"And that's what Gamp's laws of Transfiguration actually mean. Okay, that's you for today. Remember that essay on how you can actually magically access food is due this coming Tuesday!" Auror Graham said as he checked the clock.

It was five o'clock. Finally. All the Auror Trainees groaned at the reminder but at least it was the end of the day. End of an extremely long week, actually. Tonks swore that it had been the longest week of her life and that included the week before she started Hogwarts for the first time at eleven. But this had been even worse.

This whole week, all five days, had been devoted, in detail, to what they would be covering over the next three years. Every. Single. Little. Thing. Tonks had to be honest with herself, she was pretty sure that she hadn't retained any of it. Except for the fact that they weren't going to be doing anything practical for at least a month. Nothing exciting anyway. This month was for making sure that all of them were at the same level across the subjects. Which sucked because it meant that they were probably going to go over things that they'd already done. What was the point of having NEWT requirements if you were just going to have to do this?

But she wasn't the one who made the rules so she was just going to have to suck it up and get on with it. Even if it meant that they had homework. As adults. Yep, this sucked. They were basically in school again, except it was from nine to five instead of nine to half three. That was a whole extra hour and a half of learning! It was inhumane!

Actually, what was inhumane was taunting them all on what they were going to do in the next three years and then snuff out their dreams by saying they wouldn't even start most of that until after the first six months.

Today was only the second day of actually doing something, if going over the laws of Transfiguration was actually doing something. Which Tonks didn't?

But the day was over and the week was over and they were free. Free. Free. Free.

To do what? She didn't know. It didn't matter because they were free. Until next week when they would have to start all over again. This time with even more theory work. Yeah, it wasn't something she was looking forward to. At all. But it was now the weekend so she didn't have to think about such things. She could relax and chill and do nothing. Maybe explore London a bit.

"Anyone doing anything tonight?" Partridge asked, slinging his bag over his skinny shoulder.

Honestly, they guy looked like he would snap in half at any moment.

"Does trying to finish that essay count?" Tonks asked.

It had to be at least a scroll and Tonks wasn't sure how she was supposed to fill one when all she could really do was just lost off the ways you could magically get access to food.

Partridge gave her a pitying look. "No. No, it does not. And you can't be doing that on a Friday night."

"Well, there's nothing else to do."

Seriously, there wasn't.

"That's just depressing."

"Well, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Which is a hell of a lot better than doing homework."

Tonks shrugged. "You're going to have to do the homework too."

"Yeah, but not on a Friday. Fridays are for fun things."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah?"

"Like what?" She challenged.

The rest of their class had frozen to watch them. Most of them with unsure looks on their faces. Which they didn't need to have because this was all in good fun.

Partridge (she should maybe start calling some of these people by their first names - but not Jones, never Jones) floundered for a second before a triumphant look appeared on his face.

"Drinks."

"Drinks?" Tonks asked.

"Yes. Let's all go out for drinks," he said, getting more excited as he kept talking. "We're all adults. It's a Friday night. Drinks!"

There were sounds of agreement from everyone. Tonks thought it sounded like fun. She hadn't really got the chance to go drinking with her friends. Sure, she'd had a few sneaky sips of alcohol at Hufflepuff parties- there was always alcohol smuggled into those at some point. But she'd never been out drinking. She blamed her late birthday. And then NEWTs. And then she'd gone on holiday with her parents and then she started at the Academy. She'd literally had no time to so this should be fun.

"I don't drink," Jones said primly.

"Then you don't have too," McCabbert said with a roll of her eyes.

That just got her a sniff. Honestly, Tonks was pretty sure that Jones had become even more snotty as the week went and Tonks, she hadn't thought that would be possible. It was fascinating to watch, as long as he didn't try to interact with her which he didn't. Thank Merlin. He did seem to be trying to ingratiate himself with Dubois and Mainwaring, because that's what Jones' did with people, they deemed socially acceptable but neither of those guys seemed too impressed by him. Which was funny.

So that was how all of them (yes, even Jones) ended up in a bar in London. Muggle London, much to Jones' disgust. Not that Tonks cared. Nor did anyone else so Jones just had to suck it up or be the one left out and there was no way je would be able to bear that so he joined. Not without complaining first, unfortunately.

But whatever. None of them were going to let him spoil their night even though he ordered wine of all things. Weirdo. The rest of them got cocktails. Which were horrendously expensive but, hey, they may as well enjoy themselves.

Tonks' was an interesting shade of blue. As in, glow-in-the-dark-by-itself blue. Definitely not good to put in you. It tasted good though. Better than Young's drink that he immediately spat out, making them all laugh.

It was a good start to the night.

Several hours later and she was pretty sure that the world was not supposed to be hazy like it was currently but Tonks just couldn't bring herself to care. The alcohol currently in her system ensured that.

Hey, at least she could still stand up and be somewhat steady. Which was no different than normal for her considering how, ahem, graceful she was. Now apparating back to her flat was a whole other matter. And the same could be said for most of them. McCabbert managed it but she seemed to have been the most sober of the lot of them - maybe even alcohol was somewhat afraid of her. The last she'd seen of Jones was him being face down on the bar. The rest of them were somewhere between tipsy and flat out drunk.

It had been a good night. How much getting to each other had actually happened was debatable but it was a fun night. They'd have to do it again sometime. If they survived this one.

"Hey, my flat is near here," she suddenly said out loud.

She recognised this street. Or, at least the corner across the road. Her flat was just down there. She wouldn't have to risk apparating! She frowned as she pictured her flat. Getting up all those stairs was another thing all together.