AN: Apologies for the massively long wait for this chapter. I lost inspiration a bit. I really hope people are still reading!
Previously: Remus and Tonks are on the hunt for a monster that's stalking London taking muggles. Meanwhile, Lucius Malfoy and a mysterious woman are plotting something diabolical. With the help of Tonks best friend and fellow auror Claire, Tonks and Remus have got together and with the further help of Alastor Moody have plotted to break into the ministry to find out what exactly Lucius Malfoy is up to.
As 9pm struck they were ready. It was late enough for everyone to have gone home but not so late that Tonks couldn't come up with a vaguely plausible excuse should they be discovered. Not that they would be discovered- after all, they had Mad Eye's invisibility cloak.
Their plan was vague to say the least. It was based mainly on the assumption that Lucius Malfoy would have come to the same conclusion they had about the prime time to be sneaking around the Ministry and that they'd be able to catch him in the act. In the act of what exactly they were still unsure.
They'd decided the best way to go was through her flat because as a Ministry worker, she could floo right in. It would be obvious if anyone was watching the fireplaces but it was better than going through the visitors entrance with a badge that said ' Name: Nymphadora Tonks Purpose: Breaking and entering. They'd be under the cloak as well so, as long as no one was looking too hard, they should be in the clear. Or so she kept telling herself.
"Ready?" Came Remus' hoarse voice from her right.
"Nope. You?" She responded, grabbing a handful of floo powder from the mantelpiece.
"Not evenly remotely." He said, draping the cloak around them, making sure they were completely covered.
They glanced towards each other and with a grim smile and a curt nod she threw the powder into the fire and they both stepped forward.
The ministry foyer was creepy at night, was the immediate conclusion Tonks came to. The massive hall echoed with their invisible footsteps as the giant statues, shrouded in shadows watched their progress across the cavernous room. There was always a strange atmosphere in empty spaces that were normally filled with noise and bustle. You were infinitely more aware of the silence and emptiness.
Tonks let out a sigh of relief as they stepped into the lift and could feel Remus do the same next to her.
She scanned the numbers in front of her for the right button, eager to get out of the Ministry's distinctly uncomfortable reception area.
She as interrupted by a snigger next to her as Remus' finger emerged from the cloak only to point at the floor for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Our first date." He muttered into her ear. She could hear the smirk in his voice
She nudged him hard.
"I thought we'd agreed not to talk about that?"
She couldn't help but grin too though at the memory of her extremely over zealous interview of Remus.
Ah, there it was.
She pressed the button and the lift began to descend.
The Department of Mysteries. Whatever was going on, it had something to do with the Department of Mysteries. That's where Malfoy had been sneaking around and that's where the experiments on the dementors originated. If they were going to get to the bottom of this, that would have to be the main port of call.
Ding.
Tonks winced at how loud the lift was as they arrived and the doors slid open. There was no one there though, to her relief and also slight disappointment.
They walked very slowly down the long, poorly lit corridor towards the door at the end, partially to stay as quiet as possible but also because Tonks could barely walk in a straight line anyway, never mind when tangled up with Remus' gangly legs.
Merlin, she was glad he was there with her. There was something inescapably unnerving about the Department of Mysteries; it exuded menace. The only lighting was torches placed occasionally along the black tiled windowless walls. It was foreboding to say the least. It was reassuring to know there was someone else down there with her, especially as it was Remus. It'd been a horribly stressful couple of days but guiltily she'd quite enjoyed it. Just sitting next to Remus on his frayed sofa, poring over newspaper articles as their shoulders brushed, exchanging the occasional word or smile or kiss. She definitely owed Claire a pint. Without that push to ask him over for dinner she'd still be hopelessly pining after him.
"This is it then." He whispered as they reached the heavy looking black door.
"Yeah. I suppose it is."
Neither of them made any move to open the door.
"I really don't want to go in there." She eventually admitted.
And it was true. She had no idea what was waiting for her… for Remus. There was probably a very, very dangerous creature in there that was controlled by Lucius Malfoy. If they were discovered… well. It was over really.
But she had a responsibility, one that she took seriously. She was sworn to fight dark magic wherever she found it and this was about as dark as it got.
It didn't mean she wasn't scared though. Now would be a good moment for a bit of Remus' Gryfindor courage.
"Me neither."
Brilliant.
"Me neither," he continued "but that's not going to stop us, is it?"
She looked over to him.
"No, it isn't."
He leant down and deposited a lingering kiss on her lips. He drew back with a small smile.
"Let's go."
And with that she opened the door.
The Department of Mysteries was a deeply strange place. She had expected to be immediately confronted with Lucius Malfoy and the dementor-like creature in some sort of climactic showdown but that was far from the case. Instead, they came to a circular room full of doors. It became quickly apparent as they went through each door that not only was the Department of Mysteries vast, it was also designed to confuse; the room span so they couldn't keep track of which doors they'd been through.
It was also hard to tell if they'd found something relevant. She had no idea what was being studied but the concepts she was confronted with in every room were so complex and confusing, there was no way she could tell if it had anything to do with the missing muggles or Lucius Malfoy. They'd lost a lot of time in one room where their thoughts manifested as images, particularly confusing when Lucius Malfoy suddenly loomed in front of them, flourishing his wand. He spoke like Malfoy but their spells seemed to bend around him and he could disappear and reappear at will. It was only when Tonks realised that the spells he were firing back at them were simply beams of light that she realised it was not Malfoy they were fighting but rather their over stimulated imaginations.
It was safe to say they were exhausted by the time they finally entered the right room. They had been in there for hours and the things they'd seen were enough to make Tonks want to sleep for a year. They would not give up though. He was in there and they knew it. Which was why, as they snuck through yet another door into a massive domed room with an arch in the middle of it, Tonks almost sighed in relief. Because there he was. After hours of searching, there was the bastard. And he wasn't alone.
The seven muggles. It had to be them. They stood behind Malfoy, eyes blank and unseeing. They had been kissed, Tonks realised. It felt like a punch to the gut. She'd known it was unlikely but she'd hoped they could be saved.
Merlin, those poor people.
She looked over to Malfoy.
He was dressed in his standard high-necked black attire, with his silver hair flowing down his back and his cane grasped in his pale hands as he paced.
He looked impatient.
Tonks looked across at Remus and frowned in question. He shrugged and indicated with his head that they should descend the steps towards him.
That was when the door flew open behind them and a hooded woman rushed past them, almost skimming their frozen figures.
"Someone's here Malfoy." The voice hissed, barely audible to their ears.
"What do you mean?" Malfoy's eyes had widened almost comically and his hands had tightened on the silver grip of his cane.
"Somebody is on to us. They're in the department now. We need to hurry up."
Malfoy's hand darted out and grabbed the woman by the arm, pulling her close.
"I cannot be caught. Do you understand that? I cannot be caught."
"Which is why we need to hurry up. Now get your bloody hands off me." She shook him off and waved her wand.
Remus' hand grasped hers as a circular mark in the floor neither of them had noticed before very slowly began to open and a shadow emerged. The room noticeably dimmed; the monster radiated darkness in the way a torch would radiate light.
It became abundantly clear to Tonks that they needed to get out of there now.
The woman stepped away from the monster and turned towards the arch. That was when her hood fell down.
Claire.
The shock was enough to make Tonks step backwards.
And Tonks step backwards was enough to send her and Remus, already perched precariously, tumbling loudly down the stairs.
AN: It would be great to hear from you all, just so i know that people are still interested really. Thanks!