Chapter One
The grey London mists swirled in off the Thames as the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon. A small, pink-haired witch darted in and out of the shadows trying not to be seen as she watched the dark girl at the end of the street. For three days and nights, members of the Order of the Phoenix had been following this girl, whose arrival had filled London with a presence and an aura the likes of which had never been felt by any in the wizarding world. She was no muggle, they were certain of that, yet neither was she a witch though she seemed to possess a mighty internal power. Albus Dumbledore, the head of the Order, had therefore assigned the members to keep watch over her, for fear that she may turn out to be Lord Voldemort's latest weapon in his desire to return to power. Tonight was Nymphadora Tonks' turn to watch. So far she thought she'd done well not to be seen, clumsy as she was. She stepped out of the alleyway she'd been hiding in and began to follow the girl up the street, silently congratulating herself on her stealth. Her congratulations proved to be premature as she tripped over a bin and sent the lid rolling down the street and crashing to a stop at the dark girl's feet. Cursing under her breath, Tonks darted back into the shadows as the girl began to walk back down the street towards her. At that moment, a large ginger cat ran out from behind the piles of garbage and darted across the road. The girl stopped.
"Damn cat." she muttered to herself, still looking around her warily.
Tonks had the uneasy feeling that the girl could sense she was there. She held her breath and waited in the hope that she would move on. The girl was standing on one hip, about five feet away from where Tonks was crouched. She was dressed entirely in black, with long dark hair flowing in waves over her shoulders. Tonks suddenly noticed that she was breathtakingly beautiful and wondered if she might be part Veela, though there was something strangely familiar about her that Tonks couldn't quite put her finger on. She was carrying a small wooden pointed object that looked to Tonks like some sort of defective wand.
ÔPoor girl won't do much damage with that thing,' thought Tonks, cowering further back into the shadows as the girl took a step closer.
She shut her eyes as she was sure she was about to be discovered, and had sworn not to use magic against the girl in case she was just a muggle. But just as she thought her game was up, Tonks heard shouts and the sounds of a struggle. Opening her eyes, she saw the dark-haired girl sprinting off in the direction of the noise. At the end of the street Tonks saw two drunken but terrified young men being attacked by what could only be described as vampires. Three of them. Tonks drew out her wand and headed towards them, ready to try to ward off the demons with magic if necessary. But as she drew closer she realised she was not needed. The dark girl, it seemed, was an excellent fighter. Having already reduced one of the vampires to dust, she had another in a headlock while the two young men were frozen to the spot, watching her in fear. The third vampire was coming up behind her, Tonks was about to cry out in warning, but the girl was apparently already aware of it, swinging her free arm behind her and plunging her Ôdefective wand' straight into the vampire's heart. It disintegrated into a second little pile of dust next to the first. The girl looked up at the two men, the vampire still immobile in her grip.
"Run." she said in a low growl.
They didn't need telling twice. As they disappeared around the corner Tonks saw the first rays of sunlight appear over the rooftops. The girl dragged the vampire into the shadows and pinned him up against the wall.
"Now it's just you and me sugar," she said menacingly, and for the first time Tonks heard the girl's husky American accent. "You tell me what I wanna know and maybe I won't introduce you to mr. sunshine over there, got it?"
The vampire writhed in her grip trying desperately to get away, but the girl was far too strong for him, Tonks was amazed. Eventually the vampire conceded.
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you anything." he shrieked.
"Who ya workin for?
"N..n..no one. No one, just me and my friends, out for food. I swear."
The girl looked at him sceptically before punching him twice in the face and then dragging him over to a patch of sunlight.
"You sure bout that?" she growled softly, moving him closer and closer to the rays.
He began to squeal and whimper as he felt the warm light on his fingers, searing into his dead flesh.
"Ok, ok, please stop! I'll tell you, I'll tell you." he snivelled.
Tonks thought him rather pathetic for a demon.
"We've been called, called forth by the Dark Lord. He has risen again and is summoning all his former allies to his side in preparation for the coming war.
"Oh great, another god damn apocalypse?" sighed the girl. "The Dark Lord huh? That this Voldemort guy I've been told about?"
Both Tonks and the vampire winced at the casual use of Voldemort's name.
"What's up? You work for this guy and you're scared of his damn name?
The vampire looked down ashamedly and nodded.
"Ok, you're gettin boring." said the girl impatiently. "Time to say bye-bye."
The vampire looked up in horror as he was dragged into the full light of the sun, which had now climbed above the buildings and was flooding the street below.
"You lying bitch, you promised!" he screamed as his flesh began to sizzle and burn.
"I said maybe." the girl almost giggled, resting her foot on his chest so he couldn't escape. "Don't think we were introduced, I'm the slayer. It was nice knowin' ya."
She laughed as the vampire finally vanished into a third pile of dust on the floor. Then she headed up the street in the direction of the sun leaving Tonks standing in astonishment at what she had just witnessed.
The grey London mists swirled in off the Thames as the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon. A small, pink-haired witch darted in and out of the shadows trying not to be seen as she watched the dark girl at the end of the street. For three days and nights, members of the Order of the Phoenix had been following this girl, whose arrival had filled London with a presence and an aura the likes of which had never been felt by any in the wizarding world. She was no muggle, they were certain of that, yet neither was she a witch though she seemed to possess a mighty internal power. Albus Dumbledore, the head of the Order, had therefore assigned the members to keep watch over her, for fear that she may turn out to be Lord Voldemort's latest weapon in his desire to return to power. Tonight was Nymphadora Tonks' turn to watch. So far she thought she'd done well not to be seen, clumsy as she was. She stepped out of the alleyway she'd been hiding in and began to follow the girl up the street, silently congratulating herself on her stealth. Her congratulations proved to be premature as she tripped over a bin and sent the lid rolling down the street and crashing to a stop at the dark girl's feet. Cursing under her breath, Tonks darted back into the shadows as the girl began to walk back down the street towards her. At that moment, a large ginger cat ran out from behind the piles of garbage and darted across the road. The girl stopped.
"Damn cat." she muttered to herself, still looking around her warily.
Tonks had the uneasy feeling that the girl could sense she was there. She held her breath and waited in the hope that she would move on. The girl was standing on one hip, about five feet away from where Tonks was crouched. She was dressed entirely in black, with long dark hair flowing in waves over her shoulders. Tonks suddenly noticed that she was breathtakingly beautiful and wondered if she might be part Veela, though there was something strangely familiar about her that Tonks couldn't quite put her finger on. She was carrying a small wooden pointed object that looked to Tonks like some sort of defective wand.
ÔPoor girl won't do much damage with that thing,' thought Tonks, cowering further back into the shadows as the girl took a step closer.
She shut her eyes as she was sure she was about to be discovered, and had sworn not to use magic against the girl in case she was just a muggle. But just as she thought her game was up, Tonks heard shouts and the sounds of a struggle. Opening her eyes, she saw the dark-haired girl sprinting off in the direction of the noise. At the end of the street Tonks saw two drunken but terrified young men being attacked by what could only be described as vampires. Three of them. Tonks drew out her wand and headed towards them, ready to try to ward off the demons with magic if necessary. But as she drew closer she realised she was not needed. The dark girl, it seemed, was an excellent fighter. Having already reduced one of the vampires to dust, she had another in a headlock while the two young men were frozen to the spot, watching her in fear. The third vampire was coming up behind her, Tonks was about to cry out in warning, but the girl was apparently already aware of it, swinging her free arm behind her and plunging her Ôdefective wand' straight into the vampire's heart. It disintegrated into a second little pile of dust next to the first. The girl looked up at the two men, the vampire still immobile in her grip.
"Run." she said in a low growl.
They didn't need telling twice. As they disappeared around the corner Tonks saw the first rays of sunlight appear over the rooftops. The girl dragged the vampire into the shadows and pinned him up against the wall.
"Now it's just you and me sugar," she said menacingly, and for the first time Tonks heard the girl's husky American accent. "You tell me what I wanna know and maybe I won't introduce you to mr. sunshine over there, got it?"
The vampire writhed in her grip trying desperately to get away, but the girl was far too strong for him, Tonks was amazed. Eventually the vampire conceded.
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you anything." he shrieked.
"Who ya workin for?
"N..n..no one. No one, just me and my friends, out for food. I swear."
The girl looked at him sceptically before punching him twice in the face and then dragging him over to a patch of sunlight.
"You sure bout that?" she growled softly, moving him closer and closer to the rays.
He began to squeal and whimper as he felt the warm light on his fingers, searing into his dead flesh.
"Ok, ok, please stop! I'll tell you, I'll tell you." he snivelled.
Tonks thought him rather pathetic for a demon.
"We've been called, called forth by the Dark Lord. He has risen again and is summoning all his former allies to his side in preparation for the coming war.
"Oh great, another god damn apocalypse?" sighed the girl. "The Dark Lord huh? That this Voldemort guy I've been told about?"
Both Tonks and the vampire winced at the casual use of Voldemort's name.
"What's up? You work for this guy and you're scared of his damn name?
The vampire looked down ashamedly and nodded.
"Ok, you're gettin boring." said the girl impatiently. "Time to say bye-bye."
The vampire looked up in horror as he was dragged into the full light of the sun, which had now climbed above the buildings and was flooding the street below.
"You lying bitch, you promised!" he screamed as his flesh began to sizzle and burn.
"I said maybe." the girl almost giggled, resting her foot on his chest so he couldn't escape. "Don't think we were introduced, I'm the slayer. It was nice knowin' ya."
She laughed as the vampire finally vanished into a third pile of dust on the floor. Then she headed up the street in the direction of the sun leaving Tonks standing in astonishment at what she had just witnessed.