"Tonks," Charlie greeted her at breakfast the next morning by slapping her in the back.

"Hi Charlie," Tonks ruffled his hair as she sat down beside him.

She picked up a jug of orange juice but as she went to pour it her cup went zooming to the side so the juice splashed all over the table and herself.

"Charlie," she growled as he rolled around the table in fits of laughter.

She went to place the jug back down but in the process managed to send Estra's bowl of cereal flying.

"Sorry," Tonks groaned.

"You can't blame Charlie on that one," Archie smirked. "That was your own clumsiness."

"Thanks Archie," Tonks glared at him.

"Don't get annoyed with me," Archie laughed. "He's the one that got you covered in juice," he pointed to Charlie.

"Yeah you're right," Tonks nodded.

She took out her wand and aimed it at Charlie who was about to take a mouthful of scrambled egg. The egg transformed into a slime coated slug.

"Argh!" Charlie yelped and dropped the spoon.

Tonks grinned. She knew how much Charlie hated insects.

"OK, we're even," Charlie surrendered.

"Yeah for now," Tonks agreed.

"So are you girls going to come and watch us training today?" Charlie asked.

"Of course we will!" Adalia piped up predictably. "Won't we?" she turned to Estra and Tonks.

"We'll probably have homework to do," Estra said seriously.

"We might drop in," Tonks teased Charlie.

"You know how much you love sitting in the cold and the rain watching us having fun," Charlie said jokingly.

"That's us," Adalia said. "Devoted fan club."

"Don't go giving him ideas," Tonks said. "He already gets far too much attention already."

"Is that jealousy Nymphadora?" Charlie asked, deliberately using her first name.

"I'd call it annoyance," Tonks shot back at him. "You can't walk down a corridor without a girl stopping to ask you to sign something of theirs or boys saying "good game" or "amazing flying" or "what a catch"," Tonks put on a male voice. "I swear if I hear good game one more time I'll - "

She was cut off however by their head of house handing out their new timetables.

...

"So Edith was right," Tonks grumbled. "Homework on the first day. It's ridiculous!"

Adalia nodded her head in agreement. The two were on their way down to the Quidditch pitch to watch Charlie and Archie.

"Anyway I didn't get the chance at dinner to finish my story about Olivia," Tonks said. "She was acting all nice and friendly and then goes and asks how long Charlie and I have been going out. How funny is that it?"

Tonks turned to look at her friend and next second found herself sprawled over the ground having tripped over a tree root prodding out of the ground.

"It's not that outrageous," Adalia replied quietly. "I get asked by girls all the time if the two of you are together."

Tonks started to laugh but stopped quickly when she saw her friends face.

"Oh come on!" Tonks spluttered. "We're best friends. Always have been and always will. Look why don't I ask him out for you?" she offered.

Adalia shook her head violently. "He would say no. He only sees me as a friend. Anyway he has his eye on someone else. I've got no chance."

"Of course you have a chance," Tonks told her friend as they enter the Quidditch pitch and headed for the stands. "He's kept all this really quiet. Who is it he likes this time?" she asked eagerly. "It's not that Hufflepuff girl is it?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Adalia snapped. "He likes you. He always has."

Tonks was about to start laughing again when she realised it wasn't a joke.

Adalia stood up and began running back towards the castle. Tonks could hear faint sobs trailing behind her. She was about to follow her but decided that what Adalia needed right now was some space. Instead Tonks watched the team training although she took none of it in, she was too busy going over in her head Adalia's comment.

When the training session had finished Tonks rushed up to Archie.

"I need to speak to you," she said quickly.

"Don't mind me then. I'll just walk up to the castle myself," Charlie huffed though his eyes twinkled.

"Yeah you do that," Tonks said brightly.

"Archie you're quite close to Charlie aren't you?" she asked. "You share things don't you?"

Archie just stared at her.

"Good," Tonks continued. "I just need to ask you something about him. It's just... You don't know if Charlie... Well you see Adalia came up with this crazy idea that Charlie likes me. She's not right is she?"

"Bloody hell Tonks. You go on about Charlie for not noticing Adalia's obsession with him. Of course she's right you idiot."

"No you're both wrong. Charlie doesn't see me in that way we're just friends." Tonks said stubbornly.

"You just don't want to admit it yourself. You know deep down we're right," Archie grinned.

"Oh Archie if it is true you have to help me! What am I supposed to do?" Tonks wailed.

"That's your problem not mine," Archie told her.

...

The next morning at breakfast Tonks kept a watchful eye on Charlie.

Was it her imagination or did he keep glancing over at her while she chatted to Edith? She tried to think back to girls he had been out with but now that she actually thought about it he had never really gone out with anyone. He had lots of fans due to his Quittich playing but he had never asked anyone out, not that she could remember anyway.

"Charlie when was the last time you went out with someone?" she blurted out.

Being tactful was not her strong point.

Charlie shrugged not looking up from his food.

Was it her imagination again or was he avoiding eye contact with her?

She looked at him as he ate. She had never noticed before how strong looking he was or how good looking, especially with his cute freckles.

He looked up and caught her staring. His face turned pink.

"What?" he asked.

"N-nothing," Tonks stuttered. "I was just trying to come up with a spell to cast on you but I was too slow."

She cursed Adalia and Archie for filling her head with their nonsense if it hadn't have been for them then things would have been like they always were but now she was beginning to look at her best friend in a different way.