Disclaimer: While it is highly improbable that anyone who owns the rights to anything remotely connected to Harry Potter (except a copy of the books and a poster or two) will stumble upon this story, I must reiterate that I OWN NOTHING, if only because all the cool kids are doing it…

Chapter 10: Friends

Due to the massive amount of paperwork and useless "Sirius hunts" Tonks was assigned at the Ministry, it was a month before she returned to Grimmauld Place again for the next Order meeting.

She sat down next to Sirius, and they were discussing their Chocolate Frog card collection when Remus entered the kitchen. Sirius looked up at him, as if to wave him over, but Remus looked straight ahead and went to sit down at the opposite end of the table.

"Is he still mad at you?" Tonks whispered to her cousin.

"Nah, but he's avoiding you," Sirius replied.

"That's ridiculous! Why can't we just act like adults and move past this?"

"That's Moony for you. Old beyond his years in some ways, and yet a clueless second year in others."

Tonks sighed and shook her head. She had been trying desperately not to think about Remus over the past month, but he determinedly popped into her head at the most inopportune moments. Now that she was sitting in the same room as him, after not seeing him for three weeks, she found herself unable to think of anything else, no matter how hard she tried.

She attempted to pay attention during Dumbledore's announcement, refusing to let her eyes wander over to Remus. But when Snape started talking, she couldn't force herself to dwell on his monotonous voice and greasy appearance. Her eyes flickered a few seats down, and she took in Remus' appearance.

He looked exhausted. Tonks remembered that the full moon had been last week. His hair seemed even grayer than the last time she had seen him, his face more lined, his robes more frayed. His gray eyes were focused on Snape.

Tonks felt a wave of sadness come over her. I really have missed him, she thought. Even just as a friend. Maybe I could talk to him after the meeting and we could agree to try and put all this behind us.

Tonks' thoughts were interrupted as Remus eyes flickered back over to her, catching her staring. She blushed and looked down. Sirius let out a snort.

"Pay attention, Tonksie!" he muttered.

"I was!" she lied.

"To something other than Moony, I mean." Tonks blushed, and glanced up at Kingsley, who was now reporting on the Ministry.

"—Still wasting their time on hunting for Sirius Black, who was recently spotted in Tahiti—" Sirius smirked. "—and keeping suspected dissidents busy with paper work." Tonks rolled her eyes. She needed to learn to keep her mouth shut at work.

She forced herself to at least appear to be paying attention to the rest of the reports, but after the meeting was over, she found she could not even remember everyone who had given the reports.

0o0o0o0o0

After the meeting, Sirius begged Tonks to stay afterward for drinks.

"Remus has guard duty, so you won't have to worry about him."

Tonks masked her disappointment quickly. She hadn't gotten the chance to talk to him after the meeting, either. "Alright."

"Brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed. "I haven't had anyone to talk to except Moony, and you know how bloody dull he can be." With that, he went into the kitchen, and returned with a bottle of firewhiskey, and two mugs. "Let's get drunk."

Tonks decided that it was the best idea she'd heard all day.

0o0o0o0o0

She thought differently when she was rudely awoken by Remus returning from guard duty at four o'clock in the morning.

"Tonks?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Ugh…" she groaned, lifting her head slowly off the kitchen table. "Wuzzgoinon?"

"You're at Headquarters."

"Don't yell. My head hurts," Tonks moaned, clutching her head. How much did we drink? She wondered, glancing over at Sirius, still passed out beside her. What was I thinking? I have to work today!

Before she even noticed he was gone, Remus returned with a cup full of putrid smelling liquid.

"Hangover cure," he said softly. She muttered a grunt of appreciating, and downed the foul potion.

"Thanks," she said, shuddering. Within minutes, her head felt clear.

"You should get some rest. There's a guest bedroom upstairs," Remus said. "I've got to get Sirius upstairs too."

"Nah, put him on the sofa. Remember what happened last time?" Tonks asked. "He probably still has a lump on his head."

"That wasn't my fault, you were distracting me!" Remus said, defensively.

"Would you like me to leave so you can get him upstairs without any 'distractions'?" Tonks questioned jokingly. Remus laughed.

"Fine, we'll put him on the sofa. Can you give me a hand?" Tonks grabbed Sirius' feet, and they carried him over to the couch. Tonks placed a blanket over top of him and patted his head gently.

"'Night, cos," she muttered softly. Then she turned to Remus. "You'd better have that hangover stuff ready in the morning. He drank more than I did." Remus chuckled softly.

"I'll show you where the guest bedroom is," he said, leading her up the stairs. She thought about saying that it wasn't necessary, she knew where everything was from helping clean the house out a few months ago, but she decided against it.

"Good night," he said, upon reaching the door.

"'Night." She turned to open the door, and she heard his footsteps down the hall. "Remus, wait!" she called. He turned around. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever for?" he asked. "Getting drunk? It's not like it's an unusual occurrence around here."

Tonks would have laughed, but she was trying to keep the conversation serious. "No, for pushing you, last time we talked. I didn't have any right. I shouldn't have gotten worked up about it."

"You don't have to apolo-" she cut him off.

"Yes, I do. And I really want us to be friends." Tonks smiled crookedly. "I missed you," she added softly, not sure if he could even hear.

"Of course we're friends," he said.

"Good."

"Good."

"'Night, Remus."

"Sweet dreams, Nymphadora." His eyes twinkled as she shut the door.

A/n: Sorry, that was rather short, and devoid of substance. Hopefully I'll have another one up soon… School has been eating all of my time. Please review! (I'm almost at 100!)