LbN: Huzzah! I broke through my wall of writer's block! Enjoy the chapter :).
Tonks was trying valiantly to improve her Spanish. She pretended to read the newspaper as she surveyed the surrounding area. All she'd really gotten from it was that it was the 8th of July and that some rich bastard had just donated a ton of money to some charity or another. She stood up from the bench and stretched. Night was approaching, and once again she hadn't eaten properly all day—unless you counted the ice cream cone she'd had somewhere around noon. The bad part of being on the outskirts of town was that there were fewer food carts to choose from. Still, it would be nice to eat in a proper restaurant for once. She located one with a view of the street and went in.
It was the kind of place that brought back memories of her days right before the war had broken out. A noisy, kind of dodgy bar, with tables spread around the rest of the room for the people who needed some food with their drinks. It was the kind of place where you could just sit back and watch people—the kind of place where it didn't matter how many lights were on, or if the sun was shining. It was always a little dark. The patrons were shadowy figures, easy to blend in with, easily forgotten. Men with beards playing cards over their beers. Women showing just a bit too much skin, congregating around the bar. A normal hole-in-the-wall where you could get some pretty decent food.
Tonks slid into a booth by the window so she could still see the street and into the alley a bit. She caught a waiter's eye and nodded. A moment later, she had a glass of water and that day's dinner special in front of her. She pulled a sheet of parchment and a Muggle pen from her pocket. As per her promise to Ginny, she was writing. Unfortunately, she had no idea when she'd get to send it. So far all she'd even written was Dear Ginny. How do you explain a mission when you'd done exactly nothing? She sighed, put the unfinished letter back in her pocket, and picked at her dinner.
"An all-nighter…this is ambitious," Maddox said, yawning.
"Tippin suggested it," Tonks said. It was a little after midnight, and they were patrolling the streets. "Plus, it's not like any of us are going to sleep tonight anyway. We're all too frustrated."
They'd made it back to the cathedral when a ghost-like tiger floated down next to them. "Spotted. Apparate to station ten."
"Holy crap, really?" Maddox yelped.
A second later, the street was empty.
"Wait for the signal," Kent muttered.
Tonks was battle tense. She could feel her hair flying through colors, and did her best to stay inconspicuous. From across the alley, she saw Macbeth's wand glow blue. She lit her own wand, and from all corners of the square, she saw the team do the same. A moment later, the door was blasted off its hinges and they were inside. Spells of every color were flying. Tonks noticed the brothers going for their wands. "Link!" she yelled. She felt a hand grab her wrist, and she rugby tackled one of the brothers just as he Disapparated.
They fell to the ground in a wooded area. Tonks struggled to her feet just as Haley Barlow sent a hex whizzing past her. She dodged it, tripped over a tree root, and hit her head. "Merlin damn it!" She heard yelling. Focusing for a moment, she created a deep fog around the area. Two dark shapes ran past her. She shot a spell from the ground and caught one. "Over here!"
"Go Emmett!" the one on the ground shouted.
"Got him!" Price yelled, as Emmett fell to the ground a few yards away from his brother.
Tonks struggled to her feet, stumbled, and felt someone catch her. "Thanks," she mumbled.
"Can you make it?" Macbeth asked.
"I think so," Tonks said. "Well done tonight."
Macbeth nodded. "Let's get these blighters back to the Ministry."
"Where are we?"
"No idea. But we're going home. Just hang on to me—I think you've got a concussion. The rest of the team's got them."
Tonks gripped his arm, and a second later felt herself Apparating.
"Good work, all of you," Kingsley said. "I'll write to Cordero and tell him we've apprehended them. Go home. Get some sleep."
"We should get in there for questioning," Tonks mumbled. She was trying to choke down a potion for her head.
"No. We have them. They're not going anywhere," Kingsley assured her. "Go home. I'm sure Ginny's anxious to see you."
Tonks nodded, checking her watch. It was two in the morning. She stood, finally steady on her feet.
"Better?"
"Yes. We'll start in the morning?"
"Take some of the morning off," he told the group. "We'll start at eleven. Hopefully they'll crack quickly."
"Indeed," Kent said, smiling for the first time in days.
The team put their files away and, saying their goodnights, headed to the Flooing hallway. Tonks yawned and tossed a fistful of green powder into the fire. "Home!" she said.
A minute later, she stumbled out of the fireplace. She caught herself, chuckling. "I really don't need another concussion tonight," she muttered.
She showered and changed in the guest room, so that she didn't wake Ginny. Even though it had only been three days, she was still relieved to be sleeping in her own bed again. As quietly as possible, she slid into bed next to Ginny, glad to be home.