AN: Apologies for the slow updates, but real life has a tendency to suck the inspiration right out from under me sometimes! I'll update as and when I can, but apologies in advance if it isn't on a regular schedule...

Dumbledore had called a meeting in his private suite for all professors that were part of the newly resurrected Order of the Phoenix; he had also included Poppy Pomfrey to give everyone an update on Sirius' health but had not invited Severus along this time. When Minerva questioned his decision, Dumbledore paused in his pacing and twisted one of his silver rings around on his finger; a sure sign of his internal struggle.

'Lord Voldemort's hold over his Death Eater's is growing stronger with every passing day; Severus has managed to resist the call to power for many years now but he has admitted that there are times that he struggles a little. In light of this, he has requested to be excused from all future Order meetings so that he doesn't place himself or any of us in danger should his defences weaken.'

'A brave decision.' Minerva nodded her approval, and Dumbledore settled himself in a large leather armchair in front of his fireplace, gazing quietly into the flickering flames for a few minutes gathering his thoughts together.

'I've received word from the Ministry that the little visit the Dementor's paid to the Hogwarts Express on the first day of term is to be repeated.' Dumbledore held up his hand as Minerva and Poppy started blustering out their objections. 'Ladies, please! I have no choice in the matter; Minister Fudge is adamant that Hogwarts be protected from all harm.' Dumbledore's eyes twinkled a little as he continued to speak, revealing his inner amusement. 'I have agreed that the Dementors are allowed to patrol the outskirts only…at no point are they to be allowed inside the school gates; the concession does mean that Hogsmeade village is to be under close scrutiny should Sirius Black attempt to seek refuge.' The Headmaster saw the uncomfortable glance exchanged between Remus and Tonks, before Remus leant forward in his chair, his hands clasped loosely between his knees.

'Albus, this means we have no choice but to find an alternative resting place for Sirius; when does the Ministry plan on moving the Dementor's inside?'

'Halloween week…I believe that a little hocus pocus may be in order on All Hallows Eve night.' Dumbledore smiled faintly, his eyes shining with the prospect of creating a little mischief all in the name of the Order.

'What did you have in mind, Albus?' Minerva's tone was a little wary, to trifle with Dementors, guards of the wizarding prison Azkaban was not something any normal wizard would even contemplate; but this was Albus Dumbledore a wizard in a class completely of his own.

'Well…perhaps an attempted break in by an escaped convict; we'd need to persuade the portraits and ghosts to play along, I was thinking the Fat Lady would be the perfect choice for a damsel in distress.'

'I take it the students would all be moved into the Great Hall?' Poppy questioned, her face lined with worry as she thought about the tender first years who had only been at Hogwarts for a few short weeks. Dumbledore leant over and pressed his hand over her tightly clenched fingers.

'Fear not, Poppy; all of the children will be safely tucked away in their sleeping bags while the Dementors are out searching the grounds. In the meantime, Tonks will be in charge of escorting our guest to his quarters; while the rest of us search the entire castle.'

'I suggest you have Severus keep to the third floor and above, and Miss Tonks uses the tunnel under the Gryffindor tower that connects to the one under the Whomping Willow.' Remus suggested quietly, and when Minerva was about to interrupt Remus sent her a faint smile. 'I know that we agreed it should never be opened again, but I think the situation speaks for itself, don't you?' Minerva settled back into her chair, her worries appeased for the moment.

'I will re-open the tunnel for one night only, Minerva. Trust me, no students will discover its existence.' Dumbledore laced his fingers together as he glanced over thoughtfully at the fire as if seeking inspiration from within the fiery depths. 'It will be far too dangerous for us to hide Sirius for very long, a few weeks at most.'

'Hmm, I've been thinking about that one, Albus.' Tonks leant forward in her chair, and it was only thanks to Remus's fast reflexes that saved her precariously placed tea cup from tipping its contents all over the Headmaster's lap. Remus levitated the cup out of the way with a quick twitch of his hand and Minerva's lip twitched when she saw the way that he placed the cup on the edge of his own chair instead of returning it to Tonks. 'I think that it's time that Hagrid introduced the students to the Hippogriff…' Tonks casually stretched out her left hand and picked up her tea cup, as if she already knew where Remus had placed it and took a small sip.

'Hippogriff? Oh, I don't think so dear…they're so easily offended, one wrong move and it could very well be the last thing the student does.' Poppy was outraged that Tonks would even suggest such a creature. Dumbledore held up his hand to stay her objections and turned his attention back to Tonks.

'Miss Tonks…perhaps you would care to explain your thoughts behind your statement?'

'They would be an ideal choice for getting Sirius out of Hogwarts; they're strong and more than capable of flying long distances. We could get Hagrid to introduce a few in his Care of Magical Creature lessons, that way Fudge won't be able to suspect their sudden appearance as they are part of the curriculum.' Tonks finished her tea and set her cup back in the saucer, blindly reaching over to place it on the small side table beside her, only for Remus to reach over and nudge it into position as it started to tilt over the side; once again Tonks was completely oblivious to the fact that he had come to her rescue just in the nick of time. Minerva nudged Poppy's shoulder and the two shared a secretive smile, as the Professor and young auror seemed unaware of just how much their actions revealed about themselves.

'I will make arrangements to source a few Hippogriffs after the school holidays.' Dumbledore rose up from his chair, giving a silent indication that the meeting had drawn to a close. As the others followed suit, he quietly called out. 'Remus, Miss Tonks…I would appreciate it if the two of you would stay behind a few moments; I'd like an update on how things are developing in other areas.' Minerva gave Tonks a brief smile and whispered that she would see her at dinner that evening, before she accompanied Poppy from the sitting room. Remus sat back down on Minerva's abandoned seat on the overstuffed couch and Tonks chose to sit next to him rather than returning to her abandoned chair.

'There's a few students that I think show real potential…' Tonks began, but Dumbledore interrupted her before she could give the names.

'I'd like the two of you to introduce a few students to the Patronus Charm…I'm worried that Fudge will take this opportunity to have his Dementors breaching the school gates; I want Harry to be able to protect himself if necessary.'

'Do you think he will be able to do it, Albus? – it's far more advanced than anything any of them have worked on before, it's well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level.' Remus ran his finger along his thin moustache and frowned a little at the thought of the thirteen year old burning himself out if he couldn't produce the charm.

'I have every faith in the boy, Remus…I'll leave it up to the two of you to decide who else you take into your confidence….Remus, don't leave it too long.' The worry lacing the Headmaster's tone told Remus that there was something else bothering him.

'Albus…'

'Don't ask me, Remus…I will reveal all in the fullness of time, but not yet.' Dumbledore sounded more tired than Remus had ever heard before, and the younger man hesitated slightly before Tonks pulled slightly on the sleeve of his robe.

'Remus, don't push him…'

'Very well…I'm a little tired myself, please accept my apologies if I don't make it to the Great Hall for dinner this evening; I think I'll have something in my room and turn in early.' Remus's face was a little pale and it made the faint scars stand out where they lined his narrow face. Tonks made a mental note to order fresh steaks for the full week before his next transformation, it was clear that just a few days of extra protein wasn't enough to sustain him.

'Of course, Remus…I will ask Severus for an update on the potion a little later.'

'No need, Albus; he assures me that this should be the last moon before it's fully brewed. Hopefully by Christmas, I will be just a fluffy wolf curled up on a rug during the change.' Remus summoned a weak smile and Dumbledore rose up to rest a hand laden with silver rings on the younger man's sleeve.

'Get some rest, Remus; you will be needing all of your wits about you trying to teach those scamps how to control their wands once half term is over. I'm sure Miss Tonks can cover your lessons for the next few days should you wish to take the time to prepare for your transformation.'

'Thank you, Albus; but I think I'll leave that until after the change, something tells me that this one is not going to be easy. I may need a few days of Poppy's potions before I'm back on my feet.'

'Anything you need, Remus.' Dumbledore lightly squeezed Remus's arm, feeling the leanness under his fingertips. 'The students will be leaving in just a few days, so perhaps a few lighter lessons in the classroom wouldn't go amiss.' With those last few words of advice, Dumbledore dropped his hold on Remus's sleeve and crossed over the sitting room to disappear into his private study. Tonks glanced around the empty sitting room and then looked over at Remus.

'I take it that was his version of goodbye?' Remus let out a hoarse chuckle and gathered his robes around his lean frame, gesturing over to the large wooden doors at the end of the sitting room.

'You get used to it after a while, sometimes Albus just trails off mid-sentence and gets up to leave the room…I don't think he will be returning this evening.' Remus walked slowly over to the doors, and held one of them open for Tonks to step through before him. 'I will see you in class tomorrow, good evening Miss Tonks.' Remus bowed his head politely, and made his way slowly along the corridor intent on reaching his own chambers before his waning strength gave out on him. Tonks watched him for a few moments, before hurrying along the corridor to catch him up; surprising Remus by slipping her arm along his back under his robes to offer her support.

'Don't look at me like that, Prof…You'd do the same for me if I were in your situation.'

'I wasn't about to say anything, Miss Tonks. I appreciate the assistance, I fear that I will be in need of one of Poppy's ghastly Pepper-up potions in order to make it through the next couple of days.' Remus's face twisted at the thought of the taste of the potion as he tried to make light of the matter, but Tonks could see the pain he was trying to hide with his light-hearted comment.

'How much does it really hurt, Prof…when you transform?'

'Like nothing you can imagine, Miss Tonks.' Remus replied quietly, so quietly that Tonks struggled to make out his breathy words. 'I can feel every bone and muscle rearranging themselves and if I pass out from the pain, then I consider myself lucky.'

'And when you take the potion? Does it lessen the pain?' Tonks nudged Remus's office door open with her foot and Remus pointed one lean finger at a door at the far end of the room.

'The Wolfsbane potion is one to make the transformation easier on others rather than myself.' Remus explained with a wry expression, thanking Tonks with a faint smile as she helped him into one of the twin armchairs flanking his large fireplace. A quick flick of her wrist had the flames burning brightly and within moments a pot of tea was warming on the hearth. 'Whilst it is true that the potion lessens the effects of the moon and I am merely a member of the wolf family rather than a blood thirsty savage…the pain of the transformation is still there regardless of which animal takes form.' Remus accepted the cup of tea offered by Tonks, and took a hesitant sip. 'Hmm…Earl Grey, my favourite blend.' Tonks merely smiled as she settled back in her matching chair with her own cup, sweetened with half a sugar and a dash of milk.

'Tell me a story, Professor.' Tonks requested as they sat quietly by the flickering fire. 'Talking will keep your mind off the pain, it's something that Alastor preached during our initial training at the academy. Pick a subject or just ramble on about anything…I know, tell me the story of how your parents met; was it at Hogwarts or afterwards?'

'Hogwarts?' Remus chuckled and shook his head, reaching out to pour himself another cup of tea. Tonks nudged his hand out of the way and grasped the handle of the teapot herself. Remus smiled his thanks and gestured over to where a round, battered tin was sitting on the hearth. 'Help yourself to a biscuit if you wish, I believe Minerva stocked it with shortbread and pumpkin cookies this week.'

'Biscuits, professor? That's what you consider to be a proper meal?' Tonks clucked her tongue and reached around Remus to tug on the bell rope hanging by the side of the fireplace, within moments one of the house elfs apparated in the room and Tonks grinned when she saw it was her favourite elf, Papsky. 'Wotcher, Papsky.'

'Misses Tonksie! Glads to see you, is Papsky!' The female elf quivered with excitement at seeing Tonks again and didn't seem at all perturbed that it had been Tonks summoning one of the elves rather than the professor himself.

'What can you grab us from the kitchen that's nice and easy, Paps?'

'If the Miss and Professor wants, Papsky can brings everything they is having in Great Hall…beef stew with dumplings, treacle pudding and custard and pumpkin pasties.' Tonks glanced over to Remus who shook his head.

'I don't think I could stomach something that heavy; perhaps a light broth?'

'Don't listen to him, Paps; could we have a tray of mixed sandwiches and perhaps a couple of bowls of mousse if you have any?'

'Quick as old Peeves, Papsky will be coming back.' The elf apparated again and Remus sighed heavily.

'I do wish you'd have left it at a bowl of broth, Miss Tonks; I'm really not feeling up to eating solid foods at the moment.'

'Have the mousse then and I'll eat my way through the sarnies, Dad always did say I had hollow legs; I'm always hungry.'

'Then perhaps you should join the others in the Great Hall for the evening meal, I'm sure Albus will be wondering where you are.' Remus's slightly chiding tone had Tonks narrowing her eyes at him, and the ends of her hair flashed a brighter hue before settling back down.

'Settle down, Prof…I'm sure Paps will be happy to pass on my regrets to Albus.' Tonks smiled widely as Papsky returned with a large platter heaped with tiny triangles of crustless sandwiches, bite sized pork pies and sausage rolls. A second elf apparated in with a tray of desserts, individual portions of strawberry mousse, tiny chocolate cakes and bowls of fruit salad with piped cream drizzled over the top. 'Ooh Papsky this looks scrumptious! You've outdone yourself this time?'

'Tonskie is pleased with Papsky?' The little elf tilted her head to the side, her tea towel skirt twisting in her nervous hands as she awaited the verdict.

'I'm always pleased with you, Papsky; you've never let me down. Could you please pass on a message to the Headmaster for me, and let him know that I've decided to dine with Professor Lupin this evening?'

'Anything for Miss Tonskie.' Papsky bowed her head and with a glance at the other elf, apparated out of the room. Tonks leant forward and selected a triangle of sandwich from the tray and bit into it.

'Yummy…smoked salmon paté.' She munched happily on the sandwich, and selected a second; gesturing for Remus to continue. 'You laughed when you said Hogwarts earlier, what did you mean?'

'Hmm?' Remus looked up from where he had leant forward to examine the platter of sandwiches. 'I guess one or two couldn't hurt.' He murmured to himself, selecting a few different sandwiches and placing them on a small side plate. After taking a bite, Remus glanced up to see Tonks waiting patiently for his answer. 'Oh, my mother didn't go to Hogwarts; I'm a half blood, mum was a Muggle and Dad a wizard.'

'Really? I would never have guessed it; you're pretty powerful for someone with diluted bloodlines.' Tonks shoved another sandwich in her mouth, feeling pretty certain that her face was flushed with embarrassment; she'd either paid him a high compliment or insulted him terribly.

'Thank you, I had to work hard to get where I am today…not very easy when you're a werewolf and your Dad's expertise is in Non-Human Spirituous Apparations.' Remus bit into his second sandwich and hummed in approval. 'Mmm…foise gras.'

'Ooh lovely…' Tonks leant forward to rummage through the platter and Remus pointed to where she could find the foise gras filled sandwiches. 'So, your Dad was a ghost hunter? How'd he meet with your Mum?'

'Dad was on an investigative trip in the middle of Wales, trying to track down a particularly nasty Boggart when he heard someone screaming in the middle of the woods. He followed the sound and saw the Boggart transforming into a tall, dirty looking tramp which was looming over a very pretty young lady – who turned out to be a Muggle that had simply taken the wrong turn off the nature trail. Dad got out his wand and the Boggart turned tail and returned into a field mushroom.'

'What did your Dad say to your Mum? How did he explain away his actions, ooh I hope he didn't Obliviate her?'

'Don't worry, it's only a Boggart.' Remus deadpanned and Tonks nearly choked on her sandwich. 'He did what any properly raised wizard would do; agreed that it was a very scary man following her and the only safe thing for him to do was to walk her home….five months later they were married and a year after that I came along.'

'I bet she was surprised to find out all about your Dad…' Tonks mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich, and Remus chuckled lightly.

'Amazingly no, Dad thought that she'd call off the wedding when she found out about what his job really was…but as their wedding cake had a Boggart as the topper I guess that she was okay with it all.' Remus leant forward to take another sandwich, only to frown when he discovered that they had actually eaten their way through the whole platter. Tonks gently nudged the dessert tray forward and Remus picked up a portion of strawberry mousse instead. 'What about your family, Miss Tonks?'

'Do you think you could just call me Tonks, prof? Miss Tonks makes me feel more like a student than ever; and it's been more than a few years since I graduated from Hogwarts.'

'Just Tonks? I thought your first name was Nymphadora?' Remus scrunched his nose up at addressing the young witch by her surname alone; it seemed like such a Ministerial thing to do.

'Urgh…Only my Mum and Dumbledore call me that; I can't think whatever possessed Mum to choose such an awful first name. My mates at school used to call me Nymph but that made me sound like a delicate little girl, so I put a stop to that. Dad calls me Dora, so I suppose you could call me that if you want…anything apart from blasted Nymphadora.'

'Very well, Dora…only if you stop calling me Prof or Professor; my name is Remus.'

'Alright, Remus. So, you probably know that Mum is related to the Black's?' Tonks raised her eyebrow and Remus nodded. 'Well, they weren't too happy with the fact that she picked Dad over some ugly twit that had been selected to carry on the family line. Dad's parents were Muggles and when he and Mum got married; her whole family blasted her off the family tree.'

'Ah well, it seems that not everyone can have a happy family like the Weasley's.'

'Yeah…hey, did you know that they were related to the Black's as well?'

'It doesn't surprise me, Dora. There are very few pure blood families out there, so it stands to reason that most can follow their roots back to the ancestor if they look hard enough.' Remus gestured toward the tea pot. 'Another cup?'

'Better not, Remus…It's half ten already and we've got the third years first thing.' Tonks refused with a grin and Remus was astonished to see how late it had gotten.

'I'm terribly sorry, Dora. I hadn't realised that I had kept you in here for so long, you must beg the forgiveness of a weary old man.'

'Don't be daft, Remus…You can be more than thirty eight or so, plenty of life in the old dog yet.' Tonks rose up from the chair and before Remus could blink had dashed over to press a kiss against his scarred cheek, resting her hand on his shoulder as he attempted to rise up to see her out. 'No need to get up, Remus…I can see myself back to my chambers. Get a good night's sleep, and I'll see you at breakfast. Good night.'

'Yes, good night Dora.' Remus remained in the chair long after Tonks had left his rooms, his hand reaching up to caress the cheek where her lips had briefly rested. 'Remus Lupin, you are a foolish old man if you think that was anything more than a friend wishing you well. Get to bed, you old fool before you start reading any more into it than you already have.' Remus sighed heavily as he rose from the armchair, dousing the flames in the fireplace and making his way wearily into his bedroom, trying to forget the feel of her soft lips pressing against his skin.