Tonks shivered and pulled her cloak more firmly around herself as the wind directed the driving rain, pelting her and soaking her to the bone, even though she had just apparated there seconds earlier.

"Tonks," came a deep easy voice she immediately recognized. She moved toward the direction of the voice, a chill that had nothing to do with the rain coming over her as she neared the building.

"Lovely night eh?" Mark commented when she finally reached he and Kingsley. She noticed that Williamson was also there. He looked like he was going to be sick and she felt badly for him. The first time was always the worst.

Not, she thought as the final member of their party approached them, that it got any better. Not when the place you were visiting was Azkaban prison.

"All here then? Good, good. Horrible weather couldn't be postponed though." Gibbered Minister for magic, Cornelius Fudge. He sounded and looked like he truly regretted having dragged them all out to this island with him or at least, she reasoned, that he was sorry he had to be there. He probably didn't care that she had a desk overflowing with reports needing attending to or that Mark was supposed to be at home with his little girl, or that poor Williamson was no doubt about to toss his tea and toast. No, it was all about his discomfort and the inconvenience to him. Somehow this justified him in pulling four Aurors off of regular duty to accompany him on a routine inspection of the wizarding prison.

"Shall we go in then? Best to get this over quickly," he said with a weak laugh. None of the Aurors replied and he cleared his throat before stepping into the prison, followed by the four scarlet clad figures. +++

Two hours later they were nearing the end of the inspection and Tonks didn't think she'd ever been so glad of something in her life.

She was sure that the mad screaming would haunt her dreams for months to come. She had also encountered more family members in the past hour than was strictly comfortable. She was sure, as they passed her cell, that Bellatrix had been watching her. When they had neared the Cell that she knew to hold Sirius she had shifted slightly to be behind Kingsley so she wouldn't have to see him. She knew it was cowardly; she had had ten years to deal with the fact that he was a mad mass murderer, but she couldn't bring herself to actually look at him in that cell. She knew if she did thoughts she had long suppressed would resurface.

When they had finally passed through that section of cells she was sure her sigh of relief was audible.

"Well, if it aint dear old Nymphadora."

The voice was cracked as if the person had been screaming, but she still recognized it instantly.

"And the other two half wits who assisted in my capture. But no sign of the old man, too bad, this was getting to be just like this is your life."

His face was pressed against the bars of his cell, his hands, nails torn as if he had been tearing at something, wrapped around them.

Without hesitation she met his one piercing blue eye. Liam stared back at her, and let out a mad laugh. "Haven't changed much. Pity," he sneered. "I on the other hand, time has not been kind to."

She felt someone grab her arm and pull her back as the two Dementors who had been gliding along with them moved forward to subdue Liam.

He laughed again, the sound echoing through the stone of the cell. The laugh soon turned into a scream.

"Move along Auror Tonks," Kingsley said somewhere close to her ear as they once again started forward. She could hear Fudge muttering under his breath, clearly lamenting.

Soon they were once again out in the open air and Fudge quickly took his leave, saying that they all had the rest of the day off, and that he had already informed Scrimgregor.

"Fancy a pick me up?" Mark asked her as their two colleagues disapperated; Williamson still looking peaky.

"Yeah, why not. S'freezing and after that I could do with one." She replied with a dark look back at the prison.

"Leaky?"

She nodded and they both disapperated to appear a moment later in Diagon alley. Once they had made their way to the pub and ordered their drinks they sat in silence.

"How's Rhiannon doing then?" Tonks finally asked.

"She's driving Dana spare. Teething. Chews on everything and anything" he rolled his eyes, but a smile touched his lips. "She's going to be a little hooligan that one."

"Well, it's a good thing you made me her godmother isn't it? Someone has to bail her out when the MLE drag her in."

He raised a brow while taking a drink. "And I wouldn't?"

"No. You'd leave her there. Make her think about what she's done." She replied blithely.

Mark snorted. "Too right." The look on his face became serious. "So what's got you in a mood?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, and then smiled brightly. "Not in a mood. Moodless, that's me."

"You don't fool me Nymphadora," he said ignoring the glare she sent at him and the muttered, 'don't call me Nymphadora, Hawksley.'

"Is it because of Semple?"

"That…piece of filth?" she asked borrowing one of Madeye's favourite terms, "No." It came out more vehemently than she had intended and Mark's brow rose again.

She sighed. She loved Mark, he had become one of her closest friends, once they got over their mutual dislike for one another, but could she really discuss what was on her mind with him? Somehow she didn't think he'd get it.

"It was just…" she trailed off trying to pick her words carefully. "It was being there, and seeing-I have a lot of relatives in that prison Mark. There's a man sitting in a cell in there that I once thought of like a brother."

"I noticed you avoiding Blacks cell." He didn't sound very happy about it and she knew she had been right. This was not something she could talk about with him.

"Forget it, yeah?" she downed the rest of her drink. "Thanks for the drink, I better get going, this storm is going to be worse on the coast and with my luck it'll blow off my kitchen windows." She stood, shrugging back into her cloak. She smiled briefly at him and quickly left, feeling his gaze on her back the whole time. +++

The voice echoing through the down stairs is what woke her. Tonks sat up jarringly, pressing a hand against her groggy head. When had she fallen asleep? She wondered. She'd only come up stairs to get something.

She heard the front door open and slam close, probably from the force of the wind outside. Again she heard the voice, this time followed by Remus's. Then there were quick thuds on the stairs and he stood in the doorway, hair dripping from the rain.

"Dora." He sounded calm, although she could sense the anxiousness just underneath.

"Mark was just in the fire."

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up quickly. "What happened?" she asked, a sick feeling coming over her.

Remus seemed to be watching her carefully.

"Well?" she demanded, already sliding her feet into the nearest pair of shoes.

"It's Moody."+++

"What do you mean you can't tell me anything?" Tonks glared at the mediwicth, who was looking at her as if she questioned her sanity and was considering getting some sort of calming elixir.

"Just as I said. I can't tell you anything. Not right now, you're not family."

Remus could see his wife's eye's flare dangerously and decided to step in before a scene, or more of a scene was caused.

"Not..." Tonks started, her tone clipped. She felt a hand on her shoulder and stopped, seeming to deflate as Remus smiled at the mediwitch. "I'm sorry. My Wife is very upset."

The mediwicth sniffed. "Well, it's understandable I suppose," she conceded.

Remus continued, "You see, Alastar Moody has no family, it's just him. My wife is the closest thing he has to a daughter and I know that he would want to reassure her that he is going to be alright."

"Well," she eyed them both a small smile tugged at her lips. "Very well then, spell damage, ward six."

"Thank you." He told her gratefully, as Tonks had, upon hearing where her mentor was, rushed away.

The witch nodded and went to see to a man with turnips growing out of his ears.

Tonks entered the ward wearily, her eyes immediately fixing on the man in the end bed. He was asleep she noticed and so she sat in the one chair beside the bed, prepared to wait and worked to compose herself.

Mark had told Remus that Moody had been out, following up on a lead on a wizard from Albania who worked as a contract hit wizard. The situation had escalated from a simple seek and capture to a full blown duel, only ending when both wizards were incapacitated and five MLE wizards had arrived on the scene. The Albanian was dead it seemed. And Moody, well he had been lucky to escape with his life, minus one limb.

She tried not to stare at the bed, the spot where she knew his leg, or what was left of it would be resting.

"I was supposed to be there." She said softly when she felt Remus behind her. "But Fudge," she sighed. "Bloody Fudge needed an escort to Azkaban."

"Even if you were there, it doesn't mean it would have ended any differently." Remus told her. "At the very least, it could be both of you in here. He'll pull through Dora, just as he always has done and he'd say the same, wouldn't you?" he directed this last to the bed and Tonks was surprised to see that Moody was awake.

"Aye. Ever the voice of reason eh, Lupin? There you go, messing up my entrance and here I was all set to see the lass crying at my bed side."

Tonks let out a watery chuckle. "Like I'd ever cry over you, must be something in my eye sir." She tried smiling and was glad when she succeeded. "We really gotta stop meeting like this, there are other ways to get attention yeah?"

"Hand me that." He replied, indicating a glass on the bedside table where his eye seemed to be floating. "Bloody mediwitch's took it out."

Tonks did so saying as brightly as she could manage, "That's disgusting."

Moody plonked his eye back in and fixed her with his piercing gaze. "Remus is right, even if Fudge hadn't called you away, it still could have turned out the same. Don't you go feeling sorry for me." He finished gruffly. "Just'll have to find a substitute is all."

"Nothing to feel sorry for," she replied as Remus squeezed her shoulder in comfort.

Moody nodded and touched his leg briefly. He seemed to be considering something. "Fraid this might be the end though lass. They'll force me out."

"They can't." she said vehemently. "You're too good. If it wasn't for you, I never would have made it, and I know I'm not the only one can say that. They'd be daft to force you out."

Moody shook his head and laughed. "They've wanted me gone for a long time Nymphadora. To them I'm defunct. The ministry likes to sit on their arses and pretend that everything is in pretty little boxes. Anyone who doesn't agree with that view is on a quick walk out. You remember that girl."

Tonks didn't know what to say and it seemed that even if he did, Remus was keeping it to himself. Was this what she had to look forward to?

She took a breath and reached out, covering his scarred hand with her own small un-scarred one. "You're not defunct. With out you I never would have survived the war. You'll never be defunct to me sir," she smiled her usual cheeky smile, "Old maybe, but never defunct."

Moody scowled, but she knew it wasn't real. "That's my girl."