it in after she sits.

"I've never experienced this level of gentleman-liness in my life," she jokes, smiling up at him.

"I've been known for these surprises," he replies, candlelight illuminating his scars. "Let's eat then, shall we?"

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After what felt like days, but was probably only hours, the pair apparated back to Grimmauld Place, full of pub food and beer. The house was dark and quiet, so they had to be extra careful not to make any noise as they went up to her room. Finally, feeling a sense of relief for not being caught, Nymphadora closes her bedroom door behind them and sighs.

"That was lovely, Remus."

"It was the least I could do," he smirks, grabbing her hand and pulling her in for a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. We'll have to do it again sometime."

"Yeah of course," she says, turning around to begin undressing for bed. She hears the door click behind her and sees Remus slipping out. "Where are you going?"

He closes the door again and begins chuckling. "I don't know about you, but I never sleep with someone on the first date."

She scoffs, realizing what he's up to. "So, this was our first date then?"

"Technically yes," he replies. "But I will break another rule and leave you with this."

Quietly, he grabs both of her hands and kisses her softly.

"Goodnight, Dora."

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