Prompt: AU. What if Tonks had met Remus in PoA as part of an investigation to find Sirius Black's old friends? Tonks has to investigate Remus without revealing herself as an Auror. Her attempts backfire as she attempts to figure out how to get Lupin to talk.

The first time she met Remus Lupin, she was blonde. It was 1993, and Sirius Black had just broken out of Azkaban prison. She was two years into the Auror trainee program, with one year to go before she was fully qualified. As part of her training, she was to spy on known acquaintances or accomplices of Sirius Black, and one just happened to be the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts that term.

Tonks was on a mission, and it was to slyly interrogate Remus Lupin without him knowing who she was or what she was doing. The mission was surprisingly difficult, to her dismay. She couldn't waltz into Hogwarts at any given time, as the mission was to be stealthy. She considered impersonating another student or professor in order to get to Lupin, but it would require Dumbledore's cooperation. Her task was between herself and Mad-Eye Moody, her mentor. If anyone else learned of her task, she would fail.

Nymphadora Tonks wasn't going to fail.

The first attempt at finding Lupin was through visiting Hogsmeade village nightly looking like a different witch. She was becoming an expert in transfiguring her clothing to different styles and patterns, and being a Metamorphmagus certainly helped to keep her identity hidden. Every night after a long day of work, Tonks would Apparate from the Ministry to Hogsmeade and have dinner in one of Hogsmeade's establishments. The Three Broomsticks, the Hog's Head, even dinner at the ridiculous tea shop, Madam Puddifoot's, became her routine. Without fail, there was no sign or sound from Remus Lupin at any of the establishments.

It didn't help that Dementors were crawling the grounds on the hunt for Sirius Black. Dementors were all around Hogsmeade as well, making the entire mission drearier than it needed to be. She was hunting down an old school friend of Sirius Black while also fighting against the urge to run away from the Dementors at Hogsmeade. Moody hadn't made this mission easy.

It was midway through October when Tonks finally spotted Lupin. She had been carrying a photograph of him in her wallet for weeks and had by now memorized his features. The picture of him was a few years old, she knew, from a previous visit to the Werewolf Support Services. How Sirius Black had befriended a werewolf – let alone how a werewolf had been a student at Hogwarts – was beyond Tonks' comprehension.

The photograph showed that he was a lithe man, so slight and thin that he looked as if one strong gust of wind could knock him off his scarred feet. Sandy brown hair, streaked with fine silver, clung to his head, a wavy fringe flopped gracelessly to the right side of his forehead. A thin mustache ran above his upper lip. Silver hairs had yet to make their way to his mustache, but it was only a matter of time until that too betrayed his premature aging. He could have been very handsome, if he held his head higher, but that ran the risk of being recognized or spurned because of the scars that ran across his cheek, nose, and jaw. Three thin lines marked his face, stemming from his temple, jagged, pink, and raised.

It was a cold, windy October night and the Dementors weren't helping. Having depleted the last of her chocolate, Tonks, blonde and blue eyed that day, made the decision to stop at Honeydukes. She stopped dead in her tracks when the object of her mission was finally before her, looking at chocolate as if it were the most normal of activities for werewolves with convicted, escaped prisoners for school friends.

She had expected Lupin to be anywhere but Honeydukes. Per her file, he was a 33 year old man Dumbledore had hired for the Defense post. Tonks assumed Dumbledore had finally run out of suitable candidates. Not that she had anything against werewolves per se, she thought, but it did seem slightly daft to hire a werewolf to teach in a school full of children.

She had been frequenting the Hog's Head for dinner most days, assuming that a werewolf bachelor would be likelier found there than innocently shopping for chocolate. But, there he was, lined face, greying hair, and threadbare robes, browsing for slabs of chocolate.

His hands were scarred and calloused, but with long, graceful fingers. Tonks considered that he marked essays often, now that he was a professor. She had not expected such a studious and serious looking bloke to be both a werewolf and a friend of Black. Her eyes were transfixed on him, noting his slightly hunched shoulders, darned robes, and sharp jawline. She realized too late she was ogling him from the threshold of the door, as he glanced over at her and chuckled to himself.

Bollocks, she thought to herself. So much for not getting caught.

A thought came to her – she could pretend to be interested in him and ask him out for a drink. Yes, that could work!

Tonks ambled over to the section where Lupin was looking at chocolates and she pretended to be looking at the same spot. Flirting with suspects or potential sources for information wasn't considered wholly ethical, but Moody had told her to use her skills to an advantage. She supposed he meant her ability to disguise herself as someone else, but realistically, her ability to win over sleazy men had won her several arrests already.

Tonks couldn't morph on the spot, as she often did right before trying to flirt with a potential suspect or informant. Besides her blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked rather nondescript that day. Simple robes, her usual work boots, and neutral features. There was nothing about her that suggested she was ready to seduce or flirt with anyone. She would have to get by on what she had, or run out to the street, morph, and return…and risk losing a chance to finally speak to Lupin. No, she would have to rely on her own charms, she decided.

After spending an inappropriately large amount of time hovering around Lupin, Tonks decided to make a move. He was looking through specialty bars of chocolate near the till, and Tonks happened to brush her hand against his as she took one.

"Oh, sir, I am so sorry," Tonks said, batting her eyelashes at him. "My apologies."

"Not to worry," Lupin replied quickly. He had removed his hand instantly and moved a few feet away from her, giving her ample space to choose her own chocolate.

"Don't mind me," Tonks said sweetly. "I don't mind sharing the space."

Lupin looked uncomfortable and kept his distance. Tonks hid a scowl; her current plain looks were interfering with her ability to flirt.

"May I ask what your favorite is?" Tonks asked, keeping her eyes steady on his gold-flecked ones. They were surprisingly interesting to look at, she realized.

"The one you have in your hand, actually," he replied. "It's their best, I think."

"I haven't had it before," Tonks lied. "What else would you recommend? You seem like an expert here." She batted her eyelashes at him again, and flashed him a smile.

He continued looking uncomfortable, and his neck flushed red. Tonks wasn't certain if the flirting was working or if he was just a painfully awkward man.

"That section over there has a lot of their best," Lupin said, pointing to the table at the far end of the shop. "I'd start there."

"You don't want to come over and help me yourself?" Tonks bit her lower lip and ran her tongue across it. That move nearly always worked to win a wizard over.

Lupin wasn't impressed. Or, he didn't seem impressed.

"No, I should get going." He carefully maneuvered himself around Tonks to get to the till, where he rung the bell for the shopkeeper to come out.

Tonks watched as he carefully, politely exchanged gold for chocolate, and thanked the shopkeeper.

"Do you come here often?" Tonks asked. "It'd be lovely to see you again."

"I come sometimes," Lupin replied, now looking cross and impatient. Evidently, brazen flirting wasn't his thing. Or, was it her plain looks?

"Hopefully I'll see you around," Tonks said, winking. "Have a good night, sir."

Lupin nodded at her and left the shop hastily.

The shopkeeper was outright laughing when Lupin had left.

"Girl, I don't know what you're thinking but if he didn't see you were interested, he might be bent," the shopkeeper said, chuckling. "Better luck with the next bloke, huh?"

"You really think he might be gay?" Tonks asked. "I guess I shouldn't have assumed anything." She bit the inside of her cheek now, thinking hard. Next time she came to the shop she would morph into more masculine features to see if that did anything. With how standoffish Lupin was, she should've realized he wasn't interested.

Better luck next time, Tonks thought grimly.

…..

The second time she met Remus Lupin, she was brunette. She had morphed her hair so that it was closely shaved on either side of her head, with a quiff on top. Her eyes were green this time, and she had morphed her features to appear more masculine. Her jaw was better defined and square, her nose was broader, and her lips were thinner. Morphing her breasts down hurt a little – it was always easier to go bigger than smaller – but she had a mission. She filled out her hips and waist, trying to rid herself of the curves she liked on her body. Masculine morphs were always harder, but well worth it if she was trying to get home safely on her own. This time, she was trying to woo Lupin, hoping that if he were gay, he'd be more receptive to her.

It was now mid-November and colder, all the better for her ruse. She wore a body-concealing cloak, and her boots worked just as well for her style. When she looked at herself in the mirror before leaving for Hogsmeade, she was satisfied that she looked masculine enough to pass for a younger, clean shaven man. There was little she could do about trying to form an Adam's apple, but with the right scarf, she could hide that. One charm to her voice, and she had a lower pitch.

Every night she had practiced with different morphs and stayed hidden outside Honeydukes, noticing that Lupin came down to the shop every week on Thursdays. How she hadn't noticed that in the first several weeks of her observations…she decided not to think about it. She wouldn't tell Moody what she'd overlooked, or else he'd reward her poor skills with several more hours of practice dueling. After Sirius Black's attack on Hogwarts castle itself on Halloween, she'd received an earful about her lack of observation skills and failure to find him herself. She wasn't going to fail Moody again.

Right on schedule, that Thursday evening, Lupin came down from the castle and went into Honeydukes. Tonks was ready, looking as masculine as ever, and popped into the shop a few moments after he had.

Lupin was looking through the newly-released holiday chocolates that evening. Tonks had been waiting for the holiday chocolate to appear at Honeydukes, knowing he would likely spend more time browsing Honeydukes' latest and greatest confections. Never in her wildest dreams had she suspected a werewolf would be so enthusiastic about chocolate.

Tonks shuffled around the shop, keeping a bigger distance between herself and Lupin. To her delight, he was carrying a book. She craned her neck to see the title: Dreadful Denizens of the Deep. It was a text she hadn't heard of, and chose to use it to her advantage.

"What's it about?" Tonks asked, her voice sounding low and foreign to her ears. She pointed at the book in Lupin's hand, and smiled at him.

He blinked, startled, and looked down at the book in his hand. "Underwater creatures," he said tersely, as he returned to looking at the holiday chocolates.

Tonks grew impatient and decided to get closer to him, looking over the same area. She saw him reach for chocolate and did the same, their hands brushing against each other.

"My apologies," he said curtly, as he stepped aside, keeping his face down. Tonks couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or offended by the touch, and scowled. Improvise! Tonks' mind commanded.

Tonks cleared her throat. "Err, you seem to know what you're doing here," she said slowly. "I've got a…friend…who likes chocolate. Knows his stuff. What do you give to someone who knows his stuff?" She resisted the urge to bat her eyes at him, but puffed out her chest slightly instead.

He looked puzzled at her behavior, but sighed and looked back. "Do you know what this friend likes?"

"Um, he likes this kind," Tonks said hastily, holding up a bar of dark chocolate. "But I want to get him something different than the usual."

Lupin pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow. "You could try one of the holiday boxes. Some of the shaped ones are nice and move, unless your friend's a Muggle. Though if the friend knows you're a wizard it shouldn't be an issue, yeah?"

This was the most Tonks had gotten out of Lupin, and she was ready to take advantage of his newfound conversational skills. Perhaps he was gay, after all, and she just needed to present herself as more masculine!

"Yeah, the friend's a Muggle. Knows I'm a wi-wizard," she stammered, forgetting she was pretending to be a wizard. "What do you think Muggles would like most? I don't know much about them."

"My mum was a Muggle," Lupin said, as he looked at the shaped chocolates. "You could get the ones that are shaped like magical creatures and explain the creatures. Does your friend know about Chocolate Frogs? Those are good ones for Muggles."

"No, I should've thought of that," Tonks said, blushing. Lying wasn't coming to her very easily as she attempted to continue her conversation with Lupin, but he was talking, thank Merlin.

"Listen, you wouldn't be free after this? For a drink?" Tonks suggested, feeling bold. "You seem to know your stuff."

Lupin looked as uncomfortable as the day she had tried to flirt with him as a blonde witch.

"I'm not free, but it's nothing to do with you," he said awkwardly. "I've got a busy night, and err, I don't want to assume anything about you, but I'm…not…" Lupin was now blushing furiously and looking more awkward than ever. "Though I appreciate the offer?" he added, running his hand along the back of his head.

"You're not interested in blokes," Tonks said flatly, as Lupin nodded. "Witches, then?"

"Erm, yes," he said, now looking as if he wanted the earth to swallow him. "I really would get a drink, but I've got a meeting. If you're around, I'd be happy to meet up with you another day, y'know, as a friend."

"I'm just here for the night, thanks," Tonks said, feeling foolish. She should have taken up his offer to meet as a friend to get information on Sirius Black.

"On second thought, I could come back to meet you," Tonks said hastily, as Lupin looked at her strangely. "Oh, bollocks, never mind," she said glumly. She dropped the chocolate she had and rushed out of Honeydukes, feeling spectacularly stupid. She turned on the spot as soon as she got beyond the village, Apparating home. Attempt number two had failed.

…..

The third time she met Remus Lupin, she was pink-haired, and she wasn't even at Hogsmeade. She was at the Ministry, just after Christmas, to catch up on paperwork. She had rushed out of the Floo entrance only to run into a familiar face.

Lupin was startled to run into her, by the look on his face. She felt more embarrassed than she could put into words, until she realized he had never seen her with pink hair, or with what was closest to her natural features or preferred style of clothing. A Weird Sisters t-shirt, paired with jeans, and Auror's robes were hanging on her body. Her heart-shaped face, dark grey eyes, and pink waves were part of the ensemble.

"Do I know you?" Lupin asked, to Tonks' immediate alarm.

"N-no? We've never met?" she squeaked. "I've got to go!"

"Wait," he called. "You dropped your paperwork." He picked up several loose pieces of parchment, and frowned deeply upon seeing one sheet in particular.

"Are you Nymphadora Tonks?" he asked, looking from the parchment to her flushed, pink cheeks.

Tonks considered lying, but it was too late. "Yeah, but don't call me that. You can call me Auror Tonks." She snatched the parchment from his hands and swept everything up, cursing her luck. It would take her ages to rearrange the materials.

"How do you know me, by the way?" Tonks asked, her tone a little more adversarial than she meant for it to come out.

"Your name is familiar. Your parents…your mum was one of my friend's cousins. Andromeda, yeah?"

"Yes, that's my mother. How do you know her?"

Lupin flinched and sighed. "I know of her. Just a schoolmate's family. Nothing more."

Tonks narrowed her eyes at him. He admitted that he knew of her family through Sirius. That is the only friend or schoolmate Lupin could've had that was related to the Black family.

"You wouldn't happen to know where this mysterious friend or schoolmate is, would you?" Tonks asked coldly, feeling more irritated than ever that the more she talked to Lupin, the harder it became to keep her task secret or her own ineptitude from getting in the way of her work.

"No. I haven't spoken to that former friend in over twelve years," Lupin said, in a tone just as cold and distant as Tonks' had been, which took her aback. "I'm assuming we're speaking of the same person. If so, you ought to know I want nothing to do with that piece of human filth." Lupin's pupils had widened and he had a dark, foreboding expression on his face.

Tonks hardly expected the chocolate-loving werewolf to be so scathing. He had been nothing but polite and unassuming in her previous, anonymous conversations with him but he was now venomous with his speech. Even his features were slightly wolfish and aggressive, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Okay, never mind then," Tonks said, clutching the last of her paperwork to her chest. "We're doing what we can, sir, to find him, if that helps. It sounds like you want him behind bars just as much as I do."

"I do." Lupin stood, arms crossed over his chest, the same tired, but kind expression now returning to his face after his previous outburst.

"Well, I'll go." Tonks exhaled forcefully, feeling just as stupid as she had in her previous attempts to get him to talk to her about Sirius Black. At least in that interaction, he had admitted he didn't know where he was or that he'd communicated with the ex-convict any time recently.

"Auror Tonks?"

She whipped around to see Lupin there, with his hand outstretched to her. "You look like you could use this." Tonks looked down at his hand, which held an unwrapped Chocolate Frog. "It's not much, I know, but chocolate always helps."

Tonks was speechless as Lupin offered the Chocolate Frog to her. He was waiting, looking slightly uneasy, the longer the silence hung over them. After what felt like hours, Tonks finally took the frog from his hand, as their fingers brushed against each other. Unlike the other two times in which this had happened with Tonks in different morphs, Lupin looked pleased rather than uncomfortable at the touch.

"Would you be open to getting lunch?" Tonks blurted. "Today?"

A small smile appeared on Lupin's face. "I would. I eat lunch most days."

Tonks could have slapped him. He was enjoying himself, and she was looking stupid, as usual. Lupin's smile grew wider.

"Did you mean lunch with you? If so, yes." His eyes were twinkling and he was grinning toothily. Tonks felt her heart skip a beat. That was unexpected, she realized instantly.

"The Leaky Cauldron?" he suggested, seeing that Tonks was now speechless, or at least incapable of coherent human speech.

"Yeah," she said weakly. "Noon?"

"It's a date," Lupin said, still beaming. "I look forward to it, Auror Tonks."

"Tonks. You can just call me Tonks." She fought the smile that was threatening to take over her face, to avoid looking dumber than ever.

"Tonks it is. I'll see you at noon." Lupin gave her one last smile before he went up through the Floo to wherever he was going. Likely to get more chocolate, Tonks assumed.

As she shuffled back towards the lifts, she gasped, horrorstruck. There was no way she could complete her assignment to get information out of him now if she was going on a date with the werewolf.

Moody would be most disappointed, but Tonks couldn't find it in herself to care. She had a date with Remus Lupin, and that prospect was more exciting than anything else she'd been doing in recent months.