the_debt_of_time

"And you think Sirius is good? Isn't he supposedly Voldemort's right-hand man who
betrayed his friends, murdered Muggles, and escaped Azkaban?"
"No." She smiled thoughtfully, and the roots of her hair turned pink. "He's the
cousin who used to share his Cauldron Cakes with me when I was little and never minded
that I broke his favourite whisky tumbler. He had a cat that didn't like me, but he said it
didn't matter because it didn't like him, either.
"He slipped me a Sickle anytime I made my mum roll her eyes. He had a girlfriend
who let me eat chocolate bars from a cauldron that she kept under the sink." She laughed
at the memory, not noticing the shocked and mildly annoyed look on Remus's face. "And
they had a flatmate who was always sick whenever I came over. His name was Remus
Lupin."
He studied her carefully as he finished off his butterbeer.
"And despite everything, my mum always said that Sirius was innocent. Considering
she still married my dad after everything she had up against her, I like to think my mum is
a good judge of character. What about you?"
"What about me?" Remus asked.
"What do you think about my cousin?"
He paused and let the question linger in the air. "I don't think there's anything in
the world he wouldn't do for those he loves. Family and friends mean the world to him. I
hope you'll be reunited someday. He'd love to see you."
"You say that like you've talked to him recently."
Clearing his throat, Remus chuckled softly. "I can assure you, Miss Tonks, I do not
know the current location of Sirius Black." It was not a lie. He knew Sirius was up in
Hogsmeade, but he roamed from time to time.
"It's just Tonks. And you still haven't answered my question, by the way. Why were
you following me?"
Remus hesitated. He wanted to lie, but something felt wrong about it. "I wanted to
make sure you were... safe." He cringed as the words left his mouth.
She laughed. "That's an odd thing for a stranger to do."
He grimaced at the word stranger.
"Care to explain why you're worried about my safety?"
"Not particularly."