Shaded With Patience

"Do you see what we've done?
We're gonna make such fools of ourselves."
-Paramore

June 1995

I didn't know what to expect when I walked toward Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Lord Voldemort had just returned to power, so for all I knew, the place could've been ransacked by Death Eaters. But I had been told to meet the Order of the Phoenix there. As an Auror, they thought my skills would be very useful. I was more than willing to join. I had already been sent to work at the Ministry of Magic, where the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, refused to believe that Voldemort was back. It threw the Wizarding World into total chaos, and I had a feeling things were only going to get worse. We were needed to protect Harry Potter and the people of Great Britain. Harry had become famous for weakening Voldemort when he was an infant, nearly fourteen years ago. Meeting him would probably cause me to get so nervous that I trip over something. I'm always doing that! Fortunately, the owl sent to me said that Harry wouldn't be present at this meeting.

Inside Grimmauld Place, I raised my wand, just in case. Then I heard friendly voices down the hall, so I breathed a sigh of relief as I lowered my wand.

"Glad you could make it, Nymphadora!" Sirius Black had appeared in front of me. Ugh. He doesn't know.

"Hello, Sirius. I actually like it better if you call me Tonks," I replied, referring to my surname.

"Oh! My apologies," said Sirius. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I couldn't say the same about him. With his shaggy long hair and dark eyes, you'd think he might have just walked out of an insane asylum. Well, he was imprisoned for being a serial killer ... and he was innocent, I reminded myself. Now, he's forced to stay inside his childhood home. That would be enough to drive anyone crazy. Not to mention the fact that he was my cousin. We'd never met before because his family hated him for rebelling against Voldemort instead of supporting him. Sirius did all he could to stay away from them until they died. So you can imagine how much they loved me, my mother, and my Muggle-born father.

"It's not a big problem at all," I assured him. Before I forgot my manners, I immediately added, "It's nice to meet you, too, Sirius. Is everyone here?"

"Just about everyone. Let me show you to the kitchen."

It wasn't a far walk. In the kitchen, I was greeted by a handful of people. Immediately, I recognized Severus Snape, the Potions master at Hogwarts. He'd gone out of his way to criticize my work in Potions class. In addition, Snape was a known Death Eater who had become a spy for our side. Of course, with the cold stare he was giving me, I refused to believe it. And when was the last time he washed his hair? Then there was a middle-aged couple with hair so red, you could have sworn they might be on fire. I remembered seeing at least two Gryffindor boys with that same shade of red hair, and similar faces, during my time at Hogwarts: Bill and Charlie Weasley. I knew them because Bill had been Head Boy during my fourth year, and Charlie was a star on their house's Quidditch team. This must be their parents, I realized.

"Hello, I'm Nymphadora Tonks. I prefer 'Tonks' if you don't mind."

"Arthur and Molly Weasley, at your service!" the red-haired man said with a smile. He gestured to his wife, then he reached out his hand and I shook it. I was surprised that I actually figured out who they were on my own.

"Tonks, haven't I seen you at the Ministry?" Arthur asked. Oh. So that's why he looked familiar. Arthur worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and even I knew that he was a giant advocate of Muggle-borns.

"Yes, I daresay you have." I answered. "Forgive me that I didn't recognize you at first."

Arthur merely waved his hand. "When you're as busy as I am, and with the Ministry being so enormous, I have a difficult time remembering faces, too."

Molly stepped forward. "Hello, dear!" she greeted me in a motherly tone. "I believe you went to school with our sons Bill and Charlie." I told her that was true. "Bill's working at the present, but he's a member of the Order as well. Charlie wishes he could be here. He keeps dragons in Romania. If there's anything you need, Tonks, don't be afraid to make a request. I can make any food you like."

"Thank you for that kind offer, Molly," I responded gratefully.

The dark-skinned man standing next to the Weasleys was Kingsley Shacklebolt, who I worked with at the Ministry of Magic.

"Did you find the place without any trouble?" Kingsley inquired in his deep voice.

"I did."

To the other side of Kingsley, there was yet another man: Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. I hardly need to tell you that he was a creepy-looking man, with his glass eye and wooden leg. To me, he was a great friend of mine ever since he'd helped me train to be an Auror. He was a fierce defender when the time called for it.

"All right there, Tonks?" he growled, nodding to me. As he said this, Sirius walked back into the kitchen and looked at the clock on the wall.

"Remus is late."

I'd never heard such a queer name before (as if I had any room to be thinking that!), so I asked him, "Who's Remus?"

"Remus Lupin. He and I have been great friends since we attended Hogwarts." He paused and stared into the distance, obviously reminiscing about the glory days. "He's the one who first discovered my innocence, and he helped me to tell Harry Potter the truth. Harry's my godson, you know. Too bad that rat Pettigrew is still free... I still cannot believe we called him our friend!"

I felt terrible for him. As long as Pettigrew avoided capture, Sirius couldn't be a free man.

At a loss for words, I was relieved to hear a knock at the door. Sirius strolled over to the door, opening it to reveal a man who must be Remus Lupin. They embraced like best mates should, and walked back towards me.

"Hello. Sirius was just telling me about you, Remus," I said.

"He was, was he?" Remus asked, turning to him.

"Yes, I was." Sirius pointed at me. "This is my cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, but please refer to her as just 'Tonks'".

Remus and I shook hands, while I took a long glance at him. His hair looked even more unkempt than Sirius' hair, if that were possible. It was much shorter, though, and a lighter brown. His clothes had tears in many places, like some creature had ambushed him. Was I imagining things, or did he have long scars surrounding his face? I blushed when I noticed that our hands were still clasped together. Remus let go first and continued our conversation.

"So, how much did he tell you about me?" I replayed to him was Sirius had said. He gave a boyish grin.

"Well, Sirius, I see you didn't tell her about my little secret."

"I figured you would do the honors!" Sirius replied cheerfully. They made me so curious, I could hardly stand it. Remus took a step closer to me. My heart started beating fast.

"Normally, I do not tell everyone I meet. But as you're a member of the Order now, it's vital that you are well-informed: Nearly thirty years ago, I was the victim of an attack that changed my life forever. I am a werewolf."

Right on cue, my foot caught onto one of the floorboards, sending me downwards. I prepared for instant pain, but someone stopped my fall. Remus had caught me in his arms, and our faces were now only inches apart. I was able to get a look into his eyes. They were a beautiful hazel. I could see years of pain in them. What caused the pain, I didn't know yet.

"Sorry," I exclaimed. "I should have warned you that I'm rather clumsy."

"No need to apologize."

So much for not tripping today.