Chapter 14: Winging It
Amelia Bones sat at the kitchen table, looking over the parchment that had just been delivered. Apparently there was a rather important meeting going on at Potter Lodge involving dignitaries from several countries and she hadn't been notified. Granted, she was one of the last vestiges of the old Ministry, and the Ministry didn't really exist anymore, but she felt a bit irritated being left out of the loop. The High Council did send her information, but that was usually relayed after the fact and in that stultifying prose that only career bureaucrats could compose. To make matters worse, if possible, Mad Eye had returned earlier from a discussion with Potter's goblin and had informed her that the Muggle girl that had appeared with Arthur Weasley's youngest son was staying with Auror Tonks on a technicality. She didn't mind that at all, really, as from what she had heard the girl was rather bright and seemed to have made friends amongst Potter and Tonks, but what she did mind was that Moody was...well, moody as all get out. He had been muttering to himself the whole time he had been in the kitchen to get a cup of tea and just waved off her questions in irritation.
It was while preparing to fix yet another cup of tea that Kingsley came into the kitchen, an official-looking scroll in his hand. "Amelia? I think this is for you."
"You think?" She glared up at him and took the scroll without another word, opening it to reveal a small piece of parchment lying on top of the official looking document, complete with official seal at the bottom. "Merlin's pants!" She quickly took up the smaller note and read it quickly, sitting back into her chair in shock.
"What is it, Melia?" Kingsley sat down next to her and pulled the chair closer. As she handed him the note without looking he quickly took it and scanned it, arriving to the same conclusion that had left his girlfriend in shock. "Albus named you as an emergency contact to the International Confederation of Wizards?"
"Apparently so. Old man never told me about it." She picked up the other parchment, the one with the seal, and began reading. Once she had finished reading somehow the document knew that she had completed digesting its words and flashed once with a pale, blue light. She sat the parchment down lightly on the table, as if it would bite her, and looked up at Kingsley. With a heavy sigh she gave him a determined look. "It appears that I have been notified of an emergency meeting of the ICW in America. Tomorrow. If that's not all, I'm required to bring Potter."
"Good luck on that, love."
"Thanks." She reached over and put a hand on his arm. "I'm going to need it. Now where's the parchment?"
-ooo-
After everything that had happened that day Harry needed a bit of time by himself. It was all a bit much, the dreams, the meeting with all those witches and wizards, not to mention the meeting with Andromeda and Ted about the wedding. That had been something, to say the least. For an hour or so they'd tried to figure out a way around the ceremonies and the stipulation that every witch and wizard would be sent and invitation. Tonks had a house elf fetch Daphne, and when she arrived with the book they all went over that several times. Well, Ted and Daphne did, anyway. Ted said that old ceremonies and legends were kind of his thing, which made Andromeda roll her eyes. It was kind of funny, how the two of them acted, it was almost as if it was a game that they both knew but couldn't quit, Ted teasing Andromeda while she acted put out regarding his comments. Tonks had whispered to him that they were always like that, and seemed somewhat embarrassed, but Harry found it funny. Funny and somewhat comforting. He hadn't been around too many couples, not really, not when the couples were being proper adults and such, so he found it fascinating.
It was while contemplating what he and Tonks would be like after they were married that he heard his name. He turned and saw Hermione, standing by the doorway. She didn't look well. He knew that she was still struggling with the death of her father and felt bad that he hadn't made time to talk with her. He didn't say anything, just motioned with his head for her to join him.
For a minute after she stood next to him by the bookcase they were quiet, but then she threw herself into his arms, sobbing.
"Oh, Harry...I don't know what to do."
"Shhh, it's ok, Hermione." He rubbed her back in small circles with a free hand. "It's ok. It'll all be ok."
"How do you know that?" She lifted her head off of his shoulder. "Everything's...it's all a shambles! The Ministry, Hogwarts, everything...I really wish Daddy was here."
"I know, I know you do." Harry gave her an empathetic look. "I know you do."
"And now I find out that you and Tonks are engaged!" Her sadness was replaced by exasperation as she lightly hit him on the shoulder. "How could you not tell me? I had to find it out by two wizards from other countries talking about it in a hallway?"
"Hermione...I wanted to tell you, I really did."
"So why are you doing it? Do you love her?" She watched as her words sank in and realised, as she knew Harry, that he did. "You do, don't you?"
"Ppppphhhhttt." Harry exhaled forcefully. "Um, yeah. Yeah. It didn't start that way, not after we found out about the contract..."
Hermione stepped away from him in shock. "A contract? You have got to be kidding me. Those things are, are...they're ancient! Barbaric!"
"It's not like that, really." He took a deep breath, knowing when his friend was on the verge of one of her righteous rants. "If anything it's made things easier. Listen, you know how magic seems really odd to us at times, how we were both raised. Right? There's a lot of magic going on here that would blow your mind. Hell, it might even make your hair go straight." That got her to stop her already-forming rant and give him a look with pursed lips and a raised eyebrow, a look he was familiar with as usually it preceded him telling her about something she was going to call one of his 'idiotic schemes.' He also knew that she would listen instead of talk. "So, let me tell you about a few dreams."
About a half-hour later the two of them sat at a small table. He'd told her everything, as much as he could remember. He was surprised when she held her tongue in a couple of spots, only asking him to repeat one section, when he told her about his dream with Magdalene and how his mum had visited Tonks in her dream. After he was finished he looked over to her, half-expecting her to go off on him about something.
She didn't. "Harry. Oh Harry..." She reached forward and took his hand. "You always seem to find yourself in the middle of these things, don't you?"
"Duh."
She rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away from him, swatting him on the arm softly. "You are impossible. Merlin knows how Tonks will stand it." She gave him a tight-lipped but honest smile. "You're happy. Even though the world has gone to hell and almost all of the bedrock institutions of magical society are falling to pieces, not to mention that you've been dealing with some rather ancient magic...you're happy, aren't you?"
He gave her a lopsided grin and shrugged.
"Prat." She sat back in the chair and rubbed her forehead in the exact spot where Harry's scar was located. "I still cannot believe you had that in you. Thank goodness for the goblins."
"Yeah, that was brilliant. Scary as hell, though. I don't remember much of the ceremony, so no, I can't tell you exactly what happened." He noticed her chagrined look. "But I can tell you that when it happened it was like a massive pensieve of my life all at once, and Tonks saw it, but more than that I saw her life. She knows what I've been through."
"Did she see all the times you completely ignored common sense and went running off into danger? Hmmm?"
"Well...yeah. I guess."
"At least she knows what she's getting into." Hermione was silent for a moment, then her voice came out low. "Harry, the wizards at the meeting know about you and Tonks now. It's going to be in the open. Everybody will know."
"They'll know anyway. Trust me, everybody will know." Harry then proceeded to tell her about the whole 'two ancient and noble families joining' thing that required them to send invitations to all witches and wizards in Britain. He waited and began counting mentally to see how long it would take her to come to the horrible conclusion and wasn't surprised. She got to two.
"Harry!" She stood up and began pacing, talking and waving her hands the entire time. "But that's just...he'll get an invitation, and they'll know the exact time and place! That's just like waving a red flag at a bull, maybe worse! Of course they'll prepare for him to try and attack you then, maybe there are some runes that could protect you, but I...I'll ask Bill. Maybe he could help. Or the goblins!" She spun towards him and snapped her fingers. "The goblins, Harry. The house elves! Centaurs, all of them, the ones V..."
Harry held up a hand. "Ted and I are calling him the Dark Wanker. There were better names but Andromeda won't let us use them."
"So immature." Hermione shook her head but kept on going. "But all of the beings that the..."
"Dark Wanker."
"...yes, him, all the beings that he ignores because they aren't witches and wizards. Don't you see, Harry? This is the time to fix everything! We're remaking the wizarding world right now...well, you are."
"Tonks is helping." He smiled, rather enjoying her going off on one of her mental workouts. He'd missed those times, seeing her in the Gryffindor common room or off somewhere, working through possibilities and problems, even if the magnitude of those problems paled in comparison to what they were facing this time. It was while wishing that they only things they had to worry about were Quidditch and Malfoy being a git that he realised that she had stopped talking. "Um, what?"
"And I'm going to miss everything." She sat down defeatedly in the chair opposite from him. "Mum is sending me to America."
"Um, I thought you wanted to go?" He saw her face and quickly added "that's what I heard."
"I did. I really did, Harry. After Daddy...I just wanted to get away. Mum insisted, and I really didn't want to row with her about it, not with Daddy...but now, now?" She shook her head. "This is the chance to change things, there will never be another chance like this."
"If I survive, you mean."
She was up from her chair like a bolt and stood over him, angry. "Harry James Potter I never want to hear another idiotic statement like that from you ever again! You will live and..."
"The Dark Wanker." He smiled at her.
"Stop it, I'm being serious."
He couldn't help himself. "No, you're Hermione."
She stamped her foot. "Harry, listen! I know you'll survive this, you're too, too...you just will, I know it. With everybody working together they'll find a way and that...Dark Wanker will be gone."
He held up his hands. "Ok, ok, got it. Besides, if Tonks' dreams are any clue I'm going to have daughters. You wouldn't want to miss that, would you?"
"Daughters?" She sat down once again. "Oh Harry...you'd have a family."
"Yeah, I know." He sat there, somewhat lost in his thoughts. At that moment he was glad that Hermione wasn't a legilimens because he knew exactly how children got into the world and was imagining Tonks in a not-so-fully clothed form. Hermione's touch on his arm brought him out of his daydream and he shook his head, trying not to let on what he had been thinking about. It didn't work.
"You're blushing, Harry." She smiled at him but it quickly died. "I don't know when I'll be back, though."
"At least you'll have Charlie with you, right?" He smiled as the tables were turned and Hermione blushed a bright crimson. "Never figured that one, I'm pretty sure George or Fred lost a bet on that. They're hiding out, did you know that? Effie calls them a guerrilla squad since they're out there causing mayhem for the Death Eaters. They liked it so much they had cards made up with their faces on gorilla bodies, like from the zoo."
"I didn't know that." She turned and looked away. "Charlie didn't say anything. He's been busy, though, letters to the American dragon reserve. Mum wasn't too keen on the idea but then he told her that if someone tried to get to us they'd have to fight through an entire reserve of dragons in Utah. Harry..." She turned to him. "I know I should leave, I know it would make Mum happy, but I can't. Not now."
The conversation from earlier that day between Effie and Moody, about Jack staying in the wizarding world, popped into his head. They found a way to keep Jack around, Effie was brilliant on that part. With a grin that his mum would have recognised from when his father was up to something he shook his head at Hermione. "Don't worry. I can fix it. Kipsey?"
With a pop the house elf appeared, the noise of her apparition startling Hermione. "Master Harry, you called Kipsey?"
"I did." He knelt down next to her, speaking softly enough that Hermione wouldn't overhear. "If Effie is still here can you bring her to us? If she's not in a meeting or anything."
With a nod of her head Kipsey popped away. Harry didn't need to count this time, he knew what she would say as he stood up.
"And the house elves!" Hermione was off an running again. "Harry, just think, with the changes we can..." She stopped, seeing the look on her face. "What?"
"You're wrong on that one, Hermione. House elves don't want to be freed. I've learned a lot since I've been here at the lodge and only really horrible families treat their elves the way Dobby was treated. Trust me. If you don't believe me after what..."
He never got to finish the sentence as Kipsey popped into the room with a very shocked Effie. Before anyone could say a word Kipsey bowed towards Harry and then popped away again.
"Uh, sorry, Effie. I just meant for her to..."
The goblin straightened her clothing and gave him an odd look. "It is quite all right, Harry, but next time please be precise with your words. Now, what is so important that I was pulled away from my parchment? I still have entirely too much to do. You have not been notified yet, as I just received the parchment, but there is to be a meeting of the ICW tomorrow in America."
Hermione knew from the tone of the goblin that she was irritated slightly, but Harry just had a stupid grin on his face. She wondered exactly what he was up to, but fortunately didn't have long to ponder that issue.
"That's what I figured, Effie. I know you're the only goblin working on things here because, well, the other goblins don't treat you well because you're a female account goblin, right?" He glanced over to Hermione and had to stifle a grin as he saw her reaction to that statement. "Well, I thought you could use some help."
Effie sighed, as if dealing with a rather thoughtful but naïve offer from someone who didn't understand goblin culture. "Thank you, Harry, but I'm afraid Gringotts will not add any additional staff to your account. None of the junior account managers wish to work with me. I cannot change centuries of goblin culture overnight."
Sneaking another glance at Hermione's outraged expression Harry decided it was time. "Well, Hermione said we're changing things since the Ministry isn't here anymore and stuff, so why not start changing Gringotts, too? Effie, Hermione here is the smartest witch I know and is good at paperwork. Trust me, you should see her revision schedules. Hermione?" He turned to her. "Just think, you could help prove to all the magical world, even the goblins, that things are changing. You could be Effie's assistant...er, I can't think of a title."
"Harry." Hermione shook her head. "Bill works for Gringotts. Other witches and wizards work with Gringotts. It won't change anything."
Effie, though, had caught on to what Harry was saying. "Oh, but Miss Granger, they are consultants. Yes, they work for Gringotts but are not allowed to access account information as they are curse breakers and other positions like that...no, it is quite different. Quite different." She turned to Harry. "Lord Potter, I take it you wish to add personnel to your staff?"
He wrinkled his nose, confused. "You're my staff?"
Effie nodded. "I have been given special dispensation by the Director of Gringotts, as well as other...considerations."
"Huh. Didn't know that." Harry ignored Hermione's attempt to get his attention. "Yeah, yeah I want to add to my staff."
"Very well." Effie walked over to Hermione and looked up. "Miss Granger, as the sole representative of Gringotts working on Lord Potter's account there is quite a bit of paperwork, not to mention the paperwork involved with joining the houses of Potter and Black, and I find myself in need of an Assistant Account Manager. Would you be interested in joining the staff?"
"Harry?" Hermione looked over to him.
He grinned as if he'd just caught the Snitch from under Malfoy's nose. "You'd get to stay here and you'd have goblin protection." He turned to Effie. "She would be protected, wouldn't she?"
Effie nodded vigourously and gave him a slightly scary, toothy smile. "Oh yes, Harry. Very well protected."
"See, Hermione? That should make your mum happy."
With a look of sincere gratitude Hermione looked at him. "Thank you. Thank you, Harry." She then turned to Effie and stuck out her hand. "I accept your offer."
As Effie shook Hermione's hand a puff of purple smoke went off over their hands, cementing the contract. The goblin smiled. "Very well, Miss Granger. Please call me Effie. I suggest you inform those you wish to tell immediately as I would like to start bringing you up to speed. The parchment for the ICW won't prepare itself. Please see me in one hour in the formal library."
After Effie left Hermione seemed to bounce on her feet and then ran over to give Harry a hug. Once she let him go she took his hand. "Come on!"
He laughed as she pulled him along. "Can't wait to tell Charlie?"
"Oh no." She shook her head. "You're telling my mum."
"Shit."
-ooo-
Ron Weasley sat on the sofa, if you could technically call it sitting, as one leg was draped over the arm of the sofa. Sitting in front of him, if you could also call that sitting, was Jack Wilson. Most people upon seeing them would not call it sitting but rather a combination of almost sitting and lying down, as Jack was leaning back against Ron reading a book while Ron played with her hair and thought about her current situation. He was happy that she got to stay, obviously, more than happy which had led to a private chat with his mum about things. A chat that he had tried to get out of his mind as soon as it was over, even going so far as to ask Remus Lupin if he could be obliviated. Remus only shook his head and sent him on his way.
As Jack had been named a lady-in-waiting magic had seen fit to produce another book for her, identical to Daphne's book, and it had appeared next to her lunch that day, sending her shepherd's pie off the plate as she reacted. She was currently engrossed in the book, as it read like something from one of those fantasy novels, but it kept pinging through her head that it was all real. After reading something she chuckled quietly, but the motion of her laughing made Ron aware.
"Something funny?"
"Unicorns really exist! I always thought there was too much stuff about them for them to be made-up."
"Oh, yeah. They're real." Ron remembered the what Harry told him about unicorns and the Forbidden Forest his first year, making him shudder involuntarily. "Yeah. They're real."
"What's the matter?" Jack turned somewhat to look at him. "They can't be bad."
"No, they're not. Just a bad memory."
"You don't have to tell me. If you don't want to."
"I will, later. It's not important now." He sighed, as he was trying to figure out how to help her out with her parents. They'd talked about it a bit, as Harry had shown them the flier that said she was missing, but none of them had come up with any answers. Jack's attention had been turned towards the book that had shown up after that, but Ron couldn't let it go. He couldn't let her go. Not now. He shifted a bit. "Hey, can you budge up? I need the loo."
"Sure." She moved over and let him go, engrossed with the book.
He shook his head at her and walked off. It was funny, her and the book. For a while he had thought about actually asking Hermione out to Hogsmeade, and figured that if they ever did start dating it'd be like that, her with her head in a book all the time, but with Jack it was different. He couldn't place his finger on exactly how it was different but it just was. A good different, a good different that he didn't want to lose.
He walked past the loo without even glancing in it's direction and took out his wand, casting a point-me spell, thankful that the trace was long gone. He was hit with a powerful sadness just then, as he knew that the only reason the trace was gone was that the Ministry had been blown up, his father one of the casualties. With a grim determination on his face he followed the spell until he found his goal, sitting with Ted Tonks in a room full of antlers.
"Ron, what can I do for you?" Remus Lupin sat the small glass of firewhiskey down on the table.
"I need your help." Ron looked over to Ted as he started to get up. "Probably yours as well."
Ted settled back into his chair and pointed over to an empty chair.
Ron sat down quickly. "It's about Jack. Well, her family. They think she's missing, but I know her sister knows about stuff and, um, me. She hasn't really said anything but I know it bothers her. She's worried and I...I don't know how to fix it."
"Ron." Remus looked at him kindly. "I don't know if it is up to you to fix things."
"But it feels like I should, Professor." Ron waved away Lupin's continual insistence that he was no longer a professor and plunged ahead. "I know it's dangerous out there now, I mean, Dad's gone and so's Hermione's dad and...but there's got to be a way. I mean, how'd the Ministry deal with this before?"
"Ah." Ted nodded. "I see. Well, do you want the good news or the bad news?"
"At least there's good news." Ron slumped into his chair. "How about the bad first?"
"Well..." Ted tapped his finger on the arm of the chair. "I believe it depends on your view of bad. When Muggles have found out about the wizarding world in the past they were obliviated." He held up his hand to stop Ron from speaking. "But that's out the window now. There were exceptions, like when a wizard or witch married a Muggle."
Ron gulped. He liked Jack an awful lot, he really did, but marriage?
Ted and Remus exchanged smirks until Remus cleared his throat. "But since times are changing we might have to do things the old way, and when I say old way, Ron, I mean the very old way. The family way." He turned to Ted. "I believe this may be your area of expertise?"
Ted chuckled, knowing exactly what Remus meant. "Dromeda said my studying all the old histories and such would never come in handy, but it seems like the old times are back. Well, sort of." He leaned forward. "Back before the Statue of Secrecy magicals and Muggles lived together. It wasn't always easy, but they managed. One of the things they used to do to protect Muggles back then was to, well, make them part of the family."
All the blood seemed to drain out of Ron's face. Leave it to him to finally, finally find a girl that he was interested in who was actually interested in him and now she was going to be his...sister?
Remus tapped Ron on the knee, startling him. "It's not quite like you think, Ron. I believe the Scottish clans call them septs. It means they are aligned families under the protection of another family. More like an alliance."
Ron's breathing slowly began to approach normal. "Ok, um, I guess. That still doesn't solve the problem with the Muggle Aurors."
"True." Remus sat still for a moment, thinking. "Perhaps if Jack returned to her parents, for a very short while, they could straighten things out with the Muggle authorities. Say that she was following a band or something." He saw Ted's odd look. "Sirius wanted to follow the Clash one summer."
"She'd be in danger." Ron shook his head. "I won't leave her alone out there when they know about her."
"Ron." Ted gave him a look; the boy was being rather thick. "Do you actually believe any of us would just send her out there on her own? Besides, even though you are the Earl of Weasley you can't align her family. Bill would have to do it. Think."
Ron got it. Bill had taken the role of Lord Weasley very seriously after their father's death. It had been hard to comprehend, their family being Lords and stuff but Harry and the goblins had fixed that. Still, if Harry was Lord Potter and could do stuff, and Tonks could be all Lady Black and make Jack a lady-in-waiting, Bill could do that stuff too. "I guess I need to talk to Bill, huh?"
"That would be the first place to start." Remus agreed.
"Thanks. Really, thanks." Ron stood up. "I need to go get Jack and find Bill."
After Ron left the room Remus looked over to Ted. "What was the good news?"
Ted shrugged. "Beats me. I was winging it."
The two men clinked glasses and downed their firewhiskey.
-ooo-
It was later that night when Tonks arrived back at the Lodge, tired as could be. It had been a really long day, compounded by the fact that she hadn't had much sleep and she had to deal with a bunch of stuffy politicians, not to mention that the goblins had kept her out on patrol long enough that the Pepper Up potions had worn off ages ago. She slid off her leather jacket, letting it fall on the chair when her door opened. She didn't even look back to see who had entered but instead continued to take off her boots.
"What'd I miss, Daph?"
"Well, Nymph..." Daphne stood in the doorway in her dressing gown. "Let's see. There's an emergency meeting of the ICW tomorrow in America and Harry has to go with Effie, be glad you're not invited to that because it sounds horrible. Besides that Harry managed to somehow get Hermione hired as Effie's assistant for Harry's account..."
"Hold on a tic." Tonks let the boot drop on the floor and turned back to Daphne. "ICW? Really? And are you saying Gringotts hired a Muggleborn witch as an account assistant?"
"Yep. That's what I'm telling you. Well, Harry hired her for Effie, and Effie works for Harry and Gringotts, so I guess Hermione works for Gringotts now. Sorta." She paused. "Do you want to hear the rest?"
"There's more?"
"Oh yes, there's more."
Tonks took off her socks and wiggled her toes. "Well come in then."
Daphne came into the room and sat on Tonks' bed, propping herself up with every single pillow on the bed. "Right, let's see. We got an owl from Amelia Bones, she's the temporary British representative to the ICW. Apparently Dumbledore put her name down as an emergency fill-in and we're obviously in emergency mode so she's going. She's the one who has to take Harry along with Effie and will be here at..." She picked up her wand and cast a quick tempus spell. "In about five hours. It's an early portkey."
"Bloody hell." Tonks grabbed a t-shirt from her wardrobe and stopped for a moment. It was a t-shirt from a band that she had seen with...
"Are you ok?" Daphne only saw Tonks from behind, but it looked as if her shoulders were sagging. "Something wrong?"
"No, I'm fine." Tonks put the t-shirt back and pulled out one that said Puddlemere United on the front. "I'm going into the loo to change. I can still hear you, keep talking."
"Ok, if you say so." Daphne watched as Tonks entered the loo and then her trousers were thrown out of the doorway onto the floor. The house elves would not be happy; then she corrected herself. They would be happy. "Ron Weasley and his brother Bill are going to take Jack to see her family tomorrow. They're bringing her family into the Weasley family..."
"What?" Tonks' head appeared around the doorway with a toothbrush in her mouth, still charmed and brushing away.
"Not like that, it's an old alliance thingy, wizards used to do that all the time ages ago. They're taking some former Aurors along with them and I think there's a goblin going to do some wards, I didn't hear everything."
"Right." Tonks' head disappeared back into the loo and then she came out shortly thereafter in her t-shirt and a pair of men's boxer shorts. "Like you didn't hear everything. You know everything that's going on around here, Miss Slytherin."
"Should I continue, Nymph?"
"Of course, Daph." Tonks sat on the other end of the bed then reached forward and pulled a couple of pillows from behind Daphne and settled them against the other end of the bed. After finding just the right comfortable position she nudged Daphne with her foot. "Go on."
"Fine." Daphne readjusted the pillows. "Jack has a book like mine so..."
"Great, two of you on me about shit."
"And whose fault is that?"
Tonks stuck out her tongue.
Daphne put her hand on her heart and replied sarcastically. "Oh Lady Black, your eloquence." After watching Tonks roll her eyes she continued. "Jack has a book but since she's going to be at her house for a while, we don't know how long, you just get me. Ron is going to be there as well as Bill, because he has to do the ritual that brings them into an alliance with the Weasleys. To make things easier for Jack's family Hermione's mother is going with them, to help explain things. We don't really know how long they'll be but I heard one of the house elves say that Effie was going to send over some reinforcements. You didn't hear that from me, though."
"You really are something, Daphne."
"Thank you." Daphne nodded. "Now can I finish? I'd actually like to get some sleep."
"Merlin's balls, how much more do you have?"
"Just one more thing. The Weasley twins got here about an hour or so, they're meeting with Remus Lupin. Apparently they've been causing trouble for the Death Eaters in a series of hit and run attacks. Oh, and they're not alone, Oliver Wood, Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson are with them. Amelia Bones has known about them for some time, which hasn't gone over well with Molly Weasley since she didn't send her an owl or anything. Amelia says they are guerrilla fighters and, well, you know the Weasley twins." She held out her hand for a moment and then her big book popped into it with a thud. After skimming through some pages Daphne found what she was looking for and handed it to Tonks. "See what I mean?"
Tonks looked down at the card and laughed. On the card several gorillas jumped on crudely drawn, prone Death Eaters, two of the gorillas sporting the smiling faces of Fred and George Weasley. "That's brilliant."
Daphne sighed in exasperation. "You would think so. Ok, it's off to bed." She slid off the bed and turned back to Tonks. "Since Harry is out tomorrow your mother requested your presence for a day of...oh Merlin, I have to be there as well."
"It can't be that bad."
Daphne looked at Tonks and raised an eyebrow. "Wedding dresses."
"Fuckin' hell."
"Good night, Nymph."
As Daphne left the room Tonks threw a pillow, hitting the just closed door. "Piss off, Daph."
A/N: Well, that surprised even me. Usually it takes me a bit between chapters but this one just kind of came out unexpectedly. Things are moving along nicely, and I doubt the ICW will be a lot of fun. We still don't know much about the wedding, not yet, but that will all be resolved shortly. Maybe. Dunno yet. We'll see.
Ted Lupin is the gift that keeps on giving; I'm not sure how but he always seems to crack me up. If I didn't have plans I would create a sitcom with Daphne and Tonks, those two seem to have a good time taking the mickey out of each other. As for Charlie and Tonks, it is possible to be on good, friendly terms with an ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend. It may take some time, but it can happen.
So next up we've got an ICW meeting, wedding dresses and Ron in Muggleland. Should be interesting.
As always, thanks for reading and review if you wish.