So I'm doing my own take on this, and I'm horribly afraid that I'm making Tonks seem OOC. Let me know what you think in a review, pretty please?

"And this concludes our meeting," Dumbledore stated, glancing at his watch.

Tonks hastily stood up. "Listen, I live in a dodgy part of town. I need to get home before it gets too dark."

Molly Weasley nodded worriedly. "Be safe, sweetheart."

This made Tonks blush. Molly had been like an aunt throughout her years at Hogwarts, even though she'd witnessed Tonks break up with her son (and Tonks' ex-best friend-slash-boyfriend) Charlie right before he left for Romania. A huge part of Tonks still loved Charlie, to be honest, but another part knew that Charlie had chosen his dragons over her.

I would give you the moon if you would only take me with you, Charlie.

She shook off the memories like water. If she tarried, the Dark warlocks would be out by the time she Apparated home. Goodness knows she had enough to deal with already.

I'll marry you. You know I would marry you. And we could be together forever.

She smiled again, this time slightly forced. Then she inclined her head to Remus and Sirius and turned away.

"You live in a dodgy part of town?" echoed Remus suddenly, and Tonks turned back again, her tresses changing to the short, curly ebony of the warlocks' hair without her noticing.

Her traitorous hair, unlocked by strong emotion, had given her secret away.

Nearly all the members of the Order winced, and Remus stood up. "I'll go with you. Dark warlocks are a nasty-"

Tonks shook her head hastily. "Oh no, I couldn't trouble you like that! And most of them live on my floor anyway, I just have to lock the door with everything I know, spend a couple hours barricading-" she stopped, then swore loudly. "It's already dark, I'll be horribly late."

Remus had pressed his lips into a firm line. "I understand that it would be a major hit to your pride to be escorted like a schoolgirl. However, I believe that living within a community of Dark warlocks is too dangerous for anyone but the best duelers to risk."

Tonks nodded slightly. "All right, so what would you have me do then?"

"I'll pick up your things tomorrow morning, but it would be more advisable to stay here for tonight at least," Remus replied. "We can find a different living arrangement for you-we don't want one of our members getting killed before Voldemort-"-here many Order members winced, aside from Albus Dumbledore- "-is even out in the open."

Tonks nodded slightly. "I'll stay the night."

Remus led her to one of the bedrooms, and told her "Wake me if there's anything you need" before hurrying to his room. And so she lay there, drowsy but not willing to fall asleep in this strange new house and without her stuffed teddy from Charlie.

Charlie.

Tonks did not like the night. Because at night, memories of him shattered the illusion that she'd gotten over him years ago.

"Charlie, Charlie, sweetheart, listen," she begged him. "Please. I'll do anything, anything for you. I don't want you to leave me."

"People make choices, Dora." His voice betrayed no emotion besides brusqueness. He was talking to her like one might a pest, an annoyance. "I hope that you'll accept mine. Our time together was wonderful, but you know first loves don't last."

She grabbed hold of the front of his robes. "Please, please don't leave me! I would give you the moon if you would only take me with you, Charlie."

"I've made my decision, Dora. Dragons are my life. You know that. You've known that for a long time, and I already told you I was going back." Charlie shook her off impatiently. "I need to pack."

"I'll marry you. You know I would marry you. And we could be together forever," she half-sobbed. "Forever, because I love you."

"Stop it! This is hard enough for me to do-"

"Then don't do it, please, please." She curled into his arms, sobbed softly into his robes. She was holding him, but he wasn't holding her.

Tonks jerked awake. No Charlie, no tears, just an old bedroom full of moth-eaten tapestries.

Her hair was long and blonde, just like it always was after dreams with him. He'd liked her hair blonde. He'd said it reminded him of silken rope.

She touched her hair lightly, because he'd always gripped it tightly when they were kissing. Because once upon a time his hands had been here, his fingers had raked through this part.

Then she cried softly, because she was the only one who knew that she was hurting from a long-ago fling that had lasted a year. Because she was only like this during the night. Because Charlie had loved her and that had been the one and only time that anyone had like that.

It'll be better in the morning, she thought despairingly, horrible misery clawing at her stomach. You're always fine when it's light out and you aren't alone.

But the pain was so real at night that this truth sounded like an empty lie to her.

She closed her eyes and drifted into a fitful sleep.

When her eyes opened again she only faintly remembered the awful sadness of the night and was able to get up, change her hair into a sleek blue bob, and get dressed before going downstairs.

"I'm going to go get your stuff," Remus told her. "You can stay here, if you wish, and socialize. I don't think that any of the children have met you yet?"

"Children?" echoed Tonks.

"Molly's children as well as Hermione Granger, a family friend."

"Ah." She'd met a few of the other Weasley children on occasion. By far her favorite had been the littlest, Ginny, a perceptive young twelve-year-old at the time she and Charlie had been going out. "Is Ginny here?"

"I believe so. Do you know her?"

And suddenly Tonks realized that Remus knew nothing of her past, unlike most of her other friends. Remus knew nothing about Charlie, nothing about her, and because of this he could be a better friend than anyone else she knew.

"I met her a while ago," Tonks replied nonchalantly. "But really I don't know much of her."

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-The Eclectic Bookworm