Chapter 4
While everyone was enjoying the wonderful meal that Mrs. Weasley had prepared Tonks went into the living room and sat on the couch. She sighed sadly. She put her face in her hands and pulled at her cap.
The front door opened and from the clunking of a bad leg walked in Mad Eye Moody. Tonks heard him stop in the doorway of the room before he walked in and sat in the arm chair next to the couch and sighed in relaxation to the comforts of the chair and his weary travels.
She sat up and looked at him with tired eyes. She bet that they were red and puffy with heavy bags underneath. Keeping up the facade during the meeting made her feel exhausted.
"Wotcher Moody, how's life treating you?" she wise cracked. She loved him because he always believed in her, unlike most others. As a trainee to become an Aurur he secretly took her under his wing and helped her to become an Auror. She owed him more than any program because he taught her everything that they didn't teach her and would never teach her.
"Everything is shit," he answered removing his bad leg and leaning it against the chair.
She always wanted to ask him about that leg and how he lost his real one but didn't do it because her mother taught her better than that and not to stare and ask millions of questions.
"That's the spirit!" she replied back sarcastically with the pump of her fist and a plastered look on her face.
"Okay, before you can try and cover yourself in any deeper you look like shit and give off the same vibe. Besides the report what else is going on?" He cut right from the point regarding how she was presenting herself, he saw right through it.
She had to close her mouth to contain the shock that he talked to her like that. He wasn't usually this straight forward and it was very different.
She looked down at her hands and said, "You obviously know so why are you asking me?" She asked it not wanting to sound so snobbish and rude, but also wanting to at the same time. He was putting her on the spot.
"I don't know everything. I was only now able to come so I missed a lot; everything actually." H looked at her, really stared at her and it made her feel like the Auror-in-training she was when she first met him.
Even though she was not looking at him she could feel his stare. She pulled at her cap some more.
"Why are you wearing a cap anyways?" he asked, disbelief in his voice like was talking to a child.
"I wear hats sometimes."
"You never wear hats, even with your hood on I can tell you have a ridiculous hair color."
She sniffed once and took off the cap. Clumpy brown locks fell down to the top of her back.
"I can't metamorph," she weakly let go, stuffing her hair back under the cap.
"It has to do with more than one topic I can see here."
Silence followed after that until she sighed and said, "Moody you know nothing ever comes easy for me and now is a worst time than ever. The job I thought that I'd always enjoy is not going that way and now I am reduced to desk duty, not being able to actually do something is going to drive me insane." She hated desk duty, it was so boring and after a while her eyes started to lose focus and sometimes she fell asleep drewling.
"You know there is no equal value in justice, especially at the Ministry, you of all people should know that considering how prejudice they are to you."
"I know but even so in the field I feel happy. I'm actually doing something and using my skills. Now instead I'm going to be sitting at a stupid desk naping like I'm taking three bloody steps back."
"Maybe you need this time to-"
"To catch up on my sleep, most likely," she shot in.
"Your sarcasm isn't helping now, you're falling apart so let it be. Fall apart and then fix yourself."
"I'm stronger than that," she jerked up shaking, giving him an ugly look, shaking her head. She wanted him to believe it.
"I know that," he said, "I just want you to believe it."
"I do," she mumbled suddenly doubting herself. She felt hopeless so she sighed and stood up. "I think I'll go in there and get something to eat, you want to join me?"
He gave a shake of his head, so she left the room and headed toward the kitchen door. Reaching for the knob the door burst open knocking her in the face causing her to stagger back and clutch her nose in pain.
"You bloody bastard," she shouted, not caring who it was behind the door, but seeing Snape she added, "Can't you make an exit without being so dramatic you hit me with the bloody door!"
"No," he answered whether to just the first or both.
She heard Moody in the living room reattaching his leg.
"Ah shit," she could smell blood dripping from her nose. She used her hand to prevent it from dripping all over her. The hand shook.
Severus Snape took his wand out and fixed it, then grabbed her wrist to keep her from storming past.
"Are you familiar with Ariva?" he asked in a loud whisper, harsh enough for only her to hear.
"Yeah why? Ow, you're hurting me!" she spit trying to break her wrist away but his grip was just too strong. She could actually start to feel her blood circulation start to stop.
"The woods, there's a dam, meet me on the top at eleven." He snapped away and pushed past her and out the door still with his dramatic exit.
She rubbed her wrist.
"You alright, Ny-Tonks?" Moody quickly caught himself. Usually he only called her that when he was mad at her or when she wasn't paying attention.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just really, really annoyed." She gritted her teeth and with a grumbling stomach she went into the kitchen where everyone was worry free for a while and just enjoying themselves.
-
-
Whether she was walking into a trap or not she went to Ariva and found just the woods he was talking about and found the dam and Snape. He was already there, standing at the top, light travel cloak up making her feel very uneasy.
No one else was around that she knew for sure but still why this place? Why couldn't it be somewhere else like headquarters or a restaurant? Or somewhere at least remotely populated where someone could hear her scream if it came down to it.
She put up her hood. If he was doing it maybe he didn't want to be seen or noticed, in that case she didn't want to be seen as well.
Also, for July the weather was lacking it's warmth and the night was feeling very chilly like an early spring night instead of summer.
She walked along the grass and up to the dam. He turned around with the same look he always carried on his face. Didn't he ever smile?
"Wotcher," she greeted. She leaned against the seven foot wall and looked back at the way she came. The wind ruffled the heavy oaks and pine trees; their branches throwing whispers in the wind.
"Come up here," he said.
She turned around and saw that he was leaning down with his hand extended to help her right up the wall.
She became nervous. She was very clumsy; even clumsier than the next guy and this was just asking for trouble.
"No, no, no, you don't want to do that. You know me, I'm clumsy, I'll fall right down." She knew it was a bad idea because she barely had balance on her own two feet on flat ground.
"You won't fall," he replied back. "Trust me."
The last time he said that he was right and it cost her not to trust him, so was this time supposed to be the same?
She reached out a hand and grabbed his hand and he hauled her up as if she was the lightest thing around, instead of the actual weight she'd never admit aloud.
She stood on her feet, relieved she made it in one shot and looked out at the low still waters on the dark, moonless night. The damn had practically dried out and the water in the lake was very low. Either the land was drying out or someone clogged the dam. Tonks didn't really know and she didn't care what the Muggles did.
"So why are we in the middle of nowhereville?" She asked the question that was plaguing her ever since he asked her.
She wasn't going to admit that it was difficult to get there and though how she knew the place, she just wondered how he knew about it.
"I think you need some fresh air, to get out and get some exercise," he said, if that was what sarcasm passed for him.
"I was hit with different spells I still don't know which, my legs feel like crap I don't want or need exercise," she shrieked. "Can you just tell me what happened? I really just want to go home, wherever that is and go to sleep." She brought her hands to her cheeks and felt that they were very warm and the bandage on one needed to be changed.
"Very well then. First let me ask you what do you remember from last night? Though I think you may have trouble what with all the alcohol you had consumed I doubt that you'd remember a thing." He said it so casual she would think that he meant every word he said. Maybe he did. Maybe that's what he had to betray to sleep well at night and that included being blunt.
She wanted to give him a gesture but reframed from getting on his level and just acted on her own. She shook her head. "I don't know, I was leaving and I was ambushed outside by my aunt and her looney bin of death eaters. I fought, I lost the end."
She knew that if he could chuckle he would chuckle or burst out laughing at her weakness. But he couldn't let lose so he didn't.
"You were down for the count when I arrived on the scene. Instead of lighting your body on fire, destroying all evidence they left you there to die and become a problem for everyone and to serve as a warning."
"I left the bar and managed to scoop you up and disappear."
"That's it?" she asked with a yawn, "If that was it you could have even written me a letter."
"There's more. The tallest of the men with brute facial hair wasn't very satisfied with what they did and in a place where they were almost caught he wanted more. So you are back on the list with Tony Sinulo."
Tonks was trying to disregard the whole thing but when he said Tony Sinulo her head jerked in his direction.
"Tony Sinulo, why is he targeted?" she asked dropping her hands from her face, she said, "He's never don-"
"He's muggle born," Snape cut in.
"Still gives them no right," she defended.
"Not the point, I know their next bout course of action." There was a hint of edge in his voice. She caught onto it.
"And you need another favor. Count me out. Even if you told me it still wouldn't help." Her eyes felt tired and she was feeling exhausted. A chilly breeze pulled her hood off.
At least she still had her cap.
"So you don't care if you should end up in a worse condition?"
She sat down on the dam and looked down at her beat up sneakers. They had seen better days, today wasn't one of them.
Nothing mattered to her anymore because Remus was gone. He was her whole world and nothing else mattered as long as he wasn't there.
She felt pain, in both senses, physical and emotional and all she wanted to do was leave so why not? Why not just get up and go?
She stood up shakily. She had to be honest with him and get it over with. He could see her state, along with everyone else so it was whatever. She said, "I'm no good right now. We can be serious another time. I can't do it right now. We can drink or something," she shrugged. "I don't know. I really need to get home and change my bandages. Unlike you, I have work tomorrow and not a long tensive vacation to enjoy though I sure can use one."
"Unquite to your opinion I am never on vacation."
"Right, right too many sides to keep in check?" she said, instead of a question she made it a statement.
She could feel her bandages and just how slimy they were and very uncomfortable. They weighed her down just a little.
"You know it," he deadpanned, "Take my hand and I'll aparate us to Grimwald and change your bandages."
"Thank you," she said sincerely, but then she broke that mood by saying sarcastically, "I don't care what everyone says about you, you're alright."
"I don't care what the front page said about you you're still an alcoholic."
"You only say that because I drink the same amount as you, you just hate me."
"Yes."
She took his hand and he apparated them to the end of the street and they walked the rest of the way.
-
-
She didn't wait for him to gather supplies and what not, instead went directly to the couch where her blanket was and covered herself from head to her back haphardously. Work in the morning would come soon enough.
-
-
Next chapter soon.
