Remus watched Nymphadora as she slept; his heart filled with sadness and love as he visually traced her features. Separation and grief had marked them both. Each of them was thinner, with sharp cheekbones. Her face retained a youthful softness his lacked, however. Her beauty had gained a sexy edge to it, while his reflection in the mirror looked tired and old.

He rubbed a fingertip across her thick black eyelashes. How long ago seemed the days when she playfully fluttered her lashes against his in "butterfly kisses." It was even longer since they had used Disillusionment Charms to make love on a sun-swept beach. Their "honeymoon" on the Isle of Lewis was dream-like compared to the harsh reality of their present situation. Remus smiled faintly. He had always been a dreamer.

"Mmmm..." Nymphadora's fingers slid into his hair when he kissed her.

"I have to go," he said reluctantly.

She captured his mouth in a kiss that made Remus yearn never to leave. "Will won't starve if you're not there to feed him." Her dark eyes beguiled. "Stay a day or two. Help me pack. I'll be your love slave every minute I'm off duty."

Remus' muscles tightened. "I wish I could," he said, "but I can't." He resisted the urge to take her pouting bottom lip gently between his teeth.

Nymphadora exhaled sharply. "How did Dix ever run the pack without your brilliant counsel?"

"It isn't brilliant as much as experienced—one of the few blessings of age."

In an unexpected move, she pinned him to the mattress. "Don't talk down about yourself. I happen to love that experience." Her hands yanked his wrists over his head. "Take it back or I'll show you how much."

"I'd love for you to show me," he said, "but I have to get dressed." He kept his gaze off sulky, tempting lips.

She rolled to the side. "When will I see you—all of you—again?"

He felt her eyes caressing him as he pulled on clothing. It made zipping his trousers a hazardous affair. "Hopefully, soon," he said.

"It won't be soon enough for me." She wrapped him in a fierce hug. "I love you. Be safe."

Remus kissed Nymphadora tenderly. "I love you. Get some more sleep if you can."

Her smile was pert. "I will, and later, if you ask nicely, I'll tell you about the dream I had."

He raised an eyebrow. "What if you don't dream?"

She waggled her brows. "I'll make something up."

Remus chuckled at the thought and Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. Before he returned to Salford, there was a matter to discuss with Severus.

He didn't expect a Patronus to return with an answer. It was known in the Order that Severus chose to keep his Patronus private, although Sirius had sneered at the idea. He believed "Snivellus" had no happy thoughts.

Before a quarter of an hour had passed, Severus approached the iron gates. He stared through the bars impassively. "What exactly do you wish to know, Lupin?"

"The memory—"

"Be careful what you ask."

That was a given. Anything he learned, Dix could potentially learn also. "Was the spell Dark?"

"What did Nymphadora tell you?"

Was Severus attempting to goad him by using her name? "She said it wasn't."

"You doubt her word?"

"No. I've simply read enough to know that while intent shapes magic, it does not change the original purpose of a spell."

"Yes, I imagine you had plenty of leisure time during your years of unemployment." Severus' lips twisted in derision. "Is it not enough that Nymphadora used blood magic for love? If the spell was created to be Dark, would you wish to revoke it?"

Remus slowly nodded.

"You can't. The binding spell is irrevocable."

Severus hadn't answered his question. Remus said, "Are you saying the spell is Dark?"

"I merely stated a fact. Interpret it however you choose." Severus paused, and then said, "A better question would have been 'Is Nymphadora capable of using Dark magic?'"

"Is she?" Remus regretted asking the moment the words slipped out of his mouth. "Don't tell me," he said quickly.

Severus voice rang with malice. "I didn't intend to."

Remus Apparated to the street outside the Hog's Head, feeling an utter fool. He harboured no ill will toward Severus and assumed—because of the man's agreement to teach Nymphadora to brew Wolfsbane Potion—that Severus had also let go of the past. Obviously, he was wrong. There was too much bitterness.

He bumped into a patron who was leaving as he entered. "Beg pardon," the wizard said, glancing at him curiously. It was Jerry Connelly.

Remus adjusted his hood and continued walking toward the bar. If the Auror recognised him, he didn't reveal it.

The barkeep accepted the coins Remus offered with a brusque, "Floo's open."

Remus took his time returning to Salford. He read half the Daily Prophet in London at the Leaky Cauldron and the other half in the Manchester Floo Station. The coffee he sipped at both locations was paid for with funds Nymphadora had slipped into his money pouch sometime during the night. It stung his pride that she knew he needed the Galleons yet warmed his heart to imagine her watching him sleep.

It was mid-morning when he returned home.

Will looked as though he'd been pacing the floor. His hair stuck up like Harry Potter's: disordered by agitated fingers. "Trevor and Haas came looking for you last night. They searched your room."

Remus went directly to the staircase. "I'm not surprised."

Will trailed him up the steps. "I tried to put things right, but I couldn't tell if they took anything."

"Thank you." Remus strode over to the desk and opened the drawer.

"Anything missing?" Will looked over his shoulder.

"A note."

"One you wouldn't want read?"

Will's tense expression was revealing. "When did Dix send the owl?" Remus asked.

"A few hours ago."

"When does he want to see me?"

Will didn't try to pretend he hadn't read the message. "As soon as you get back—he'll be in his office all day."

"I'd best be going, then."

"I'll go with you."

Remus was touched. He clapped the boy on the shoulder, even as he shook his head. "Dix won't be pleased with me. I wouldn't want him—or Cleave—to displace that anger onto you."

"They can do what they like. I have to talk to Dix," Will said firmly.

"Why?"

"It takes time to get a brewery going, right?" Before Remus could agree, Will was already speaking. "I could be learning the fundamentals of brewing, about brewhouse operations. There's a wizarding centre for brewing and distilling in Scotland. If Dix sponsors me, I wouldn't just know how to run the place. One day I could be Head Brewer. The Black Wolf Brewery could be werewolf owned and operated!"

The light in Will's eyes and the enthusiasm in his voice brought back memories of Sirius.

In the Order, I can make a difference in this war! I can DO something with my life!

Sirius' mother had expected him to live a dog's life, wretched and ignoble. From what Will had shared about his family, his father was just as discouraging. "That's an admirable goal," Remus said. "Where is the centre located? Edinburgh?"

"Inverness."

Remus flinched. Inverness was home to Fenrir Greyback's pack. There, werewolves lived in abandoned buildings on the outskirts of town because their leader refused to have his people "penned like sheep" in council flats. While Dix used the Ministry to provide basic support through the dole, Greyback insisted his people fend for themselves. Children were raised to steal—even kill—to meet the pack's needs. "You won't stay with the Inverness pack."

"No. I've heard Greyback considers anyone who deals outside the pack unworthy." Will's brow furrowed. "But Greyback deals with wizards."

"Ones who offer him prey," Remus said. "Wizards he plans to overthrow when werewolves gain in number."

"Overthrow You-Know-Who?" Will said disbelievingly. "That's mental." After a couple of minutes, his troubled gaze cleared. "Good thing Skoll didn't invite me to join Greyback's pack," he said almost cheerfully. "I'd rather stay here and have a future."

Ah, the resilience of youth... "A wise decision," Remus said. "Come along."

"Yeah?" Will grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah!"

At the pub, Cleave crossed his arms, blocking the doorway. "The pup wasn't invited."

Remus said, "He has a matter of importance to discuss with Dix."

"Dix is busy."

"I won't waste his time," Will said earnestly.

Cleave inhaled deeply—to smell a lie? He took a step back. "Wait at the bar, Pup."

Remus followed Cleave into the back office.

Dix was reading a file when they entered. "Every candidate for Head Brewer has a list of Brewing Industry Awards to his or her name," he said without looking up. "Best of Festival in Battersea: Best in Class, Falmouth, Leicester or Whitehaven: first in the Northern Beer Competition. How am I to choose between them?"

"Interview," Remus said. "Discover who needs the position the most and has the least prejudice against werewolves."

"Sound advice." Dix raised his eyes to pin Remus with a glacial stare. "Right now, I'm questioning you."He held up a square of parchment. "You went to see your mate after receiving this note?"

"Yes."

"Is it true? Did she find a way to remove the memory of the spell?"

"Yes."

Dix looked at his second in command. "He believes it," Cleave said.

"That doesn't mean she's not lying." Dix tossed the letter to the desk and picked up a quill. "Here's what's going to happen, Lupin. You're going to write your lady a note saying you're being sent on pack business and won't be able to communicate until your return on Halloween. Tell her you'll miss her and look forward to seeing her then."

"Am I being sent on pack business?" Remus asked.

"You will accompany Cleave to buy equipment and privately interview each of the top applicants. During that time, if you do not attempt to owl or visit your mate, and if on Halloween she answers questions to my satisfaction, I may be lenient.

How kind of you. Remus kept his voice calm. "Why not question her now?"

"Veritaserum is a controlled substance. Even on the black market, it's hard to come by. It may take you until the pack meeting to acquire a vial."

"You expect me—"

"Are you refusing?" Dix's steely gaze warned that the consequences would be dire.

"No," Remus said. "I want to prove my loyalty." He really meant, "I want to keep Nymphadora safe and complete my mission."

"He speaks the truth," Cleave said in his deep, rumbling voice.

Dix's expression thawed slightly. "That's good to hear."

-

Tonks couldn't believe what she was reading. The letter had come by owl post: to keep it untraceable? Was it written at wand point?

"Bad news from home?" Jerry asked.

"No—yes—I can't think in this bloody place." She rose from the table. "Don't get up. Finish your dinner. I'm going to take a walk."

Savage made the sound of a cracking whip when she passed his table. "Does Connelly get to piss without your permission, or do you tell him when to do that too?"

Tonks pretended not to hear him. It would only encourage the arsehole to keep running his mouth.

She broke into a jog the moment her feet touched the pavement outside the Hog's Head. Apparation was faster, but she needed to get her thoughts and emotions under control before she contacted Remus. He hadn't volunteered for this trip. He was under orders. She had to be supportive, not needy.

In the attic, she pulled out her communication mirror. "Hullo," she said, when Remus' face appeared. "Are you off to buy kegs or something?"

"Equipment, yes, and to interview brewers."

Tonks felt her stomach drop. "Dix was really fussed, wasn't he?"

"He kept his composure. I'm fortunate he didn't demand I vow not to communicate with you in any way," Remus said with a trace of bitterness. "I'll still be able to contact you from time to time."

"Not every night?" Stars and stones, she thought in disgust. Could I sound more like a kid who can't sleep without her stuffed dragon?

"Cleave is accompanying me. I need to lull his suspicions, not raise them."

"Of course." She walked over to her trunk and dug out a parchment pad and a quill. "Do you have an itinerary yet?"

"Yes. Dix made arrangements."

Tonks wrote down the dates of interviews along with the names of the brewers and the towns they lived in. When she asked him to spell a wizard's last name, Remus said with a hint of a smile, "Planning your enquiry if I go missing?"

"I just like knowing," she said. "That way, on nights you can't answer, when the mirror warms your pocket you'll know I'm sending my love to you, wherever you are."

"I don't need a mirror to remind me," Remus said. "Although it's a comfort I'm thankful for."

"I'm grateful you're not mad at me." Tonks fought to keep her voice from wavering. "I don't remember getting rid of the memory Dix wanted, but I did it, and I'm sorry that you're the one who has to pay."

"I'm not. I love you. I'll do anything to keep you safe."

Oh, gods, she was going to start crying if she didn't act fast! Tonks said throatily, "You're sexy when you act protective, Professor."

She was rewarded with a faint, wolfish grin. "You're sexy when you act provocative."

Tonks blew him a kiss. "Wait until I unveil my Little Red Riding Hood outfit."

"You already have a costume?"

"No," she said with a wink, "but when you see it, you'll want to make up for lost time."

"I already do."

Tonks kept the rest of the conversation cheery as possible. She didn't want Remus to remember her blotchy-faced with tears. It wasn't until his image vanished from the mirror that she allowed herself to cry.

Her move into the Hog's Head wasn't as awful as she had feared. The room was next to Jerry's. The bare wooden floor was spell-swept, the narrow bed made with faded, dusky-pink linens. "That's a pretty colour," she said, feeling guilty for thinking of her landlord meanly.

"Those belonged to my sister," he said gruffly. His wiry eyebrows drew together. "Don't be defiling her memory. Take your antics someplace else."

"And I promise to always take off my shoes and never eat on the bed," Tonks said dryly.

For a second, the crusty old goat appeared on the verge of a smile. "See that you don't."

Alone in her new home away from home, Tonks sat on the bed. Amazingly, it didn't creak. She slipped off her shoes and stretched out on the mattress. It was very comfortable. Her eyes drifted shut. Maybe she could sleep the next few weeks away.

Nah, she thought. I'll go bug Snape.

He deserved it, for forcing her to keep proving to Kreacher that she could handle a knife. She wanted to brew Wolfsbane Potion, not be an unpaid kitchen worker!

"It is not the proper time," Snape said, when confronted in his office.

"When will the proper time be?" she asked. "Give me a date and I'll mark it on my calendar."

"There is no date, only a state of mind—which you do not currently possess."

"Yes, I do!" she cried. "I want to learn. Remus is gone so I have plenty of time—"

"Potions making is an exact science," he said, as though she hadn't spoken. "At present, you lack the ability to focus."

She jumped to her feet. "So do half the girls at this school! They brew potions!"

"Not Wolfsbane."

Tonks shook with anger. "You're such a git!"

Snape rose to face her, black eyes glittering. "You are emotionally unstable," he said coldly. "I suggest you establish an outlet for your frustrations and return when your faculties are under control."

She grabbed the nearest floating jar. How's this for an outlet? she thought viciously, slamming the glass down. Dead cockroaches spilled onto the desk.

Tonks ran out of the office.

When they patrolled the village that night, Jerry said, "You're awfully quiet."

"I don't feel like talking," she said, silently adding, to anyone except Remus.

Unfortunately, Remus couldn't respond when she tried to contact him via the mirror. After moping around her room, she decided to have a beer down in the pub. Tonks found Jerry playing darts with a couple of warlocks who would've fleeced him if he hadn't been an Auror. She shook her head when he asked her to join them, choosing to sit at a table and watch.

"Did you drink all those?" Jerry asked when his last match was over.

Tonks blinked at the number of bottles on the table. "He gave me a volume discount."

"Can you make it upstairs?"

"When the room stops spinning."

"Let me help you." He pulled her out of her seat.

Tonks stumbled against him. "Maybe you should use a feather-light spell and carry me up. Worked for Snape." Her bottom lip turned down. Mean old malevolent bat...

"Snape?"

Jerry's arm around her waist gave the appearance that he was helping her walk, even though her feet didn't quite touch the floor. Tonks said, "Look at me, I'm walkin' on air!"

By the time they reached the second floor, her giggly mood turned melancholy.

"Tonks, what's wrong?" Jerry steered her toward her room.

She was tired of keeping everything bottled up. "When you love someone, you want to be with them, right?"

"Uh—right."

It took two tries to unlock her door. "No one should make you feel bad about it, like it's something dirty." Her face began to crumple. "Should they?"

"No."

Jerry's expression was so sincere; Tonks' frame of mind took an upward swing. "That's why we're mates, mate," she said, waving a hand back and forth between them. "We're s—sim—simpatico!" She forgot the door was open and tried to lean against it. Tonks fell backwards. "Whoops! I'm floating again!"

"Oh! Sorry! I'll counter the spell."

"Let me down gently!" she said, giggling as she drifted toward the bed.

The second her head touched the pillow, Tonks mumbled, "Night, Jerry," and fell immediately asleep.

In the morning, the alarm drilled into her skull like vengeful dwarves with pick axes. She rolled off the bed, moaning piteously while crawling over to the trunk to search for potions kept on hand for Remus. After downing Nauseous No More and Hair of the Dog, Tonks chewed a handful of brushing/flossing mints. A line from one of her Gran's favourite horror films came to mind. "She's alive," she croaked. "She's alive!"

There was a soft knock at the door. Jerry said, "I brought you coffee."

She could smell it, like the living dead smelled brains—or whatever they hunted humans for in those films. It was hard to keep track of plot when she watched through the gaps in her fingers. She dragged herself to the door.

"How do you feel?" Jerry asked, looking less bright-eyed than usual.

"Half a step above a resurrected corpse. Give me the coffee and I might not decompose."

Jerry's nose wrinkled when he handed her the mug. "The shower's available."

Tonks drained every drop of coffee. "Are you telling me Eau de Brewery isn't my scent?" She snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I look like a zombie and I smell like one too. Tell me you cleaned the shower."

"I cleaned the shower."

She thrust the mug into his hands. "Don't tell Julia, but you're edging her out of best mate status. Ta, thanks. Now guard the bathroom while I get some clothes."

-

Tonks didn't drown her sorrows again, but as the weeks passed with only brief conversations with Remus to brighten her days, her attitude became decidedly black. She was still angry with Snape for being a judgmental arse, so she sent an owl to confirm that the potion he was brewing would be ready by Halloween.

Shortly before the full moon, Remus broke away from Cleave to contact her. Tonks' joy dimmed when she learned he planned to take a sleeping potion to keep the wolf from dreaming.

"We're using a communal safe house with only external soundproofing," he said. "The lack of privacy makes it a necessity."

"Does it?" She didn't argue, but on the day of the full moon, Tonks took a long walk that ended at the cave of Annis Black.

The hag sat in the sunlight reading a book. A pink tam o'shanter perched on her straggly black locks. "Love the hat," Tonks said. "Bubblegum pink's my favourite colour."

"One of the Witch Guide leaders gave it to me for helping the girls earn their 'good neighbour' badge." She glanced up at the darkening sky. "There's time for tea before you need to make your way back if you'd care to join me."

"Yes, thank you." Tonks helped her shake out the blanket and fold it.

Inside the cave, a table was set for two, with plates of dainty sandwiches and teacakes set out on a lace tablecloth. A bowl of colourful stones acted as centrepiece. "How did you know I was coming?" Tonks asked.

"I had a dream last night." Annis removed the enchanted cosy from the teapot.

Tonks smiled her thanks as she wrapped her hands around a cup. The warmth seeped into her chilled skin. "You dreamt I came to visit?"

"In my dream a wolf padded into the cave. She was alone. When I looked into her eyes, I woke up." Annis smiled kindly. "You have a question to ask."

Tonks felt a chill run down her spine like an icy fingertip. It was one thing to take a magic rock hoping she would dream of Remus. This required trust. "He's going to use a potion for dreamless sleep," she whispered. "How can I be with my love if he doesn't dream?"

"Your lover is a werewolf and you are not." Annis spoke matter-of-factly.

"Yes."

Annis reached into the bowl. "The jade I gave you aids in dreaming, but this—" She held out a piece of turquoise. "—is the Sky Stone. It promotes spiritual attunement and astral travel."

Trelawney hadn't covered out-of-body stuff in Divination. Probably afraid her students would become a bunch of astral Peeping Toms. "I'd travel to where he is?"

"Your spirit could travel anywhere in the universe."

Later that night, while snow fell outside, Tonks lay on her bed, focusing on physical relaxation to enable an internal shift in consciousness. Unlike her prior experiences, she was aware when she entered a dream state.

Tonks visualised a silvery rope hanging down from the ceiling. Following Annis' instructions, she reached out with astral fingers to take hold and climb the rope, moving upward until she left her body behind. Unhampered by physical limits, she floated to the window and then through the panes.

She flew through the air, awed at how "real" everything felt. Her senses were heightened, every snowflake a crystallised work of art. Her spirit relished the cold, thrilled to the sound of the wind rushing through trees. When she glided into more civilised places, the lights twinkling below dazzled her eyes, although they could not compare to the luminous majesty of the heavens.

The moon and the stars beckoned her to explore, but Tonks felt an even greater pull to Leicester, England, and a machinery warehouse with a safe room for werewolves.

In the far right corner of the warehouse, one wolf slept while the rest lounged around or groomed each other. Tonks hovered beside his body, watching his chest rise and fall. "Remus," she said, "Is your spirit awake?"

A shimmering rope materialised. Tonks visualised an astral wolf gripping the end with his teeth, waiting for her to tug the rope upward and free him from the cage of his physical body. She pulled with all her strength.

They ran with the moon.

Tonks awoke with a jolt when the alarm went off. She sat up, heart pounding in her chest, as though she had really been running. She laughed a little in relief. "Good to see Annis was right that you can't get trapped on the astral plane—that consciousness always returns to the body."

Amazed at how well rested she felt, Tonks dressed and brought Jerry coffee. "Want to go tobogganing after patrol?" she said when he opened the door. "Hamish carries toboggans at his shop. He'd give us a discount."

"I don't know," Jerry said. "I'm not feeling—what are you doing?"

Tonks placed the back of her hand to his forehead. "You don't have a fever." She reached around to the nape of his neck. "Your muscles aren't stiff. Do you have a headache?"

"No."

"Then all you need is fresh air and exercise. Go get dressed."

His usually good-natured features tightened. "You can't order me around."

She heaved a sigh. "I should've hexed Savage. I'm not ordering you," she said. "I'm asking you—as a friend—to save me from boredom. If you don't, I'll do something rash."

"What?"

"I'll build an anatomically correct snowman right outside your window!"

"Female?" Jerry asked, looking interested.

Tonks narrowed her eyes to slits. "Hermaphrodite."

Jerry grinned. "All right, I'll go get dressed."

She yelled after him, "We could always build it outside Dawlish's window!"

They didn't construct a naughty snowperson, but they did play in the snow, joining the children and young-at-heart already gathered at the highest hill near the village.

When Tonks finally had a chance to talk to Remus, she was hesitant to ask if he remembered the events on the full moon. If he couldn't, would he be upset? What if it she had only imagined astral travel because she'd wanted to be with him so much?

He didn't bring the subject up, so she didn't either. They talked of how they'd filled the hours apart. Tonks couldn't help feeling a little hurt that Remus didn't seem to be looking forward to seeing her on Halloween. She listened to his fears and cautions, wishing she could reassure him with a kiss instead of nods that meant she heard, not that she agreed to everything he said.

Their views about her costume were radically different. He wanted her to wear something that wouldn't attract "undue attention." She promised to consider it, but there was no way she was dressing down for the party. The name wasn't Little Brown Riding Hood! Tonks had found the prettiest red, embroidered peasant top in the village that would look gorgeous with a black miniskirt and her black, lace-up, knee high boots. The heels on the boots were wickedly sexy. She and Julia had joked that they could double as weapons, but the stability charms made them comfortable as trainers and perfect for dancing.

On the afternoon of the thirty-first, Tonks tracked down Fiona to ask, "Who does your hair? I can't morph mine, but spells should last through a party."

Fiona grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the office in the back of her husband's shop.

"Did someone cast an Incendio?" Hamish asked as they rushed by.

"No fire! She's finally getting her hair done!" Fiona cried.

Tonks dug her heels in when her friend tried to lead her to a cottage that looked as though it might be made of gingerbread. "I heard what happened to Hansel and Gretel," she said. "I'm not going in there. I want to look fit, not fresh from the oven!"

Fiona laughed. "Those Muggle writers were the worst exaggerators. Nan McPhee never hurt a fly. It was her ancestor." She held on when Tonks tried to tug out of her grip. "She made the little vandals work off their debt at her bakery!"

"Oh." Tonks felt sheepish. "I have a Muggle Gran," she said. "She's awfully good at making stories seem real."

"I'm sure." Fiona smiled at the old woman who came out of the house to clear snow of her walkway. "Hullo, Mrs. McPhee! I have someone in desperate need of your talents!"

The woman lowered her wand. "So I see." In a blink of an eye, the witch Apparated to stand in front of Tonks. "No previous spell-work to counter," she said thoughtfully. "What are you looking for, Miss?"

"Just Tonks." She shrugged. "Little Red Riding Hood, for a Halloween party tonight—nothing permanent."

"Black. Long. Kept off the face with a red velvet band. Upswept, yet cascading down the back. Yes, I have the vision. Come." Mrs. McPhee turned and marched toward the gate.

"Go," Fiona said, making shooing motions with her fingers.

"Come with me," Tonks said.

Fiona rolled her eyes. "Fine. I smell chocolate ginger biscuits."

Mrs. McPhee sent Tonks away two hours later with a reminder to share her biscuits with "that dear boy Jerreth."

She knocked on his door and gave him the entire tin. "The chocolate ginger comes highly recommended."

"You...changed your hair."

"It's only temporary."

"I—I like it," Jerry said. "Does this mean you'll be at the village bonfire tonight?"

"No, I'm going out. Happy Halloween."

"Happy Halloween."

Tonks got ready, using smoky, dark makeup to emphasise her eyes. She could almost hear Julia say, "Witch Weekly says to highlight your eyes or your mouth—not both!" when she painted her lips red.

"I'm not going for subtle, I'm going for sexy," she told her reflection, making sure to pull up her hood before going downstairs. "Watch it," she growled at a wizard who brushed too close. Tonks had the new MegaMaggot Orpheus Orb in her pocket, and if anyone broke her present for Will, they'd be hexed.

At the bar, her grizzled landlord served a veiled witch before barking at Tonks, "Nothing came for you in the post."

So she asked a few times a day, every day. He couldn't be polite? "Happy Halloween to you too," she said.

There was no Apparating into Hogwarts, so Tonks had to walk from the gates. She was fuming by the time she made her way to the Great Hall. A Disillusionment Charm kept her presence hidden from students, but the look on Snape's face told her he was aware of the "blur" approaching the head table. He jerked his head toward the staff entrance.

Snape swooped into the corridor. "Have you not a modicum of discretion?"

She became visible. "Let me think. No." Tonks smiled thinly. "Chalk it up to instability. I'm here for the potions."

He retrieved the vials from within his robes.

She turned away to conceal one in her garter.

Snape said, "I must caution you about the taste."

It was too late. She had already pulled the stopper from the second vial and poured the liquid into her mouth. Tonks wanted to spit the vile glop out, yet forced herself to swallow it. "Oh gods."

"Any sweetener would negate the effectiveness."

She patted her pockets to find a brushing/flossing mint. "Did you put a cockroach in there to pay me back?"

Snape looked down his nose. "I am not so puerile."

"Did I hear cockroach clusters mentioned?" Dumbledore had entered the corridor along with McGonagall. "I find them tasty, myself."

McGonagall gazed at Tonks enquiringly. "Are you here on official business?"

"No." Snape's carefully blank look prodded her to add, "I wanted to show Severus my Halloween costume."

"A costume? How delightful." Dumbledore's eyes gleamed with mischief. "I'd enjoy seeing it myself."

"Enjoy seeing what?" Sprout's voice boomed from the archway to the Great Hall. Flitwick was with her.

"Auror Tonks is wearing a Halloween costume," McGonagall replied. "Apparently, she is eager to obtain an opinion of it."

"That was a joke," Tonks said weakly.

Sprout bustled forward. "Don't be shy. Show us the costume!"

If Snape hadn't smirked, Tonks would have kept her cloak closed. Professor Snarky's amusement at her expense brought out her Black streak.

Following a moment of dead silence, Sprout asked, "What are you supposed to be?"

Tonks could feel her cheeks turning pink. "An adult Little Red Riding Hood."

McGonagall's eyebrows rose so high they almost touched the brim of her hat. "Well, it certainly is adult."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "A unique and attractive ensemble," he said. "Don't you agree, Severus?"

Snape's tight-lipped, "Indeed," spurred Tonks to action.

"Ta, thanks, must run. Happy Halloween!" She turned and bolted.

Flitwick's piping voice carried down the corridor. "I'd give her top marks for the charms on those boots!"

After her embarrassment at the castle, being greeted by wolf-whistles in back alley of a Salford pub didn't faze Tonks in the slightest. She shouldered her way through the men waiting to be allowed in Dix's club, telling the burly werewolf who answered her knock, "I'm Nym."

"Cleave." He barely gave her enough room to edge past him. "Let me take your cloak."

She glanced around the room. The "shepherdess" serving ale behind the bar was the only other person in the room wearing a costume. Everyone else wore gear that would fit in at a club—exactly as Remus predicted. "Wait," Tonks said, taking the black orb out of her pocket before giving up her cloak.

"Nym! Is that you? You're bloody gorgeous!"

Tonks was glad to turn her back on the man who looked her over like a piece of meat. "Wotcher, Lillie." She scanned the room. "Where's Remus?"

"Playing darts in the back with Kemp. What's in your hand? Is that the latest MegaMaggot orb? It hasn't been released yet. How'd you get it?" Lillie was bouncing in excitement.

Tonks smiled. "I have my ways." It paid to be on friendly terms with the band. She handed Lillie the orb. "It's for Will. Why don't you give it to him for me?" Her eyes had found Remus, looking scrummy in a charcoal shirt and black trousers.

He must have seen her out of the corner of his eye. Remus did a cute double take and turned. He watched her intently. The heat in his gaze increased the swing in her hips and made all the trouble she'd gone to, been in—and might get into—worth it.

She longed to throw herself into Remus' arms and snog him like there was no tomorrow. She wanted to press tiny kisses to every part of his face. She'd missed him so much, her feelings were so intense. She couldn't smile, much less speak.

When her lover drew her into his arms, Tonks rested her head on his shoulder and found one word to express everything she felt in her heart. "Remus."

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A/N: Halloween chapter equals monster word count and monster A/N? I hope no one minds. ;) In the early part of the chapter, if anyone thought of Hook saying, "Alas, I have no happy thoughts," I heart you for that! There's a Muggle International Centre for Brewing and Distilling in Edinburgh, and I won't share how many beer festivals there are! The cockroaches that spilled onto Snape's desk were a 'what goes around comes around' for Snape losing his temper and throwing a jar of them at Harry's head. The turquoise/astral travel stuff I looked up so I could use what was convenient. :P As for the "anatomically correct snowman", For Bitter or for Worse readers already know how much I love Calvin and Hobbes. "Nan" McPhee is a play on Nanny McPhee, and the character borrowed from another story, Semi Charmed Life, like Hamish and Fiona. Different dimensions of the Potterverse, but I love them the same, although in this one Mrs. McPhee is more like Edna from The Incredibles. :D Tonks' hair is pattered from Amy Lee's in the Evanescence video 'Call Me When You're Sober.' (youtube has it, love the wolf!)

The readers I love for being kind enough to make writing more fun with their reviews last chap, even though I'm sure it would have been more convenient to simply move on to another site or story were...40/16, adrienne06052, alix33, Calenmarwen, Carnivalgirl, ElspethBates, FNP, Freja Lercke-Falkenborg, GraceRichie, ishandtwofourths, Kates Master, Ladyofthebookworms, ladyofthelight101, love for moony, MollyCoddles, Moontime, Mrs. Hermione Jane Weasley, obliviate36, Operamuse, siriuslycoco, Slipknot-3113, sunny9847, SunshineDaisies816, tambrathegreat, WriterMerrin, XLupinXLoverX, your nightmare, and Ziroana.

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