Summary: Tonks, Sirius, Snape, Narcissa, Luna, Dobby and Bob the Dementor must save the Wizarding World one evil faction at a time. Together, they walk the downward spiral to insanity.

Ratings: T (downgraded for now, because it doesn't seem as though I'll be doing anything too profane)

Timeline: Post Goblet of Fire, pre Order of the Phoenix, though keeping in mind the various character and spell introductions of the final books.

Disclaimer: (I guess I should probably include this) Harry Potter and all related characters property of J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Eighteen

Rufus Scrimgeour knew of their presence seconds after the two had stepped onto Level Two. This was only partially due to the fact that Tonks tripped over her own feet and ran head first into a long-bearded wizard carrying a stack of files.

'Sorry, Winston.'

'TONKS!'

'Good luck, Tonks.' The wizard named Winston patted her on the back, and left, having summoned the files back to their original position.

The lion-like man had stalked out of his office in a right rage not unlike that of his animal kingdom counterpart. For a second, Tonks could've sworn that he was roaring.

'Would you mind explaining to me what happened at the Lovegood residence, Tonks? We heard reports of a battle, and we get there and find Xenophilus Lovegood dead, and half the house destroyed.'

'Well I was ambushed,' Tonks shrugged, 'Xenophilus got struck by one of their Killing Curses – I did tell him to stay out of the way.'

'And just who may have felt the need to ambush you?'

'I don't know, I didn't stop to ask their names!' Tonks calmed down considerably after her brief outburst, before adding. 'I think it might have been the Wizarding Mafia, though.'

'Oh, and just how did you figure that?'

Tonks shrugged again. She couldn't very well reveal the lengths of involvement of the Order of the Phoenix – that would get her arrested for sure. 'First of all, the night of the...incident, Xenophilus Lovegood recalls a man asking if he had any chloroform on their premises. Enforcers of the Wizarding Mafia are not well known for their intelligence; not only did they involve a third party, they evidently couldn't pull off a simple Stunner. At least, no-one who was left conscious could. Things indicate there was a pretty intense battle at the Burrow.'

Scrimgeour was still attempting to get over one barrier. 'Chlorofim?' he asked. Not often did he have to deal with things related to muggle inventions. Usually he'd just get Arthur or Perkins from down the hall to write a report, which he'd get an underling to read.

'Chloroform.' Tonks was almost sick of explaining this to every person she came across. Why couldn't they just pay a little more attention to the muggle world? 'Muggle drug, used to knock unconscious.'

'Why not just use blunt force?'

'Probably watch too much television.'

Scrimgeour did not understand this statement, but nodded anyway. He knew enough to realise that if it was important, it would be explained properly.

'Perhaps this conversation would be best continued in my office, Tonks. And this is Miss Lovegood, I presume.' Scrimgeour nodded to Luna, and conveyed his sympathies at the loss of her father. Luna was completely oblivious to his words of kindness; the entire walk to Scrimgeour's office, she had been staring at the roof.

'We've been avoiding a tail for the past few days,' Tonks gave the half-truth with amazing ease. It must have been all those years of interaction with her scrupulous mother. 'Ambushed a couple more times before I managed to get us here.'

'More ambushes?' Scrimgeour raised a grey-streaked eyebrow.

'Yes, sir. Once by more enforcers whilst seeking information from known Mafia affiliates, and once by Dementors, in a beach-side camping ground. First time I-'

Scrimgeour cut her off. 'Dementors?' he asked, in a tone that couldn't decide between admonished and surprised.

'Yes, sir.'

'You are aware that Dementors are under Ministry control, Tonks.' He looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if daring to suggest that the Ministry wasn't quite in possession of all their Dementors, pun intended.

'I am aware of that, sir. I am also aware of the fact that we were set upon by at least two hundred Dementors.' One of which is in the tent right now, probably being served a hot chocolate by Dobby.

'You have not taken any mind altering drugs in the past few days?' Scrimgeour gave Tonks a second look from his famous collection, one that suggested that he expected people of her age and personality type to be partaking in substances of the illegal variety.

'Uh...no sir. Luna saw them too,' she added helpfully.

'And neither of you were injured in the attacks?' He was apparently not asking this as a question of concern, but as a question of mental impairment. Past injuries could, of course, be followed up by the Healers at St. Mungo's.

'Got in the way of a pretty nasty curse,' admitted Tonks reluctantly, 'but I'm fine now.' She realised painfully that admitting injury also admitted that there was someone actually there to heal her. Scrimgeour realised it himself, all too quickly.

'And how is it that you were healed? If you successfully managed to fight off your attackers, then I would assume that firstly, none of them would be conscious to heal you, and secondly, they were probably not attacking just so they could heal you.'

'I didn't see who healed me, sir.' It was, after all, the truth – she had been out of her senses when Sirius had healed her, and was thus unable to see him. 'He scarpered before I got a chance to see who it was.'

Scrimgeour seemed satisfied with this explanation. He turned to Luna, and asked, a little too harshly, 'Did you see him?'

'Yes,' smiled Luna, and Tonks felt her heart sink slightly. Luna continued, 'I didn't recognise him though. He was blonde – oldish, perhaps. Looked as though he'd been attacked by Nargles at some point.'

Scrimgeour expected nothing less from the daughter of the man who ran the Quibbler.

A/N: It only takes thirty seconds to push the review button, folks. Even if it's just to give a thumbs up or down, though criticism would be much appreciated (constructive only).