Nymphadora Tonks

[Dumbledore Prince]

I heard a theory (for the life of me cannot remember where) that Tonks' original Patronus was a chameleon. Which I find quite amusing.

Remus had been off with Greyback's werewolves, spying for the Order, during the summer between OotP and HBP, and also while Tonks was on intermittent assignment at Hogwarts. Harry (and Professor Snape) saw her changed Patronus when Harry arrived at school.

The chameleon theory doesn't sound that bad, considering that Tonks is a Metamorphamgus. Though I don't see a chameleon as a powerful Patronus ...

We all know that Tonks likes Lupin. It's important to show her being concerned for him; especially at a time when the Second War is in full force (post-HBP of course).

I've seen a few Remus/Tonks fics set during HBP that are one-shots, and a bit hurried. Most of them are written from Tonks's point of view. Tonks's feelings should be explored in-depth without getting excessively sentimental (and OOC).

[MorganRay]

What I'm doing right now is the awkward/ avoidance stage. But that will only last for about a week until Remsu realizes that he can't resist. Then he goes all noble.

A week just doesn't seem to be working for me. This relationship was very sudden to me because I probably occured so subtly over a long period of time. You have to think when Tonks and Remus met, too. They could have met when she was much younger while Remus was friends with Sirius. More likely, they met before OotP. Their relationship develops and hits a head at the end of HBP. Tonks probably wouldn't have gotten so desperate in public if Dumbledore hadn't died. So, they could have gone on with the awkward/avoidance stage for a quite a while. It seems that Tonks and Remus were avoiding each other around Christmas time, too, and it could have been going on from the moment when she first told him she liked him. This could make the awkward/avoidance stage up to about a year long.

Also, just keep in mind Tonks is not sappy. She is not going to be gushing, blushing, or weepy during the story. Dumbledore's death propels her emotional stress to the extreme and she breaks down.

On the nature of their relationship, I would say it's not a physical attraction. They didn't get together before Dumbledore's funneral. They probably came together from spending time around each and and simply because they need each other. Tonks, at some point in time, probably realized that in a deep, emotional way she needed Remus to be there for her. She probably realized that she had feelings for him. She's a very out spoken person and most likely told him this. Remus, with how closed he is to people, probably told her she simply needed someone better. He would probably have just told her, despite what he felt, that she was mistaken. However, the idea of Tonks needing and loving Remus probably gnawed at him a lot while he was emotionally estranged and with the werewolves. So, the love might have been awkward for Remus but a sudden, yet perfectly natural revelation for Tonks. This could be what makes their love so difficult, too. One person has realized that they should be together, but the other has yet to make the decision that they love that person and want to be with them as more than friends. My one guy friend did the exact same thing with a very nice girl, but his reasons for not being with her were considerably more pathetic than Remus's reasons for not wanting to be with Tonks.

5 points to Hufflepuff

[Mistletoe]

Thanks, MorganRay! That was amazingly, awesomely helpful. Okay, so extend the awkwardness for maybe a couple of months then? Early summer until around Christmas-ish? I was wondering, the link to this fic is in my sig, could you take a look and see if Tonks is in character? One of my reviews says she seems a bit too girly, and by all means-- that must be stopped. Immediately.

[Starmaiden]

Oh, was it me? *blushes* Sorry. Sort of. If you're working to improve it, then I'm not sorry at all!

MorganRay, I think I'm going to use your thoughts. They are good ones. I had something similar floating around, but you defined them nicely.

Canon Tonks isn't very girly, but if you write her that way, she might become cliched. Where do you draw the line? I sort of picture her giggling with Hermione and Ginny over their respective boys; but does she giggle over Remus? Does she go as lovelorn and jealous as Hermione? Ginny dates other boys when Harry's not available, but Tonks barely seems to stay alive -- a very girly trait. So where is she on that line?

[Mistletoe]

I'm very appreciative of your comment, Starmaiden, I'd much rather have ones that were helpful as opposed to the 'OMGZ THIS IS AWSOME!@$@!@!!' ones.

Anyway. Where to draw the line. I don't think Tonks would be jealous. I think that if Remus, or whoever, were to love someone else if it was plausible. If they were to love someone, such as Fleur, she would try to knock some sense into them.

Juat as she is trying to do with his lycanthropy throughout all of HBP, she thinks he's being daft for not listening to her, because she knows that she is right.

[MorganRay]

I just don't see Tonks giggling at all. Starmaiden mentioned Tonks giggling with Hermione and Ginny about boys. I don't think Hermione would be giggly about boys at all. I think Ginny might have a *squee* moment, but now that she's definately become more mature, I think she'd behave very similiar to Hermione. However, out of the two, Ginny would be more induced to giggle.

However, with Tonks, the giggling should be kept in check. If she's in a good mood, she'd be more prone to just probably muse or simply talk about that guy like anyone else. However, with Remus, if it's before they're an official couple, she probably would be hesitant to speak about him. She probably wouldn't giggle but try to change the subject to something that is happier than her feelings for Remus.

[Mistletoe]

Thanks so much for looking to see how in character Tonks (and Remus) are, MorganRay. It was very helpful, what you said. As for your notes on Remus, they should probably be discussed in a different thread.

But with Tonks, I'm glad that she seems relatively in character to you. As we have seen in HBP (after Dumbledore dies), she can be very emotional, and I am just showing a bit of her emotional side. And I didn't make her giggily at all, I didn't think. And as you mentioned, her transition for being solemn to being gay was a bit quick for her. How do you think she would handle that? I kind of pictured it like Tonks was pretending. Do you think Tonks would go to the extent of pretending that something wasn't like it was? (Sorry, that last by was a bit confusing)


P.S. Jenna, please don't kill me! I'm trying to keep this as far on the topic of keeping Tonks in character as I can!

[Starmaiden]

Actually, that's going to come up in my fic. When Harry's seen off by the Order and it makes him all happy, I'm going to say that Tonks made a valiant effort, and it was a temporary pick-me-up, but she's not actually better. I think I'm going to leave her sad over Sirius for a while longer than most people do.

Hmmm, jealously. I really don't know. If Remus were to be so stupid as to date someone like Fleur -- would she talk to him? rage to him? rage to someone else? Vamp him?

Suggestions? I'm thinking she'd talk to him, but try not to show that she hates his choice of women. Maybe say something like, "I'd have thought you'd like women who like debating more, but if you like her..." sort of thing?

[Mistletoe]

I don't think Tonks has a very possitive outlook on Fleur, if you know what I mean. I think that she would rant to someone else that Remus deserves better, smarter, yatta, yatta, yatta. And then... then, she would probably talk to Remus and say something along those lines. She would think that he would deserve someone with a bit more brains, I think. And she thinks Fleur is definitely lacking in brains.

Is that what you mean?

[Starmaiden]

If Fleur had gone to Hogwarts, I think she would have been a Slytherin. "Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends." She's ambitious, and she knows how to get what she wants. Tonks, on the other hand, is generally thought to be a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw. (I plump for Gryffindor, cliched as that is, because I think Tonks values courage over learning.) She values different things than Fleur.

However: I think she'll have more respect for Fleur now that she's seen her loyalty (to Bill). Which won't make her like her, but she might dislike her less.