AN: I'm not actually sure when Crouch Jr becomes Mad-Eye in the books but for this story's sake, it doesn't happen until just before 1st September

Swooshing that was all she was hearing. Swooshing in her ears. It was like everything else had the volume turned all the way down, she could see people's mouths moving but she couldn't hear them. There was a lot of hugging, that she instinctively reciprocated but she kept moving. She just... she needed some space. She needed to process things and she couldn't do that around everyone.

She walked all the way out of the room, still in shock. she was pretty sure she had agreed to go out for drinks as soon as they all gathered themselves but she wasn't sure. Someone was bound to fetch her if she wasn't where she was supposed to be. She just needed to process this first. Wait, she had already thought that.

This was a room. An empty room. And that's all that mattered right now. Gratefully, she sank into a chair that was off to the side. It felt like all the air had left her lungs and she was feeling all dazed.

She was happy, of course she was happy. In fact, she was over the moon. But she was also tired and a little bit numb and her brain didn't know quite how to react, you know? Which was stupid because she should be out there jumping and shouting and squealing with everyone else. But all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep and proper sleep. Something she had gone without the past few weeks. What was wrong with her? She should be so happy that she couldn't even think about sleeping but instead she was a freaking zombie and it felt like this wasn't quite real. Was she really an Auror? Wow.

"Lass."

The room very much wasn't empty. Moody was there. She had to have jumped at least six feet in the air when she heard him. Thankfully, he jumped forward to steady her or else she absolutely would have ended up flat on her face. That would not have been a good way to end today. Nope. Not at all. Today was good. So good and she didn't need a bloody nose or a bruised face to take away from that.

"Moody!"

"Not out there celebrating?" He nodded at the door.

It was time to celebrate. Celebrate. Yes. They had all passed. All of them. Every last one. They had all passed. She had passed. They were all now Aurors. Wow. Aurors. Well, they hadn't had their swearing on ceremony obviously but still. That was just a formality. They had passed their exams so they were Aurors.

Wait. She had to tell her parents. She checked her watched, would they even be awake? Did they know that she was both taking her exams and getting her results today? She couldn't remember what she had told them. She couldn't even remember if she knew this was how her day was going to go. It had been intense. It had been a lot. Oh, wow, it had been a lot. Yes. A lot had happened. Wow. Auror. She was an Auror.

The excitement was starting to come to her now. She was an Auror! An Auror! Wow. Just wow. An Auror.

And then Moody smacked her on the back of her head, jerking her from her thoughts.

"Ow! What was that for?" She asked, rubbing the afflicted spot.

Moody didn't look sorry at all.

"You ready to listen to me now?"

"Huh? What? Yes. Listen. I'm listening. Ready to listen."

What was she listening for again? She didn't remember, she hadn't been listening.

"Ow!"

He had smacked her on the back of the head again.

"Uncool! Youve already given me a head injury before, I don't think you want me to give me another!"

"I didn't give you a head injury before, you had ringing ears."

"That counts as a head injury, the Medi-Witch said so!"

"And I didn't give you a head injury now," he continued like he hadn't heard her. "I tapped you."

"That was not a tap!"

She rubbed the back of her head for emphasis.

"That wasn't even where I smacked you."

She changed to another part of her head.

"Not there either."

"Well," she stopped and thought. "You hit me on the head so I'm confused!"

He rolled his eyes at her but she saw the fond look in them. He didn't have as good as a mask as he thought he did!

"You ready to listen to me now?"

"You aren't giving me much of a choice, are you?"

He glared at her again.

"What did you want to talk about then?" She grumbled, keeping an eye on his hands.

How did someone so old have such good reflexes? It wasn't fair. If she moved that quickly she would end up giving herself an injury.

"I wanted to congratulate you."

"Congratulate me?" She repeated dumbly.

"Pretty sure that's what you're supposed to do when someone you've trained succeeds," he said sarcastically.

"You smacked me on the back of the head because you wanted to congratulate me? Are you mad?"

"I smacked you on the back of the head because you weren't listening and getting lost in your own head."

"Because I was overwhelmed! You could have been nicer!"

"Are you going to take my congratulations or not?"

"Of course, I am!"

Then she realised how ridiculous his all was and she burst into giggles. Were they really arguing about him congratulating her? Oh, they were both mad, that's what they were. He rolled his eyes bit there was a smile. She definitely saw a smile.

"So, what's been happening with you?" She asked, feeling like she ought to and she kind of wanted to keep talking to him for longer. She kind of missed chatting with him every day and him telling her off. Was that weird? Probably. But whatever.

"Keep having to deal with my dustbins because of suspicious activities," like this was the most normal thing in the world.

Which definitely wasn't but this was Moody so it wasn't the weirdest thing he could be doing.

"Arthur Weasley's a good man," he continued. "Helped me explain what was going on."

Tonks wondered why her best friend's dad was the one helping Moody, of all people but then she remembered that this was Mr Weasley. He would help hide a convict if he thought he was nice.

"What was going on with your bins anyway?" She asked, a bit confused by the concept of 'suspicious activity' surrounding them.

They were just bins after all. Just about big enough to shove a person in them and even then, they would be hanging out of it. Also, let's be honest here, Moody absolutely had charms on his bins to stop people from hiding in them.

"They were causing a disturbance."

"Oh, someone hexed them."

Ah, that was why Mr Weasley was called in. Enchanted or hexed bins. Yeah, couldn't have those around muggles.

"Exactly. So, I hexed them back."

"Of course, you did."

"Never let anyone put you on the defensive if you can help it."

"I know that."

"I know you do because I taught you that."

He sounded very proud of that fact.

"But bins? Really?"

"You never know what or who might be in them. I'm not going to let my retirement make me soft," he scoffed.

"Got big plans for your retirement?"

"I don't give away plans early. Means the enemy has a greater chance of discovering them."

"Right. Of course. How stupid of me."

That got her a smack to the back of her head.

"Hey! You can't do that anymore to me! I'm no longer a Trainee!"

And yes, she said that las bit with a lot of pride. She couldn't help it.