A/N: The story starts becoming AU from this chapter onward.

Chapter 9

One day in June Remus was just coming back to Grimmauld Place from buying some groceries. Sirius was coming downstairs, saying something about Kreacher hurting Buckbeak. The aforementioned elf was cackling gleefully as he muttered about his mistress and doing his part.

Suddenly, Snape came through the floo. "If I am to understand Potter's cryptic exclamations, He believes that the Dark Lord has kidnapped you." He looked pointedly at Sirius. "He thinks you're a hostage in the Department of Mysteries."

Sirius and Remus both looked shocked. "What?!" they said in unison.

"I believe that he means to try and rescue you."

Remus said, "He can't be allowed to leave the school. I'll go and tell him that Sirius is safe."

Snape sneered. "Potter is being interrogated by Dolores Umbridge as we speak. She would love a chance to arrest a Dark Creature like you."

"Well, someone has to tell him." Remus implied someone besides Snape. "And we have to send a message to Nymphadora and Kingsley. There may already be Death Eaters at the Ministry, waiting for Harry to come."

"I'm going. I'll go as Snuffles."

"You can't do that, Sirius. With her in charge, they'll arrest you immediately. I know you want to protect him, but the best you can do is stay put." Remus looked at him apologetically.

"I'm going to return to Hogwarts. I'll make sure Potter stays there until Dumbledore returns." Remus and Sirius wanted to do more, but Snape left before they could stop him.

They were both extremely worried, but they decided to wait for a message from Snape. Remus sent notes to Kingsley, Tonks, and Moody, telling them as much as possible in writing. He also said that should come to headquarters as soon as possible.

A few hours later the five of them were congregated around the kitchen table. A message arrived saying that Harry and several others were missing from school grounds. Sirius looked absolutely panicked.

"We have to go, right NOW!" Sirius shouted.

"We'll go, Sirius." Tonks said. "You have to stay here. Dumbledore should arrive any time. You have to tell him what's going on." She silenced his coming protest. "I know you want to help, but it's too dangerous. Harry would want to know that you stayed safe."

"Please, Sirius. Do it for all of us. We wouldn't know what to do without you. Nymphadora is right. Harry needs you. Please stay," Remus pled earnestly.

Sirius looked mutinous, but he nodded. "What are you waiting around for? Leave now!!" The other four followed his orders immediately.

They arrived at the Department of Mysteries, and it took them awhile to find the fighting. Finally, they burst through two doors and found curses from Death Eaters and Harry and his friends shooting everywhere. Tonks immediately attacked her uncle Lucius with a Stunning Spell. Then, she started dueling with Bellatrix Lestrange on the steps. Kingsley was fighting two Death Eaters.

Remus was shooting curses left and right and shouted at the kids to get out of the room. He was horrified when he saw Tonks fall down the steps after Bellatrix hit her with a particularly nasty curse, but he couldn't stop fighting the others to help her.

Suddenly, Dumbledore arrived and quickly rounded up all the Death Eaters who were still fighting. The only one left was Bellatrix. Both Remus and Kingsley were dueling with her, and Remus seemed particularly vengeful. However, she stopped fighting and ran toward the door. They were about to follow her when Dumbledore stopped them. He told them that he would take care of it and that someone should wait for Ministry officials to arrest the unconscious Death Eaters and that the other two should take the kids and Tonks to St. Mungo's.

Remus and Moody took them to St. Mungo's while Kingsley awaited the Ministry officials. They were worried when they lost track of Harry, but they assumed that Dumbledore was explaining to him that Sirius was safe. Neville, Luna, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were cleared to go rest in the hospital wing at Hogwarts because their damage was terribly extensive. Tonks, however, was still unconscious and needed to remain at St. Mungo's.

Moody returned to Grimmauld Place to tell Sirius that everyone was fine, but Remus refused to leave Tonks' side. He looked as white as death, and grasped her hand tightly. He eventually fell into fitful sleep, full of dreams in which Tonks' fall replayed in his head.

The next day when Remus woke up there was still no change in Tonks' condition. The healers insisted that she would recover, but Remus was terrified that she would not. Molly, Kingsley, and Moody visited; they forced him to go back to Grimmauld and rest for a while, saying that he could return later. Remus had no choice but to acquiesce, or they threatened to remove him by force.

He returned in the afternoon. Shortly afterward Ted and Andromeda arrived. They looked at him quizzically, but they did not ask him to leave.

"Excuse me, but may I ask who you are?" Andromeda asked.

"I'm a friend from her…quidditch association." That seemed to satisfy Andromeda. However, Remus had the sneaking suspicion that Ted, from his look, suspected Remus' true relationship with his daughter.

"Were you there when she was hurt?" Ted inquired hesitantly.

He nodded. "She flew bravely and well, but her opponent, Barbara, was too much for her." He hoped that they would understand whom he met. From Andromeda and Ted's looks of horror, he surmised that they did.

Ted spoke after a slight pause. "At least the Healers are convinced that she'll make a full recovery." Remus and Andromeda nodded, but they were not certain.

"Would you like some time alone with her? I can get you both a cup of tea." Ted and Andromeda nodded gratefully. Remus took a quick walk around the hospital and then brought them their drinks. They left a short while later.

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The next day there was still no change in Tonks. The healers were still optimistic, but they were no longer so cheerful. Remus grew more worried by the hour.

Then, around noon a most unwelcome visitor appeared. Barry Pruce walked in with a towering bouquet of every flower imaginable. It bore a conspicuous note that read: To my darling Tonksie, the shapeshifting beauty of all my fantasies. From your lovable Barry. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo. Remus wanted desperately either to be sick or to hex him into oblivion.

When Pruce set down the flowers and actually saw Tonks for the first time, he looked in mild distaste at her original short mousy brown hair, but he quickly recovered. He was just about to touch her shoulder when he noticed Remus.

"Who are you?" Pruce asked, obviously disgusted by Remus' shabby robes and haggard appearance.

"A friend of Tonks." He replied coldly, glaring at Pruce.

"Ah. I'm Barry Pruce, as I'm sure you already know." He flashed Remus a blindingly white smile. "Well, I would appreciate it if you would give me some time alone with my girlfriend." If he were there under different circumstances, Remus would have laughed at Pruce's blatant lie and the irony of the situation. Instead, Remus decided to play along.

"I don't think I should do that." Remus said, forcing his voice to remain even. "N- Tonks never mentioned that she had a boyfriend." There was no way in hell that Remus was going to leave him unattended with Tonks.

Pruce could obvious tell that Remus was not going to swayed easily because he did not ask again. He sat down in a chair opposite Remus. "How do you know her anyway."

"We have mutual acquaintances," Remus replied simply.

"I see. I certainly am lucky to have a metamorphmagus as a girlfriend, am I not?" Pruce winked at Remus conspiratorially.

Remus definitely wanted to hex him into oblivion now. "You're lucky to have Tonks as a girlfriend. She's a wonderful woman." He could have sworn that he saw Tonks' eyelids flutter, but he must have been imagining it.

"Well, of course, she's a metamorphmagus. And she's very obliging when I ask her to transform." Remus sincerely wished that Moody were there to transform the bastard into a bouncing ferret. However, he fought to control his fury.

"You don't seem to respect your girlfriend very much. I think you should appreciate her as a person."

Pruce actually laughed out loud. "She doesn't want to treated 'as a person.' She's happy to serve me in whatever way I wish." His tone indicated that he was starting to become annoyed with Remus' attitude. Remus, on the other hand, wanted to kick him out of his deluded fantasy world and feed him to some blast-ended skrewts. "Although, I wouldn't expect you to understand. I'm sure that you've never dated a beautiful woman with the correct views of how women should behave toward men."

Remus was about to let his righteous indignation get the better of him when a particularly nice healer who had been attending to Tonks asked Pruce to leave. Remus sighed gratefully and thanked her. She said that she couldn't take any more of Pruce's despicable innuendo.

When the healer left after administering some potions, Remus thought he saw Tonks' mouth twitch. Then, she opened her eyes. Remus thought that he had only been so happy to see something once or twice in his life. He lunged to her side and wrapped his arms around her, but he released her when she let out a soft groan.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You must be really sore." He stroked her face, and he was about to stand up to get the healer when Tonks stopped him.

"Wait. Thank you." She smiled.

"For what?"

"For what you said to Pruce. I heard the whole conversation."

"It was the least I could do. I don't know how you resist hexing him. He is the most insufferable git." Remus was now holding her hand with both of his. "I can't express how glad I am that you're awake. I was really starting to think that you wouldn't make it." A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"I'm happy to be awake, too. What happened, though? Is everyone okay?"

Remus nodded. "Everyone's fine. There were some minor injuries, but no lasting damage."

"Did Bellatrix get away?" She asked in whisper, dreading the answer.

"Yes, but don't even think of blaming yourself. At one point, Kingsley and I were both dueling her, and we couldn't subdue her. She escaped with Voldemort."

"He went to the Ministry?" Tonks asked in shock.

Remus nodded again. "Dumbledore came, too. He couldn't even stop them from leaving. The one bright spot is that the Ministry is finally seeing sense. And the Dementors have left Azkaban."

"That's horrible. They now have free reign to terrorize everyone. Dumbledore always said that they would join Voldemort at the first opportunity. I guess the war has finally begun."

"Yes, but it will be easier now. At least we won't be endlessly waiting. We can fight more in the open." Then, Remus changed the subject. "And everyone's been really worried about you; they've all been to visit."

Tonks smiled again. "That's nice to hear." She looked over at Pruce's bouquet and snorted at the card. "Remus, do you think you could get rid of that for me. It's the ugliest gaudiest assortment of flowers that I've ever seen." He flicked his wand and it disappeared.

Remus and Tonks simply looked at each other, content that they were both safe and well for now. Then, he cupped her face with both of his hands and kissed her slowly. She deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck fiercely as he kneeled on the floor. She seemed to need reassurance that he was actually beside her. They only broke apart when the healer came in and cleared her throat.

"I'm glad you're awake, Miss Tonks. Are you feeling alright?" Tonks just nodded. The healer tested her motor skills for a while and gave her a few more potions. "You can probably go home tomorrow. We'll just keep you for the rest of the day to make sure that there are no problems." She smiled at them and left.

"How's Sirius doing?"

"I think that he's still upset that he couldn't fight, but he's just relieved that Harry and the kids are alright. He was especially worried about you."

Tonks yawned widely. "I think she must have given me a sleeping draught." She promptly fell asleep. Remus held her hand and brushed some hair out of her face. It had returned to her normal vibrant pink color. He thanked all the goodness in the world that she was alive and well.

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Tonks was allowed to leave the next day. She couldn't walk very far without tiring, and her whole body ached, but she was relatively unscathed. She decided to stay at Grimmauld Place for a few days, so that she would have company and she could be there for Sirius.

It had been decided that all the Weasleys would come to Grimmauld Place like the previous summer. Harry would come later in the holidays. Dumbledore was concentrating his energies on a mysterious mission that he refused to discuss with anyone. Remus also had to go away on another secret mission, and he returned with a presence of grim determination. Sirius was eagerly anticipating having a full house again.

Once Tonks recovered enough, she, Remus, and Sirius undertook a thorough cleaning of the whole house. They even removed the elf heads from the wall. Sirius had wanted to kill Kreacher for tricking Harry, but Dumbledore convinced him simply to order him to work in the Hogwarts kitchen.

Tonks and Remus decided that he should meet her parents, who were still pestering her to introduce him. They came up with a plan to bring Sirius along to soften Andromeda up before she found out that Remus was a werewolf, and let him get out of the house for a few hours. Dumbledore reluctantly agreed when Tonks told him that her parents would have all the blinds closed and they would apparate directly into the house.

One evening in late June the three of them arrived at Ted and Andromeda's house. Tonks had rarely seen her mother so excited as she embraced Sirius tightly. Tonks introduced Remus, but she had not told her parents that this was the man whom they had been dying to meet. However, a knowing smile crept onto Ted's face. They all sat down in the parlor for tea.

"So, Sirius, how have you been? I know you can't give too many details."

Sirius sighed. "As well as can be expected. Although I don't know what I would have done if Remus and Tonks weren't there to keep me company."

Andromeda glanced at Remus appraisingly. "That's good to hear." She and Sirius shared a private conversation for a half hour, while the others just drank their tea and looked at each other every once in a while.

When they went into the dining room for dinner, Andromeda turned her full attention to Remus. Tonks was very nervous about this, and Remus looked as if he felt the same. "Now, Remus, you were one of Sirius' school friends, weren't you?" Remus nodded. "What do you do for a living now?"

Tonks and Remus decided that it was best to be honest. "I'm currently unemployed. I'm doing a lot of work for the Order." Tonks was grateful that her mother never read the Daily Prophet and might not remember the reason for his unemployment. She was relieved that her mother did not seem too fazed by his job status.

"And you're living with Sirius?" Ted asked kindly. Remus nodded again. "What do you like to do in your spare time?"

"I love to read any sort of book. I like to relax and talk with my friends." Remus really didn't have time for many hobbies recently, and he couldn't say that one of his favorite activities was kissing Tonks. Ted seemed satisfied and didn't push.

The dinner conversation passed amiably enough. Remus answered some more of Ted and Andromeda's questions, and then talk turned to Quidditch, the unusually cool weather, and mutual friends; they did not discuss the coming war. Remus thought the evening reasonable well, except Andromeda started furtively glancing at him oddly.

They all retired to the parlor again after dinner. Tonks and Remus glance at each other, preparing to tell Tonks' parents that they were together and that Remus was a werewolf. Suddenly, Andromeda spoke. "Remus, you may think me rude for asking this, and you don't have to answer, but are you and Sirius…together?" Remus choked on the tea that he was drinking and started coughing violently. Sirius looked at Andromeda horrified.

"No, Mrs. Tonks, we're just old friends." Remus blushed, but his tone was level.

"Andy, how many times did you tell me to stop being such a womanizer?" Andromeda shrugged daintily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to presume, not that there would be anything wrong if you were. It just seems like you two are very close."

"We are close, Andy, but he's like my brother." Sirius said, trying to maintain his composure.

Ted intervened. "So, Remus, are you seeing anyone?" He was still wearing a knowing smile.

"Yes, I am." He smiled. "I'm very lucky to have her in my life."

Andromeda seemed interested. "Is she anyone we might know?"

Remus was sorely tempted to laugh the irony of her question. "Yes, I believe you know her quite well."

"What's her name?"

"It's me," Tonks replied.

Andromeda looked confused. "Mi? What kind of name is Mi?" Tonks gaped at her. She didn't know if her mother was just playing dumb or if she really couldn't imagine that she would date a man like Remus.

"I mean, I'm Remus' girlfriend." Remus was now very flushed, while Ted looked self-satisfied.

"You're joking." Andromeda sputtered.

"No, I'm very serious." Andromeda glared at Remus as if seeing him for the first time.

Sirius tried to lighten the mood. "No, I am Sirius." His bad pun fell on deaf ears.

Andromeda addressed Remus, "You're too old for her. You can't possibly take good care of her; you can't even keep a job." Remus winced at her words.

Ted tried to calm her. "Now, Andy, be fair. He seems like a nice bloke. Let them say their piece." Tonks looked at her father gratefully, but her mother shook her head emphatically. "I figured you were her boyfriend when you were sitting at her hospital bed. It's nice to finally meet the man she talks about so much." Tonks blushed, but she smiled at Remus.

Before Andromeda had a chance to interrupt, Remus said, "And I should add that I'm a werewolf. That's why I can't keep a job." Andromeda seemed utterly horrified, but Ted simply regarded him thoughtfully.

"Tell me that you didn't know!"

"I did know, mother. And I don't care. I love Remus." Andromeda started coughing.

"And I love Nymphadora. I would never hurt her. She's never anywhere nearby when I'm transformed, and I do take the wolfsbane potion." Remus and Tonks were going to continue defending themselves, but Andromeda cut them off.

She turned to Tonks. "You really are serious? You love him despite everything?"

"Of course, mother. I wouldn't say that I love someone on a whim. Remus and I have been together for six and a half months, and that's not going to change if I have anything to say about it."

Andromeda regarded Remus again, with a little less venom in her stare. "Well, I suppose we'll have to get to know him better, then." Remus relaxed slightly as it no longer seemed inevitable that Andromeda would hex him. All of them talked for another hour and the atmosphere became gradually more comfortable.

The evening was not a great success, but it could have gone much worse. Sirius, Tonks, and Remus left with the promise to return, with any luck, in the near future.

A/N: If any of you are offended about the scene in which Andromeda thinks that Remus and Sirius are gay, I'd like to say a few words. I have no problem with gay relationships, but I'm not a personal fan of Remus/Sirius ship. I just thought that Andromeda would be curious as to why Tonks and Sirius brought Remus to dinner and that she would be searching in her head for a reason.