Remus, dear' Said Molly from the kitchen area as everybody started sitting down, 'Can you go and get the children, please? I'd shout but I don't want to wake up you-know-who…'

I looked up confused, 'You don't want to wake up, who?' I said.

'Oh no dear!,' She laughed, 'we're not harbouring You-Know-Who in the sitting room. Its one of the portraits, she likes to, err, makes us all aware of her presence'

Remus gave a grin, 'and that's an understatement' He said to me, I smiled leant casually on a chair next to me, which almost gave way and I had to steady myself again.

Smooth.

'Why don't you take Nymphadora with you, Remus?' Said Molly kindly, I felt my cheeks reddening dangerously, 'you can show her around the house'

'Please, Mrs Weasley' I said quickly, 'Its Tonks'

Remus nodded shrugging and I followed him out of the warm kitchen and into the darker corridor, I looked up at my new tour guide, He was avoiding looking at me at all, but I could see his eyes shimmering in the candle light.

'This is Sirius' parents old house' he said guiding me up the stairs with a nod, 'He is letting us use it for the order.' His voice was low and scratchy.

'it's a bit…' I couldn't find a word to describe this house, it was obvious someone had made an effort in making it fit for inhabitants, but it still had a creepy feel to it.

Maybe it's the stuffed house elf heads on sticks along the corridor, or the fact that the whole place had an odd feel about it but I kept wanting to check over my shoulder. Auror instincts.

'its interesting' Remus Lupin finished the sentence for me nodding, 'I know what you mean, up here' he said pointing up another stairway, I puffed out a breath.

'There are heaps of rooms' I said peering into a few rooms as we past them on our ascend, 'How many people are staying here at the moment?'

Lupin made a noise and shrugged, 'You lose track of how many people spend the night here, Order stuff, but Sirius, Molly and Arthur Weasley and their kids and friends are here permanently.'

I made a face, I couldn't picture children enjoying living in a place like this, there wasn't a bit of natural light anywhere in the house.

'But its safe for the order, so we put up with it' added Remus making the same face, as if he read my mind.

'Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny?' he called raising his voice as we reached the second flight of stairs. The girl called Hermione popped her head round the door at the top of the stairs, brushing her brown hair out of her face.

'Professor Lupin!' she said, 'Is the meeting over?'

'Yes, Your mother says dinner is ready.'

I raised my eyebrows and looked up at Remus, 'Professor?'

he shook his head and gestured with his hand which I took to assume he would explain later. A girl came out of the room too, carrying a pillow in her hand, her long tomato red hair flopping over the pillow and big hazel brown eyes.

'We'll be down in a- oh Hello' she said seeing me, giving Hermione a look which plainly said 'Who-is-the-weird-woman-with-the-pink-hair'

'Hi, I'm Tonks' I said waving, the girl threw the pillow back into the room and smiled, She looked about 14 or 15.

'Ginny' She said nodding, 'only sister of the red-heads you've probably seen hanging around the place being waste's of space'

'Where is Ron?' Said Hermione looking up and down the hall, Ginny shrugged,

'He'll turn up when he smells food, and the twins are downstairs in the sitting room.'

'What are they doing down there?' Remus questioned scratching his head, I smiled and tried not to look at him because I don't find him attractive at all.

'I think they had some test runs on something that needed more room than their pokey bedroom, which is never a good thing…' said Ginny, linking her arm in Hermione's and they passed us on the stairs.

'Nice to meet you, Tonks' said Ginny genially nodding with a smile and turned to engage Hermione in conversation.

'They're good kids' said Remus fondly. 'All of them, they have their moments but they have been cooped up in this place practically all summer, I feel sorry for them' He started back down the stairs.

He came to an abrupt halt and turned back to me, raised his eyebrows and said, 'Are you coming?'

I gasped, 'Yes!' I said at once trotting down a few steps and joined him, 'Sorry, I-'

I didn't quite know what to say.

'No matter' He said simply as we descended the stairs once more, 'Sorry for not being a great tour guide, I'm not feeling too well' He gave his head a self-conscious rub and a pained expression.

I was about to add that I had noticed, and what was wrong but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

'you can't embarrass yourself with your mouth glued shut!' my mother had once said while patching up a grazed knee of mine when I was a child.

We reached the bottom of the stairs, Remus gestured to the door on the right. 'This is the sitting room, the whole place was a dump before we moved in, its not great but it's a start.' he shrugged.

The two redheaded twins were sitting close together fiddling with a potion and one was twirling his wand effortlessly, producing a shower of gold stars. They looked up warily when the door had creaked open.

'Oh Lupin' The twin on the right said catching his wand and stopping the flow of stars, 'We thought you were Mum'

Remus Lupin grinned slightly, 'Don't let her catch you doing that' He said pushing the door open for me and I ducked inside and approached the twins.

They covered the potion they were fiddling with warily, 'Can we trust her?' Said Twin-on-the-right

Lupin nodded, 'Im sure Nymphadora isn't going to tell anybody' He gave me a smile and I grinned back.

I noticed a scar on his cheek and made a mental note to ask him about it when I knew him better.

'Fred and George are in the early planning of a joke shop,' Continued Remus, 'Now what exactly are you working on?' He finished picking up a match-sized box from the coffee table.

'Fireworks?' I said peering over Remus Lupin's shoulder

'You should see them,' Said Twin-on-the-left,

'Work like a charm' Finished Twin-on-the-left. Remus gestured for the door and the twins made their goodbyes, but not before making me swear not to say anything to Molly Weasley. Which assured them I wouldn't and followed him down the stairs to the basement kitchen, I pulled at the collar of my work shirt flustered, it was warm from the candles and my neck was sweating with the heat.

Thank god for the wonders of dove.

'Is it hot in here?' I said more to my self than anyone else.

'I was just thinking the same thing.'

I wasn't expecting more of a grunt or nod from Remus and looked up at him, surprised.

'You were?'

Dora, what are you saying? He just said it was hot in here. He didn't just confess a large secret like…he was a death eater, or a werewolf or…something.

'I was' he said puzzled.

Smooth. 'Err- Remus?' I blurted out. Here goes nothing

'Yes?' He said stopping, surprised too.

'Can you- I mean, well, explain all this…order stuff for me?, its just I was sitting there and I didn't understand and Moody wouldn't slow down and explain and I felt really stupid, and I really don't understand, and you're the only person who is actually talking to me so if you could just-'

'Go over it with you?' He said nodding, 'Of course. After dinner though?' He said as we reached the door to the kitchen, 'I do love Molly's Meatballs'

I giggled and he looked down sharply at me. He's quite a bit taller than me actually.

'Gutter Gutter, Nymphadora Tonks I am surprised at you' He said smirking and I felt my cheeks redden.

'No I didn't mean it like that, I-'I abandoned the conversation and ducked into the kitchen embarrassed and sat down next to Charlie.

'Are you ok?' He said looking at my flushed face,

'Yes of course I am' I said quickly leaning over and helping my self to meatballs. Charlie gave me a suspicious look.

Well Dora's evening at the order of the phoenix is going well so far isn't it?