... no, there is no excuse. The last update was on December 31, 2006, EXACTLY a year ago. In the meantime, so incredibly much has happened. The only excuse I can possibly give is that TDH has quite put me off writing Remus and Tonks for a while, for an understandable reason I'd think. I DO intend to continue writing this fic and getting to the end, I swear. It's just taking a little longer than I thought!
August/September 1996
Harry looked sideways at Tonks under his cloak. Last year she had been inquisitive (to the point of being a little annoying at times), she had laughed easily, she had made jokes. Now she seemed older and much more serious and purposeful.
"Tonight?"
"Yes. I'm supposed to be at Leicester Square Station at seven o'clock." Remus folded his hands in his lap as he sat on Kingsley's couch, fretting inwardly but seeming calm on the outside, a way which had always exasperated Sirius because it made him seem detached and unfeeling.
"This is rather unexpected, isn't it?" Kingsley rubbed his hand over his bald head; had he had hair he would have run his hand through it in bewilderment. He had come home just an hour ago after a hard day's work and it took some time for it all to sink in.
"You're telling me. I had hoped things would go quickly but I hadn't counted on them going this quickly."
"You will be alright, won't you?" Kingsley asked, more to make sure than because he was worried: he knew Remus and that he wouldn't do anything stupid.
"Yeah, I think so. I got my wand of course, and anyway Greyback rather specifically asked to meet me so anybody causing me to… delay or not arrive at all will have to answer to Greyback. And I don't think many werewolves will want to consider that option." It did disturb Remus having to consider the 'delays' the other werewolves might cause him, up to incapacitating him – not to be pessimistic but he wasn't expecting the warmest of welcomes – but again he didn't outwardly show worry. He kept reminding himself that he was armed and that he more or less got Greyback's protection, at least on the way to Greyback. As for any other… events… he'd have to take care of that when they occurred.
"No indeed…" Kingsley said. "You told Dumbledore I presume?"
"Of course. But both he and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else where I'm going to. This is kind of a delicate mission."
"Nobody else?" Kingsley asked rather pointedly.
"Nobody," Remus stressed. "Not even… just nobody, alright? If things go wrong it's best if I just… disappear." For a moment there was a sort of shifty, uncomfortable look in his eyes but it was quickly hidden again behind the brave face Remus put on.
Kingsley looked sceptical and as if he was going to object but remained quiet. He's an Auror, Remus thought. No doubt he knows that a mission can be more important than a person.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Kingsley asked quietly.
"Yes, please." Remus pulled a few letters out of the pocket of his robes. "Could you send these for me? They're letters to my family – I don't want to disappear entirely without trace and without any explanation."
"Of course." Kingsley took the letters. "Anything else?" A certain non-family person we both know? he seemed to want to suggest, but he never said it. Remus ignored him.
"One more thing." Remus reached down under the sofa and took out a cardboard box. It appeared to be purring.
"What's that?"
"My pet, Monster. Can you take care of him?"
"I didn't know you had a pet," Kingsley smiled. He opened the box and stared at a custard-coloured fur ball which was purring and vibrating with the pleasure of meeting someone new. "Alright, what is it?"
"It's a Puffskein," Remus said. He got up and reached into the box, scratching Monster on the top of his head. A thin tongue appeared out of the Puffskein's mouth and began to lick Remus's finger. "Hagrid gave him to me when I taught at Hogwarts."
"Somehow I got the idea there's an interesting story there," Kingsley said.
"Yes," Remus said with a small smile, but said nothing more. He scratched Monster's head, lost in thoughts.
"Well," Kingsley eventually broke the silence. "I'll take care of him as if he was my own pet."
"Thanks." Remus glanced at the clock, something he'd been doing more and more often as the day passed.
"Just past six."
"Time to go, I think."
Kingsley was impressed with how impassive Remus's voice sounded, almost as if he didn't care. "I'll take you to the station," the Auror said. "Then I can keep an eye on things."
"I don't think there'll be much to do for you," Remus said.
"Perhaps. Likely I'll just see you greet a bunch of… interesting looking people and then leave the station, but just let me. For my own sanity's sake."
Remus nodded, quietly grateful for the offer. "Alright."
They got their coats on and Remus picked up his battered old suitcase, still held together with string and some strategically placed binding spells. He gave Monster once last pat on the head, then waited outside as Kingsley locked up.
"Won't Deena wonder where you are?" he asked.
"She's working late today so I bet I'll be back home before she is anyway," Kingsley explained. He turned the last key in its lock and tapped it with his wand for extra protection. "Now, do you want to Apparate or take the Tube?"
"Hmm, let's take the Tube." That takes more time…
Kingsley nodded in agreement and the two men set out for the nearest Underground station to take the train to Leicester Square Station.
Off to meet the werewolves.
It was a rather surreal experience to be standing in the Underground train on his way to a group of werewolves while all around him people were completely unaware of there even being a magical world, let alone one with werewolves existing and splitting off from normal society because they were being discriminated against. Remus caught Kingsley's eye once, and the taller black wizard lifted his eyebrows at him as if he was thinking the same thing.
Leicester Square Underground Station was, if possible, even more packed with people. This was a popular destination for tourists and Londoners to go out and have fun, what with the major cinemas and Piccadilly Circus being only a short walk away. But Remus ignored the mass of people, looking out for a certain person. Dodger had said they'd be standing a magazine stall, but there were several and he hadn't been specific. He was surprised when Kingsley lightly touched him on the shoulder.
"Are those the people you're looking for?" he asked softly, nodding towards three people standing next to a magazine stall near the escalators to the platforms of the Northern Line. Dodger was one of them, standing uncomfortably next to two other men. The other two were not taller or significantly more muscled, but there was something in them that made them more fierce and intimidating than anybody around. It was not surprising that everybody tried to avoid them: there was a large half-circle around them.
"Yeah," Remus whispered back. Kingsley frowned and whistled softly.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "They look dangerous, and I say that as an Auror."
Remus sighed. "Yes, I am sure. Well, not that I really have a choice. But I've come this far, it would be stupid to quit now."
"About as stupid as going on with it, if you ask me," Kingsley said critically.
"Listen, I'm going to go through with this whether you like it or not." Remus was beginning to get irritated, more out of fear and anxiety for what was to come than out of real anger.
"I'm sorry," Kingsley apologised immediately. "I'm just worried. I've done quite a lot of underground operations myself but this is completely new to me too. You know," he added, half joking and half serious, "if you get out of this you might want to consider applying for a job at the Auror Office. You'll be the first to have infiltrated the werewolves. They'd love you."
"Thanks," Remus half snorted, half grinned. "I'll keep it in mind." He swung his suitcase backwards and forwards once, sighed, then got a look of resolve on his face. "Let's go."
"Good luck," Kingsley said. "Try and keep in touch."
"I will." A last moment of hesitation came over Remus, a sudden feeling that he hadn't quite said everything, that there was one more thing he had to do. One more person, always on the back of his mind… "Listen," he said urgently. "Do me a favour – "
"I'll keep an eye on her," Kingsley promised, sounding both a little weary and amused. "I'll look over her as if she were my own sister." He saw the look on Remus' face and grinned. "You're terribly transparent and just a bit stupid, and I say that as a friend." He gave Remus a small push. "Go."
Remus felt both embarrassed and glad that his friend had caught on so quickly. "See you," he said.
"Of course."
There was really nothing more to say, no more excuses. He nodded to Kingsley, pushed his shoulders back and walked towards the other werewolves.
Dodger seemed relieved to see him, at least. He visibly breathed a sigh of relief when Remus had reached them. His tone was as rough as ever, though.
"Decided to show up, eh?"
"Yes," said Remus simply.
The two other werewolves scowled at him – it was obvious they thought themselves quite of more importance than the two lowlifes they were in the company of. They looked quite similar, both in length and in build, although one of them had dark brown hair and the other was a sort of muddy blonde. They both had several facial scars, and the brown-haired werewolf had the edge of a back-tattoo creeping up his neck from under his shirt. Both of course also had the distinctive yellow eyes which looked icily at Remus.
"Uhm, aren't you going to introduce me?" Remus said, beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"There's no need, we know who you are," said the blond man. The brown-haired man looked at Remus's suitcase and raised his eyes.
"Professor R.J. Lupin, eh? Looks like we got an intellectual here."
"Yeah, pity he doesn't look much in the way of strength." The blond werewolf seized Remus up disdainfully. "He looks weak." He shrugged. "Ah well, it's what Greyback wanted so he'll just have to put up with it."
"Exactly." The tattooed werewolf gave Dodger a rough pat on the back. "Well Dodge, looks like you did something right for a change. We'll take him from here."
"Can't I come - ?" Dodger began a question, but the blond man cut him off.
"Of course not, don't be stupid. Go and beg for some coffee or something." He gave Dodger a push in the opposite direction, then took Remus roughly by the shoulder and began to march him in the direction of the escalators.
Just before he stepped on the escalator, Remus took a look over his shoulder; Dodger was standing forlornly next to the magazine stand, looking rejected.
"Was that necessary?" he complained to the brown-haired werewolf, who was standing in front of him.
"What?" the other man said absent-mindedly. "Oh, it was only Dodger anyway."
"Why do you call him Dodger?" was Remus's next question. Perhaps it was unwise to be so nosy but Remus decided that he'd better be a bit irritating than too compliant, so he wouldn't be seen as a complete weakling.
"Because so far he's always managed to dodge Greyback's attention or anger," the blond man answered. "He's never managed to get used to living with a pack, always the odd one out. Not a good way of making friends with us." He gave Remus a grim sort of wink before giving him another push forward, off the escalator. "Word to the wise."
They took the Northern Line to Clapham North, Remus always being carefully guarded between the two other werewolves. As they got further away from the centre of the city, there were less and less people in the Underground. Once, when they got out of the train, Remus thought he saw a tall, bald dark man several yards behind him, but when he wanted to take a better look the man was gone. Still, even if he was imagining things, he felt better for the thought that Kingsley might have decided to tail him for a while, just to be sure.
The three of them walked up several flights of stairs to ground-level and emerged in a foggy street. Without pausing to look around, the blond werewolf purposefully set off down the street, expecting the brown-haired werewolf and Remus to follow him.
It was once again foggy, and brown brick houses seemed to emerge from the fog as they walked down the street. They walked at a fast pace for several minutes until they reached a wire fence which closed a small yard off from the street. The blond man looked around carefully, then pulled the wire fence away to open up a hole that could just let a man through. He motioned for Remus to climb through.
Remus did so, wondering where on earth he was going to wind up: the yard was nothing to write home about and while this was not the centre of London it was still in the city. Besides, he could hear the Underground trains pass not too far from here.
The other two werewolves had climbed through the hole as well. The blond man was in the lead again; he had walked ahead to a small brick shed with a blue iron door. The paint was coming off the door in flakes, and when Remus had approached the shed he could see that the brickwork wasn't exactly new either.
The blond werewolf had produced a set of keys, which he used to open the door. He opened the door with ease, even though it was very heavy iron, and Remus had to admire the strength of the man. At the same time, it gave him a cold feeling of fear at the thought of how that strength could be turned against him. Word to the wise indeed…
The opened door revealed a wide, dark room. Remus stepped inside and wondered what was going to happen next, when sudden light filled the room: the brown-haired man had lit a flashlight and was shining it down the room. Remus could now see two flights of stairs leading downwards, as if they were in an Underground station.
"Well, I think it's obvious which way we're going," the blond man said cheerfully. He had also picked up a flashlight – they had probably been stored just around the corner of the door, ready for anyone who entered – and also shone it down the flight of stairs. Remus was tempted to ask why they didn't use wands, but then realised that if these werewolves had really cut themselves off from magical society, they might not look kindly on using magical instruments, even if it was as basic and essential as a wand.
"C'mon Professor," the brown-haired man said. "Go."
Down they went. It was clear the tunnel – because that was what Remus realised it was – hadn't been used for quite a while. The concrete was old and chipping, and there was dust everywhere. In the light of the flashlights, Remus could even sometimes see little stalagmites or stalactites that had been formed by dripping water over the years.
After having reached the bottom of the stairs, they reached a short tunnel, which ended in… an iron spiral staircase.
"Down," the brown-haired werewolf said shortly. The blond man was already descending and Remus had no choice but to follow.
Further down. Remus lost count of the steps after eighty-seven, and the stairs went on for quite some time after that. The only light still came from the two flashlights, and it was beginning to feel claustrophobic. At one point, Remus's curiosity got the better of him.
"Where are we, actually?" he asked.
"What does it look like?" the blond man said cryptically.
"I have no idea, some kind of bomb shelter, underground tunnels… in London?" Remus had never heard of that and somehow doubted it: the Underground system and underground tunnels and Gringotts bank's tunnels? It was a miracle there was still a city on top.
"Well there you go."
"What? These are underground bomb shelters?" Remus said, amazed.
"Muggle bomb shelters from that war they had in the nineteen forties," the blond werewolf explained. "Connected with that underground train thing of theirs. They never did anything with it after the war so we took if off their hands."
"You bought it off them?"
The blond man snorted derisively. "Bought? Of course not."
They had by now finally reached the end of the stairs and ended up in a long tunnel. There were still no lights but there was noise: they could hear the trains from the London Underground pass by. It shook the dust on the floor.
"Almost there," the blond man said. "I can hear the others already."
And indeed, as they walked further down the tunnel Remus could hear voices not too far away from them. They reached another concrete flight of stairs and went down it, ending up in a tunnel that looked like it was right under the one they had just come from. This tunnel was even lower than the one above. The idea that he was now God knew how far underground made Remus feel uncomfortable.
The voices they had heard came from a small group of people a few yards further into the tunnel. Remus could see a few bunk beds in the dark behind them, and there were candles put here and there on the concrete. The main source of light, however, came from a small fire that was lit in the centre of the tunnel. The group of six was gathered around it, and all looked up when they heard Remus and his guides (guards?) approach. Their yellow eyes shone eerily in the firelight.
"It's us," the blond man announced. He walked towards the group and rather theatrically gestured to Remus. "And our package."
"That's him?' A woman (at least, Remus guessed from her voice she was a woman: he couldn't see as she was completely wrapped in a mouldy blanked with only her eyes and hair visible) said, eyeing Remus suspiciously.
"He says he is, his suitcase says he is and Dodger says he is, and Greyback'll have to be satisfied with that," the blond man shrugged. He crouched down at the fire. "Got anything to eat?"
He was handed some cold sausages while the rest scooted up to make room for Remus and the brown-haired man. The brown-haired man was handed a flask of something but Remus got nothing.
"So," the blond man said, devouring the sausages, "how're things here?"
"Okay," a young man shrugged. He was wearing a torn army jacket and he had spiky, jet-black hair. "Nothing much we can do here until Greyback gives us new orders."
"And that make take a while," the woman said. "Don't think he's going to be in this side of the country for another month."
"What?" Remus blurted out before he could stop himself. At once, all eyes were on him, and most looked as if they thought: 'he can talk'
"What?" the woman asked almost friendly.
"Another month?" Remus repeated. "But I thought… I was going to meet him, well, sooner."
The woman sighed. "Francis, didn't you tell him?"
"Tell him what?" the blond man said through a mouthful of sausage.
"That he wasn't going to meet Greyback right away," the woman said. She turned to Remus again. "He's always terribly busy and it's usually very hard to even get him to agree to be in the same place as you are, let alone actually meet him. Francis, what did he tell you to do?"
Francis shrugged. "Told me to pick up Lupin and bring him somewhere safe where we knew where he was and could keep an eye on him. Greyback would decide later when he'd meet with him. So I got Lupin from Dodger – " Francis nodded to Remus as if to say 'there he is'. " – and brought him here."
"And we're supposed to keep him here for a month?" The young werewolf in the army jacket sounded reluctant; apparently he doubted Remus would be of much use to him.
"Well no, I'll bring him somewhere else tomorrow," Francis said. "I just needed a place for him to stay which wasn't with Dodger."
"Well alright," the young werewolf said. "But take him out tomorrow. I don't want any more people hanging around here than necessary, it'd get too packed."
"In these huge tunnels?" Francis grinned.
"You know what I mean. We'd get on each others nerves, and the last thing we need is to kill each other because of cabin fever. That wouldn't much help the Cause."
The term made Remus look up, and as he looked at the young werewolf and saw the enthusiastic, almost fanatical glint in his eyes he realised the younger man was probably exactly the kind of man to use those kind of words and to make the capitals audible. Good God, he thought. I'm deep, deep underground sitting in an underground tunnel around a fire with a revolutionary werewolf who's talking about their Cause, which is basically to fight and destroy everything my friends, family and… previous life stands for.
And there's no way I'm going to get out.
Tonks didn't think she had ever seen Roderick Savage more nervous and high-strung than now, when the Hogwarts Express was due to arrive at Hogsmeade Station at any moment. He kept pacing the platform, checking to see that each Auror on the team was where he or she should be. They had got reinforcements just for this evening, six extra Aurors just to make sure and to keep the children guarded. The extra security didn't comfort Savage; if anything it made him more nervous. Tonks contemplated telling Savage it would be alright, nothing would happen, but she'd seen him snarl at Pandora Proudfoot when Pandora'd told him just that, so she thought the better of it.
Tonks herself was stationed near the entrance, where the carriages to Hogwarts were waiting. She had kept herself occupied by looking at the Thestrals, who were patiently waiting for the students to arrive. Tonks had been able to see Thestrals for quite some time now – most Aurors could – and it had always amazed and slightly unsettled her how creatures could be so graceful and beautiful when they were associated with something so horrible as death.
The whistle of a train made her look up. Quite suddenly, the bright red steam-engine of the Hogwarts Express appeared out of the fog and thundered into the station, its wheels squeaking loudly as it slowed down and finally came to a stop. Virtually seconds later, the doors were opened by the Prefects and students began to pour out, laughing, talking, drawing their cloaks around them to protect against the fog.
For a few moments, Tonks was taken back to her own schooldays, especially when she heard Hagrid's voice, calling out for the first-years to follow him. They would leave the station on the other side of the platform, taking the more scenic route in little boats across the lake. The rest of the students swarmed to the other side, climbing into the carriages which, as soon as four students had climbed into them, set off towards Hogwarts. There were so many students that Tonks could hardly take a good look at them before they were lost in the fog and in the dark again. She was suddenly grateful for the extra Aurors – it was near impossible to have any real control over a mass of children like this.
All the while, she had kept an eye out for the Weasley children and Harry and Hermione. Roderick Savage had given her explicit orders to keep an eye out for Harry, to make sure he got into a carriage and to Hogwarts. Besides that, she wanted to see the other children too – it was always nice to talk to them. She knew they had to come this way too, so she was surreptitiously craning her neck to spot them. Nevertheless, it was Ginny who saw her first; after all, Ginny didn't have a job to do at the same time.
"I didn't know you were here!" she said enthusiastically.
"Auror work," Tonks said in way of explaining. "We have to watch out for the lot of you."
"And Harry, I expect," Ginny remarked perceptively. Tonks gave a brief smile and nodded.
"Somehow he's important. I don't know what it is," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "Do you know where he is?"
Ginny shrugged. "No idea. I saw him during the trip, but he went off on his own near the end. Haven't seen him in nearly half an hour."
"Hm," Tonks said pensively. She absent-mindedly scanned the crowd for dark hair which pointed every-which way, but without success.
"I'm sure he'll show up eventually," Ginny said. "I haven't seen Ron or Hermione either and he's usually with them."
"Yeah, you're right," Tonks said.
"I'd best be off anyway, before all the carriages are gone. See you!" Ginny waved and disappeared into the crowd.
Tonks kept looking for Harry, this task becoming easier as most of the students had taken off. But he wasn't there. She had seen Ron and Hermione pass without noticing her, but Harry hadn't been with them. Slowly, the station emptied, until the last of the carriage was gone and there were only adults left in the station. It was odd to see – finally – what happened after all the students had left. Tonks interestedly watched how the witch with the trolley with sweets and snacks took the trolley out of the train and stored it in a low, brick building off the side of Hogsmeade Station; it wouldn't be needed again until the Christmas holidays, when most of the students would take the train back to London. The driver of the train hopped out of the engine and went inside the Station building, coming out again with a steaming mug of coffee.
"Tonks! C'mere!"
She looked up and saw Roderick beckoning for her to come, so she obligingly walked over to him and joined the circle of Aurors standing around him.
"Are we all here?" he said as soon as she'd joined them. "Good. Well, I think that didn't go too badly. All the students are on their way to Hogwarts and nobody was attacked or hurt. Thank you all, good job, now let's get inside and get warm."
"Hear, hear!" everybody agreed, nodding fervently. They had all been standing in the fog for several hours; water was dripping from their hair and clothes and most of them were freezing despite it being only early September. The six extra Aurors Disapparated almost immediately, glad to go home. The three Aurors Tonks was stationed at Hogsmeade with, set off for their lodgings. Tonks, however, lingered behind, hesitating a bit although she didn't really know why.
"You're not coming?" Pandora Proudfoot asked, looking around and noticing her.
"I think I'll go and see the train off," Tonks said evasively. "Wallow in my memories."
Pandora smiled. "Don't indulge in them. Try to remember that being a student wasn't half as much fun as you now think it was."
Tonks smiled back. "I'll remember it."
She watched her colleagues disappear in the fog, and then walked slowly down the platform again, looking at the train which was softly hissing as it cooled down. She wondered vaguely why she hadn't seen Harry, why he hadn't been with Ron and Hermione. Perhaps she should have said something to Roderick about it, but she didn't want to cause too much of a consternation – after all, she might just not have seen him. None of the other had mentioned Harry, so perhaps he had been spotted by someone else and was safely on a carriage to Hogwarts. Somehow, though, she had the feeling that wasn't the case. Her Auror instinct (as Kingsley sometimes called that nagging feeling at the back of his head) told her something was going on. Harry wasn't at Hogwarts, but nobody had seen him either…
Her mind helpfully supplied her with a memory of last year: Harry in his room at the Dursleys, packing his trunk, holding a shimmering silvery garment in his hand. An Invisibility Cloak.
This realisation came to her at about the same moment she realised that one compartment had the blinds drawn down while the other windows had light blazing from them. Also at that moment, she saw the driver of the train walk towards the engine, beginning to fire it up for the journey home.
Cursing under her breath, she ran towards the train and jumped on it, moving quickly towards the compartment. Even if the blinds had been drawn for no reason at all, it was suspicious enough to check. She hurried into the compartment – which was empty. She looked around, but there was no place a boy Harry's size could hide. She just thought of groping around (and looking rather stupid) in case Harry was wearing his Cloak, when the train gave a large lurch as the engine came into motion, and she saw something moving on the floor. It was barely perceptible – specks of dust moving in a way they shouldn't – but hopeful. She reached down with her hand outstretched and felt the sudden touch of a velvety fabric. She grabbed it firmly – grabbed thin air, it seemed – and pulled, revealing Harry lying on his side on the floor, his face covered in blood, his nose apparently broken.
"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks said. Harry didn't move, and seeing his stiff position she judged that he was probably Petrified, so she waved her wand, muttering a counter spell. This worked; Harry sat upright immediately, wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve (Tonks' mother would have had a fit if she had seen it). He looked up at her.
She knew they didn't have time for small-talk; the train was already moving out of the station, gaining speed. "We'd better get out of here, quickly," she said matter-of-factly. "Come on, we'll jump." Harry said nothing but followed her quickly as she hurried out of the compartment again and down the corridor towards a door. She yanked it open, revealing the platform moving past them at increasing speed. Without looking if Harry was following her, simply assuming that he was, she jumped off the train, nearly tripping as she landed on the unmoving stones of the platform. A thud and some hasty footsteps as Harry tried to find his balance again told her he'd got out of the train as well. As she straightened up, she could just see the scarlet train going around the corner, disappearing from view.
Now she could finally get a good look at Harry. He was still in his summer-, Muggle-clothing, now stained with blood from his bleeding nose, which was badly bend and looked extremely painful. Harry himself looked rather embarrassed and angry, more at being caught in such a situation than that somebody had broken his nose.
"Who did it?" Tonks asked. She handed him the Invisibility Cloak back.
"Draco Malfoy," he said reluctantly. "Thanks for… well…"
"No problem." Tonks couldn't help but think grimly that the Malfoy family seemed to have started a tradition of hurting Harry and his friends. But she didn't linger too much on that thought; there were more important things at hand. "I can fix your nose if you stand still," she said.
Harry seemed a bit apprehensive at this, and perhaps no wonder given her record of clumsiness. But he nodded in agreement. He closed his eyes as Tonks raised her wand and pointed it to his nose.
"Episkey."
A thin blue thread of light shot from her wand and curled over his nose for a moment, then it disappeared. Harry's nose visibly straightened and seemed to click into place. It still looked rather gruesome, what with the dried blood around it, but it wasn't broken anymore.
Harry opened his eyes and felt his nose, relief spreading over his face when he felt how straight it was. "Thanks a lot!"
Tonks didn't linger on it. "You'd better put that Cloak back on, and we can walk up to the school," she instructed. She waved her wand, conjuring a Patronus, a large four-legged creature of which she still wasn't quite sure whether it was a wolf or just a really large dog, which galloped off towards Hogwarts.
"Was that a Patronus?" Harry asked curiously. It was odd to talk to him now: he'd put the Cloak on so the only sign of him being there was his disembodied voice.
"Yes, I'm sending word to the castle that I've got you, or they'll worry," Tonks answered. "Come on, we'd better not dawdle." She set off for the school, counting on Harry to follow her.
They walked down the lane that the carriages had taken earlier that evening. This wasn't the safest route, or even the most scenic, but it was the shortest and that was what counted in Tonks' opinion. They walked in silence for a while until Harry spoke.
"How did you find me?"
"I noticed that you hadn't left the train and I knew you had that Cloak," Tonks explained. "I thought you might be hiding for some reason. When I saw the blinds were drawn down on that compartment I thought I'd check."
"But what are you doing here, anyway?"
"I'm stationed in Hogsmeade now, to give the school extra protection." She gave her answered shortly, not really eager to have an entire conversation.
"Is it just you who's stationed up here, or – ?" Harry asked on.
"No, Proudfoot, Savage and Dawlish are here too."
"Dawlish, that Auror Dumbledore attacked last year?"
"That's right."
They were silent again. They followed the carriage trails, walking in the middle of the road; it wasn't as if there was anyone else on it anyway. Tonks didn't mind at all that Harry was quiet. She liked him, she had always liked him, but now she realised that seeing him reminded him of… people and moments she'd really rather forget. She knew how close Harry and Sirius had been, but rather than comfort him in his loss it made him want to shout at him. Don't you realise it was all your fault, if you hadn't been so stupid? He would never have gone to the Ministry if not for you! He would never have met my… my Aunt if you hadn't gone there first! None of this would have happened! We would never have had to fight there if not for you! But she couldn't say it. She couldn't bring up the energy to blame him out loud, but silently she did.
After about half an hour, they finally reached the gate. The wrought-iron gates to Hogwarts were shut with heavy chains and padlocks which had been reinforced by magic; Tonks could nearly hear it sizzling, it was so powerful.
Harry pulled off his Cloak, looking up at the gate and the winged boars on top of the pillars on each side of it. He made to pull it open, then noticed the chains. He pulled out his wand. "Alohomora!"
"That won't work on these," Tonks said calmly. "Dumbledore bewitched them himself."
Harry gave her a look of annoyance, then looked up at the gate again. "I could climb a wall," he suggested.
"No, you couldn't. Anti-intruder jinxes on all of them. Security's been tightened a hundredfold this summer."
"Well then. I suppose I'll just have to sleep out here and wait for morning." Harry was looking increasingly annoyed at her apparent uncooperative behaviour. She, on the other hand, was getting increasingly annoyed with his rather headstrong behaviour, so she was glad to see a light appear in the distance. She pointed at it.
"Someone's coming down for you. Look."
However, rather than it being Hagrid, as she had hoped, it was a person she wasn't exactly glad to see. It was Snape. He was wrapped in a pitch-black cloak and was wearing black gloves as well so the only flesh visible was that of his face. In the darkness of the night, it gave the odd effect of him being nothing but a bodiless floating face.
"Well, well, well," he sneered, holding up a lantern to look at both of them. "Nice of you to turn up, Potter, although you have evidently decided that the wearing of school robes would detract from your appearance." He took out his wand and tapped the chain which locked the gate; it snaked back with a loud rattle. The gates opened with a creak.
"I couldn't change, I didn't have my – " Harry began hotly, but Snape cut him off. He turned to Tonks.
"There is no need to wait, Nymphadora," he said smoothly; Tonks was sure he was intentionally using the hated first name to set her off. "Potter is quite – ah – safe in my hands."
"I meant Hagrid to get the message," she said crossly.
"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like Potter here, so I took it instead." He stepped back to allow Harry to pass through the gate, but kept his eyes on Tonks. "And incidentally," he added with a sneer which promised nothing good, "I was interested to see your new Patronus." He shut the gate with a snap as Tonks looked up, alarmed. "I think you were better off with the old one. The new one looks weak."
Tonks didn't know what to say to this. She felt a rush of anger surge through her; for a moment she was quite prepared to hex Snape into next week. The change of her Patronus hadn't evaded her. Quite the opposite: it had surprised and worried her, especially when she saw what shape it had now taken. It was either a really large dog, reminding her of Sirius and, thus, of the fact that he was dead, or it was a wolf or a werewolf, which reminded her of Remus and the fact that he was also… unavailable. Either way, every time she conjured the Patronus she was reminded of the fact that both the people she had grown to love in the past year and a half were now gone. Snape insulting her Patronus, calling it weak, was in effect calling both Sirius and Remus and her love for them weak, and the sudden shock of it was incredibly painful.
However, before she could say something, Snape had walked away. Harry followed him, looking over his shoulder one more time. "Goodnight," he called. "Thanks for… everything."
"See you, Harry," Tonks said, hoping she didn't sound as miserable as she felt. Seconds later, Harry had disappeared in the fog, and not long after the already dim light of Snape's lantern had disappeared as well.
Tonks was left in the darkness. For a moment she felt as if she was going to burst into tears. Her eyes and throat burned and she blinked furiously to stop tears flowing down. After a while, she'd got control of herself again.
Don't be stupid, Tonks, she told herself. Snape's just a miserable old git, not worthy of getting affected by. He just likes to rile people up, it's what he gets his kicks from. You're better than that. But she wasn't sure whether that was enough to undo the sting of his words. Annoying how negative words always have a more lasting impression than positive words.
She sighed and turned around, beginning the long walk back to Hogsmeade. Although she had three colleagues there, they weren't real friends, and right now she had the feeling that she was going from one lonely place to the next.