A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Your support means so much to me.

I don't own the Harry Potter universe.

Bridges

Miraculously, Olivia arrived home without splinching herself. She gave a scream of frustration as she looked around her living room. When no answering sound met her ears, she realized that Remus was not yet home from the Weasleys' party.

"Just as well," she muttered to herself. "I don't think I could even think straight to talk to him right now."

She could not remember the last time she had been so angry. Her emotions bubbled over as she remembered all that had been said during dinner. Her brother had insulted her, and he had insulted Tonks …

She sat down hard on the couch, knowing that it was his suggestion that Tonks could not do her job that bothered her the most. Tonks was exceptionally capable – and it wasn't as though John was doing such a stellar job in his own position.

But, beyond her skill as an Auror, Tonks was Sirius's cousin. She was Andromeda's daughter. Tonks and Andromeda were the only two members of Sirius's family that he had had any love or affection for, and that alone was enough to make Olivia adore them both. She would not allow her brother to demean Tonks as he had.

But … what if they had been more than idle comments? What if John had meant what he said? He had already shown that he had no qualms about separating teams and reassigning those that he felt to be ineffective. With all that Tonks was suffering over her rather melodramatic relationship with Remus, Olivia did not have any idea how she would survive losing the position that she loved.

She had to help Tonks. She knew that much. And, she also knew what would make Tonks happy – happier than she had been in a long time.

The only question that remained was how to convince Remus to make it happen.

Remus had already finished breakfast and was sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea and reading the Daily Prophet when Olivia made her appearance the next morning. He smiled as she walked into the kitchen, wrapped in a warm robe with her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"Good morning, sunshine."

She scowled at him. "You're happy. I take it the Weasleys put on a good show for Christmas?"

"Well, aren't we chipper this morning?" he smiled. "Did the family event go as well as you had hoped?"

She bit her lip as she sat down at the table. "I sort of ruined dinner."

Remus put the teacup he had just lifted to his lips back down on the table. "What?"

She had the decency to blush. "I blew up at John."

"Why?" Remus asked the simple question with a look of pure confusion. Olivia and her brother generally got along fairly well. "Did he bring up something about Sirius?"

"Indirectly," she sighed. "My dad was the one who mentioned him."

"What did he say?"

"Just something about how I should move on, now that I'm finally free of him."

"Ridiculous," Remus said dismissively, his expression disgusted. "So, that sort of set the tone, then?"

"In my head, yes. But, what John said was completely unrelated."

"Will you tell me about it?"

She sighed again. "Obviously, he's heard about what happened to Katie Bell during the last Hogsmeade weekend."

Remus nodded.

"Well, he said that it might be time to reevaluate the team we have at Hogwarts. Basically, he wants to remove Tonks from her position leading the mission and, I think, to reassign us all in different locations."

"But, you all work so well together! And, you said that Tonks was doing a great job of managing the mission!"

"We do. She is. And that's what I told him."

"But, he disagreed?"

"Of course." She bit her lip. "He insulted Tonks, Remus. She's Sirius's cousin. He was insulting Sirius by extension. I couldn't let that happen."

"Sweetheart, I really don't think he was trying to insult Sirius –"

"I know," she interrupted. "I've had the night to think about it, and I know that he didn't realize how much what he was saying would upset me. I know that he probably didn't make the connection between Tonks and Sirius. I know … I know that I probably shouldn't have said the things that I said."

"What did you say?"

"I … um … I told him that he's ruining the department. I told him that I'm not the only one who thinks so. I told him that he's got us into such a mess that he'll never figure out how to get us out of it."

"You what?" Remus exclaimed. "I thought you didn't want to tell him about that! I thought you wanted to make sure that he never found out how the others feel!"

"I know," she moaned. "I just sort of lost my head! Like I said, I wasn't exactly at my most rational." She ran her hands over her face. "I feel awful about what happened, Remus. I have to make this right."

"I think you know how to do that," Remus said quietly.

She nodded. "I have to go talk to him. I have to apologize. I have to explain that I was upset."

"Exactly."

She looked at him for a moment. "But, you need to do something, too."

"What? I didn't insult anyone at the Weasleys'."

"I know," she smiled. "But, you need to go see Tonks."

His eyes opened wide. He knew that he and Tonks were becoming friends again, but the idea of seeing her was just too much. "Why?"

She sighed, reading the reluctance to face Tonks in his eyes. "She misses you, Remus. She's your friend, too, you know. You've seen all your other friends since you've been home. She deserves a visit, too."

"You're right, of course," Remus murmured, thinking that he would rather avoid what was likely to be an awkward situation.

"And, this is a good time to see her, since school's out," Olivia added.

"You're right," Remus said again.

"Remus," she said, reaching across the table to touch his hand, "if I have to go apologize to John, you can certainly face visiting a friend."

He smiled weakly. "Yeah, I know."

"Good. Then, here's what we'll do. We'll stay home and procrastinate until lunch. We'll have lunch together, then we'll both leave to face our potentially uncomfortable visits. Agreed?"

Remus smiled, knowing that there was no fighting her. "Agreed."

Laura sighed as she rolled onto her back on her bed. Her thoughts were a confused mess – the same confused mess that had kept her from sleeping the night before.

She knew that she had deserved her mother's tirade. She knew that she had been nearly impossible to live with since coming home for the holidays. She knew that she had been acting the part of the spoiled brat.

But, it didn't make the words hurt any less.

She had been struggling with herself, trying to decide what to do. The fragile peace that she and her mother had declared had carried them through Christmas day, but Laura knew that it would never make it through the time she had left at home. She knew that she needed to talk to her mother – really talk. She needed to make her understand how she felt … and, she was realizing for the first time, she needed to understand how her mother felt as well.

She knew what she needed to do. It was actually doing it that was the challenge.

She rolled back onto her stomach. Maybe she could wait until she had finished reading the assigned chapter in her Potions textbook.

Two hours later, all Laura's homework was done. She no longer had an excuse to put off the inevitable talk with her mother. Sighing, she heaved herself off her bed and slowly made her way downstairs to find her mother – which did not take as nearly long as she had hoped.

"Mum?"

Dana looked up from her case files to see her daughter standing nervously in the doorway to the study. "Yes, darling?"

Laura took this as an invitation to enter; she stepped into the room. "Can we talk?"

Dana's eyebrows shot up. "Of course. Have a seat."

Laura sat down on the couch and faced her mother, folding her hands in her lap. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry," she began. "I've thought about what you said yesterday, and you were right. I have been acting like a spoiled brat, and I shouldn't have taken all my feelings out on you and Grandma."

Dana looked positively shocked. "I … Laura, I know that it took a lot for you to say that. Thank you."

"But, Mum, I want you to understand how I feel, too."

Dana nodded, inviting her to continue.

Laura drew a deep breath. "I know that Pierre and I have broken up, but, for a time, I really cared about him. And, I know how much that upset you. I guess … Mum, I really hate that. I hate that you hated him just because he was my boyfriend. I hate that you can't accept the fact he and I had a relationship." She bit her lip. "I hate the fact that I had to hide our relationship from you."

"Laura," Dana sighed. "Sweetheart, I never, never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. Even if you think that it would upset me or that I'd be angry with you, I want you to know that you can tell me what's going on in your life. You can share your thoughts, your feelings …" she gave a wry smile, "and even the names of your boyfriends."

Laura looked confused. "You've always seemed like you didn't want to know things like that."

"Why wouldn't I? I know that you're old enough to have a boyfriend."

"What?" Laura exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. "That's certainly not how you've been acting all this time! Ever since I first told you about Pierre –"

"Stop," Dana said, holding up a hand. "Sit down."

Laura sat back down and looked at her mother mutinously.

"Laura, I will readily admit that I hated the idea of you having a boyfriend at first. Even at the end, I didn't like to think of you being old enough to date." She smiled a bittersweet smile. "You're my little girl, and, in some ways, it's hard for me to realize how grown up you've become." She reached across to touch Laura's cheek. "You're an intelligent, talented, beautiful girl, and I know that you probably have boys begging you to date them all the time. I hope that I've managed to teach you enough to help you choose the right one."

"You have, Mum," Laura whispered.

Dana smiled. "If there's one thing that I've realized, it's that my friends and Grandma are all wise people. And, they've all, in their own ways, helped me to see how much I trust you. I do trust you, Laura. I know that the one you choose to give your heart to is incredibly lucky – and I know that I'll love him."

Laura smiled. "Well, that's no one right now."

"And, that's fine, too," Dana said. "As long as you're happy, love, that's all that matters to me. Whether you're dating anyone or not is truly irrelevant."

"Good."

"But, we need a few ground rules," Dana cautioned.

Laura rolled her eyes. "And I thought we were doing so well."

"We are," Dana smiled. "First, you need to let me know when you start dating someone. I don't want all details of your relationship – I don't need to know his shoe size – but a name would be nice."

"Done," Laura smiled.

"And, second, I'd like you to show some restraint and self-control. I can't control what you do when you're away from home, but there will be no snogging … or anything else … when you're in my house. Agreed?"

Laura's eyes widened, wondering how her mother could end her list of physical limitations like that. "Agreed."

Dana smiled, knowing what was going through her head. "Laura, I trust you," she said firmly. "You know how I feel about physical relationships and all that I've tried to teach you. You're a bright girl, and you have a good head on your shoulders. I know that you'll make the right decisions."

"I'll try, Mum," Laura said earnestly, meaning it more than she had meant anything in a long time. "I'll do my best. I want you to be proud of me."

"Oh, sweetheart," Dana smiled, "I already am."

Olivia and Remus had never spent so long eating lunch. They both knew what they were doing and they both knew that they should stop stalling, but neither of them made a move to do so. Finally, they knew there was no way they could possibly take any more time with their meal.

"I guess this is it," Olivia said as they finally put all the clean dishes, which had been washed the Muggle way, back into the cupboard. "We have to face the music."

Remus looked her sympathetically. "I think you probably have it harder than me."

"Damn straight, I do," Olivia laughed. "I don't know what you're so worried about."

"Yes, you do," Remus said quietly.

"Fair enough," she sighed. "All right, Remus, we have to do this. We'll meet back here tonight to do the post mortem."

"Right," he agreed. "Good luck."

"To you, too."

With that, she Disapparated, going straight to her brother's office.

John was sitting at his desk when his sister appeared in his office. He dropped his quill and jumped a mile at the sight of her.

"Good grief, Liv!" he exclaimed. "Don't you believe in knocking?"

"Not when I have something this important to say," she replied. She glanced at his closed door. "Is that locked?"

John shook his head. "Why would it be?"

"We don't want to be overheard," she said, aiming her wand at the door to seal out unwanted visitors.

John tensed up. "Have you come to continue on about what an awful Head I am?"

"Oh, John," she sighed, sitting down across his desk from him. "I've come to apologize. I never should have said the things that I did. I was just angry that you were insulting my team, and most importantly, that you were insulting Tonks. She works so hard and she's done such a good job – I was terrified that you would take her away." She bit her lip. "I'm so sorry, John. I never meant to hurt you. I was completely out of line. If there was a way to take it all back, I would."

He looked out the window for a long minute, then looked back at his sister. "I wouldn't."

"You wouldn't what?" she asked in confusion.

"I wouldn't take it back," he said quietly. "How can I fault you for being right? How can I fault you for telling the truth?"

"John," she said, but he waved her silent.

"I know what they're saying in the department, Livie. I know what our performance ratings are. I know what our effectiveness ratings are." He looked down, then back up. "I know that I don't have a clue how to improve any of it."

"John," she said again, "you don't have to be so hard on yourself." She smiled slightly. "That's what you have me for."

He refused to smile back; his eyes only reflected pain and disappointment. "Liv, ever since I started Auror training, I've idolized Moody. I always wanted to be like him. I always wanted his approval. Even getting married was a bit hard for me, because I know how he feels about Aurors having personal lives."

She frowned. "What does Moody have to do with this?"

"Moody recommended me for this position," John admitted. "He told Scrimgeour that I'd be a good leader, that I was beyond qualified, that I was the natural choice … Moody is the reason that I became Head. And, I've let him down, Livie. I've completely disappointed him."

"John," Olivia said firmly, "has Moody told you that you've disappointed him?"

"He doesn't need to," John said miserably. "I know that he expected more of me than this."

"Did he tell you what he expected of you?"

"I don't think that he expected me to ruin the department as I have."

"Maybe," Olivia admitted. "But, I don't think that he expected you to be perfect from your first day, either. We all make mistakes, John. Even Moody."

"We don't have time to make mistakes!" John exclaimed. "Not now! Not when we're in the middle of a war!"

"Moody said during training that mistakes are acceptable as long as you learn from them," Olivia said.

"I'm not a trainee anymore."

"And," Olivia continued as if he had not spoken, "I seem to remember you telling me that to do the same thing repeatedly and to expect different results is a sign of insanity."

John smiled, thinking of their childhood. "That's only because you would always try to punch my face when you were far too short to reach."

"But, don't you think that applies here?" Olivia asked. "You split up the teams once. You reassigned everyone once. Did it work?"

"Sort of," John mumbled.

"If it wasn't successful, why would you do it again? Learn from your mistake, John. Don't be insane about it. Try a different approach. Maybe something else will work better."

John sighed and ran his hands over his face. "I'm in over my head, Liv."

"No, you're not," she said firmly. "You're just overwhelmed, that's all. You can do this. You can still save the department."

"I can't do this alone."

"Well, will they let you appoint assistants?" Olivia suggested. "Pick a few senior Aurors, or maybe even retired Aurors, and have them work as your advisors."

"Actually …"

"What?"

He gave her a hesitant smile. "I have someone in mind already."

"Great," she said. "Who is it?"

He paused. "You."

Olivia's eyes opened wide as her jaw dropped. "Me?"

"Yes, you," John replied, smiling. "Livie, you're one of the most talented Aurors this department has. I know that I should use you in the field. I know that you're far better suited to guarding Hogwarts than to doing deskwork, but I'm asking you to consider doing it for me. I'm asking you to considering working in the office with me to help me dig this department out of the hole I've sunk it into."

She looked at him with wide eyes. Only one question came to mind; she couldn't stop herself from asking it. "Will I still be able to do fieldwork?"

"Yes," John said. "I won't need you in the office every day; I'd hope that I could put you back completely into the field after a few months. I just …" The broken look came into his eyes again. "I don't know what to do, Liv. I trust you and I know that with your talent, you'd be able to run this department. I'm just asking that you share a bit of your ability with me. Will you? Please?"

Looking into her older brother's tortured eyes, knowing how difficult it was for him to admit all this to her, to ask for her help, she knew there was only one answer she could give.

"Yes. I'll help you. I'll do anything I can."

His facial features relaxed with relief. "Thank you, Livie. Thank you so much."

Remus stood outside Tonks's front door for at least five minutes before working up the courage to knock. Finally, he rapped his knuckles against the wood. He felt immediate regret, then shame. Why was he so terrified to face her? They were friends. Friends were supposed to want to see one another.

"Who is it?"

"It's Remus, Tonks," he called through the door.

There was a moment's hesitation, then the door slowly opened. Tonks's fingers gripped the door as though it were the only thing holding her up. Remus looked at her with compassion, taking in the pale face, the thin frame, the mousy hair that had been pulled back from her face. Her pale eyes were huge in her thin face; they looked at him with questions.

"Remus," she almost whispered. "I – I didn't expect to see you."

"Yeah," Remus said awkwardly. "Look, Tonks, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch, but –"

"Don't worry about it," she said quickly. "Come in, please."

She opened the door wider, and Remus stepped into her flat. She led him into the living room; Remus was surprised to see that she had rearranged the furniture since his last visit.

"You've changed your set up," he commented.

"Yeah," she said. "I get bored with the furniture about three times a year and have to move it all. Thank goodness for magic, right?"

"Of course," Remus said. He had barely heard the words; he found himself lost in the depths of her eyes. Without meaning to, without even realizing he was doing it, he stepped closer to her.

"How have you been?" she asked, slowly moving to sit down on the couch.

"Okay, I guess," he said, sitting down next to her. "You?"

She smiled wryly. "I've been chasing after teenagers. You should know all about that."

"Do you like them?"

"Of course," she said.

They both fell silent, each lost in the other's eyes. Remus knew this was wrong. He knew they needed to stop. He knew he needed to break this eye contact.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't make himself stop. So, he acted on his only other impulse.

He kissed her.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. He put his hands on her cheeks and pressed his lips against hers with a primal hunger that she responded to instantly. Her hands went to his shoulders, trying to pull him closer as her tongue tangled with his. He responded to her need, moving his hands to her waist to bring her closer to him. Neither of them knew how it happened, but Tonks found her way to his lap; she sat facing him with one knee on either side of him.

Tonks moaned as his hands ran down her entire back, coming to rest on her bottom, and his lips moved to kiss her neck. She tangled her hands in his hair, then slid them down the length of his torso. She rocked her hips back and forth against him, eliciting a moan from him.

"Tonks," he moaned against her hair, clutching her to him, kissing her neck.

"Please, Remus," she moaned, rocking against him. "Please."

He covered her lips with his again. She broke the kiss, trailing her lips down his chin and neck. His hands moved from her back to her front. After touching her for a moment, he tipped her chin up so that she was facing him again. She looked at him with lust, yes, but with a love that he could not deny, a love that he was sure was reflected in his own eyes. Swallowing hard, he kissed her again, knowing that it would be for the last time.

"Tonks, we need to stop," he said once the kiss was broken.

"What?" she said a bit hazily.

"We need to stop," he repeated.

She looked at him for a moment. "You can't tell me you don't want this as much as I do," she said in a whisper, rocking her hips against his to emphasis her point. "I know you want me."

"I do," he whispered.

"Then why are you stopping us?"

"Because it isn't fair to either of us," he said miserably. "Tonks, you know how I feel about this. You know that I don't think we can be together. If … Tonks, I will not do that to you. I will not use you like that and just walk away. It's not right and I won't do it."

"Will you stop being so bloody noble?" she cried, jumping off his lap. "Dammit, Remus! If this is what we both want, why stop us? Why can't we have a relationship?"

"You know how I feel," he said, standing up to look her in the eye. "I'm too old for you, I don't have any money, I'm a bloody werewolf …"

"Well, in case you missed it, I'm not really too concerned with any of those things," she spat. "I don't see why you insist upon creating all these obstacles to our happiness!"

"Tonks, it just wouldn't work," he argued. "We're too different."

"You're too stubborn," she countered.

"I could say the same about you."

"Then maybe we're not all that different."

"Cute. Excellent job of trapping me with my own words."

Tonks sighed. "Remus, for the love of God, please just kiss me again."

He looked at her with tortured eyes. "And, what exactly is there to be gained from that?"

She shrugged. "Physical pleasure."

"Tonks …"

"Remus, please," she begged. "I know nothing will come of this. I know we'll never have a real relationship. I even know that we're not going to shag. I just … God, Remus, I just want you to kiss me, to touch me, to love me, even if it's just for a few minutes."

He stepped closer to her, hating himself for what he was about to do. He put his hands on her waist and bent his head to kiss her.

This kiss, in sharp contrast to their previous kiss, was sweet and gentle. After several moments, Remus pulled back to look at her. Tears stood in her eyes.

"I do love you," he whispered.

Her tears spilled over as a sob escaped.

"But, that's why I have to leave." He kissed her one last time.

He stepped back from her to Disapparate. His last sight before he disappeared was of Tonks, standing in the middle of her living room with tears streaming down her face. He hated himself for making her cry yet again, but there was no way to fix it. What was done was done.