Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Fourteen

True Feelings

Jade sat in her cubicle next to Tonks' cubicle, she was scribbling away at a paper she had been asked to finish. Though it took most Auror's years to complete their training it had taken Jade just a matter of months. Her trainers were surprised at how well and how quickly she learned, but they didn't know it was her determination that got her though so fast. Her quill whipped across the page as she easily finished the report, she dropped her quill and her eyes fell on a pile of unopened letters on her desk. The letters were from Fred, Tonks often called her stubborn because no matter how hard she tried, she could never convince Jade to open them.

Jade leaned back in her chair, which squeaked in protest and placed her face in her hands. Tonks stood up and looked over the wall that divided their cubicles, she folded her arms on top, and then rested her head upon them. Today her hair was long and purple; she blinked and smiled a little.

"Jade when are you going to open those?" she asked again. Jade moved her hands and looked at her cousin with an annoyed sort of face.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not." She dropped her hands by her side and stared up at the ceiling.

"Why are you being so foolish? We both know you love him." She looked down at Jade with a kind look on her face. Jade looked back at her.

"That's just it. I have no doubt that Snape told Voldemort that his 'heir' has survived. I'm sure Voldemort is searching for me as we speak. If I allow myself to love Fred, he will be the first one Voldemort will go after." Jade explained, she hadn't expected Tonks to ask that question but she answered it nonetheless.

Tonks gave her a sympathetic look and then she sighed, "You are foolish."

A memo paper landed on Jade's pile of unopened letters, she grabbed it, and opened it reading the message. With a sigh, she pulled the chopstick holding her hair up out and her curtain of long black hair fell down. Jade ran her fingers through her hair for a moment, and then she took a hair tie and tied her hair into a low ponytail.

"They sending you somewhere?" Tonks asked curiously.

"Afraid so. There's been a disturbance in Diagon Alley and they want me to check it out before they can clear it up." Jade said snatching up her wand from her desk and walking out of the office.

Tonks watched the doorway for a moment, then she looked to her right and said to thin air, "There, you happy now?"

Fred Weasley appeared out of nowhere, and he looked at Tonks, his eyes quizzical.

"I suppose so." He murmured. "I can't believe that was why she didn't want to see or speak to each other anymore."

"That just shows she cares." Grunted Moody who had walked up his every other step clunking. "I was wondering what you were doing here Weasley. I suppose you were the one to bring him in?" He looked at Tonks who grinned at him.

"Well I owe the kid a lot, well I owe his dad a lot anyways."

"What do you mean?" Fred asked folding up the invisibility cloak he was holding and placing it on Tonks's desk.

"A couple of months back when Bill got attacked, you father helped the man I love allow himself to love me, even though he thought he was dangerous." Tonks said blushing slightly and taking a seat in her chair.

"You mean Lupin." Fred said.

"How did you know?" Tonks asked in utter surprise.

"I saw you two holding hands at Dumbledore's funeral."

"Yes well. I told Lupin that I didn't care if he was dangerous, or if he put me into danger because I loved him." She grinned and then held up her left hand. "And to be honest I'm glad I spoke up and that your father told him not to be so foolish."

Fred grinned as his eye caught the diamond ring on her left ring finger. "When are you going to have the marriage?"

"We haven't decided yet." She stretched and then leaned back in her chair. "Anyways you had better leave before Jade returns or the head of the office catches you here."

"I suppose you are right." Fred smiled at Tonks then headed for the door. "Thanks, Tonks."

Tonks watched as Fred left then she looked up at Moody whose magical eye was still on the door Fred had just disappeared through while his normal eye was fixed on her.

"Do ya, think I did the right thing?"

"We will have to see." Moody said.

XXX

Days later Jade was lying with her arms on her desk and she was half asleep. She had been working so hard for the past few days that she hadn't been able to sleep and she had completely forgotten it was her nineteenth birthday today. Jade sat up and shook her head, she would wait until later to go home and get some sleep, right now she needed to be alert in case something happened and she was needed.

Jade pulled a book off of one of her shelves, she opened it and she started to read. Soon she became so immersed in the book she didn't even realize that almost all of her fellow Aurors had gathered behind her, Tonks holding a birthday cake. Tonks' hair was long, curly, and green in color.

"Happy Birthday!" Everyone shouted suddenly. Jade jumped and then clutched at her upper left arm. The wounds from Greyback were almost fully healed, but they still caused her a great deal of pain.

"Sorry." Tonks muttered hurriedly. "I forgot that those wounds still caused you pain."

"Nah, it's alright, trust me it could have hurt worse." She smiled at the Aurors around her. "I can't believe I didn't hear you sneak up on me. Especially you."

Tonks grinned at her. "For once my clumsiness didn't get the better of me."

Jade grinned back at her cousin who placed the birthday cake on her desk, while the rest of the Aurors smiled around her. She leaned back her chair and it squeaked in protest, Jade's right eye twitched and then she said,

"That's it, I'm fixing this now." She pulled her wand out from under a pile of papers on her desk, leaned over and tapped the bottom of the chair, then Jade leaned back in the chair once more, and this time the chair was silent.

"Was it annoying you that much?" Moody asked.

"Unfortunately so." Jade replied looking over at her cousin who was once again looking at the small pile of unopened letters.

"Why are you so stubborn?" Tonks asked softly turning her head so that her long green curls bounced and so that she gave Jade a gently stare.

Jade blinked slowly and averted her gaze so that she stared at an old tattered picture of her parents on her desk. She shut her eyes for a moment, sighed and then opened them once more.

"I've already told you, I can't risk putting him in danger because Voldemort is hunting me. It's just luck that he hasn't found me already." She shook her head and stood up to face everyone. "No matter how hard I tray I just can't allow him to be in danger because of me."

"And what if I don't care?" The group of Aurors separated into two separate groups forming a walkway that led right to Fred.

"Fred I can't do it. I don't want to loose you." Jade said her eyes starting to burn with the effort of trying not to cry.

Fred started to slowly walk closer to her and as he did he spoke softly, but even through the softness you could hear the love in his voice.

"Jade, I'm standing here, I have everything to loose. All I can say for sure is that I never want to see the end. Please I'm reaching out to you, just open up your heart and let me back in." Fred stood in front of her gently he lifted his left hand and brushed some of Jade's hair out of her face with the very tips of his fingers.

Softly tears started to roll down Jade's cheeks, she didn't know what to say, but instead she looked up and caught his eyes. Jade stared unable to take her eyes away from Fred's loving ones and she whispered,

"Is there anyway I can get you to forgive me?"

"There is one way." Fred whispered back.

"What?"

"Just answer this question." Fred took a step back his right hand went into his right pocked and he pulled something out that Jade could not see for he had it hidden in his hand. Then Fred got down on one knee and showed her a ring box, he opened it showing a three stone, princess cut diamond ring sitting in it's cushion and he asked, "Will you marry me?"

Jade gasped and her hands flew to her mouth, she was lost for words, but she managed to nod her head tears streaming down her face.

"Yes!" Fred took the ring out of the box and gently placed it on her ring finger on her left hand, then he stood up once again he and Jade caught each other's eyes and just like the time they were in Madame Puddifoots they drew closer, but this time their lips gently touched, and there was a cheer from everyone around them.