Stay
Tonks had never really liked slumming it with the muggles. Not because she was an elitist arse that wanted to murder them all, unlike some of her fellow wizards, but because they had some of the most filthy habits, and if there was something that Tonks couldn't resist it was a filthy habit.
She took a drag of her cigarette, and glared at it.
"They'll kill you!" Hermione called from inside the flat. Tonks flipped her off without looking. She took another drag, and looked out over London, leaning against the balustrade of the balcony she stood on. The sun was setting behind the skyscrapers, the sky glowing gold, and the city was coming alive with artificial lights; cars, buildings, and the electronic devices muggles were addicted to.
Flicking the stub onto the street below, Tonks retreated back inside. Hermione was sat at their kitchen table, surrounded by piles of books and paperwork - not a particularly unusual sight. She was alternating between scribbling away at some calculations that Tonks couldn't make head or tail or, and casting spells on what looked like a dull, grey rock.
"Alright, love?"
Hermione grimaced when Tonks kissed her, but she didn't turn away. They'd long decided that their lives were too fraught with danger to ever deny the other. It meant that Tonks kissed Hermione even when she'd been eating those horrible cheese and onion crisps, and Hermione kissed Tonks even when she'd been smoking.
"I'm heading out tonight," Tonks said. Hermione didn't look up from her work.
"I know," she said. "You told me yesterday, and three hours ago, and twenty minutes ago too."
"Alright, alright," Tonks sid, amused despite herself. "Perhaps I'm hoping you'll tell me to stay?"
At this Hermione did look up, and arched a brow. "I'd never try to tell you to stop going out. I know you've got to do it." She shrugged, and gestured to her work. "Like I've got to do this."
Tonks sighed and ruffled a hand through Hermione's wild mane of hair. "I do love you," she said wistfully. Hermione batted her hand away, but a smile flickered across her lips.
"Go and get ready, you pest," Hermione commanded. She turned back to her work. "And I love you too."
Tonks eyed herself critically in the mirror. Forging herself a new appearance was all well and good when she had a picture to check against, but even that wasn't enough to capture the spirit of a person. Luckily, she also had some vague memories of her Aunt Narcissa to base her imitation off. Her mother had taken her to visit just once before the war had truly started. They hadn't stayed long, but Tonks could still remember the haughty look on Narcissa's face when she'd declared them 'scum'.
It had broken her mum's heart.
Tonks walked out of the bedroom dressed in the finest robes she'd been able to steal. Hermione was exactly where she'd left her, settling down for a night of studying and experimentation.
"Miss Granger," Tonks said, and curled her lip. "Your manner is most unbecoming. Sit up straight, girl, and scour that ink from your hands."
Hermione glanced up, hiding a yawn behind delicate fingers. "Looks good. Maybe a few more wrinkles? The stress of the last few years has likely gotten to all of us."
With a flick of her wand, Tonks conjured a mirror. She glared into it until the crow's feet deepened, a frown line marring her forehead.
"Perfect," Hermione said. "Now, come here."
They held each other close. Tonks closed her eyes, and pretended that she could stay in that moment, wrapped around Hermione, forever.
"Be safe," Hermione said. Tonks pulled back, nodded, and then turned away. Drawing her hood over her head, she stepped out into the night.
Dumbledore's great last stand at Hogwarts was a battle infamous for the Dark Lord Voldemort's ultimate victory. It had occurred in the early hours of 1st November 1981, just after Voldemort had murdered the Potter family. He'd then turned his greedy eyes and armies toward Hogwarts, intent upon conquering it. Very few people knew the true answer as to why Dumbledore had decided to go down with his castle. Many thought he couldn't bear to leave the beloved grounds, or that he had given up all hope of the Light ever winning.
Tonks knew better. While Dumbledore had been holding off Voldemort and his forces at the front gate, McGonagall and his other deputies had been smuggling the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance out of the castle, amongst other artefacts. Together they were used to identify magical children; purebloods, halfbloods, and muggleborns alike. Tonks shuddered to think of the slaughter that would have occurred should they have fallen into Death Eater hands.
Tonks had been nine when her mother had rescued Hermione, her name first appearing in the book at the tender age of two. Hermione's parents had been eager to be rid of her. Even the Muggles had started hearing about what was happening to families with 'strange' children. The magical world was not yet exposed, but it had been teetering upon the edge of it for years now.
Tonks swept along the back streets of London, nearing what they'd nicknamed a 'dead zone'. Apparition was trackable, for the most part, but there were vague patches around the country that muffled the trail, areas saturated with magic, like Hogwarts and King's Cross Station.
Despite all that had been saved from Hogwarts, many magical devices still remained in the Dark's possession. Tonight, Tonks was going to liberate some more.
Gringotts looked the same as always, the goblin guards glaring fiercely at all who would enter, knuckles tightly gripped around their glaives.
Tonks stalked into the bank and turned up her nose. Lucius Malfoy was waiting for her by one of the counters, leaning both hands upon the pommel of his cane.
"You're late, Cissa," he drawled.
Tonks narrowed her eyes at him. She huffed, and then dismissed him, and settled her gaze upon a goblin. "Well? Lead on."
Beside her, Lucius chuckled. "You do wound me, darling."
Tonks slid her gaze toward him, and arched a brow. "You'll survive."
When the Resistance had received information that the Malfoys were to visit their vault, they'd jumped at the opportunity to get access. After much discussion, they'd decided that Narcissa Malfoy should be waylaid upon her return from Madam Malkin's to the bank, and so Tonks was here in her place, if she could keep her nerve.
The goblin lead them down into the vaults, the cart ride silent but for the whistle of air as they sailed through the mines. It was gloomily lit, as always, the torches flickering in the distance the only source of light. Tonks could hear the occasional below of an injured animal - dragons, if the rumour were to be believed.
Each corner and curve of the track made her stomach lurch, for it felt as if she could be thrown to her death at any second. Tonks schooled her face blank and clenched her hands into fists. She hated the carts, like most wizards with any sense in their brain did.
Finally, they arrived. Outside the vault Tonks gathered herself and feigned an air of nonchalance whilst waiting for the door to creak open. Lucius watched her with an amused expression upon his face, while Tonks steadfastly ignored him.
When it did, Lucius immediately prowled inside. Tonks waited a moment, then stunned the goblin with a flick of her wand. She caught him as he collapsed, lowering him gently to the ground.
Then she walked around the door, and came face to face with Lucius Malfoy's wand.
Tonks froze.
"You're very good, I have to admit," Lucius said. "But my wife would never deign to visit the vaults in person. She finds it to be beneath her."
Tonk took a breath, and then allowed a lazy smile to cross her face. She placed her hands on her hips, rolling her shoulders.
"Luci," she purred. Narcissa's appearance melted away, and she shrugged herself into a new skin.
Tonks wore the face of Bellatrix Lestrange, and she laughed.
Lucius' eyes narrowed. Tonks stepped forward, and with every step she took, Lucius took a step back.
"You're not afraid of ickle-wickle Bella, are you?" she crooned. "Did you like my new look, darling hubby?"
"Bellatrix!" Lucius snapped. "What are you doing here?"
Tonk switched from a croon to a snarl. "Keeping you in line!" she hissed. She caught the tip of his wand with her finger, and sneered. "You dare point this at me - me? We've been watching you… Did you think the Dark Lord wouldn't notice your lack of faith?"
A flash of panic crossed Lucius' face. "What? We are true believers!" He let his wand fall lax to his side.
It was all that Tonks needed. She snapped her leg forward, catching him in the side of the knee. He fell with a shout, and Tonks snatched his wand from his hand.
"Stupefy! Incarcerous!"
Lucius lay on the floor, unconscious and bound with rope. Tonks considered kicking him the gut, and then decided that she'd rather not contaminate her foot with Death Eater.
Instead, she got on with her job. Hermione had done some excellent spell work on her mokeskin bag. It was fitted with an Undetectable Extension Charm that Tonks had not yet managed to exceed.
She jabbed her wand toward the treasure in the vault, then swept in a circle. They treasures jumped to life, uniformly marching into the bag. Galleons, sickles and knuts, gold jewelry, goblets crusted with glittering diamonds, faded purple and scarlett tapestries… Tonks would leave nothing behind.
Behind her, Lucius groaned. Tonks spun on one foot. "Stupefy!" she cried again, and rather enjoyed the way it threw him back against the wall of the vault. She was nearly done, and rather keen to get the hell out of there.
And then a great horn sounded, a low boom that shook the floor. It echoed around the caves, sounding off the walls, a portent of doom that did not bode well at all. At the same time the door to the vault began to creak shut.
"Shit!" Tonks cried, and barely managed to sprint out in time, the tail of her cloak catching as it closed. Lucius was locked inside, but Tonks had no regrets.
The goblin she'd previously stunned was gone. The feisty buggers were stronger than they appeared.
Tonks scrambled along the paths embedded in the walls, the tunnels that created the ant hive of a mine the goblins lived in. They were built for creatures half her size, and while she could shrink herself somewhat, she couldn't reduce her height by that much. Occasionally she was reduced to crawling through passages that she knew the goblins would have no trouble traversing. The tunnels were dark and grimy, and she occasionally felt the skitter of a creature she'd rather not think about running over her feet; rats, or worse.
However, it seemed that the goblins had stuck to the regular paths, those brightly lit and large enough for the average human. Up and up she went, and she'd never before appreciated how far down the mine carts took them. The Malfoy's vault was deep, but nothing compared to the Black's or the other older purebloods', and she was glad they were 'new money', so to speak. Still, her knees soon ached, her palms grazed from rocks and grit, and she'd banged her head more times than she could count.
Eventually, however, her questionable luck ran out.
The tunnel ended abruptly, and Tonks fell out onto a brightly lit path. It was brightly lit because she'd reached the top of the mine - where many goblin guards busied about, searching for her.
She was easy to spot, clattering to the ground as she had.
"Intruder!" someone bellowed.
"Ah fuck," Tonks said. She scrambled to her feet.
Goblins approached from all sides, glaives, axes, and daggers fisted tightly in their hands. Their beady eyes gleamed, sharp teeth bared in anger, and the war drums sounded.
"Wotcher!" she called brightly. Her favoured greeting did not stop their approach.
"Well then," she muttered to herself. She twisted her wand a in tight circle, before holding it aloft. Silently, she cast the spell Lumos maxima, thrusting a ball of pure light into the air above her.
The goblins recoiled, some of them shading their eyes. "Accio broom," Tonks hissed, jabbing her wand into the Extended bag.
There was a rumble of metal being dislodged, clinking as it shifted, and then moments later the broom burst free. Tonks mounted it at a run and immediately corkscrewed over the goblins horde. Her hands were sweaty, her heart pounding, and she clutched at the broom, determined not to fall off. Javelins skimmed past her, and she lay flat against the wood, willing it faster. It was an old Nimbus, nothing too fancy, but it would hopefully do the job.
Tonks rocketed toward the exit. The grand doors to Gringotts were starting to close - but they were too slow. Even as a bolt from a crossbow grazed her shoulder, Tonks slipped through the gap. She swore at the wound, gritting her teeth against the pain, but focused on her mission. Diagon Alley was mostly deserted, but Tonks made certain to cackle loudly as she flew away.
She still looked like Bellatrix Lestrange after all, and misinformation was what the Resistance thrived upon.
The flight home was bitterly cold, but Tonks was still burning with the adrenaline of her success and the escape. She landed on their balcony, and Hermione was there in an instant, wrenching open the door and pulling her in.
"You idiot! No cloak, no disillusionment - what on earth were you thinking?"
Tonks grinned at her dopily. Hermione looked like a goddess, her hair a halo around her face.
"Wotcher," she said. "You're a wonder, 'Mione."
Hermione frowned. "Tonks?" she asked, then she gasped. "Fuck - you're injured!"
Tonks' shoulder was throbbing, although she'd been trying to ignore it.
"Am I?" she said, and blinked the blood on her shirt. "Oh."
Hermione hustled her into a chair. "Oh, what are you like?" she grumbled to herself. "I'm always patching you up."
Tonks enjoyed being fussed over, her arm bound the Muggle way. Potions were too valuable to use on a scratch, even a deep one, but she took the ibuprofen that Hermione offered. Eventually they settled onto the sofa together, snuggled close. Tonks closed her eyes, leaning into the embrace.
Hermione carded a hand through Tonks' hair, soothing her from the excitement of the day. Tomorrow, Tonks would tell her all about it, show off her loot. But now, she would rest.
Just as she was about to drop off to sleep, Hermione whispered something so quietly Tonks didn't think that she was meant to hear it.
"I do wish you would stay. I wish you never had to leave. That's what I fight for - a time when you'll stay with me forever."
Tonks didn't reply, but she pressed closer, a silent acknowledgement that she felt the same.
Word Count: 2531
Slytherin Auction: Tonks
Assignment # Muggle History Task 4: Write about someone using their looks to their advantage
Insane House Challenge 37. Tonks
365 Prompts: 347. Glitter
Resolutions 9. Write a AU you've never written before
Jelly Beans 24. Tonks/19. Purple
Easter Challenges Hermione/Tonks
Easy Pinata Femslash
Showtime 18. Thief!AU
Buttons (songs) 5. "Hanging by a moment" by Lifehouse (dialogue) 1. "Run!" (words) 5. Burn
Book Club (use at least 3 prompts ) Laura Moon: (word) cold, (color) gold, (time) nighttime
Amber's Attic: 21. I knew there were things I should never find beautiful. Like death. And girls. (5 bonus points)
Creature Feature 6. (location) Forbidden Forest
Character Appreciation 42. (trait) Making light of a situation