Tonks sat in her cubicle, chin rested in the palm of her hand with her elbow propped on her desk. Fighting against sleep, she willed her eyes to remain open. The battle was quickly lost as her head lurched forward and fell to her desk for the third time that hour. She had finished her first night shift guarding the Department of Mysteries that morning and was close to making it through her work day.
"Look alive, mate." Tonks' head popped up as Kingsley appeared, sitting himself on the edge of her desk. "You look like you could use a little pick-me-up to get you through the day." He set a cup of coffee and a muffin on the desk where her head had rested moments before.
"Aren't you the most brilliant bloke I've ever met?" Tonks asked with a smile. "Thank Merlin it was my day to search through the latest Sirius sightings. If I'd been on a mission today I may have stumbled all over the place."
"Did you get all your paperwork sorted, then?"
"I did. Took me almost the entire bloody night." Tonks said, trying her best to stifle a yawn. Her paperwork had actually been Death Eater reports Dumbledore gave her to read while she sat on the floor under Mad-Eye's invisibility cloak.
"Maybe that will teach you to keep on top of it from now on," Kingsley said. She knew he didn't give a fig about backed-up mission reports—her reports were almost always in by the deadline—but it was a good excuse for her having been up all night.
Kingsley left for his office, and Tonks happily wolfed down the coffee and muffin he'd brought her. Not wanting to tick down each minute before she could leave the Ministry for her bed, she kept herself busy reading through a few more Sirius sightings. At least some of the sightings were amusing enough to help in keeping her awake. A number of them reported him walking into a pub and sitting down for a pint, leading her to believe there was a connection between how many pints people consumed and how many times Sirius was sighted. She finished her notes on the last report and left the Auror office. Before she left the Ministry, she decided to send an owl to Remus asking what takeaway she was to bring the following afternoon.
It was a beautiful summer evening. Having not left the Ministry in a day and a half, Tonks decided to take advantage of the weather and walk the short distance to her flat. After stopping on the way for her favorite soup, she pushed through her door, thankfully not dropping her dinner as she stumbled over the entry rug. As she set the bag holding her food on the kitchen counter, she saw the owl she'd sent to Remus pecking at the window over her sink. She opened the window to let him in, gave him a bit of her bread that came with her soup, and untied the letter from his leg. He quickly fluttered out the window as she unrolled and read the note.
T
I am not as particular as my faithful canine, who would prefer fish and chips. He has also let me know that he has grown tired of my sole companionship and requires your attention straightaway. He becomes restless when locked in his cage while I am away and would therefore appreciate entertainment of some measure to pass the time. Anything you wish to provide will do. Until then,
R
Tonks laughed aloud at Remus' note. Fish and chips would be easy to provide, but what in the name of Merlin was she supposed to bring to entertain Sirius while Remus was away on Order missions? She sat on the couch as she ate her soup and looked around her flat. Perhaps she could find a way to play some of her music collection for him; her father had given her a Muggle CD player and discs of his favorite bands for Christmas the previous year. But she would bet all her gold in Gringotts that Headquarters didn't have electricity. Maybe she could charm it to play the next time he claimed to be bored. She finished her food and walked over to her bookshelf, scanning the books piled haphazardly on its shelves. Her Auror training manual, advanced defensive textbooks, and Advanced Potions Making all seemed unlikely to entertain her cousin. Tonks continued to scan the shelves until she caught site of a small paperback book sitting on top of a stack of old Hogwarts textbooks—a romance fiction novel from a Muggle bookstore. Smiling, she pulled the book from its spot and set it next to her coffee pot so she'd remember to take it the next day. Though it was scarcely seven o'clock, Tonks decided she was ready to shower and get into bed.
The next day Tonks slept well past breakfast, rising only when she felt that coffee was absolutely necessary. While preparing to leave her flat, she put far more thought into her appearance for the day than she'd like to admit. Convincing herself that she simply wanted to make a good impression on other Order members, she chose black denims that were miraculously not frayed a the knees and a deep purple sleeveless tee topped with a denim jacket that had the sleeves cut off. Her look was completed by a pair of black boots embellished with a silver buckle and studs and plain black robes. Studying her appearance in the mirror, she scrunched her face in concentration and morphed her hair into chin-length lavender curls to compliment her top.
At noon, Tonks stood on the stoop of 12 Grimmauld Place and rang the bell. Her arms were full with a bag of takeaway and a separate bag for Sirius. Along with the romance novel, Tonks had decided the faithful canine needed a doggie toy—she'd chosen a bright red squeaking toy—to ease his boredom.
The door opened and Tonks immediately heard the portrait of Mrs. Black screaming.
"BLOOD TRAITORS, HALF-BREEDS, MUTANTS ALL DEFILE MY NOBLE HOUSE!"
She stepped into the entry and saw Sirius attempting to pull the curtains across the portrait. Remus, who had opened the door for her, took the bags from Tonks' arms. She had barely taken two steps into the hall when she caught her toe on the troll leg, attempted to catch herself by grabbing Sirius' arm, and fell to the floor on her bottom.
"Well, at least the food is safe with Remus," Tonks said loudly over Mrs. Black's insults. The wailing continued behind the curtains, prompting Sirius to open them and Stun the portrait. He turned around to help Tonks to her feet.
"Next time don't bother ringing the bell," said Sirius.
"I've a right mind to keep ringing that bell until you move that wretched troll's leg out of here!"
"Fair enough, I promise to move it," Sirius answered with a grin. "As long as it doesn't have a Permanent Sticking Charm like Mother's lovely portrait."
The group made their way down the steps into the basement kitchen. Remus set the bags on the table and began unpacking their lunch.
"So, what'd you bring me?" Sirius asked.
"Who do you think I am, Father Christmas?"
"I'll think you as brilliant as Father Christmas if you brought me something to keep me from going mad in this house."
Tonks opened the bag and pulled out its contents. "I did bring you a couple of things. One is for personal growth, and the other is to get you some exercise while you're cooped up," Tonks said with a smile. She put the romance book and doggie toy in Sirius' outstretched hands.
Sirius stared at the items in his hands for a moment before he erupted in loud laughter. Remus leaned over to see the source of Sirius' amusement. "Forbidden Love?"
"A wonderful tale involving a young witch of Salem involved in a forbidden relationship with the magistrate's son."
"A page turner, I'm sure," Remus said with a smile, setting three places at the table for lunch.
"Nothing as studious as your usual reading I'm sure, Professor Lupin, but entertaining nonetheless," Tonks said with a wink . She turned her attention back to Sirius. "I'm glad you're pleased with what I chose. My second choice was to force you to resume the game we played when I was six and made you pretend to be my pet unicorn."
"As much as I loved my role of playing Aurora the pink unicorn, I'm not keen on letting you ride around on my back anymore."
The three of them sat at the kitchen table, ate the food Tonks brought, and chatted amiably. Tonks filled Sirius in on how her parents were doing. He seemed pleased almost beyond speech when she told him how her mother had written letters to the Ministry on his behalf. They laughed and shared stories about their Hogwarts years, comparing pranks and detentions. Tonks told them a bit about her three years of Auror training and what it was like being Mad-Eye's protégé.
"I can't imagine being barked at by Mad-Eye almost daily for three years," said Sirius, shuddering a bit. "Serving in The Order with him the first go-round was enough for me. I swear I used say 'constant vigilance' in my sleep."
"Mad-Eye's nothing but a big old sweetheart," Tonks said with a smile. "I owe a lot to Mad-Eye's training. I was crap at stealth and tracking—you may have noticed I'm a bit clumsy. Even with his help I nearly failed. And his dueling skills are legend around the Auror office. I think some of the older guys are a bit jealous I had Mad-Eye training me."
"I'm sure his training was brilliant. It still would have been enough to drive me to drink. Speaking of which." Sirius stood, walked to a cupboard, and pulled down a bottle of Firewhisky. "Who's up for a drink? Moony, old man?"
"None for me, Padfoot," Remus said.
"Pour me a small one. I can't Apparate home if I'm pissed, which would leave me with having to endure the Knight Bus," Tonks said. Wondering about the nicknames she heard from both men, she turned to Remus. "What's with him calling you 'Moony'? Did you have a habit of dropping your pants at school as part of your pranks?"
Sirius let out a loud bark of laughter and handed Tonks the glass of whisky he'd poured. "Remus is probably the last one of us who would've showed his arse as part of a prank!"
"Unfortunately 'Moony' is in reference to something far less amusing than dropping one's pants," Remus said, looking slightly self-conscious.
Recognition dawned suddenly on Tonks, and she felt silly for not getting the reference sooner. "Ah, I see. It's a werewolf thing."
Remus and Sirius both looked at her with a looks of wide-eyed surprise.
"You know he's a werewolf?" Sirius asked.
Tonks took a sip of her whisky and wondered why both men were looking at her as though she were mad. "It's not exactly a well-kept secret."
"What?" Sirius was still staring at her with confusion written across his face.
"I know you've been out of touch with the wizarding world for a bit, so I'm going to give you a tip on how to keep up. There's this wonderful daily publication of current events, fittingly called The Daily Prophet. You should see about a subscription."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Thank you, dear cousin, I'll check it out. What's the Prophet got to do with anything?"
"There was an article published after I resigned my teaching position," Remus said quietly.
Tonks looked at Remus and suddenly felt bad for speaking so bluntly. She guessed he probably didn't want to discuss it in detail, but she was surprised they thought she didn't know about his condition. "Does it bother you that I know?"
"Anyone who joins The Order is bound to find out eventually, it's just not the first thing I like people to learn about me."
"It doesn't change my opinion of you."
"Moony's used to people avoiding him like he's carrying Spattergroit once they learn he's a werewolf," Sirius interjected. "He's probably getting over his shock that you shared a dinner table with him."
"That's mad." Tonks shook her head in exasperation. "I mean, don't expect me to invite you round for dinner on the night of the full moon, but any other night of the month I'd be happy to share your dinner table."
"It's not mad," Remus said calmly. "I'm not imagining people's reluctance to my company."
"I'm sure some people are offended by your condition, but I'm certainly not," Tonks said. "I suppose you'll have to find some other way to offend me if you don't want me around."
Remus looked at Tonks from across the table and offered her the same boyish smile she'd seen at the Order meeting three days before. She felt a little thrill run through her body and tried to ignore the thought in the back of her head reminding her of the careful selection of her attire for the day.
"Tonks, I renew my statement that you're my new favorite person," Sirius said, rising to his feet. He picked up his glass and drained the rest of his Firewhisky. "Let's put my new toy to good use."
Tonks was grateful that her thoughts were interrupted before she embarrassed herself and blushed at Remus like a school girl. She laughed as Sirius transformed into a massive black dog, grabbed the red squeaking toy from the table, and sprung through the kitchen door. Tonks and Remus jumped up and followed close behind, catching up to Sirius as he ran up the steps to the entry hall.
"I think your pooch wants to play fetch," Tonks said to Remus as they watched Sirius drop the toy at the top of the stairs and nudge it forward with his nose. Tonks climbed the stairs and grabbed the toy. She threw it up the staircase leading to the upper floors and laughed as Sirius bound quickly up the stairs to fetch. They tossed the toy twice more up the stairs for Sirius to retrieve, before Tonks and Remus began tossing it between the two of them in the entry hall in a game of keep away. The commotion of their game—Sirius' paws thumping back and forth in the hall, Tonks and Remus' laughs and teases, the barking pooch—of course woke up Mrs. Black's portrait. Just as she was beginning to wail about the shame in her household, the front door opened. The three of them froze, mid-game, as Dumbledore stepped through the door, taking in the scene before him with a smile touching his lips.
With an easy flick of his wand, Dumbledore silenced the portrait. "I see we are keeping entertained this evening."
"Snuffles is much more agreeable when he's around company," Remus said with a smile.
"Snuffles? Is that your doggie name?" Tonks asked, patting Sirius on the head. Sirius responded with a loud bark before transforming back into his human form.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your fun, but I am glad to see the three of you here tonight. You are precisely the three people I'd like to see," Dumbledore said, motioning them to follow him. He descended the steps to the basement kitchen, followed by Sirius, Remus, and Tonks.
"Care for tea, Albus?" Remus asked, moving toward the cooker.
"Yes, I believe tea is in order. But, please, allow me." With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore conjured tea for four and a platter of tea sandwiches and biscuits. "Nymphadora, how was your first guard shift?"
"Brilliant, sir," Tonks said, taking a biscuit off the platter and taking a seat at the table. "I was able to read through the reports you gave me, and Kingsley saved me from exhaustion with a coffee the next day."
"Wonderful," Dumbledore said, sitting across the table from Sirius and Remus. "It's time now to discuss your next assignments. I daresay you will be busy next week."
"I'm game for whatever mission you give me."
"What are your plans for tomorrow?"
"Just the required Sunday dinner with Mum and Dad, sir," Tonks replied.
"I wonder if you would be willing to take me along in order for me to pay a call to your parents?"
"Of course." Tonks grinned cheekily. "Mum will be right thrilled that I've finally managed to bring a bloke home for dinner."
"While I do trust we would make a lovely couple, I believe your parents would object to the age difference," Dumbledore replied, a smile twitching his mustache.
"I've always preferred older men, sir," Tonks joked with a smile that faded as she looked over at Remus. Merlin, did he think she was coming on to him because she'd looked his way? She wasn't…was she? She focused back on the conversation before her thoughts wandered into dangerous territory.
"What do you need with Andie and Ted? Are you asking them to join The Order?" Sirius asked. Tonks could sense the hopefulness in his tone; her mother had always said her and Sirius had been close before his imprisonment.
"Not to join, necessarily, but the more allies we have on our side, and the more ears listening for news, the better. I'm also hoping they will consent to providing their home as an Order safe-house if needed," Dumbledore said. "If they consent, Sirius, I would be amenable to you and Andromeda corresponding with one another."
Sirius nodded his head and stared into his teacup. Tonks felt hopeful for both of them that they would be able to communicate with each other. It was obvious to Tonks, even in the small amount of time she had been around Sirius, that he was anxious to connect with people. She could scarcely imagine what his years in Azkaban had been like; her visits to the prison on Auror business had been brief, less than a full day. Even that short amount of time had left her drained and depressed.
"Now, I have another task for tomorrow, Nymphadora. One that requires both Sirius and Remus' assistance as well." At Dumbledore's words, Sirius seemed to perk up. Tonks remembered the comment Snape had made to Sirius at the Order meeting about house-sitting and realized how hard it must be for him to sit at Headquarters with everybody else away at work or Order missions. "Sirius, tell me of your communications with Harry since he's left Hogwarts."
"He's frustrated, I can tell you that. Angry that he's still at his aunt and uncle's house. And he won't be happy when he finds out that the Weasleys and Hermione will be here without him. He's dying for news of any kind."
"News, I'm afraid, is what we can't give him at the moment. And, unfortunately, he must stay under Petunia's protection until it is absolutely necessary that we move him. Encourage him to stay close to home and to stay out of trouble." Dumbledore sighed, his face looking uncharacteristically weary, before continuing. "I know it's terrible for him to remain in their home, but he must, for the time being."
Tonks was watching their interaction with great interest. Having just learned about The Prophecy and Harry's full connection to You-Know-Who, she was eager to learn as much as she could. She, of course, knew the story the entire wizarding world knew about Harry Potter, but didn't know much more.
"What do the Weasley family and the girl you mentioned have to do with Harry?" Tonks asked.
"You don't often find Harry without Ron and Hermione," Remus spoke up. "Ron, the Weasleys' youngest son, and Hermione Granger are Harry's best friends."
"Hermione, huh?" Tonks asked. "Poor girl. Almost as much of a mouthful as Nymphadora."
"When you have the time, you should let Sirius tell you how Harry and Hermione aided his escape from the Dementors," Dumbledore said. "But, for now, we've more business to attend to. Harry has been restless these weeks since he left Hogwarts. Wandering about, steadily increasing the amount of time he spends away from the Dursleys' home."
"Where's he going?" Sirius asked. Tonks noted the concern evident in his voice.
"That is precisely what I'd like Nymphadora and Remus to find out."
"I thought you were having him guarded!"
"Certainly we have," Dumbledore said, his usual calm manner steadying the mood in the kitchen. "But, your godson is more like you and James than you know. I'm afraid there have been times when he is unaccounted for. I'm not sure if he's using the aid of his Invisibility Cloak or if it's simply the… thoroughness of his guard for the day."
"You're referring to Dung?" Remus asked. Tonks was not surprised to hear Mundungus Fletcher's name in reference to not completing a job thoroughly.
"He and I have spoken about the need for him to remain with Harry during his shifts," Dumbledore replied. Tonks could tell by his tone that he didn't wish to discuss the topic further. "On to the next order of business. Nymphadora, are you familiar with the Poison Quill?"
"Dodgiest bar in Knockturn Alley," Tonks said. "Dung-hole of a place. The Auror office thinks the bloke who runs the place is dealing illegal potions ingredients. Been trying to catch him for ages with no luck. Not the place I would take you three fine gentlemen out for a drink, that's for sure."
"No? I was hoping you'd take Remus out for a drink Friday night," Dumbledore said, the weariness etched on his face just minutes ago seemed to have left.
"Well, bully for me. I haven't been on a proper date in months, and now I've two in one week. Although, I can think of nicer places to take Remus than the Poison Quill," Tonks said, smiling at Remus.
"Unfortunately, the location was chosen based on Death Eater activity."
"What do you want us to look for, Albus?" Remus asked.
"Tell me your thoughts, Nymphadora." Dumbledore said. Tonks couldn't help but think this was another test for her. As the newest, and certainly youngest, member of The Order, Dumbledore would want to know her skills more thoroughly. She wasn't bothered by this as she'd had to prove herself similarly as a new Auror.
"We'll want to observe quite a few things," Tonks said, switching from her usual joking manner to Auror mode. "For instance, who's a regular and who's not. That could clue us in to possible new recruits. We'll want to keep an eye out for anybody connected with the Ministry. Since it won't be a stakeout, we won't have the advantage of hanging around all night, but we should be able to hang around long enough to get something."
"Why not a stakeout? Put yourself in an alley and watch who comes and goes all night?" Sirius asked.
"I've already done a bit of that," Remus said.
Tonks looked over at Remus and realized he was watching her intently. "Watching who's coming and going is only helpful to a point. We want to see what they do and who they talk to. And," Tonks said, a grin playing at her lips. "We can always hope somebody gets pissed and makes a great prat out of themselves."
"Indeed, we can hope." Dumbledore said, seeming pleased with how she had responded. "That's all I have for the evening. I'll see you all tomorrow, but for now, I'll let you all get back to Snuffles' exercise regimen." He smiled as he rose from the table, said his goodbyes, and strode back through the kitchen door.
Tonks checked the time and realized she should probably head home in order to prepare for the next day. "Well, mates, I'm off too. I suppose I'll be seeing you both tomorrow."
"I'll walk you to the door," Remus said, rising from the table.
"What a lovely gentleman you are, Remus. Or are you simply making sure I don't cause a ruckus and wake up that foul portrait?"
"We'll pretend that my motives are purely gentlemanly."
"Fair enough," Tonks said with a smile.
Remus walked Tonks safely through the hallway and past the portrait. They whispered goodbyes to each other, and Tonks found herself standing on the stoop taking a deep breath. She felt like her evening had turned out far more interesting than she'd thought it would. Walking down the steps and toward the alley in order to Apparate, she thought about the conversations she'd had that day. She sincerely hoped their discussion about werewolves hadn't offended Remus. He was obviously self-conscious about his condition and she certainly didn't want him to think she didn't take it seriously. But she also wanted him to know that it didn't bother her. She smiled as she turned on the spot, thinking that she would have much more time over the next week to get to know him better since they were paired together for two missions. As she readied herself for bed, she decided to pretend that practicality during a mission—rather than her musings about Remus' favorite color—dictated her thoughts on how she should morph her hair the next day.
A/N: As always, thank you to my wonderful Beta Kerichi:). Moving right along in our story...raise your hand if you're excited to see more Remus in the next chapter! Thank you for reading and feel free to leave a review.