There had never been a more unsavory group gathered in a home belonging to the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. At least that's what the long-dead owner had expressed when the occupants had entered the now dilapidated home an hour earlier. Around the scrubbed wooden table in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place sat two Aurors, a professor, a barman, a convict, and a werewolf. The portrait of Walburga Black had been outraged that such a group dared to invade her home that evening. Her tirade had lasted a considerable length of time, Dumbledore's Stunner being the only thing to finally silence her vitriol.

In the dingy basement kitchen of the house the group had now dubbed "Headquarters", The Order of the Phoenix was being reformed, and, truth be told, Remus Lupin was glad for something to add meaning to his quiet day-to-day existence again. Of course he hadn't looked forward to the return of the most evil Dark Wizard of modern times, but since it had happened—just as Dumbledore predicted—he was happy to be of some use to the Wizarding World again. Other than his short stint as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, his time was spent editing academic journals by owl post under the name of John Howell. The job was tedious, but kept him from being destitute.

Now, for the second time in his life, he could focus on the Order. The "old crowd" as Dumbledore referred to them, had been tracked down in the two weeks following the Triwizard Tournament, and missions were already being assigned to locate and track known Death Eaters. It was decided that the Order needed a few newcomers to their ranks, which is why they were sitting around the table of the grimy kitchen. A fair number of Weasleys had joined already—Arthur, Molly, Bill and Charlie. Dumbledore considered Arthur and Bill to be particularly valuable assets with their unique positions to provide information from the Ministry and Gringotts respectively. Mad-Eye had brought Kingsley Shacklebolt on board immediately. And now, they were looking through Ministry personnel files, hoping to find someone else from the Auror department that would listen to reason regarding the events that had happened at Hogwarts the previous month.

Remus flipped through the parchment and listened as those who worked—or previously worked, in Mad-Eye's case—at the Ministry discussed who would be an ideal candidate to invite into the Order. Arthur had tracked down and cast a Duplicating Charm on the files they were sifting through so he could remove them from the Ministry without attracting suspicion.

Kingsley tossed another file in the pile of rejects. "John Dawlish is a follower. He'll never go against the Minister."

"Follower aside, I'd likely kill him before the first meeting was finished," growled Mad-Eye.

"Fond of him, are you?" Aberforth Dumbledore asked.

"Dawlish is a competent Auror, but he talks to hear himself talk," Kingsley supplied. "It's why he has to rotate through partners so often. Lessens the odds that one will follow through on their thoughts of hexing him."

"A couple of these blokes have young families," Sirius said almost wistfully as he handed Remus a couple of sheets of parchment. "They're not likely to want to join our merry band."

"Millie Bennet, if I remember correctly, is a highly competent Auror," Dumbledore interjected, opening her Ministry file.

"I'm sure Millie's a fine Auror," Aberforth said as he pulled the file from his brother's hand and tossed it aside. "But I thought the idea was to recruit someone younger than us old goats."

"Aye," Mad-Eye agreed, glancing at Kingsley across the table from him.

Remus took a sip of the mead Aberforth had provided for the evening and noticed Kingsley and Mad-Eye communicating silently with a look. Understanding seemed to pass between them as Kingsley nodded his head and reached for another personnel file.

"This is who you want," Mad-Eye said, taking the file from Kingsley and handing it to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore peered over his spectacles at Mad-Eye. "Ah," he said with a smile as he read the file. "I was wondering when this name would come up from you gentlemen."

Remus was immediately curious. He set down the parchments Sirius had handed him and waited for Dumbledore to continue.

Aberforth leaned over his brother's shoulder and scoffed as he read the parchment. "How many more damned kids are you going to get to help you fight this war, Albus?"

"She was my apprentice and she's not a kid," Mad-Eye said shortly.

Remus had been friends with Mad-Eye for a long time and knew the warning in his voice. If you didn't take the time to get to know the grizzled old Auror, you would think he had but one tone of speech. He growled and barked, of course, but they didn't all mean the same thing. Sometimes he was irritated, sometimes angry, sometimes he was actually in a good mood, but if you didn't know him well, you'd miss it. Remus took what he'd just said as a warning to Aberforth not to question him.

Since they did sit for tea at least once every couple of weeks—the last year notwithstanding— Remus knew a little about Mad-Eye's young apprentice, but had not met her. Mad-Eye had complained about her in the beginning; her clumsiness, her cheek, her constant attempts to make him laugh. In the end, Remus had seen through all of his grumbling and knew that he cared for the young woman.

"What poor sap was stuck with you as a mentor?" Sirius asked with a grin as he took the file from Dumbledore. "Nymphadora Tonks?" he asked incredulously. "I know this girl. I mean." A dark look flitted across Sirius' features so quickly, most would not have noticed it before he schooled his face back to a more cheerful expression. "I used to know her. Andromeda—her mother—made just as disgraceful a Black as I did. She chucked the Black family over to marry a Muggle-born. Nymphadora was a good kid."

Kingsley chuckled. "Only call her Nymphadora if you want to pick a fight. She goes by Tonks."

"She's a good lass," Mad-Eye said, his eyes fixed on Aberforth, as if daring to contradict him again. "Not afraid of hard work, good instincts. And." His mouth pulled back in one of his rare crooked smiles. "She's got some skill with a wand."

"Beaten you in a duel, has she?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

"Aye," he admitted grudgingly. "I'm an old man, and she's quick."

"I will admit that her…rare skill set is intriguing," Dumbledore said, running a hand down the length of his beard.

Curiosity piqued, Remus waved a hand at Sirius, indicating that he wanted to see her file. There must be something else about this young woman that he didn't know; it wasn't unheard of for a fully qualified Auror to be good at their job and a formidable duelist, although, Remus knew some were better than others. The answer to his intrigue was listed right next to her blood status at the top of the page. Metamorphagus. He had a distant memory of Sirius gleefully telling him once that his baby cousin was a delightful disgrace to the House of Black.

Remus spoke for the first time in several minutes, looking at Mad-Eye with raised eyebrows. "A rare skill set, indeed."

"She's sensitive about her abilities," he replied impatiently, as if disgruntled at having to explain to Remus why he'd left out that his apprentice had an extremely rare magical gift. "She's a good Auror because she works hard and has good instincts. The morphing's just a bonus."

"I'd like someone to see her work if possible," Dumbledore said.

"My opinion's no good, is it?" Mad-Eye asked defensively.

"I'm sure you know it is, Alastor," Dumbledore replied, looking at Mad-Eye sternly. "But, you have been out of commission for a large portion of her first year being fully qualified."

"Kingsley hasn't," Mad-Eye growled.

"You seem to know her well," Remus said to Kingsley.

Kingsley nodded. "She's…feisty."

"Fiesty, huh?" Aberforth asked.

Kingsley nodded again. "Goes after her target full on. She's up for any mad mission that comes her way. She can be a bit impulsive sometimes, but it usually pays off for her. Good to work with." He stopped and shook his head slightly with a small smile. "She's a laugh, as well, and you can't help but smile at her hair."

"Her hair?" Remus asked. He glanced back at the file, looking at the small black and white photo in the upper corner. He couldn't stop his lips from turning up slightly at the corners as he watched the witch in the photo smile cheekily and wink.

"It's always some wild color," Kingsley replied, his smile widening. "Drives Scrimgeour mad. That and the t-shirts."

It was Sirius' turn for a one word question. "T-shirts?"

"She's got a different t-shirt for every day of the month it seems," Kingsley explained. "Usually some Muggle band."

"I think she is just what we need," Dumbledore said decisively. "Kingsley, I need her list of assignments for the coming weeks. I'd like to see how far she's come since her visits to my office accompanied by young Mr. Weasley."

The men finished their mead and discussed their next moves late into the night. Remus and Sirius rose the next morning and made a quick breakfast. Not trusting Kreacher to cook without poisoning them, Remus had taken care of the cooking after they'd moved themselves and a reluctant Buckbeak into the house a few days prior. The kitchen had been marked for cleaning second only to a couple of bedrooms, as the kitchen was where their meetings took place, and preparing and eating food was a necessity. Sirius seemed ambivalent toward cleaning the room. Having survived primarily on rats the previous year, he wasn't terribly fussy about his food, aside from requesting a few nostalgic favorites. When Remus questioned why he didn't simply steal from the rubbish bins outside of restaurants rather than eat rats, Sirius had grumbled that if he ate the rats, he could imagine each one was Peter. Remus didn't question Sirius any further about his food preferences.

It was nice having company again. Until Dumbledore had arrived to offer him the Defense position at Hogwarts two years earlier, Remus received few visitors aside from the occasional Mad-Eye and, very rarely, his father. He and Sirius had fallen quickly back into their easy companionship from their school days. It would never be the same, of course. With James dead and Peter a traitor, it was glaringly different. But, gone were the tense feelings of the last year of the first war, when Sirius thought Remus to be a traitor, and Remus was spending a large amount of time spying within a werewolf pack. The apologies they'd given in the Shrieking Shack the year before were enough. There was no reason for further apologies and hurt feelings; as they both knew, life was too short.

After a simple breakfast of coffee, toast, and boiled eggs, they began cleaning the kitchen in earnest. The larder was cleaned of all rotting food and the shelves Scourgified, the cooker was cleaned and polished, the cutlery and dishes had been cleaned and were now spread across the counter, ready to be put away. With a few flicks of his wand, Sirius made the forks engage in a battle with the spoons, the cutlery spinning and parrying their way across the counter. Remus shook his head slightly and smiled as he gave a flick with his own wand and the knives began flipping one by one into their spot in the drawer. As they continued to launch the cutlery into battle, an owl flew out of the fireplace and landed neatly on the back of a kitchen chair.

"I suppose that's another one of your smarty pants articles?" Sirius asked as he directed the final piece of silverware to its place in the drawer. "You know you could give those up now you're living here."

Remus hummed in response as he untied the shrunken envelope from the bird's leg and offered it a bit of Sirius' leftover toast crusts before it exited through the fireplace. Though the work could be rather dull and a bit lonely, editing those journals had kept Remus from simply starving to death over the years. That and the odd Muggle job to get him through when no work had come his way. Knowing that there was never any certainty to his financial situation—the only time he had been well-paid in his life was during his short tenure at Hogwarts—he would continue his editing work. The dole was for the less fortunate.

"Once upon a time, you let the Potter fortune help support you," Sirius said. Remus heard the forced casualness in his voice.

"And once James died and you were in Azkaban, I was in quite a pickle, wasn't I?"

Sirius sighed heavily. "I tried to talk them out of the money they willed you."

Remus looked up from scanning through the pages he'd removed from the envelope. "I thought we were done apologizing for the past."

"Now I'm glad they didn't listen to me," Sirius said, his solemn gaze intent on Remus.

"With their generosity, I was able to purchase my cottage." Remus looked back to the letter. "At least I wasn't homeless along with nearly destitute."

Any further comment from Sirius was cut off when the kitchen door swung open, Mad-Eye stumping through. He tossed a scroll of parchment on the table. "Tonks' assignments coming up."

Remus picked up the scroll and unrolled it, scanning the parchment. It listed various missions; there were days she was on Sirius sightings, days marked for patrol, a day on an assignment at a seedy pub Remus recognized as an establishment in Knockturn Alley, and a night assignment at the same location. Mad-Eye explained her assignment at the pub; there was a wizard who was using a potion as a means of luring witches into lascivious activities. She was near to apprehending the man.

"She wants to get the owner on a charge for trafficking illegal Potions ingredients too," Mad-Eye said before taking a drink from his hip flask. "But she won't get it. We've been working that angle since her second year of training. We still can't find his source."

"Is this her address?" Remus asked, pointing to an apparent address at the bottom of the page.

"Aye," Mad-Eye answered shortly. "Albus wants you to follow her a bit while you're looking into her assignments. See if she knows you're trailing her." He sat at the table and stretched his wooden leg in front of him. "She'll know, mind."

Remus gave Mad-Eye a doubtful look. For a man like Remus, a werewolf, whose presence was barely tolerated and never desired, he knew how to blend into the background. He also had the experience of being a spy during the first war. This assignment would, if nothing else, prove useful as a means of honing those skills once more.

"I'm sure I'll be able to trail her," Remus said, scanning the parchment further.

"Good luck, lad," Mad-Eye harrumphed.

A few days later, Remus sat at a table near the front window of a coffee shop just down the street from the small building where Nymphadora Tonks lived. He'd done some research on the building and found that the Ministry owned it, and its flats were rented out to Ministry employees as well as a few retirees who were living on retirement pensions. Remus suspected that the building had been Ministry-owned for generations considering the neighborhood. Given its proximity to Muggle Parliament buildings and high-end retail, the price would be astronomical if it were rented to Muggles. The building had a permanent Muggle-Repelling Charm that prevented any interest from commercial or private real estate agents. It wasn't under a Fidelius Charm, so it was visible to passersby, but of no interest to anybody who wasn't a witch or wizard.

It was early in the morning, not yet seven. Mad-Eye had given him a few insights into Nymphadora's—Tonks', he corrected himself—habits, and knew that she was likely to be leaving her building soon for a jog. As if on cue, she emerged from her building and Remus was struck still, his tea cup paused midway between the table and his mouth. The tiny picture on her Ministry file hadn't done the young woman justice. She was…lovely. There was no other way to describe her. He didn't think he'd ever seen anything so lovely, in fact. Her pretty heart-shaped face was framed by shockingly pink hair that was cropped short and sticking up in all directions, as if she hadn't bothered to even run her hand through it before leaving her flat. Nymphadora Tonks. He'd heard she fiercely disliked her given name; personally, he thought it to be as beautiful as she was. He watched her, unable to look away, as she secured a tie-dyed bandana over her vivid hair and rolled her shoulders a few times before setting out.

For one mad moment, he considered following her, but fought the urge, reminding himself that he was supposed to be following her work rather than chasing her through the park. So, he waited, anxious to catch a glimpse of her once she returned from her exercise. According to Mad-Eye, her runs on work mornings were brief compared to other days, to make it to work on time. Timeliness in the morning was apparently not her best quality.

Rather than returning to her flat, Tonks pushed open the door to the coffee shop where Remus sat about thirty minutes after she set out for her run. Remus stared, pretense of reading his book forgotten. The long-sleeved t-shirt she'd been wearing when she set out was now tied around her waist, leaving her in just in a clinging running top and some sort of leggings that made him want to personally thank whoever had invented such attire. He watched surreptitiously as she waited in line, marveling at the flush of her skin, disappointment flooding him when the coolness of the air blowing from the window air conditioning unit prompted her to pull her shirt back over her head. As she left the shop, coffee and croissant in hand, Remus was both relieved and bereft that she hadn't paid him any attention. Taking a deep breath before draining his tea, Remus willed the heat that was suffusing his body to subside. He felt like a bloody teenager noticing a beautiful woman for the first time.

A short time later, Remus watched as Tonks left her building once more for the short walk to the Ministry. He walked to a nearby park, opened his book and waited to hear from Kingsley as to where her Sirius sightings would take her that day.

An owl from Kingsley arrived an hour later with coordinates for two pubs Tonks and a partner were checking out shortly. He Apparated to the first pub. It was a shabby brick building with a thoroughly unwelcoming sign above the door that was so chipped, the name was no longer decipherable. It looked to be just the sort of local where a convict might be sighted. Remus entered and took the single seat at the end of the bar where it bended around the corner toward the kitchen, giving him an unobstructed view of the door. While he waited, he indulged in a beer; something he was rarely able to do.

Once his beer was nearly finished, Tonks and an Auror —his recent studies of Auror files told him it was Henry Williamson— with a ponytail that rivaled Bill Weasley's walked in and stood at the bar. Remus' sensitive hearing allowed him to clearly hear Tonks state their business to the barkeeper.

"I'm Auror Tonks, and this is Auror Williamson," Tonks said as she reached out to shake the barman's hand. "We're here to follow up on the report that was filed stating the fugitive Sirius Black was sighted in this establishment."

Remus smiled slightly at the contrast between her authoritative tone and the cheerful cropped yellow hair that matched the Hufflepuff Quidditch t-shirt she was wearing under her robes. Dragging his eyes away from her and back to his book, he listened as the barman enthusiastically answered her questions. Remus thought the man was rather excited that a pair of Aurors showed up to his dingy pub to listen to his story. He stifled a laugh as the man insisted—even after Williamson had assured him that it wasn't necessary—on going to his office and finding the Sickles Sirius had allegedly used to pay for his pint.

"Reckon he's pissed?" Williamson asked, earning a laugh from Tonks. Her uninhibited burst of laughter made Remus smile and wish it had been him that had amused her so.

"I'd say he was pissed last week when he made this report," she replied. "Which helpful tip should we see to next?"

"Your choice. Another pub, or the old lady who claims to have seen Black while visiting Westminster Abbey with her granddaughter."

Tonks laughed again lightly. "Taking in the sights, is he? How patriotic."

"You get on with Kingsley. What's he playing at sending us out after these barmy stories?" Williamson asked.

"If he gets enough reports that the sightings around London are rubbish, he can make the case to Scrimgeour that Black isn't in the country any longer."

"Is that what he thinks?"

Tonks' reply was cut off when the barman returned, apologizing that his wife must have deposited the money. Remus chanced a glance up to watch Tonks, glad that his shaggy hair fell across his face in a way that he could watch her without notice. He listened to her speak with the man, neither playing along with his story nor chastising him for the time wasted. She kindly yet efficiently explained that it was likely not Sirius Black that had entered his pub before thanking him for his concern about Black still being at large. The barman seemed mollified by their visit and offered the pair lunch and a pint on the house. Remus smiled as he heard Tonks laughingly turn down the pint, reminding the barman that they were on duty, but happily accepted the sandwich and crisps with a thank you.

Remus eavesdropped unabashedly, grateful they'd chosen a booth near him so he could hear them over the patrons who'd arrived for the lunch hour. They chatted amiably about the complaint they'd just investigated and discussed heading to Tuttshill next to visit the elderly witch before their conversation turned to a more casual topic.

"So," Williamson said.

Tonks sighed. "Is this where you're going to pester me some more about a date with your friend Hamish from Magical Sports and Games?"

Remus' ears perked at the mention of the status of her dating life. He told himself he was listening to get an idea of how she got on with her colleagues, something he assured himself Dumbledore would appreciate having in his report. She had already shown that she was respectful to those she encountered in her job, and seemed to have a good rapport with the wizard she was working with today, but this was a new insight into the young witch.

"Why can't I set you up?" he asked. "Is it that he's older than you?"

Please say it's not because he's older. The thought burst into Remus' head and had him shaking his head in chagrin. What the hell did it matter to him if she did or did not want to date someone older? It's not as if the older someone would ever be him; it would simply be soothing to his ego if a beautiful young witch would contemplate dating an older wizard. After all, a man could dream.

"I don't give a tosh that he's older," Tonks said, sounding exasperated.

Out of the corner of his eye, Remus could see them sliding across the benches of the booth and rising to their feet. He cursed himself at his disappointment that they were leaving, and the remainder of their conversation would be a mystery to him. The knowledge of her romantic life was really of no use to him.

"He's a good bloke, I promise."

"Good blokes can still be pricks when it comes to women," Tonks said with a small laugh that Remus thought sounded more bitter than amused.

"I'll wear you down one of these days," Williamson said as he held the pub door open for Tonks, who exited before Remus could hear whether she responded.

Since there was no way for him to be able to watch their interaction with the grandmother who'd supposedly spotted Sirius while sightseeing, Kingsley hadn't sent him that address. He paid his tab and Apparated to the next pub, a slightly less dingy place in a Wizarding corner of Dufftown. With its close proximity to Hogsmead, Remus was curious if this tip would be an actual sighting rather than another false lead from a pub owner who wanted a bit of excitement in their local.

Before entering, Remus used a charm to darken his hair and fill in his beard. This would be the third location that day where Tonks would be, and he certainly didn't want her to recognize him. He also didn't want to suffer the ire of the barman by taking up space at his bar without paying for a drink, so he ordered a whisky and waited for Tonks and her partner. The wait wasn't long; he hadn't made it through half of his drink before bright yellow hair caught his eye as Tonks entered and promptly stumbled to the ground. He had to fight every instinct to keep from jumping from his seat to help her to her feet.

"Nearly made it all day without a spill," she said brightly to her partner after he'd helped her to her feet.

Remus sipped his drink, thinking that he couldn't follow her on Sirius sightings too many days in a row in case the sightings followed the theme of pub settings; the beer and whisky were good, but not something he was terribly used to. He was currently in danger of becoming too pissed to Apparate back to Headquarters.

After listening to Tonks and Williamson interact with the barman, Remus came to the same conclusion he had at the first pub. Tonks' balance between her friendly demeanor and professionalism made her an easy person for people to talk to. He'd like to see her partnered with a different Auror in the following days so that he could see how she got on with someone other than her easy-going partner that day. As they were finishing their interview—during which Remus concluded that more than one of the sightings the barman mentioned were definitely legitimate Sirius sightings—Williamson thanked the barman and turned to go. Remus peered through the fringe that was constantly falling across his forehead to see Tonks reach out her hand and touch Williamson's arm. She quietly told him to wait, her face serious.

"The man at the end of the bar," Tonks said so quietly Remus nearly had trouble hearing her. "Is he a regular?"

Remus fought not to react. Turning his gaze downward so his face was hidden behind his shaggy hair, Remus picked up the glass and swirled the liquid, all the time keeping his eyes on his book while listening carefully as the barman said he didn't think he'd seen him before.

"What're you thinking?" Williamson asked. "Recognize him from a case or something?"

"I recognize his robes," Tonks replied.

Bollocks. Remus didn't have robes in his collection that weren't worn and patched. The ones he was wearing today had patches on both elbows where they had nearly worn through.

Williamson snorted. "Not his face?"

"He kept his head down," Tonks said in an exasperated, low voice. "I remember the patches. My mum is ace at clothes-mending spells, and I remember thinking if she were there she could mend his robes in a heartbeat."

Remus kept his head bent, pretending to be oblivious to their conversation. Considering she was an Auror, he wasn't terribly surprised that she had excellent observational skills. He'd have to make sure that information went into his report to Dumbledore. He also decided he needed to do better the next day blending in. He heard Tonks thank the barman and tell Williamson that she didn't want to do anything about Remus. For now, he was simply a man wearing patched robes she thought she'd seen twice.

Upon successfully returning to Headquarters without Splinching, Remus endured Sirius' questions about his cousin and how the day had gone. Remus was careful to keep his comments brief, giving a non-committal "young" when Sirius asked how Tonks looked. Luckily, he got out of answering more of Sirius' questions—by the calculating look in his friend's eyes, there were more questions he wanted to ask—by needing to write up a report on his findings for the day. He avoided questions later with the arrival of Dumbledore and Mundungus Fletcher.

"Mundungus has graciously volunteered to aid in a situation tomorrow," Dumbledore began once the four men were sitting around the table.

"Volunteered, did I?" Mundungus grumbled, pulling his grubby pipe from the pocket of his overcoat.

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied, peering over his spectacles at the disheveled man across from him.

Mundungus lit his pipe and sat back in his chair with a disgruntled look, but didn't argue further with the Headmaster.

"What is it you've volunteered Dung for?" Sirius asked with a smile. "He seems thrilled."

"Tomorrow is Nymphadora's day on patrol, and I've proposed for Mundungus to engage her in a situation," Dumbledore said with a slight smile.

"Wants me to duel, 'e does," Mundungus said indignantly around his pipe. "I'm not ashamed to say me skills aren' up for fightin' the likes of 'er."

"I gather the purpose isn't for Dung to improve his dueling skills," Remus said.

Dumbledore turned to Remus. "Alas, it is not. I've heard from Alastor and Kingsley both that her skills are quite formidable, but I'd like someone more impartial to lend their opinion."

Remus raised his eyebrows at Dumbledore. "You mean for me to be the impartial eyes?"

"I do."

Sirius let out a loud bark of laughter. "This is bloody brilliant!"

Remus' gaze flitted to Sirius before settling again on Dumbledore. "How far do you intend this to go?"

"Trus' me, it won' go far," Mundungus said, arms now crossed over his chest.

"I simply want you to observe her reaction," Dumbledore said, giving Mundungus an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

The following morning, Remus donned set of non-patched black robes he'd borrowed from Sirius and didn't shave, allowing the charm filling in his beard to look more natural. He resisted the urge to sit in the coffee shop again, as much as he wanted to see her post-exercise flush and running attire again, he equally wanted to prove his spying skills were better than they'd been the day before.

That day Tonks was on patrol, which meant he'd have an easier time blending into the background to watch her work. He wended his way through the mid-morning Diagon Alley foot traffic, stopping at stalls here and there pretending to browse before settling at a table near the street at one of the cafés that offered outdoor seating. He ordered tea and opened his book.

As he waited, he thought through the plan Dumbledore had proposed. Mundungus was to arrive at the Poison Quill for a supposed business deal when the pub opened. Tonks and her partner for the day were scheduled to stop in at the Quill to interview the barman about recent happenings in Knockturn Alley. Much to Dung's displeasure, Dumbledore wanted him to engage Tonks in some way that would require her to use her wand defensively. Remus smiled slightly at the petulance Mundungus displayed when discussing the plan. Dumbledore had reassured him that his activities wouldn't result in any charges, as Kingsley would arrive to pretend to take the arrest.

Remus stifled his smile when he saw the pink haired Auror he'd been anticipating walking down the cobblestoned street, John Dawlish by her side. Their patrol had scarcely begun, but Tonks seemed to be already annoyed by her partner for the day, judging by the look on her face. They stopped for coffee at a stand close to where Remus was sitting. He watched as she simply smiled tightly after Dawlish said something he must have thought was highly amusing, considering the laugh he was having.

Once they'd passed, coffee in hand, Remus stowed his book in his robes and stood to follow them as they made their patrol through Diagon Alley. Auror Patrols were one of Fudge's newest ideas to show the Wizarding World how safe they all were. Remus thought taking Aurors off casework to parade around in order to reassure the public that they were safe was one of the Minister's most ridiculous ideas to date. But at least it gave him a chance to observe.

As the pair reached the end of Diagon Alley and made their way through the walkway to Knockturn Alley, Remus hung back and let them walk ahead to give himself a chance to duck into the Poison Quill. He understood the look of annoyance that was etched across Tonks' face; Dawlish truly did talk an inordinate amount, mostly about nothing of consequence. Even though Remus wasn't the recipient of the constant prattle, his sensitive hearing subjected him to their conversations, and he was glad to have a break.

Mundungus was sitting at the bar when Remus entered.

"Why can' Albus 'ave you fight 'er?" he grumbled quietly when Remus took a seat.

Remus raised his eyebrows. "A werewolf starting a duel in Knockturn Alley would get more than the pretend slap on the wrist you'll be getting."

"All righ', all righ'," Mundungus said around his pipe. "Gotta mate meetin' me 'ere. 'Expectin' to be paid, 'e is."

"Albus will compensate him," Remus said, clapping the grubby man on the back. He ordered a cup of coffee before moving to a booth in the back to observe. Thankfully there were a few patrons sitting around the tables to help Remus blend in.

Dawlish pulled open the door to the pub a few minutes later, surprisingly holding it open for Tonks as she stepped through. Mundungus' business associate had arrived, and the two men were quietly discussing their transaction. Remus smiled inwardly at Mundungus' scowl as the two Aurors approached the bar. Dawlish leaned against the bar as Tonks spoke to the barman. Mundungus turned slightly to give Remus a pleading look, which Remus answered with a pointed look of his own, nodding his head in encouragement.

Clearly unhappy with the situation, Mundungus winced in anticipation as he pulled his wand. "'S thievery, tha' is," he yelled as he pointed his wand at his associate and shot a Stinging Jinx at his calf.

"Oi!" the equally grubby man yelled, grabbing Mundungus by the collar of his shirt.

Mundungus pretended to fire another Jinx at the man, and missed, hitting Tonks square in the back.

Remus watched as she turned, wand in hand. He'd not even seen her draw it. Impressive.

Mundungus closed his eyes and fired another spell, which bounced off her nonverbal Shield Charm with such force that it knocked Mundungus from his barstool to the floor. Before he could get completely off the floor, or even attempt to fire another spell, Tonks flicked her hand at a chair, which hurtled over and stopped directly behind Mundungus, scooping him up as he was attempting to scramble off the floor.

"Incarcerous," Tonks said just as the chair settled back on four legs. Thin cords shot from her wand, encircling Mundungus and binding him to the chair. She cocked her head to the side and said, "Wotcher, Dung."

Remus stared, fascinated. The entire incident had lasted less than ten seconds, but it had been enough to show him that she was quite skilled. Even though it would be ideal to test her skills in an equally matched opponent-which Dung was not-Remus knew that the skill he'd just seen was quite impressive. She was quick.

Right on cue, Kingsley walked through the door and spoke to Tonks before binding Mundungus' hands and leading him away. Remus followed the pair for the rest of their patrol, then waited in a book shop across from the Ministry entrance used by Magical Maintenance Mad-Eye said she liked to use so she could walk home. He exited the shop and followed her easily for a few minutes, smirking at the thought that his ability to follow her was better than the day before. Forgoing the black robes he'd borrowed from Sirius, thinking they'd be noticeable as he walked through a heavily Muggle populated area, Remus had replaced them with a tweed jacket. Still congratulating himself, Remus didn't notice right away that she'd turned a few corners and wasn't heading in the direction of her flat any longer. He picked up his pace to keep close, thinking perhaps she was stopping for takeaway.

They were now in a populated area close to a park, but Remus could easily spot Tonks' pink hair as she made her way through the tourists and commuters crowding the area surrounding the Muggle Parliament building and popular shops occupying the neighborhood. He realized that she must be aware of his presence given the steady pace she was keeping. Stubbornly wanting to prove that he was up to the task of following her-proving Mad-Eye wrong in the process-Remus kept her pace, weaving between the crowd, trying not to speed his pace too much and draw suspicion. He watched, perplexed as she reached into her robes. Surely she wasn't going to draw her wand in a crowded Muggle area.

He was so busy making sure he had her in his sight, Remus didn't realize until he saw Tonks descending a set of steps that she was ducking into a Tube station. He looked ahead and saw a row of turnstiles and stepped off to the side, wanting to see what she did next. Was she going to duck behind a bank of lockers and Disapparate or morph her features? Surely she wasn't going to hop the turnstile or charm it to open in front of a rush-hour crowd of Muggles.

Suddenly, he saw that it wasn't her wand she'd drawn from her robes, but a small card that she inserted into a slot in the turnstile. He chuckled and shook his head as Tonks passed through the barrier, weaved between a couple of groups of teenagers, and went down a second set of steps to the lower level, disappearing from sight.

Remus entered Headquarters, not sure he wanted to report how his day had ended. He was quite impressed at Tonks' abilities, though, even if it stung his pride a bit that she'd been on to him.

"Well?" Sirius asked eagerly when he entered the kitchen. "How'd it go?"

Kingsley was sitting with Sirius at the table and Summoned a mug from the cupboard, filling it with tea as Remus filled the men in on the details of what had happened at the Quill.

"Mad-Eye was right," Remus admitted when Kingsley asked about the rest of his day. He could help but smile slightly as he reached for the teapot to top off his mug. "She knew someone was tailing her."

"We told you she was right for this job," Kingsley said.

"Why doesn't Albus just listen to you and Mad-Eye?" Sirius asked.

Kingsley shrugged. "He's known Remus longer than me, and Mad-Eye has been out of commission for a bit." He turned to Remus. "How'd she lose you?"

Remus simply stared at Kingsley for a moment. He wasn't sure he wanted to share the details.

"Come on," Kingsley said with a smile. "I know she lost you."

Remus considered Kingsley for a moment before shaking his head with a small smile. "She ducked into a Tube station. Put a card in the turnstile, and she was gone."

Sirius laughed loudly. "Clever girl."

"She always keeps a card with a fare on it. It's come in handy a few times." Kingsley smiled at Remus. "Consider yourself beat, Lupin."

Remus put up his hands in admitted defeat. "Last test is tomorrow night."

"She's ready to put this case to bed," Kingsley said. "We've taken too many reports from witches turning up in St. Mungo's not being able to remember the previous night. We traced the potion ingredients sales to him. Just need to catch him in the act."

"That's what she's there for, then?" Remus asked interestedly.

Kingsley nodded. "She's perfect for the job. Bennet's the only other woman in our department, and she's too old to be this bloke's type. There are a few women in the MLE office, but one's as big as a troll and the others aren't cut out for undercover work."

The men sat around until Kingsley had to leave for guard duty. Sirius took the opportunity once Kingsley had left to ask Remus more questions about his young cousin. Remus stopped mid-sentence when Sirius chuckled at him while telling how impressive he found Tonks to be.

"What?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you have a crush, old man," Sirius said with a wide grin.

Remus shook his head and smiled ruefully. Of course he had a crush on her, but he had long ago resigned himself to the life of a bachelor. "I think that ship has sailed."

"Which ship?"

"The one with my love life," Remus replied wryly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You act as though you're an old bachelor like Mad-Eye."

"Aren't you the one who just called me an old man?"

"You are an old man, just like me. But, you're never too old for a shag."

"You're telling me to shag your cousin?" Remus asked with a frown. "Who happens to be thirteen years younger than me." And beautiful, and talented, and completely out of his league as far as Remus thought.

Sirius shrugged. "Reckon a younger woman would be good for you. I bet it's been awhile since you've seen a woman naked."

Longer than I'd like to say. The last thing Remus wanted to admit to Sirius—who in his prime probably hadn't gone longer than a few weeks without the company of a woman—was that the last time he'd been intimate with a woman, he'd still been in his twenties. He looked into his empty tea cup to avoid Sirius' gaze. There was no denying that he'd had a naughty thought or two over Nymphadora Tonks since he'd first laid eyes on her two days prior. Were her knickers as colorful as her hair? Would her lovely rounded breasts fit perfectly in the palms of his hands as he imagined they would? Just how far down past her neck did that post-run flush to her skin go? Remus shook his head to clear it of the thoughts he was trying to avoid. In all likelihood, he'd have to be working with the woman soon, and it wouldn't do for him to ogle her like a lecherous old man. He'd do better to bury his thoughts and make sure he was able to begin a professional relationship with the newest member of the Order.

The next evening, Remus sat at the Quill once again. He'd spent quite a lot of time charming his beard that afternoon and was wearing his shabbiest set of robes. The result was a wizard that looked quite unapproachable and would hopefully be left alone in the shadowy corner of the nasty pub.

Tonks-sporting short black hair and dressed in a distractingly short dress-was already sitting at the bar when a man Remus thought looked just like the sort that would doctor a woman's drink approached her. The man's hair was charmed within an inch of it's life, slicked back and shining. Remus sipped his coffee as he watched the man lean against the bar, glass of red wine in his hand, and delivered his likely cheesy opening chat-up line to Tonks.

Even though they'd never met, and Tonks was not his in any sense of the word, Remus felt a surge of possessiveness as the sleazy man leaned in to whisper into Tonks' ear, resting his hand on her bare thigh. He clenched and unclenched the hand that wasn't wrapped around his mug of terrible coffee, willing the feeling to pass. He had to sit and watch the rest of the scene play out in its entirety, after all. Even though he'd rather drag the man from the pub.

An older witch he recognized as Tonks' Auror colleague Millie Bennet sat a few stools down from Tonks and ordered a glass of wine from the surly man behind the bar while the man next to Tonks pushed the drink he'd brought closer to her. Remus watched closely, curious as to what the two Aurors were going to do to bring the man down.

From his spot in the corner, Remus saw Tonks run her finger around the rim of her glass, the contents emptying for a split second before it filled again. If he'd blinked, he would have missed it. Concentrating, not wanting to miss anything the resourceful witch did, he was surprised when Tonks picked up the glass and took a drink. It made sense when Bennet picked up the wine she'd ordered and quickly Transfigured the glass into a stoppered vial. Tonks must have performed a Switching Spell, replacing her doctored drink for Bennet's. The older Auror slipped the vial into her robes before standing from her stool and leaving the pub, the evidence tucked safely in her pocket.

Remus knew from Kingsley that the man now had to lure Tonks away from the bar for the maximum charge to stick. He sipped his coffee as he observed the man continue to place his hands on her, obviously working his way up to inviting her to leave with him. The feelings of possessiveness returned as Remus watched Tonks pretended to flirt back, sipping her drink to keep up the illusion that she was consuming the potion the man had slipped into the wine. He tried to focus on observing her in her role rather than counting the amount of times the berk touched her. Through his observations, Remus decided that she was definitely cut out for undercover work. Morphing aside, she appeared to be quite good at keeping a cover.

Even with his sensitive hearing, Remus couldn't hear exactly what the man said to Tonks when he lowered his mouth once more to her ear, but gathered from Tonks' nod that he'd asked her to leave with him. Remus drained the remainder of his coffee and stood from the table. Kingsley had said they would apprehend the suspect outside of the pub, and Remus wanted to be able to add the arrest in his report to Dumbledore.

Once he exited the pub, Remus positioned himself in an alley across the street from the Quill. He was under a Disillusionment Charm since there was no pub crowd to cover him. The door to the pub opened as Tonks and the man exited, Tonks pretending to be tipsy as she grabbed his arm.

"Wait a moment," she said in a slurring voice, tugging on the man's arm to get him to stop. "I feel sorta funny."

The man chuckled. "You'll be all right at my place, love," he replied. "I'll get you more to drink."

"Brilliant. S'what I was hoping you'd say," Tonks said as she pulled her wand from the robes she'd put on over her dress.

She kept her wand low and made a movement for a spell. With the man's body blocking part of his view, Remus couldn't tell what she'd cast. He gripped his wand reflexively. Even though he knew he shouldn't do anything to intervene, it felt natural for him to have his wand at the ready if necessary. Movement from the alley next to the pub had Remus looking up. Kingsley and Millie Bennet walked into the street, wands raised.

Kingsley's deep voice echoed in the nearly empty street. "Mr. Flint. I'm Auror Shaklebolt and this is Auror Bennet, and we have cause to detain you for questioning."

"Like hell you do," the man said as he reached down and grabbed Tonks' wrist.

Kingsley and Bennet continued to walk slowly toward Tonks and Flint. "Let go of the lady and keep your hands where we can see them," Bennet said calmly.

Rather than go quietly, Flint yanked Tonks' arm, twisting it behind her back and wrapping his other arm around her shoulders to keep her in place in front of his body. Remus swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry as he watched Kingsley-without even a raised eyebrow to give away any concern-stop in his tracks, staring at Flint. If the situation wasn't so serious, he would have laughed out loud as he watched Flint attempt to Disapparate. He turned on the spot while holding on to Tonks, but found himself still in the street as he nearly tumbled to the ground.

"My colleague was nice enough to cast an Anti-Disapparition Jinx," Kingley said with a smile. "Looks like you're not going anywhere except with us."

Flint obviously hadn't seen Tonks draw her wand when they'd left the pub. Remus guessed it was her who'd cast the jinx keeping him from escaping. The man looked angrily around as he released his grip from around Tonks' shoulders and groped for his wand. Tonks took advantage of his distraction and raised her foot, bringing her boot down on the man's instep. He yelped in pain, but didn't let go of the arm he still had pinned behind her back. She raised her wand and pointed it over her shoulder, hitting the man in the face with what must have been a Body Bind Curse since he froze in place and toppled backwards on the street. His hand was still gripped around Tonks' wrist, so she fell backwards with his body, landing on top of him with a loud "Oof" when they hit the ground.

"All right, Tonks?" Bennet asked as she and Kingsley stepped forward.

"At least the blighter served as a cushion so I didn't hit my head on the way down," Tonks replied. "Reckon you can pry his hand off my wrist so I don't have to stay here?"

Bennet crouched down next to the pair. "I'm going to cover you up first so you're not showing your fanny," she said as she untangled Tonks' robes and tossed the hem over her legs.

"I'm wearing knickers, you cow," Tonks said with a laugh. "Now, help me get away from this tosser before I do another Switching Spell. This time it'll be me for you!"

Bennet laughed as she helped Tonks sit up a bit and tapped the man's hand, appearing to release the spell only from his grip. As Remus watched Kingsley help Tonks to her feet, he smiled at what he'd just witnessed, thinking the young witch was definitely going to be an asset to their merry band as Sirius had called them.

After returning home and regaling Sirius with the tale of the mission, glad that his friend was in good spirits as he listened, Remus Floo'd to the Hog's Head Inn to report to Dumbledore, knowing that he would want to know the outcome of the night regardless of the lateness of the hour.

"Tell me what you think." Dumbledore said after they'd settled with a pot of tea and Remus had given a quick recap of the night's events. "Keeping in mind, what we will need from her."

Remus knew what Dumbledore needed from her. He needed someone who was not afraid to oppose the Ministry, not afraid to take on dangerous missions, and could duel their way out of a situation if necessary. Remus thought she was perfect for what the Order would need.

"She's impressive," Remus replied. "Incredibly adept at wandless and nonverbal magic." He smiled at the memory of her effectively evading him the day he followed her. "She has good instincts. She knew when I was tailing her."

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes. Incidentally, I heard about that adventure."

Remus shook his head slightly. "Her apprehension of the man at pub is another example of her work. If she agrees to join, I think she would be a valuable asset."

"Splendid," Dumbledore said with a clap of his hands. "We have a meeting in a few nights' time. I believe I will task Alastor and Kingsley with finding a time for her to meet with me beforehand."

The evening of the Order meeting, Remus was waiting as patiently as possible. The meeting was set to start within the next half hour; whenever Dumbledore arrived after stopping by the Hog's Head to gather any information Aberforth had learned that week. He felt Sirius' eyes on him and looked up from the parchment to find his friend grinning at him.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" Remus asked before looking down to finish the written report of what he'd witnessed at the pub a few nights prior.

"Highly competent, huh?" Sirius asked, peering at the parchment. When Remus didn't comment, he continued. "What you mean to say is highly fanciable."

Remus gave a "hmmm" in response, but didn't say anything further, hoping to halt his friend's questions. He had successfully avoided any further discussion of his love life earlier in the week when Arthur Weasley had arrived with dinner in tow. He certainly wasn't keen to start the conversation again when the young woman in question would be arriving at Headquarters in a matter of minutes.

Shouted insults from the Entry Hall saved Remus once again from having to suffer through Sirius' queries. Remus jumped from the table and followed his friend up the stairs at a run, hoping to both silence the shrieks of Mrs. Black and meet the young Auror who had occupied many of his thoughts over the past week. Once he'd helped Sirius silence his mother's portrait, he turned to see the petite pink-haired woman with her wand raised, yelling at Kingsley for not warning her about the vitriolic painting. Amused, he watched as Kingsley calmly asked her to lower her wand.

Remus barely registered the lighthearted exchange between Tonks and Sirius as he waited to be introduced. When she turned to him and grasped his hand, looking directly into his eyes, the world seemed to stop. He couldn't even be bothered that Sirius had introduced him as an old man. It didn't matter, nothing did as he reveled in the warmth of her gaze and the feel of her small hand in his own.

She was even lovelier than he'd previously thought, with her brilliant smile and her pretty heart-shaped face, framed by her vividly pink hair. Remus was broken from his reverie as he heard Mad-Eye bark something about Tonks holding his hand all night. She broke their eye contact to say something cheeky to Mad-Eye before turning back to him.

"Nice to meet you, Remus Lupin," Tonks said with a smile.

He'd never enjoyed his name rolling off someone's lips as much as he'd enjoyed it coming from hers. Nothing before had sounded sweeter. Resisting the urge to call her Nymphadora, he nodded his head and replied, "Tonks."

Knowing he couldn't stand in the Entry Hall holding her hand all night, he reluctantly released her hand. As she turned and walked down the stairs to the basement kitchen, Remus decided that even though they would never be more than colleagues, he was completely smitten with Nympadora Tonks.

A/N: This lengthy one-shot is a companion piece to my chapter story "Jinxed Hearts". If you haven't read that story, head that way! This is a response to a question Fynnsmom posed ages ago about why it was decided Tonks would join the Order. See what happens when you review!? You get a one-shot:)

Thanks as always to Kerichi for her thoughts:)