Author's Note:
I don't know why but I quite enjoyed writing this chapter slightly more than the others...hmm. Anyways, please excuse any errors in here as I make mistakes quite often although if they're huge, feel free to tell me xD Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting, and supporting! I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 07 – Into the Darkness of the Night
~As he allowed himself to act impulsively, he was reminded of why he was called a Marauder.
"Blimey!" Sirius exclaimed as he followed behind Arthur and the rest of the Weasleys, climbing atop endless flights of metal staircases.
His eyes went wild and frantic as he looked around, staring out at the stadium that would hold the final match of the Quidditch World Cup. A hundred thousand witches and wizards were there, all cheering loudly just before the match began on the silk-like field with six golden hoops fifty feet high. The atmosphere was like a wild party with people screaming and cheering—noises in all direction. He'd been in Azkaban for so long, as Sirius looked out towards the crowd, he suddenly felt that magical feeling take him over, like he'd just seen magic for the first time in his life. He felt as if he was at the top of the world. With where their seats were—in the highest box right in the middle of the field with perfect view—that feeling wasn't a far cry.
"Goodness Arthur! Top box!" Sirius yelled, eyes lighting up with delight.
"Bagman must be quite a fellow to give us these tickets!" said Alexis, taking her spot beside Sirius as they dropped their belongings down on the front row of velvet seats.
"It feels like you've just seen magic for the first time in your life doesn't it?" Sirius asked Harry as they went closer to the edge, looking over the wrought iron fence.
"I love magic," Harry gawked, looking around at the stadium lit by rays of golden lights.
"Just wait. The magic hasn't begun yet," said Arthur, smiling kindly. He then went off to settle down Fred and George who looked like all the mischief in them was about to erupt.
"Have you ever been to something like this before, Sirius?" Harry asked.
"Once, with Remus and your dad," Sirius replied while putting on his red and black attire of robes, hat, and scarf to support Bulgaria. "And I tell you, it was a match to remember."
"What happened?" Harry asked, unable to hold back a laugh at his spirited godfather.
"Don't tell anyone this," Sirius suddenly leaned in and whispered. "But you father tried to steal the snitch right before the match. Naturally, with James' reckless nature, he failed of course. Moony and I were so embarrassed, we pretended like we didn't know him until half the match was done."
Harry laughed, his pale green eyes glittering behind his round glasses as he slipped on the red and black hat to support Bulgaria, like his godfather. They turned around to see that most of the Weasleys, besides Ron, was in support of the Irish. Even Alexis had on a green leprechaun hat like the twins, and a green and white scarf around her neck.
"Oi, Lexi!" Sirius called. "Let's make another bet."
"Alright, on what Padfoot?" she replied with a smirk. Harry suddenly felt like Sirius was going to lose this bet by that confident smirk on Lexi's face.
"If the Irish lose, you call Andromeda her despised childhood nickname, Andy." Sirius knew Andromeda hated that nickname, and whoever dared call her it would no doubt be on the receiving end of a Black family outrage. It wouldn't be pretty.
"Alright. And how about if Bulgaria loses, you shave your moustache and goatee?" Harry lit up at this proposition, wondering how Sirius would look without his moustache and goatee.
"Deal!" Sirius laughed with great confidence in himself. He shook hands with his cousin, having Fred, George, and the rest of the Weasleys as eye-witnesses to their silly bet.
"That's not the first bet she made tonight!" George grinned, swinging an arm over Alexis' shoulder and another over Fred's shoulder.
"Lexi joined us in betting half her life-savings with Ludo Bagman that the Irish will win!" Fred grinned, telling the news to everyone.
As people were getting eager for the match to start, Harry took the moment to look around, soaking in the magic that surrounded him. He suddenly spotted someone, very short and impish, looking ridiculously similar to Dobby. The person, or house-elf, sat in the same box as him, just a few rows behind them.
"Dobby?" he called and caught Sirius' attention as well as the house-elf.
They'd engaged in a short conversation with Harry learning about what Dobby had done with his new freedom. Sirius listened in, finding it odd that Barty Crouch would have his house-elf Winky save him a seat, in the Top box. Harry didn't quite understand why, but Sirius wasn't going to take the time to explain to the boy about the conducts of grown-up Ministry politicians right before a no-doubt exciting Quidditch match.
When they heard Percy greet the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, extravagantly, Harry noticed that Sirius and Alexis had suddenly disappeared from their seats. He looked around and finally turned to Hermione who explained to him in a hushed voice.
"Sirius and Lexi aren't on good terms with Fudge, remember?" she told him. "After Sirius' trial, Lexi told me through letters that Fudge has been pretty uptight with her and Tonks. They're trying to not cause any trouble for Mr. Weasley."
Harry nodded but continued to look around, wondering when his family would be back to watch the match with him. He hoped Fudge wouldn't be there long. Thankfully Fudge had his own row at the very top of the Top Box and wouldn't notice spectators in the rows below him. Otherwise, Harry might not be able to watch the match with his godfather and cousin.
As Harry waited, he suddenly spotted the Malfoys—Lucius Malfoy and Draco, two people whom Harry didn't think twice about saying he detested. There was a woman with them. She was tall, slim, and would've been nice-looking if she hadn't been wearing a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose. She must've been Draco's mother, and Harry had just heard Lucius introduce her as Narcissa. Something suddenly occurred to Harry. As he looked at the icy woman a bit closer, he finally saw the resemblance. She had the same eyes as them—Lexi, Tonks, Sirius, and Andromeda especially. Her looks were similar to Andromeda's as well. It was odd. Narcissa Malfoy then suddenly disappeared from the box, just like Sirius and Alexis had moments ago.
"Alexis Lydia Black! What'd you pull me away for? The match is just about to start!" Sirius protested, trying to pry his wrist out of his cousin's unyielding grip.
"Oh hush up, will you?" Alexis replied shortly. "Fudge is here. We don't want to put Arthur's family on his bad side and you can't deny that after your trial, Fudge really hates our family," she explained.
"Bugger," Sirius grumbled. "It's as if I'm still a prisoner."
"Come on, cheer up," Alexis sighed. "You're here aren't you? You're here and you're free. It's just a little trouble we Blacks always have to deal with—just a little mild prejudice."
"Yeah I guess. Now come on, check if Fudge has gone up to his box yet. I want to go back. I don't want to sit next to Crouch's house-elf—what was her name—Winky though."
"Why not? Winky's nice," Alexis replied blankly, peeking her head around the corner.
"Yeah but she's all nervous and jittery. She makes me nervous," Sirius replied.
Suddenly, Alexis' vision was blocked by a familiar face wearing icy cold features. She shot back, falling slightly into Sirius who looked up to that familiar face as well. They hadn't seen her face in a long, long time. It was Narcissa's face, bearing a striking resemblance to Bellatrix and Andromeda. The tension was suddenly present in the air with their little—and very unexpected—family reunion.
"I thought I was seeing ghosts," Narcissa said coldly but her eyes softened very slightly.
"I'm not dead," Alexis replied, sounding insulted that Narcissa thought she was a ghost.
"Neither am I," Sirius added quickly.
They haven't been in contact with Narcissa for years. Still they never knew if she was friend or foe, but seeing her, there was suddenly tension in the air. She was a Malfoy now, and the Malfoy family hated them—for the first time it wasn't because they were a part of the infamous Black family.
Narcissa pressed her lips into a firm line. Sirius looked into her eyes. For a second there, he felt like she was about to drop her icy façade and talk to them warmly like the messed up family that they were. However, Narcissa never dropped her icy façade and Sirius and Alexis continued to keep their distance, just like how it had always been.
"How is Andromeda?" she asked rather rigidly.
"Fine, traveling the world," Sirius replied in a hard voice.
The ice queen paused. She looked like she was having trouble choosing a reply. She'd once been so close to Andromeda and Sirius as well. They were after all, family. It was hard to completely erase the bonds left by the simple familial connection.
"And Nymphadora?" she asked after a while, her voice growing harder.
"As colorful as ever." It was Alexis who replied that time.
She nodded, seeming like she had nothing else to say. It was a rather awkward family meeting. Sirius and Alexis were about to lamely excuse themselves back to their seats—even if Fudge was still there—but Narcissa suddenly said something that slightly unhinged them both.
"The next time you visit your parents, Alexis, send a greeting from me. And Sirius…" she paused, searching for the right words. "Enjoy the match." Her words were quick and before they could say anything else, Narcissa Malfoy returned back to her husband and son's side, an icy and sneering expression replacing her puzzled gaze.
"Odd," said Alexis, heading back to their seats with Sirius. It was moments like that which puzzled Alexis on whether Narcissa was light or dark. Perhaps she was a shade of grey.
"Well it is Narcissa," said Sirius, glancing back at the woman, his cousin whom at one point in time, he'd been so close to. "She never did openly choose a side…yet."
He'd been close to all of them. In Sirius' childhood, his favorite cousins had been Andromeda, Marcus, Narcissa, and even Bellatrix. Yes, Bellatrix. It was a childhood that seemed like eternities ago. It was a childhood before the Black family was torn apart by war, and before they've all slowly begun to lose their minds. It was a childhood that would never return.
"The match is starting!" Sirius announced, trying to pull his thoughts away from the gloom and drear. He turned and grinned to Harry, slightly disappointed that he'd missed the appearance of the teams' mascots.
THUD!
He stirred awake quickly, panicking to the loud thud that had woken him. Remus bolted upright, his head turning in all directions. He was lying on the soft but messy mattress in the corner of his flat, feeling the gentle breeze graze his skin from the open window. Nothing was out of place it seemed, but Remus knew better. He kicked off his blanket and then climbed to his feet, his light blue pajamas ruffled and his light brown hair disheveled.
Memories of the previous day replayed inside his mind as he made his way over to his threadbare sofa, searching for his pink-haired lover, hoping to not find a freshly made Tonks-shaped hole in the wooden floor of his old flat.
There she was, lying on the floor beside the threadbare sofa, groaning as she pushed herself up. Remus got to her side immediately, strangely agile for a post-moon evening. It took a moment for his eyes to transition in the darkness of the night. His vision of Nymphadora Tonks turned from a black silhouette against the night into full view of the beautiful auror. Her pale, heart-shaped face was lit up by the scattered moonlight that fell through the windows and he saw her expression. She was sleepy and she sighed as she rubbed her legs and looked up at him.
"Nymphadora, are you ok?" he asked, seeing her disheveled look.
"Yeah," she replied. "I fell off your sofa, that's all." Her voice was much hoarser than it had been hours ago when they were stirring up a storm on that very same sofa, kissing ardently.
He helped her back up onto the sofa. Remus tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear. He smiled. "You're sure you're ok?" he asked to make sure.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "Sorry I woke you though."
Remus shook his head. "The sofa is quite small," he spoke slowly. "Perhaps it would be better if you sleep on my bed and I can sleep on the sofa," he suggested.
Tonks made a face. "It's your flat, Remus. I can't make you sleep on the sofa while I take your bed. And besides, I'm not the one aching with fresh cuts and bruises all over my body."
While straightening out Tonks' messy pink hair, Remus bit his lips. He wondered how he could fix things, so that she wouldn't end up falling again in the middle of the night. Tonks stifled a yawn and Remus forced his mind to think faster, not wanting to ruin her sleep.
"Well, we could perhaps share the bed," Tonks suggested blankly, staring at the ground with weary, sleepy eyes. She stifled another yawn.
Nearly choking on nervous air, Remus had to ask her to make sure. "Sh…share the bed?"
"Yes, share the bed. It's not right to make you sleep on the sofa, and to be honest I kind of prefer a nice soft bed to your hard, cramped sofa."
As she talked and yawned, Remus knew that she must be too sleepy to think properly. He blushed upon the thought of sharing the same bed as her, but oddly, somehow, miraculously, Remus felt that it was a good idea. He eyed his old sofa—why he had suggested Tonks could sleep on the hard and ratty old thing was beyond him. Perhaps as two completely mature adults, they could share a bed. Remus yawned. He thought he must be too sleepy to think straight as well. And so Remus agreed and helped Tonks up to her feet.
When they got over to his old but soft and comfortable mattress in the corner of his flat, Remus' blush intensified. Tonks comfortably sat down on the side of his bed, leaning against the wall. He watched her with nervous eyes. Remus wondered why he suddenly felt so flustered, more than he'd ever felt before. He'd kissed Tonks, just that day. They'd been sprawled out on his sofa kissing for what felt like several eternities. So why was he so nervous simply sharing a bed with her. It wasn't like they were going to do anything.
"Goodnight Remus," Tonks yawned. She kicked off her boots.
"Err—Dora what are you doing?" Remus asked weakly as Tonks took her jacket off.
"I can't sleep with my jacket on silly. It's so uncomfortable." Tonks tossed her jacket to the side. The jacket landed with another loud thud on the floor because of everything she had in her pockets—her wand, auror badge, and other necessary magical items no doubt.
Remus sat down after a while, on the outside of his bed. Tonks was still and quiet. She must've fallen asleep again. He lay down, his heart pounding like drums. His heartbeat was so loud they were deafening to his ears. For a long while he laid still and quiet but he couldn't fall asleep. Remus' heart felt like it was going to rupture or burst through his skin and bones right out of his chest. He couldn't get the thought out of his head. Lying next to him was Nymphadora Tonks, a beautiful young woman. Remus thought he'd fallen into a very odd but lovely dream.
"Oi Remus," said Tonks suddenly. She wasn't asleep, Remus realized.
"Yes?" he said softly while feeling like his insides were turning.
"You only have one blanket."
"You can use it Dora," he told her and pushed the messy blanket over to her.
Silence.
"I can't sleep," she said after a while.
"I can't either," he replied, trying to calm his heart down. Remus wished there was some kind of spell or enchantment to calm a restless heart.
They both got up and climbed back out of the bed. Remus and Tonks headed down towards the kitchen on the other side of the flat, Remus catching her easily when Tonks tripped in her stride. As Remus searched for the tea kettle and two mugs for tea, Tonks situated herself on top of his wooden counter, swinging her legs back and forth.
Remus tapped the tea kettle once and steam immediately rose from it. With another wave of his wand, the dirty dishes in the sink were cleaned, washed, and dried instantly. From the cleaned dishes, Remus took out two mugs of tea and began putting tea leaves into them and pouring the steaming water in afterwards.
Drinking their hot tea, their eyes wandered out towards the window. It was still evening, because they'd taken a nap even before the sun had set. Remus and Tonks sat beside each other on his mattress, their knees touching each other's as their eyes traveled around Remus' tiny flat and landed on the threadbare sofa Tonks slept on and fell off of, the same sofa that hours ago, had been made the setting of a passionate storm by them.
"Who do you think won the match?" Tonks asked suddenly, talking about the World Cup he supposed. "I hope Bulgaria won."
"Nymphadora, I'm sorry you had to miss the final match for me," Remus said softly.
Tonks crossed her arms and looked at him. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"What?" he asked.
"You make spending time with you sound like a punishment," she sighed.
"It is, isn't it? Most other witches and wizards would consider it a punishment."
"Oh yes, most definitely," said Tonks with sarcasm dripping from her scarlet lips. "It is such torture to spend time with a kind, caring, amusing, funny, and intelligent professor."
"Anyone in their right mind would detest the idea of spending time with a werewolf."
"Then I'm not in my right mind now am I?" Tonks retorted.
Remus was quiet. He turned to the floor for a while, but then stole a look at her.
Unexpectedly, Tonks turned to face him. She shifted so that her entire body faced him, and Remus couldn't help but do the same. He didn't know what to say to her. He simply lost himself in her entrancing green eyes. Those twinkling emerald eyes he knew so well, but could never get enough of.
"Why must you always think badly about yourself?" she asked him softly.
"I…I don't know," Remus replied, looking down. "I'm afraid of myself," he admitted weakly, spilling his trembling heart to her. "I'm afraid I'd hurt someone. I've had close calls before—back in school…with you…I'm afraid of myself." His voice grew weaker and hoarser.
"Don't be afraid of yourself Remus," said Tonks in a voice that was softer than velvet. "There's nothing to be afraid of in here." She placed a gentle finger on his chest over where his heart laid beating rapidly.
He looked up at her and met her twinkling green eyes. Remus was rendered speechless, caught up in her magic—a magic that required no wands or incantations. Tonks had him bounded to her under a spell that she emitted naturally.
"And if you ever feel like you don't belong anywhere," Tonks began, voicing one of his greatest fears. "Remember that you belong here," she finished, taking his hand gently and placing it over the center of her chest.
Remus pulled back slightly, but he relented and allowed Tonks to place the palm of his hand over her heart. He could feel the steady and fast heart beating below the pale skin and bones, and Remus swallowed hard. After a while, he felt his heart beat the same rhythm as Tonks' and wondered if he was imagining things.
"You're a Marauder. You were once wild and mischievous living your life with laughter and fun every day. Don't let your fears tame you now," she told him in a soft, silky voice almost like a whisper. Tonks' eyes sparkled as he looked into them. They sparkled with a sense of love and understanding that he'd never found in anyone else ever before.
Remus captured her lips with his, slowly. He could feel her breath hitch, but instantly Tonks relaxed under his hold. Her lips played with his, teasing him, seducing him, and beckoning him onwards. Remus obeyed and found him pulling her closer again, making a tempest upon the messy corner mattress.
They kissed endlessly, as if being that close was simply not enough. Their hearts pounced and drummed as they became a captive in the grasp of the other. Remus trusted Tonks with his battered heart, because he knew she would care for it whole-heartedly, just like how he would with hers. They held each other tighter, pressed a little closer, and kissed a little deeper. Once again, they have lost themselves in a passionate kiss.
As he kissed her he found that he'd been giving in to his impulses all day. Surprisingly it proved to be worth risking everything. Remus pushed the kiss a little deeper, and a little deeper, until his hands strayed onto soft, smooth skin and her legs cradled his waist with utmost care. Suddenly, feeling stronger than ever, Remus lifted her and laid her back on his bed, kissing her with greater fervor. Remus could feel her lips smiling as they kissed. As he allowed himself to act impulsively, he was reminded of why he was called a Marauder.
Even after the final match had ended with Ireland victorious, there was still noise and sound everywhere in all directions. No one had expected Viktor Krum to catch the golden snitch and end the match with Ireland victorious.
Harry was chatting animatedly with Ron about the events of the match, how Krum had performed the Wronksi Feint and how Harry wanted to try it out himself. Sirius was engaged in a disagreement with Charlie and Arthur about cobbling, but it was a good and friendly disagreement. Alexis and Fred and George were counting up the galleons they've won from their bet with Ludo Bagman. Hermione and Ginny were giggling about something Harry couldn't quite understand.
When they got back to their tent, the excitement continued with Fred and George dancing around, singing and cheering. It was only when Ginny had fallen asleep after a fit of laughter that Arthur had decided it was time for bed as well. Harry and the others changed into pajamas as Alexis and Hermione helped Ginny into the next tent. Alexis was suddenly back again, wearing a blue dressing gown as she chased Sirius around the tent with Fred and George, trying to shave off his moustache and goatee. Their attempt to shave him was unsuccessful and after another row, Arthur suggested they try again tomorrow and they were finally going to sleep.
As the kids were just falling asleep, Sirius and Alexis went out of the tent together, looking up at the night sky. There was still much singing and celebrations going on.
"Too bad Nymphie and Moony couldn't come," said Sirius, sighing at the sky.
"Yeah, she would've loved how Bulgaria lost," Alexis laughed softly. "And Remus supports Ireland correct? That would be a fun argument to see."
Sirius chuckled with eyes flitting around as he watched all the dancing lights and flying leprechauns surround them. "Today was the best, even if we did have a rather awkward family meeting. Have you been in contact with Narcissa?"
"Not since tonight," Alexis replied. "Andromeda isn't even in contact with her. It's like…after the first war ended, our family just sort of split."
"Our family fell apart way before then cuz," Sirius sighed, ruffling her black hair.
An eerie wave of silence fell over them. Sirius and Alexis stood on their tip-toes to see what was going on over the tents surrounding them. The noise of the crowd had suddenly shifted from celebrations and singing to screaming and terror. Something was going awfully wrong.
Screams could be heard in place of the mirthful cheers before. People were fleeing, running away from a mob of black that was sweeping slowly towards them. The black mob was emitting large flashes of light and gunfire-like sounds. Sirius and Alexis tensed, wondering what was going on. From the black crowd, there was suddenly a strong burst of green light which illuminated their faces, and Sirius could finally see.
The blackness that was approaching them were people, dressed in all black with hooded cloaks and their faces masked. They were marching slowly. High above the black mob were four struggling figures being contorted into grotesque shapes. It was as though the masked wizards on the ground were puppeteers and the people above them were marionettes operated by invisible strings that rose from the wands into the air. Two of the figures were very small.
"That's sick," Alexis spat, staring at the scene in disbelief and shock.
Sirius froze. He was caught in disbelief. It couldn't be happening. He had to be imagining things. Sirius wondered if he'd had any alcohol that night and thought perhaps he'd had too much to remember anything. It wasn't real.
"Death Eaters," said Sirius in a dark whisper.
Alexis turned immediately. "What?"
"They're Death Eaters," Sirius repeated.
His cousin turned back to the scene, her wand suddenly appearing from out of nowhere in her hand. Alexis said a few swear-words that even Sirius Black would never, ever dare to repeat in his lifetime.
"Get Arthur," said Alexis. "I have to find an auror. They're bound to be here somewhere." With that she ran off.
Sirius ran back into the tent, hurriedly waking Arthur up and explaining to him the scene as he pulled all the others awake as well.
"Arthur! Death Eaters!" he called as he pulled Fred and George awake. "They're here, causing trouble!" Sirius continued as he through a pillow at Ron. "Lexi ran off, wake up the kids!" he said, patting Harry awake and running out to the other tent to wake up Hermione and Ginny quickly before returning again to see Arthur Weasley struck with fear.
The kids bolted up with confusion in their sleepy gaze. Sirius then turned to Harry, his godson who was hopelessly confused while rubbing his sleepy eyes. Sirius took a breath.
"Harry, get out of here, now!" he said and the look in his eyes had explained that there was danger to Harry. The kids left the tent as Sirius followed Arthur in helping the others.
As Sirius ran he hoped that Harry would get out of there safely. With everything that he knew, Sirius worried for Harry the most. The Death Eaters wouldn't think twice about killing the boy or capturing him if they ever came across him. He hoped as he ran that Harry would be safe. Sirius trusted his godson's ability to save himself. He trusted Harry's friends, knowing they would help him. Sirius took a breath and made a sharp turn with Arthur. He had to find Alexis now. Sirius had never seen his little cousin duel before and he worried for her, running off like that. What if she ran into a Death Eater, he thought. She wouldn't be able to defend herself. She was an Unspeakable who tinkers, not an auror who fights.
It was the middle of the night. Everything was quiet, and everything was still. Even the second wave of the tempest of passion that had broken out in Remus' flat had calmed. Remus turned and rubbed his eyes as he woke up, looking around dazedly.
There was that weight on his chest again, that weight that was more comfortable than heavy. Remus looked down and he saw Tonks' angelic face, lying there, peacefully asleep. She was snuggled up against him, her head on his chest. Tonks' pink hair had reverted back to mousy brown, and Remus knew that she was tired from the day's events.
He suddenly perked up when he smelt something odd. Remus tried shifting so that he could get up without waking Tonks, but he came unsuccessful. Tonks stirred and she woke up slowly, her disheveled brown hair falling over her eyes. Remus wanted to smack himself for not being gentle enough and ending up waking her from a much needed slumber.
"What's going on?" Tonks asked in a hoarse, sleepy voice.
"I smell something…burning," said Remus bemusedly, looking around.
Tonks rubbed her eyes and sat up, shifting so that she was sitting beside Remus on the mattress again. Remus continued to look around, wondering if he'd accidentally set something on fire without noticing. Tired, Tonks rested her head on his shoulder, about to fall asleep again.
It wasn't until the burning smell became so apparent that Tonks perked up again, her eyes more awake than before. "Oh my god I smell it too."
After a moment, they suddenly heard an odd noise as if it was metal and iron grinding against each other. Tonks' eyes suddenly widened and she seemed wide awake as she pushed herself off the mattress and scrambled around in search of something.
"Oh dear lord, it can't be," she said hastily, tossing the covers aside, searching still.
Confused, Remus looked around, trying to spot something odd and wondered what was going on. Tonks stumbled over to the foot of the bed and lifted the sheets up to reveal her jacket lying on the floor. She picked it up and ruffled through its pockets for something. Suddenly, Tonks pulled her hand back, grunting as if something had burnt her. Through his now awake eyes, Remus realized that her jacket was smoking and it had been the thing that was burning.
"Bloody hell," said Tonks, looking at her finger.
"What's wrong?" Remus asked, rushing to her immediately.
"I think it's my auror badge."
"Your auror badge?" he asked, confused beyond his wits.
Tonks nodded as she carefully pulled her wand out from her other pocket. "Some lunatic came up with the idea of a burning auror badge to get our attention when we're needed," she explained to him and Remus finally realized that it was the badge burning. He'd seen it once before. Remus remembered that once when he had needed to talk to her, Tonks' auror badge had burned her and she was called away by something urgent.
"Is your hand ok?" he asked her, observing her burn.
She nodded quickly but Remus immediately summoned his wand. With the long wand in his hand, he quietly muttered several charms to ease her burn—ease it then remove it completely. She looked. Tonks didn't speak but she had grateful eyes and it was the first time he'd ever seen that kind of look towards him in anyone. Remus nearly melted under her gentle gaze.
"It must've been burning for a long time. Might be something really urgent," said Tonks, looking back at the pocket of her jacket as white smoke rose from inside. She looked puzzled, and Remus knew she must be trying to find a way to get her badge out without another burn.
"Let me try this," said Remus and whispered a freezing spell under his breath over the badge inside. Almost immediately, the smoke ceased to rise and Tonks' entire jacket felt icy and cold. He reached inside and pulled out the black leather case that had the gleaming silver Ministry badge on the front. Remus then handed it to her.
Tonks instantly flipped the case open and looked inside. Remus saw that there was her certificate and identification as an auror, along with a glistening silver backing to the badge where a message seemed magically engraved on its surface.
Urgent: ALL AURORS NEEDED.
Trouble at the Quidditch World Cup. Apparate there immediately.
CHAOS AT THE WORLD CUP. APPARATE IMMEDIATELY.
"Bugger all," said Tonks, looking up at Remus. "Sirius, Lexi, and the others are there."
"Go, now," said Remus, rushing her off.
"But what about you?" Tonks asked suddenly.
"I'm fine Nymphadora. Go, you're needed," he said and helped her slip her thin jacket on while heading towards the door. Remus scrambled to open the door quickly for her. As Tonks ran out of his door, she did something that Remus almost didn't notice in all the panic. She jumped up and kissed him briefly on the cheek, and finally disapparated with a soft pop.
"Oh bloody hell!" Tonks exclaimed when she'd apparated onto a mucky pile of drinks.
She stomped around, trying to get whatever she'd stepped on off her boots while trying finding her way. Tonks was sure she'd apparated to the World Cup, but where was the action?
"I wish I had Lexi's locator," Tonks grumbled.
The trees were tall and thick and she was completely lost. Tonks looked around, hoping on a whim that a familiar face would suddenly pop out of the trees and tell her where to go. Tonks had her wand in her hand and she ran around the woods. She heard noises, and she knew she was getting closer to where she was needed.
Noises grew louder and Tonks could finally make them out to be screams and shrieks of sheer terror. Her heartbeat raced with adrenaline as she quickly jumped over a fallen tree with more coordination than she would normally have. Tonks headed in the direction where all the noise was coming from, still looking for a familiar face.
She spotted someone at last, but it wasn't a face she'd wanted to see. The face was familiar no doubt, but she knew he wasn't friendly. It took a long time for Tonks to match the face with a name, and when she finally did, utter confusion drowned her. His face was hollow with dark, piercing mad eyes. His hair was straw colored and there was a dilapidated state to him. He looked as if he'd just gotten out of Azkaban, but that couldn't be possible. Tonks drew a breath. She was staring at Bartemius Crouch Jr. in the face. His name had been made famous within the Ministry, especially to aurors. Mad-Eye had told her that he was the one who'd tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom, two great aurors that would've been her heroes.
Tonks didn't say a word. Instead, when he spotted her, Tonks instantly ran towards him, half-apparating so that it would be faster. Her half-apparition state was white like a ghostly smoke moving at a fast pace. Before Tonks got to him however, Crouch Jr. disapparated with a loud and thundering crack.
"Bugger," Tonks cursed under her breath.
Her eyes scanned the scene like Mad-Eye had taught. Tonks then gave up her chase on Crouch Jr. and continued to run towards all the sounds. Soon, she came to a clearing and found Harry, Ron, and Hermione, standing there with fear and worry engraved upon their faces.
"Harry! Ron, Hermione!" Tonks said, running towards them, shifting to a brilliant white half-apparition state again.
"Tonks!" they all said as the white smoke collapsed and Tonks appeared from it.
"What's going on?" she asked quickly. "Where are the others?"
"There's a riot!" said Hermione in a sharp breath.
"Mr. Weasley, Sirius, and Lexi have all gone to help," Harry added quickly and Tonks finally spotted that his face was marred with dirt. "We can't find the others."
"We already told Mr. Bagman and he disappeared, perhaps going back there," said Ron.
"Is it at the stadium or the campsite?" Tonks asked the trio quickly.
"Campsite," Harry and Hermione said together with Ron a bit slower behind.
Tonks nodded and was about to apparate there herself, when another noise suddenly came to her attention. She turned around to look in the woods behind her, gripping her wand tighter in her hand. There was someone there, someone staggering towards their clearing. Tonks held her breath, anticipating someone to come out of the bushes. She could almost expect to see Crouch Jr. again. However, the footsteps stopped and came to a sudden halt.
"Hello?" Harry said, walking past Tonks. "Who's there?"
"MORSMORDRE!"
Her breath hitched and her eyes widened. Tonks watched as something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the direction of the low voice, flying over the tree tops and into the sky. Her heart seemed to have stopped as she watched the colossal skull comprised of emerald stars with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue formed. It rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation.
As the woods around them erupted with higher, louder screams from the skull that illuminated the woods like a grisly neon sign, Tonks finally found her voice again. The first thing she said was several curse-words that even Ron Weasley would never think to repeat again in his lifetime, and Tonks said them very, very loudly.
"Move! You three get out of here! Get as far away as possible!" said Tonks hurriedly.
"What is that?" Harry asked, wondering why he had to run again.
"It's the Dark Mark, Harry!" Hermione moaned, pulling him as hard as she could. "You-Know-Who's sign!"
"Voldemort's—?"
"Harry, come on!"
Tonks had heard a series of loud popping noises sound around them, in a familiar formation that she'd often been a part of. Before the kids could run, she immediately grabbed all of them and pulled them to the ground as she did so herself.
"DOWN!" Tonks yelled.
"STUPEFY!" roared twenty voices. A blinding series of flashes could be seen along with a firework of brilliant scarlet lights. Tonks felt her hair and jacket ripple as if swept by a strong wind. She let out a sigh of relief, thanking Merlin that they hadn't been stunned by that formation. She and the kids would've been in the hospital for weeks!
When Tonks heard footsteps approaching them, she deemed that it was safe to stand up. Immediately Tonks grabbed her auror badge and took it out, holding it up to them in hopes of stopping what felt like another wave of the same formation.
"Stop!" sounded a voice Tonks recognized immediately. "STOP! That's my son!"
She was relieved to see Arthur Weasley running towards them, pushing past a group of aurors who were advancing as well. Tonks then spotted Sirius and Alexis running up, Sirius roughly knocking a wizard, Dawlish, to the ground in his haste.
"Harry!" Sirius yelled. "Tonks!"
"What's going on?" Tonks asked one of her cousins while Arthur checked if the kids were ok in a shaky voice.
"Death Eaters," Alexis breathed, her face, like Sirius' and Harry's, was marred with dirt.
"What?"
"Tonks," sounded Kingsley's voice. "Tonks! I was looking for you," he breathed.
"Kingsley we've got a real problem," said Tonks, not forgetting about Crouch Jr.
"Out of the way, Arthur," said a cold, curt voice she again recognized.
It was Barty Crouch Sr. and Tonks had to take a second look at his state. He looked taut with rage and slightly mad with popping eyes, wand pointed up directly at the trio, and her.
"Which of you did it?" he snapped. "Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?"
Tonks rolled her eyes and tossed her wand to Kingsley who'd performed a checked on it and confirmed with a very mad Barty Crouch Sr. that it wasn't Tonks who'd summoned it. As she got her wand back, she could see that Barty Crouch was still pointing his wand up at the kids, pointing at Ron directly now.
"Which of you three conjured it?" he asked, his eyes popping.
"Barty," Alexis whispered in her dirt marred face and woolen blue dressing gown. "They're kids, Barty; they'd never be able to—"
Her cousin was cut off by Barty Crouch and Kingsley who'd pulled them both to the side. "Did you see anything Tonks?" Kingsley asked while keeping Alexis away from growing irritated with Crouch Sr. and pushing his buttons.
"Yeah," Tonks replied. "I think I saw Barty Crouch Jr."
A solemn look fell on Kingsley and Alexis as they stared at her in disbelief.
"Crouch Jr.?" Sirius asked from behind her and he stepped up to her side.
She nodded. "While I was getting here. I saw him and he ran away from me…"
"That's impossible," Alexis said in a low voice. "Crouch Jr. is supposed to be dead," she whispered, keeping their conversation private and away from a still panicking Barty Crouch Sr.
"Tonks, are you sure? He'd supposedly died in Azkaban years ago," said Kingsley.
Tonks nodded. "I know what I saw."
"We need to get back to the Ministry then. Sirius, you should stay here with Arthur and watch over the kids. Don't let Harry Potter out of your sight."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Sirius replied and returned to Harry's side.
"What about Barty? He's mad thinking it was the kids who did it."
"We can't waste any time," said Kingsley. "The kids didn't do it and they'll be let free soon. We have to get back. We've got a supposedly dead prisoner and Death Eater on the loose."
The Ministry of Magic was a large, grand place. It was like one of those very fancy, ancient, yet high end office buildings. The Atrium was a long, splendid hall—a marvelous place with close similarities to the Victorian London Underground. The walls were of black lacquered tiles that glowed green with the continuous floo travel going on in the endless gilded fireplaces there. At the exact middle of the Atrium was a large fountain decorated by golden statues—a wizard, a witch, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf, the latter three looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard. The trickling drops of water in the fountain added onto the busy sound of flooing, apparition, and footsteps in the Atrium. The rest of the Ministry wasn't much different from the Atrium's grandness and splendor.
Many witches and wizards were rushing back and forth, all wearing fearful and distraught faces in their pajamas, dressing gowns, and even night dresses. One woman even had her disheveled hair up in curling irons as she rushed into a chimney, a pile of papers in her hands. It was chaos at the Ministry, after the events at the Quidditch World Cup and many more happenings around the country that all seemed like a mysterious chain invisibly linked. The peacock-blue ceiling was displaying messages of urgency and what would be tomorrow morning's headline news. They all relate to the Quidditch World Cup in one way or another, and often times the name Harry Potter would be spotted in the mix.
An hour must've passed by, maybe two, and Tonks didn't even notice it. She was rushing back and forth between the Atrium and the auror office, helping Kingsley in finding out exactly what had happened. All of the aurors and other Ministry staff had been called in, most still wearing their pajamas and dressing gowns with sleepy expressions on their faces. It was the middle of the night after all—they'd all been soundly asleep until their shocking awakening.
Tonks was rushing down the hall with a pile of folders in her hand. Sirius had told Kingsley the people in black at the campsite were Death Eaters no doubt. Tonks was now holding an armful of suspected Death Eaters—the folders old and dusty from years of being untouched. No one had expected them to be used again. When Tonks got down to the Archive, the misinformed witch even looked at her as if she was mental and belonged in St. Mungo's.
"Tonks!" Alexis' voice caught her.
She turned around to meet her disheveled cousin, gripping the waist of her loose dressing gown with a stack of paper in her hands.
"Rookwood and I were sent to look up the files and we've found something involving Crouch." Tonks stopped to listen to her cousin. "He supposedly died shortly after his conviction to Azkaban and the Dementors buried him right outside the walls. We're going to find Fudge to ask him for approval to dig it up."
"You're digging up his grave?" Tonks asked, shocked.
"Well frankly, grave-robbing sounds much more interesting than using Legilimency to read the minds of about a hundred paranoid witches and wizards who thought they've seen Crouch Jr. at the World Cup," Alexis replied quickly, revealing to Tonks what the rest of the Unspeakables down in level nine were up to.
"Do you think Fudge will allow you?"
"I asked Kingsley and he said that with the risk of a high-level Death Eater like Crouch Jr. on the loose, we have to do everything we can to settle the matter."
"What can I do to help?" asked Tonks quickly.
"You can talk to Moody."
"Mad-Eye?" Everything had been relating back to Mad-Eye lately. Tonks still needed to talk to him about unsealing the Riddle Mansion up for her, and now she must also speak with him about Crouch. For a second, Tonks' growing paranoia instilled in her by the nutty ex-auror himself was troubling her. Why was everything that was happening lately having Mad-Eye Moody involved in one way or another? "Why Mad-Eye?"
"He's the one who caught Crouch. Why do you think a chunk of his nose is missing?"
"Mad-Eye again," Tonks mumbled, wondering what her old mentor was up to at that minute. While the entire Ministry was a mess, what was the man was doing in retirement?
Alexis left quickly as Tonks went into the overfilled lift, heading up to level two. She scrambled through the black door at the middle of the brightly lit hallway and stepped into the farm of cubicles that was the auror department. With all the papers in her hands and the entire Ministry in utter chaos, Tonks knew she'd be working overtime for the next several weeks.
"The ruddy git!" she heard Silvia say as Tonks passed by her cubicle.
"Silv, what's wrong?" she asked upon the level-headed woman's sudden outburst.
"It's Fudge!" Silvia huffed, straightening her very revealing night dress. Obviously Silvia hadn't had time to cover herself up more. "He's denying that they're Death Eaters and he's trying to stop our investigation on Crouch Jr. saying that it's just your accusation."
"But I did see him!"
"And we believe you! Others have reported seeing a mysterious man around that completely matched the descriptions. We've even got the Unspeakables to use Legilimency on them and it's all proven to be correct. I swear our Minister is a…"
"This is bad," Kingsley's deep voice suddenly sounded, cutting Silvia off from cursing at Fudge with words that no doubt would get her in trouble.
"Kingsley, what else is going wrong?" Tonks asked and was taken back when Kingsley suddenly looked at her with a very worried gaze.
"Tonks, you're officially removed from all current investigations," said Kingsley in a chilling business-like tone. He still had worry etched all over his gaze as he held his hand out to take the folders and papers in her hands.
"Bugger it all," cursed Tonks, wondering what she'd done now. "What did I do?"
"Have you or Remus gone to the Shrieking Shack lately?"
"Yeah, it was just the full moon last night." A feeling of dread suddenly overcame Tonks.
"Frank Bryce's body was found near the shack, seemingly mauled by an animal…" Tonks nearly fell back, her head growing dizzy and aching. "Remus is a suspect in his murder."
Responses:
RemusTonksFan: thank you for supporting! it's alright if you're busy xD read whenever! that's why written stories are always nicer than spoken stories xD
HPfollower 101: i didn't mean for it to be a cliffhanger haha, sorry, and thanks for reading!
TheMoonIsLowTonight-funkyfish: i think i need to take a trip to England to get a feel for myself of the English language and beauty of England haha. and thanks for reading and yes, i would fall for Remus so quickly too i mean he's like the sweetest guy you'll ever read about!
LoopyLuna13: i'm sorry you hate that song :( i just thought it fits the moment even though they go a bit further than kissing. and i try to fix all my errors (thank god for spell/grammar check) but I still make mistakes. and i can't wait to write about sirius working too. it won't be a big part of the story but just imagine sirius and annoying customers xD
short and proud: hey! thank you for pointing out the errors, I tried to fix them as best I can i hope that's ok. and thank you for reading! I'm big on Remus/Tonks fluff too but I realized that an all fluff story, no matter how nicely written, gets boring fast for me (i've tried an all fluff story i've just never posted it). anyways, thank you! and i hope you'll continue to enjoy my story
Madie-Loo: thank you so much! i guess it's because things happen in my head like a movie so imagery is easier for me than other parts of writing, there's still much to improve for me though so if you see anything, feel free to tell me, thank you for supporting!
