Nymphadora Tonks had started her watch that morning, walking reluctantly around the perimeter of the Hogwarts entrance. She was quite sleepy, the night before she had slept badly. The certainty that Remus must be suffering kept her awake, tossing and turning in bed, aching for him.

How many months had he been away from her? How long had it been since she had confessed her love to him, and he had fled in terror?

She stopped near the tall columns topped with winged boars, staring at the dim morning lights. She took a thermos from her coat pocket and took a sip of black coffee. Her face crumpled, letting out a small noise of satisfaction at the bitter taste of the hot liquid. She smiled to herself, realising that she was behaving more and more like her mentor, Alastor Moody.

"A marvellous creature like you shouldn't be begging for love". — Alastor had told her. —"Lupin is too blind to realise his luck".

And in a way she agreed with him, she felt pathetic having to swear to Remus that she did not care at all about his lycanthrope condition, that she was not afraid of him, or of what people would say, just to always have the same answer:

"You do not understand, you are very young, and I don't want to ruin your life, I am too old for you, I am too poor and too dangerous".

She kicked the snow resented and turned to face the castle, preparing to begin her second round when a loud thud flared her guard. She gasped as she realized that the shabby figure that had appeared in front of the iron gates was Remus Lupin.

"Remus!" — She yelled and went with hurried steps to him. — "What a surprise! What are you doing here?"

"Dora". — He whispered.

The man blushed, surprised to meet her. Always so full of life, so bubbly, her personality had drawn him from the moment he first laid eyes on the metamorphmagus. He missed her bubble-gum pink hair, her cheerful smile, but Remus knew that Tonks was suffering because of his cowardice. He remembered what Snape had told him about her new Patronus and blushed even more. He knew he was hurting her by denying his feelings, but he couldn't allow himself to thwart the promising life of the young auror. He would never forgive himself if during any of his transformations he hurt her.

"I have been summoned by Dumbledore". — He said, looking to the ground. — "He says it is urgent".

Tonks nodded and moved a little closer without taking her eyes off his face.

"It's very early. Just last night... You must rest, Remus".

"They are orders". — He replied, shrugging. — "Although yes, I'm crushed".

Tonks then took out her thermos and offered it to him.

"Strong coffee, it will help you". — She said smiling at him. — "It's not chocolate, but it's the second best".

Remus took it, finally looking back at her and they were both silent for a couple of seconds until he cleared his throat:

"Thank you, Dora". — He said as he walked backwards away from her, taking a few steps towards the gate, without taking his eyes off the woman, suppressing the desire to hug her, to stay with her.

Tonks raised a hand in a farewell gesture, knowing Remus was uncomfortable with her presence. She turned to the path that led to Hogsmeade and walked away from him with steps that were meant to be steady, though her eyes were beginning to water with a few tears.

"Coward, you're a coward" — The little voice in Remus's mind kept humiliating him. Gaining momentum and before the woman could get too far, he yelled:

"Dora!"

Remus's voice made her turn in surprise.

"Since it's not hot chocolate... How about I see you later for a mug at the Three Broomsticks?"

The woman's glum mousy hair turned suddenly into a grating bubble-gum pink colour, contrasting strongly against the whiteness of the winter.

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The hurried footsteps echoed in the solitude of the castle corridors. It was still too early for even the most excited kids to get their presents on Christmas Day to be awake.

Lupin began to climb the steps to the upper floors, his mind still replaying his encounter with Nymphadora. He didn't have much interest in knowing what his new mission would be. The only thing that mattered to him now was finishing his interview with Dumbledore, letting him know how little progress he had made in his attempt to enlist other werewolves against Lord Voldemort and finally being free to go on his date with Tonks. He was so absorbed that he did not notice that he had gone through the wrong corridor and chuckling at the irony that the creator of the Marauder's Map got lost in his old school, he turned on his steps, taking a shortcut that would take him towards the headmaster's office.

It was then that a subtle scent stopped him in his tracks.

"It can't be possible". — He thought to himself.

And despite his disbelief, Lupin could not resist following that slight trace, finding himself very soon in front of the door of the infirmary. Without thinking too much about it, he walked into the room, dimly lit by the sun's rays; his keen ear guided him to the only bed that was occupied by a woman with long brown hair, her olive-coloured face was turned towards the window, and she seemed to be sound asleep, her body hunched, hugging the pillow.

He leaned towards her, and although he knew it was totally inappropriate, he couldn't help but bring his nose to her hair, sniffing that special scent. The woman was the owner of that blood in the potion that Snape had presented him. She was the Akardos.

Laurel woke to the warmth of a breath in her ear. At first, she thought it was Severus, but when she rubbed her eyes, she could realize that the face that was a few inches from hers was that of a stranger.

She threw a pillow at him, and she got out of bed quickly, tripping over the covers, yelling for help.

"Sorry, sorry!" — Remus pleaded, his hands raised, trying to show that he wasn't a threat. — "Don't yell, please, Madam Pomfrey will kick me out of here".

"Well, even better!"— She answered putting distance, anticipating an attack, looking for something she could use to defend herself.

"I did not want to scare you; it was not my intention". — He continued saying. — "You are the Akardos. I followed your scent... I couldn't help it..."

"Scent? What scent?"

"It's a bit difficult to describe..." — Remus replied and noticing the stunned expression of the Akardos, he added: "It's not a bad smell, on the contrary..."

"You are a werewolf". — She cut him off.

"Yes". — Remus rubbed his neck, flustered. — "My name is Remus Lupin. Maybe you've heard of me. Or maybe not. I don't think Snape is very talkative ... "

"R. Lupin". — Laurel whispered to herself. Of course, she remembered. That night of the attack she had read his name on the label of one of the blood samples. She examined his scarred and worn face, his light brown hair flecked with grey, his old and shabby clothes. He didn't have any of Greyback's bestial features. He appeared to be a normal man, though quite diminished.

"And your name is?" — Remus asked extending his hand.

"Laurel Noel". — She reciprocated out of courtesy, snatching her hand back after only the merest contact.

"I see that perhaps Snape has told you about me". — Remus smiled at her, noticing the look of mistrust that the woman gave him. — "I hope he was not very inconsiderate or abusive towards you, he can be quite malicious, especially with Muggles, but I see that Dumbledore has come to his senses and has brought you to Hogwarts".

"What are you talking about?"

"About Snape, of course". — Remus replied with a confused grin. — "The wizard who kept you locked up all this time, the one who looks like a bat".

Lupin stopped himself from saying more, as he saw the Akardos's face redden with anger.

"Then you know him well?"

"We were schoolmates. Not very close, to tell the truth, more like rivals, him being a Slytherin and we — I mean — me. A Gryffindor. But you don't have to leap into a pit of flames to know you will burn yourself. Snape has always been quite unpleasant".

"Well, that's rich, coming from the mouth of a lycanthrope". — Laurel could barely control the anger in her voice. — "Do you know who Greyback is?"

"Of course". — Lupin muttered, realizing that he had seriously offended her. — "He is the leader of the largest pack of werewolves in England. Snape said he was stalking you".

"He bit me".

"What?!"

"He bit me". — Laurel repeated with even more anger.

"But you are not... You can't be... Did he infect you?"

"I did not transform into a werewolf last night with the full moon, I did not get infected, the wounds disappeared". — Laurel lifted her shirt, showing him where Greyback had stuck his teeth. — "But Greyback wasn't trying to transform me, he was trying to kill me. A beast, a monstrosity. I could say the same about you, you know? A monster obsessed with the smell of my blood. What's the difference between you and Greyback?"

"I... would never be able to murder... I would never want to hurt anybody".

"Severus would never want to hurt me either. It was he who got me out of there, half dead, even against the Dark Lord's orders. So, I would appreciate it if you don't insult him, at least not in front of me".

"Sure, forgive me. I didn't mean to be rude".

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions". — She said, shrugging, looking out at the frozen lake. — "Are you part of the Order of the Phoenix?"

That question took him by surprise.

"Yes". — And suddenly, remembering that he had to meet with Dumbledore he added: "Actually I have to go see the headmaster".

"Dumbledore has told me that I am now an honorary member". — She continued saying, ignoring his words, her eyes fixed on the winter landscape. — "Severus says that it is total nonsense, to pretend that someone as vulnerable as me could fight against the Death Eaters".

"There are different ways to fight. He may be used to being in the viper's mouth all the time, but there are other ways to defeat the enemy". —Remus stood next to her, both looking up at the snowy mountains. — "And if you ask me, I would never call someone who has survived a Greyback attack, vulnerable".

Laurel turned her gaze to him, smiling.

"I broke his wand".

It took Lupin a second to understand.

"Did you break Fenrir Greyback's wand ?!" — He exclaimed laughing. — "God, you're more wicked than I had thought".

"Thanks, Remus". — she whispered. — "The night of the attack, in a way, you were there with me".

"I don't understand..."

"R. Lupin. Loss of consciousness and seizures as a result of ingestion of at least 20 ml of blood sample... I still have it engraved in my mind. That little entry was enough to give me hope of survival". — She said looking directly at him. —"You have also consumed my blood".

Remus nodded, embarrassed.

"You know what happened to Greyback? I suppose he has drunk a lot more than... "

"I don't know. Severus didn't mention it. I didn't really want to ask him either." — She answered. — "Can I ask you a favour?"

"Certainly".

"You said you followed my scent." — Her voice sounded quite embarrassed now. — "Could you tell me if I smell like Greyback?"

Lupin swallowed hard; he knew perfectly well that was not the case. There was no trace of the terrible bestial stench of Greyback on the woman's body, but the temptation to get a little closer to her and take the opportunity to inhale that magnificent scent was stronger.

"May l?" — He asked, making the gesture of parting her hair and giving her puppy eyes.

Laurel nodded and Remus buried his nose in her neck, taking a deep breath, feeling the agitated pulse of the blood rushing through her jugular.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!"

Lupin heard the hiss of Snape's cloak as he entered the infirmary and was narrowly able to pull away, a few strands of his hair, falling to the ground, severed by the curse of the enraged wizard.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" — Snape yelled again; his face transformed into a mask of hatred.

"PROTEGO!"

"SEVERUS STOP!" — Begged Laurel.

Snape shifted his gaze to her for a second before blocking an attack from Lupin.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?" — Snape yelled casting curses at the lycanthrope, who counterattacked as best he could. — "WHY THE HELL WERE YOU CLOSE TO HER?"

"BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?! THIS IS AN INFIRMARY!"

Madam Pomfrey had come out of her room, still in her nightgown and pointing with her wand, she shouted:

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Both wands fell at the witch's feet, but even being unarmed, was not an impediment for Snape to pounce on Lupin, punching him hard in the face. Lupin roared with rage and elbowed him in the chest, knocking him to the ground, where both men rolled, punching each other viciously, kicking each other.

"STOP!"

Albus Dumbledore's booming voice was not enough for the men to stop their scuffle. Waving his wand, he pulled them apart, making them levitate in mid-air and yet they both writhed, battling the invisible force, trying to pounce on each other to continue the fight.

Dumbledore let out a resigned sigh and as if he didn't have two grown men levitating over his head, he turned to Laurel with a friendly smile on his face.

"Happy Christmas, Laurel. I am glad to know that your health is optimum".

"Happy Christmas to you too, Headmaster". — She answered, trying to take her eyes away from Remus and Severus who at least, had stopped squirming and now were just looking at each other with deep hatred.

"And what better gift than to be free from the attentions of our dearest Madam Pomfrey!" — He continued saying, ignoring them completely. — "We have prepared a bedroom for you on the ground floor. It is not very far from the dungeons, so you can continue your work in Severus' personal lab".

"Thank you very much, sir". — Laurel couldn't focus her gaze on Dumbledore, she had noticed that Severus had a trickle of blood sprouting from his eyebrow and a huge swelling was forming on his cheekbone.

"Now". — Dumbledore sighed turning towards the men. — "Since I see you are calmer, I invite you to my office. We will have tea and cinnamon biscuits and discuss your new duty scheme. I am expecting you as well, Laurel".

As he left the room his enchantment broke, and both men fell abruptly to the floor.

"Severus!" — Laurel approached him right away, helping him to his feet, wiping the blood with her hand.

He hugged her possessively, leaning his aching face on her shoulder, glaring at Lupin with a resentful gleam in his eyes.

The werewolf looked away, allowing Madam Pomfrey to apply Murlap's essence to his bruised face.

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"Have you lost your bloody mind, Albus? Bringing a werewolf here, right after she was attacked".

Severus paced from one end of the office to the other, his face contorted with rage and exhaustion, his fists clenched, controlling himself not to pick up his wand and cast a curse at Lupin, who was sitting in a chair across from the headmaster, applying himself a cold compress on the face.

"Enough Severus, please sit down".

"I will not sit next to that ... that ..."

"Whatever you're about to say, I don't want to hear it. Remus is also a member of the Order, and both will have to tolerate each other's presence. Sit down".

Severus gave it a couple seconds to follow the command for the sake of his dignity, then he sat.

"The three of you are gathered here, because it is of the utmost importance that you begin to work together on the investigation that Severus and Laurel have been conducting. Your cooperation is paramount, Remus, as we believe that the potion that Severus has managed to create could be the key to removing the support that the Werewolves have given Voldemort out of the way".

"Sure... if you want them to die of disgust". — Lupin replied. — "The smell of that potion will only make the lycanthropes flee away..."

Dumbledore chuckled and dipped a biscuit in his tea.

"Severus, could you inform your colleagues what Fenrir Greyback's condition has been since the night he attacked our darling Laurel?"

Severus cleared his throat, settling his eyes on Laurel, who was looking at him with a mixture of interest and fear.

"Greyback is locked in the cellar of the Malfoy Manor and has been in a deep coma since the attack. I have been able to examine him, and I have noticed that his appearance has been changing. His teeth are dull, and his nails are shortened. He is becoming more human".

"And last night, when you were in the meeting with the other Death Eaters, you couldn't help but take a look, could you? During the full moon". — Dumbledore asked, taking a sip from his cup.

Severus swallowed hard and pursed his lips. He knew what he would say next would make Lupin not want to detach himself from Laurel for a single moment. He knew that he would have no choice but to put up with the lycanthrope's presence.

"Greyback has not transformed into a werewolf. There was no change in his body during the full moon".

Dumbledore had to restrain him to keep him from pouncing at Remus again when he saw him hugging Laurel, lifting her off the ground, laughing with joy.

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Nymphadora was sitting in the farthest corner of the Three Broomsticks, watching the candle in front of her slowly burn out. She had been waiting for such a long time that Madam Rosmerta had given up on continuing to offer her any drink on the house. Her hair had returned to the dark, sad hue that she had worn for the past few months. Resigned, she stood up, and hoping that Madam Rosmerta's pitying gaze did not follow her, she went, crestfallen to the exit.

"Dora!" — Lupin appeared suddenly through the doors, hugging her and kissing her on the lips, in full view of the patrons.

"Remus, are you okay?" — The colour of her hair had acquired the same intense scarlet tone that was seen on her face.

"Better than that! Come, I'll tell you everything". — He said taking her back to the table.