A/N: Merry Christmas to all of those who celebrate it, and Happy Hanukah, (even though it's over, I think). Have an awesome holiday! I'll be back around New Year, to continue with Tonks's story.

Tonks's POV

It gets easier, I have figured out. People at work leave me alone and now he is working undercover with the werewolves. It would be much easier, if I wasn't still crazy about him. I miss him a lot, and I can't help but get any news I can about him. Molly says that it's going to drive me mad, and that I should stop, but I can't. Call me obsessive or crazy, but I still care about him a lot and wish we were back together.

Scrimgeour, now Minister of Magic, posted me at my old spot in Hogsmeade. I hadn't been there since the mass breakout from Azkaban last year. It was a chilly night, and the train was coming in with students ready for Hogwarts. I glanced up at the old castle. I miss Hogwarts, but I'm glad to be free from school. I like working in the world, it gives me a sense of adventure and freedom. I was with Dawlish, Savage, and Proudfoot. I mostly ignored them, since my patience with Dawlish was at an all time low, and Savage and Proudfoot were smart enough to give me some space.

Still, their company wasn't too comforting. It was annoying, actually, hearing them talk all about security and the Ministry and the rise of You-Know-Who. They didn't bother to ask me anything, though. I mean, it's not like I was in the Order and knew He was back before they did. I scanned the groups of students, until I saw Ron and Hermione. Harry wasn't with them, which was odd. Thinking something was fishy and being sick of the other Aurors propelled me to go check out the train.

I noticed a compartment with the curtains drawn. I knew Harry had his invisibility cloak (I remembered Sirius and Remus talking about It.) (I felt a pang from that memory), so I found the cloak, and uncovered Harry.

"Wotcher, Harry," I said, and then unfroze him. His face was bloody and bruised, and he looked uncomfortable. His nose was probably broken. "We'd better get out of here, quickly. Come on, we'll jump." The train was beginning to move, and we jumped onto the platform. I handed his cloak back.

"Who did it?" I asked.

"Draco Malfoy. Thanks for . . . well . . ."

"No problem. I can fix your nose if you stand still." Harry closed him eyes nervously. "Episkey." His nose went back to normal.

"Thanks a lot!"

"You'd better put that cloak back on, and we can walk up to the school." Harry put the cloak on and we walked over to the school. I didn't mean to intimidate him with my mood, but he just reminded me too much of Sirius and Remus. Besides, I was still in a nasty mood over the other Aurors. I sent a patronus to Hagrid, to alert him to come to the gates to let Harry in. My patronus had changed to a werewolf, another reminder of him.

"Was that a Patronus?"

"Yes, I'm sending word to the castle that I've got you or they'll worry. Come one, we'd better not dawdle."

"How did you find me?"

"I noticed that you hadn't left the train and I knew you had that cloak. I thought you might be hiding for some reason. When I saw the blinds were drawn down on that compartment I thought I'd check."

"But what are you doing here, anyway?"

"I'm stationed in Hogsmeade now, to give the school extra protection."

"Is it just you who's stationed up here, or –?"

"No, Proudfoot, Savage, and Dawlish are here too."

"Dawlish, that Auror Dumbledore attacked last year?"

"That's right."

We walked the rest of the way in silence. We came up to the gates, freezing. Where was Hagrid? Harry tried to open the gates with an "Alohomora."

"That won't work on these. Dumbledore bewitched them himself."

"I could climb a wall."

"No, you couldn't. Anti-intruder jinxes on all of them. Security's been tightened a hundredfold this summer."

"Well then. I supposed I'll just have to sleep out here and wait for morning."

"Someone's coming for you. Look." I pointed to where a lantern was bobbing in the distance. Either it was really far away, or it wasn't Hagrid.

It wasn't Hagrid, it was Severus.

"Well, well, well. Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you have evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance."

"I couldn't change, I didn't have my—"

"There is no need to wait, Nymphadora, Potter is quite—ah—safe in my hands."

I glared at Severus and frowned. "I meant Hagrid to get the message."

"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like Potter here, so I took it instead. And incidentally, I was interested to see your new Patronus."

How he knew beforehand was a mystery, but then again, Severus was a sneaky little bat. He let Harry in and shut the gates (rather hard and loud) in my face, before finishing. "I think you were better off with the old one. The new one looks weak."

I was appalled at Severus. He left before I could hex him or shout at him. It was no secret that Severus thought I was childish and he smirked whenever he was around me. He thinks I'm a stupid little girl, crying over a broken heart. I just stood there, in the cold, fuming at Severus. The nerve! At some point I realized that catching hypothermia wouldn't do any good, so I headed back, plotting my revenge.