Author's Note:
So for this chapter, I was trying to steer a bit into character development, mostly in Tonks as I mentioned how she and her cousin used to be troublemakers in school. And well...tried...I'm not sure if I did a bad job or a good job. Also, notice that Remus is getting really sick...hmm -_- Anyways, do give me pointers, constructive criticism is always helpful and we writers savor in reviews haha xD Thanks for reading!
Oh also, well I've been on for a while, and there's still this one thing I don't know. Um...please don't laugh haha but what are C2s? I see them on my stats page but I have no idea what they are. Can someone please tell me? Thank you so much! ^_^
Chapter 15 – Too Used to Your Skeptical Eyes
Feeling like a third year who was bored out of her mind, Tonks sat still at her seat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She was quiet as Remus sat back at his desk, grading papers while the students were to read up on the precautions of a cursed object. To her left was Hermione Granger, her hairy poofy and a lovely shade of brown, her eyes scanning the book intently, making out every single detail from every word to every letter. It was typical Hermione. To her left was her cousin Alexis, lying under the concealment of the Ghost necklace while keeping a watch over the Marauder's Map Remus had given to her to look for Pettigrew. She seemed to be asleep and Tonks just hoped that Pettigrew didn't suddenly appear anywhere they could easily catch him and have that chance missed by her sleeping cousin. Tonks discreetly looked up towards the front of the room. Remus seemed drawn into his grading. Though he didn't show any emotions, just the look in his eyes alone, she could tell he was enjoying it. He was the first man she ever met who loved teaching that much.
As for Tonks, she turned back to her book and glared at it as if it was the one thing responsible for everything that was wrong or troublesome with her life. Seeing that she wasn't going to gain anything from glaring at the book, Tonks allowed her eyes to wander. Ironically, those dark green eyes of hers fell back on Remus. She looked at his gentle face closely, how he seemed tired and ill from the fast approaching full moon. He'd taken his second dose of the wolfsbane potion the night before and Tonks had to applaud him for not throwing it back up. She noticed his hair wasn't as grey as before, and could only conclude that perhaps Sirius' reappearance in the man's life was doing some good. However, Remus seemed a sickly pale, like he was running a quiet and invisible fever, despite his stress being lowered. She wondered what was wrong as she looked closer. Remus' paleness and shaky hands were odd.
She was suddenly startled when Remus rubbed the back of his neck and all in one motion, also turned to look up at her. Whether it was by chance or not, his eyes suddenly connected with hers and Tonks felt herself blush uncontrollably. Their gaze lingered for more than a few seconds and Tonks felt her heartbeat and body temperature rise at the same time. Remus' eyes were a soft blue and Tonks wondered what color her eyes were. A few seconds passed and Tonks broke free from their quiet spell. Her eyes darted away from him and she quickly turned her head back to her book just as Remus' eyes snapped back to his papers, not daring to look up again. Tonks felt flustered and her cheeks were burning. From her right she heard a soft snicker escape from her cousin's smirk and knew that Alexis wasn't asleep. In fact, she was very awake, so awake that she even caught the discreet flutter of a shy professor and a clumsy auror who were completely smitten by each other but refuse to believe it.
"He feels the same way about you, you know," Alexis whispered even though no one beside Tonks could hear her. "You don't have to be embarrassed."
Tonks was careful to shoot her cousin a discreet scowl as she couldn't straight out stand up and slap the witch across her arm, no matter how much she deserved it. "Don't get your hopes up," she thought to herself. "Lexi always does this in school, she teases you."
"Take another look. The professor is blushing as mad as you are," Lexi spoke again, shifting to a sitting position from where she was on the bookshelf.
She couldn't help herself when her curious eyes glanced up again. Tonks looked up slowly and she caught his lips first, his lips that would quirk into a kind and gentle smile at times, and then a happy wolfish grin at times, and a mischievous smirk at times. Tonks' heart sped up. Then her eyes fell on his eyes again, and her heart almost stopped and ruptured when she realized that he was looking back.
Instinctively, Tonks turned away sharply just as Remus had done the same. She heard her cousin outright laugh from her place on the bookshelf and Tonks had never been more tempted her in life than to hex the bumbling witch into next week, seriously.
"Never listen to Alexis Black," Tonks thought to herself, fighting back the sweet temptation of hexing or slapping or killing her cousin.
And finally, the bell rang. Tonks had never been more relieved to hear that bell sound, not even on the last day of her seventh year when she thought that would be the last time she'll ever hear the bells of Hogwarts. Well that thought had obviously gone down the toilet. "Saved by the bell," Tonks sighed under her breath as she gathered her stuff in a hurry and got up.
"Nymph…Tonks can I please speak with you after class?" Remus spoke in a voice shakier than normal and Tonks felt her books drop back down to her desk with a loud thud.
"Not," Tonks thought as she openly gave Alexis a death glare. "Of course professor."
With Hermione being the last to leave, the door closed behind her and Alexis took off her Ghost necklace in a heartbeat, still smirking at Tonks with her signature Black smirk. Tonks growled at her cousin and made her way over to Remus, allowing her morph to slip back to her normal twenty-one year-old auror state. She always preferred to speak with him as her adult self rather than seem more like a child in his eyes.
"Oh I better be going," Alexis suddenly spoke which made Tonks turn her head sharply. "I promised Fred and George that I'd meet them on the seventh floor to help them find out what exactly is wrong with one of their inventions," she smirked. Alexis had to resist not to wink at Tonks, knowing that the auror and the professor would then be left alone. "And I think I'll pay Padfoot a visit tonight so I won't be seeing you later." Her smirk widened into a very mischievous grin. In fact, her grin was so mischievous that Tonks made note to worry. "And I didn't see Pettigrew anywhere we could get to him on the map. He's hiding around at Hagrid's hut and Hagrid has been in there the entire time, doing who knows what," she finished, handing Remus the Marauder's Map. "See you," she winked at her cousin and disappeared out the door quicker than Tonks ever could manage.
"Lexi could pass as an auror in stealth," she thought to herself. "So Remus uh…what did you need to speak with me about?"
"I just finished this book I borrowed from you a while ago and thought I'd give it back," he smiled wanly as he handed her back a book titled Gone too Far. "Oh and I found some of your comments inside to be rather amusing and reassuring," he smiled.
At his words, Tonks openly blushed. Her blush appeared so quickly that she wasn't even able to hide it or lower its redness with her morphing. She clearly remembered that while reading that book, she was sure to make note her opinions on werewolves, especially mentioning a certain kind and gentle werewolf professor who was her good friend. Said professor obviously saw these little comments, and though he took amusement and reassurance from them, Tonks still found it embarrassing that some of those comments had been seen by him.
"Oh um…did you enjoy it?" she asked, completely flustered by him.
"Yes, quite. It gave a very realistic and true representation of werewolves and you were right, it wasn't as biased as most other works on what I am," Remus replied, looking at her eyes with question. He wondered if he was doing something to make her act that way. She seemed more reserved than normal. He wondered if he was making her uncomfortable because she downright looked about to explode with embarrassment or something. "Uh is something wrong?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing," she replied a little too quickly. "What made you think something is wrong?" she asked, feigning complete innocence. "Of course something is bloody wrong. For a reason that I'm afraid to admit to without putting all logical thoughts aside, I am now unable to look at you without blushing! And Lexi is just having a swell time with this all!"
"I don't know you seem kind of…uncomfortable around me. Tonks if the fact that I'm a werewolf is catching up on you there's nothing wrong about it."
She was so tempted to roll her eyes. "Oh you're not going there again," she sighed. "Honestly, was he really thinking that? That after everything we've been through I'd still be wary of him being a werewolf?" Tonks' fingers were subconsciously on his knuckles as she spoke. "Like I said, when I first saw you as a werewolf I was completely surprised. But after everything we've been through Remus, I don't care that you're a werewolf. For god's sake I've seen you as a wolf twice!" she spoke with emphasis on the fact that she doesn't care.
"Alright," Remus nodded, feeling a strange feeling of happiness when she reassured him that she simply didn't care about his lycanthropy. His heart danced again, and Remus made sure to hide any blush he had behind his smile. "I guess I'd better let you go to dinner now."
"Actually I think I'll do a round of my own patrolling. I want to pay Hagrid a visit to see if I can get anything on Pettigrew," she replied, calming herself down.
"Ok, please be careful. You never know what you might find on Hogwarts' grounds," Remus nodded and tried a muster a smile.
She grinned a very broad grin and turned around to leave. Her pale, heart-shaped face, her brilliant grin, her dark green eyes, made Remus' heart leap at that moment and there he was, mentally scolding himself yet again. "It's nothing. She doesn't feel the same way about you so just keep quiet and save yourself the embarrassment. You are just friends and it'd be selfish to ask for any more than friendship from such a promising young woman."
Really, Tonks was getting fed up with it all. She held the locator tight in her hands, rolling her eyes as she trailed around Hagrid's hut, establishing that the rat had to be inside and from what she could see through the sleeping Hagrid's window, he had to have been hiding in one of those clay jars sitting beside the settee. Tonks rolled her eyes. Why did Hagrid have to sleep right beside the window? Normally she could just accio the bloody jar over, grab the rat, and then hold it in triumph that she finally caught the lying traitor, but now, life just had to be so bloody difficult. Tonks had to resist from huffing as she never knew how deep of a sleeper Hagrid is and was worried she'd wake him up.
"Great, standing here, staring at it, and I could do absolutely nothing," she thought, her eyes glaring at the set of jars. "I'm an auror for Merlin's sake. If Mad-Eye knows that I've been made a sitting duck because of something stupid like this, he'd have my head and scold the living daylights out of me!"
The half giant sleeping by the window let out a great big snore that shocked Tonks and pulled her out from her thoughts. She sighed slowly, scared, thinking that Hagrid had woken up. She had forgotten to take the Ghost necklace from Alexis and she couldn't ever disillusion herself so quickly.
"No use standing around here. Maybe I'll give it a try. Wigardium Leviosa," she thought as she took her wand out and casted it carefully.
First Tonks decided to try the jar that was deep violet. She levitated it carefully, edging it towards the window with as much coordination as she could muster. After a few very slow seconds, the jar made it to the window, and she had to spend another few very slow seconds to get it carefully pass the sleeping Hagrid without dropping it on his head. When the jar landed in her hands, she felt a surge of relief.
Tonks opened the lid and her sighed turned into a frown.
"Nothing. Dammit," she cursed, setting down to the ground and prepared to try another. Tonks would levitate everything out of Hagrid's hut if she had to just to find that rat.
The next jar was of a puke-like green color, the second out of the three jars lying on the table. Tonks knew it had to either be this one or the last tan colored one, but she hoped it would be this one. She didn't know how long she could stand carefully levitating a jar above a sleeping half giant's head without messing anything up. The jar was coming over slowly and it crossed the center of the room when something suddenly startled her.
"Nymphadora," a cold and dry voice called, but didn't sneer.
"Don't. Call me. Nymphadora!" Tonks snapped instinctively but her surprised had caused her to drop the jar. "Bloody hell!" Tonks cursed again, loudly. She jumped when she heard another snore from Hagrid and covered her mouth. "Bloody hell. I could have just broken into his house without him even noticing!" Tonks thought and wanted to kill herself when she'd wasted such a perfect chance to catch the stupid rat.
"What are you doing sneaking around Hagrid's hut? If I didn't know better I'd say you were up to something," Snape spoke as she turned around to face him, her heart beating fast with the same thrill and excitement she had for breaking the rules and not getting caught as a kid.
Tonks wanted to scoff and roll her eyes. If Alexis was there, her bumbling cousin would have beaten her to it already. When they were younger, whenever Snape would catch them in the middle of some prank, he'd say almost the exact same thing. Suddenly Tonks felt four or five years younger and she felt a strong desire to stick her tongue out and run away from the dreary potions master, something she would have done in a heartbeat had it been a few years back.
"I'm rat hunting," Tonks replied, impressed with herself by how conversational and calm her tone was. "Lexi you've got some competition in this field," she wanted to smirk to herself.
"Really?" Snape replied, his voice somehow not as offensive as it had always been. "And it just so happens that you're not on your proper patrol route, sneaking around in secrecy and all. You are up to something and I'm going to find out," he spoke with solid determination in his eyes. For a moment, Tonks thought he already knew.
"But if Snape knows, why is he feigning innocence? The slime ball would turn me in the first chance he gets. He's Severus Snape, hater of Tonks, all Blacks who aren't Death Eaters, and basically anything and everything else that isn't a Slytherin."
"What are you staring at me for?" Snape asked and for that moment, Tonks thought his voice sounded normal, not frankly speaking, Snape-ish.
"Nothing. Well what are you going to do professor now that you've caught me sneaking around?" she asked, trying hard to imitate Lexi's dryness and succeeding quite well.
"Rest assured that if you were still one of my students, I'd have given you a month's worth of detention without a second thought. But seeing that you aren't…there's nothing I can do. Just don't get yourself ruined because of something stupid or I'd be laughing and calling you a complete and ignorant fool."
"Snape laughing…now I'm rather tempted to get myself ruined and see what happens. And was he just giving me a simple warning based off of worry? Bloody hell," Tonks had to put on a face that Alexis referred to as her auror mask, where she hid all emotions in the field of work, to prevent herself from smirking and raising an eyebrow at Snape. "Thank you professor, I'll take that to mind," Tonks replied.
"Now get back to the castle because adult or not, no one should be sneaking around outside the grounds at this time of night," Snape spoke and Tonks was still amused that she kept seeing a human expression on his face that night instead of his usual dry and Snape-ish looks.
"Will do. But before I go, professor. Would you help Sirius if he wasn't a complete and utter git?" she asked, needing to give it a try. She'd never seen a human expression on Snape and maybe tonight would be the night a miracle would happen. After all, Tonks had just gotten pass a sleeping half giant even after she shattered a jar and cursed very loudly.
Severus Snape didn't speak for a long while as he looked at her. Tonks almost thought that he hadn't heard her and she was about to ask again until he suddenly spoke. In a dry and very Snape-ish voice masking an underlying emotion inside, Tonks found some hope in his words. "If by some miracle you and your cousin Alexis could prove to me that Black isn't an arrogant and ignorant fool who revels in the humiliation and embarrassment of others, then perhaps I would give it a second thought," Snape replied, and with that he turned away from her and walked away briskly, his black cloak billowing beside him as he glided in that same, Snape-ish manner that no one could ever imitate.
He took slow but wide strides away from the pink haired auror that had once been a pink haired little brat barely able to pass his N.E.W.T. class. He was sure she would have failed if it had not been the help of her rebellious but rather brilliant cousin and various methods for driving the knowledge of how to properly brew a potion into any minds. Even Severus Snape had to admit, for those who were considered blood traitors of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, they really stuck tight together. He saw more of a sisterly bond between Alexis and Nymphadora than he saw between Bella and Cissy. And then there was Nymphadora and Alexis' sheer determination to prove their cousin's innocence, even if it meant sacrificing their job and possibly freedom to do so for him. Snape scoffed to himself. A man like Sirius Black didn't deserve cousins or rather family like that. But surely if the rebellious and stubborn, bull headed troublemaking duo of their time was willing to risk so much for a man, he couldn't be all bad…
"Stop it Severus. You're doubting yourself again. Black is nothing but an impudent, ignorant bastard who doesn't deserve your help, especially after what he'd done to you in school." A more logical and grudge bearing side of Severus Snape spoke to him. And Snape allowed his thoughts to settle at that with hopeful finality.
Back inside the castle, Tonks barely got pass the entrance hall when she was suddenly startled by Mad-Eye. He'd been waiting for her in the Entrance Hall, hiding out under the many shadows casted from the statues and columns during that odd time of day. When the gruff, grizzly hand of his grabbed her shoulder's, Tonks immediately turned around and nearly stabbed his only human eye with her hand. But Mad-Eye didn't flinch. Instead he seemed to be growling at her. Tonks wondered what was putting her old mentor so off as she pocketed her wand.
"You can be awfully sneaky I'll give you that," Mad-Eye suddenly spoke roughly.
She didn't even have to act. Tonks was completely bemused. "What? What are you talking about?" she asked, noticing that his gruff hand was still on her shoulder.
"Where did you come from?"
"I was just checking out the school grounds when Lexi's locator went off."
"The locator was set to look for Black?" Moody asked and it was then that Tonks spotted suspicion in his eye and tone of voice.
"Yeah, I don't know how to bloody set it," she replied, being completely honest at that.
She heard him grunt and grumble something under his breath. The only part she actually caught and could make out into a word was the word bullheaded. "And where is Alexis? Why is her locator with you?"
That was almost too easy. Tonks and Alexis have both been in various sticky situations before during their times at school and how to react the right way and have their act match up almost came as a second nature to her. "Lexi said something about going to help the twins with a prank and I heard she had to go buy something at Hogsmeade," Tonks replied innocently, being carefully to mix a part of the truth with a part of the lie.
Moody grumbled again and Tonks knew that her old mentor wasn't going to let her go that easily because unlike Hogwarts school teachers, Mad-Eye Moody was infamous for his paranoia and constant vigilance. Tonks only hoped that whatever happened next, they'd save Sirius from the fate of being caught by Moody, again.
"Come with me," he grunted quickly. "We're having a small meeting with Silvia."
Without questions, Tonks did as followed. She walked beside him, knowing her old mentor too well to be careful to walk in eyesight of him less he got even more paranoid and decided to hex her or something of the sort. Tonks was wary as well, keeping constant vigilance. If she knew Mad-Eye right, when he felt he was onto something, then by any means necessary that something would turn into something useful. She feared he might use Veritaserum on her after all his talk about wanting to use it to simplify the case. And Tonks knew that unlike the Unspeakables, she couldn't resist Veritaserum as easily. After a moment of thinking about what Mad-Eye could be planning to do with her, Tonks felt an urge to laugh and shake her head. He'd taught her well, keeping constant vigilance, even against him.
"Honestly, I knew we shouldn't have put you and Alexis on this mission," Moody grumbled with much more clarity now as they ascended the first floor staircase. "But somehow both Scrimgeour and Dumbledore think that you two would be beneficial to the job. Well I see no benefits except having to babysit two reckless troublemakers," he continued, and Tonks felt herself smirk. Being called a reckless troublemaker by McGonagall made her feel clever for outwitting the woman. Being called a reckless troublemaker by Snape made her feel rebellious towards the man. But being called a reckless troublemaker by Mad-Eye made her feel outright proud that she could be giving the legendary auror that much trouble.
"You know, I feel rather proud that Lexi and I are this much trouble to you."
"Wipe that grin off your face," he snapped. "You're in serious trouble now."
"I kinda figured that when you stopped me by the door and began grumbling," Tonks spoke. She was smirking slightly as he led her into what she knew was an empty classroom. Inside the room, she noticed that it was bear except for a few old desks and chairs, a scratched up completely unusable chalkboard, and several empty bookshelves collecting dust with an encyclopedia volume here and there, spider webs feasting upon their cover.
"Hey Tonksie, get busted too?" Alexis Black smirked from where she sat on the settee beside Silvia in the far corner of the room. Tonks almost had to get a double take when Alexis' voice and smirk were identical to the ones they wore back in school, whenever they got caught.
"Yep, whatcha here for?" Tonks replied casually, smirking at the glint of amusement in her cousin's eyes. "Oh wait, I'm guessing same thing I am?"
"Stop playing around. We have no time for your little reminiscent of the past," Moody growled as Silvia straightened herself and shot Tonks with one of her coldest business stares.
"Tonks we've been tracking you and Alexis for several days," Silvia sighed. "Ever since Augustus Rookwood caught you and Professor Lupin sneaking around in the dungeons, Moody has decided to keep a close tab on you. We've found that you and Alexis are both sneaking around the castle and its grounds, even after your patrol shift. We've also found that you would often leave the castle grounds when Kingsley and Bode spotted you in Hogsmeade once. Somehow you managed to do so without alerting us or the dementors, and then returning back to the castle without so much as a disturbance. Something is up, and we want to know what it is."
She should have known better than to trust Rookwood. He'd tell of course, not directly but he'd still tell. And knowing Mad-Eye, he had an eye for the fine details.
"We're not up to anything we're just sneaking around up to our old tricks," Alexis sighed, sounding annoyed as she crossed her arms. Tonks usually could read Lexi's body language and she knew that soon Mad-Eye and Silvia came to understand as well, but she had to hand it to Lexi, even Tonks was convinced.
"Honestly Mad-Eye, Lexi and I are adults who still wants to have some fun with pranks so we had to pay a visit to Hogsmeade often to buy the stuff for mischief making."
"So why do you often need the Ghost necklace and locator?" Mad-Eye snapped, his eyes turning to Lexi. Tonks held her breath as she remembered Mad-Eye hadn't known about her second locator and she hoped it'd remain that way. "I caught Marrick out on several nights where he didn't have either with him and could only keep vigilance under the name of a prefect."
"Oh sweet Merlin," Tonks thought but Alexis seemed unfazed.
"Kingston," she growled. "I needed the Ghost necklace to escape, why do you think we haven't gotten caught with our pranks?" she smirked.
"And we of course need the locators to find out where people are. Those are nifty little things," Tonks added, improvising and getting back into the feel of her old school days.
"Way to go Tonksie," Lexi thought, having to resist from a large grin at her quick cousin.
"That still doesn't explain why we found you hanging around with Lupin so often lately. You three could be helping Black into the castle," Moody spoke.
"Wow Mad-Eye, I thought you kept vigilance over this. Didn't you know that Tonks kinda fancies the dear old professor? And why would the professor have reasons to sneak Sirius Black into the castle…unless there's something you're not telling us about," Alexis smirked just as Tonks blushed intensified.
Her blush was real and genuine and as a woman, Silvia knew that flustered look the moment it crossed her eyes. Tonks didn't even have to act, and Silvia and Mad-Eye played right into Alexis' hands when they began to believe Tonks. Lexi was careful to bend the truth with the lie and now had turned the questioning back on Mad-Eye and Silvia. Obviously the two senior aurors knew something they thought they didn't, and Tonks didn't let the chance go.
"You know something, don't you Mad-Eye?" Tonks asked.
"No. You better watch yourself Nymphadora. If we find out you're helping a convicted murderer get into the castle to harm the kids, mentee or not, even if you are my own daughter I would catch you and bring you to court," Moody threatened and Tonks knew better than to doubt him. If he had a daughter and she broke the rules, she'd be so buggered.
"I'm not helping a convicted murderer into the castle," Tonks spoke, again bending truth and lie together. "But what are you hiding? You and Silvia know something we don't."
"And I have a pretty good feeling that it's of significant information," Alexis added, continuing their act as the table was now turned on Mad-Eye and Silvia.
Tonks noticed Silvia give Moody a questioning look, her dark eyes on her exotic face framed by dark brown sharp curly hair, the expression on her face was practically screaming yes, yes, yes to all of them. "We should tell them. They're mature and they won't be prejudice."
Moody grunted and Tonks recognized that grunt to be of an unsure manner.
She was so tempted to smirk but for the sake of their act, she had to fake innocence. Tonks knew Alexis was fighting hard not to smirk as for the raven haired woman, her smirk was almost uncontrollable to her. "What are you hiding? What should we be mature and not be prejudice about?" Tonks asked, knowing exactly where the conversation was going.
"Remus Lupin had been friends with Sirius Black," Moody spoke grimly and Tonks feigned a look of pure shock. She was so impressed with herself she wanted to jump. "I knew them both from long before in an organization formed by Dumbledore," he spoke carefully. Obviously Mad-Eye never knew that Sirius was quite open about the Order of the Phoenix to his two favorite cousins. "Lupin and Black were best friends. And…though I trust Lupin, keeping constant vigilance, we aren't ruling out the fact that Lupin is helping Black."
"Now why would Professor Lupin help Sirius Black into the castle? Sure they're friends but after what Black's done, the level-headed professor wouldn't help him," Alexis spoke, crossing her arms, fanning after Tonks' act as the duo played the whole scene out rather nicely.
Tonks was impressed with herself and her cousin. "Note to self: Make a tag team with Lexi and go into acting. Makes big money."
"Because…" Silvia began, but she sighed. "I only found this out quite recently from Moody," she spoke, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Because?" Tonks and Alexis spoke together.
"Remus Lupin is a werewolf," Moody spoke. "I'd hate to sound prejudiced and I'm not judging Lupin, but as a werewolf, there is a chance that he could be helping Black as Black is said to be a follower of Voldemort and werewolves supported him."
"And bingo," Tonks could just picture Alexis smirking as she herself grinned broadly. Though she hated to be mentioned the fact that Remus was after all a werewolf, a dark creature, she had to keep playing on with this fact and use it to aid her and drive suspicion away.
"But that's crazy," Alexis spoke, throwing up her arms. "Remus doesn't seem anything like a werewolf. Are you sure you've got it right?"
Of course Tonks knew Alexis might have known before anyone else when she told Tonks and Remus that during one of her private researches, she came across the list of werewolves in the registry and remembered seeing Remus' name. Tonks had to bite her lips to look nervous as she held back her smirk. And next she planned on playing the card that Alexis seemed to be thinking in her eyes. After going through so much with someone, they came to understand each other, especially during times when they were caught. Tonks saw Alexis stroke her chin with her thumb and recognized it from their old years and well thought out plans during Hogwarts. Alexis then openly gave Tonks a pointed look, making sure that Mad-Eye and Silvia saw them. Tonks followed cue naturally and looked guilty of something.
"You know something," Mad-Eye's ever so vigilant eye caught them, thankfully.
"Tonks?" Lexi spoke accursedly.
And then Silvia knew, because one time Tonks had let it slip to Silvia that she openly worried about Remus, during times of the moon. "Tonks," Silvia began slowly. "You knew Remus is a werewolf, didn't you?"
She didn't even have to fight it. "Yes," she replied softly.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Alexis spoke, sounding crossed.
"Because…I…I promised I'd be his friend and I trusted him," Tonks replied, morphing away her blush and any obvious sign of a rise in temperature. "He wouldn't help Sirius into the castle. He just wouldn't," Tonks continued to speak, channeling some of her fluster correctly.
"Well as long as you're not prejudiced against him," Moody grumbled. "Tonks we need you to keep a close eye on Lupin. Stick close to him. Other than protecting Harry Potter which you're still held for, I want you to do whatever you have to in order to find out what Remus Lupin is up to. If he really isn't helping Black, report to me with evidence."
"And bingo. Now I can still stick around Remus without seeming suspicious and we also completely convinced Silvia and Mad-Eye we were just two innocent young women minding our own business until they told us about Remus being a werewolf. That was supposed to be news. We really would have made it big in acting." Tonks nodded obediently for once. "Ok. And Lexi, sorry," she made an apologetic face.
Unlike Silvia and Mad-Eye who couldn't read Lexi's communication through her eyes, Tonks could. She could see that Alexis was about ready to burst at the seams with laughter from Tonks' apologetic look and she had to commend that her cousin hadn't fallen into fits of hysteria. "It's fine," Alexis replied in a low voice, sounding annoyed as she masked her laughter with a huff.
"Alright, that's enough for tonight. We've established they knew nothing and we actually now just gave them a reason to worry," Silvia sighed.
Mad-Eye grunted but gave up anyways. "Take care and don't be reckless," he told them as he clonked out of the room, his uneven footsteps becoming long and quick strides.
"Really, be careful you two. You're known to be reckless," Silvia reminded them again.
"Silvia, you're not prejudiced of Remus, are you?" Tonks asked.
Silvia gave Lexi a small look of discomfort, thinking the young witch didn't like werewolves. But she still nodded. "No Tonks," Silvia replied. "Remus was my friend and I knew him well enough to say that he's as good a bloke as any. His lycanthropy is just something he has to live with and we shouldn't burden him anymore." She gave them a faint smile and disappeared out the door, closing it after she left.
When they were both alone, Tonks and Alexis faced each other. Tonks was about to speak when Lexi suddenly held a hand up and took out her wand. Tonks noticed Alexis wave her wand in a very complicated pattern as she muttered a very long spell incantation under her breath. After a moment, Tonks felt like something light and feathery had fallen over her head.
"What'd you do?" Tonks asked, looking around to see no change.
"Undetectable silencing and secrecy charms. Knowing your old mentor and his bouts about constant vigilance, he'd be wanting to listen in on what we say afterwards." Alexis smirked. "Unspeakable's honor. Now talk, were we good or what?" she grinned.
"We were so good. I was worried for a moment, wondering if we could still pull off what we pulled in school, but you were great," Tonks replied, grinning broadly.
"Like I'd ever forget our trade," Alexis smirked. "Now come on. Since I'm not the one who fancies the werewolf professor, I'll be the one keeping track of Padfoot and his safety. Mad-Eye and Silvia would be less suspicious of me so I can handle sneaking in and out to make sure Padfoot behaves himself. While you and Remus can continue your little trysts while catching Pettigrew," she smirked.
"Tryst? What? Did Rookwood go and tell everyone everything?"
"Pretty much," Lexi smirked. "He's an Unspeakable but when it comes to something he could legally spread around without losing his mind, he'd make sure everyone knew in a heartbeat. It's rather tempting to reveal a secret when you're forced so keep many for so long," Alexis replied. "And hey, at least now if you come close to getting caught, you could just place yourself on top of Remus and fake that you're busy."
"Alexis Lydia Black!"
"Nope, none of it. Stop calling me by my entire name," she spoke, shaking her head and teasing Tonks. "Now I think you should go tell Remus what's going on. We need to watch ourselves better and honestly keep an eye out for Mad-Eye, old paranoid codger."
"Right away. Be careful Lexi and make sure Padfoot is safe too," Tonks spoke and nodded her head. Alexis too had a keen eye for the fine details, but unlike Mad-Eye, her sense came naturally, not from a very useful but sometimes creepy magical mechanical eye. After Alexis had lifted her seal, Tonks made her way out of the unused classroom and headed up to Remus, non-verbally setting the locator in her pocket to keep an eye out for Mad-Eye in case he decided to be suspicious and follow her.
For some odd reason, Tonks always found herself standing in front of Remus' door, at the oddest of times. It was the middle of the evening and there she was, about to knock. However, as every single day passed them by, her feelings for him grew more and more. Now, as she stood at his door and the realization of being alone with him dawned upon her, Tonks began to feel flustered and nervous. Her heart was racing way too fast to be legal.
Her pale knuckles drummed upon the wood of his door.
"Who is it?" Came a faint voice from inside.
"It's me, Tonks. Can I come in? I've got some news," Tonks spoke.
"The door's open Nymphadora." Instinctively, Tonks wanted to yell at him for calling her by her dreadful first name, but hearing the faintness and softness of his voice, Tonks didn't have the heart to raise her voice at him for one second.
Inside the room, Remus was lying on his long threadbare sofa sloppily, his jumper unbuttoned and his hair a complete mess. Tonks' eyebrows raised slightly, seeing his scarred chest still looking so nice. Tonks' heart raced faster and she felt her body temperature rise rapidly. She had to swallow hard and keep herself calm. He wasn't sweating, but he seemed hot and desperate for some air. His windows were all open, which was odd. It was winter, bloody freezing outside, and there he laid, about to break out in cold sweat.
"Remus, are you alright?" she asked him softly, bending down beside him.
Upon seeing the pale, heart-shaped face with bright bubblegum pink hair enter his vision, Remus' color returned to him significantly. His eyes fell into her dark green eyes and he could feel himself give her a wan smile. Remus wanted to show her more, but he knew he couldn't and there were so many reasons as to why he couldn't.
"Hello Nymphadora," he mustered softly.
Tonks felt worried. Just in class that day, he looked fine. Well ill and a lot paler than normal, even for pre-moon symptoms, but he was still standing. She pushed back his fringe, running her fingers briefly through his soft light brown hair that was flecked with tiny traces of grey. His scar crossed chest moved up and down in steady and even breaths, but the pale and sickly complexion on his face made her worry and edge herself closer. Tonks saw Remus blush and instinctively pulled herself back, wondering if she was making him uncomfortable.
Remus noticed that she pulled herself back from him, trying hard to be discreet, but he paid so much attention to her that discreet was never a subtle word. Remus wondered if he was making Tonks uncomfortable. Perhaps he should talk to her about it, that even though his heart raced for her, he was level-headed enough to know that between them there could only be friendship, simple and gentle friendship.
"Remus how are you feeling? Are you sick? Let me close the windows."
"No, I just feel really hot and those windows are doing some help lowering my body temperature," Remus sighed, managing a wry smile.
"Is it pre-moon symptoms?"
"I believe so. I just took my third batch of wolfsbane and suddenly I felt all hot and panicky," Remus replied, resting one arm over his forehead. "Maybe I'm just feeling under the weather since it is winter after all."
"I think you should close the window," Tonks spoke, beginning to shiver. "You may not realize it but you could catch a cold by leaving them open. And I don't think catching a cold or a fever during transformation would be very smart."
"No, I guess not," Remus sighed and Tonks raised her wand non-verbally to close them.
"Oh and Remus, I came to warn you that Mad-Eye and Silvia had suspected us, but Lexi and I played our old cards and we drove down their suspicion. Though now we have to limit our meetings with Padfoot. Lexi will take care of him while you and I will be searching the castle for Pettigrew. I hope you don't mind."
"I don't, thank you Nymphadora. Be careful though, you two could end up in big trouble and neither Sirius nor I want that," Remus spoke in a velvet soft voice.
"No worries, Lexi and I have had loads of experience with getting out of trouble," Tonks smiled, her smile wan as she looked at Remus' features. He wasn't shaking or anything, but he looked sick and fever-ish. She sat down beside him, engaging in endless small talks as their conversations flowed on and on, endlessly without stop. It always happened to them when they talked, their conversations would just go on and on and on without end. Tonks noticed his soft smile and sensed an even greater softness, kindness, warmth, and appreciation in his eyes. She smiled. Her smile was brighter now and she noticed Remus brighten up significantly. They continued to talk as Tonks kept a close watch over Remus. Perhaps he was just catching a fever, but a fever so close to the moon wasn't a good thing.