Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Harry Potter otherwise I would not be submitting fanfic and if I were in a place to actually make any money off my writing I surely would be writing something else but as it is this is fun so that is why I do it.
Chapter 1 The Mission Revealed
Hot steam swirled about the small bathroom, fogging up the mirror as she ran her fingers through sudsy hair. She breathed in the erotic scent of jasmine mixed with warm vanilla that was her shampoo. This was the only time of day that she let herself be who she really was. She learned long ago that to get any respect she had to put on an act of being just a bit tomboyish and clumsy, it was odd that she could never be taken seriously when she acted remotely like her true self. It was paradoxical but duty to her profession forced her to take drastic measures to get the job done. However, in the early hours of the morning and the privacy of a locked bathroom she could transform herself into the beauty that so many found intimidating, they felt that way about all the women of the Black family. For as long as she could remember no one had seen her as she truly was. If they had they would have been distracted by overwhelming jealousy or lust. She had seen it before with her mother and with her two aunts. Her mother ended up at home with a husband who was enamored with her but had a rough go of it until she met Ted Tonks. Bellatrix was another story. She used her feminine whiles to her manipulative advantage. Women hated her and men were scared of her, even her husband seemed afraid of her at times. Then there was her aunt Narcissa, the Malfoy trophy wife. Much hated like Bellatrix but unable to keep her husbands eyes from roving. The role of Ice Queen suited her but not Nymphadora. That would not do for her. She needed to be seen as an equal in her occupation and even taking on different features she was not without admirers so she did not begrudge the need to sell herself as "one of the guys" as so many of her auror colleagues referred to her as. Overall it was a situation that worked for her and in a way kept her from being vulnerable.
Times were getting better. Though the Order still operated out of Grimmauld Place it was only to track down the remaining Death Eaters that were not caught after the demise of Voldemort. Thankfully people dispensed with the idiotic formality of calling him "You Know Who" or "He Who Must Not Be Named". They all figured if a seventeen year old young man still attending Hogwarts could kill him then he didn't deserve to be feared as he once had been. It was with all this weighing on her mind that Nymphadora Tonks washed the sleep from her lithe form and readied herself for the day ahead of her. She was to attend an emergency meeting for the Order in forty-five minutes. Supposedly there were rumblings in Europe of a group of Dark Wizards and Witches, some who were believed to be former followers of Voldemort, which the Order Members felt it imperative to quash before things escalated out of control again. She decided a short black bob cut and her usual hart shaped facial features would do. She had matured a bit and had dispensed with the wild assortment of colors for her hair but still wore her trademark patched jeans, large black Doc Martins from Muggle London and her long black coat. She looked somewhat gothic and felt the look suited her mood most of the time. She had lost her favorite cousin in the war as well as many friends and colleagues. Her cheerfulness was somewhat wanting of late. Satisfied with the days look she exited the bathroom and the smell of Molly Weasley's traditional morning feast lead her to the kitchen. She made a point of tripping on the rug on her way in to keep up appearances and was greeted by all the regulars. The majority of the Weasley clan as well as Remus, Harry and Hermione were all nursing cups of tea, ignoring the scowling Severus Snape who occupied a dark corner. They all tucked into breakfast and waited for the other members to join them at headquarters for the meeting.
The meeting started out as usual with Dumbledore's eyes twinkling brightly, something that had faded as the war effort had reached it's pinnacle but returned with it's end. He called everyone to order and started explaining the situation and the need to send in reconnaissance to Romania to help Charlie Weasley and a few of the foreign Order members who had reported the problem. No one seemed to enthusiastic about this assignment but luckily for most it did not matter because Dumbledore had chosen his team and they were to leave immediately after receiving a brief on the situation and what they were expected to do. Bill Weasley, Remus Lupin as well as Nymphadora Tonks were to meet up with Charlie in Bucharest and then travel to Transylvania to touch base with the vampire contingent that was stationed there as a lookout for the Order and form further plans as to how the Order would infiltrate the new hoard of Dark Magicians there. The choice of team members was a strategic one. Remus was a werewolf, he had been bitten as a small boy. Bill had been the victim of an attack by vampires who had chosen to follow Voldemort. He was thought to be dead but staggered back to the Order after spending a month afraid of what he would face at home. Luckily the Order was not so ceremonious about the purity of their members and as far as the Weasley's were concerned they were just glad they had not lost him completely. They all figured if Lupin could overcome the beast within and choose the light then Bill was perfectly capable of doing so as well, and he did. Nymphadora, on the other hand, was not a magical creature, She was a metamorphmagus and could take on the appearance of anyone living or imaginary. All had heightened skills and abilities due to their conditions, or talents, as Dumbledore always said. With the Wolfsbane Potion Remus' transformations were nothing to worry about and with the Vampera Tonic, recently discovered by Hermione, Bill was able to live virtually the same as before he was bitten with the exception that he needed a monthly transfusion of blood to keep his urges under control. The only person who did not accept him was his former fiancé Fleur Delacour, who as part veela, could no longer stand him. She saw him as the antithesis of all things good, evil because of a long standing feud between veelas and vampires.
They all met with Dumbledore after the major meeting was over and discussed plans and expectations. The mission was simple, one of them was to infiltrate the group of Dark Magicians and report all findings to the others. Dumbledore suggested Tonks be the one to take that assignment as she could naturally change into someone none of the enemy might recognize. This of course got Tonks thinking, maybe this would be her opportunity to break away from her current self imposed identity and show people who she really was. That, of course got her wondering if she even really knew who she was anymore. She had always struggled to stay true to herself and was sometimes unsure if she had succeeded but she knew deep down this would work, she could do this. It would take some major re-hauling of her wardrobe to match her true appearance but that would not be a problem. Maybe Ginny and Hermione would accompany her to Diagon Alley to help her prepare for the mission. That was that she would ask them to go that day and they would enjoy lunch while out.
She walked back into the kitchen from the small dining room she had just met with the team in. Sitting next to Ginny she poked her to get her attention.
"Hey Gin you up to a trip to the Alley with me? I was thinking you and Mione could help me with my disguse?"
"Sure! Mione get your cloak were going out!"
"What are you on about?" Bill asked.
"They are going to help me pick out the clothes for our mission, you read the profile, I have to doll myself up a bit and look like I'm a snobby, rich, little pure blood dark witch."
"Well if you do so do we, we are bound to be seen and you can't be caught running about with poor ingrates like Remus and I," Bill retorted with a smile.
"Oh alright!" Tonks replied in a sarcastic huff.
Remus and Bill joined the little shopping expedition but went their separate ways once at the Leaky Cauldron. The ladies started at Madam Malkin's. Ginny was abuzz with enthusiasm as she fingered the latest fashions. They picked out several dress robe sets and flashy, sexy shoes and sent Tonks into the dressing room with full arms.
"You have to transform to whatever look you're going with so we will know if the robes work or not," Hermione instructed.
"That is fine, but you will have to come in here to see. I don't want to give up my cover before I've even left London."
She morphed back into the body she had sported in the shower that morning and donned the first set of robes then called out to the two twenty-somethings who were waiting with baited breath. They were speechless.
"Tonks…"
"Gin I don't think Tonks is appropriate anymore," Hermione laughed.
"I would say you are right as always Mione."
"So it's good then?" Tonks asked timidly. This was the first time anyone had seen her in her true form with the exception of her family.
"It's fab! No wonder your mother named you Nymphadora, you can make yourself look like a goddess," Ginny laughed.
"Funny thing is I don't have to make myself look like this at all, this is really me."
Ginny and Hermione stared at her, wide eyed and mouths agape.
"Why the bloody hell do you go around as something…someone else then?" Hermione asked as she was the first to regain her senses.
"Do you honestly think I would not be treated like a piece of meat if I went traipsing through the Auror Division looking like this?"
"Hmm point taken," the two ladies said in unison.
They continued experimenting with the different outfits until it was time for lunch. They made their way to the Leaky Cauldron and met Bill and Remus there. The five of them enjoyed a leisurely lunch and chatted about nothing in particular. There was a few inquiries as to the disguise Tonks would be using but the ladies were tight lipped about it which made the two men that much more curious. They were informed that they would just have to wait until the next morning to see her "new" persona. They all dropped in Fred and George's shop before apparating to the safe point near headquarters.
The next morning was a cacophony of noise and bodies trying to get to the task of last minute packing and meetings. Eventually the trio portkeyed to Bucharest and meet with Charlie. Tonks had met him briefly while they were at Hogwarts but had forgot all about him until she was acquainted with his family after joining the Order. They all caught a Muggle cab to a small flat outside the city that Charlie had inhabited for the last several years while in Romania. Upon arrival they were introduced to another Order member helping Charlie named Anderson Fletcher. They were informed that he too was a metamorphmagus and would be running recon with Tonks, they would stage themselves as siblings from a pure blood family who had moved to Romania from England when they were both nine and ten years of age and were schooled at home. Charlie informed them that they would portkey to Transylvania the next morning so they should take the opportunity to relax while they all had it. They settled on lunch at the flat and an evening in, getting to know each other. Bill relayed all the messages to Charlie from their family and Remus caught him up on how Harry and Hermione were doing. After all the catching up Bill started razzing Tonks about her secret disguise she was so reluctant to reveal. This led to a dare to show everyone her look which she could not find a way out of. Accepting defeat, the Weasley boys were always so manipulative, Tonks slipped into Charlie's room and decided to morph into her aunt Bellatrix to get Bill back for his constant teasing. The "disguise" was not appreciated but when she explained she had no intention of emulating her imprisoned aunt as well as no intention of giving into Bill's sneaky manipulation they relented only slightly. They argued that they had to know so Anderson could choose a look appropriate for him to pass as her brother. She countered that he would have ample time tomorrow before they met with the vampire contingent.
A small supper and several firewiskies later they made there way to the cots that were set up for them. Charlie insisted that Tonks take his room as she was the only lady and needed her privacy. She gladly accepted this polite gesture and took an anti-hangover potion before she nestled into the soft blankets and pillows. She slept fitfully as she always did in strange places, years of Moody pounding his mantra of constant vigilance had made her a bit paranoid as it had the rest of the London based Order members. She woke before dawn and decided to take a shower. She knew sleep would only elude her whilst in bed and in that situation it was always good for her to start the day early rather then languish in bed. She made her way to the bathroom quietly as not to wake the men as they slumbered in the sitting room. Setting the water to a temperature she desired she gingerly slipped from her night clothes and submerged herself under a steady stream of hot water. She stayed underneath the spray until her fingers where almost pruned from the moisture. She did not realize that the door of the bathroom had a faulty lock so when she pushed away the curtain she nearly screamed as she found herself starkers staring into the clear blue eyes of Charlie.
