She had decided to go woth brown hair today. That was shoulder length so she could pull it back into a ponytail. You know, a kind of professional look. Even if it was boring. Good first impressions and all that. Or was it a second impression after the whole fiasco yesterday? Whatever. She already missed her pink hair. But she was an adult now. And a professional. Well, one in training anyway. She supposed that she would have to act like it.

It still sucked.

With a sigh, she turned away from the mirror and pulled her boots on. They had just gotten to that nice point where she didn't even have to untie the laces anymore, they just slipped right on. She loved it when her boots got like that. That was at least a good start to her day. Oh, and her robes were actually sparkling clean for a change. She got that weird stain out. Well, her mum did. But she learned how to! And now she wasn't wearing grotty robes to work! It was all good.

There was just one snag in her plans for this morning. She didn't know what time she was meant to be meeting Moody at. Seriously. He hadn't mentioned it when he had unceremoniously informed her that he wanted her un today instead of tomorrow. Tonks hadn't even realised that he hadn't told her until she went home last night. Which had sent her into a panic.

So, she had decided to turn up as early as possible. The Academy opened at eight so that's what time she was turning up at. With any luck, she wouldn't miss him. Though, she didn't know where she was supposed to meet him either but surely the reception area was the best bet for that. The receptionist could at least point her towards his office if necessary or something.

With that in mind, she headed into work. It was basically eight anyway.

"Trainee Tonks what are you doing here?" Auror Taylor demanded as she walked in the door. Trust her luck to have him at the front desk when she walked in. "Didn't you hear me say that you're to be in tomorrow?"

"Auror Moody said I was to be in today," she replied truthfully, trying not to shuffle her feet under his questioning gaze.

Mainly because she was starting to second guess herself. Moody had said to come in today, right? She hadn't been imagining that? Because that would be embarrassing and definitely not a good start to this whole Mentoring part of her training.

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Of course he did."

Ah. Apparently, this was a Moody thing. That was something at least. She wasn't the one coming across as crazy.

Before Auror Taylor could say anything else to her, the doors on the left burst open and Moody strode through.

"Tonks!" He said sharply and she straightened herself up. "Woth me!"

Without waiting for her to say anything, he turned on his heel and went back through the doors he had just flung open. Tonks stood in shock for a split second before scrambling after him.

They went down several corridors without saying anything and if there was one thing that Tonks didn't like, it was silence. It made her feel awkward. And have the need to fill it. Which wasn't good when she was feeling vaguely peeved. Too bad she was also impulsive.

"You could have told me a time," she said reproachfully, trotting to keep up with him.

He could move fast for someone with a peg leg.

"Time? What time?" He grunted at her.

She made an exasperated noise. Was he deliberately being obtuse?

"You know," she waved a hand about and almost tripped over her own feet as she did so. Right. No grand hand gestures when trying to walk fast. "A time that we were supposed to meet."

He looked down at her (was everyone taller than her?) and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm here and you were here. I don't see what the problem was."

She made a spluttering noise. Seriously? Did he really not see a problem?

He gave her a bemused sort of look. Which wasn't really a bemused look, it couldn't be. Because Auror Moody didn't do bemused. There was just no way.

"Yeah, but I could have been waiting around all day for I would have known!"

"You weren't."

"Because you just happened to be there!"

Vaguely Tonks realised that she really shouldn't be taking this sort of exasperated tone with a man who had the next two and a half hears of her life under his control but she really couldn't help it. This was all just so infuriating.

"And I might not have been!"

He stopped to raise an eyebrow at her.

"I mean," she continued, now that she had warmed up to her thoughts. "I could have turned up at nine or even lunchtime or something. You never told me when to come in so I could have showed up at any time. In fact, you didn't even tell me where to meet you but I suppose that doesn't matter as much 'cause someone could just tell me where your office was. But meeting up is pointless of I don't know when I need to meet you."

She was breathing heavily at the end of that little rant and they stood there in silence just long enough for Tonks to realise what she had just said. To her Mentor. To Alastor Moody. How could she have said such things? What was wrong with her? Well, it was nice knowing you.

Suddenly an alarming sound came from him. A kind of snort? No, laughter. Moody laughed?

He did! He was full on chuckling! At her! She didn't know whether to be pleased, annoyed or relieved.

"Alright, lass," he said once he stopped laughing. "You've made your point. I'll make sure to give you a time in future."

"And a place," she couldn't help but add without thinking.

She winced at that. Why did she have no filter between her brain and her mouth?

His lips twitched. "And a place." He agreed.

Huh. Well, she had survived that.

"Now that that's done," he continued, starting to walk again. "Let's get moving."

Ah, yes. For whatever he wanted to do with her a whole day earlier. What was she supposed to be doing today anyway?

Emboldened by recent developments, she decided to ask.

"Sir-"

"Don't call me Sir!" He barked, startling her. "I work for a living."

"Oh-kay. Auror Moody, I -"

"Does it always do that? He asked, interrupting her again.

Tonks really hoped that he didn't do that a lot. She didn't think that losing your temper with your boss was a good thing for your career. Especially when your career hadn't exactly started yet. And his question didn't even make sense anyway.

"Does what do what, s-" he glared at her, "- I mean, Auror Moody?"

"That." He gestured at her head.

She frowned and touched it.

"My head?" Then she realised what he was talking about. "My hair?"

He grunted at her. She'd take that as an affirmative.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus."

"I know that, lass. But does it always change suddenly like that? It went bright green there."

Ah. Hmm. How to explain this without making her sound bad? At least it hadn't turned red or, even worse, violet and black. Those were not emotions she wanted Auror Moody to ever think she was directing at him.

"Sometimes," she admitted, it was better to be honest. "For strong emotions. I can control it better, it doesn't change with every emotion anymore, just strong ones."

And great, now she was babbling. He was going to think she was some sort or idiot or something.

"Hmm."

She felt like she should explain herself further.

"You made me jump there, when you told me not to use 'sir'," she tried to explain and tugged at her hair which was now back to the dark brown she had picked for today. "Hence the brief change to neon green."

He gave her an appraising look but didn't say anything. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

Before she could think more on that, Moody lead her down a corridor and round a corner. They passed offices of other Aurors she assumed were involved in Academy work. Probably were paperwork and such was done. She pulled a face bor-ring.