I am SOOOOOOO sorry! I know I promised I would post regularly and I tried I really did, but having written the whole fic - my laptop died once again and I lost the whole thing! This story just won't leave me alone though, so here I am again and I WILL finish it this time. I will, I promise, I WILL!

So stick with me and lets get back to Remus and Tonks and how in this AU(ish) fic, they meet in POA. Thanks so much for your comments and asking me to carry on - my time to write is limited these days - but for all those encouraging comments, I finish this fic for you!

– A bloody incompetent fool.

As the feast wound down, students slowly started to make their way back to their dormitories. As was always the case with these sorts of occasions once a few started to exit, the masses would soon follow and so it was that the feast naturally seemed to have come to an end. As the students filed out, the teachers stayed where they were knowing it would take a while for there to be a clear exit route.

Dumbledore was just in the middle of a particularly fascinating story about when he himself had been a student when a young Gryffindor ran into the Great Hall.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir, come quick. The head boy asked me to fet…"

As he ran up the long divide between the doors and the head table, the poor boy seemed to trip over his own feet. Tonks felt for the kid, if he was lucky, he'd grow out of it – luck hadn't been quite that kind to her.

Dumbledore along with Lupin, herself and McGonagall hurried over to help up the poor boy but once it was ascertained that he was okay, Dumbledore came to Tonks, asking her to get as much information from the boy as she could before joining him, then he disappeared – he didn't walk through the Hall, he was just gone. Tonks had waved her wand discreetly, knowing the other teachers were focused on the boy and sent a Patronus to all Aurors patrolling to be extra alert. Until she knew exactly what had happened, that was all she could do.

The student, mortified that he'd ruined his task by falling flat on his face, wanted nothing more than to get out of the hall too. Tonks couldn't help but notice how kind Remus was to the small boy, how much care he took to make him smile. Being as Tonks still held the façade of Snape, she made herself stand back, she doubted very much that Snape would get down on his knees and tell the boy about when he'd once tripped over in his first year at Hogwarts and thrown an entire Pumpkin pie all over Dumbledore – that trait was pure Remus. Once the poor lad was back up on his feet, in her best condescending Snape-like tone, Tonks asked the boy, if he was finished with story time, if he'd like to explain to them as clearly as possible what had happened. Once she'd gotten everything she could from the slightly trembling boy, the three of them hurried along to the Gryffindor tower, the backlog of students meant they had to push their way through but eventually they reached Dumbledore who was talking to Peeves.

Tonks couldn't remember much of what Peeves had said, she knew he was enjoying the spectacle, but all that had really stuck in her head was his last sentence before he'd floated off up the corridor – "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

From that moment on until nearly dawn it had been scenes of chaos and pandemonium, at least in Tonks' head. You couldn't really panic around Dumbledore; the man was so maddeningly calm that in his presence it was impossible to feel anything other than serene, or at least give an outwardly appearance that you felt serene. As soon as the kids were safely in the Great Hall, Tonks had sent a Patronus to Kingsley, asking for extra Aurors to both stand guard and help search the grounds. Having already searched the grounds herself twice, she found herself wandering into the Great Hall, Dumbledore and Snape were together in the middle of the Hall discussing – what she didn't know. She assured Dumbledore with all the poise and confidence that she could muster when she was feeling like such an abject failure, that her team had searched the grounds and that Black was not anywhere, the children were safe, as was the castle.

Even now, over an hour later, she could still hear Snape's sneering voice whispering through the Great Hall, "Whilst I'm certain the assurances of a trainee Auror, family member of the mass murderer, whose job it was to stop any breach in the first place will appease us all, perhaps it might be wiser headmaster to await the word of a fully qualified Auror to deliver their opinion on the impenetrable nature of a castle that Sirius Black, was able to break into not hours ago, apparently without help."

Of course the embarrassment and disappointment she felt was only compounded when Snape snarled at her, "Of course I'm happy to help with the security of this Castle in any way I can, but I would prefer Miss Tonks, if you would not hide your failure by making it whilst assuming my form."

In the frantic search for Black, she'd completely forgotten that she was still morphed to look like the surly Potions Professor. She'd never forgotten she was morphed before, just one of the growing list of mistakes she'd made this evening.

The early hours of the morning had been spent with Kingsley, who after sometime with Dumbledore had come to speak to her. She'd been convinced that he would fire her on the spot. She'd go from the youngest Auror ever to graduate from the training programme, to the youngest Auror ever to get fired. What would her parents say? Her mum would probably be happy to have her home, away from the danger, her dad would just give her a hug and let her cry, she could probably do with a good cry right now, and a hug.

However, Kingsley hadn't fired her, he hadn't even berated her. He'd congratulated her quick thinking in sending for him and in how she'd dealt with the Aurors who had come to aid in the search, the only thing he tried to tell her she probably shouldn't do again, was stay morphed when dealing with the coordination of an Auror team – apparently half of the Aurors had been petrified of her/Snape – she had wondered why not one of them had questioned her authority. Even when explaining the confusion she had caused, Kingsley couldn't properly tell her off, too busy trying not to laugh at the thought of some of the toughest Aurors in the United Kingdom, quaking in their boots having had orders from Snape.

Only now, as the sun was rising fast, was she just climbing the stairs to the teacher's quarters. So tired was she that she barely noticed that Remus' door was open, but ever the competent Auror it did register in the back of her head somewhere as she unlocked her own door and entered her chambers. She headed straight for the shower, desperate to wash this awful evening out of her hair. After 20 minutes of just standing under the steaming hot water, Tonks finally felt the adrenaline of the evening begin to leave her and she found herself craving that hug from her dad more than ever.

She left her hair it's natural mousy brown colour as she always did at bed time and changed into a comfy, if not completely unflattering pair of Pyjamas and plonked on the comfy sofa in front of the fire.

So I hope that was worth the wait... okay, so I know it wasn't, but it will get better from here on in, I promise! Next chapter might even see Remus AND Tonks, in the SAME ROOM having a civil conversation... I really do spoil you guys! :D.

Would love to hear if you're happy I'm back, hate me for leaving you hanging or just what you thought about this chapter!

Next chapter soooooooon...