Hello again, I hope all are enjoying. R&R if you like, it'd make my day :)
For Remus Lupin, there had been seven first days of school at Hogwarts. Today, would make his eighth. And it was just as eventful as the first seventh had been. He had fallen asleep on the train, only to wake and find a dementor attacking none other than Harry Potter. Well, at first, Remus had sworn it was James who was passed out on the floor. But one glance at those green eyes he realized that it was not his old friend but in fact, his son. Who had picked up some interesting friends in his first two years at Hogwarts. Harry had been accompanied by a girl and a boy. The boy was rather tall and had bright red hair, and Remus suspected he was a Weasley. The girl had bushy brown hair and an air of intelligence about her. Based on their reactions after the dementor incident, Remus could tell that they were good, loyal friends to Harry. He made a mental note to ask Dumbledore more about Harry's friends when he had a free moment.
Remus had made his way to his quarters, recognizing the classroom he had spent many long hours in as a boy. How happy he had been back then, going on wild adventures with the Marauders, his only friends. He walked through the classroom to his rooms, which had already been furnished and his belongings put away. He immediately set about to making a pot of tea. A sense of nostalgia swept over him as he remembered his first Defense Against the Dark Arts class his seventh year. The professor had broken them up into pairs, partners for the rest of term. He had been paired with Lily Evans and behind them were Sirius and James. Peter hadn't made high enough marks to be accepted into the N.E.W.T. level class. He could hear James and Sirius scheming behind him and based on the look on Lily's face, so could she.
"Will those two ever grow up?"
"Not a chance in the world."
As it turned out, James did grow up, because only a few months later, Lily finally gave into his pursuits. Sirius on the other hand, well, he would always be a child at heart. He sighed as he remembered his lost best friends, and a sort of melencholy took over. He was the only Marauder at Hogwarts.
He was quickly broken out of his thoughts by a knock at the door.
"Excuse me. I was told that this is where I could find the professor who saved Harry Potter from the dementor attack on the Hogwarts Express. I'm an Auror in training and I've been sent to collect your official statement on the events."
He looked up and saw a familiar face standing in his doorway. Nymphadora Tonks, in plain black Ministry regulation Robes stood in front of him, her hair a short pink. She had a sheet of parchment in one hand and a magical recording quil in the other. She stumbled through the doorway and looked up at him.
"Remus?"
"Nymphadora"
"Its Tonks, please."
"Of course."
She blushed. If her memory was correct, the last time she had seen this man, she had cried unashamedly in front of him. Tonks was not one to be seen as weak.
"Listen Remus, about the last time we saw each other..."
"Think nothing of it, we all have our days."
There was a silence between them, though not uncomfortable. She took in her surroundings, remembering her own days in Hogwarts, which weren't too long ago.
"I didn't know you were teaching this year."
"I myself wasn't aware until mid summer. Dumbledore can be very persuasive when he sets his mind to it. Can I offer you some tea?"
"That would be lovely."
Remus summoned two cups and poured tea into each. He handed her a cup and gestured to a chair, indicating that she should sit. He sat in a chair across from her.
"Now, why do you need a statement?"
"The incident has been reported to the Ministry of Magic. Its dangerous to have the Dementors in such close proximity to the school, though we do believe the protection is necessary. One of Dumbledore's conditions in allowing the Dementors to occupy the grounds was that any incidents had to be recorded. If there are too many incidents such as this, the Dementors will be removed. "
"Sounds fair enough. Dumbledore is a smart man."
"That he is Remus, though their presence is quite unnecessary."
"How so?"
"You know my feelings on the situation."
"Ah yes, that I do."
"Well, I would like to get home at a decent hour, might I have your statement?"
Remus gave her his statement, describing in detail everything that had happened on the Hogwarts Express. They both finished their tea, and Remus sent away their cups with a flick of his wand.
They sat in silence for several minutes as she packed the parchment and quil away in her bag. He had studied her carefully during their interview. Her questions were specific and detailed and although the quil was doing all the work for her, she had listened attentively to his description. Before she had told him she was an Auror in training. Some quick math determined that she must almost be complete, and must at this point be an apprentice.
"So, Nymphadora, are you apprenticing with anyone? I know the final stage of Auror training involves an apprenticeship."
"Its Tonks, and yes in fact I am. I was lucky enough to draw Alastor Moody as my trainer. He's a great Auror, and has an endless knowledge of the field."
"Ah, Alastor. He's a good man, he was a friend of my father's in fact. Its good to see that he's passing his knowledge to the younger generation."
"Well, I best be going, thank you for the tea, Remus."
"Anytime Nymphadora
"Tonks."
"Of course."
He smiled. It was obvious that her given name irritated her, and he wondered how much longer he could get away with using it.
"Remus."
"Yes?"
"Any news on my cousin?"
This was the question he knew would come up at some point, but was dreading. He had made his own inquireries, asking a few old friends if they had heard from Sirius. Dumbledore hadn't any leads on his whereabouts, and still hadn't been convinced of his innocence.
"Not yet Nymphadora, but I'll be sure to keep you posted."
He noticed that this time, she didn't comment on his use of her given name.
"Please do, Remus. He's the only family I have, and if I can prove his innnocence, well it'd just mean the world to me."
Her eyes shone as she said this. He knew she meant her statement with all her heart, and wanted nothing more than for her favorite cousin to be free again. And for some reason, he wanted for nothing more either. Obviously, he wanted his best friend proven innocent and freed, but the root of his disire was more than that. His want increased simply because she wanted the same thing. He felt a strange pull towards the girl standing across from him. Like he wanted nothing more than to make her happy. It was a curious feeling and that worried him. He shook his head to clear it, trying to keep those thoughts out of his mind.
"Remus?"
Her voice pulled him out of his musings. Apparently he had been with his thoughts for several minutes.
"I apologize."
"It's all right, I'll just be going now."
"Of course, of course. Let me walk you out."
He walked her to the door, again promised to keep her informed and bade her goodnight. He waited until she had walked far enough down the hall that he could no longer see her to close the door and re turn to his rooms. His previous thoughts confused him. What exactly was he feeling for his friend's young cousin? Friendship, obviously. But the strong desire to make her happy frightened him, it was something he had never felt before.