Tonks wakes up abruptly and opens her eyes to see Sirius gazing at her, a fond expression on his face. She swears loudly and ducks her head underneath the pillow, groaning.

"How long have you been looking at me like that for?"

"Only a couple of hours," Sirius laughs, removing the pillow. Tonks squints up at him curiously. Sirius grins down at her. "You make me feel like Mundungus, some kind of dirty old lech. Perving on schoolgirls and smoking a pipe." He pulls her close to him, inhales the scent of her bubblegum pink hair, then utters the words that Tonks hates to hear. "You're so beautiful."

"Oh well," Tonks says wryly, sitting up and holding the pillow in front of her chest. "I can't very well claim it's genetic, now can I?" Her eyes flash green, then blue, then back to brown again. Sirius strokes her bare back comfortingly, his fingers tracing her spine.

"You know I always think you're stunning, no matter what you choose to look like."

"Really?" Tonks asks wickedly. She turns to him. "What if I chose to look like this?"

Tonks's pink hair darkens rapidly, and turns bright red. Her face grows rounder, and a dusting of freckles appears on her nose. She blinks twice, and her eyes change colour. Sirius blanches. He is naked. Lying in a bed. With Molly Weasley. It's like his nightmare all over again. Molly sees his expression, and laughs mockingly.

"What about this, huh?"

Tonks's hair darkens until it is jet black. Her chin turns pointy, and her snub nose morphs into a long, narrow one. Her unkempt eyebrows become perfectly plucked. Sirius gulps, and tries to sound casual.

"Who - who are you supposed to be?"

"The cover girl on this month's issue of Wench, loser."

"Tonks, I don't read those kinds of magazines."

"Yeah, sure."

Nightshade lets go of the pillow and climbs onto Sirius's chest, straddling him. She's wearing his old Gryffindor boxer shorts. The Wench model pouts and flicks back her long black hair.

"You positive you don't look at my picture, Sirius?"

"Cut it out, Tonks," Sirius laughs, pushing her off him roughly. The Wench covergirl looks offended for a few seconds, then her accusing gaze softens. Her eyes turn a familiar shade of hazel.

Christ, what now? Sirius thinks to himself. He hopes she isn't going to turn into Megan, the model from page 23.

Tonks's hair grows shorter. Much shorter, like a boy's. Definitely not Megan. Then the hair turns a different colour, a kind of mousy mixture between blonde and brown. Her thin glamour model lips fill out, and her nose grows bigger. A faint scar appears on her face. The transformation takes only a few seconds, but to Sirius it feels like an eternity.

"That's not funny, Tonks," Sirius scolds. "Change back."

Remus doesn't listen. He looks at Sirius intently, as if he's trying to figure something out. He places one hand on Sirius's cheek. Sirius can feel Remus's jagged nails scratch his skin.

How the hell does Tonks know Moony bites his nails? Sirius wonders, trembling.

"Change back now," Sirius insists, feeling extremely uncomfortable. There is a pause. Remus stares at him inquiringly, then leans in to kiss him on the mouth. Sirius doesn't flinch. He doesn't pull away. He knows he should. Sirius kisses Remus back passionately, clutching the hot little hand with the bitten fingernails, pulling his best friend to him. It all feels so wonderfully right. Remus extracts himself eventually, looking horrified.

"Oh no," he whispers, distraught. "Oh, fuck."

"Oh no what?" Sirius asks, confused. "Moony, what's the matter with you?" Remus gasps, and tears spring to his hazel eyes.

"Tonks," he hisses. "I'm Tonks." Sirius sighs, and pulls Remus back to him.

"I know you're Tonks, you silly girl," he murmurs reassuringly. "You just… look like Moony."

"You've never kissed me before like you did just now," Remus mutters, clambering out of bed. He's wearing Sirius's faded red boxer shorts, just like he used to do once upon a time. Remus glances under the bed, searching for something to wear. He finds Sirius's shirt and pulls it on, doing up the buttons haphazardly in the dim light. Sirius watches from the bed.

"Don't be so silly, M-Tonks." Remus stares at him.

"You did it again."

"Did what? I called you 'my Tonks'. My little Tonks." Sirius holds out his hand to Remus, who stares at his hand like it's an unexploded bomb. "Come back to bed."

"Come back to bed," Sirius repeats. Remus steps forward.

"I could look like like Moony all the time, you know… if you wanted?" Remus mumbles, sitting down on the duvet tentatively.

"You – would do that?" Sirius asks, confused. Remus lets out an anguished wail.

"That's not the right answer!"

"Sorry… Tonks, I'm just mixed up!"

"You're not supposed to want me to look like Remus – or anyone else! You're not supposed to be in love with anyone else!"

"I don't love anyone else," Sirius says hurriedly, grasping Remus firmly by the shoulders. "How could I? I love you just the way you are. Look at me. Tonks. I love you."

Tonks stares at him with tears in her eyes. Her hair turns pink again. The scars disappear.

"You love me, Sirius? Me?"

"Yes. Of course." Sirius wipes a stray tear away with his thumb. "I love you."

Later on that night, Sirius wakes up and sees Tonks staring at him fondly. He smiles back, pleasantly surprised.

"Tell me something," she asks softly. "Did you and Moony ever look at each other when you were asleep?"

"Yes." Sirius replies without thinking. He shakes his head vigorously. "Well, what I mean is-"

Tonks shushes him and kisses him gently on the lips. She's crying again.

"Don't worry about it… I wish you were him too."