A/N: Well, regardless of the dismal amount of reviews i've recieved, I will continue writing this fic untill its finished! Even if I don't get any reviews or, for that matter, any reads! I WILL CONTINUE!
Several late nights and many Order meeting later, Tonks found herself settled in the drawing room with the only permanent occupants of the house:Sirius and Remus. She had been given her pick of any room in the house that was unnoccupied so that she could clean it up and it be her room should she descide to stay, which she did often. She had chosen a room on the second floor corridor near the end. It was small enough for her to make cozy, but large enough to double as an office for Order business.
"Now, explain to me why, with all the rooms in this house, you two are sharing a room? Your not... you know... involved... are you?" Tonks said with a small wink. A fleeting look of shock passed over both mens faces, but was quickly replaced by glares of suspicion at each other.
"Well," began Sirius with a smirk on his face, "You never know-" He was cut off by Remus.
"SIRIUS!" His face burned scarlett and his voice was an octave higher than usual. "Thats just DISGUSTING!" Suddenly Remus's face changed to that of a half-smirk. "And besides, even if I did fancy blokes, I'd sure as hell pick one thats good-looking."
Sirius spluttered in indignation. "Remus! I am good looking! Just because You and I fancy girls and not each other doesn't mean You have to deny the way I look!" He smiled pompously from his perch in an armchair. "Because we all know that I'm the sexiest in the room. Come on, Moony, even you can't deny that you find me very sexy! You too, Tonks! Cousin or not, you can't deny that you think I'm good-looking."
Remus and Tonks, both of whom were sitting on the couch, turned to each other and burst out laughing. Tonks was the first to fall off of the couch and land on the floor, rolling as well as laughing just as hard. Sirius joined the laughter at the sight of Tonks laying halfway upside down on the floor laughing her butt off, only to laugh double when Remus soom followed. Remus, who had been sitting on the arm of the couch, fell off backwards after Tonks's incident. The room was filled with gales of laughter for the next two or three minutes, during which Tonks somehow migrated to the rug in the middle of the floor where she was joined by a scarlett, but still laughing Remus who fell near her feet.
After the laughter died down, for they had all needed a good laugh, Sirius joined them on the floor and the three of them lay on their backs, side by side, staring at the ceiling, off in their own thoughts.
Between lack of sleep and the warmth of the fire, all of them fell into a doze. Remus was jolted awake by an unfamiliar warmth beside him. He looked down the see that, somehow while all three were asleep on the floor, Sirius had migrated to the edge of the rug and was hugging the leg of a chair like a teddy bear, while Tonks had unconsciously slid herself over to where she was back to back with Remus. Remus smiled at the sleeping forms before him and descided that it would be better if they not awake in the morning with sore backs and stiff necks from sleeping on the floor.
He walked over to Sirius and gently tried to rouse him from his slumber. Sirius groaned, but stood and left after Remus suggested he go to bed. Remus turned to Tonks. She looked so peacefull and calm that he figured it best that she not attempt to Apparate home and since her room was just down the hall, he may as well not wake her. He walked over to the sleeping form and gently slid his arms beneath her knees and shoulder blades. Remus was surprised at how small and fragile she felt as he lifted her small frame with extreme ease for such a thin man.
Remus walked out of the open door, carefull to mind Tonks's head, and carried her down the hallway to her room. Luckily, the door stood cracked, so that he only had to nudge it with her feet to open it wider. He smiled as he stood and glanced around the room. Along the far wall, there was a desk with a lamp shaped like a star. The walls were a deep blue with yellow stars stenciled all over and hanging over the four-poster bead was an Astronomy chart that clearly changed with the movement of the planet.
Tonks stirred in his arms, reminding him that he was still holding her, because she was so small that he barely registered her form in his arms as he stood admiring the room. He crossed lightly to her bed. The lime green pillows and purple quilt made him smile. He lowered her onto the bed, took the liberty of removing her shoes, and proceeded to tuck her into bed. He stood and back out of the room and slowly shut the door.
Remus sighed and turned back and headed into his room. Sirius was sprawled on his bed, seemingly asleep, if it wasn't for the lack of snoring that Remus was accustomed to. He crossed to his bed and climbed into the soft warmth of his sheets. Just as he began to drift off, Sirius's hushed voice interupted his sleep.
"I saw you, you know." Sirius smiled slightly into his pillow.
Remus sighed. "I have no idea what your talking about. Go to sleep, Padfoot." But Sirius wasn't interested in sleep at the moment.
"Right. Moony, I know you too well to believe you and besides, I happened to be standing in this very doorway when you came by. Couldn't bear to wake poor little Tonks up could you?" Sirius turned to Remus's bed and smirked.
It was a good thing it was dark, for Remus could feel the blush spreading across his visage. "I was just being nice, Padfoot. You know as well as I that if I had woken Nymphadora, she would have attempted to Apparate to her home and its never a good idea to try to Apparate half asleep."
Sirius smiled. "So you descided to carry her oh so tenderly to her room and stand in the doorway for five minutes and just hold her and stare at her? Really Moony, what next."
"Padfoot! I did not stand there for five minutes and stare at her, I was simply taking in the room, it really is something. And besides, she's so small it isn't like it was a great feat to pick her up and carry her down the hall into her room." Remus's thoughts began to wonder as he turned his back to Sirius. "She really is something. When she's around, you don't really realize just how petite she is, because her personallity stand out a mile, but when she's asleep... she's so tiny, so... fragile."
Sirius had long drifted to sleep and his snores started to fill the room. Remus smiled and silently remembered the feel of Tonks's small frame in his arms. He was surprised at how truely wonderful a friend she really had become to him. Its nice to see Sirius smile again, She takes our minds off the negative. Remus thought. It's so nice to have friends again. Thats probably what I missed the most after James and Lily died and Sirius went to Azkaban... having friends. People who I could talk to... Sirius seems to enjoy having friends around as well.
Dawn broke with a pale light shining into Tonk's room, eluminating here pale features. The sudden pecking at the window indicated the arrival of a white and brown owl who delivered the Daily Prophet. Tonks groaned, but slid out of bed and crossed to the window and took her paper, giving the owl a Knut in return. She chucked the paper onto the desk and started back to bed. She had made it halfway across the room when suddenly she realized where she was. She was shocked to realize that she, somehow, had ended up in her room at Grimmauld place instead of her bedroom at her flat in London. She vaguely remembered laying on the rug in the drawing room, but nothing more.
She shrugged as she headed out of the door and towards the stairs. She tiptoed down the hallway when she realized that, by the sound of snores and deep breathing comming from everywhere, that she was the only one up. She took the stairs slowly and carefully, so that she didn't fall all the way to the bottem and wake the entire vacinity. After reaching the hallway withought falling once, she prayed silently while she made her way toward the stairs to the kitchen. Taking a deep breath at the top of the steps, she began her slow descent to the door, which she opened with confidence. After managing to make it all the way to the kitchen withought falling once, she was too overcome with confidence to notice anything else as she strutted into the kitchen. Little did she know, that her arrogance was to be short lived.
Only one step into the kitchen and her feet slid on a stray dungbomb on thefloor. She closed her eyes and waited for the eminent arrival of the floor against her face but it didn't come. Instead, Tonks was caught by a pair of surprisingly strong arms. She opened her eyes in puzzlement only to come face to face with Remus Lupin.
"OH! Remus you scared me! oh, where are my manners, thank you for catching me." She smiled. "But honestly, I didn't even realize the kitchen was previously occupied."
Remus grinned mischievously. "Well, seeing as you were strutting like an over arrogant peacock, its not surprising." His comment was met by a smack to the arm.
"I DO NOT STRUT! Remus Lupin take that back!"
Remus just shot her a cheeky grin and returned to his seat. "Sorry to inform you, but its five in the morning so Molly has yet to rise and make any tea." He sat back and sipped his coffee contentedly. He prided himself as being possibly the only person in England that drank coffee instead of tea.
"Well, then its probably a good thing i'm not looking for tea isn't it?" Tonks said with a grin
Remus's face showed extreme puzzlement as he sat down his mug and crossed his arms. "Then what, precisely, are you, the Queen of Laziness, doing here this early?"
Tonks smiled mischieviously and instead of answering reached across the table and stole Remus's coffee. Remus jumped and sat up quickly.
"HEY! What are you doing? Oh no you d-" Tonks had turned up his mug and taken a long drink of his beloved black coffee. "Stop it!" Remus's voice came out sounding like a whiney squeal. He reached across the table and made to grab his cup, but Tonks, anticipating this, jumped and began to taunt him. "NOT FUNNY!" He yelled, " I NEED my coffee in the morning! GIVE IT BACK!"
Tonks leapt to her feet and smiled cheekily. "Come get it, Oh Mighty Coffee Drinker. Your not the only one who needs their coffee in the morning!" Tonks began to skip back and forth along the table. Remus, who had sat opposite her, leapt to his feet as well, thus beginning a game of cat and mouse. Each time Tonks moved one way, he move the same direction. After several minutes, and much coffee drank by Tonks and splashed on the floor. Remus gave this up and leapt onto the table and stood there with his arms crossed. He glared down at Tonks's smiling, coffee soaked form.
"I'm going to count to three and I want my coffee back!" He held up a hand showing fingers. "One,"he lifted a finger, "Two," another finger up, "Three!" He jumped down from the table and landed right beside Tonks.
Tonks squealed slightly and took off running around the table and all over the kitchen, still holding Remus's nearly empty coffee mug. Both were laughing playfully and occasionally yelling things while Tonks ran from Remus, who almost caught her on many occasions.
Upstairs, everyone was beginning to be awoke by the laughter and screams from the kitchen below. One by one, the Weasley children, along with Hermione and Molly started down stairs. Once they got to the stairs that led to the Kitchen, they were shocked to see Sirius standing grinning widely and watching through the cracked kitchen door. Molly startled Sirius away from whatever spectacle he was watching.
"Sirius!" Molly hissed. "What on earth is going on in there?"
Sirius turned to them and smiled. "It's great Molly! I woke up when Remus left to go get some of that horrible coffee that he loves so bloody much"Here Molly uttered 'watch your language!' "and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I figured I'd join him. Only when I got here, I heard voices, so I descided to check it out first, and.." He paused and turned back to Molly. ".. I got here just in time to see Remus climb up on the table, threaten Tonks who has apparently stolen his mug right from his hands and began drinking his precious coffee, and then He jumped down and has been chasing her around for a while, I never knew Tonks could be so quick and run around dodging stuff withought falling or knocking something over once! I suspect its that crazy coffee they both seem to like." Everyone started as a scream erupted right behind the door and the door banged open.
Everyone froze. Only Sirius and the Twins burst out laughing at the sight that met them. Apparantly, Remus had caught Tonks and lifted her from behind and she had screamed and kicked the door open in an attempt to escape. They both turned red and suddenly seemed to realize exactly how they were standing, for Remus dropped Tonks who barely managed to land on her feet.
Tonks blushed and attempted to smile. "Wotcher guys."was the feable attempt at a greeting she managed. Remus just stared scarlett faced, but began to snigger slightly at the sight before him.
Molly Weasley and Hermione Granger shared matching shocked expressions, Ron, Arthur and Ginny were struggling to stiffle their laughter and both were a brilliant shade of pink from the effort, the exact opposites of Sirius and the Twins. The three of them were rolling around on the floor laughing their heads off. Molly finally broke the silence.
"Well, since everyone is up, I guess I'll make breakfast." She walked over to the stove. Ron, Arthur, and Ginny went over and sat at the table leaving Tonks and Remus still embarrased standing staring at Sirius and the Twins as they tried in vane to get up from the floor withought falling over each other. Remus and Tonks finally took pity and helped them up. Remus grabbed Sirius and Fred by the scruff of their robes and lifted them, while Tonks coaxed George over to the table.
After the laughing had worn down, Sirius, who sat opposite of Remus and Tonks asked the question all had been dieing to know. "So, what did happen in here?" Sirius smirked.
Remus indignantly replied, "She took my coffee!" Everyone started laughing again. "No, I'm serious!" He turned to Sirius, "You know how I get withought my coffee! I need it!" Sirus let out a bark of laughter.
"Ok, first off, your not Sirius, I'm Sirius." Everyone groaned at the bad pun. "And secondly, don't you feel good knowing your not the only wierdo that drinks coffee instead of tea?"
Tonks choked on her own mug of coffee she had just conjured. "HEY!" She spluttered "I AM NOT WIERD!" which earned her a skeptical look from Sirius.
Halfway through eating a delicious breakfast of toast, eggs, and kippers, Tonks suddenly remembered something. "By the way, does anyone know how I got to my room last night?" Everyone around the table glanced back and forth and shook their heads. Everyone except for Remus and Sirius. Tonks noticed this and eyed them in suspicion. Remus was blushing and had suddenly become interested with his eggs and Sirius was grinning slyly at Remus. "Ok, what do you two know?" Tonks directed at Sirius and Remus.
Remus choked on his eggs and Sirius feigned innocence. "I have absolutely no idea what you mean. All I remember was falling asleep on the rug in the drawing room with you and Remus. Maybe you should ask him." He smiled slightly.
Tonks turned to Remus. "Remus, my friend, did Sirius do anything I will have to kill him over? Are you covering for him?" Remus's eyes snapped up.
"Of course not! We all fell asleep on the rug. Later something woke me up and I saw that we were all sleeping on the floor and thought it wouldn't be a good idea to leave you two there." Sirius took over for him.
"Yes, so he oh so rudely woke me up and told me to go to bed. Then he took you to your room and dropped you like you were a sack of potatos."
Remus spluttered in indignation. "I did NOT drop her! She would have woken up if I had dropped her! And besides, She's light enough for me to carry, so I saw no reason to wake her up if I didn't have to!
Sirius sat back and crossed his arms. "Oh, but you just had to wake me up?"
"Well," Remus smirked, "Molly's cooking seems to be getting to you, my dear friend, so carrying you was out of the question." Then his features changed to that of disgust "And besides, carrying your friends who are girls isn't wierd."Remus paused. "And mate, I like you well enough, but it's just not very manly to carry your best friend like that."
The entire table erupted in laughter, except for Sirius whose face held a look of indignation. "And besides, "Remus continued. "It was wierd enough when you asked me if I thought you were sexy last night." The laughter multiplied but Sirius just mock-grimmaced.
"Remus, I'm afraid that this means war... Marauder Style!" Remus nodded in agreement.
"Alright, Marauder Style it is, but remember Sirius, I was the one who thought up everything... you just followed my directions!" Sirius blanched for a moment then glanced down the table and turned back to Remus with a cheeky expression.
"So, Marauder rules, anything goes?" He asked Remus.
Remus smiled, "Anything goes."
Tonks had noticed that the Arthur and Molly had started washing up and Ginny was playing with Crookshanks, but Fred, George, Ron and Hermione were all staring at Sirius and Remus with shocked expressions. She thought this odd until Fred spoke up.
"Did you two just say Marauder Style?"Remus and Sirius exchanged puzzled glances until Sirius spoke up.
"Yes, why?"
The Twins shared a cautious look. "As in... THE Marauders? The only group of pranksters to ever get more detentions than Lee, George, and Me? The only ones who have ever exceeded our elaborance when it came to pranks!" Fred asked with a manic gleam in his eyes.
It suddenly dawned on Remus. "Ah!" Sirius shot him a confused glance. Remus turned to the Twins. "You two have obviously been talking to Filch way to much and to Harry way too little."
Hermione spoke up. "The first part you got right, they spend more time in Filch's office than anyone else. But they aren't the only ones confused and Ron and I have been around Harry for the past four and a half years and are just as confused as they are." Ron started.
"Yeah, We've heard of these 'Marauders' too. " A glare from Hermione helped him realize his mistake. "But it's not like we were using anything they may have created! Hypothetically of course." Hermione smacked herself in the forehead with her hand in exasperation.
"Nice going Ronald!"
Sirius and Remus grinned. Remus suddenly realized something "So Harry told you nothing about the creators of the Marauders Map?"
Sirius turned to Remus. "Harry has the Map? I thought Filch had it?" Remus smiled
"I believe that the Twins might be able to explain how it came into Harry's posession." The Twins glanced furatively at their parents. After comfirming that they were still oblivious to the conversation at the table they grinned at Sirius and Remus.
"Yeah, we got it from Filch in our first year." Fred started
"We owe our thanks to Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs! Withought that map, we would have never have achieved half of our.. let just say mischievious deeds." George smiled at Fred, who reciprocated his gesture. Suddenly George turned back.
"Hang on! How did you know Harry had it and how did you know that we got it from Filch's office?" Sirius descided to answer the second and Remus the first parts of the questions.
"Well," Remus started, "I confiscated it from Harry while I was teaching. But I gave it back!" He said hurridly at the Twin's expressions. Sirius took over.
"And we know it was in Filch's office because we know for a fact that it was taken up late one night about fifteen years ago!"
Hermione, who had long figured out what was going on, looked profoundly shocked. "Professor Lupin!"
"How many times must I ask you all to call me Remus! I havn't been a teacher for years!" Remus started, but stopped at the rather scary look that was on the girls face.
"I would have expected it from Sirius, but you became a teacher! And, no offence, but your a bookworm! And , most of all, I remember you mentioning that you were a PREFECT!" Tonks laughed at Sirius and Remus, both of whom had started to cower slightly.
Sirius turned to Remus and said in a mock whisper, "Do you think we should check and make sure McGonagall hasn't died? Because Hermione sure has the look down a little too well." Tonks sniggered along with the two men, but stopped immediately when the caught the warning glances from Ron and the Twins. Remus straightened up.
"Yes, Hermione, sorry to dissapoint you, but I was a terrible Prefect wasn't I?"
Hermione turned to see the still puzzled looks on the boys' faces and descided to elaborate. "Fred, George let me introduce you to your mentors, "the indicated Remus and Sirius, " Messrs. Moony and Padfoot."
The boys looked utterly shocked, but gleeful. Sirius turned to Hermione with admiration. "How did you guess! I mean I know you aren't to thick to realize we were talking about our selves as Marauders, but how did you get our names?" Remus sighed and looked at Sirius.
"Mate, I keep telling you, Hermione here is possibly twice as smart and clever as I am! She's still about a month from being sixteen and she's smarter than ME!" Sirius looked at Hermione with a fearful expression and slid behind Remus slightly.
"Are you sure thats possible mate?" Hermione shot him a look and he shut up.
Tonks laughed. "Hermione, You are possible the only person who has ever scared Sirius!"
Fred cleared his throat. "The rest of us of average or.. possibly below average brain capacity are still fairly puzzled, care to elaborate?"
Hermione turned and started to explain. "Profess- I mean..Remus.. here is Moony. I figured that because he is a were-wolf they nicknamed him Moony. Sirius is Padfoot because his animagus form is a dog." Remus and Sirius smiled to tell her she was correct so far. "So that leaves Wormtail and Prongs. Well, we all know that Harry's Patronus is a Stag, and seeing as we all also know that Pettigrew is a Rat in Animagus form which implies that he is Wormtail, that leaves the only option that Harry's father was Prongs... and guessing that you were all Animagi, with the exception of Prof- Remus, that implies that his Animagus was a Stag." Hermione concluded like it was the simplist thing in the world.
Remus smiled. "Correct as always Hermione!" Sirius, as well as the boys, were stareing at her like she was a muggle Telly. "And obviously, you have impressed everyone else too."
Fred and George smiled."So, um, This does mean the noone ever tells Mum that we happened to use an enchanted map to sneak around after hours, right?"
"Because it really would be a shame to see what she does to the makers of said enchanted object."
Remus and Sirius shared a terrified glance.
A/N: I have just realized, that i have had 859 hits, but only 3 reviews! does it really take that long to click the button and type 'cool' or 'that sux' or something? THATS ALL I ASK!
This chapter started off as 2 chapters, but I like longer chapters, and this one is still not all that long. I like my chapters really long! I read a fic once which had a chapter that, on microsoft word, was over 20 pages long! My longest one yet is only 7 pages on wordpad!