A/N: Just as a heads up, I'm back at school. So, I won't be able to update as frequently – I'll probably post a new chapter once a week. I'd love to give you a more definite schedule, but, as of right now, I'm not sure how far I'm going to have to stretch my time. Hopefully, I'll know more when I post the next chapter.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you like this rather transitional chapter.

I don't own the Potter universe.

Seeking Solutions

It was several days before Tonks plucked up the courage to tell Kingsley what had happened with Remus. She finally decided that, as her best friend, he needed to know. She invited him over for breakfast, and spilled out the whole story.

"Well?" she said upon reaching the end of her tale. "What do you think?"

He sighed. "You poor girl," he said. "How long have you been shouldering this without me?"

"A week."

He shook his head. "You're not dealing, are you?"

"How can I?" she asked, tears gathering in her eyes. "I feel as though my heart is in a million pieces, and I don't have the faintest idea how to start picking them up, let alone how to put them back together."

Kingsley pulled her close, hugging her to his chest. "I'm sorry, love. I'm so, so sorry."

And, even though she had been certain that she didn't have any tears left to cry, Tonks found herself sobbing on Kingsley's shoulder. She wasn't sure if the tears were healing or not, but she did know that being locked in his strong arms was comforting.

When she finally stopped crying, she pulled back to look at him.

"I'm sorry, King. I just keep dumping so much on you, and you're such a rock and a good friend and –"

"Stop," he smiled, putting a finger over her lips. "You're babbling."

"I guess so."

"Look, Tonks, don't feel bad about dumping this on me. I'd do the same to you if the situation were reversed – and I know you'd be there for me."

"Yeah," she agreed.

"So," he said, "do you want to pick this whole thing apart? Should we go over everything and try to figure out what Remus really meant by what he said?"

She shrugged. "What is there to pick apart? It's all very clear. Remus doesn't want me. He thinks that the fact that he's a werewolf means that we can't be together. And, really, King, if he thinks that I'm that shallow, maybe he's right."

Kingsley looked at her with complete compassion, shocked by this first negative reaction to anything Remus had said. "Do you really believe that?" he asked quietly.

"I don't believe that his condition has anything to do with us being together," she said.

"But …?"

"But, how can I fight this? How can I convince him that he's wrong? It just doesn't seem possible."

"You're going to give up?" he whispered.

"What choice do I have?" Tears filled her eyes. "Why do I have to love someone so much, when he wants nothing to do with me?"

Kingsley didn't reply; he merely hugged her again. And once again, Tonks collapsed in his arms, crying out all her heartbreak.

scene break

"So, what's on your agenda for today?" Remus asked as he and Olivia had breakfast together.

"Fighting the forces of evil, as always," she grinned. "I'm patrolling Muggle London."

"Sounds like fun."

"Sound like a challenge, you mean," she said. "I hate doing this. It's so hard to try to blend in while the Muggles all look at me like I'm some sort of psycho to be feared."

Remus gave her a teasing grin. "Do you think the robes might have something to do with it?"

"Maybe," Olivia laughed. "Or maybe they just don't like the way we stare at them like they're hiding something."

"That could be it," Remus laughed.

She sighed. "With all that's happening around here, you'd think I'd get to stay closer to home. But, then again, Amelia and Emmeline were killed in Muggle London, so maybe there's something to be said for being there."

Remus cleared his throat. "Will you see Tonks?"

"Yes, we're patrolling together. I'll ask her about talking to Laura." She shot him a glance. "And, if you'd like, I can ask about you."

His face turned bright red. "That's quite unnecessary."

Olivia laughed. "I knew you'd say that. I just like making you blush."

Remus laughed with her and shook his head. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Yes, yes, I'm leaving. I'll see you tonight."

"Bye."

Olivia Disapparated, only to reappear in the Ministry. She caught sight of Tonks walking toward the lifts, and hurried to catch up with her.

"Tonks!" she yelled. "Hey, Tonks!"

Tonks turned and gave Olivia a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Hi, Olivia."

"Good morning," Olivia said, stepping onto the lift with her.

She did her best to hide her surprise at the sight of her coworker. She had not seen Tonks since before Remus had left her, and was shocked by the change. Her hair was a mousy shade of brown that Olivia remembered seeing on Andromeda, and her face was incredibly pale. Dark circles beneath her eyes spoke of the nights sleep had eluded her.

Olivia realized that she was obviously staring, and tried to look her in the eye to start a conversation. When her eyes met Tonks's unmorphed, sorrowful eyes, she sucked in her breath. She had no idea that Tonks and Sirius had the same eyes. She finally fully understood why Remus had said that looking into Harry's eyes for the first time nearly knocked him flat. Looking at her, seeing Sirius's eyes on her face, was incredibly emotional.

"Are you all right?" Tonks asked.

"Yes," Olivia managed. "I'm sorry … your eyes …"

Tonks didn't seem perturbed by her observation. "Black eyes," she said. "It's a family trait. I'm sure you can understand why I normally change them."

"Yes," Olivia said slowly. "I just never realized … you and Sirius have the same eyes."

"Oh," Tonks said. "Right. I didn't know that you didn't know."

Olivia shook her head.

"Does it bother you?" Tonks asked quietly.

"No," Olivia said honestly. "It was just a bit of a shock at first, that's all."

Tonks nodded. "I can understand that."

"So, we're working together today," Olivia said, seeking a different topic of conversation.

"Right," Tonks said. The doors of the lift opened. "Shall we get our paperwork, then?"

"Sure."

They walked down the hall together, calling hello to the Aurors they passed.

"Liv!" Stephanie called, popping her head out of her office. "Lunch tomorrow?"

"I can't do tomorrow," Olivia said regretfully. "The day after?"

"Perfect. See you!"

Tonks looked at her. "You're having lunch with Stephanie Webster?"

"Yes," Olivia replied. "Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just surprising," Tonks said. "She's very no-nonsense. She's not usually one to socialize."

"Ah," Olivia said. "That would be a result of our training. Steph and I trained with Moody and Frank Longbottom. They pretty much preached the job over the social life." She smiled. "But, we still became friends. You're always fairly bonded to the people you train with and start as first-year Aurors with."

"Yeah, you're right," Tonks said as she scooped up the forms they needed for their shift. "Here, we need all of these."

Olivia took the pieces of parchment from her colleague and put them in her bag. She saw someone walking down the hall and looked up to see her brother.

"Hi, John!" she said with a bright smile.

He did not smile, but merely nodded to her and Tonks. "Good morning."

Olivia stared after him as he continued on to his office. Tonks looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Well, that was awkward."

Olivia shook her head. "I don't know what his problem is. He's been terribly cold to me ever since I got back."

"Maybe he doesn't want to be accused of playing favorites."

Olivia shrugged. "We have more important things to worry about than John. Come on, let's get to Muggle London."

scene break

Remus had just finished cleaning up from breakfast when he heard a knock on the door. Picking up his wand, he walked through to the entrance to the flat.

"Who is it?" he called.

"Molly Weasley."

Smiling, Remus dropped his wand and opened the door. "Hi, Molly."

"Hello, dear," she smiled as she entered. "I just wanted to bring you a house-warming gift."

"You didn't need to do that!" Remus exclaimed, taking the covered dish that she offered.

"I wanted to," she smiled. "Is Olivia home?"

"No, she's at work," Remus replied. He smiled sheepishly. "I'm afraid I'm something of a 'househusband' right now."

Molly looked at him in surprise. "I thought you were just flatmates …?"

"Oh, we are," Remus said quickly. "I just meant that, as I'm not working or on a mission right now, I'm the one taking care of the house."

"I see," Molly smiled.

"Can you stay for a bit? Can I get you a drink?"

"No, dear, I don't want to leave the children alone for too long. I just wanted to bring that to you, and to invite you and Olivia over for lunch."

Remus smiled. "When would you like us to come?"

"How's the day after tomorrow?"

"Perfect for me," Remus grinned. "I don't know what Olivia has planned though. So, for now, let's leave it that I'll be there for sure, and Liv is a definite maybe."

She smiled. "That's fine. I should warn you, it won't be like the dinner experience we had the other day."

"How so?"

"It'll just be the four who are still at Hogwarts, you and I," she said. "Arthur, the older boys and Fleur will all be at work."

Remus nodded. "Sounds lovely."

"Good," Molly smiled. "I'll see you then, Remus."

"Thanks, Molly," Remus smiled, "both for the invitation and for the gift."

She waved her hand. "It was nothing."

As she left the flat to go back home, Remus reflected on her words. He knew that people often received gifts when they moved into a new house, and that it wasn't unusual for friends to have friends over for meals. Even so, this was something he had never really experienced. Aside from Dana and Olivia, he didn't know anyone to invite him over for dinner, or to bring him gifts. And the three of them had been friends for so long, the formalities were long-since forgotten. Even when they had first graduated from Hogwarts, things had always been different among their group. They were, and always had been, more like family than anything else.

He had never had a friend like Molly. He wondered if she would ever know exactly how much her kindness meant to him.

scene break

When patrolling Muggle London, Ministry Aurors always dressed as Muggles. Today, Olivia was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt. Tonks sported flared jeans and a t-shirt. Both girls had their wands tucked inside the jackets they wore.

"Tonks, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure," Tonks replied. She smiled a small smile. "But, remember, just because you ask doesn't mean I'll agree."

Olivia laughed. "Noted."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"Right." Olivia paused and tried to organize her thoughts. "You remember Dana and Laura, right?"

"Of course," Tonks nodded. "How's their new house?"

"Oh, they love the house. That's not the problem."

"There's a problem?"

"Yes. Laura's boyfriend came to visit a few days ago."

Tonks grinned. "Mum hates him, doesn't she?"

"She would hate anyone who dated her daughter," Olivia laughed. "That's just a given. The problem is, she walked in on them snogging on Laura's bed."

Tonks laughed for the first time that day. "That must have been completely humiliating for all involved parties!"

"Yeah, it was," Olivia replied. "And now, Dana is completely convinced that Laura is shagging Pierre."

"Why doesn't she just ask her?"

"Would you tell your mother who you're sleeping with?"

"Fair point."

"This is the favor part … would you talk to Laura?"

"You want me to find out if she's shagging her boyfriend?"

"If you would. I know it's awkward and awful of me to ask, but Dana is really completely a wreck over this, and this was the only way I could think of to help her. If I tried to talk to Laura, she'd know I was a spy for her mother. I'd never get any information out of her. And Remus … well, no fifteen-year-old girl is confessing the secrets of her love life to the man she's always known as a father figure."

"Right," Tonks agreed. She looked thoughtful. "She just wants to know about Laura's physical relationship with her boyfriend?"

"Well, pretty much."

"There's more?"

"Not that I know of right now."

Tonks bit her lip. "Doesn't this seem a bit underhanded to you?"

"Yes," Olivia said without hesitation. "It's terribly underhanded. But, unfortunately, Dana and Laura have a rather rocky relationship right now. I know she should probably try to work though it, but she's in full panic mode. She doesn't know what to do, and she's not going to be happy until she knows what's going on with Laura. And, to be honest, Laura probably needs a confidante. All her friends are still in France, and I don't know how much they write to one another. I don't think it's going to hurt anyone for you to talk to her."

Tonks nodded slowly. "I'll do it," she said. "I don't think it will be too awkward. Unlike you, I haven't known her since birth, so she probably won't look at me as 'Mum's friend.'" She bit her lip. "There's just one thing, Liv …"

"What?"

"You said that you want to do this to put Dana's mind to rest, right? To convince her that Laura's not the promiscuous little girl she fears she might be?"

"Right."

"Well … what if she tells me that she is sleeping with him? What then?"

Olivia smiled. "Then I want to be there when you tell Dana. I want to see if her head will actually explode."

"I'm being serious!" Tonks exclaimed.

Olivia sighed. "We'll deal with that when it happens. For now, focus on getting Laura to spill all her secrets."

Tonks nodded. "I'll figure out when I can see her, and send her an owl."

Olivia nodded. "Thanks, Tonks. It really means a lot that you're doing this."

"I'm glad I can help."

scene break

Kingsley laughed at a humorous story in his magazine and flipped the page. He hated to admit it, but he had become completely addicted to Muggle magazines. He blamed Jean, the secretary he had saved from the "rabid owl" early in his career with the Prime Minister. She adored the magazines, particularly the ones featuring celebrity gossip, and always brought them to work. Kingsley now found himself seeking them out on his own and reading them during his free time.

He turned another page to see a group of people dancing the "Macarena." He was sure the picture would have had more impact in a wizarding magazine – he would have been able to see the actual dance, rather than this shot of one motion.

"I need to learn that dance," he muttered to himself. "I'll see if Tonks will teach me. She has to know it by now."

He sighed as he thought of Tonks. He wondered if she did know the dance – or even that the Spanish flamenco group had finally managed to find a hit song with the "Macarena." Ever since Remus had walked out of her life, she had become a shell of her former self.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He put the magazine on the coffee table, and went to answer the door.

"Who's there?" he asked.

"Andromeda Tonks."

Surprised, Kingsley opened the door. "Hi, Andromeda. How are you?"

"Fine, Kingsley," she smiled as she stepped in. "You?"

"Never better."

"Have you seen Nymphadora?" she asked without preamble.

"No," he frowned. "Is she missing?"

"No," she said slowly. "I just thought I might find her with you."

At first, Andromeda seemed to merely be on the hunt for her daughter. Once seated at the table with butterbeers, however, the real reason for Andromeda's visit came out.

"Kingsley, I'm worried about Dora."

Kingsley raised his eyebrows. The nickname was enough to show exactly how concerned Andromeda was. She always refused to call her daughter by anything but her full name – with the exception of times of great stress or sorrow.

"Have you seen her recently?" she asked, taking his expression for confusion.

"Yes," Kingsley admitted, putting his drink on the table.

"She looks a wreck!" Andromeda exclaimed. "I don't mean her natural appearance, of course. I've always thought she looks the most beautiful when she doesn't alter anything. It's the circles under her eyes, the paleness of her face, the sorrow in her very soul – they terrify me." She looked down then up again. "My daughter is falling apart, and I don't even know why. I don't know what's happened to tear her up like this. And, if I don't know what's broken, how will I know what to fix?"

Kingsley sighed. "I don't know how much I can tell you without breaking confidence," he said slowly.

"I don't want you to break your word to her," she said quickly. "I would never ask that."

He nodded and thought for a moment. "She's had her heart broken," he said at last.

Andromeda's eyes opened wide. "I didn't even know she was dating anyone."

"Well … it was a complicated situation."

She frowned. "Okay," she said slowly. "You've talked to her about it, haven't you?"

"Of course."

"Is she dealing with it all right?"

Kingsley smiled sadly. "You've seen her. What do you think?"

Sorrow filled Andromeda's eyes. "My poor baby."

"I think she'll be all right in the end," Kingsley said slowly. "She's not one to sink completely under something like this."

"Have you tried to help her? To cheer her up? To make her all right again?"

"I've tried, but, Andromeda, right now, I just don't have the power to do any of that."

She sighed and bit her lip. "Has she seen Remus recently?"

"I – I don't think so."

"Maybe he could talk to her," she mused. "Sirius really brought those two together. They've become great friends. I know she just loves him."

Kingsley remained silent, not sure what to say to that.

Andromeda looked at him closely for a moment, her eyes widening. "Kingsley … did something happen between Nymphadora and Remus?"

"I really can't tell you anything other than what I already have," he said. "You'd do better to talk to her yourself."

"I'd love to," she said simply. "I just have no idea where to find her. If you see her, could you please tell her that I'm looking for her?"

"Of course."

Relief passed over her eyes. "Thank you."

scene break

Olivia walked into her flat after work to the delicious aroma of dinner. She smiled as she entered the kitchen, where Remus was setting the table.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," he replied, looking up with a smile. "I didn't hear you come in."

"What are you making us for dinner?"

"The better question would be: What did Molly Weasley make us for dinner?"

"She's here?" she asked in confusion.

Remus shook his head. "She came over this morning with this stew. It's our housewarming gift."

"Oh, that's so sweet!" Olivia exclaimed. "She didn't have to do that!"

Remus smiled. "I know. She's the best. Oh, and she invited us over for lunch the day after tomorrow."

Olivia's face lit up then fell. "I can't go. I promised Stephanie that I'd have lunch with her that day."

"I'm sure Molly will understand."

She nodded. "Normally, I'd ask Steph to reschedule, but I really want to talk to her."

"Oh?"

"I want to know how the other Aurors feel about John," she said. "Because, personally, I haven't been impressed. I'm sure the others feel the same way I do, but, obviously, no one's going to say anything to me."

"And you think that Stephanie will?"

"Of course." She tested the stew, then carried it to the table. "Oh, and Tonks agreed to talk to Laura."

Remus's head snapped up. "She did?"

"Yes. She was a bit concerned about the underhandedness of the whole thing, but I managed to convince her that it would be fine."

"When is she talking to her?"

"She didn't give me a definite day. She just said that she'd contact Laura."

scene break

Laura,

I know it's been awhile since the last time I saw you, but I haven't forgotten our shared love of the Weird Sisters. I'd love for you to come over for a bit to listen to their newest album and see my new place. What do you say? Can you make it on Saturday afternoon?

Please let me know if you can come. I can't wait to see you!

Tonks

"Mum!"

"What?" Dana exclaimed, emerging from the kitchen to see her daughter running toward her, waving a piece of parchment.

"Can I go to Tonks's house on Saturday?"

"Tonks's house on Saturday?" Dana repeated, her initial confusion at the question giving way to understanding.

"Yeah. Do you remember Uncle Remus's friend, Tonks? We met her the night we got here. She had the cool shirt on."

"Yes, I know who she is," Dana smiled. "Sirius's cousin."

"Right. Well, she invited me over on Saturday. Can I go?"

"Sure," Dana smiled.

"Thanks!" Laura exclaimed, giving Dana a smile – a rare occurrence since Pierre's fateful visit.

"You're welcome."

Laura skipped out of the room to choose the perfect robes to wear for her Saturday visit. Once she was gone, Dana breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, perhaps she could learn the truth about what was going on in her daughter's life.

She just hoped that the truth was what she wanted it to be.