Thank you again to HufflepuffBanana and DarylDixon'sgirl1985 for beta reading.

Word count: 882

Tonks' heart hammered in her chest as she approached the small London park that had been chosen as their meeting place before collecting Harry Potter from Surrey. If anyone asked about her nerves, Tonks would have said they were from the anticipation of meeting the Boy-Who-Lived. She'd heard the same stories about Harry Potter that everyone else had, so most would buy such an excuse.

But it was only a fraction of the truth. She was excited to meet Harry, especially after the positive things she'd heard since joining the Order, but the knots in her stomach had more to do with Remus Lupin than the boy. She couldn't fool herself otherwise. As a teenager, she had struggled for years before accepting that she liked girls in the same way she liked boys. Ever since, she'd been unable to fool herself when it came to her feelings.

No one had explicitly told her to disguise her appearance, but Tonks had done so regardless. She was more than aware of the trouble getting recognized by a Death Eater might cause her. She'd chosen the most unremarkable features she could think of, replacing her own mousy hair with a darker shade of brown that wouldn't call attention like the bright colours she preferred. The pair of jeans she'd chosen were the oldest pair in her closet, and they hung slightly loose on her hips after the countless times they'd been washed.

She spotted Remus before he spotted her, but when his eyes landed on her, there was instant recognition in his eyes despite her disguise. Her cheeks warmed, and she was thankful for the cover the darkness provided. She wondered what had given her away, but she didn't let her curiosity show as she walked confidently up to him.

"Wotcher," Tonks said cheerfully, not bothering to keep her voice down.

She'd already scanned the area for possible onlookers, but it was deserted. Not even the other members of their group at arrived yet.

"Am I really the second one here?" she asked as if that possibility were unbelievable though her nerves had led her to leave her flat twenty minutes earlier than she'd planned to.

The smile he offered her in return reminded her of the professional smiles she often received from fellow Aurors in the Auror Office.

"Yes," he said. "I'm sure the others will be here soon."

As if his words had summoned him, Alastor Moody's voice boomed across the park. He, too, had checked for potential onlookers and found nothing, and he didn't keep his voice down once he was within sight of them.

"Tonks," he growled. "Is that you? Here already? If you'd been this punctual during your training, you might've passed that tracking exam on your first try."

Tonks' cheeks flamed, both at being called out for her current overeagerness and at the memory of oversleeping and being an hour behind her fellow Auror trainees as a result. Moody had brought up the day she'd begun to doubt she'd make it as an Auror at all. She hid her unease by glaring at her mentor, but he was oblivious to the look as his magical eye spun around to check for the rest of their group.

"The others are close by," he said, crossing his arms against his chest. "Looks like we'll be leaving earlier than planned. I know you lot want to meet Potter, but it'd be nice if you could show as much enthusiasm for the rest of the work we do."

Remus gave Moody an indulgent smile as Tonks' own eyes scanned the area, picking out Order members one by one as they approached.

"We're all here because we're committed to the cause, Mad-Eye," Remus said.

Moody grumbled under his breath but didn't otherwise argue against Remus' words.

Within ten minutes, the entire group had arrived. They stood in a loose formation around Moody, recognizing him as their leader though no such designation had been formally made.

"Remember the plan," Moody said in the same voice he'd used with junior Aurors when he'd worked at the Ministry. "We'll take a Portkey to Arabella Figg's house a block away. From there, we'll approach the house as one group. No noise on the way; we're less likely to spark any Muggle curiosity that way. We collect Harry. Then, we wait for the signals. On the flight back to London, everyone is to follow my directions without hesitation. Clear?"

Tonks voiced her acceptance of the plan instinctually. She could have forgotten that she wasn't working within the Ministry chain of command. The Portkey they were using was, in fact, illegal. Soon, she'd have a reason to place herself under arrest, though she'd supposed she'd crossed that line when she learned the location of Britain's most wanted criminal. The last few months had shown her that there were always exceptions to hard and fast rules.

She gathered around the Portkey with the others, trying to ignore Remus' proximity as his arm brushed hers.

They had a mission: bring Harry Potter to Grimmauld Place without Voldemort or his Death Eaters getting in the way. This was work, even if it wasn't in the realm of her official duties. She wouldn't let her personal feelings get in the way of their success.