The young woman slowly paced after a beetle that crawled down the street. It was nearing closer to midnight and the dingy street was darker than dark, no light shining within the houses' broken windows. It was quiet, save crickets chirruping and dogs barking into the night. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself as the summer night washed over her, he steps trailing that of the bug.
But it scuttled, and then turned abruptly on the sidewalk, heading back the direction it came. Her view followed the beetle as it scuttled away, but her feet stayed rooted in the spot as she looked up, confused, at the area where the beetle had stopped. She dejectedly laughed at the irony when she realized that she was standing in front her destination - number 12 Grimmauld Place.
As she entered the front door, she made sure not to trip over the misshappen coatrack that Remus had made an effort, and sadly failed, to move out of her path. She ran a hand through her hair, which, today, was the length of her earlobes, messy and brown, and made her way toward the kitchen.
She was weary, for it had been a long day at work, and she'd have liked nothing more than to grab some cold dinner and head to her room for the night. Instead, when she entered the threshold of the kitchen, she found Arthur and Molly slowly dancing.
The scene was so bittersweet, it made her throat ache a bit. Arthur held Molly in his arms and her face was burrowed into his chest, both their eyes shut as they swayed to the silent music. Tonks stayed in the doorway a minute or two before coughing discreetly to wake them from their trance.
"Nymphadora," Molly greeted her with a wide smile, walking toward her, "I was about to go check on the children."
But Tonks looked at her, then back at Arthur before speaking, "Don't, I'll take care of it."
"Really?" Arthur smiled softly at Molly, "That'd be just great."
Tonks couldn't help but excuse herself as Molly made her way back toward Arthur. Tonks walked down the aging hall out of the kitchen, toward the staircase. A moment of such solace was rare and she couldn't even force herself to interrupt it for the Weasley parents; for they stood as such pillars of strength for the rest of the Order.
As she passed the doorway to the den, she caught sight of Severus sitting on the couch, deeply immersed in thought. She paused, biting her lip. Any other night, she'd have crawled and sat in the doorframe, watching the man until he noticed her presence and scolded her. Another she'd slide through the doorframe and ask him if he'd like a cup of tea or a game of chess, but again he's shoo her from the room.
She wasn't in the mood to fight with the testy Professor, so she continued toward the staircase and climbed it. Severus had been staying in the house at night, during the summer holidays. It wasn't as if he slept, no, he'd read or sit in the den. Nymphadora half-believed he was afraid to sleep, fearing his dreams.
After hearing the loud snores from the room that the twins, Ron, and Harry shared, she headed down the hall a couple feet to Hermione and Ginny's bed quarters. It was silent, and so Tonks lightly tapped on the door - expecting to tell Hermione that it was lights out. Instead, Hermione opened the door dressed in a nightgown with sleep in her eyes.
Tonks apologized in a whisper, "Sorry to wake you."
"Oh, 'tis fine," Hermione responded, a yawn in her speech.
"Hermione," a voice groaned from inside the bedroom and both the female's eyes widened, "Come back to bed."
Hermione flushed, "Look, Tonks, it's not what you think."
"Oh, I know," Tonk said, smiling softly in understanding.
She tried to explain herself, "Really, I mean --" Ron groggily groaned once more, interuppting her speech.
"So you won't, you know, tell anyone?" Hermione questioned earnestly.
"No," Tonks reassured her, "Goodnight, Hermione."
Hermione smiled back and shut the door softly and Tonks could hear her telling Ron off and him snore in response. Tonks understood that their sleeping arrangements were purely innocent, a source of comfort in this rather frightening household. But as she stood infront Hermione's door, she could hear distant thuds from above her.
Rather than head on down the hall toward her own room, she headed back toward the stairs to investigate. She pulled her wand out, creeping slowly as the sounds became more distinct. The hall was dark except for the light shining through a window at the end, and she could see a figure in front the door catty-corner to the window.
She knew because of the darkness, the figure couldn't see her. But Tonks soon recognized the petite figure to be that of Ginny Weasley's as she thudded her fists lightly against the door and hissed through the door.
"Harry!" she said, "Let me in! I'm serious!"
Tonks stood, cloaked in the darkness, realizing Harry had locked himself into Sirius's old room. She wondered how long Ginny had been outside the door when, much to Ginny's suprise, it swung open.
"What do you want?" Harry hissed in a whisper, his voice hoarse.
Ginny crossed her arms over her chest before pushing past him and into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her and shutting Tonks out of the conversation. She took in a big breath and headed back down the stairs toward her own room.
She stretched out on her bed and twirled her hair lazily as she lay underneath the sheets. She wouldn't be lying to Molly in the morning when she told her the children were alright.
Author's note: slight Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Harry. Melancholy Tonksie. I'm v. tired, so I can't come up with a formidable author's note. And that is v. sad. Lahdeedah. Kindof hints back toward "Sleep Tight" where Ron and Hermione share a Grimmauld Place bed for companionship. Not in the sexual sense, and neither was this one! I hope you got that.
Review, please?