Chapter 2: Training
"This is not a game! You'll never learn anything if you don't learn to take this seriously!"
Tonks's head was already aching badly—due to a stunning spell he'd shot at her and hit her in the head—and Mad-Eye's shouting was not helping. Mad-Eye barked at her harshly while she ran and ducked the spells he was shooting at her with incredible speed.
"You'll not be fighting me when you're out there and you'll be dead everytime you're hit!" Mad-Eye shot another, brushing her cheek and scorching her. She winced, flinching for a moment before ducking down to dodge a spell which whizz pass her.
She panted and took the opening to fire another spell at her mentor. It went haywire and hit into his walking stick, sending it into the wall behind him.
"Merlin-" Tonks cried as she tripped over her own foot, trying to jump out of the way of one of Mad-eye's spell.
She heard a huff and for a moment, as she reached for her wand which lay abandoned by her side, the spells stopped. She risked a glance up at her old Mentor to see his normal and common 'I-want-to-kill-you-cause-you-tripped' look. Instantly, she scrambled to her feet. The moment she was standing, a spell whizzed at her, brushing her arm as she leaned back.
"Stupefy!" Tonks aimed it at her mentor who has yet to move more than 5 steps since their training started but has managed to make her run just about a hundred circles while trying to avoid his spells.
"Nice try," She heard Mad-Eye snarled as he practically waved away her weak but well aimed spell before casting his own.
She saw a jet of red light approaching fast and she attempted to duck but was hit her on her shoulder, sending her backwards and onto the floor.
Tonks struggled to get pass the headache and the throbbing shoulder and get up but before she know it, Mad-Eye Moody was already upon her, the tip of his wand in her face, pointed right in between her eyes.
She glanced incredously between him and his retrieved walking stick. She'd assume she'd at least immobolised him by getting rid of his walking stick but apparently not…
"You need to put in more work then that lass," Moody said, keeping his wand in his hand even as he turned around, his electric blue magical eye whirling around as he surveyed the room.
Tonks got up, rubbing her rear as it became sore from her two falls, "Yes sir…" She replied, sighing.
She was already in 2 months of Auror Training. The first month having been wasted of waiting for an appropriate mentor for her; which was Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, whom she'd heard just returned handling a case with one of death eaters. During that time of waiting, she'd received training from more than a few Aurors, few of which could compare to the intense training she'd been receiving from Moody.
She'd receive a small note from Scrimgeour that she'll be attached to Moody since he was 'available' and now here she was, with her sore back and aching head. Charlie had practically sent his congratulations and deepest condolences to her the moment he'd heard of that news from her last letter, Bill had remained the calm and collected older brother she was missing in her life and her mum and dad couldn't have been prouder of their daughter.
Moody grunted and limped, hastily, to the door. Tonks started after him; the clonking of his wooden leg reverberated around her as if to amplify the presence of her grouchy mentor. She jogged to join him across the room, stowing her wand away in her robes.
"What did I tell you lass?" Moody barked, not even pausing to glance back at her, no doubt noticing that through his magical eye. Tonks mentally slapped herself before drawing her wand again.
"Constant vigilance," Tonks rolled her eyes, holding her wand in a firm grip by her side.
Moody opened the door gruffly to reveal a young man at the door. The young man had neat combed dark blond hair, sharp nosed and a slight frown on his lips as he came face to face with Alastor Moody.
"It's Jensen Dane sir," Dane spoke, extending his hand to Moody.
An awkward silent atmosphere filled the doorway as Moody stared at the man's face, a silent refusal of a handshake; one of things Moody would never except in his life.
Tonks couldn't help but snickered, bringing up her hand hurriedly across her face, pretending to nurse her burnt cheek as Moody turned around.
"You, head to my office now," He ordered, a rough bark. Tonks nodded, squeezing pass the two men in the doorway and walked briskly to the office, her wand still in her hand. She hadn't miss the look Dane shot her, smirking. She shuddered and picked up her pace.
Upon entering the office, Tonks took the opportunity to have a proper look at her wound. Her cheek still stung. She shuffled to the side where Moody kept a glass of snacks and checked her wound in the reflection.
"Ouch…" She winced upon touching it. On her cheek, was a long red and angry looking burn which spreaded from her cheekbone to her ear, "Damn it," Tonks cursed; blaming everything on her clumsy limbs. She pushed her purple hair out of her cheek before continuing her assessment on it, toying with the idea of concealing it with her metamorphagus abilities.
She was vaguely aware of the voices approaching. The moment she registered it, she straightened up, making sure her wand was in hand and stood in front of the desk just as the door swung open. Tonks spun around, wand ready as she took in the sight of a flushed Jensen Dane with her always calm and collected but murderous looking Mentor.
"But-"
"Enough said. That's all for today." Moody grumbled and Tonks watched as Dane reluctantly stayed behind while Moody entered his office. She didn't miss the look of resentment, almost jealousy that Dane shot her as Moody shut the door in his face.
"Sir?" Tonks began as Moody walked to his chair and slumped down in it. He acknowledged her with a slight grunt, "Who is he?"
"Jensen Dane," He replied and Tonks resisted the urge to cry out in frustration. She already knew that!
"Yes, but what did he want?" She pressed on.
Moody looked at with both his electric eye and his normal one, "Now that's none of a trainee's concern is it?" Tonks scowled, looking away, "But since you asked, fair warning, he might be trained by me from tomorrow."
"What?" Tonks gaped, "But…" what about me? She didn't add that, no need to get herself burnt again by an angry mad-eye.
"You'll be training alongside him." Moody replied as he reached for his snacks, offering her one, "Until he gets a transfer to another." Tonks took the snack and began opening it, mildly waving her wand at it to check for any poison. He muttered unintelligently to her ears about Scrimgeour as he ate the snack.
Silence overtook the office as Tonks ate the snack gingerly, feeling the sting of the burnt on her cheek.
"That'll be it for today Nymphadora," Tonks scowled darkly at the casual address of her name, "Meet me tomorrow at 6am here."
"Okay," She nodded and turned to the door.
"Nymphadora,"
Rolling her eyes, Tonks turned, raising her eyebrows. He beckoned her over with his free hand as his other held his wand up. Cautiously, Tonks approached him. Only Merlin knows what tricks he's up to this time, probably a wand stab to the ribs. She mused as she gripped her wand firmly.
"Put that away," He snapped, annoyed. She lowered her wand and stood by his chair. Moody grabbed her shoulder and pulled her down to his level roughly. Swiftly, he pressed the wand tip to her burnt cheek and muttered a spell. She winced as her wound burnt a little. Subconsciously, her hand flew up to feel her skin back in one piece after Moody removed his wand.
"Thanks," Tonks muttered. Predictably, Moody grunted before turning back to his work, flipping through a stack of paperwork. Without another word, Tonks left his office, unable to wait to get into the warmth of her bed.
However, upon silently closing the door behind her, Tonks stifled a scream and instantly raised her wand on the man at the door, her mouth ready to deliver the hex.
Tonks found herself face to face with Jensen Dane.
"Sorry," Dane raised his hands, palms facing her as he eyed the tip of her wand nervously.
"What are you still doing here?" Tonks asked, curious as she glanced across his robes, noting the blue outline which indicated his status, the same as hers: a trainee. She'd not forgotten the great deal of studying she'd done for her NEWTs so that she can officially be a trainee in the Auror department. Tonks mildly wondered how he felt to be a trainee here…
After 2 months as a trainee, Tonks couldn't help but hope for some interaction with fellow trainees apart from Aurors, who looked at her like she was a 5 year old child in the wrong place.
"Erm…y'mind?" He replied her puzzling expression with a sharp glance down at her wand.
"Oh," Tonks lowered her wand, holding it firmly at her side, "You haven't answered my question." She met his eye properly for the first time since they met. Instantly, she noticed how actually charismatic he was, and charming.
She quickly morphed away her blush as he smiled, almost a smirk.
"I was waiting for…" he turned back to the door of Mad-Eye's office.
"I'm under the impression you can't wait to see him for whatever it is, but clearly, he won't want to see you this moment so why don't you just leave him in peace before he hex your head off," Tonks rattled on intelligently, "You can talk again tomorrow." She added, for good measures.
Dane seemed to be forcing back an amused chuckle, "Sounds like advice from experience."
Tonks shrugged, a non-committed answer; her training 'to be less friendly with people you don't know', courtesy of Mad-eye, kicking it. As he'll say: Anyone could be the enemy.
She strutted down the corridor quickly, getting back to her initial plan of a hot bathe and cuddling up in her warm bed.
"Hey!" Dane ran to catch up, "Nympha-"
That definitely did the trick.
"Don't call me that!" She all but spun around sharply and shrieked in his face, surprised that this action hadn't caused her to stumble over her own foot.
"What?" Dane frowned, apparently puzzled.
"Don't call me Nymphadora!" She hissed that name, obviously delivering her distaste for her name quite well as Dane clamped his mouth shut, nodding.
"So…how 'bout beautiful?" Dane suggested.
Tonks snorted. She'd known these sorts of boys before: back at Hogwarts. They lay eyes on probably the first metamorphagus they've ever seen and is probably thinking of wonders she could do for their personal pleasure, this leading to flirting and compliments she herself didn't think she deserved.
Without another word, she turned and just about ran to the floo network.
"I can't believe I'm saying this but you really look cute when you're mad." Dane practically shouted after her, through the crowd of ministry workers.
"Why are you following me?" Tonks raised her wand threateningly at his chest, ready to hex if necessary.
"Can't we have a drink? To celebrate our partnership."
"Not really," Tonks shook her head, feign a smile and walked into a free fireplace. Grasping a handful of floo powder, she threw it and says the words of a bar close to her flat.
She stumbled out of fireplace, her coat catching the soot and sending them across the clean stone floor.
"Tonks!" The familiar lament of the barkeeper filled her ears.
Tonks smiled sheepishly at the tall but slightly plump woman as she approached, ready to clear the mess.
The barkeeper sighed, shaking her head before clearing up the mess as Tonks trudged out of the bar apologetically.
It had been a while since Tonks moved out from her parents' to 'get closer to work' but she'd yet to unpack into her new flat. Tonks was glad her mother didn't get the opportunity to visit.
Andromeda has always been a stickler for cleanliness and unfortunately, her daughter had taken after her father's sloppiness instead of her mother's talent for household-y spells.
Tonks walked all the way back to her flat, too exhausted and aching to trust herself to apparate without splinching.
Practically crawling out of bed, Tonks washed up sleepily and got dressed. It wasn't until Moody growled at the appearance of her hair, then did Tonks squinted to alter it so it was short and spiky. Then, she lazily drove her free hand into it and it fell into place immediately.
Dane watched, mouth agape but Moody couldn't go anything far from an accepting grunt.
He briefed both his mentees on the training today. It was easy to grasp by Tonks: Retrieve two 'people' from that house and not be killed.
It was only until Moody added the information that Dane and Tonks would have to work together to get this done, did Tonks truly wake.
"What?" Tonks straightened up immediately, "You're kidding me?"
Moody looked her dead in the face, conveying his I'm-not-kidding message quite well. Tonks sighed in defeat, nodding.
"What are you waiting for then?" Moody demanded and without another word, he apparated away, no doubt in the house lying in wait for his two mentees.
Tonks groaned audibly as she walked towards the house, alert but disappointed that she was stuck with Dane.
"Hey, don't act like I'm such a difficult person to get along with," Dane told her cheerily as they approached the house.
You never know…Tonks grunted, barely acknowledging that she'd heard him as she stood at the door. She glanced to Dane and received a gesture for her to do the honors.
Tonks held her wand firmly before releasing the lock with a simple spell and prodding it with the tip of her wand. The wooden door slid smoothly open to reveal long dark corridors ahead.
"Lumos," Tonks muttered and surged forward, flanked by Dane. Instantly, a spell shot out from the stairway. Tonks dropped to her knees to dodge, ignoring the plight of Dane as she ran forward in pursuit of the origin of the spell. She concentrated on not losing her balance as she ran up the steps, aware of Dane following close behind, "Stop!" Tonks shouted and sent a stunning spell across the corridor, missing the person just as he slipped into a room.
As soon as Tonks pushed open the door of the room which the man slipped into it and laid her eyes on the empty room; she'd knew they'd been tricked.
"Where is-" Dane started.
"We've been fooled…" Tonks muttered, knowing what's going to happen. She turned to face Dane. Instantly, she grasped at his robe, pulling him down. He cried out in shock before collapsing to the ground. A spell flew just pass the top of Dane's head, hitting the wall in the room and singed the wood, "Stupefy!" Tonks cried, narrowly missing the person who casted the spell.
"What in Merlin's name…" Dane spun around and took off, leaving Tonks to run after him. Without warning, Tonks crashed to the ground, tripping over, as usual. She cursed the jutting floorboard, probably one of mad-eye's ideas of a test…
"Go!" Tonks hissed as she winced, scrambling to her feet. Dane nodded and took off to the other end down the corridor. Cursing under her breath, Tonks rubbed her knee with her free hand as the other held her wand up firmly. Suddenly, there was a loud clonking in the next room which she could only know so well. Mad-Eye…
Tonks sucked in a quiet but nervous breath and stopped breathing altogether, keeping as quiet as she can. She decided to go on a tip-toe and took every step with very deliberate movement; this normally prevented her from stumbling.
The clonking stopped abruptly and so did Tonks. She knew better, this had to be a trap. But it takes more than a possible idea of a trap to stop her…
She prodded the door open slowly, unsure what to expect. In a distance, she could hear a loud crash; probably Dane already finding one of the victims out of the two which they were supposed to rescue or he was knocked out cold. Although Tonks was confused by this mission, she didn't ask, knowing questioning her old Mentor would result in a knock in the head if she was lucky.
Her heart was pounding in her chest but not out of fear, only out of anticipation.
She entered the room, yet again faced with an empty and musty one. Her ears registered a slight movement of the wind behind her and instantly, she spun around, thrusting her wand out in front of her, with a hex in mind already ready to roll off her tongue.
It was Dane.
He eyed the tip of wand before speaking, "Do I really have to always be the one found on the wrong end of your wand?" He raised an eyebrow, "Found one, " He heaved, having held a dummy by the back of its coat, "A fake one but definitely weigh as-"
"Protego!" Tonks cried, shoving Dane aside. He cried out in shock and maybe, pain, as he fell to the ground with the dummy. A jet of white light rebounded off her shield, "We got to get out of this room," Tonks muttered to Dane quickly, already reprimanding herself for getting them trapped.
She held up her wand nervously as Dane shuffled out of the room quickly, heaving the dummy over his shoulder, complaining about the weight.
They got to the top landing of the stairs and Tonks turned to Dane, "get this dummy out or something; I'll continue looking for the next one." Dane looked like he was about to protest so she continued, "if we bring it with us, it'll just slow us down. We won't be able to fight off the next attack…" Her voice trailed off and her face paled. She was quite sure her hair changed colour without her intentions as Dane's face scrunched up in awe, the way it always did when she morphed.
Quickly, she turned just in time to feel a spell hit her square in the chest. Tonks felt herself fall back and winced as her back hit the steps of the stairs. Instinctually, she kept her hands to herself and tried to curl up to prevent less damage due to the fall. She cried out as her head stuck something but her cry was cut short as she continued her long tumble down the stairs.
She landed roughly at the bottom of the stairs, stopping on her back. Tonks opened her eyes, to see blurry visions of the ceiling. She could hear thumping as someone rushed down the stairs. There was a 'pop' beside her but before she could turn to see, her mind whirled uncontrollably and she felt her world go black.
~:~:~:~
Tonks came to consciousness. Her head ached. She heard a grunt as she felt herself being jostled a little before a familiar voice perked her senses, "Lass?"
"Nymphadora? Is she alright?"
She could barely get her bearings much less stand up to beat Dane senseless for using that name.
Tonks forced her eyes open, wincing as light filled her vision. Slowly, she saw a shadow over her and her eyes adjusted to make out the face of Moody, looking up at someone with an annoyed expression; whom she assumed was Dane.
Moody shifted and blocked the light from her, looking down at her, he asked her gruffly, "How are ya feeling?"
"Like I've been kicked by a hippogriff…" Tonks muttered, bringing her hand up to touch her head.
"Huh…" Moody grunted in acknowledgement.
"Wow, Nymphadora, you've definitely looked better before." Dane's face filled her vision behind Moody's head.
She scowled at him with what energy she had left. Instantly, a wave of dizziness shot through her head. Tonks groaned, leaning her head against the rough fabric at her side. As she did so, she realized it was Moody's arm. It surprised her that he didn't push her aside, demanding that she get up on her feet at once. Instead, she felt the back of his rough calloused hand touched her forehead.
"We'll be bringing you to St. Mungo." Moody told her before turning to Dane, "Wait back at the office for me." He muttered something about writing a report before jostling her. Tonks groaned again, burying her face into the rough fabric, as her shoulder was shifted.
She heard a soft pop and muttered, "Something's definitely broken…"
"Your shoulder has seen better days, and your head." Moody replied, "I'll have to side-long you." He briefly informed her and suddenly, her head was spinning and she felt the familiar sensation of being squeezed, accompanied by someone this time.
It stopped as quickly as it started but Tonks found herself throwing up her non-existent breakfast all over the smooth polished floor of the hospital. She felt a strong pair of arms heave her up. The person's support was soon replaced by about a dozen of hands.
Tonks could hear the mediwitch fussing over her while they conjured a stretcher but as someone got her on it, she threw up again over the front of that unfortunate person. She tried to apologise but that attempt made her dizzy. Tonks lifted her head to meet the person's eye but instead, her head lolled to the side and she was out cold.
~:~:~:~
Tonks came to her senses, hearing muttering nearby. Instinctually, she reached to her side for her wand but only felt the soft fabric of the hospital's clothes. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times to clear away the blurriness before glancing to her side, expecting to see her mum all over her bedside crying and her dad comforting her but neither of her parents were there.
The chair by her bed was empty.
With a weary sigh, she reached up to touch her throbbing head, feeling the rough fabric of bandages.
"You hit your head pretty bad,"
Tonks dropped her hand on her side and looked at the source of that. She found Jensen Dane, hunched over a book at the tip of her bed. He looked up, smiling.
"Moody just left to get some paperwork done. He said to give you this." Dane left his book on the table and handed her wand over.
"Thanks…" She muttered, feeling the familiar wood in her hand did assure her, "what happened?" The metamorphagus asked, already squinting in concentration as she changed her hair from mousy brown to bright bubblegum pink.
"You got a tumble down the stairs. Hit your head on the sides of the stairs. It was pretty bad for a while with cracks running down your skull," Tonks shuddered as he continued; "You broke and twisted your arm. And mediwitch said you might be experiencing a concussion when you wake."
Tonks sighed, yup…she was definitely a little down on the luck side…this was one of her worst falls.
Then, the door flung open to reveal a very enraged Moody in the doorway. He clonked noisily to her bedside, his magical blue eye whirling around in its socket unnaturally quickly.
"Wotcher…" Tonks greeted him warily.
"Get back to the office, Dawlish would take care of your training for the rest of today."
Without another word, Dane swooped up his book and left, mouthing a 'get well soon' to her.
When he was out of the room, Moody went to her bedside.
"That was very poor demonstration of what I've been teaching you," Moody started.
Tonks ducked her gaze to the wall behind him, "Ain't my fault…I was delirious with running around the dingy old house …" Her voice trailed off, "What are we doing rescuing people anyway and working with Dane…"
Moody seemed to glare at her with his normal brown eye for a moment before sitting down in the chair, his glare reducing to a stare, "A dark wizard catcher is the definition of an Auror but rescuing someone from a Dark wizard is still within the jurisdiction of an Auror!" he snapped at her.
"I'd have had the 'dark wizard' if it were a real dark wizard!" She protested, "and not an Auror."
"Having let your guard down and now landing yourself in , you still have the cheek to make up excuses," Moody muttered something about childish and stubborn before continuing his lecture, "You never, never let your guard down even for a second! Never! Especially on a mission. Constant Vigilance!"
Tonks rolled her eyes to the ceiling at his lecture but a small voice at the back of her head constantly nudged her, convincing her that Mad-Eye was actually concerned to be nagging like that…
"Never knew you were always so cheerful after getting someone into a hospital." She mumbled, looking down at her wand.
Moody snorted, "You got all that injury from rolling down that flight of stairs like a crazed banshee,"
Tonks scowled at him before closing her eyes for a moment, feeling drained.
"You shouldn't be morphing," He pointed it out casually as he looked out the window, his blue magical eye whizzing in the opposite direction. Tonks let go of her pink bubblegum hair and closed her eyes.
"Just whose shirt did I vomit on?" She asked curiously.
"Remus Lupin." Moody replied, still looking out the window.
"Who?" Tonks frowned.
"Remus happened to be around after signing in. He heaved you positively up that stretcher while the mediwitches were fussing." Moody replied.
"Signing in?" Tonks repeated, already visualizing a Moody-look-a-like with sore joints and frail body. But that definitely went against the blurry memory she had of the pair of strong arms.
"Thanks to the ministry who, for whatever reason, thinks that they have to have the background information of every werewolf in Britain." Moody grunted, "as if that would track down the one responsible for those cases."
"Werewolf?" She muttered under her breath.
"Don't worry, that werewolf has yet to demand for a compensation for that cardigan yet." Moody patted her bandaged arm, ignoring as she winced.
Tonks struggled to comprehend that a werewolf actually heaved her up on a stretcher and actually didn't pull her hair out and screamed at her for vomiting down the front of his cardigan. Of course he wasn't an actually wolf at that time, she chided herself as she pictured a big fuzzy wolf running to her aid in the middle of .
"Thanks…I think…" Tonks muttered.
"Thank him yourself when you see him." Moody grunted.
Tonks felt a shiver run down her spine as she thought of meeting a werewolf. Come to think of it, Tonks realized she'd actually had not actually met a werewolf herself, only having heard of their brutality made her steer clear of them. But this werewolf couldn't have been bad… or maybe, Tonks mused, after years of getting screamed at for accidentally spilling potions down others' shirt, not getting screamed at for this has made this a big deal.
Mad-Eye seemed friendly enough with him to address him by his first name so he couldn't be all that bad…yeah, she decided, maybe I could thank him personally some day, for that cardigan…
To be continued…
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Thanks to the readers and reviewer of chapter 1!
Hope06: Thanks for the review and I hope this chapter hasn't been disappointing