A/N: Dude. There's like, no Tonks/Moody fics. How could there NOT be zillions of them? Those two are absofreakinlutely MEANT for each other. Hmph. Anyhow, song's "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down. Reviews and flames are both always welcome.
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"Hey, Mad-Eye?"
"Hm?"
"Just exactly how much danger are we in here?"
The heart-shaped face of Nymphedora Tonks was troubled. Her eyes (they were grey today) flashed with anxiety as she shook a strand of short, straight, brown hair out of her face. She had opted for plain, because of their mission. Bubblegum pink hair translated into a bull's-eye for Death Eaters. Her companion wasn't answering her question. "Well?" she tried again after a few moments.
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody sighed, turning his good eye onto his traveling partner. "I won't lie to ye, lass, there's a high chance of getting killed." He rubbed his gnarled, scarred head for a minute, thinking. "I mean, we're going to track down a pack of extremely volatile Death Eaters..."
"God, I hope Bellatrix is with them. What I would give to..." Tonks left the thought unfinished for a while, allowing silence to envelope the pair. Then, as though they'd been in the middle of a perfectly normal conversation, she said, "You know, good ol' Bella never did like me all that much when we were kids. Come to think of it, none of the family really liked me much. Except Sirius. He was my favorite cousin. His friends were always very kind as well... James and Remus, that is." She stared at some point far off in the distance. "Always protected me. He never asked for anything in return, either. It was too bad, really..."
Mad-Eye pulled his cloak closer around him; it had begun to rain. He scowled up at the heavens before speaking to his young protégé. "What happened happened, that's the way wars go. It's the life you live if you're an Auror." He glanced at his watch. "Should be about five minutes now..."
Well I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind,
I left my body laying somewhere in the sands of time.
But I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon.
I feel there is nothing I can do... yeah...
It was a risky plan, but they thought they could pull it off. The entire Order thought they could pull it off. And so, they were going to make it work, whatever the cost. They had better make it work, because if they didn't, it could very well cost Severus Snape his life. There was a Death Eater's meeting in Malfoy Manor, outside of which they were currently hiding. The meeting was of high importance, and all of the most faithful would be there. Thus, they would all be exiting at the same time. Voldemort was always very prompt about these meetings. Moody and Tonks would waylay the Death Eaters as they came out of the house, killing as many as possible. During the commotion, Snape would quickly Disapparate to Order headquarters and signal for all the reinforcements to come. The entire Order would then Apparate to the pair's location, and they would defeat all the Death Eaters in one blow. They could pull it off. In theory.
As Moody growled, "Three minutes, constant vigilance, Dora me lass," Tonks shifted uneasily. Why, oh why had Dumbledore picked HER to be the other Auror? Mad-Eye, yes, he made sense, he was at least twice Tonks' age, he had experience, he could do it. But her? She was still a child compared to some Order members. Hell, Mad-Eye still called her Dora and lass at times, nicknames she'd acquired when she was a small girl. Not that she minded. The old grizzled man standing next to her had trained her, and they worked wonderfully together. Each could anticipate the other's action before it was done. This, of course, was why Dumbledore picked young Tonks to go with old Moody. But still. She really would've preferred not to've been chosen. But, Mad-Eye needed her, and so she went.
As if on cue, the door of Malfoy Manor opened. Tonks' stomach gave a violent, unpleasant leap. This was the most risky mission she'd ever been on. All her muscles tensed, and her breathing involuntarily became quicker. Somehow, Moody picked up on these minute changes, even though his back was turned from her, watching the house. His left hand darted out of his cloak pocket and found her wrist right behind him. "Steady, lassie," he said quietly. Before releasing her wrist, he gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Tonks swallowed and nodded her head. Some people would've found it unusual for Mad-Eye Moody to have done what he just did, but she found it routine. She'd worked with him so much that she'd come to expect such reassurances in the quiet moment just before they were launched into battle.
The first Death Eater came out of the door. "Ready?" Moody said, his hand on the hem of the Invisibility Cloak they were both concealed under.
"Ready," Tonks said, her voice hard and resolute.
"Remember, watch out for yourself, don't lose your head, get yourself OUT if anything bad is happening, do not worry about me, just keep yourself safe... And do try not to torture your dear cousin Bellatrix TOO much." He turned, shooting her a roguish grin for a fraction of a second. Then he lifted the cloak off of them.
I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon,
After all I knew it had to be something to do with you.
I really don't mind what happens now and then,
As long as you'll be my friend at the end.
There were a dozen or so Death Eaters, milling about chatting on the stoop of the door they'd just exited. They instantly spotted the pair, sneaking stealthily towards them, wands at the ready. Among them were Lucious and Narcissia Malfoy, Macnair, Crabbe, Goyle, Snape, and the Lestranges. Oddly, Tonks and Moody just walked into their little gathering; they were surrounded instantly. Everyone had their wands at the ready, but they didn't cast any spells. The Death Eaters encircled the pair as Lucious Malfoy began to speak.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't good old Mad-Eye himself, and his little changeling bitch too..." He laughed, tossing his white-blonde hair from his face. Tonks glared at this, but did nothing. She was smart enough to know that now was the time to let Moody handle the situation. Which, of course, he did.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the traitor," Moody countered, spitting out the last word as though it were poison. "And all his little friends, having a garden party..." He snickered. "How lovely." Malfoy locked eyes with him, and they stood there, till, at the same moment, they both cast the first spells of the evening.
Immediately, all the Death Eaters sprang into action. Tonks held her own against about a half-dozen of them, while Moody took on the other half- dozen. Snape Disapparated from the site, and Tonks yelled over the din, "The cat went home!" That was the pre-arranged signal that help would be arriving shortly.
But help never came.
If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there a holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might,
Kryptonite...
The pair fought a long and valiant battle, but more and more Death Eaters kept Apparating to Malfoy Manor. No Order members came. Soon, there was no escape. They were back-to-back in the middle of a huge ring of Death Eaters, wands raised. They knew, though, that they wouldn't get out of this one so easily. Malfoy had his wand pointed at Moody's chest, and was slowly striding into the middle of the circle towards the pair.
Moody quietly growled into Tonks' ear, so soft she could barely hear, "Apparate to headquarters when I say so. Don't question this."
Her voice the same volume, she hissed back, "As if I'd leave you. You stay, I stay."
"Just do it, do it when I tell you."
"I'm not leaving you here alone."
"Don't question me!"
Their whispered argument was immediately ended by Lucious Malfoy's voice. "Well, looks like you're going to die now, Moody. At least you'll die with your little whore, won't you?" Both Tonks and Moody scowled at the comment.
"Well, I think I'll get rid of you first, Mad-Eye... You've caused me and my family SO much trouble... I'll let you suffer and die slowly. Then we can give your slut to her family. They'll take care of her." Malfoy laughed evilly.
Tonks felt the color drain from her face. Oh no they didn't. She did not want to allow her older cousins the pleasure of tormenting her to death. She would die taking the hit meant for good old Mad-Eye. She wasn't going to let him die first. No way. Bellatrix jeered at her. "Scaaaared, little Nymphedora?"
"You wish," she spat.
The whisper was in her ear again. "Get ready to go..."
Tonks scoffed quietly. "I am NOT leaving you."
Malfoy raised his wand. "Say goodbye, Moody. You should have died years ago, anyway."
As he opened his mouth to say the spell, Moody shouted, "GO, TONKS, GO!" But, instead of Apparating away, she cast a loose shield charm around her and dived in front of the blue jet of light that was flying out of Malfoy's wand, throwing a body-bind jinx at her opponent as she did so. Unfortunately, the spell hit her right at the edge of her shield. It faltered and collapsed, and she took the full brunt of it. Mad-Eye yelled, "DAMN YOU TONKS," as he caught her in his arms. He threw some stunning spells over his shoulder and quickly Apparated to the doorstep of number 12, Grimmauld Place, keeping a firm hold on his young friend.
You called me strong, you called me weak,
But still your secrets I will keep.
You took for granted all the times I never let you down.
You stumbled in and bumped your head,
If not for me then you'd be dead,
I picked you up and put you back on solid ground.
Mad-Eye Moody unlocked the door and carried Tonks quickly downstairs into the kitchen, where all the other Order members were sitting, apparently waiting for Snape's signal. He was cursing violently under his breath, and when he caught sight of the others, he began screaming long, colorful strings of curses.
"Where the HELL were you!? Where's that bloody bastard Snape, huh? Where did HE get off to!?" He gestured to the unconscious Tonks in his arms. "You see this? THIS WAS MEANT FOR ME! If you bloody lot had gotten there ON BLOODY TIME, this might not've happened!" His wand, which was clutched in his right hand, shot multi-colored sparks.
A few of the people in the kitchen scattered like forlorn house elves; others stayed transfixed in their seats, seemingly unable to move. Remus, however, appeared to be the only one who was using his head. He walked to the nearest portrait, and said, "Go get Phineas, would you?" Almost immediately, the former Hogwarts headmaster was in the frame in the kitchen. Remus calmly instructed him to go to Dumbledore and tell him what had happened, "And be CERTAIN to stress the part about Snape not showing up." The portrait did as he was ordered, scuttling out of the frame.
Mad-Eye had laid Tonks softly on the kitchen table, and was inspecting her with a gentle urgency. He found a pulse, but a very weak one. Feeling a fever break out on her forehead, he frowned at it. What had Malfoy said? The curse would make him suffer and die slowly? Thinking out loud, he breathed, "Oh bloody hell."
Remus turned on his heel. "What?"
"She needs to get to Saint Mungo's. Now."
"We can't," Remus frowned. "Not till we can figure out why Snape didn't get here. What if Voldemort's watching here? We can't Apparate."
Moody sighed frustratedly. "Remus, she's DYING. Don't you go telling me what we can and cannot do."
"What happened to constant vigilance? I can take care of her."
"Let me handle it. You worry about getting this mess sorted out."
If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there a holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might,
Kryptonite...
Four hours later, Alastor Moody was shaken awake by Lupin. He had been sleeping in a chair next to Tonks' bed at St. Mungo's. Yes, they'd finally gotten her to the hospital, thanks to Remus' quick thinking, and they'd also found out what had kept Snape. Apparently, Voldemort had prevented him from Apparating away. He had been rescued, though, by Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George Weasley, and was relatively unharmed.
Tonks had been hit by a dark life-draining spell, which, fortunately, had been used in the first war, so the healers knew exactly what to do to reverse it. It had been a painful process, and it left a scar that she would have forever, despite her ability to change her appearance. Mad-Eye, true to his favorite member of the Order, had stayed with her the entire time, and now he had fallen asleep.
Remus found it amusing that the man who never slept in a strange place could fall asleep in a chair beside a hospital bed, but it was quite late, and he had fought a strenuous battle immediately beforehand. Besides, good old Mad-Eye was getting older.
Nonetheless, he felt compelled to shake the man awake. "Alastor," he muttered. With a jerk, the dozing Auror awoke.
"Don't scare me like that, Lupin... Next time you do, I'll hex you clear into next week."
"Oh, I'm sure you will." A wry grin accompanied the statement.
The two men were silent for a few moments, watching Tonks sleep. When she slept, she reverted to her "true form," or how she looked when she didn't change anything about herself. Remus said quietly, "My, she certainly looks like a Black, doesn't she?"
He was right. Her hair was nearly identical to Sirius'; long, thick, wavy, and black. Her skin was pale, but you could tell that the paleness was only because she was sick; if she had been healthy, it would've been a nice tan color. They couldn't see her eyes, but Moody was willing to bet that they'd be similar to Sirius': chocolate brown, always with a spark of mischief in them. He nodded. "Yeah, she does."
There was a few more moments of quiet, then Remus said, "Well, I suppose I had better be getting along back to the house... Let them know that all's well..."
"Alright, you go ahead."
"You're not coming along?"
"Nah, I'll stick around here a bit more."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then." Lupin pushed open the door to the ward and Apparated back to Grimmauld Place.
If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might,
Kryptonite...
Yeah!
Mad-Eye continued to study Tonks as she slept. Finally, he leaned over her, placing a feather-light kiss on her lips. "Thank you, sweet child."
If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?
If I'm alive and well, will you be there a holding my hand?
I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might,
Kryptonite...