Chapter Eight – That Green-Eyed Monster

The next morning found Tonks in the training room of the Auror office, blasting away at targets. This is for being so cute! She threw a strong Reducto curse at the target, annihilating it altogether. A pseudo-curse shot past her left ear, signaling an "attacker." She spun on her heel, brandishing her wand like a pirate's sword, and shot the last target with a powerful, "Depulso!" causing it to split in half.

"Auror Tonks!" Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror Department, yelled from the doorway.

Panting for breath and covered in sweat, Tonks turned to face her boss, embarrassed. "Sorry, sir. I was just, um, working through some personal issues." She cursed inwardly, running a hand through her hair.

He gave her a suspicious look over the top of his glasses, his yellow eyes slightly unnerving. Leaning on his walking stick, Scrimgeour said, "I have someone I'd like you to meet, Ms. Tonks."

I'm really not in the mood for this, Tonks thought to herself. She had barely slept the night before, instead tossing and turning, trying to come up with a reason for Remus' behavior. She hadn't come up with anything, and her sleepless night had resulted in bags under her eyes. Swallowing her disinterest, she turned to Scrimgeour. "Yes, sir."

She followed him out of the training room, down the hall, and past a seemingly endless line of cubicles. Scrimgeour spoke to her over his shoulder as they walked. "Now, the person I'm going to introduce to you is looking to transfer into our department. I figured since you were our most recent trainee that you could give him a few tips on making it through the beginnings of our Auror program." He opened the door to his office, indicating she enter first.

Scrimgeou's office was a mess – not that Tonks cared, really, she had just pegged him for a neat freak. Unorganized masses of books and papers poured out of the bookshelves that lined the walls of the office, making it seem smaller than it actually was. There was a large board attached to the wall behind Scrimgeour's desk, peppered with push-pins of all different colors, indicating accident reports and various other things the Auror deparment was responsible for keeping track of. Tonks almost burst out laughing at the board of wanted posters that hovered beside the tack board. In the middle of the black and white pictures was a very large mug shot of Sirius, who, in the picture, was making all kinds of ridiculous faces.

Typical, Tonks smiled at the picture. Always the prankster. Unfortualtely for her, her boss's mess extended to the floor and she tripped over a large stack of books, sending various tomes on Wizarding law scattered across the floor. She landed on her side, smacking her head on the desk as she fell.

"Bloody hell!" She exclaimed, rubbing the spot where her head had hit the solid oak desk. "Sir, I'm not a neat freak or anything, but hadn't you better pick up some of these books?"

Scrimgeour, still at the door, looked torn between reprimanding her and laughing. He compromised with a small smile, telling her, "Not everyone is as clumsy as you are, Auror Tonks."

"Right," she said, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

"Do you always make such an entrance?" A cheeky voice asked from high above where she lay. Sitting upright, Tonks noticed that there was a man leaning on the edge of Scrimgeour's desk. Her face colored even more.

"It's become an increasingly bad habit," she told the man as she pulled herself out from under the books. He was young, couldn't have been more than a year or two older than she was, and yet he was completely unfamiliar to her. She had known almost everyone in her year at Hogwarts, even most of the people a year above and below her. He was definitely attractive, with his wide, easy smile and his blue eyes that had a glint of mischief behind them. His hair was closely cropped and very yellow-blond, much unlike some of her family. The mystery man was only a couple of inches taller than she was, and very tan, dressed like a Muggle businessman.

"This is Thomas Neilson. Mr. Neilson, this is Nymphadora Tonks, our most recently qualified Auror." Scrimgeour closed the door behind him, waving his wand at the books Tonks had knocked over as he made his way to his desk.

"Wotcher!" Tonks said, sticking out her hand. "Please, call me Tonks."

"It's nice to meet you," Neilson said. He spoke with an accent, but Tonks couldn't place it.

"Neilson here is an Auror trainee from the United States. He's looking to maybe transfer to England, should the circumstances permit." Scrimgeour sat down at his desk, stretching his legs before him. "I thought you could show him around while he's in town; help him to really get a feel of what it's like to be an English Auror. Merlin knows we need all the help we can get."

Tonks smiled. "Maybe later this evening we can head over to the Leaky Cauldron, but for now I think I ought to get back to work. Neilson, sir," she nodded to the American and then to her boss as she turned to leave.

"Tonks!" Scrimgeour called as she put her hand on the door. "I want you to take the rest of the day and show our friend around. You won't be penalized."

Neilson smiled, revealing his teeth to be very white and very straight.

"Oh!" Dora felt her face flush with color again. "Yes, sir, of course!"

Neilson came forward and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Remus walked, his arms full of curtains, toward the Leaky Cauldron. Molly had come across a set of curtains that had been mostly eaten away by termite moths, creatures he hadn't even known existed. She had given him a twenty minute rundown on how, for the life of her, she could not figure out a way to repair the curtains. And so, rather than abandon her post overseeing the further purging of grime at Grimmauld Place, Molly had sent Remus to Diagon Alley to see about getting the curtains fixed. Madame Malkin had been able to set them right in only a few minutes time, so Remus was now heading back to the pub to get a drink before heading back to Grimmauld Place.

It was trite business, really, but Remus was thankful for the excuse to leave the old house. He and Dumbledore had been talking about the possibility of Remus going out into communities of werewolves in an effort to sway their loyalty. Just the thought of being around other werewolves who believed what Purebloods said about "half-breeds" was enough to set his teeth on edge. But, if just one or two agreed to stand with the Order, then that was well worth the effort.

"Remus!"

The wizard in question looked up, searching for the source of his name. He spotted Nymphadora Tonks walking arm-in-arm with a blond man who looked like he'd stepped out of a novel. She rushed over to him, pulling the blond man with her.

"Tonks," Remus said, conflicted about seeing her. They hadn't exactly left things on good terms last night, and she had left that morning before he'd gotten the chance to apologize for his behavior. "Who's this?"

The girl smiled brightly at him. "Remus, this is Thomas Neilson. He's from the U.S., looking into England's Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Thomas, this is Remus Lupin. He's, um, a friend of the family."

The man, Neilson, offered Remus his hand. Looking at the bundle of curtains in his arms then at the blond wizard's hand, he said, "I'm terribly sorry – you must think I'm quite rude, but I have my hands full of recently repaired curtains that I dare not harm in any way."

Tonks laughed, knowing how obsessive Molly Weasley had become in regards to cleaning Headquarters. Neilson, however, just looked confused. "It's alright," he said finally, flashing his too-bright smile at Remus. "I can see that you're a bit tied up."

"Well," Tonks said, shifting from one foot to the other, "I guess I'll see you later, Remus. Thomas and I were just on our way to go grab some dinner down the street."

Remus nodded. "See you then. It was nice to meet you, Nelson."

"Neilson," the man corrected.

"Of course," Remus bowed his head slightly. As he walked away, heaving the old curtains along with him, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Tonks was in such close proximity to a man she barely knew.

Tonks didn't return to Grimmauld Place for several more hours after her run-in with Remus. When she tumbled through the basement fireplace, almost everyone was occupied elsewhere, either cleaning or finishing up summer homework that had been left for a later date. Only Sirius, Remus, and Arthur Weasley still sat around the scrubbed wood fe of her, she could not figure out a way to repair the curtains. And so, rather than table, drinking tea and debating Quidditch.

"Young lady! Do you know how worried we've been about you?" Sirius joked as she brushed soot off the front of her robes.

"Oh, hush you," Tonks said, sticking her tongue out affectionately at her cousin. "I was out with a friend."

"A friend?" Sirius inquired, his interest piqued. "Do tell, dear cousin."

"I think I'll pass," Tonks said, one foot already on the stairs. "Night, all!"

"Tonks!" Sirius yelled, but she ignored him, taking the stairs two at a time.

She heard footsteps behind her once she reached the first floor landing, and turned around to tell Sirius that who she spent her time with was none of his bloody business. Except Sirius wasn't the one who had followed her. Tonks now found herself almost face-to-face with Remus Lupin, a situation she had very much hoped to avoid. "Oh!" She gasped. "I thought you were Sirius."

"Hate to disappoint," Remus said. "I was just heading off to bed."

He walked past her toward the stairs to the second floor, but stopped just before he stepped on the bottom stair. "Who was the man, really?"

"I told you, Remus. Thomas Neilson, an American wanting to make a transfer to our department." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't."

"I don't believe you, Lupin."

"Have it your way, Nymphadora." He turned back to the stairs. "Goodnight."

She chewed her lip, watching him walk up the stairs, his body moving more stiffly with each step. "Remus, wait."

He stopped where he was, turning back toward her. "Yes?"

"I just… I just wanted to apologize for whatever it is that I've done to make you so angry with me," Tonks ran a hand through her hair. "I mean, I know I shouldn't have run out after that kiss the way I did, but –"

"Nymphadora," the older man stopped her as she spoke. "It's alright. The kiss… Just took us both by surprise. I'm not holding you to anything, though, so you're free to venture forward with whatever it is you've got going with your Mr. Neilson."

She laughed out loud, and then realized what she had done. Remus looked perplexed. "Oh, Merlin's beard, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just – do you really think there's something between Thomas and I?"

Remus didn't say anything, but stood his ground wearing a tight-lipped expression.

"Oh, Morgana! You do!" She laughed again. "You're jealous!"

"I am not jealous," Remus said calmly. "I was just informing you that Nelson, Neilson, whatever his name is, is probably a much better choice for you than I am. And now, I'm off to bed. Goodnight, Miss Tonks."

The girl stood there, completely confused by the exchange that had just occurred. A better choice?

(A/N: *Whew!* It's been a long time for this one. I am very sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Head over to my profile for a poll closely related to this story, and keep an eye out for another update soon! Reviews will help determine the fate of our new friend Neilson! Does he stay or does he go?

Love you all!)