Tonks awoke, quite suddenly, to the unpleasant and deeply unsettling experience of being apparated by someone else and, as she had no idea who, or why, or where, and someone was holding her, she hit him. At least, she tried to. Sprawling on flagstones, to her relief, she found her wand in her hand and opened her eyes to see a tall figure, dark under the streetlight.

She knew this crescent of town houses; recognised the small park opposite, the black painted, pointy railings and the steps that led to her parents' front door. Relief plunged into dismay. You don't let them know where your family live. She met Snape's eyes and saw something that might have been disappointment before memory caught up. The former Death Eater climbed the steps, rang the bell and then descended to stand over her. 'Goodnight Miss Tonks.'

'Help m'up.' She stuck up a hand. For a moment she though he'd leave her there but he didn't. Her mother, Andromeda, opened the door to see her only daughter clinging onto her erstwhile teacher's neck. 'Thanks fo' bringin' me home; 'ppreciate it,' said Tonks.

'Is some explanation going to be forthcoming?' demanded Andromeda.

'I could scarcely return her to the Ministry in this condition,' replied Snape.

'And what condition would that be?'

'Golpalott's "Green". Apparently she was told to go home.'

'Told to go home,' Tonks confirmed. 'S'all my fault.'

'Tell me when it isn't,' sighed Andromeda. 'Ok, bring her in.'

Snape's arm under her shoulders, Tonks staggered up the steps and into the house. 'Howja know where . . ?' she began.

'A Metamorphmagus would have been very useful to the Dark Lord,' said Snape.

'Why do you think you spent those summers with Granny and Granddad Tonks?' came her mother's voice as the door closed behind them.

It made sense. Andromeda had never got on with her muggle mother in law who regarded her with deepest suspicion. The formal courtesy between them had always possessed diamond clad, serrated edges. On the other hand, Granny Tonks doted upon her granddaughter and had encouraged her to run wild with her cousins in long summers of beach parties, concerts and mugglish general mayhem that never reached the ears of her aristocratic mother.

Tonks was particularly glad that Andromeda hadn't heard about the scrumpy incident. She still had vivid memories of a rainy night on the Summerset levels, somewhere near Glastonbury Tor, throwing up into a ditch while her cousins argued about just how she had managed to get that far gone on a mere half a pint of scrumpy. 'Witchcraft' Tonks could have told them but didn't. Granny Tonks had just said 'Oh dear. Bedtime,' and tucked her into bed in the little attic room that had once been her father's.

Snape had begun to drag her up the stairs. Tonks concentrated. An idea was worming its way to the forefront of her consciousness. 'Snape,' she said, having finally captured the thought, 'you and me . . . should get married. Stop them 'rresting you without charge. They don' do that . . . Auror's families. Scared of Aurors being . . . adversely . . . influenced by . . . Ministry.

'Tonks,' drawled Snape. 'You are not drunk and in the morning you will remember every detail of this evening with perfect clarity so I suggest that you shut up.'

'I go out . . . risk my life f' people . . . dislike . . . despise me,' grumbled Tonks as she ascended the staircase. 'Tell me,' she stopped climbing and turned to Snape, 'why wouldn't I do this . . . f' you?'

'Does that mean you've broken up with the werewolf, dear?' interrupted Andromeda.

Tonks had forgotten that her mother was there. 'Remus broke up with me,' she said. Andromeda must have had this staircase extended, Tonks decided. She didn't remember it having nearly so many steps or being quite so high.

'Good,' said Andromeda. 'He was turning you into a mouse.'

'He was not!' Tonks twisted round and only Snape's grip stopped her falling back down the stairs. 'Remusis . . . sweet and kind and . . .'

'Engaged to someone else,' supplied Snape, helpfully.

'You were never happy with him,' said her mother and then Tonks had to concentrate on negotiating the top of the staircase and walking on a flat surface instead.

Eventually the door to her bedroom appeared and Tonks stood in the doorway blinking. 'Mum,' she enquired, 'why's my bedroom gone green? Geometric shapes in sludgy greens and browns cruised the walls. She'd been feeling pissed but this was awful and the purple patterned rug was . . . worse. Tonks felt seasick.

'My guest room is green,' said Andromeda. 'You moved out several years ago; remember? What happened to your cottage in Hogsmeade?'

''S difficult for werewolves to get decent 'ccommodation.'

'Right,' said Andromeda. 'Professor Snape, thank you for bringing my daughter home. I'll only be a moment.' Shutting the bedroom door, she drew her wand. Twenty seconds later Tonks clothes were clean and in the wardrobe and she herself was sinking into fragrant pillows. Gentle fingers brushed her hair. 'Were you serious about Snape, darling?'

'Course,' muttered Tonks, falling asleep to the scent of flowers as her mother kissed her goodnight.

-

She awoke to the sound of birdsong, the smell of lilac and the soft feel of her childhood home. Sighing, Tonks opened her eyes to evil greens and browns and memory struck like a ton of gravity assisted masonry. She leaned out of bed and checked.

Yup. God-awful purple carpet.

It had been real.

She had proposed to Snape last night. That, in itself, was quite bad enough without her having done so in front of her mother. Tonks wondered if being told to shut up could reasonably be construed as refusal. She was quite prepared to do whatever might be necessary to ensure that the stroppy git did not fetch up in the dark waters off Azkaban. A marriage could always be annulled after Severus Snape had had his day in court. It would still be as well to get her arse downstairs, right now, and ensure that Andromeda was not calling in the caterers.

She found her parents in the kitchen reading the Saturday newspapers and eating breakfast. 'Hello Daddy.' From behind his chair, she hugged her father, kissed the top of his head, stole his toast and sat down.

'Good morning, sweetheart.' Her father took another slice of toast and began to apply butter and marmalade. Even if last night had been regrettable and her bedroom resembled an unfortunate incident in a sewage farm, it was good to be home.

'Morning mum.'

'Good morning, Nymphadora.' Her mother finished pouring her a cup of tea. 'Darling, last night we had a visit from your aunt Narcissa,' she began. 'What do you know about Alexandrina Urquhart?'

'What?' Tonks bolted up from the table. 'Is she alright? Dammit, Sandy's a nice kid. She only claimed to be engaged to Draco in order to avoid obliviation.'

'Sit down and drink your tea dear,' soothed Andromeda. 'Don't look so worried. Whilst it is true that Narcissa was initially in favour of something involving an unforgivable and the front end of an omnibus, Ted and Severus had a word with her.'

'And that helped?' Tonks took a deep breath and sat down.

Ted closed his newspaper and opened it at the next page. 'I floated the idea that 'Toujours Pur' referred to purity of spirit. Given that Narcissa is attempting to increase her influence in certain quarters, a civilised and well conducted affair with an attractive and open minded muggle might not do young Malfoy's reputation any harm at all.'

'Quite,' said Andromeda. 'Severus also pointed out that given the currency of some quite unfounded, of course, but nonetheless persistent rumours regarding the Malfoy bloodline, a little half-blood witch or wizard on the wrong side of the blanket might not be entirely disadvantageous either.'

'Pardon?'

'Some of the older families could even consider an established muggle mistress a benefit,' continued Andromeda, serenely.

'What?' spluttered Tonks. 'Come on. How would you feel if daddy . . .'

Andromeda's eyes twinkled. 'Well that wasn't ever going to happen.'

'Your mum slipped me a love potion,' announced Ted from behind the paper.

'What?'

'Being a Muggleborn and an Unspeakable, Ted was totally unacceptable to the Blacks and very, very difficult to get at. If I married him, I'd never have to talk to my lovely family again. Well, obviously I'd miss Narcissa but, anyway, despite Ted's intellect, he was in Hufflepuff, so he'd probably be fairly reasonable about it once the potion wore off, so he was the obvious choice. Not to mention his being an utter fox,' Andromeda finished smugly.

Tonks sat and stared. 'And what did happen when the potion wore off?' she asked her mother.

'Ah, well. I'm afraid I did get that bit wrong.'

'It didn't wear off,' said Ted. 'Something special she found in the Black Family Library. No known antidote either.'

'Mother, have you any idea how illegal that is?' demanded Tonks.

'Theoretically, yes, I suppose it was.' Andromeda sipped her tea. 'But, by the time the Ministry found, out I was expecting you; so sending me to Azkaban wasn't an option. They had to let me off with a warning.'

'Dad?'

Ted Tonks shrugged. 'It could've been worse.'