A/N - Hello! Thanks for dropping by - So this is my new story, have had it in my head for quite some time but finally having a cold has meant that I've had time to type it up. Those of you who have read my fics before will know that I am notoriously bad for not posting for weeks but I've already written the first five chapters to this one - so we should be okay! This is a little AU - or probably will be later on... Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1 - 'Stiffs In Suits Upstairs'

"You can't be serious?" she heard Kingsley's booming voice just a second before she felt the force of it make the walls in her little cubicle shake. "She's one of the best damn trainees to ever come through this training, Mad Eye's vouched for her, and I'm vouching for her. What more do you want?"

Tonks couldn't hear the reply, whatever Ministry employ Kingsley was defending her against this time, either wasn't loud enough to be heard or brave enough to interrupt Kingsley's tirade. "She's told you herself she knows nothing. She was just a kid when Black got locked up, she only met him a handful of times - he wouldn't recognise her now if she bounded up to him in the street."

For a few minutes there was silence, then finally Kingsley continued. "I'm not having it. I've been put in charge of the Black wizard hunt, it's my neck on the line if he endangers anyone so I need my very best people on it. And Tonks is my very best."

Tonks wanted to run into the room and give Kingsley a great big sloppy kiss and a bone crushing hug. The past few weeks had been utterly shit. Almost from the moment the news broke that Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban she'd been treated like a leper – despite the different surname, most people at the ministry knew her family history better than she did and there were those that had held objections to her even being allowed to join the Auror training scheme just based on her connection to the illustrious Black family tree; but Moody and Kingsley had fought for her back then and were not proving that they were still willing to do the same 3 years later. It was clear that the brass upstairs were petrified that she was going to facilitate Black in some way – if the name hadn't been emblazoned on the front of every Wizarding newspaper and magazine, she wouldn't even have recognised this man as her second cousin, he certainly looked nothing like the man that waved at her from pictures tucked safely away in her mother's chest of drawers and although she'd been told she'd met him loads of times as a kid, she certainly didn't remember him.

Still it didn't really bother her what the toffee nosed paper pushers upstairs thought of her. Umbridge and the like were all the same. It was all about perception and prestige with those people. What bothered her were those in the Auror department as well as on the training scheme whom she had thought were her friends, now seemed to have backed away from her too. It was as if they thought they might be tainted by an association with her. She'd always heard her father say that it's only in tough times you know who your true friends are – she'd never realised just how true those words were.

Kingsley and Moody. Sometimes it felt like, apart from her parents, who she knew would always be there for her; that was all she had.

Kingsley's voice boomed through her inner pity party "It's my investigation and unless Umbridge wants to come and search with us, you can tell her from me that I'm going to run it in a way that matches my training, expertise, experience and knowledge."

Tonks felt her cubicle wall wail under the shock that hit them as Kingsley exited from his office. "Tonks." He barked, "My office. Now."

Normally one for banter and trying to lighten the mood, Tonks felt that this wasn't really the time and so followed Kingsley without saying a word.

Kingsley shut the door behind them and the pair sat down. "Tonks, I'm sorry if you heard any of that. I know things have been tough for you round here for the past couple of weeks."

Kingsley seemed to have calmed down, if the volume of his voice was anything to go by.

"Thanks Kingsley. I appreciate the things you said. But I don't want you getting into trouble, I mean, I don't want to cause anybody any…" Tonks loved her job, she felt that it wasn't just something to do Monday to Friday to make sure she could afford her dingy little flat. It was a passion. She felt like she was doing something important, making the world a safer, better place. Yet the past few weeks it was as though the rose tinted glasses she'd been wearing all her life had been snatched from her eyes. She was just starting to see all the bureaucracy and red tape for the first time. That appearances were what mattered most to those at the top.

"Tonks, I'm not doing anything for you that I wouldn't do for any other damn good Auror. I need your help on this case, and if the tosspots upstairs don't like it, well then you, me and Mad Eye will have to start our own Private Eye company. Start tracking down cheating spouses and what not." The humour had returned to Kingsley's voice and more because she could tell he was trying to cheer her up than because she actually felt cheery herself, she threw him a smile.

"Thanks Kingsley. I'm sure Mad Eye would love that!" Tonks laughed at the thought of Mad Eye catching a cheating witch or wizard in the act.

"The honest truth is Tonks, I need your help on this one. I'm stretched thin." As if to prove his point, Kingsley's notepad started to buzz, and a voice boomed out from the pad that he was 30 minutes behind schedule.

"You know I want to help Kingsley, but I've been warned word came from Fudge himself, via Umbridge, that I'm not to have anything to do with the Black search." She couldn't help the exasperated breathe that escaped as she finished talking.

"No, it's true I have been given very precise instructions that you are not to help with the search for Black but that doesn't mean you can't be involved." Kingsley had a twinkle in his eye that Tonks knew all too well. It was the look he got when he felt like he'd beat the system. Got around the 'stiffs in suits upstairs' as he usually referred to them.

"I'll do anything if you think it will help." Tonks replied quickly.

"Good. I'm glad to hear you say that because I've had a request from Dumbledore." Tonks' mind began to swirl and for just an instant she felt utterly dizzy. Dumbledore? Kingsley was giving her a task that had come directly from Dumbledore? She knew the faith Kingsley had in her and she truly appreciated it, but she was, when all was said and done, still a trainee. Though she'd finished her training she was still waiting for her final exams to be marked and it all to be made official.

"From Dumbledore?" She squeaked.

"Yes. He's eager to ensure that the castle is safe from any attempts Black should make. Especially in regards to Harry. Dumbledore seems to think it likely that Black may try and seek him out. Or indeed that Harry may try and seek Sirius out."

Tonks felt like she must have nodded off back in her sodding little cubicle surrounded by shit loads of other people's paperwork who were all too busy to complete it because they were out chasing Sirius Black, because this must be a dream, Kingsley couldn't possibly be asking her to do what she thought he was asking her to do.

"Harry? As in, Harry Potter?"

Kingsley nodded somewhat distractedly as he tried to stop his notepad from screaming at him that he was now 35 minutes behind schedule, "Mmmm, yeah. Sorry. Yeah Sirius was Harry's Godfather and it seems Dumbledore feels he may blame Harry for the Dark Lord's demise. It's a long shot, but we certainly don't want to put young Harry in any danger. So I need you to head on up to Hogwarts. Dumbledore has said he will be happy to give you a spare room in the teacher quarters so you don't have to trek to Hogsmeade each night to apparate home. Dumbledore and I agree that it would be better if Harry doesn't know he's being looked after, so if you could use different morphs if you have to tail him on a weekend trip into Hogsmeade or something, that would be appreciated. Dumbledore has ensured me that everyone at Hogwarts will be co-operative, so other than watching out for Harry, really just go up there and see if you think there is anything they can do to tighten up security. Is that okay? There will be other Aurors, but I'd feel safer if I knew you were the one looking after Harry. And I'll make sure they know you're the one co-ordinating things."

Tonks beemed. She knew that Kingsley had far too much faith in her abilities, but just hearing how completely confident he was that she, clumsy, accident prone, Nymphadora Tonks could protect one of the country's most famous Wizards made her almost believe it herself.

"I'd love to. I mean, it sounds great, or at least I think I can do it." Tonks stumbled, trying to sound less excited and more professional.

"Great. Take the rest of today off, sort whatever you need to at home and I'll tell Dumbledore to expect you first thing tomorrow. That should give you plenty of time to get any extra security measures in before the kids all get back. I'll pop down before term starts and see how it's all going."

With that Kingsley stood and opened the door, which Tonks took as her queue to leave, as the door closed she could hear his notepad screaming that he was now 45 minutes behind schedule and they would never find Black with this sort of tardy behaviour.

Walking back to her cubicle, Tonks couldn't believe her luck. She was being given something important to do, on her own. She wouldn't be trailing behind Mad Eye being screamed at for not being constantly vigilant. Kingsley, though he would be checking up on her, was trusting her to go out on her own.

This is why she had joined the Auror department, to make the world a safer place. For now she'd been given the chance to make Hogwarts a safer place, and that felt like a pretty good start.

So that was chapter 1 - hope you liked it! I am always forever grateful for reviews/comments etc.