Author's Note: I OWN NOTHING! That honour belongs to the inspirational J.K. Rowling.

Remus Lupin chastised himself for the umpteenth time as he dodged another Ministry worker, keeping his eyes trained on the flash of turquoise up ahead. He wasn't supposed to be here, sneaking along a crowded hallway in Mad-Eye's invisibility cloak, trailing after a woman who wasn't aware of his presence. It's creepy, he told himself. You are becoming a creepy old man with an unhealthy obsession. But he couldn't quite help himself. What was waiting for him back at Grimmauld Place? A bit of paperwork then an evening of trying to stop Sirius getting totally pissed. So sue him if he'd rather forget about the misery of his life in general and focus on something better, something beautiful and happy: Tonks.

Besides, he reasoned as he edged round a corner then stopped about ten feet away from the lift she was waiting at, it wasn't a regular occurrence. No, Remus decided; this was a one-off because, as her friend, he was worried about her. She seemed slightly down, didn't she? Hadn't she seemed a bit moody during their shift guarding the Department of Mysteries earlier today? Remus cursed under his breath, knowing that he had probably made that part up because he wanted to have a reason to try and cheer her up. He wanted an excuse for his decidedly inexcusable behaviour right now. Creep.

He darted forward as the grilles opened, making it into the lift just after Tonks did. She pressed a button that Remus knew would take her to the other side of the ministry and he leaned against the walls, staring at her as they lurched upwards, keeping his balance with an easy grace that he suspected came with being a natural predator, a monster. Tonks was anything but graceful; she stumbled back and just managed to grab the railing, leaning forward and giving Remus a suddenly excellent view of her cleavage. He gulped and looked away quickly, feeling incredibly guilty for wanting her. It had always been this way, since the first time he had met her. He shouldn't want her. She was young and unmarked by weariness and misery; she deserved better than some penniless and worn-out werewolf. But he couldn't quite stop himself from watching her, talking to her, laughing with her and, to his eternal shame and disgust, lusting after her.

Remus sighed and leaned back against the wall. Tonks had straightened up, muttering to herself about 'bloody ancient machinery'. She tugged at her short red denim skirt and tucked her shoulder-length, vibrant blue curls behind one ear. Remus smiled to himself; her dull regulation auror robes were barely held closed with just the middle button, as usual, and she was just so colourful in her red skirt, green top, blue hair and her ripped dark purple tights. It was impossible to dwell on negatives around her. She seemed alright, he decided. He must have been so desperate to spend more time around her that he made up her bad mood. Hardly surprising, given his track record for becoming irrational and apparently even delusional around her. He absentmindedly watched as she leaned sideways against the wall and spun her wand between her fingers, humming a Weird Sisters tune to herself. The sound of the cool female voice of the elevator announcing that they had stopped halfway to Tonks' destination made him jump; someone must be joining them. He should go.

Remus was just moving towards the door, ready to slip out and make his way home, when he heard a mumbled swear word from Tonks. Glancing at her, he saw that she was frowning at the lift doors, just past him. He turned and his mouth straightened to a thin line. Dolores Umbridge was about to step into the small space, her head still turned as she simpered at some Ministry official. Remus deliberated for a second then moved quietly back to the corner of the lift.

Umbridge stepped in and barely glanced at Tonks as she pressed a button with a short finger. As the machine jolted sideways, however, the younger woman tripped over her own feet and toppled into Umbridge, just managing to catch herself before she actually knocked the older woman over.

"Sorry! I'm very sorry, didn't mean to do that…" Tonks rambled as she stepped back, blushing furiously, a few pale pink streaks appearing in her hair then fading away almost instantly. Umbridge huffed as she fussily smoothed down her shapeless dress and matching jacket, shooting Tonks a withering glare that made Remus itch to hex her.

"Honestly, watch your feet before you kill someone. I suppose you're one of these new office girls. Useless!" she sniffed.

Tonks scowled and said stiffly: "Actually, I'm an Auror."

Umbridge shot her an amused look. "My, they are getting desperate, aren't they? What's your name then? I shall have to talk to dear Rufus about who they accept for training nowadays."

"Nymphadora Tonks," gritted Tonks. She had her fists clenched and Remus silently willed her to stay calm. Umbridge, however, had whipped her head around at the mention of Tonks' name, scrutinising the younger woman with a gleam in her slightly bulging eyes. Smoothly withdrawing her wand, Umbridge tapped the control panel on the wall of the lift and smiled calmly as it came to a shuddering halt, sending Tonks flying into the doors. Remus tensed; he did not like this one bit.

"What the hell?" gasped Tonks as she staggered to her feet, rubbing her elbow. Umbridge raised her eyebrows.

"Try not to use profanities, Nymphadora, I get enough of that at Hogwarts. I only wish to ask you a few questions and then we'll be on our way."

Tonks frowned at the older woman, gripping her wand tightly. "What?"

Umbridge tutted in an irritating way. "Well, I'm quite interested in the very important work that the Auror department is doing at the moment. I understand you are part of a team investigating the Order of the Phoenix?"

Tonks stiffened and fixed Umbridge with an expressionless gaze. "I'm afraid that's classified information, Ma'am."

Umbridge tittered and cocked her head to one side. "Oh, but I know all about it; people in my sort of position at the Ministry are privy to all sorts of information. I make it my business to be aware of such important proceedings, because after all, the Order is a dangerous organisation and I have the younger generation to think of; we wouldn't want them to be corrupted. Wouldn't you agree?"

"The ministry considers it a threat, yes."

"Of course it's a threat! My dear, it threatens all we have worked so hard for. But I'm sure you know that. I understand you and your colleagues have been trailing people suspected of participating in the order?"

Tonks narrowed her eyes but kept her voice perfectly polite. "Yes, but I'm afraid I can't tell you any names-"

Umbridge tittered again; Remus was finding it increasingly annoying. "Oh, I know most of them. That revolting thief Mundungus Fletcher is considered as suspicious, and of course there's the werewolf, Remus Lupin."

Both Tonks and Remus jerked slightly at his name and he gritted his teeth as Umbridge's sharp eyes zeroed in on the movement, boring into Tonks. "Yes, I believe dear Rufus was assigning Lupin to you, among others?"

"I… I'm afraid I cannot-"

"Yes, dear, classified, I know. But it's quite alright; I am aware of who the werewolf has been assigned. I'm surprised, though, that you have been given that job; werewolves are vicious, dangerous half-breeds and I would have thought that someone older, more experienced… still, I'm sure you'll do your best."

Tonks made a non-committal sound and Remus saw the tips of her hair burning a scarlet red, but Umbridge appeared not to notice as she continued. "Personally I don't see the need for watching him and waiting until he slips up. A monster like him should be hunted, for the good of society; how can any normal witch or wizard feel safe with werewolves roaming free?"

Tonks took a deep breath and her voice only shook very slightly when she spoke: "He is not a normal werewolf. His self-control is… um, appears to be perfectly satisfactory. He doesn't pose a risk. Ma'am."

Umbridge stepped closer to Tonks and frowned at her. "Werewolves are filthy, unnatural creatures that simply do not deserve a place in normal society. Lupin can pretend all he likes, but he cannot be trusted; his little adventure at Hogwarts two years ago proved that. I would hope, dear, that your naivety and lack of experience do not lead you to this silly, Dumbledore-like way of thinking. Are you saying that normal people should be put at risk for the sake of a few monsters?"

There was a pause in which Tonks stared blankly at the floor. Then she raised her eyes to Umbridge's intense gaze and spoke in a perfectly calm voice.

"Of course not. I was just repeating my observations. Of course we must put the normal people first. Dumbledore is obviously getting desperate in this foolish Order thing; I mean, he's recruiting Dark creatures to try and battle Dark magic, despite the fact that the Ministry has everything under control. It's mad."

Umbridge smiled widely, making Remus shiver from where he stood tensed against the wall, wand in hand. "I'm glad to hear that, my dear," she said sweetly. She stepped back and flicked her wand at the lift controls, leaving Tonks standing in exactly the same position against the wall, reaching out and gripping the railing with white knuckles as the lift lurched forwards. A few seconds later, it had arrived at Umbridge's destination and she had departed, shooting another sickly smile at Tonks, despite the younger woman's complete lack of movement or response. The lift doors shut and Remus slumped back against against the wall, only to jerk forward again at the shriek that filled the lift.

"That cow!" Tonks cried shrilly, jabbing her wand at the controls so that the elevator jerked to a stop once again. She then sliced it through the air in front of her, leaving a scorch mark across the inside of the doors. Remus stood with his mouth hanging open as Tonks - her hair now a glaring scarlet red with jagged black streaks - fell backwards, hitting the wall and sliding to the floor with her head in her hands.

He didn't know quite what to do. He'd never seen Tonks this angry and it frightened him a little; what was he supposed to do? Comfort her? But she might only be more upset and suspicious that he'd been following her. While he was deliberating, Tonks let her head fall back, showing that her chocolate brown eyes had darkened to a disturbing black, and pointed her wand at the doors again.

"Scourgify," she muttered. The scorch mark shimmered then seemed to widen slightly, but otherwise remained the same. "Oh, Baldric's balls, come ON! Scourgify!"

Tonks' voice broke and Remus decided that he couldn't just stand there. Waving his wand silently over the mark, he watched as it disappeared. Tonks scrambled to her feet, looking stunned; her expression turned to complete astonishment as Remus pulled off his cloak, looking sheepish.

"Remus?" Then she suddenly looked horrified. "Remus!"

"Hello…"

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "You seemed a bit… a bit down earlier. So I thought I'd try and get you alone and see if you wanted to, um, talk… about anything…"

Definitely creepy. But Tonks didn't seem to be listening. "Oh Merlin, Remus, I'm so sorry you had to hear that! It was all lies, I promise, I didn't mean any of it, I had to say it but-"

"I know, it's fine, I'm really very proud of you."

Tonks looked uncertain. "Proud?"

"Yes, of course. You kept calm and convinced her that you're trustworthy. You did great!" Remus said earnestly. He wasn't sure why she seemed so upset about it, but it was nice to think that she honestly didn't think he was a complete monster. Tonks managed a grateful, watery smile.

"She's such a twisted old hag. I was hoping never to run into her, but…"

Remus nodded, noticing that her eyes were brown again and her hair was steadily fading to her usual bubblegum pink, although the black streaks remained. He focused on the conversation.

"Yes, I share a similar hope, for obvious reasons… she's right, I suppose, but I'm selfish enough to want to avoid being hunted down." He gave a short, humourless laugh. Tonks, however, looked at him with wide eyes. She reached out and grabbed his forearm.

"Remus, no! She isn't right at all. You're a werewolf, yeah, but you're not vicious or worthless and you should never be discriminated against because of one small part of you. She's the monster! You're amazing and brilliant and you deserve… everything, anything you want. I hated having to agree with her ridiculous ideas because I've never disagreed with anything more, and… and…" Tonks trailed off and gave him an odd look. "Remus?"

Remus swallowed and tried to rearrange his features from the adoring expression he knew he'd been wearing. She was unbelievable. Nothing had ever made him feel this way. This was not good.

"Thank you, Nymphadora. That means… a lot."

Her face softened and, almost unconsciously, she reached up and brushed the backs of her fingers against his slightly rough cheek. Remus suddenly became aware of everything about her: her twinkling eyes, her full lips, the faint but delicious scent clinging to her skin… he wanted her so badly and even the screaming voices in his head, telling him to get a hold of himself, faded into nothing as he leaned down, lost in her warm gaze. Tonks' eyes flickered between his eyes and his lips; she wasn't moving back. Remus froze. He couldn't kiss her. What was he thinking? She was upset; he would only be taking advantage of that and imagine how much she'd regret it later? He stepped back at the thought, looking away and flicking his wand at the controls before he retrieved the Cloak from the floor and swung it back over himself.

"See you back at the house," he whispered, not looking at her as he slipped out of the opening doors and down the corridor, burying his longing with endless reasons and thinking that he might join Sirius getting pissed tonight.