Okay, this short story was inspired partly by a dream but it was also produced for a challenge to focus on different characters. So this one stars Tonks and Lupin.
Disclaimer: Of course since this is fanfiction, I do not own anything Harry Potter related.
A Nightmare To Remember
The Shack was a cozy, welcoming restaurant even though it appeared rather diminutive and unimpressive from the exterior. Located on the outskirts of a small village just outside of London, many inhabitants overlooked it and regarded the Shack as a waste of land, nothing more. This was due to the fact that the restaurant was seen as a place where the less wealthy ate and its parking lot was always close to empty.
Despite its depressing façade, the restaurant's interior was decorated with many intricate and curious knick-knacks that hung on the faded walls. Waiters and waitresses swept between the creaky tables and chairs, delivering food and checking up on their few customers. Most people who were eating there that evening kept to themselves, spaced out in the room, each at his or her own table. Unlike the rest, however, there were two people that night who were seated together, a man and a woman, speaking animatedly with each other. Clearly standing out from all of the other people around them, they had already attracted many odd stares and strange glances. They were both wearing very peculiar long black robes that made them appear distinctly out of place, as if they had just come back from a costume party.
The man looked slightly tired and rather ill; he had a few strands of gray hair that caused him to appear older than he really was – no doubt the culmination of his monthly werewolf transformations. His robes were very patched and shabby, but nevertheless, he seemed to be enjoying the evening.
The woman sitting directly across from him was currently gazing at her reflection on the glass plate in front of her. She had short spiky hair that was a shocking shade of dark violet.
"Remus," the woman said musingly, "I don't think purple is my color…" she glanced around quickly to make sure that no one else was watching and pulled a strained expression, as if she was concentrating hard to remember something.
Being a Metamorphmagus, Nymphadora Tonks had the rare ability to change her appearance at will and a second later her hair had turned into a vibrant bubble-gum pink.
"That's better," she added cheerfully. Tonks was an Auror, a Dark wizard catcher, for the Ministry of Magic; thanks to her shape-shifting ability, she had managed to get the job and had earned top marks for Concealment and Disguise, although she had almost failed Stealth and Tracking due to her extreme clumsiness.
Looking back at her friend, Remus Lupin, Tonks said, "I hope you're enjoying your birthday." She had decided to take him out to dinner that night as a birthday gift.
"Of course I am," Lupin replied. "The Order has been busy dealing with Death Eaters attacks lately… It's nice to get a little time away from all of that." The Order of the Phoenix was an organization founded and led by none other than Albus Dumbledore; its members were one of the main forces fighting in the war against Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters. Although Lupin was not an Auror like Tonks, both of them were loyal members of the Order.
"Exactly why I picked this place," Tonks gestured around them happily. "It's an obscure Muggle restaurant that is rarely ever crowded." She peered at the other customers. Ironically, the nearest person to them was sitting all the way on the opposite side of the room. "Here we don't have to worry so much about being watched or overheard, as long as we keep our voices down."
Lupin nodded wearily. "Yes, lately it has become difficult to trust anyone… You never know who could be a Death Eater or not these days."
"Not to mention they can be impersonating someone by using Polyjuice potion," Tonks said. "I don't know how many incidences I heard of recently where one Ministry worker was attempting to jinx his partner. Each attacker had been either a Death Eater or a worker who was spying and passing on information to You-Know-Who."
"Tonks," Lupin said firmly, "there is nothing wrong with addressing things by their proper names. Dumbledore has been trying to get people to stop this 'You-Know-Who' and 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' nonsense for years. Call him by his proper title: Voldemort."
Tonks flinched at the mention of his name and dropped her bowl of soup onto the floor. She hastily flicked her wand, after checking that none of the Muggles were looking, and whispered, "Scourgify!" The spill immediately vanished and she picked the bowl back up, replacing it on the table.
"I know I n—" she broke off in mid-conversation as the restaurant door opened and someone stepped inside. "Speaking of Death Eater spies at the Ministry…"
The man who had just walked into the room had sleek blond hair, billowing black robes, and cold gray eyes that narrowed and fixed themselves on their table at the window.
"Well, well, well… look who's here…" Lucius Malfoy sneered at the witch and wizard in the corner. "…What a pleasant surprise." He turned and began whispering urgently to the restaurant owner at the counter.
"What's he doing here?" Tonks asked bitterly. "Why would he be so interested in speaking with the Muggle owner?"
"I don't think the owner is a Muggle," Lupin was watching him from their seats. "I believe he's a Squib." Squib was a term used to describe a witch or a wizard with no magical abilities, while a Muggle was simply a non-magical, ordinary person.
The owner nodded and Lucius handed him a small, dark wrapped package.
"The Ministry's been conducting raids again," Tonks said, "They've been going around and inspecting houses for any Dark Arts items. I bet he's trying to slip a few off to unsuspecting people so that the Ministry won't find anything when they check their mansion."
Lucius Malfoy glanced back in Tonks and Lupin's direction, his eyes glinting maliciously. "Enjoy the rest of the evening… while you can…" He opened the door and strode out into the street, his robes swishing behind him.
After about five minutes, Tonks and Lupin paid for their meals and exited out the door and into the chilly street. Night had come a few hours before and the sky was now covered with dark gray, swirling clouds. A cold wind whipped at their robes as they walked down the road, heading back to the edge of the nearby forest where they planned to Apparate back and then head over to the Order's headquarters. Neither Tonks nor Lupin spoke much on the way -- Mr. Malfoy's unexpected appearance had left a gloomy mood in the atmosphere that had lingered long after its owner departed.
As they neared the border of the forest, Lupin suddenly stopped short, peering forward apprehensively.
"What are you--?" Tonks also froze, noticing two shadowy figures on the outskirts of the woods up ahead. She and Lupin ducked behind a nearby tree and watched, their wands drawn and ready. The strangers seemed to be talking, apparently oblivious to the fact that they were being spied on. Tonks managed to spot the outline of robes and the faint shape of masks through the darkness.
"Death Eaters," she whispered, gripping her wand tighter.
"There's only two of them," Lupin said, looking over at Tonks, who already knew what he was thinking.
"I am an Auror after all," she replied, "and we're both part of the Order. We should at least try to stun them…"
At the same time, they leapt out from behind the tree and shouted, "STUPEFY!" sending red jets of light flying out of their wands. The two masked figures whipped around to face them and quickly shot off into the forest as the stunning spells missed.
Tonks and Lupin pursued the pair of Death Eaters, weaving in and out of the trees, jumping over fallen logs, and ducking under low hanging branches.
"Lumos!" Tonks' wand tip flared with light, allowing her to see through the darkness better; she heard Lupin do the same from beside her as they continued sprinting through the forest. Despite the fact that she was tripping over many of the roots on their path, they were beginning to catch up with the two Death Eaters.
"STUPEFY!" Lupin fired another stunner at the fleeing figures ahead as soon as he had a clear shot.
"PROTEGO!" the first Death Eater bounced the spell right back with a shielding charm, causing Remus to step to the side in order to avoid it.
"You'll have to do better than that!" the other masked person called, this time a woman's voice. "REDUCTO!" she hurled a jinx over her shoulder towards them, missing Tonks by inches; there was a sharp crack as it hit a tree behind her, the force breaking several of its branches off.
Suddenly, they burst into a large clearing deep in the woods and the two Death Eaters stopped retreating, turning to face their enemy. In the middle of the clearing there was a large boulder, on the left was a small stream, and on the right was a high cliff.
"Now that we have lured you into the clearing…" Lucius Malfoy's voice came from behind the first Death Eater's mask.
Without warning, more black shapes emerged out of thin air around Tonks and Lupin, blocking their way left and right. Eyes glinted through the eye sockets of skull-shaped masks and a dozen lit wand tips were pointing directly at their hearts.
Lucius raised his wand to the sky and bellowed, "MORSMORDRE!" A giant, glimmering green skull with a serpent emerging from its mouth formed high above them: Voldemort's sign, the Dark Mark.
Tonks glanced around at the circle of Death Eaters surrounding them and found that they were outnumbered six to one -- there was no possible way to take them all down at once and make it out unscathed. The only thing she could think of was to keep them talking in order to hopefully buy some more time.
"So you two baited us into following you and then led us into this trap?" she asked Lucius.
"I mentioned before that you should have enjoyed the rest of your evening while you still had the chance," he replied. "However… I seemed to have overestimated your comprehension abilities."
"Killing us isn't enough for you?" Lupin said stiffly. "Now you have to insult us first?"
"Don't worry… you won't have to wait for long," Lucius laughed, along with several of the others.
"Surely we're not that important for you to go through all this trouble capturing us?" Tonks added.
"You couldn't possibly imagine how meddlesome the Order has proven to be lately," said the female Death Eater, who they had chased after earlier. "The Dark Lord will be pleased to have a couple annoying members out of the way!"
"Besides," Lucius drawled, "it wasn't at all inconvenient for us to lure you over here. This clearing had already been designated as the location for our meeting tonight… You should be honored to receive front row seats…"
"We offer you one last chance," the woman told them. She reached up and removed her mask, revealing herself to be Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the most wanted Death Eaters in the country as well as one of Voldemort's most loyal followers. She had wild hair, gaunt features, and an almost fanatical gleam in her eyes. "Join us and perhaps the Dark Lord will decide to spare your lives."
"Never," Tonks answered firmly, raising her wand higher. "I'd rather death than betray the Order and my friends!"
"I agree," Lupin nodded at Tonks, who was standing next to him. "My loyalties lie with Dumbledore – I will never side with Voldemort!" Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses and a few shifted uncomfortably.
"How dare you," Bellatrix stepped forward, raising her wand threateningly. "How dare you speak his name! Filthy Half-Breed! You—"
There was a sudden, loud CRACK that split the air and Lord Voldemort appeared inside the ring of masked followers, his face as white as a skull, with scarlet eyes that had slits for pupils like a cat's, and a flat nose with nostrils like a snake.
Bellatrix lowered her wand and quickly resumed her spot in the circle as the rest of the Death Eaters fell silent. A light drizzle of rain had started and the clearing was eerily illuminated by the ominous green light shining down from the Dark Mark suspended high above them. The seconds dragged on for what felt like an eternity as everyone grew increasingly more uncomfortable and restless, waiting for what was going to happen next.
"It seems that we have some unexpected guests tonight," Voldemort slowly circled around the pair in the center, regarding them with a gaze of cruel amusement that caused Tonks to shudder nervously. "You are just in time to join us for our little gathering…" He grinned wickedly, drawing his wand.
"Master," Bellatrix bowed respectfully, "after ambushing them, we offered them the choice to join up with us and—"
"And yet," Voldemort narrowed his eyes, glaring at the two Order members, "you have still decided to support that geriatric fool, the 'champion of Muggle-borns', Albus Dumbledore…" He uttered the last words with bitter animosity.
Tonks felt a sudden wave of anger. "Albus Dumbledore is the greatest sorcerer in the world!" she exclaimed.
"We will remain at his side until the end!" Lupin said determinedly.
"Then let us see just how loyal Dumbledore's great defenders are," Voldemort smiled maliciously and raised his own wand into the air. "Unless you dare to decline a challenge?" A few of the Death Eaters laughed jeeringly.
Tonks and Lupin exchanged quick glances and even though they could not read each other's thoughts, they both agreed on the same decision in that short moment. They were not going to plead and beg for their lives as the Death Eaters did, or simply Apparate away; they were going to face their enemy and fight valiantly until the final second.
"Impedimenta!" Lupin shouted, officially initiating the battle; Voldemort blocked the jinx with a wave of his wand and bounced it back towards the caster. Lupin and Tonks were knocked backwards off their feet and thrown against the large, damp boulder in the middle of the clearing as a couple of the Death Eaters applauded tauntingly. Lupin saw tiny bursts of light in his eyes and for a moment he and Tonks were too dizzy to react.
Nevertheless, both Order members dived out of the way a second later as Voldemort shot a silver arrow of light from the tip of his wand; the force of the spell hit the boulder, splitting the stone clean in half down the middle with a thunderous CRACK.
"Petrificus Totalu—"
"Crucio!" Voldemort shouted, interrupting Tonks before she had a chance to finish the incantation. Immediately a sudden wave of excruciating pain seared through her body and she screamed in agony, collapsing on the ground.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin said desperately; Voldemort deflected it with a wave of his free hand, while with the other, he raised his wand, ending the Cruciatus curse on the Auror in front of him.
"Get up," Voldemort commanded dangerously, his scarlet eyes flashing with horrible amusement as he pointed his wand at her once again. Tonks felt a strong pressure on her back and she was yanked up onto her feet as though by some invisible hand. Staggering sideways into the ring of Death Eaters, she was pushed roughly back into the middle of the circle.
"Incarcerous!" A string of thick rope erupted out of Lupin's wand and flew through the air towards Voldemort, but then the rope turned into a large serpent. Voldemort said something to it in Parseltongue and instantly the snake rounded on Tonks and Lupin, hissing and baring its venom-filled fangs.
Tonks hastily flicked her wand and the snake rose into the air, disappearing in a swirl of black smoke. At the same moment, Lupin shouted, "Reducto!" and Voldemort Disapparated out of the way, reappearing a few feet behind them.
As they whipped around to face him, a tangle of roots burst out of the earth and coiled themselves tightly around their legs, pinning them in place. Lupin attempted to perform a severing charm to cut themselves free, but both of their wands soared out of their grasp and landed at Voldemort's feet. So this is it… this is how it's going to end…Tonks thought as she looked up. Voldemort's pitiless eyes told her that they were going to die there in the clearing, surrounded by a dozen leering Death Eaters, underneath the Dark Mark.
She and Lupin were forced to watch as Voldemort raised his wand at them one last time and cried, "Avada Kedavra!" A blast of green light fired out of his wand, racing directly towards them…
"No!" Tonks shouted as the killing curse shot closer, its blinding green light filling her sight…
"Tonks, wake up!" a faint voice suddenly called.
Jumping upright and breathing rapidly, she whipped out her wand and glanced around. She was sitting on a couch in the living room of Grimmauld Place, the current headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.
"Are you alright?" Tonks jumped again and turned to see Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George Weasley, standing next to her with grins on their faces.
"What—"
"You can put that away now," Fred said, still smiling. Peering down, Tonks realized she was pointing her wand at them with a shaking hand. She quickly lowered it and took another confused glance around at the room.
"It was just a nightmare," she sighed with relief.
"It must have been a bad one," George reached down and picked up a broken vase off of the floor. "You were yelling and shouting jinxes in your sleep." He pulled out his own wand and said, "Reparo," causing the shattered object to fix itself. "One just missed our heads and hit this."
"Then why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Tonks asked.
Fred shrugged. "We had already finished our homework… We didn't have anything else to entertain us."
"Only joking," George quickly added after Tonks shot him a serious look. "Anyway, I thought you were taking Lupin out to dinner tonight?" Tonks suddenly remembered that she had planned to go with Remus to a restaurant as a birthday treat.
"Um, yeah…" she stood up and began to enter into the kitchen. "I was…"
"Fred, George?" Molly Weasley asked them as the twins arrived in the room. "Have you done all of your reports? I don't want you two waiting until the last minute like you did last summer."
"Yes, mum," Fred and George replied in unison.
"You finished that long list of work already?"
"I mean we read the list," Fred gave his brother a high-five as they turned to rush up the stairs to their rooms.
Tonks waved her wand, making a pot float out of a cupboard and unto the stove as she heard Mrs. Weasley shouting at Fred and George to get a move on with their papers.
"I see you're up now," Lupin had just come down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Since we weren't sure which restaurant to go to today, Arthur made a suggestion to me this morning." Tonks almost dropped her pot on the floor. Having just woken up from her dream, she was not very eager to have something remind her of it right now… Please don't say the Shack… "How does a dinner at the Shack sound?"
"Er, actually…" Tonks replied. "Why don't I make us a meal tonight instead? After all, a homemade dinner would be just as good…" And for sure a lot safer… even though it was just a dream… Tonks thought. Besides, making them a dinner that she cooked herself would be a better present than any amount of money could buy.
Congratulations to everyone who made it this far! I'd love to hear what you guys thought.
-PurpleArmadillo