Here the next chapter! Very few people took me up on my challenge. I must confess myself… disappointed. Imaginary cookies to anyone who knows who said that and heard it in the character's voice. Imaginary cookies also go to QueenAnneMagic, ThisLoveHasNoCeiling, Professor Pang, and snitchstar for reviewing the last chapter as well as many of the others. Thanks for your support!
I will take this opportunity for some shameless self-promotion. Check out my other fic, Dear Baby, and tell me what you think. It is another RLNT set during Deathly Hallows. It is in no way connected to this story and will follow cannon.
There once was a man who made pottery. He was so hairy that everyone was afraid to talk to him. I own the rights to the hairy potter, but I do not own Harry Potter.
Shopping with Keira went better than Tonks dared hope. Though still shy, Keira was beginning to come out of her shell. Tonks had apparated them to a muggle town far away from London and morphed her appearance so they could act more naturally. She quickly discovered that Keira was a very intelligent, curious girl who shared Tonks' taste in bright colors. After they were done shopping, they sat on a park bench to eat sandwiches while Tonks amused her with tales of her Hogwarts days. Keira giggled at each prank and gasped at each of the schools magical oddities. Several hours after they had left, they stumbled back into the flat, heavily laden with shopping bags.
"I see your mission was a success," said Remus, "It seems the two of you have plundered a small village." In a lower voice he added, "How can you afford this, Dora?"
She simply waved him off. "I can manage," she answered in an equally quiet tone. He gave her another we will talk about this later look and once again Tonks dreaded the time later would come around. "Let's show Moony what we got!" she suggested cheerily and Keira eagerly obliged. Remus ooh'ed and ahh'ed over each outfit and toy held out for his inspection. Tonks pulled her old trunk from under her bed and emptied it of its contents, which mostly consisted of rubbish and unmatched socks that hadn't seen the light of day since she left Hogwarts. "There!" she cried when she was finished, "Now you can have a place to keep your things!" Keira lovingly folded her clothes and laid them in the trunk and placed the few stuffed animals, dolls, and books they had bought on top.
Remus looked at his watch and exclaimed, "It's almost five! The meeting should be starting soon. We should get going."
"Why don't you change into one of your new outfits, Keira?" The little girl shooed them both out of the bedroom so she could change. A few moments later, she emerged wearing a long pink sweater embroidered with a cupcake and purple tights. Tonks ruffled the Keira's dark curls. "Very cute! Are you both ready to leave? Remus, you've got two jumpers? Okay, let's go." She and Remus pulled on their cloaks and led the way out the door to an alley across the street.
Remus insisted that Tonks side-along apparate all three of them. Tonks filed that away for further discussion whenever later came around and did as he asked. They appeared in the park across the street from headquarters. Tonks dug in her pocket for the scrap of paper. She found it and gave it to Keira, warning her not to read it out loud. She looked at the slanting script that said The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix are at Number 12 Grimmauld Place and nodded, indicating she had read it. Immediately Tonks took the paper and burned it. "You want me to take Keira, Remus?" she asked, knowing he was still sore. He nodded and she opened her arms to the little girl, who allowed herself to be picked up and balanced on Tonks' hip. Tonks rearranged her cloak so that their identities were obscured in its dark folds and lead the way to the front door. She heard Keira gasp as Number 12 sprung up between its neighboring buildings, but she seemed to know better than to be loud.
Tonks entered the door first and predictably caught her foot on the troll's leg umbrella stand. Remus reached out to grab her before she fell, but not before Keira could give a squeal of surprise. The curtains in front of the portrait flew open and Mrs. Black began screaming, "Filth! Mudbloods! Half-breeds! Traitorous blood of my blood! How dare you disgrace this house with your presence?"
"Shut up you old hag!" Sirius yelled, closing the curtains with a violent flick of his wand, "Hello there, Moony. I thought I heard you come in." The two men stood staring and smiling at each other for a second, but soon pulled each other into a brotherly embrace. "You gave us quite a turn there," Sirius said finally, holding Remus at arm's length, "You look like you've been trampled by a herd of hippogriffs."
"Thank you, Sirius, you always know how to make a man feel good about his image," Remus retorted sarcastically.
"And who is this lovely lady?" he asked, turning to Keira who was making her best effort to disappear into Tonks' cloak, "Don't mind my mother. She yells, but what can she do? She's just a painting."
"Keira, this is my cousin and Moony's best friend, Sirius."
Sirius shook the girls hand then abruptly changed into the shaggy black dog. Keira gasped again, "You're Padfoot!" she exclaimed, much to everyone's surprise except Remus', "Moony told me all about you."
Sirius withdrew his paw and turned back into a man, a broad smile on his haggard face. "Only the good things, I hope." Keira nodded. "The meeting is about to start in the kitchen. Molly has set out enough food to feed an army in the drawing room and Madame Pomfrey is in there to see to all the, um…"
"Slaves?" Remus supplied dryly. Sirius lost all his bravado as if Remus had slapped him. He opened his mouth, then closed it again and turned to walk to the downstairs kitchen. Tonks threw Remus a withering look and walked to the drawing room. "I'm not scared of a word, Dora. I notice how you tiptoe around it and now Sirius, who never tiptoes around anything, does it. Will everyone do it now? I am a slave. You might as well call it what it is." He didn't sound angry just very tired. Tonks hugged him awkwardly, since she was still holding Keira with one arm.
"You will never be a slave to me. I still see you as my equal, if not my superior, just as before. No scrap of paper can ever change that."
"You have always been too good for me."
"I think the same about you. We will just have to agree to disagree. We better hurry before Sirius dives head first in to a bottle." She silenced his protest will a soft kiss before she loosened her hold on him, but still held his hand in hers as they walked together to the drawing room.
They opened the door to find a large group, mostly children, helping themselves to the food that covered the table dragged in from the kitchen. They were still a sickly-looking, downtrodden bunch, if a better dressed one, Tonks noted. Sheets blocked off a makeshift exam room in the corner where Madam Pomfrey attended her patients. One emerged just as Tonks, Remus, and Keira entered. Tonks put Keira down and led her toward the older witch. "Madam Pomfrey, this is Keira. Keira, this is the healer from Hogwarts. She used to take care of me and Moony."
Keira waved hello and Madam Pomfrey smiled welcomingly. She then assessed Keira and Remus with pursed lips. "Just like the others!" she exclaimed, "Malnourished and a whole host of other issues! I am glad you are back Remus," she finished warmly. Tonks knew she had seen more of Remus in his days as a student then as a teacher than any patient. The brusque old matron clearly had developed an attachment.
"Meeting's starting soon, best hurry. Will you be okay, Keira?"
The little girl looked at the healer suspiciously. "Are you going to give me a shot?"
"Heavens no, girl! That is a muggle trick, about as nonsensical and barbaric as stitches if you ask me!"
"I like her," Keira stated simply. Tonks and Remus chuckled while Madam Pomfrey smiled thinly.
Tonks took that as a dismissal and ducked out of the tented exam area. She was in the hall before she realized that she was alone. She turned to see Remus still in the drawing room, rocking back and forth on his heels as if he didn't quite know what to do with himself. "Remus, aren't you coming?"
He ruffled his hair uncomfortably. "Don't you think I am a bit of a liability now?"
"Don't be ridiculous! Do you want to continue to be part of the Order?" He nodded. "Fine, come to the meeting. We've missed you, and you can't tell me you are more of a liability than Mundungus. Sirius is practically on house arrest."
"I suppose you have a point," he conceded.
"I always do," she said with a smile, "Come now, we need to hurry. Can't have them thinking we are making mischief in the entry way." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and glanced over her shoulder at him impishly as she sauntered down to the basement kitchen. He rolled his eyes and followed her down the stairs.
Please review. Tell me one thing you have loved so far or anything that is nagging at you. I won't know what needs to be improved on unless someone tells me. It can be short like "Keira is cute as a button" or "What is it with you and commas, woman?" Feel free to PM me if you prefer.