The dark corridor wasn't entirely abandoned as it usually was at this time in the day. Everyone, or almost everyone, should be in the Great Hall, eating their weight in the delicious supper provided by the house elves. Ordinarily the Marauders were no exception to this rule, but not today. Let's just say that Sirius claimed he knew a shortcut to the Great Hall that really led them to an abandoned room on the seventh floor, and it took thirty minutes to get themselves in the correct direction. Even to third years like them, Hogwarts was an elaborate castle, and it was impossible to know your way around every corner. This hallway, however, was well lit and used often. Not today. It was abandoned, and all the lights had been snuffed. That was the first thing that the third years had noticed that seemed off. The second was the muffled shouting. James raised a finger to his lips, to stop Remus and Sirius's arguing over who got them lost. Peter was too afraid to follow the other boys down the dark passage, so he stood watch at the entrance. Slowly, four figures became distinct in the dark. Three of them were standing over the forth, cursing angrily but quietly.

"Can't believe that bitch actually bit me-"

"This'll shut her up-"

"Let go of me!" The third voice was decidedly feminine, and sounded younger than the other two. She was on the crowd, and the silent one was holding her down, but struggling to keep her still and silent. James was the first of the Gryffindors to speak.

"Having trouble, boys?" He called teasingly. Upon seeing the Marauders, all three of them scampered off, roughly shoving the girl back onto the stone floor. Remus, the kindest of the group, offered a hand to her. She smiled gratefully, but said nothing. Her hair was a light brown with seemingly random streaks in it, featuring most of the rainbow. She was small for her age, but what she lacked in size she made up in determination.

"Alright, love?" Sirius spoke, grinning in the way that made a large part of the Hogwarts female population swoon. It did not have that effect on her.

"Black, right? My mum was your cousin," She spoke for the first time, grinning right back at him.

"Andromeda? Oh, she was always my favorite cousin, much better than icky Bella or Cissy." Satisfied with her laugh, he turned to his partner in crime, James.

"Race you to the Great Hall!" Without waiting for a reply he sped off, James chasing after him, muttering curses under his breath. Remus called to Peter, telling him where James and Sirius had run off. Peter jogged after him, huffing and puffing. Remus and the girl moved after them, but in a much more comfortable pace.

"Lupin, isn't it?" The girl spoke first.

"Remus is fine. I still don't know your name, though." He replied, smiling softly at her.

"Tonks," She smiled back.

"That's an odd first name," He said jokingly. She scrunched up her nose.

"My real one's even worse," She groaned, scoffing at her mother's horrible choice of name for her only child.

"I promise I won't laugh,"

It's Nymphadora. I hate it more than anything!"

"That's not bad. In fact, I like it! There are far worse names out there," He informed her, looking down at the floor.

"At least one person in this entire universe likes it." He grinned at her dramatics, so similar to Sirius's.

"What happened back there?" He asked, gesturing behind them. She scrunched up her nose again.

"Those idiot Slytherins think that since I'm both a Hufflepuff and a first year that I'd be an easy target," She scoffed, "Please!" She looked at the floor, slightly embarrassed.
"If I had known more jinxes or hexes, I could've defended myself,"

"I have no doubt of that. At the library, to the left, there's an entire shelf that would be very helpful to you. The spells aren't hard, but the teachers won't teach you them because they don't want you to fight."

They had arrived at the Great Hall. He waved before heading to his table. And thus began Nymphadora Tonks's crush on Remus Lupin.