July 29, 1995

Kingsley Shacklebolt walked quickly through the halls of the Ministry of Magic, careful to avoid eye contact with other people. While he was normally very friendly to all, he was in a hurry and didn't wish to be stopped, pulled into a conversation about Bert Davies pestilent bunions or Marie Wondevens clingy mother-in-law. Shaking his head in disgust at the thought, he continued his trek, getting into a lift.

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement please."

The lift operator complied without a word and hit two buttons up, four to the left. Shaklebolt sighed as the doors began to close, but they stopped at the insistence of a hand. Justus Pilliwickle smiled and adjusted the glasses on his face while muttering an unintelligible apology with his thick, cockney accent.

"King."

"Justus."

The man had hoped the conversation would end there, but in typical British fashion, Justus decided to use their travel time as a vent session.

"You know what I just 'ate? These new restrictions Fudge an 'is bloody buddies are try'n ta introduce." He leaned uncomfortably close to Kingsley's ear and scoffed. "I 'eard 'e wants ta put government restrictions on ol' 'ogwarts this'n year. Ridiculous, ight'nit?"

Though the Auror did agree with the other man, voicing his opinion was dangerous in the trying times. While Harry Potter claimed Voldemort had returned, the Ministry had been quick to try shunning him from the wizarding world and frame him as a liar. Kingsley knew very little about the boy, but he trusted Albus Dumbledore and if that man said the boy was telling the truth, he was. As well, he'd be lame to admit that the prophecy was convincing enough on its own – even if he didn't know what it was actually about. The fact that there was even one in the first place was evidence to him of truth. While he didn't want to believe the Dark Lord had returned, he couldn't deny that there were already subtle changes going on all around him. The wind grew restless and the sky darker, people were beginning to vanish indicating to Shaklebolt that something evil was stirring.

"I mean, tha' Pott'r boy may be lyin, after all th' Dark Lord 'as been gone for 'ears, but –

"Sorry Justus, but this is my stop. Till another time."

Kingsley thanked Merlin for the sudden stop as he stepped off the lift, tipping his bald head to the operator in thanks. Picking up his pace again, the man entered the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, giving a friendly nod or half smile to those he passed. As he approached the office of Aurors, he gave the man sitting in front of the entrance his wand. After being examined and scanned, he whispered the incantation, "Ego vero, et aperta" with a flourish of his wand and revealed the hidden door.

Once inside, he scanned the office for the familiar head of hair and instantly found her by the sweets stand. Making a beeline for her, he caught her right as she was turning to leave. Looking down, he noticed the girl had two pumpkin pasties, a box of Florean's chocolate delights, and three twizzle ropes hanging out of her mouth. He frowned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Wha?"

One of the multicolored ropes almost dropped so the dark-skinned man put out a hand and shook his head. "Don't talk, just follow."

The woman complied, carefully navigating her way behind the man as he led them to his office. Once there, she took a seat while he placed privacy charms around the room, setting her sweets down on his desk so that she could take the candy out of her mouth.

Kingsley stared at the snacks with contempt as she placed them straight onto his desk but decided arguing about it would be far too much energy. Instead, he let it go, telling himself that a cleaning spell would work just fine after she left.

"So, what's this all about? Have I done something wrong?" The woman looked thoughtful for a moment before her eyes changed to a bright blue color and she looked up at the man in disbelief, putting a hand over her mouth. "Did the boss find out that I knocked over that post stand because I was late to work this morning?" She sighed and threw her head back. "Bloody hell… I know it's the second time this month, but I really am trying to be better!"

"Nymphadora –

The girl stopped her tirade to glare at the man, her hair color turning red in her annoyance.

"Sorry. Tonks." He waited for her to calm down which, after angrily ripping a piece off of her candy, she did. Her hair went back to its typical bubblegum pink shade and she sat patiently, waiting for him to continue. "What are your thoughts on the return of Voldemort?"

She sucked in a breath at that and looked at her mentor in confusion. "I don't understand. We've had this conversation before. I don't believe that the Diggory boy was killed in the maze. Dark magic had corrupted that boy's body; the scan they did at St. Mungos proved that. I do not believe Harry is even capable of that kind magic, all things considered, and I don't know of anyone else evil enough to kill an innocent child."

"Even though you have never met the boy, you would put your life on the line to stand by his claim?"

"Yes. I –

She shook her head, still bewildered by the questioning. "Why are you interrogating me King? Has something happened?"

The man took a long look at the woman he had trained and fought for on many occasions. She had only been an Auror for a little over a year and was outlandish, clumsy, immature at times, and loud-mouthed, but she also was incredibly loyal, intelligent, and kind. He knew her parents, had seen the woman she'd grown to be, and trusted her with his life. It was the main reason she had been his first suggestion when considering new recruits. Looking at her in front of him, with her concerned features and fiery eyes, ready to react at any moment, he knew his choice had been a good one.

"What do you know about the Order of the Phoenix?"

Furrowing her brow, the girl sat back in her seat, relaxing only slightly. "Is this a test?"

"Everything is a test Tonks."

She regarded the man carefully before relaxing completely. "Touché." Grabbing one of her pumpkin pasties, she bit into it before offering the second one to Kingsley. He looked at it closely for a moment before taking it graciously. "You'd think I wanted to poison you or something," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"What was that?"

Tonks' eyes went wide before she brushed off the crumbs from her mouth and attempted to change the subject. "Well, I know that my parents weren't really a part of it, back in the day. My mum was only seventeen when it banded together and then she had me in '72. I think her and my dad were in hiding during that time. My father is a Muggle-born, as you know, and my aunt Bellatrix quickly became a follower of You-Know-Who. I believe that's why they were never involved." Her brow furrowed as she tried to think harder. "Mum always told me it was a secret society, and everyone involved was against the Dark Lord and his followers. Her favorite cousin, Sirius Black, was a member before he was sent to Azkaban." She shook her head. "Sorry, that's about all that I know."

He nodded his head, it was time.

"What would you think if I told you that a group of witches and wizards have come together to form a second Order?"

Tonks eyes flashed the same color of her hair in excitement as she sat up straighter in her chair. "I would say that that's brilliant! I mean, if he really is back, which I do believe to be true, then we need people fighting back. There surely aren't enough Aurors here, and the Ministry is doing bloody nothing about the situation because they're a band of incompetent fools –

Kingsley coughed into his hand, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, um, sorry about that – Ahem – as I was saying though, I think it's a great plan."

Kingsley folded his hands in his lap, trying his best to not appear excited about the next question he posed. "And how would you feel about becoming a part of said Order?"

The witch jumped to her feet, wearing a broad, excited smile. "Can I really?!"

The man nodded. "Dumbledore vouched for you, saying that he remembers you being a fun-loving, impressionable, and wise student. McGonagall claims that you were extremely talented, if not a bit boisterous at times, but extremely trustworthy. Moody swears you're one of the most talented and promising apprentices he's ever had; though if you ask him about it he'll adamantly deny the accusation. And lastly, I suggested you because while you still are young and have much to learn, you're one of the bravest, strongest, most valuable members of my team and I can't imagine a better person fighting by my side."

At that, Tonks let out a fake cry and rushed over to hug the man. "Oh King, you great big lug! I promise you can depend on me."

The man wanted to protest the informal display of affection but couldn't help the smile that came to his face. Tonks was like the daughter, or… annoying but lovable little sister he never had. At once, she let go and went back to sit down, beaming. "I always knew that old bag McGonagall loved me deep down."

"Maybe she'd love you a bit more if you didn't call her an 'old bag'." The woman considered his words and then shrugged, smiling again. "Anyways, we're having a meeting tonight and, if you aren't busy, I would like you to come. There have been some new developments recently that we need to talk about, you can meet all of the members, and you will get an explanation on all of your duties after joining." The girl nodded. "I won't lie Tonks, being in the Order, sometimes there are barely any missions, but other times you will be up to your elbows in work. Especially being an Auror, it is going to be difficult and you will have a lot of long nights."

Tonks guffawed and snorted, waving him off. "Trust me King, I have got nothing on my plate. Have you seen that senior undersecretary woman Umbinge or whatever?"

"Umbridge?"

"Yeah. Her. Whatever. All I know is that she constantly wears pink and Griselda Marchbanks claims that the woman has over one hundred cat plates hanging in her office. Can you imagine what her home looks like?" The witch shuddered. "I do not want to become a crazy cat lady like her, and I obviously have no love life or anything resembling one so…"

Kingsley laughed, unable to stop himself, and shook his head. "Well then, I'm excited for you to be a part of the gang. I think you'll be very interested to meet everybody." She cocked her head at him like a bird. "Let's just say that you might be a little shocked by some members. I will ask that you keep an open mind though, and don't run in, hands swinging."

"Hey, I don't do that." He gave her a stern look. "Anymore…" She sighed. "Fine. I promise that I will keep an open mind and give everyone the chance to explain him or herself before going all - well, 'me' on them."

Shaking his head, Kingsley sighed, silently begging her to behave.

Taking a look at the time on the man's desk, Tonks got up. "Well, I've got a meeting with Knatchbull in ten so I'm going to go get ready for that." She headed towards the door but stopped at the sound of Kingsley's voice.

"Meet me here once work gets done and we can go to the meeting place together."

"Gotcher!"

"Oh, and Tonks, absolute secrecy is needed if you're going to be a part of the Order."

She laughed. "I figured. And anyways, you know I'm amazing at keeping secrets. After all, I've managed to keep my gob shut on yours and Phaedra's happy news." Winking, the woman opened his office door and left, walking proudly down the hall.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Nymphadora Tonks, aged 22, could not believe her luck. When she had left Hogwarts, all she had wanted to do was something good (and slightly reckless if she was being honest). Taking down dark wizards and maintaining peace within the wizarding community seemed like a good arrangement to suit her desires and as soon as she graduated, Tonks began training to be an Auror. It had taken her three years of practice under the close, watchful eyes of Alastor Moody and the direction of Kingsley, but she had done it.

What she found during her first year as a fully-fledged working woman was that something was still missing from her life. Some missions she had been sent on involved dangerous situations, which suited her need for excitement, and she had saved a good number of innocents within her short year… but she wasn't fully content. Sitting at her desk, doing paperwork most of the time and rarely interacting with her co-workers was not what she imagined when she decided to become an Auror. Half of the missions she wasn't even sent on and she didn't get to be in on briefings as she was not considered 'mission essential'. Nymphadora didn't know what was missing from her life, but she hoped with this new adventure, she would soon figure it out.

That afternoon, as she finished off all her work, Tonks excitedly packed up her things and ran a hand through her hair. It was short, reaching the base of her neck and floating out above the ears. It was spikey and layered, brought together by its typical pink shade. Smiling at her reflection in the window, she gave herself a small pep-talk before heading to Kingsley's office once more.

When she got there, he was waiting for her by the floo in his office. He was one of few Aurors with an actual office instead of a cubical, and he had his own floo to top it off. She looked excitedly at the man and squealed, unable to resist bouncing up and down on her heels.

"Memorize this. We're going to be headed to this place, okay?" He shoved her a piece of paper and she read it a few times, repeating the address in her head. "Not many people know of this place so you need to –

"Be careful and secretive. Gotcher."

"If you're called in when I am not, you may have to go by broom or apparition, and I can show you how to get there and how to reveal the building."

"The whole building is hidden, like at Hogwarts?!" Her eyes went as wide as saucers as she contemplated the magical ability needed to do such a thing.

"Well, not exactly like Hogwarts…" He stopped for a moment. "Basically only one person can 'share' the location with others. Beyond that, it's unplottable." He looked at her for a moment, considering, and then shook his head. "You'll understand more when we get there."

Curious for an answer, but even more so about the other members of the Order, Tonks decided to not ask any further questions, eager to get going.

"Now remember what you've just seen."

She nodded her pink head, taking a fistful of powder and stepping into the fireplace.

"Number 12 Grimmauld Place!"

She was gone in a flash of green flames and felt her body shifting around as though she were sliding through a tunnel. When the motion finally stopped, she opened her eyes to see a dark foyer. No light escaped through the thick, dark curtains, but she could smell how musty and old the house must have been. She moved out from the fireplace, waiting for her eyes to adjust, while Kingsley appeared looking poised as ever.

"Lumos." The light illuminated the man's face and he gave her a brief smile, lighting up his wand as well. He gestured that she follow and they left the room which led them to a staircase. Going down one flight of stairs brought them to a dark, narrow hall with a door at the end. She could hear hushed voices speaking in rough tones and craned her ear to listen better. In her distraction as Kingsley turned to take her down another flight, missed a step and fell down the first few steps. She clung to the banister on her right, cringing as she made an unnaturally loud noise in her panic.

The conversation stopped and she heard a familiar, wheezy voice comment, "Well, that must be Tonks."

Hanging her head because, of course that man point out just how clumsy she was, Tonks followed Kingsley the last few steps to the illuminated room, careful to not run into anything else.

Upon entering the room, she couldn't see a thing behind King's tall frame and billowing robes. She peaked her head out from behind, letting her eyes adjust to the light, and looking at everyone around the room. There was a long table with an array of random chairs fitted around the room and a plethora of people she'd never met before. Sitting at the end of the table was Mad-Eye Moody, his eye peering into her soul. She would normally feel odd and exposed, but seeing a familiar face was comforting. A man looking close to her age, with fiery red hair sat next to her mentor and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I know you, don't I?"

The man smiled and reached out a hand. Stepping forward, Tonks took it and gave it a firm shake, smiling as well. "I don't believe you and I have ever met, but I think you knew my brother Charlie? I'm Bill Weasley."

Realization dawned on the woman's face, and she began pointing at him excitedly. "Charlie?! I haven't talked to him in years! We were very close in school – both being troublemakers you see." She gave Bill a sly wink. "Wow. I'm surprised I didn't put the connection together more quickly. You two are obviously related." Her eyes shifted to the left and she saw a woman and man, both with the same bright, ginger hair, looking at her with kind apprehension. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Weasley I presume? I remember seeing you two at King's Cross every year."

"It is nice to meet you, dearie," the woman said kindly, getting up to give the young witch a hug. "You can call me Molly, and that is my husband, Arthur. We're all going to be working together so there's no need for formalities."

Tonks thanked the woman then went back to examining the faces around the room. There were a couple of men and women she recognized from the Ministry, the familiar face of Minerva McGonagall (whom she acknowledged with a happy wave) and sitting in the middle of the table was…

"What is he doing here? Aren't you the man who escaped from Azkaban?" She furrowed her brow. "Wait, aren't you my cousin?!"

The scruffy looking man laughed heartily, his eyes twinkling. "I see you didn't tell her I would be here, Kingsley."

Tonks looked to her friend, who just shrugged. "I believed she would understand things easier if she were to just meet you in person."

"Fair enough." Standing up, the ex-prisoner held out a hand which Tonks shook with confused unease. "I'm Sirius, it is nice to finally meet you."

"Er-yeah." She didn't know what else to say. While the Prophet typically embellished stories, she didn't know what to believe about their claims against Black. She had never known him, only that her mother said he was charming and sometimes a bully. Andromeda didn't believe Black was capable of selling out the Potters though, so Nymphadora decided to give him a chance. That, and she had promised Kingsley that she would refrain from going in, 'guns blazing'.

"All you need to know for now is that I am an innocent man who was judged and sentenced for a crime I did not commit. The rest, I would love to tell you about later, but that is all that's important. All those here would testify for me, even this windbag to my far right, so if you have any qualms about my honesty you can confer with them."

The young woman looked to the man's right and split into a grin. Sitting at the other end of the table was none other than Severus Snape. She was surprised, of course, but remembered him vividly from her years at Hogwarts as a grumpy bat of a man who lacked the ability to smile.

"If Severus can trust you, then I guess I can too," she laughed.

At the name 'Severus', the man glared at his former pupil before narrowing his eyes at Sirius.

"I still don't know if I can trust him."

"Oh Severus, would you let it go?"

Tonks turned her head to the sound of a new voice. It was calm and collected but commanding at the same time. In the corner of the room, by a small tea bar it looked like, the witch had failed to notice the last presence in the room. Stepping out of the shadows, a young, yet weathered-looking man in shabby robes with ashe brown hair and green eyes made an appearance, holding a cup of tea. His style was that of an old man's, two sizes too large and layered with a button up and sweater vest.

"Snively will never let go of old rivalries, it's not in his nature," Black spat back, rolling his eyes at the potions master.

Snape stood up from his chair, slapping his hand down on the table in anger. "I told you to stop calling me that."

Looking between the two men, the man with the tea made a sound like a growl in the back of his throat. "Sirius, enough. You are not a child anymore so stop acting like one. Severus, you know he says it to get on your nerves. Now, sit and calm down. This is no way to be acting in front of the new recruit."

Seething, the hooked-nose man sat back down in his chair, looking anywhere else but Sirius's smug face.

"I am Remus Lupin. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Awed by the way he subdued the two men so quickly; it took Tonks a moment to regain her composure before seeing his outstretched hand and shaking it firmly. A slight blush colored her cheeks as the man smiled at her kindly.

"Nymphadora Tonks," she responded, cringing at her first name, "But please, call me Tonks."

She looked to the side to see McGonagall sharing a rare, wide smile with Molly, saying in a hushed voice, "I didn't even need to stop those too! Oh, I've taught him well."

Her and the red-headed woman giggled together, and it was such an odd sight to Tonks that she only heard the last part of what Lupin was saying to her.

"Wha –

"I said I like your hair. It's nice to see something so bright and colorful in this drab old house."

Her blush grew deeper, and she smiled, changing it from pink to a bright blue hue. "Thank you." She heard some gasps around the room and let out a small laugh, seeing how shocked everyone was.

"You just had to do your little party trick, didn't you?" Moody grumbled, shaking his head. "Show off."

Narrowing her eyes, Tonks's face began to change shape as her face molded into one mirroring Mad-Eye's. The old man opened his mouth, outraged, and grumpily began muttering about how she had no right to steal his features. Nymphadora wasn't concerned with the old man though, because the others were all laughing and the man who had complimented her hair, Remus, had the most infectious laugh of them all. She couldn't help but join in the mirth as her face transformed back into her own and her hair switched back to bubble-gum pink.

"That's quite impressive!" exclaimed Remus, looking at the young woman. "Are you a Metamorph –

"– magus," she finished for him, cracking a wide grin. "Yes."

"Fascinating." He looked deeply into her eyes, and she changed them from their typical brown to his green color. She winked cheekily at him as his awe grew at the sight of his own eye color. "It's really quite wonderful."

"Well," she said, making her way around the table to where he was, "why don't I sit next to you and any questions you might have; I can answer." Remus nodded, his academically inclined brain excited at the prospect, and pulled out a chair for the witch. She took a seat, resting her chin in her hand and examined him as he took the seat next to her. "Maybe you can also tell me about those cool scars," she whispered. She began to smile but stopped when she saw the man tense up and look away. "Oh. Have I offended you in some way? I apologize if I have. I'm somewhat known for being a loudmouth and I often say what I think."

Putting her hands into fists of annoyance at her own lack of tact, Tonks shook her head, looking down at her lap. She could ponder how he had gotten the scars but didn't want to just make assumptions. It was rude to pry, however, and she had done just that. She looked up at Remus, barely meeting his gaze, and realized that the look in his eyes was sad, but still kind.

"The werewolf, Fenir Greyback, gave these to me when I was a young boy." He laughed ironically. "They're quite ugly, I know, but –

"I don't find them ugly at all," Tonks commented with sincerity, shaking her head at him. She looked directly at the one which ran from the top of his left eyebrow, to the middle of his right cheek and gave him a small smile. "I actually find them quite beautiful; like a constant medal of honor showing that you're powerful and a survivor." She clicked her tongue. "I do not give out compliments lightly, Mr. Lupin, and I pride myself on being an honest person. But I suspect you'll come to know that in due time."

The man, baffled at her words, gave Tonks a sideways smile. "I hope I do, and please, Remus is fine."

Nymphadora believed, that possibly for a second, they were having a moment… but it ended immediately as Moody banged his walking stick on the floor.

"If you two are done flirting –

Both parties looked abashed and flushed red, opening their mouths to protest.

"I did not ask for commentary!" He glared and shook his head at the two. They reminded him of school children, and he had no patience for it. "Molly tells me that we have but one hour and a half before dinner is served and the hooligans she calls 'children' are downstairs. We will make this short and zippy. Capiche?"

Everyone in the room nodded so he continued.

"Nymphadora, I assume you at least know the basics on what this organization is?"

The witch's hair went red as she began to get angry, "I've told you a million times, Alastor, don't call me Nymphadora."

The old man swatted her comment away and rolled his good eye. "Fine – Tonks –

"Yes. Kings gave me the run-down."

"Then you should know that we are attempting to slow or stop Voldemort's rise to power, yes?" When she didn't say anything, he moved on. "Good. As most of you should know, the boys' fifteenth birthday is in two days. Ron, Hermione, and Sirius have all sent gifts, but have maintained little contact with him, as ordered and –

"I still don't understand why we must keep Harry in the dark," said Sirius, looking around the room. "With those muggles, he has no outlet into the wizarding world except for the Prophet, which has been lying about him all summer and saying awful things about his reputation, and his own friends and godfather have been banned from talking to him. Please tell me how that does any good?"

"We've already discussed this, Sirius. Dumbledore believes that in order to protect the boy –

"I'm sorry." Everyone looked over to Tonks, who was shaking her head, looking perplexed. "But I have to agree with – Sirius... How does ignoring the boy protect him? He is still a child and is most likely quite scared that ol' nose-holes will come after him at any second. Ignoring an issue does not make it go away." She stopped for a moment, leaning back in her chair, but then shot back up to the front of her seat. "And furthermore, if we ostracize him, we are just as bad as the papers. If I were Harry, I would want to know all about what has been going on and I think that in disregarding his opinions, you're doing the boy a disservice."

She sat back, slightly nervous that she had spoken out on her first day but was pleasantly surprised when she heard a slow clap coming from Sirius. He raised his glass to her and sat back in her chair comfortably, smiling widely.

"I like her. She has spunk."

Moody, on the other hand, was not impressed. "Yes, yes, she's a real firecracker."

"Neither of you are getting the point though," Snape snapped from his perch at the end of the table. "It is not up to the boy what happens. He's barely out of diapers, let alone mature enough to make big decisions. The fool would insist on being a part of the Order and then run into situations with his wand raised knowing nothing more than Expelliarmous and a simple summoning spell."

"You do not give Harry enough credit, Severus," Remus said with a sigh, rubbing his temples. "That boy has a good deal of talent; he just needs someone to help him grasp his potential."

"Oh, just because he fought his way through a swarm of dementors one time –

"I recall you saying that it was the most powerful Patronus you had ever witnessed, Severus," Minerva said slowly, calculating her colleague's reactions. "Besides, though I hate to say so, the boy did do quite well for himself in the Tri-Wizard tournament. He did what most seventh years have a hard time doing."

"The boy was being given all the answers by a nutjob under You-Know-Who's orders!" In his anger, the hooked nose man stood up and was staring dangerously down the table. "That bloody Gryffindor courage is going to him to an early grave. He is brash and careless, just like his father."

At that comment, Remus groaned, and Sirius stood, pulling out his wand.

"Don't you dare, to speak ill of James."

With a great big bang, Mad-Eye slammed the end of his walking stick on the ground, creating a wind tunnel in the room that knocked the two men back into their seats. "That's enough!" Every pair of eyes turned to the old Auror and he cursed, focusing his eye on each of the members one at a time. "I am sick of the little spittle's between you gits. Childhood rivalries have no place here so you can choose to look past your obvious hatred for one another, or you can shut the hell up." He looked cross and pointed to each one of them. "In fact, I suggest you do both before I hex off your bullocks and feed them to Hagrid's animals."

The men's eyes widened in horror and they each slowly placed a protective hand over their subsequent packages. At least they all had that in common.

Nymphodora looked between Snape, Lupin, and Black with curiosity as Moody went on to talk about progression in finding Voldemort's hiding place. She didn't understand the rivalry, but she figured she would hear about it in due time. It was, after all, her first night there. Tonks could tell, however, that Snape appeared to have a deep-seeded hatred for the other men. It wasn't just contempt, but a hard, unmovable loathing. The way he glared at the other two told her what she didn't need to ask – they would never make peace with each other.

Looking at Remus and Sirius, she could tell that the men were close friends. Every now and then, Mad-Eye would say something perfectly normal, but Sirius would turn to the man next to him, share a knowing smile, and they would both attempt to hide their laughter. The inside jokes shared in private reminded her of her school days and she couldn't help but feel envious of the bond between the two. She was well liked enough at Hogwarts, but she was also often loud, 'too opinionated', and always felt she got on with older people than those her own age. She had retained a few friends from school, but they had grown to be more of acquaintances than anything.

Tonks looked at the men and felt something she really hadn't in the past. She wanted relationships like theirs. She wished for inside jokes and close connections. She wanted to have friends she would go into battle with and die for. The Order, she was quickly realizing, could provide the type of community she longed for. The envy she felt towards the two friends transfigured into hope and she told herself that she would try her hardest to find a place in the group. A door had been opened and the answers lay right in front of her. All she had to do was reach out and grab it.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

(A/N) Hello all! I'm alive. Crazy, I know. I hope y'all have been doing well. I haven't posted in a while because for years I was just unhappy with my work. I didn't like my stories or my writing and so I started writing like 12 other stories lol. This one has been my absolute favorite though. I think the relationship between Tonks and Remus is so special, but also super overlooked. This story will look at their lives from when they met to the end of the Great Wizarding battle. I still haven't determined if I'm going to have them die or not, because while this is a story I'm writing, I do try and keep close to canon. That being said... I'm also a huge Fremione gremlin stan and so there will be Fremione in here. I do love Ron though, so not much bashing on his account. I just don't think him and Hermione really work together.

This story is rated M for some mature themes and light lemons. I'm not super graphic with my writing... because I kind of suck at writing lemons, but the attempt is there and it will be there so, ya know, be prepared. I wrote this as close to the storyline timeline and everything as I could and how I imagined their relationship playing out. I'm not perfect though and only know so much so if there are faults or anything - apologies.

I've written like 350 pages of this story and it's not even close to being done, I just hop all over the place. However, I'm hoping that by posting it out (if I get at least one person who want's to read this story) it will encourage me to write more. I'm going to start out by posting a chapter a week - nothing exciting ever happens on Wednesdays so I'm going to change that narrative and post right in the middle of the week haha. Depending on how much I get written, that may increase, but to be safe I'll say Wednesdays for now.

I really hope you guys like this story. This first chapter is a bit 'meh' but I had to set everything up. Please like, follow, review, etc.

It's so good to be back! ~ Thehumanlibrary