Tonks let her chair fall back so she was balancing on the two back legs. A dangerous stunt at the best of times, never mind when she was involved. This was probably going to end up with her on the floor at some point but she didn't care. She needed to think and this helped her. Kind of. Look, it was either this or fidget and forgetting made her come off as if she was nervous so that was out. Hey, at least she wasn't swinging on her chair.

Was it weird that she missed Auror McGowan? Because she missed Auror McGowan. Not that she didn't want to be with Moody. Of course, she did! She just got him back and she definitely didn't want him to go anywhere. No way. She was definitely his trainee, thank you very much.

No, she definitely shouldn't be dwelling on another Trainer after everything she'd gone through in the last few weeks. No way. Especially when she wanted things to be smooth sailing from here on out.

Yet she kept on looking for the woman. Or expecting to hear her laugh.

No. She wasn't doing this. She was going to focus on her job and learn things and get things done. She was too busy for such silly things. Busy with learning. Busy with trying to get back into the groove with Moody. Which was actually easier than she thought it would be but they still weren't completely back to normal yet.

It was her fault. She was willing to admit that much. It was just weird to hear him again that sometimes she just didn't read to what he said and just thought about it. Which never ended well for her.

Speaking of not ending well for her...

A beam of light shot her way and she all but threw herself off her chair and onto the floor in an effort to dodge it. Ah had! It didn't hit her. No stinging hex for her for not paying attention! Not today!

Okay, she might have banged up elbows as a result of that bit still! She dodged the jinx. She looked up to see Moody standing over her with a vaguely pleased look on his face.

"Didn't get me," she said cheekily.

"I didn't," he agreed, sounding amused. "Though the floor did."

"I weighed up my options and the floor was the best of the worst, so to speak."

He raised an eyebrow. "And how did you figure that out?"

She pulled herself up so she was no longer sprawled out across the floor.

"Well, it was either let the jinx hit me and have you complained that I wasn't aware of my surroundings or dodge it and prove to you that I was paying attention. Obviously, I wanted to not be told off."

"Obviously. And you couldn't do this without falling to the floor?"

She thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"Nope."

He gave her a long look before nodding.

"Okay then. Good job."

Wait. Had Moody just praised her? Like, seriously praised her? She didn't think that that had ever happened before. What a day. Something to record so she could celebrate every year. Okay, maybe that was going a little bit too far but still. Today was definitely a day to celebrate because he just praised her. And not sarcastically or anything. No, it was for something she did right! And sure, she was a little bruised from the way she got it right but she really couldn't bring herself to care. Because Moody thought that she'd done a good job! Wow!

"What are you grinning like an idiot for?"

Of course, he couldn't just let her have that win and continue on with teaching her whatever he'd been teaching her before his little interruption. Oh, no. He couldn't.

But it didn't wipe the smile from her face. He didn't even say it in a mean tone anyway, it was more amused. Come on! You were supposed to be happy when someone praised you! She wasn't acting completely weirdly. She wasn't!

"I'm just happy!" She said, still smiling.

Okay, her cheeks were starting to hurt a little bit but something as silly as that wasn't going to stop her.

Moody just shook his head, apparently not believing her. Was it a crime to be happy?

"We'll, we can't be having that," he said with this smirk appearing on his face.

The kind of smirk that gave her this sense of foreboding. Her smile faltered. What exactly was he going to do to her? Hopefully not run laps. That wouldn't be fair. That was a punishment and surely having a grin on your face (which technically Moody caused!) didn't earn you a punishment.

Thankfully, he lifted his wand and she sighed in relief. Oh, sure, most people would be terrified if Moody was pointing his wand at them and it wasn't exactly something that made her feel safe, don't get her wrong. It was still a thousand times better than running laps.

Unfortunately, that relief didn't help her. Actually, it hindered her because her reaction time was slower and she definitely should have realised that one spell being fired at her wasn't going to be the end of it.

The stinging hex got her on the calf this time. That really stung. She yelped and jumped up, left knee going high in the sudden, yet brief, sting. She hadn't realised her knee could get that high.

"Ow!"

"Focus, focus," he scolded.

"I was focusing!"

"Not on me, you weren't. What if I had been a Death Eater?"

"Then I would have been focusing on them! But you aren't a Death Eater! You are a threat!"

She wasn't entirely sure what she had been thinking when she said that last bit there because it was definitely a mistake. The going in his eyes appeared far too quickly.

At least this time she was prepared and she got to her feet, poised to dodge. Just as she ducked right down to avoid one of those paint splatter hexes (which could sting if the hit bare skin) she couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Focus!" He all but bellowed at her.

"I'm focusing, I'm focusing!"

She really had been asking for that, hadn't she? Put her foot in her mouth and all that and now she was paying the price.

Merlin, she really had missed Moody. And yes, she still thought that at least once a day, probably twice a day really, whenever he did something the same as he did before, like this. She couldn't help it.

She had missed this. She had wanted this. No other training was the same. It wasn't fun.

Scrambling to her feet, she laughed again and opened a cupboard door so the hex bounced harmlessly off it. Ha! She had always wanted to try that! And it worked!

"Argh!"

How did he even move so fast? That one hit her arm! And it was one of the paint hexes too. That orange was going to strain her skin for at least a week. She'd almost prefer the freaking stinging hex.

"Owww!"

Okay, maybe she didn't.