Tonks stuck to her chair, feeling isolated from the other Order members as they chatted happily around her. When Moody had first approached her about joining the Order, she'd known it was secretive, but she had expected more Aurors to be part of the group than there were. She also hadn't expected to be one of the youngest members. It was only her first meeting, and she couldn't stop glancing at the others and being surprised at how much experience they had compared to her. It was great for the war effort; it was terrible for her self-confidence.

Moody and her cousin Sirius were the only members she knew personally. Technically, she knew Snape and McGonagall, but that was far different and only served to strengthen her feelings of inferiority. And though she knew Sirius, she had spoken to him for the first time in more than a decade merely three days earlier. Even Moody was content to nurse a glass of beer and observe the others rather than speak to her.

Despite viewing herself as a bubbly person who was unafraid to talk to anyone, Tonks had found one situation where she couldn't figure out how to strike up a conversation.

Her eyes drifted to Sirius again as she continued making sense of what he had been through. It had been a shock to learn that the cousin whom she'd been ashamed of being the Ministry's most wanted criminal was actually innocent. Though it had been a relief, it left her struggling with the beliefs she'd carried for most of her life. It had been the last bit of proof she needed that she couldn't trust the Ministry as much as she wished she could.

As she watched him, Sirius was wrapped up in conversation with a man whom Tonks hadn't met. His face was scarred, creating questions for Tonks that she couldn't help but speculate about to herself. The only people she knew with that many past injuries were Aurors, but he wasn't on the force. If he was, she knew she would have spoken to him before to ask him about the source of the scars.

Her anxiety calmed when Dumbledore arrived and called the meeting to a start, though she was reluctant to draw her attention away from Sirius and the mysterious man.

The same man was called on to speak first, and Tonks learned when Dumbledore addressed him that his name was Remus. Her eyes widened as Dumbledore mentioned his work with the werewolves. The answers to her questions about his scars were becoming clear. She leaned forward as he began to speak.

"I've made contact with some of the werewolves in Greyback's pack. They don't trust me entirely, but they didn't have many qualms about sharing their feelings with a fellow werewolf. Almost all of them admitted they've at least considered You-Know-Who's offer to join his cause."

Snape spoke, not caring that he was cutting Remus off.

"Of course they have," he said with an upturned nose. "What did you expect to find, Lupin?"

Quite a few of the Order members glared at Snape. Tonks could tell Remus had gathered support in the Order despite his status as a werewolf. It drew her to him even more. Never before had she known of a werewolf with so many friends.

"I expected exactly what I found, Severus," Remus said. His body was tense, but his voice was nothing but calm. "Considering the contempt the Ministry treats my kind with, I knew as well as you did that a number of werewolves would be willing to test alternatives if there was any chance of it providing them with a better life. Of course, the best solution for that problem would be for the Ministry to treat werewolves with respect instead of outcasting them. Then most of them wouldn't feel the need to side with You-Know-Who, but I know that's a plan many at the Ministry would disagree with strongly as they much prefer to believe us werewolves have a predilection for the dark and violent."

Snape didn't respond except through a glare.

Tonks' stomach fluttered, which made her avert her gaze even though she knew that no one but her knew of it. Remus was staring back at Snape, silently challenging him, and Tonks couldn't have admitted out loud the draw she felt towards a man she didn't know.

She was struck by the intelligent way he had turned Snape's comment back on him and the way he was able to remain calm in the face of such disrespect. She couldn't imagine what he must have gone through, even from people within the Order. It surprised her how willing she would have been to sit and listen to him talk longer about the injustices he'd faced. While she had been curious about all she would learn in the Order meeting, she no longer wanted to listen to anyone but him. She thought she would have listened to him forever.

She didn't realize she was gawking until Dumbledore thanked Remus for his update. As he sat back down, he caught her eye for the first time and blushed at the way she was openly staring. Tonks snapped her mouth shut and averted her eyes, but when their gazes met again a few minutes later, neither of them could help but smile shyly before looking away again.

Prompts:

Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments

Advent Calendar: canon relationships - Remus/Tonks

Seasonal Challenge - Audrey's Dessert Challenge: cake 2 - write about wanting more of something

Seasonal Challenge - Ravenclaw Themed Prompts: traits - intelligent

Word count: 899