A/N: We're almost there with Sirius and Olivia. Please have patience with me!

I don't own Harry Potter.

The Best-Laid Plan

"Hey, Remus!"

"Good morning," Remus smiled as Tonks bounced into the kitchen where he was cleaning up from breakfast. "You're here early this morning," he commented.

"I promised Sirius I'd help clean out the attic," she said. "It's not fit for a hippogriff at this point."

Remus smiled, knowing this to be true. Even so, he had been surprised by how easily the hippogriff in question had adjusted to living indoors. "Buckbeak hasn't complained to me."

"You obviously don't take care of him," she replied. "I wouldn't let Snape live up there, let alone a defenseless animal."

Remus laughed out loud. "First of all, Buckbeak is far from defenseless." He grinned. "And I see that you share Sirius's opinion of Snape."

"I wish I could say I hate him on Sirius's behalf, but he's earned the sentiment all on his own." She paused. "Well, hate is a strong word. I severely dislike him."

Remus laughed again, wondering what exactly Snape had done to her. He supposed that if she wanted him to know, she would have told him. "You are too much. We need more of your sense of humor around here."

Tonks felt her face getting warm. "Well, I'll see what I can do about that," she grinned. "What are you up to today?"

"I'm going on a trip."

"Really? For the Order?"

"No," Remus said. He glanced at the door to make sure that it was closed. "Can you promise not to tell Sirius?"

"Of course," she said, sitting down at the table. "I'm very good at keeping secrets."

Remus sat down across from her. "I'm going to France."

She looked at him blankly. "Should that mean something to me?"

"Sirius's . . . well, his former fiancée lives there. I'm going to talk to her about coming for a visit this weekend."

Tonks's eyes widened. "Olivia?"

"You know her?"

"Sort of . . . I met her when I was a little girl, and her name comes up quite often at work. I doubt I'd recognize her, though, despite the number of times that I've heard Moody talk about her." She looked at him intently. "This weekend is really soon. Are you sure she'll be able to make it?"

"This is her weekend off," Remus replied, leaning his elbows on the table as he began to talk with his hands. "And the Weasleys don't move in until next week, so the house should be pretty empty." He frowned. "We don't have a meeting this weekend, do we?"

"No, there's nothing until next week." Tonks was amazed she managed to get that statement out with the waves of disappointment that were washing over her. As Remus moved his hands around in speech, she noticed the glint of gold on his ring finger for the first time. He was married?

Her heart fell through her stomach as she tried to process this information. Why had he never mentioned his wife? She was sure that Sirius had said that it was just the two of them – Sirius and Remus – living in the house. Where was his wife? Why wasn't she living with him? Could they be separated? No, he didn't seem like the type to be separated or divorced. Was she away on a mission for the Order? Her heart sinking even farther, she realized that that must be the truth. Of course Remus would be married to another Order member. She sighed softly. Why were the good ones always married?

"Are you all right?" Remus asked.

"Of course," she said, giving him a falsely bright smile, realizing that her scattered thoughts had sent her into contemplative silence. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Remus said slowly. "You just got awfully quiet."

"I'm fine," she reaffirmed. "I was just thinking of how excited Sirius is going to be."

"He will be, won't he?" Remus grinned. "I just hope that Olivia agrees."

"I'm sure she will."

"She should," Remus replied. A slight smile curved his lips as he thought back to the past. "Sirius and Olivia had the most tumultuous relationship. If they could survive all their ups and downs way back when, I think they might actually be able to come out of this stronger, too."

"Are you suggesting that they might get back together?"

"It's a possibility."

"Really?" she asked with excitement.

"Really." He glanced at his watch, then stood up. "I should get going. I want to have plenty of time to talk to her."

"Yeah, I need to get upstairs before Sirius thinks I'm bailing on him," Tonks said, rising to her own feet.

As he walked past her, Remus put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for listening, and for promising to keep my secret. It's been killing me not to be able to tell someone."

"Anytime," she said, trying her best not to blush. He doesn't mean anything by it, she told herself firmly. He's married, for Pete's sake!

Remus smiled at her, then Disapparated.

Tonks sank back down into her chair as he disappeared. She put her hand over the spot that he had touched on her shoulder, and bit her lip.

"He's married," she whispered to herself. "Don't even think it. You are not a home-wrecker."

"Talking to yourself?"

She jumped a mile, her hand immediately grasping her wand.

"I come in peace!" Sirius laughed, holding up his hands as he entered the kitchen. "You don't need to be so jumpy, you know."

"Sorry," she said, putting her wand away. "Auror reflexes, I suppose."

"You should know better than to jump when your name is called," Sirius teased. "Or does Moody no longer hex anyone who jumps when he bellows their name down a hall?"

Tonks laughed. "He does. But you didn't say my name."

"I didn't expect to see you here. I was looking for Remus."

"He's not here."

"Yes, I can see that. Do you know where he went?"

"He just said he was going out," she said, expertly concealing the fact that she knew more information.

"Oh. All right, then." He paused. "Shall we get started on the attic?"

"Now's as good a time as any, I suppose."

"Buckbeak will love you forever."

"I just hope I still have all my fingers when he's done with me."

Sirius laughed. "Come on. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be done."

Remus Apparated to a point down the street from Olivia's home and walked the distance to the house. His reason for not Apparating straight into the house was two-fold: Olivia wasn't expecting him, and he wanted to give himself a chance to collect his thoughts. He needed to be sure he knew what he was going to say. For Sirius's sake, he had to use the right words.

Too soon, he arrived at her front door. He knocked, and only waited a moment before the door slowly opened.

"Goodness, Remus," she said, smiling as she opened the door all the way. "You know you can just Apparate straight into the house."

"I know," he smiled. "But I knew you weren't expecting me, and I wasn't sure if you'd be home." He stepped into the house and kissed her cheek. "How are you?"

"Fine," she smiled, closing the door behind him. "You?"

"I'm fine," he said.

"How are things going with the Order?" she asked, leading the way into the kitchen.

"Pretty well," Remus replied. "We just had a meeting with the new Aurors that Moody is bringing in – Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks."

"Sirius's cousin?" Olivia asked, her interest piqued.

"Yes."

"She's really young, isn't she?"

"Yes," Remus said again.

"She must be a phenomenal Auror if Moody's bringing her into the Order already. She hasn't been working with us that long."

"I can think of a few people who were even younger when they joined the Order."

Olivia's eyes widened, and she smiled. "But we were so much more mature, weren't we?"

Remus smiled with her. "Tonks seems very dedicated," he said. "She's really grown up since last we knew her."

"The last time I saw her, she wasn't even in Hogwarts," Olivia mused. "I can't even imagine what she must look like now."

"Well, I saw her look four different ways the first time I met her," Remus grinned.

"Oh, that's right," Olivia smiled. "I forgot that she's a metamorphmagus."

"She has some very impressive skills," Remus said with another grin. "Sirius was so excited to see her again," he added, watching carefully for Olivia's reaction.

"I'll just bet he was," she said, smiling softly. "He loved that little girl before . . ."

"He still does," Remus assured her. "You know, Liv, in a lot of ways, Sirius hasn't changed all that much."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean . . ." Remus paused, searching for the right way to make his point. "In many ways, he's still the same Sirius he was before James and Lily died. Azkaban couldn't take the life out of him like it does to most. His character is still the same, he still reacts the same way in most situations . . . he still sees his friends and family the same way he always did."

Olivia looked at him for a moment before responding. "You're trying to make a point, Remus, but I just can't get it. Be a good friend and just say what you came to say."

Remus drew a deep breath. "You promised me before that you would think about coming to visit Sirius. I'm trying to ask you if you're ready to do that."

Her eyebrows shot up as her eyes opened wide. "Now?"

"Not right now," Remus clarified. "I was thinking of this weekend. I know that you're off, and Sirius and I will pretty much be the only people at Grimmauld Place." He grinned. "I promise to clear out while you're there. You two will need some time alone without me hanging around."

"This weekend . . ." she whispered. "Oh, Remus, I just don't know if I'm ready."

"Liv, listen to me," he said, leaning forward. "Sirius needs you. I've been with him almost constantly since he came to my house in June, and I've watched him. Like I said a minute ago, in some ways, he's still the same person he always was – fits of temper and all." He paused. "You and James were always so much better than me at dealing with him, at getting through to him . . ."

"Does he need someone to deal with him?"

"Not exactly," Remus sighed. "The thing is, Dumbledore's pretty much told him that he's going to be locked up in his parents' house indefinitely. You know how he hated that place when we were younger. He doesn't like it any more now. I'm afraid of what's going to happen to him. I'm afraid of how he's going to deal with everything. And I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to help him." He paused. "But I know that you can."

"Remus . . ." She looked away for a moment. "Am I ready to do this?"

"You are," Remus said firmly. "You've said yourself that you want to see him. Why put it off any longer? This is the perfect time to come. You're off for the weekend, and the house is pretty much empty. The Weasleys are moving in on Monday, so this will be your last chance to have time alone in the house with him."

She drew a deep breath. "And he really wants to see me?"

Remus grinned. "You have no idea how much."

She smiled sadly. "Yes, I do. I have a very good idea of how much. It's as much as I want to see him."

"You'll come, then?"

She closed her eyes as she hesitated. "Yes," she whispered, opening her eyes again.

"Thank you," Remus said softly.

"I can't believe that you're thanking me," she smiled. "You're the one who's making it possible for me to see the man I was planning to marry again."

Remus looked at her for a long minute. Then he reached across the table to take her hand with one of his; his other hand reached into the pocket of his robes. "You may want this before you come to visit," he said softly, sliding something cool into her palm.

Olivia looked at him curiously, then let her eyes drop to her hand. She gasped as she recognized the diamond engagement ring that Sirius had given her years ago. "How did you find it?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"I summoned it before we left James and Lily's house that day," he said softly.

They were both silent for a moment, remembering that night. They had found out about James and Lily's deaths the day before, and had gone to see the wreckage that had been their houses. Consumed by a grief that literally brought her to her knees, Olivia had flung her engagement ring into the dark house, effectively throwing away her relationship with Sirius. The tears flooded her eyes as she drew a shaky breath.

"When I threw it into the wreckage, I knew that I never wanted to see it again," she said, a tear sliding down her cheek. "I never wanted to see him again. What made you save it for me?"

"I thought that you might change your mind," he whispered.

"And you've kept it ever since that night?"

"Yes. It's yours, Liv. I didn't think you actually wanted to lose it forever."

The tears began in earnest, slipping unheeded down her cheeks. "Thank you, Remus," she said softly. "Thank you so much."

Remus smiled. "You're welcome."

"Is there a point to Kreacher's existence?" Sirius asked as he banished a pile of trash across the attic. "Isn't it supposed to be his job to keep this place clean?"

"Apparently, he didn't deal with the attic," Tonks gasped, wrestling several dangerous-looking instruments into a box. "How is it that your parents were never convicted on some illegal dark object charge?"

"Good connections, I suppose," Sirius said, his frustration evident on his face. "Ugh, I can't take this anymore. Let's take a break."

"I'm all for that," Tonks replied, slamming the lid down on the box in front of her.

"Let's go downstairs and find a snack," Sirius said. "I'm sure there's something we can eat in this house."

They made their way down to the kitchen, which they rummaged through long enough to find pumpkin juice and a box of cookies. They sat down at the table with their snack, and promptly began to complain about Kreacher's lack of effort in maintaining the house.

"Sirius, can I ask you something?" Tonks asked when there was a lull in the conversation after they had exhausted the topic of Kreacher's incompetence.

"Sure," Sirius said easily.

She paused, not sure that she wanted this official confirmation. "Is Remus married?"

Sirius hesitated. "No," he said at last.

"You don't sound very sure of yourself," she said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "And why is it that he wears a wedding ring if he's not married?"

Sirius sighed. "He was married, Dora. His wife died."

Her eyes rounded in surprise. "When?" she whispered.

"Long time ago," Sirius replied. "Harry was still a baby."

"Oh," was all she could think of to say. A million other questions jumped into her mind, but Sirius pushed back his chair and stood to his feet.

"Come on, Tonks," he said. "We're not getting any closer to being done by sitting down here."

She followed him back up to the attic but her mind was miles away, trying to comprehend the idea that Remus was a widower. Sirius's response to her query had left her with more questions than answers. How had his wife died? Had she been older? How long had they been married? Did they have children? If so, where were those children now?

If his wife had died when Harry, who was rapidly approaching his fifteenth birthday, was a baby, then why was he still wearing a wedding ring? Was he still that in love with her? He seemed well adjusted enough, but the wedding band suggested that he was not over her death. What must this woman have been like to win such love and devotion?

Even though her heart ached for Remus and his behavior confused her, she couldn't help the slight feeling of giddiness that came over her. She felt a bit guilty to be so happy to learn that his wife was dead, but there was nothing she could do to change either her feelings or the status of this unknown woman's life. While she never would have wished Remus's wife dead, her long-ago demise meant that he was most definitely available again. Maybe she stood a chance after all.

"We have a lot of details to work out," Remus said. "We can decide some things now, but

we may need to stay in contact all week."

"Okay," Olivia agreed.

"When do you want to start the visit?"

"Well, I can come over after work on Friday," Olivia offered. "I get off at three."

"Okay," Remus agreed. "I can be gone by then. Like I said, I'll stay away for the weekend."

"I want to see you, too," she protested.

He grinned. "No, you don't. You're coming to see Sirius. You can see me any time you want."

"Tell you what," Olivia said, her eyes lighting up. "I have an idea. We've been promising Laura a trip to England all summer and haven't come yet. I'll ask Dana to bring her over on Sunday afternoon. You come back, too, and the five of us will spend the afternoon together. What do you think?"

"I think that's a great idea," Remus said with a smile. "Should we tell Sirius what's going on?"

"No, let's keep it a surprise," Olivia grinned. "That'll be more fun, don't you think?"

Remus smiled. "He's going to be so excited."

Olivia smiled back at him. "I already am."

Tonks was still at Grimmauld Place when Remus came home. She and Sirius were in the living room, engaged in a game of Exploding Snap. Remus watched them from the doorway for a moment before entering the room, smiling at the cousins. It would appear that they had certainly gotten to know one another again quite quickly.

"Hi," he called over the noise of the game.

"Moony!" Sirius said cheerfully. "Tonks tells me you were off on some mysterious mission. Where have you been?"

"I had an appointment with a Healer," he said, using the story he had come up with on his way out of Olivia's house. He knew that a checkup was one thing that Sirius would not pursue. He knew how private Remus was about his health, and he knew that Tonks had not yet been informed about his condition.

"Oh," Sirius said, understanding at once why he would not want to tell Tonks about that. It could lead to awkward questions about his health, which would lead to even more awkward questions about his werewolf status. "Are you still alive, then?"

"So far," Remus said with a smile. "How did the attic project go?"

"God, what a mess," Sirius moaned. "We're not done yet. We stopped after Tonks was attacked by several dark objects."

"Are you all right?" Remus asked with concern.

"I suppose," she said, still obviously disgruntled by the experience. "Now I fully understand why Mum never wanted to have anything to do with her family. No wonder we always spent Christmas with my dad's parents."

"Do you want me to look at you?" Remus asked, still concerned.

Tonks's eyes widened. "Huh?" she said, mentally slapping herself for her inarticulate response.

Remus smiled, realizing how odd his offer must sound. "I've spent a great deal of time studying defense against the dark arts. One of the areas I studied was dark objects. I might be able to help you."

"Oh," she said, still a bit flustered. "All right, then. My hands are still tingling."

"Let's go into the kitchen," Remus said. "We have all our remedies and potion ingredients there."

"All right," Tonks agreed again, standing up to follow him.

Remus paused in the doorway to let Tonks pass ahead of him. Just before he left the room, Sirius caught Remus's eye. He grinned and winked. Remus shook his head, and followed Tonks to the kitchen.

"Right," he said as he entered the room. "Let's take a look at those hands."

Tonks obediently held her hands out to him. He took them in his to examine them, and her breath caught in her throat. His fingers were soft as they gently played across her palms, searching for telltale signs of spell damage. She wanted desperately to curl her fingers around his, but knew that such a reaction could not be explained away as an after-effect of a dark object attack. She stood as still as possible, trying to not act on her impulses.

"What attacked you?" he asked, reaching for his wand.

"A bracelet."

"Be glad it wasn't the whole necklace," Remus grinned. He muttered a spell under his breath as he waved his wand over her hands. "Better?" he asked.

"Much," she smiled, flexing her hands experimentally. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said, feeling oddly deprived now that he no longer held her hands in his. He mentally shook himself. What was he doing, thinking of her that way? Sirius must be getting to me.

"So, you dragged me all the way in here just to do that?" she asked.

"Well, you might have needed some other remedy," Remus said defensively. He glanced at the door. "But I also wanted to tell you about what happened with Olivia."

"I'm guessing it wasn't good," she said. "You didn't tell Sirius where you'd been."

Remus grinned broadly. "That's because Olivia wants it to be a surprise."

"She's coming?" Tonks gasped.

"Yes," Remus said, still grinning. "It wasn't nearly as hard to convince her as I thought it would be. She said she'd come after work on Friday and stay for the weekend. She's going to talk to Dana about coming on Sunday evening with Laura to see him, too."

"That's awesome!" Tonks said, completely clueless as to who Dana and Laura were.

Remus grinned. "I think so, too."

"So what are you going to do while she's with Sirius? You're not going to stay in the house, are you?"

"No, of course not," he said. "I'm not entirely sure what I'll do." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe I could go to France to stay with Dana and Laura."

"Who are they?" Tonks asked, unable to contain her curiosity at this second reference to the unknown women.

"Dana's another of our group from Hogwarts, and Laura is her daughter – and my goddaughter."

"I didn't know you have a goddaughter!" she grinned.

"Yes," he smiled. "She's fourteen."

She bit her lip. "And you want to stay with them?"

"You don't think it's a good idea?"

"I just don't think you need to go all the way to France for the weekend. If you don't want to be in the house, you could just stay with me."

Remus raised his eyebrows at her, shocked that anyone could be so forward.

"I didn't mean it like that!" she exclaimed, a flush rapidly spreading across her face. "I'm not talking about a slumber party, I just meant that we could spend the weekend together so you can be out of the house! I know the area pretty well, and I could show you around . . . if you like."

"Oh," Remus said, a bit relieved. "Well, that's a great idea."

"You'd like to come?"

"Sure," he agreed. "What do you have in mind for us to do?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll come up with an itinerary and give it to you later in the week," she said at last.

Remus grinned. "All right."

Tonks wanted to offer him a place to sleep, as well, but was afraid of how he would take it. Unable to think of anything to say, she looked down at her hands. "We should probably get back to Sirius before he thinks that you cursed my hands off."

"Now why would he think a thing like that?" Remus teased, ushering her out the door ahead of him. "Do you really think that I'm so violent?"

"No, I don't," she smiled. "But I can't speak for Sirius."

Remus smiled in reply, knowing that no one ever could.