Chapter 3
The next morning Remus half expected Tonks to get up at the same time he did again, but her door was open and she wasn't there. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Tonks and Sirius looking at the front of the Daily Prophet together. When they heard him, they looked up with matching wary expressions.
"Is something wrong?" he asked with some concern. Sirius and Tonks just glanced at each other. "Are they spreading more lies about Harry and Dumbledore?" They both just looked at each other again and shook their heads. Remus was really getting worried now. "Let me see." Tonks tried to hold the paper back, but he snatched it from her. He then understood why they were reluctant to say anything. "Oh, I see. 'New Anti-werewolf Legislation Protects Wizards Everywhere.' I'm surprised they didn't do this earlier. Fudge has completely denied Voldemort's return; the Ministry has to be seen doing something to "protect wizards everywhere."" He sighed.
Both Tonks and Sirius looked a little stunned at his reaction as he began making tea, but Tonks spoke first. "It isn't fair, Remus! Things were hard enough for you before, but these new measures ridiculous and sadistic! The Hag is behind it all," at Sirius' questioning raised eyebrow, she continued. "Umbridge- the prejudiced git couldn't see nuance or sensitivity if it bit her. I'm sure she wouldn't bat a horrible pink-shadowed eye at the genocide of all werewolves, centaurs, and any other magical creature that doesn't fit her definition of "wizarding kind!"" She was red in the face from her outburst.
Remus sighed again. "It's unfortunate, Nymphadora, but you can't blame people for wanting to feel more secure in such uncertain times." Tonks looked like she was about to protest, but Remus raised his hand. "And the Ministry isn't thinking about werewolves like me, who try to live within our system, but about monsters like Fenrir Greyback, who should rightfully be strictly controlled. I can't say that I'm happy about these new laws, or that they don't make a part of me ashamed, angry, and disgusted, but there's nothing I can do now." Tonks realized that she could not sway him to express anymore bad feelings and stayed silent.
Sirius chimed in, "It's still unfair, mate." Remus simply nodded and took a sip of tea. The discussion was clearly closed.
Sirius changed the subject. "So, Tonks, do you have a hot date tonight?" Tonks glowered at him.
"What does it matter?"
"Well. If you don't have any plans, I was thinking you could come over and play some wizard chess." He conveniently forgot to tell that he had no intention of being the one to play with her, but that he was sure that Remus would be delighted to.
Tonks pondered this for a moment. She didn't want her cousin to think that she had no social life, but she didn't have a date and Remus would be there. "Well, I suppose I could come over tonight." She attempted a very disinterested answer. Remus couldn't help but be relieved. He knew that the diligent Auror worked incredibly hard and deserved some fun, but the thought of her actually dating anyone unaccountably chafed him.
As Tonks was walking out the door, Molly came in bearing enough food for a week. She gave Remus a sympathetic look, much to his chagrin. He wasn't quite sure how to convince her that, because he wasn't overly upset about these new laws, then no one else should be.
She immediately commenced making a hearty breakfast of pancakes, kippers, and eggs. "Good morning, dears," she said overly brightly. She used the plural but she looked over her shoulder directly at Remus, who was across the room from Sirius. He sighed; he knew that every Order member who stopped by in the next few days would look at him with same pity covered by forced cheerfulness. A few minutes later, Molly heaped both their plates with enough food for the whole day. She froze when she saw Remus examining the article.
"It's alright, Molly. You don't have to feel bad. I fully expected some laws like these to pass. The marginalized in society are always the first to face hardships in times of trouble," He said quietly, with only a hint of bitterness. Molly looked a little guilty that Remus had seen through her so easily, but Remus smiled a genuine, if small, smile, and she felt more at ease. She left shortly afterward, after insisting on doing a little light cleaning.
"So, Moony, who do you think Tonks fancies?"
Remus had no desire to answer Sirius' pointed inquiry. "I haven't the faintest idea. She obviously doesn't want to tell anyone." And he, for one, did not want to know.
The lately ever-present smirk was plastered firmly on Sirius' face. "I bet I know why," he said in singsong voice.
"Don't start this again, Padfoot," Remus groaned. Sirius was constantly harping on his supposition that Tonks fancied him, but Remus knew that nothing could come of Sirius' insistence that he ask Tonks for a date.
"What?! I'm only trying to do you a favor. You fancy her; she fancies you. Even a blind and deaf person could sense it; it's in the air."
"Have you been at the firewhiskey again?"
It was Sirius' turn to groan. "Yes, but that was last night. That's entirely not the point. You're both always smiling when the other so much as walks into the room. You're always there to help her when she does something clumsy. She's a twenty-something Auror who stays in this musty old dump practically every night to bloody read with you. If that's not fancying one another, I don't know what is."
"She's probably just been tired from all her Ministry shifts and guard duty." Remus knew that this statement didn't seem particularly true, but he had to get Sirius off the treacherous hope that Nymphadora fancied him of all people, an old, shabby, unemployed, dangerous werewolf.
Unfortunately, Sirius saw through as clearly as he saw through Molly. "Likely story. If you could only get past your own hang-ups and take a risk, you could be exceptionally happy, as happy as you deserve to be." Sirius said the second part with an intense and uncharacteristic sincerity. He then got up and left. Remus found his words much more unnerving than the usual sarcasm.
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Tonks came in grumbling, a fact that was not helped by the fact that she tripped over the umbrella stand as usual. However, at least Remus was there to help her up this time.
"Bad day?" he asked sympathetically.
She nodded. "Probably not as bad as yours." They had reached the kitchen. "I bet Molly was really cloying because of that stupid headline."
"Only when she first came, but I'd rather not talk about that. What went wrong with your day?"
Tonks sighed. "Well, usually, Pruce doesn't go after me two days in a row, but I guess he somehow got the idea that he was close to breaking me down." Remus snorted derisively. "Anyway, he fed me some line about giving me an early Christmas present by going out with me. After my rant yesterday I didn't want to do anything too drastic, so I just turned up my wireless until he got the hint and left. I still got a reprimand by the Hag for having such loud music and 'disturbing the peace.'"
"Couldn't you file a complaint or something?"
Tonks laughed harshly. "And be left more paperwork? Nothing would happen to him; he still has half the management smitten with him."
"Wasn't he some sort of male model before? I think I remember some headline about his being made an Auror."
"How else do you think he got the job. He was a few years ahead of me at Hogwarts. I heard he barely scraped two OWLS and not a single NEWT." Tonks barked another laugh, reminiscent of Sirius'. The thought of such favoritism in light of the fact that a wizard like Remus couldn't even get a job as a clerk made her sick, but she didn't think Remus would appreciate that sort of observation.
"Well, at least he can't do much harm with the state of the Ministry right now." Remus attempted to lighten her acerbic mood. She simply shrugged, but then Sirius walked in.
"Are you ready to be trounced, Sirius?" Tonks asked, her whole face full of challenge.
"Actually, I'm not really in the mood." Tonks looked very annoyed. Sirius continued in a tone that most people would consider casual, but Remus heard the sly undertone. "I'm sure Remus would be happy to play to play with you, though." With that, Sirius summarily left, and they swore that they could hear him whistling.
There was a slightly awkward pause. Tonks said, "Well, I should have known that Sirius would flake on me. You don't have to feel obligated to play chess with me."
Remus thought she sounded happy and probably wanted to go out for a change. "Well, I'm sure you have better places to be besides Grimmauld Place." He was going to let her go, but she didn't look as relieved as he thought she would. "Although…I mean, if you wanted to play, I'd be up for a game." He smiled to show that he was being sincere.
"Well, I suppose that would be alright. I did come here for a game of chess." Her eyes danced with mischief. "Besides, It should be nice to have a worthy contender for once." They both laughed.
Remus asked, "Do you want to play in the library?" She nodded. They went upstairs, and Remus had to catch her around the waist once to stop her from tripping up the stairs. As they were setting up their pieces, Remus teased, "Who says I won't automatically trounce you?"
If anyone else had said this, Tonks would have been offended, but she had seen that same glint in his eyes many times before. It told her that he didn't really mean it; he was just trying to get a rise out of her. "I believe our record, Professor Lupin, should tell you that you will not automatically trounce me." She sassed; she only called him "Professor Lupin" when she was teasing. "From my reckoning, it stands seven wins for me and five wins for you."
Remus smiled; he had a response prepared for just such a scenario. "I believe the record is actually seven wins for me and five wins for you." Tonks was annoyed that his face reverted to that damn inscrutable innocent smile.
"How do you figure?" She couldn't wait to hear what guff he could come up with.
He maintained the same expression, although his eyes twinkled a little more. "Well, if I remember correctly. One game you tricked me by having Sirius distract me during every move, and the first game we played I let you win because I grossly underestimated you." She couldn't tell whether she should take the last statement as a compliment or an insult, but he did look up at her sheepishly through his fringe.
"Well, you didn't have to listen to Sirius, or you could have thrown him out. Plus, if you really let me win the first game, that's a mere technicality; I didn't ask you to let me win."
Remus pondered her for a moment. "I guess we could call it six to six and just play this game to determine who's the better chess player once and for all." He smiled roguishly at her.
"We know who that will be," Tonks said with a smirk.
"Yes, we do," Remus replied with matching satisfied smile. It was already midnight.
Six hours later, after much teasing on both sides and constant back and forth with regard to who was winning, Remus and Tonks were barely awake and it was not clear who would triumph. They finally succumbed to sleep. They were curled around the chessboard, and their faces were close enough that, if they were awake, they would be able to feel each other's soft breath.
Sirius woke up at seven and walked by the open door of the library. He almost laughed out loud, but he stifled it just in time. It was a good thing that it was Saturday, or else he would have to wake them up. As he was approaching the kitchen, he started whistling. Molly Weasley looked at him a little oddly, but they greeted each other more amicably than usual.
"Good morning, Sirius. Is Remus feeling alright? You're not usually awake before he is. He's not too upset over those new regulations, is he? He told me he wasn't, but you know how he is. And I'm assuming Tonks isn't here because last night was a Friday." Sirius was amused at Molly's concern and that she treated Remus like one of her own children, despite the fact that she was only about ten years older than he. She was in for a surprise when she found out that Tonks was, indeed, there.
"He's fine, Molly. He may not be happy about the new laws, but he doesn't let stuff like that get to him." As she was obviously still thinking about why Remus wasn't up, Sirius continued, "And the full moon was just last week. He's not sick, just having a bit of a lie-in, and Tonks is here."
Sure enough, she looked surprised. "Really? I would have thought that she had a date." Outwardly, Sirius shook his head, but, inwardly, he thought, It was as good as a date. "Maybe there's still hope that I could fix her up with Bill; I never did like that French girl. Or Charlie. They were in the same year."
Sirius grimaced a little. "Molly, don't take this the wrong way, but haven't you noticed anything going on with Tonks?" He hoped that she would take the hint and realize that she already fancied someone a lot.
Molly thought deeply. "Well, I suppose she has been a bit more cheerful lately, with her hair a slightly brighter shade of pink, but it is difficult to tell with her. Are you saying that she has a boyfriend?"
They were headed in the right direction. "I'm saying that she'd like to have a boyfriend." She gave him a look that clearly said, "Who?" "I think you should be able to guess, Molly. You see everything. You are the mother of seven children, including Fred and George. Surely, you can tell who she fancies." Sirius played to her pride as a mother.
"Well, I suppose it must be someone in the Order." He gestured at her to continue. "Someone whom she sees all the time." He felt like she was getting awfully close. "Is it Kingsley?" Sirius valiantly suppressed the urge to groan. He shook his head emphatically.
"Well, the only person left who makes any remote sense is…Remus?" He nodded, smiling. "Are you sure? They're so different, and Remus is a fair amount older than Tonks."
Sirius shrugged. "Neither of them would admit it, but I am sure. You know what they say about opposites. Besides, I think that they're good for each other. She cheers him up and gets him out of his head. He steadies her, usually literally."
Molly contemplated the truth of his words. "I suppose you have a point. Now that you mention it, they have been acting a bit strange around each other the last month."
Sirius said conspiratorially, "And I have a plan. We simply need to leave them alone together as much as possible, and, if that fails, I'm going to put up charmed mistletoe that won't let two people leave until they've kissed."
Molly smiled; she liked that idea. "But, you know, it really is getting late. Do you think I should go upstairs and wake them?"
Sirius laughed. "I don't think that would be a good idea. They were playing chess last night in the library." Molly looked quite startled. "It's not a euphemism, Molly. They game must have taken so long that they're asleep on the floor. However, we could wake them indirectly." He grinned wickedly. They both started making exaggerated sounds of breakfast being prepared, banging pots and pans and clinking the silverware.
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Meanwhile, Remus and Tonks were both blinking groggily; they didn't quite know where they were. They were taken aback to find their face so close together, but they quickly sat up.
"Wotcher," Tonks said quietly. "I guess we aren't finished with our game yet."
Remus shook his head. "And I hope you don't intend to complete it now." Tonks smirked. "It would only end up being another that couldn't count."
"I question your Marauder competitive spirit, Professor Lupin," Tonks was feeling much more awake now that there was a challenge afoot. She smiled in what she hoped was a winning way.
"I don't know. I believe that falling asleep automatically ends the game." She looked petulant. "Besides, now we'll just have to play again some other time." He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Hopefully late at night." She blushed slightly, and Remus could not believe that he just said that. He figured that it must be his lack of sleep shutting down his inhibitions; he wanted to die.
Tonks was a little shocked, but not offended. She smirked and leaned over to his ear. "Late night is the best time for chess playing." They both smiled sheepishly, and a little of the tension was removed.
"Let's go downstairs. It sounds like Molly is making breakfast," Remus said abruptly. Tonks nodded and exited the library. When they entered the kitchen, Molly already had three plates full of food laid on the table.
"Good morning, dears. Did you sleep well last night?" Remus and Tonks could have sworn that they saw a Sirius-like glint in her eyes, but they must have been mistaken. They both nodded warily.
Sirius uncharacteristically stayed silent and simply nodded at them. Awhile later Tonks returned to her flat to attempt to finish the mountain of Ministry paperwork that had to complete before Monday. Remus and Sirius did some half-hearted cleaning under Molly's direction. Nothing much eventful was afoot.