A/N: Voldemort Wins!AU and Spy!AU

A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action

Technically, Tonks didn't have any missions scheduled. However, Hermione was buried nose deep in a book about Alternatives to the Philosopher's Stone, one of Tonks's latest acquisitions from stealing into Rookwood's house, and Tonks was bored.

She morphed into a generic face and ambled down to the Leaky Cauldron, hands jammed into the pockets of a set of ragged robes. Diagon Alley was quiet these days, but sometimes even the smallest pieces of gossip could prove to be useful to the Resistance. Tonks's reputation as a metamorphmagus was well known among the Death Eaters, however, they all tended to be arrogant enough to think they'd be able to spot her, even when she was disguised, the idiots.

Tonks bought a butterbeer and settled herself in a dark corner of the Leaky with a copy of the Prophet spread out of her lap. It spewed propaganda about the greatness of the pureblood families and the power of magic over Muggles. Tonks barely kept from rolling her eyes as she flicked through it.

On the back page, three faces she knew intimately glared up at her: Undesirable No. 1, Andromeda Tonks; Undesirable No. 2, Minerva McGonagall; and Undesirable No. 3, Sirius Black.

Tonks snorted. Sirius had been rising in the ranks of the 'Undesirables' for years. He'd be pleased to have finally made it into the top three. Ever since he'd come across the bodies of the Potter family back in '81, Sirius had been causing trouble for Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Before that, he'd been a wild card; a joker with a few vicious spells up his sleeve. It was after that the Death Eaters became aware of exactly how vicious the Black wrath could be, even from someone fighting on the side of the Light.

Speaking of Sirius… two tables over, a group of men well into their cups were talking about the latest fight between the Death Eaters and the Resistance. Sirius's name had been mentioned more than once. Tonks leaned back into her seat and listened.

"Then Black arrived, a burning whip of fire spewing from his wand," one man exclaimed.

"No, no, it was a dragon, and it ate Rodolphus alive!"

"So it's true? Rodolphus is dead?"

"Dead as dust. The Dark Lord was not best pleased."

"Ha, I can imagine."

"I'd hate to face Black in battle."

"He's a lunatic."

"He might be, but he has no sense of self-preservation. What do you reckon the reward is for killing Black?"

"A reward? You must be joking. Serving the Dark Lord is reward enough."

The three men fell silent, then one of them scoffed. Tonks bit back a grin.

"You're taking the piss, right?"

"Well, I certainly don't think you'll be rewarded for doing what the Inner Circle has failed to do. More likely punished, for showing them up."

Tonks flipped over a page in the newspaper, not paying the articles any attention as she strained to eavesdrop.

"As if you've got a chance at killing Black, anyway. He's a nutter. I heard someone say he spells himself with a dead man's trigger."

"I heard he can tame werewolves even on a full moon."

"I heard the Dark Lord's putting together a special team, just to take him out. He's been a thorn in our side long enough."

"And who's on that team, then?"

"I don't know, do I? But apparently the Dark Lord is performing a ritual; he's going to summon something to hunt Black down."

"Ssh! Don't spread that around, you idiot. We shouldn't be talking about that here."

The men's voices lowered, dropping out of earshot. Tonks turned another page in the Prophet, mind racing. Her mother needed this intelligence as soon as possible.

She stayed in the Leaky another half an hour, just in case the men grew loud again. They did, but had moved on to talking about women, which Tonks tuned out. Instead, she left a few coins for her beer and stalked out of the Leaky, lighting a cigarette the moment she was out of the building. It was a filthy habit, but she wasn't about to give it up any time soon.

Nicotine soothed Tonks's worry, but as she paced back and forth beneath a lamppost she couldn't help but think over the men's words. Perhaps it had been hyperbole, but if Voldemort truly planned on summoning something to hunt Sirius down, they were screwed. Sirius was incredibly powerful, even if he was insane, but he couldn't fight off a demon or another type of ethereal being. Fuck. Tonks flicked the cigarette butt into a drain and turned on one foot, Apparating back to the flat she shared with Hermione.

All was silent when Tonks entered and she shut the front door behind her with a quiet click.

"Hermione?"

There was no answer. Tonks padded into the kitchen, only to find Hermione face first on a pile of books and parchment, asleep.

"You work too hard," Tonk said. She stroked Hermione's hair back from her face, then gently shook her shoulder, stepping back when Hermione snapped awake, hand going for her wand.

"Just me, love."

Hermione yawned, dropping her wand onto the table.

"You're back late."

Tonks glanced at her clock on the wall; it was barely nine in the evening.

"So late," she lied. "Come on, let's get you to bed. I need to pop over to my mother's, but I won't be long."

Hermione looked to be half-awake as Tonks helped her stumble into the bedroom, exhausted from long nights and busy days. Once Tonks had tucked her in, Hermione reached out and snagged Tonks's wrist.

"Let me see your face."

Tonks startled, realising she was still morphed into the figure of a older man with dark hair and blue eyes. She blinked, allowing the disguise to melt away.

"Mm, gorgeous," Hermione said, her eyes slipping closed.

"How did you know it was me?" Tonks asked, as she'd walked into their flat looking like someone else.

"No one else smells like you," Hermione said, a dreamy smile on her face.

Tonks smiled back, even though Hermione couldn't see.

"Sleep well, love."

With a flick of her wand, Tonks dimmed the lights. She strode back into the kitchen and threw a handful of Floo Powder onto the coals they always kept hot.

"12 Grimmauld Place." She sent a slip of parchment through the flame with a rough sketch of a phoenix on it. It wasn't safe to travel by Floo anymore, but they could still pass on messages. Someone from the Resistance would meet her at this week's safe house in twenty minutes.

Tonks Apparated to the location and lounged on one of the sofas. She'd been there before; it was a small cottage decorated in shades of pastel, with driftwood and shells lining walls and windowsills. It was protected by a Fidelius Charm, of which Minerva was the secret keeper; it was as safe as they could get. Tonks began scribbling out a report of everything she'd heard earlier that evening.

A few minutes later, a crack indicated the arrival of someone via Apparition.

"Password," Tonks called, standing and drawing her wand.

"Albus Dumbledore likes fizzing whizzbees!"

"No, he doesn't, he eats chocolate frogs," Tonks answered.

"Only when he's bowling."

Tonks grinned, surging forward to embrace her mother as she stepped in the door.

"The passwords Moody comes up with are getting more and more ludicrous each time," Andromeda muttered.

"Constant vigilance!" Tonks barked, smirking when her mother jumped. Andromeda raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"Indeed. Now, how have you been? How's Hermione?"

"We're both well. That's not why I'm here, though." Tonks drew her mother toward the seats and snatched up the parchment she'd been jotting down her thoughts on. She explained the conversation she'd overheard in the pub—both the good news, that the Death Eater Sirius had taken down was one of Voldemort's Inner Circle, and the bad news, that Voldemort was planning to do something drastic to get rid of Sirius.

"It could just be rumours," Andromeda mused. "But thank you for bringing it to me, all the same." She then fixed Tonks with a steely glare. "I didn't think you were supposed to be out this evening."

"I wasn't," Tonks freely admitted. "But I was bored and Hermione was busy."

Her mother sighed. "Just try to stay safe, Nymphadora."

"It's Tonks," Tonks muttered. "Thanks, mum. Love you."

"And I you."

With that, Tonks turned on one foot and Apparated back to the apartment she shared with Hermione. She crept into the bedroom, shedding her robes. Hermione snored a little like a hedgehog, quiet snuffles. Tonks smiled; it was good to be home.

Word Count: 1449

Auction Prompt D15/2. AU — Spy [1449 words = 29 coins]