AN: This skips a bit into the future of where I'm currently at in 'Not There To See Me Fall' but I couldn't resist!

Scowling, Auror Tonks walked swiftly through the streets of Hogshead, not wanting to talk with anyone. At least her patrol was over, so she didn't have to hang about. Knowing that going back to the flat would definitely not improve her mood at all, Tonks turned on her heel and strode down the main street of Hogsmeade. Dawlish didn't do anything to improve her mood at the best of times and today was definitely not a day that she wanted to be needled.

Wanting to avoid Madame Puddifoot's (and anyone entering it), she took the long way around to get to the outskirts of the village. The walk would do her good. Clear her head a bit. Hopefully anyway. At least it was midweek, so there wouldn't be any starry-eyed, lovesick students. That was one good thing about Valentine's Day during the week. Tonks didn't think she'd be able to stick the wide-eyed hopefulness of blossoming romance.

"When did you become such a cynic, Tonks?" she asked herself.

She'd have to witness it on Saturday though. They had been told that it was going to be a Hogsmeade weekend for the students, specifically for Valentine's Day. There was no way Tonks couldn't be around, the four of them had agreed early on for this assignment that it was unfair for two of them to have to deal with students all day while protecting Hogsmeade. So, they all had short patrol shifts so no one got too pissed off basically. Maybe she could take the early one or something. There tended to be not many students during that one. Few woke up that early. Yeah, she'd do that.

Suddenly feeling much more cheerful, Tonks nearly whistled as she approached the point, she wanted to apparate from (it was just bad manners to apparate along the Main Street and she had quite enough of apparating from alleys when she was on the job). Nearly whistled because that was one thing, she couldn't teach herself to do or morph her body in a way that made her capable of doing it. She had tried. A deeper understanding of the human throat was needed for her to do that sort of morphing. Something she hadn't had time for recently. Not that she thought she could do it even if she had spare time, what with her abilities still being on the fritz.

With a 'CRACK' she apparated away, appearing at the back of the Leaky Cauldron. It was a much better way of avoiding attention, she would just look like any other witch doing some shopping in Diagon Alley. Tonks looked down at herself. Once she lost the Auror Robes anyway. A quick tug at them, followed by a flick of her wrist and they were off her body and shrunk down to doll's clothes size and stuffed into the back pocket of her jeans. She'd have to remember that they were there before she put the jeans into the washing machine. Shrinking spells and warm, sudsy water did not work well. Trust her. Especially her Auror Roses for some reason. You'd think they'd be of better quality.

Tonks had never been so glad that the Wizarding World didn't make too big a deal over St Valentine's Day, nothing like the Muggle World anyway. The less she saw of those garish decorations, the better. It was bad enough that they were an eyesore at the best of times, today she wanted to set fire to them. She didn't think Scrimgeour needed that sort of paperwork so she restrained herself. Barely. Which is why she came here. Far less chances of her getting those urges.

Sure, there was the odd cafe in Diagon but they weren't exactly mainstream ones and we're off the beaten track. Very easily avoided if you knew where they were. Which she did and had no intention of going anywhere near. See aforementioned pyromaniac urges.

Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly looking where she was going and stumbled right in the middle of a couple joined quite firmly at the hands. So firmly in fact, that they didn't break apart making all three of them fall to the ground.

"Sorry," Tonks mumbled her apologies, picking herself up as the guy glared at her and the girl sniffed.

Fine. Whatever. She didn't mean to spoil their sappy hand-holding.

Sighing heavily, she changed direction - away from the happy couple. She never used to put much stock in Valentine's Day, there was no point. No boyfriend (or girlfriend she supposed) to share it with and she didn't really go in for ooey gooey mushy stuff like that anyway. You didn't need a while day dedicated to "romance" to remind you to be romantic. It was stupid.

But she wanted that stupid. She was actually longing for it. Another sigh escaped her. One good Valentine's Day, just one, and it had completely destroyed her carefully crafted disinterest in this stupid holiday. It hadn't even been a good one, it had been a brilliant one. Remus had managed to completely exceed her expectations and blow her out of the water. She didn't want to know what it said about her expectations when a sweet yet simple date like that made her heart flutter (even a whole year later but she was ignoring it).

She missed him, okay? Really, really missed him. Which was why she was feeling this stupid holiday so much. It was a time that you basically had to spend with your significant other or partner and she wasn't anywhere near hers. She didn't even know where he was. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Tonks glared at a tangled ribbon lying in the street. It wasn't enough that the holiday was being rubbed in her face, now she had to put up with litter too?

Right. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. In and out. In and out. Slow and steady, keep a proper pace. She calmed down some, instinctively glancing at her hair to check out the colour change only to remember. Oh yeah. That didn't happen anymore. Another deep breath. Even she had the self-awareness to realise that this was maybe getting to her a bit more than it should be. A distraction was needed. A good one. Normally, as in before this year (stupid year), her go to method for dealing with feeling like these would be chocolate. Lots of it. But she couldn't do that. Chocolate was his thing. It didn't taste the same anymore if she wasn't stealing it off him anyway. Something else was needed, but what?

Why was the Wizarding World lacking so much in entertainment except for concerts, theatre productions or quidditch? If she was in the Muggle world she could go to the cinema or a park or even around a shopping centre and just waste the day with mind-numbing activities. Not that she was going to do any of those things, as tempting as they were. Going into the Muggle world today was definitely going to turn her sour mood into a thunderous one. Probably one that would make her break the Statute in some way. She would have to think of something in the Wizarding World.

A few minutes passed of nothing coming to mind. She groaned loudly. Why could she think of nothing? This was pathetic. Really pathetic. Tonks kicked a stone, or rather, tried to. Her right foot collided with her right ankle instead of the stupid stone. Instinctively grabbing at the injured appendage, she hopped around, swearing loudly - garnering more than a few glares from some passing fuddy-duddies. Good thing her hands were occupied or they would have got a rude gesture.

Yep, she had been right all along. Valentine' Day sucked. It always had and it always will.