Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter of any of its characters. If I did, certain people would still be alive. No I'm definitely not still bitter. No I did not curl over and sob into my knees during That Scene in Deathly Hallows II.

A/N: *Blows dust off ancient account* Er, hello. It's been a while. Written for the "30 Drabbles in 30 Days" HP challenge-the prompt was 'Sapphires'.

"Sooo, Operation Sapphire," she drawled, swinging her arms in time with her long steps. Boots smacked heavily against the wet pavement, and the smirk in her voice reverberated off the sooty buildings that loomed across the narrow ally.

He resisted rolling his eyes. "I don't know. It was the best I could come up with."

He knew it was silly.

She hummed through upturned lips and hiked her cloak further up her shoulders. "Where did you come up with 'sapphire', though?"

"Book I was reading." Their steps slowed as they approached a cracked cornerstone, and she held up one ringed finger to slip ahead of him, inching towards the intersection that opened their ally to the main street.

"You're reading a book on sapphires?" she whispered, easing her body around the corner, wand first.

"India, actually," he said softly, following her out into the foggy silence that hung across the wide stretch of cobblestones. "The Sanskrit word for sapphire means 'dear to Saturn.'"

He was close on her heels as she darted across the empty street, hopping over the low, crumbling wall of the median and dashing another four steps onto the opposite pavement. She stopped just beyond the dim glow of a streetlamp, stuck her wand in her belt and shot him a look beneath quirked eyebrows. "You're a bit strange, Remus."

Panting slightly, he glanced at the bright orange curls that hung around her jaw and twisted limply in the rain-heavy air.

She grinned at him and stepped around the puddle of light. He followed. Slipping into the niche of a boarded up window, she stuck a finger through a buttonhole of his jacket and pulled him down to lean into his ear.

"There's usually a guard or two on the door, and we need to get down the ally to the left. I think—" she paused, turning to squint down the street, "Yes, there's two of them. Shouldn't be too difficult, but if they spot us they'll alert the others, and then we'll be in for it." She craned her head further around the edge of the window well, her left hand fingering a worn spot on his lapel.

"You go first and I'll cover you," she said evenly. "If they start firing, Apparate back to headquarters for backup. Once they catch us we're blown either way, so we might as well try to round up a few, should it come to that."

"I should be the one covering—" she turned to stare at him and he trailed off.

"You named the operation, Remus. I get to do the covering."

"Nymphadora—" he started, and she made a sound in the back of her throat.

"Lupin."

There was a pause as each tried to stare the other down. Then she grinned. "They've probably set Gibbon on guard, anyway. The idiot Cruciated me the last time I saw him, you know." Remus was pulled forward a step as she leaned back around the corner. "I'll have his ass for that if he tries anything tonight, don't worry."

Shaking her head, she settled back against the wall and let go his sleeve, deftly pulling her wand from her belt with her right hand. Remus inched around her to peer through the gloom. The street was completely dark but for the haze of light that filtered through the grimy windows of Borgin & Burkes, the only sound the steady drip of gutters and the muted conversation of the wet, hooded men outside the shop door.

"There's a window up over the roof, you say?" he asked, aware that she was watching him. "I really do think you should go first, you're probably the better climber."

When he looked down, Tonks was frowning at him. Then she gave a snort of laughter and reached up to pull her hood over her head. Putting a finger to Remus's chest, she pushed him back a step and slipped out of the alcove, flattening herself against the outer wall.

"You're the better climber," was all she said, her eyes focused on their target a block over. "So just go, please."

Remus cast her a grim look, but pulled his wand from his sleeve and eased out beside her.

"You would think they'd have learned to change their meeting place every once in a while," she said, as a laugh from one of the guards echoed down the street.

"Lucius Malfoy has never had much sense," he breathed back.

She turned to him. "Right, now remember Remus," she whispered, "we want a headcount and the names of anyone you can identify. Take your time on the roof, don't make too much noise, and make sure you get a good look. Don't worry about me below; I'll be watching the door. Just get a number and names. Got it? A number and names."

"Yes, all right," he muttered back. "I do know the plan."

"We'll go back down the street on that side," she nodded. "Just go and I'll follow. I'll cover us from the back."

He opened his mouth but she cut across him. "No you can't cover us on the way out, I'm going to do it." Her left hand twitched irritably beside his leg.

They glared at each other. "Fine," he conceded under his breath as they began to move carefully down the wall, "but next time you can name the operation."

Her head quirked a fraction and he heard the grin in her reply.

"Whatever you like, Lupin. But you have such a knack for it."

A/N: It's been a disgustingly long time since I've written anything, so reviewers are greatly appreciated and will receive hugs and sweets by owl post. I mean, that sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I would go for that deal.