A/N: I don't have HBP with me for reference. I seem to remember that there was a werewolf attack some time in December and that was the reason that Tonks was running to Dumbledore's office. However, if there was not, there is in my story. And she found Dumbledore; he was not away. I now have over 5000 hits! Thanks to everyone for reading. Please review if you have a moment.

Chapter 13

On December 1 Tonks was depressed. It was the one-year anniversary of her and Remus' first kiss. They had agreed a long time ago, before he was assigned his mission with the werewolves, that they would always celebrate on that day. However, Remus could not be with her. She knew it wasn't his fault, but she missed him more acutely on that day because of the circumstances. The other Aurors even noticed her mood.

That evening Tonks had dinner with Sirius instead. They had a fairly amusing evening of Exploding Snap, wizard's chess, and gobstones. Afterward, neither of them felt like sleep. They reminisced about their respective Hogwarts days and explored their hopes for the future. Tonks didn't return to Hogsmeade until it was time for her morning shift, but she knew that she was more relaxed and cheerful than she would have been if she had tried to sleep.

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One morning in December Tonks looked at the front of the Daily Prophet in horror. Some children had been attacked by Greyback's pack the previous night, during a full moon. All she could think of was the fact that Remus would be destroyed if he were involved. She had an early morning patrol duty, but she couldn't concentrate on anything. Her mind kept playing images of Remus either hunched over, devastated that he had bitten a child or being attacked for refusing to participate. She waited for her break to talk with the only person who might have reliable information.

Tonks stood in front of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. "Acid Pops." It didn't move. "Chocolate frogs." The door still didn't open. "Lemon drops." She finally guessed the correct password and went up the steps to knock on the headmaster's door.

"Come in." She walked in. "Ah, hello, Miss Tonks."

"Wotcher."

"What can I do for you?" He peered at her over his half-moon spectacles. Her normally vibrant pink hair was half way between bubblegum and mousy brown.

"Well, I'm on my break from patrolling and I was just wondering if you've, uh, heard from any Order members recently." Tonks was rather flustered and nervous. Dumbledore motioned for her to sit down.

"I presume that you are asking whether I have heard from Remus regarding the attack." Tonks blushed slightly and nodded.

"He owled me this morning. He wrote that he convinced them only to bite the boys, instead of killing them and that he was not involved." He looked at her kindly.

She sighed a little with relief. "That's good, I mean, it's not, but it's certainly better than death. And I know it would kill him inside if he were ever forced to bite someone to keep his cover." She paused, and Dumbledore seemed to know that she had more to say. "Which is why," she didn't know quite how to say what she wanted, and she knew that it wasn't really her place. "Which is why I think that you should ask him to end the mission. You're the only one he would listen to." She couldn't meet his eyes.

Dumbledore sighed with a slightly pained expression; he realized that Remus must not have told her of his offer in November. "I would, if there were any other way. However, unfortunately, Remus is the only one who can obtain the very helpful information that he has already given us."

"He could do a lot for the Order even if he weren't with Greyback's pack. Or he could go back to just doing reconnaissance."

Dumbledore smiled sadly at her. "Undoubtedly, there is much else that Remus could do, but he accepted this mission voluntarily. It's too late for him to turn back now."

Tonks knew she was grasping at straws, but she had to try. "Isn't his position already compromised, considering how he has preached against violence multiple times? Maybe they already distrust his loyalty to them."

He sighed again. "Remus has not reported that he feels any increased danger or suspicion, or else I would have asked him to return." Tonks nodded. She felt that Dumbledore must think her a selfish child for wanting Remus home when his mission was so beneficial to the Order. "I am sorry, Miss Tonks. I wish the circumstances were different," he spoke sincerely.

"I understand. I'm sorry for even suggesting it. I just thought that…in light of recent events, I had to try." She dared to look up and found that Dumbledore was still smiling gently at her, not with pity but with something like empathy.

"You have no need to feel ashamed. It is only natural to desire to protect the ones for whom we care." At this, Dumbledore smiled more brightly, and Tonks blushed fiercely. He paused and then said, "Do you know, Miss Tonks, that you and Remus share something in common?" She shook her head; she had no idea what he meant. "The Sorting Hat had quite a lot of trouble sorting each of you. You both possess a good measure of Ravenclaw intelligence, Hufflepuff loyalty and work ethic, and Gryffindor courage, along with, dare I say, a certain mischievous streak." His eyes were twinkling, and Tonks smiled the first genuine smile since she had found out about the attack in the morning.

Tonks glanced at her watch; she realized that she had to be back on duty. "Well, thank you for your time, Dumbledore."

"Anytime, Miss Tonks."

As she was leaving, she had a final thought. "Oh, and do you think you could do me a favor and not tell Remus that I came by and asked you to end the mission."

He smiled. "Of course." Tonks had not gotten the result that she wanted, but she still felt cheered by the headmaster's words.

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The week before Christmas came more quickly than she expected it to. She had been going to Grimmauld Place almost every night to help Sirius decorate and simply to pass the time with him. She knew that he was depressed because he was alone there, without Remus' company or even Kreacher to torture, so they provided much needed companionship for each other. However, they both grew happier as Christmas approached because Harry and the Weasleys would be coming for the holidays, and the time was not marred with an attack like Arthur's the previous year. Tonks was particularly excited because Remus was allowed to spend three and half days away from the pack.

When December 23 arrived, Tonks could not sit still. She tried to help Molly, but, after breaking her third platter, she was banished from the kitchen. She tried reading, but she would only manage to read the same line twenty times. She finally gave up and took to pacing in front of the entryway.

At last, Remus came in and shook off some snow that had accumulated on him. He looked absolutely haggard and his skin had a grayish tinge to it, but his face lit up when he saw Tonks. They found that they could not move from under the doorway because Sirius had put up some of his famous mistletoe. Tonks had no objections to kissing Remus there. However, Molly came in and broke them up in order to fuss over Remus and offer him various casseroles and baked goods. Remus allowed himself to be led into the warm kitchen, and Tonks had to laugh at Molly's enthusiasm and Remus' grimace at all the attention.

That evening, after most of the residents of Grimmauld Place had gone to bed stuffed with copious amounts of Molly's cooking, Remus and Sirius were playing chess in the library while Tonks was content to lie on the sofa and watch them. She particularly enjoyed admiring the grace of Remus' fingers and the way his countenance lightened considerably under the influence of Sirius' good-natured taunting. When Sirius won the game, he left them alone in their favorite room in the old house, where they had largely gotten to know each and had their first kiss and fallen in love.

Remus joined her on the couch, and Tonks was elated that he didn't have to return to the pack that night. He was obviously exhausted, but he exhibited complete contentment as he settled down with her and wrapped his arms around her waist, brushing his lips gently against hers and trailing kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Then, he returned to kissing her lips. After a while they stopped and Tonks burrowed her head in the crook of Remus' neck. They simply enjoyed being close to each other, and they fell into the best night sleep that either of them had experienced in months.

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On Christmas Eve Tonks woke up to Remus kissing her face and decided that this way of waking was far preferable to an alarm clock.

"Good morning, Nymphadora."

"Wotcher, Remus." They gradually stood up and made their way down to the kitchen. Most people were already congregated around the table, and breakfast was a noisy and joyous affair. When they had finished eating, Remus made some excuse about having to take care of some important business, saying that he would return in a few hours.

Tonks was waiting for him when he got back. He kissed her quickly, but he said that he needed to talk to Sirius for a minute. Tonks was curious about his behavior that morning, but she didn't want to press.

Upstairs Remus found Sirius in Buckbeak's room. "Sirius, I need to ask you a favor."

Sirius was slightly worried about his friend's tone, but he asked evenly, "What do you need?" He noticed that Remus was playing with something in his pocket.

Remus pulled out a small velvet box. "I need you to keep this safe for me." He opened it and showed Sirius a ring with an opal flanked by two small pink stones.

Sirius' eyes widened and his face lit up. "Are you going to propose?"

Remus smiled slightly. "Not now. I just saw it and thought it was perfect. I wouldn't want to propose to her when there's so much danger in my life. I just want you to hold onto it while I'm away; I obviously can't keep it with me."

Sirius maintained his broad smile. "I never thought that I'd see the day that Moony was ready to propose, and to my cousin, no less." Remus' grin broadened, but Sirius became more contemplative. "You deserve that happiness; you both do. I hope you're able to do it soon."

Remus nodded. "I hope so, too." He handed the box to Sirius, who promptly put it in his pocket in order to hide it later. They then went down to join the others. Remus played chess with Ron, who beat him soundly, but Remus was not paying full attention. Sirius talked animatedly with Harry. Tonks, Molly, Arthur, Ginny, and Hermione simply relaxed and listened to the wireless.

Later, after an enormous feast was devoured by all and most had gone to bed, Remus found Tonks in the parlor, in which the Christmas tree had been set up. She was looking at the presents.

"You wouldn't want to spoil the fun for tomorrow morning, now would you?" She jumped, startled, and turned to look at him. "What would Moody say about your lack of constant vigilance?" His eyes were twinkling with amusement as she smirked.

"There's nothing wrong with a little curiosity. You can't tell me that you haven't wondered what you're getting."

"Sure, I have." He moved closer to her as she stood. "I simply have more patience than you do, Nymphadora." Remus whispered her name in her ear. He wrapped his arms around her and held her snugly to him.

Tonks smiled coyly at him. "I think patience is highly overrated." She kissed him thoroughly and lovingly.

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The next morning everyone was awake early to open their gifts. Tonks' sweater from Molly was magenta while Remus' was a complementary shade of deep burgundy. When Tonks opened Remus' present, she found that it was a photo album. The first picture was of the entire second Order; it was followed by various posed and candid shots of her, and her and various Order members. Her favorite was one of the many times that she and Remus had fallen asleep curled up on the library sofa; she guessed that Sirius must have taken it.

Remus was delighted and touched by the set of brightly colored Christmas tree ornamentsthat Tonks gave him. Especially the note that went with the package: For when we have our own Christmas tree. He felt thoroughly gratified that Tonks had also thought about the future, their future together.

Overall, they all had a lovely day, enjoying one another's company.

Boxing Day was also fun, but Tonks dreaded the next day. Much as it had been wonderful to have Remus around for the previous few days, it was just going to make his absence more difficult. That day they were never apart for more than a few minutes at a time, and they spent a suspicious amount of time walking under doorways on which Sirius had put his mistletoe.

However, December 27 dawned like every day before it had, and Remus and Tonks' brief interlude of respite amid their duties was forced to end.