I still don't own Harry Potter, and I suppose I never will. Sadness.

He looked better than Tonks had imagined, this cousin of hers. Definitely a vast improvement over the screaming maniac in his wanted posters. The grey pallor had gone from his face and was replaced by a slight paleness that suggested that he spent way too much time indoors. His hair was washed and had an actual bounce to it. And his clothes...obviously borrowed from his father's closet. Tonks cringed inwardly at the dated outfit, dripping with old money and pure-blood aristocracy.

It looked good on him.

"Here," Sirius said, gripping her right arm as Remus gripped the left, "I wouldn't spend too much time on this floor. Molly can only do so much."

The two men hauled Tonks to her feet and she stifled a protest when Sirius threw his arms around her.

"I've missed you, Little Cousin," he whispered into her hair. She could say the same, but she wouldn't. Long months she had spent hunting this man, devoting her life to putting her murderous cousin back in Azkaban, only to be told to call off the chase with no other explanation other than Dumbledore wanted him safe. That was good enough for most. Tonks wasn't as reassured.

Sirius gave her one last squeeze before pulling back an arm's length, his hands on her shoulders and his eyes scanning her up and down. "You were tiny the last time I saw you. Tiny and fierce. Always begging for a ride on my bike. I'd scoop you up and we'd be off before Andromeda could even realize we were gone..." His eyes glazed a bit as he recalled their shared past. "But you were always safe. I always kept you safe, didn't I, Tonks?" It was almost desperate, his pleading for reassurance. Tonks could do nothing but nod. It was the truth, after all.

Thankfully, Remus seemed to sense her discomfort. "If you're quite done with your stroll down memory lane, I think we ought to be getting to the kitchen," he said, steering her once more in the direction of the gathering, carefully avoiding anything that could send them both sprawling to the floor. "The sooner this is over, the sooner we can drink."

Drinking sounded wonderful.

The excitement didn't die down when they entered the fray of the kitchen. If anything, the chatter grew louder with every arrival.

"Tonks!" Molly Weasley met them at the doorway, planting a kiss on Tonks' still blushing cheek. Tonks winced slightly, planting a smile on her face before anyone could notice. Except for Remus. Of course he noticed. And even had the nerve to grin at her from behind Molly's back.

"Nymphadora Tonks! It's been ages." If by "ages" Molly meant since she caught Tonks with her legs over Bill's shoulders and his pasty white ass bobbing up and down at a frantic pace, trying his damnedest to make her orgasm for once, then yeah. It had been ages.

"Yes, and I'd love to catch up, but it looks like whatever is going on here is about to begin, so..."

"Of course. We'll talk later."

Molly scooted past Tonks and into the open seat next to her husband, leaving Tonks to sit in the only available seat, smack between Remus and Sirius, who seemed way too delighted with the arrangement.

Shooting a quick smile at Bill Weasley, who sat directly across from her, Tonks took in the small group with some interest. Only three Weasleys were present, a small miracle if there ever was one. Minerva McGonagall sat at Professor Dumbledore's side, of course, not looking a day older than when she was Tonks' own stern Transfiguration professor. Tonks had excelled in Transfiguration, and had also succeeded in getting at least one detention a week from Professor McGonagall. Three on her best weeks.

Tonks had had a lot of good weeks.

Another point of pride in Tonks' Hogwarts career was the amount of times Severus Snape had given up completely on assigning her detention and just told her to pack up her cauldron and leave his classroom. It wasn't that she was particularly bad at Potions. Quite the opposite. But there was just something about mixing two ingredients that were just not meant to mix... and a man could only take so many exploding cauldrons. And from the way he was glaring at her now from across the room, he remembered every single one.

Or... wait.. nevermind. He was glaring at Sirius. Tonks scooted slightly closer to Remus, giving Snape a better view. She owed him that much.

There were a few faces she didn't recognize, most of them older than her by at least a few years. One woman looked vaguely familiar, with dark hair and dark eyes that begged for Sirius' attention, which he was pointedly not giving. The only other person she recognized was Kingsley Shacklebolt, who looked almost as uncomfortable as Tonks felt.

"Tea?"

Tonks jumped in her seat. Walburga Black's old-as-dirt house elf, Kreacher, was still alive and asking her if she bloody wanted tea.

"Well?"

Polite, as always.

"Yes. Tea. Lovely."

Kreacher rolled his eyes and pushed the cup in her general direction, sending tea sloshing over the sides and onto the saucer and the antique table. Auntie Wally would be mortified. She'd also be mortified if she knew that Tonks had called her Auntie Wally behind her back.

Once the rest of the tea had been served and the messes cleared and Kreacher had been sent scurrying from the room by an irate Sirius, Dumbledore stood from his seat, a clear indication that everyone needed to shut up and pay attention.

"Good evening. I know this is a bit unorthodox, me calling you all together in the dead of night, but I am thankful to each and every one of you who showed up."

As if anyone summoned by Albus Dumbledore wouldn't show up.

"There is much that needs to be discussed tonight, and I believe it would be best to start with something that has probably been bothering quite a few of you."

Tonks bit the tip of her tongue, and willed her hair not to give away her irritation. The list of things that were bothering her about this particular gathering was as long as her forearm.

"Sirius Black is innocent and you deserve to know why."