A/N: hello and i hope you enjoy this story!! this just a funny, sweet story i wrote while back. however i just want to let you all know that starting next week i am writing a new series and will be alternating chapters so one week this and the next week my other story. Ok? sorry if you are mad with me. and please people, read and review!!! thanks for your understanding.

Tonks woke with a start. Something funny was going on, she could tell, she did have Auror training after all.

First of all, it was half past six in the morning, (someone was going to pay for waking her an hour before her alarm went off), secondly it was a Tuesday, the only person in the house at this time should be Sirius, the others being out on Order business and thirdly, there was a very, very odd and somewhat suspicious knocking sound coming from somewhere out in the hallway.

She lay with her eyes scrunched up, concentrating hard on the sound, trying to focus in on it and ignore the part of her brain that was angrily yelling at her that it was too bloody early to be worrying about these kinds of things.

After a few seconds of this concentration, the incessant knocking sound was broken by a sudden loud bang and then . . . a cheer? What in the name of Merlin's many multicolored beards was going on?

The young, pink haired, heart faced Auror struggled out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a crumpled t-shirt that had been dropped in a heap on the floor at some point during her stay at Grimmauld place. She snatched up her wand from the bedside table, clumsily managing to knock the old lamp over onto the floor where it shattered into a number of tiny pieces and created a further noise which added to the headache she could feel coming on.

So much for the element of surprise, she thought, cursing under her breath as she tapped the lamp with her wand and the pieces flew back into place, sticking seamlessly together. Tonks had gotten very good at repairing spells funnily enough.

With the lamp back in place, a pair of purple slippers shaped like hippogriffs on her feet and her wand outstretched, she approached the door and opened it very slowly, peering out into the hallway.

"Duck!"

Tonks tripped over the door frame in her surprise, stubbing her toe nicely in the process and fell to the floor. Just in time too it seemed, as she looked up a dart sailed over her head and stuck into a board fixed to the wall down the other end of the corridor.

"Sirius Black!" she demanded furiously as she sat on the floor rubbing her hurt toe and trying to ignore the headache which had further increased. "What in the hell do you think you're doing? It's half six in the morning!"

"Amusing myself dear cousin," Sirius replied with his trademark grin plastered to his face. "Why did I wake you?"

Tonks pulled a face and his grin grew further as he waved his wand lazily and the dart unstuck itself from the board (which Tonks could now see had a picture of Snape's face stuck firmly over the bull's-eye in the centre) and flew back to him, landing in his outstretched hand.

"You appear to have hurt your toe Nymphadora," he said with a chuckle and made to throw the dart again.

Tonks put a stop to his fun however and yelled "Accio dart" as loud as she could, and with enough force that she was forced to duck once more as it sailed out of Sirius' hand and imbedded itself in the doorframe above her head.

"Now now Nympahdora -"

"Use my first name again and I'll charm this dart to permanently chase you around the house" she said through gritted teeth and watched the irritating grin on her cousin's face grow further.

"Tonks then, you don't really want to be such a spoilsport now do you?"

Tonks pulled a face that clearly said she couldn't care less and stood upright, hopping slightly and clutching at the doorframe to remain upright.

"Sirius, why have you got a dart board, in fact, where did you get it from?"

"Mundungus, err, found it," Sirius replied

Tonks made a mental note to have serious words with Mundungus.

"Look, I know you're bored -" Tonks began before Sirius interrupted her.

"-Bored, bored! I'm stuck in this flaming house, this appalling, run down, evil, stinking excuse for a house day and night! You think I might be bored! Well done Tonks, what an observation, how fantastic, how did you ever -"

She cut him off with an irritable wave of her hand and hopped across the landing towards the stairs. Sirius who knew his cousin and her clumsy ways on too well could sense the danger a mile off and stopped his tirade in time to sprint to her side and suggest nervously that he help her down the stairs.

Tonks glared at him.

"I can manage."

"Are you sure, because I'm not really angry at you, I mean, you know how it is, but any way, I wouldn't want you to fall or anything."

"I said, I can manage, I'm an Auror if you hadn't forgotten."

"And we're all very proud of you," Sirius replied patronisingly. "But seriously Tonks, I know what you're like and I wouldn't want -"

He gave in as he watched her begin her slow jerky descent down the winding stair case, moving one step at a time, hopping so that she looked like a hinkypunk. Sirius followed behind her, wand drawn, ready to yell a charm to stop her from falling if she showed signs of starting slip. To his surprise, (and Tonks' though she wouldn't admit it), she reached the bottom of the stairs with out incident and began making her way to the kitchen, giving the trolls leg umbrella stand a very wide berth.

Sirius hurried ahead and held the door open for her, daring to bow which made her smile slightly and he hoped her bad mood might be slightly assuaged.

She crossed the kitchen floor, still hopping, and dropped heavily into one of the high backed wooden chairs that surrounded the old oak table. Sirius headed to the sink, staring at the dirty plates stacked up inside some murky water with an expression of mingled fear and disgust. He knew full well what Molly would say if she saw them, or Remus for that matter.

"So, what about breakfast then?" Tonks said, properly smiling now that she had gotten over her hurt toe and was successfully ignoring the headache.

"What about it?" Sirius replied, still eyeing the dishes as if he expected them to rise up in formation and attack him.

Tonks raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well I am currently an invalid thanks to you."

She motioned to her toe that had swollen slightly.

"Oh well Remus will be along in half an hour or so, you can get him to kiss it better then can't you."

Sirius ducked instinctively without turning around and heard the slimy wet slap of the dirty dishcloth hit the wall at the height his head had been moments before. He turned around to see Tonks once more glaring at him.

"If you know what's good for you Sirius, you will never -"

"- oh come off it cousin," Sirius teased, giving up on the dishes entirely and instead setting about making tea and toast for the both of them. "I've been around Remus long enough to know when he fancies someone and you and I are related, I can read you like a book."

"Oh yeah, what am I thinking right now then?" Tonks asked with a worryingly dangerous glint in her eyes.

"How much you would like to squash my head into the toaster," Sirius replied and she laughed reassuringly.

"Might be more fun than sitting around here all day though," he added in a somewhat dejected tone.

The toast popped up a moment later and he caught the pieces deftly, slapping them down onto a couple of plates and layering on butter and jam generously.

"There's got to be something for you to do Sirius," Tonks managed to get out through a mouthful of toast. "I mean, you're in this big old house, surely there's stuff to explore."

"Nothing it's worth my life to touch," he replied and Tonks couldn't help but agree. Considering their foray into the attic that one time, she decided she never wanted to sneak around the Black house in the dark again. Certainly not with all the weird things on the loose up there anyway.

Tonks sat silently as she ate her breakfast, considering Sirius's words. She did feel bad for him, cooped up in the house the whole time, and Remus was away often and not hugely good company when he was around. As Sirius had put it to her one day, all the marauder seemed to have gone out of him. Tonks had a sneaking suspicion that Harry might be taking his place in Sirius's mind. What Sirius needed really was to get out of the house, to live again, to have some fun . . .

Just as Tonks was about to suggest an idea, the kitchen door opened and a weary looking Remus Lupin strode in and seated himself at the table with a wan smile to the two of them. Sirius who was over at the side, contemplating the dishes once more, brought the tired man a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," Remus said as it was set down in front of him. "Is not it a little early for the two of you to be up though?"

"Oh Sirius here thought it was the best idea in the whole world to play darts in the corridor at half six," Tonks said, shooting Sirius daggers as she finished her sentence.

Remus smiled slightly and shook his head but remained silent, sipping away at his coffee and yawning widely.

"So how was watch duty?" Sirius asked, moving slightly to block Remus' view of the pile up in the sink.

"Oh, same as always, nothing much to report," Remus replied taking another mouthful of the hot coffee. He glanced up at Sirius and saw the sheepish grin on his face and began trying to peer around the other man who shifted his position slightly.

"Sirius, what is behind you?"

"Nothing nothing. So are you around the rest of the day?" Sirius replied, and Tonks laughed at his feeble attempt to divert Remus' attention.

"No, I have to go into Hogsmeade, we're running out of ingredients in the fist aid kit here, but don't change the subject. What is behind you Sirius?"

Sirius skipped sideways again as Lupin leaned back in his chair in amusement, attempting to look around his friend. Tonks fell about laughing and Remus glanced over at her awkwardly, wondering if she had seen the brief smile that had filled up his face at the sound. No, she was too busy staring at her cousin and Remus returned his attention to Sirius who appeared to be doing some sort of jig on the kitchen tiles as he attempted to block Remus' line of vision.

"Sirius, you're being ridiculous, it can't be that bad, whatever it is!"

Sirius finally gave up as Remus made to rise from his seat, figuring he didn't want a duel this early in the morning.

"Sirius!" Remus groaned, shaking his head as his eyes fell upon the cluttered sink. The bubbles in the water were bursting with a strange gloopy sound and did not smell good either.

"That is appalling!" Remus said in disgust.

"It wasn't just me!" Sirius said, pointing an accusing finger at Tonks who held up her hands in mock self defence.

"How long have they been sat there?"

"How long has it been since you turned into an old woman, Remus? Fussing over the dishes, you'll be checking whether I've picked up my dirty washing next," Sirius replied defensively and Tonks turned slightly red as she thought of the piles of clothes on her bedroom floor.

"That's no excuse for this, this, monstrosity!" Remus said. "Are you breeding things in there Sirius, because something might have died, or was that just last weeks chilli still on the plates?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Come on Remus, what happened to Mooney? You know, the one who used to sneak out at night with us and play pranks?"

"He grew up Sirius, and so should you. I'm off for a shower before I leave."

Lupin washed up his coffee cup and placed it back in the cupboard with a pointed look at Sirius who grinned at him.

"When I come back later, I want that all gone," Remus said with a nod towards the slowly bubbling sink. Fumes were beginning to rise from the swampy surface now.

"See ya Remus," Tonks said as he headed out the door.

"Goodbye Nymphadora, have a nice day," Remus replied with a small smile as he went.

Sirius made a gagging motion and even Tonks cringed at the use of her first name.

"Merlin he is so boring now," Sirius said, scraping his chair back, rolling up his sleeves and sidling up to the sink warily for the third time.

"No, you just drive him up the wall, he's a lot of fun when I'm with him," Tonks replied.

"Yeah, well he would be wouldn't he."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tonks asked threateningly and Sirius smiled sweetly at her.

"Nothing at all dear cousin," he replied. "But that doesn't change the fact that Remus the marauder has turned into Remus the housewife."

"Well," Tonks said, "perhaps you both just need to have some fun. I've been thinking -"

"- oh yes?!" Sirius said sounding excited and latching onto anything that would get him out of having to tackle the sink.

Tonks raised her eyebrows in a particularly convincing impression of Remus, shortening her pink spiky hair to his length and turning it mousy brown.

"You can talk whilst you clean, Sirius" she said in a good imitation of Lupin's voice and Sirius gave her a dejected smile and turned back to the task ahead of him.

"What we need is, some sort of tournament," Tonks said, "some ongoing thing that takes up our spare time, something like -"

"- the Grimmauld place games!" Sirius said excitedly and not looking at what he was doing, stuck his hand into a particular grimy bowl. His fingers connected with something that felt like mud, and then squirmed underneath his hands. He jerked his arm back with a yell and peered at the surface of the water once more.

"I think Remus might be right you know," he said to Tonks who was looking confused. "There's definitely something living in here."