Author's Note:
Hello! Sorry for the one-day late update, I blame it on vacation haha. I hope everyone's having a wonderful vacation so far! xD Though I'm kind of disappointed it's already July, soon it'll be August and then bye-bye summer :( Anyways, sorry for rambling, now for this chapter, the focus, you can say, is kind of on Alexis. I hope you don't mind :) Thank you for your constant support, everyone. I hope you enjoy xD
Chapter 29 – The Thing About Memories
It'd been a while since she'd set foot in King's Cross Station again—the last time she remembered was to send the kids off to school. Her fingers were intertwined with Remus as they walked down the busy railway terminus. Wearing their muggle best, Tonks felt ridiculously uncomfortable in a simple solid blue collar shirt and white jeans—she looked too plain, especially with natural dirty blonde hair in bouncy curls. Remus on the other hand, looked rather charming in a dark brown suit with blue pinstripes.
"Lexi, which platform are we looking for?" Remus asked as they followed behind Alexis.
"7 ¾," Alexis, casual but elegant in a white blouse and black with white pinstripes suit Tonks often saw her wear at work. The raven-haired pureblood had always been strangely more comfortable in muggle attire than Tonks was. "We're going through the barrier and taking the International Floo Network over to a terminal in Lyon, France," she further explained.
Tonks could remember when her parents would take her places out of the country when she was little. It was either platforms 8 ¾, 6 ½, or one of the many other magical platforms hidden within the walls of King's Cross. From then they'd take the IFN or a train, a boat, whichever means of transportation they wanted. It was a beautiful and busy childhood she had.
"Here we are," said Remus as they arrived at the brick wall between platforms seven and eight. "Lexi, you go first?"
Her suddenly taciturn cousin nodded and without another word, Alexis leaned back on the red brick wall, her hands holding a small something as her eyes searched the crowd for on-looking muggles. Tonks raised an eyebrow at the small something in her cousin's hands—it looked like a ball of navy blue yarn. Before she could ask, Alexis had casually fallen into the other side of the barrier.
For a brief moment, Remus and Tonks were now alone standing between platforms seven and eight. There was a similar sensation as when Tonks and Remus were standing between platforms nine and ten several months back, sending Harry and his friends off to school. Her twinkling green eyes glanced up towards the massive ceiling rigged with metal bars and discreetly present lights, signs of a brilliant architectural design.
"What did Lexi have in her hands?" Tonks asked Remus suddenly.
Remus shrugged as he and Tonks leaned back on the hard wall, their eyes alert and watching. "I don't know," he answered. "You should ask her when we cross through."
Tonks nodded and in the next moment, Remus had crossed the wall and pulled her along with him. Going through the barrier, Tonks felt as if she'd walked right through a thin wall of floating water. Luckily she didn't get wet.
They were now standing in a cool, sunlit platform bearing several rows of golden gilded chimneys much like the Atrium at the Ministry. The entire platform had a different atmosphere to it than the Atrium did however. It didn't feel busy and crowded although there were many people there. Instead, it had an airy lightness to it created by the three walls of windows with brilliant sunlight gleaming through freely. Tonks felt tranquil, more than she ever had before.
"Amazingly beautiful weather for a late February day, is it not?" Remus asked her as he gently led her towards where Alexis stood in a long line of travelers bearing bags and cloaks.
"Remus, it was raining outside," said Tonks dryly.
He smiled. "The windows are charmed," he said as Tonks mouthed a silent "O."
Tonks came to stand beside her cousin. Once she finished admiring the open, glistening sunlight that flooded Platform 7 ¾, she returned her attention to her quiet and thoughtful cousin whom by the look in her eyes, seemed to be dreading the return to her childhood home before the age of five. Alexis was biting her lips, her eyes looking up at the massive black notice board hanging from the ceiling where the barrier was. The letters in white were moving, displaying times of departure to certain areas of France, Spain, and Germany. In her hands, Tonks and now Remus both noticed that Alexis was holding what looked like a navy blue hand-knit hat.
"Lexi, what's the hat for?" Tonks asked.
Looking surprised, Alexis managed a wry smile and looked down at her hands. "Oh um, for my old house elf there," she answered. "I got it from Hermione after accidentally joining her spew organization."
"You got pulled in too?" she asked, putting on a smile and hoping to ease Alexis' mind.
"It's called the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare," Remus corrected with a kind, teasing smile. "Not spew."
Tonks stuck her tongue out at him. "You're such a dork," she said jokingly.
Remus laughed softly. Alexis' wry smile widened only slightly. She then shoved the hat into a pocket of her black blazer before saying, "Excuse me, I'm going to go buy a drink before we go. We still have a long way to go. Do you want anything?"
"No, I'm good, thank you," Remus answered as Tonks shook her head.
After Alexis left, Tonks turned back to Remus with an expression of curiosity and confusion played across her face. "I'd think Lexi would be happy coming back to her old childhood home," she said.
Remus shrugged. "I've not known Lexi for as long as you have, but I am quite sure that it is completely the opposite of what you think, love," he said gently.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Returning to a place of our childhood brings back beautiful, happy memories," he began. "To many, those happy memories make them smile. But to Lexi, those happy memories may only be the reminder of what she had with her parents…who are now gone. I don't think she can smile much because of that."
Tonks nodded, comprehension dawning. "Strange," she said, sweeping a strand of curly dirty blonde hair out of her eyes. "You seem to know more about Lexi's childhood than I do."
"Sirius talks about the past a lot. He knew a lot about Lexi even before age five."
She nodded again, contemplative now. "So that's why you blokes talk about all the time."
"We talk about you too," Remus grinned. "I recall Sirius telling me about a certain rainbow-haired girl attempting to cover her neighbor's house in pudding as a form of revenge."
Her eyes narrowed. "Oh bugger all, he told you about that?"
Remus nodded too many times. "Chocolate pudding I reckon?"
Tonks grumbled, "Jeremy Finkle deserved it. He made fun of my hair and he loves pudding anyways so I wasn't doing anything bad."
"That's no reason to cover someone's house in chocolate pudding, my love."
Feeling embarrassed, Tonks rolled her eyes and squirmed in Remus' warm embrace. "Don't ever talk about it," she said. "Come now, we must focus. I want to bring an end to this case before I die from Scrimgeour's yelling."
Remus smiled and nodded, coming back to focus his mind on thoughts about the case involving Crouch, Moody, and a house-elf named Winky. "I have a feeling Winky the house-elf may be the key to solving your case."
"I hope so."
The weather was completely miserable and as he walked down the street, flipping up his blazer collar against the frosty air, Sirius wondered why he was even outside in the first place. The wind was blistering and sweeping through the dismally grey city at a terribly fast rate. Thick, heavy rain poured down from the dreary grey clouds, pounding the streets of London in a vengeful beat. A crack of thunder was heard overhead, ripping through the eerie silence that had been drifting around just seconds before. The rain pelted London harder, making it hard to see. They were like blinded men caught in a pointless game as they tried to find their way to shelter. No glimpse of sunlight could penetrate the deep, dismal grey.
"Bloody rain," Sirius grumbled as he rushed down the street, his shiny shoes splattering rain with every step he took. "Stupid Gulliver should have told me he's closed today," he continued to grumble angrily.
Sirius' mildly dazed manager had decided to close the entire café down for an entire week, his reason being that he wanted to spend more time with his beloved family—his wife had just given birth. Sirius, angry and reproachful, continued to tread through the rain while grumbling about family and wondering why family was so important. He simply did not understand. He wondered, aren't there other things in life more important than family?
"Family, family, family," he muttered in a low, growling voice. "Everyone cares about family. My bloody mess of a family consists of incest and pureblood obsessed parasites. My mother's a bloody spiteful witch. Why should I care about family?"
For a bleak moment, Sirius wondered why he was so bitter. He blamed it on the rain.
"Silvia," he mindlessly called out when he saw her face through the pouring rain.
She'd just gotten out of a ruby red telephone box, like she did every day. The only difference was that for the past week or so, Silvia hadn't once come to see Sirius. She didn't use the usual telephone box in front of where he worked. Now he found out that she'd been using this nearly identical one several blocks away. Looking at her, he felt a feeling of longing and temptations take him over. A voice inside his head was screaming at him to run after her.
He did not move. Sirius simply stood there, halting in his step as he watched her from the other side of the street. Silvia walked out of the telephone box, her face contorted into that of a grimace. She had a massive, soggy and tottering pile of papers in her arms topped with several scrolls. Her dark brown hair, curly that day, was pelted flat and heavy by the vengeful rain. She didn't look as pale as when he'd last seen her but the expression on her face still conveyed that she'd been having a dismal day.
When Silvia suddenly slipped and fell, Sirius jumped but he did not run towards her. He simply stood and watched. She slipped on the puddle of rain. When she fell to the ground, her grimace had shifted into a look of weariness. The rain falling from the sky looked like tears in her eyes. Suddenly, Sirius squirmed indecisively in his stance. Before his mind could come to a complete decision, he was already running across the street towards her, dodging several cars and an extremely portly man. In the next moment, he was beside her, his arm under hers and helping her up. She looked up at him, surprise in her eyes. The rain looked more like tears up close than it ever did before. Without speaking, Sirius bent down and hurriedly gathered up her massive pile of drenched, clumpy papers. He was mildly shocked to find out a shrinking charm was already placed upon them. What sort of work were aurors subjected to at the Ministry?
"Why are you here?" Silvia asked bitterly.
Sirius held the pile of papers in one hand while feebly covering her from the rain with his other. "I was taking a walk," he replied and led her back inside the scarlet red telephone box.
"In the rain?" she asked, crammed up inside the telephone box with him.
"I was walking home," he explained as he placed the papers down on the ground.
She nodded and leaned back on the other side of the box they were in. Sirius watched her, biting his lips as he wondered if he should say anything. Unexpectedly, his eyes drifted down to her abdomen where her right hand rested. She wasn't showing yet—they still had a long time to go until she started showing. His eyes shifted back up to meet hers. Silvia was blankly staring out at the raindrops that clung onto the glass of the scarlet telephone box. She wasn't saying anything but there was a twinge of pink on both her cheeks.
"How-how are you?" Sirius asked awkwardly. Funny how the times have changed, he thought. He'd never been awkward or even remotely shy with women before.
"Fine," she lied. Silvia looked far from fine.
Plunged into another wave of silence, Sirius began to rock back and forth on his feet while wondering what else he should say to her. "Err, so…how was your day?"
She let out a heavy sigh. "Dismal," she answered.
"Reckon so. The rain's been coming down since dawn."
"Yeah."
"Um, so why aren't you heading to France investigating with Lexi, Remus, and Tonks?"
"The nurses at St. Mungo's said I'm not supposed to use the IFN…too um-too shifty you know?" she answered awkwardly. Sirius nodded, rocking faster back and forth. "Scrimgeour's pulled me off of the more daunting missions and now I'm doing mostly light paperwork. Honestly, they're a tad overreacting…."
"This is light?" Sirius asked, patting the waist-high pile of papers and scrolls.
"I just have to sign a bunch of them and read through a few."
"And they haven't thought of getting someone to help you carry it?"
"Honestly Sirius, I'm pregnant, not crippled," she snapped shortly.
"Right…so…about the baby…err, boy or girl?"
"I'm not far enough to know," she replied, avoiding his eyes.
"You're keeping it?" he asked, his tone not something he expected to sound.
Her glare met his eyes and for a moment, Silvia said nothing. She drew a heavy breath and nodded, seeming very annoyed at him. The way she looked at him was full of disappointment and reproach. She made his stomach churn violently on the inside. "Yes, Sirius," she hissed. "Of course I'm keeping my child!"
"I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "I just-well, I didn't know whether you'd keep it or not…because well, you know, it was kind of a mistake."
Silvia's glare sharpened and Sirius felt his heart drop down to meet his stomach, creating a furious maelstrom within his body. "Just because I made a mistake, Sirius, does not mean that I am going to RUN AWAY from it! Unlike you, I am going to live with my mistake even if it kills me!" She was angry and nearly hyperventilating from her rage.
"Alright, alright! You don't have to get so angry!"
"This is ridiculous," she huffed.
"So err-what are you plans for the-for the baby?"
"I don't know," she groaned. "Sirius, why are you asking me so many questions?"
He shrugged.
They lapsed into silence again. Sirius' eyes turned to stare out at the falling rain. Strangely, the sunlight was finally penetrating the murky grey clouds, cascading rays of golden light down upon the wet and shiny streets. Inside the telephone booth, the hot air escaping their nervous breaths was fogging up the glass. Sirius' eyes flickered over to Silvia who was now staring blankly at her feet while wringing her hands. His heart pounded harsh, threatening to crack open his chest with its constant drumming. Sirius suddenly felt extremely hot and the lustful temptations within him are bursting out the seams of his clothes. He was so close to her but yet he felt fearful to diminish the final distance. Why was that? Responsibility, fear of familial ties—Sirius wondered.
Before he could stop himself, Sirius' throbbing heart wound up acting on its own accord. He stood up and pulled her into him, taking Silvia completely by surprise. He was too fast and before Silvia could voice her protest to whatever he was trying to do, he'd sealed her moist and rogue lips with his own. She froze at first contact but quickly her barriers fell down. He kissed her deeply, satisfying the lustful temptations and perpetually confusing desires that urged him on. His lips guided hers but she suddenly did her own thing with him. Sirius felt like he could melt. Despite the icy wind outside in the late February rain, Sirius felt hot inside the small, scarlet red telephone box. He was drowning in strange, ardent, emotions.
Several eternities fleeted by in the time span of several minutes. They pulled apart reluctantly, gasping for breath. Silvia looked at him and he met her dilating eyes with piercing grey ones. He hoped she wouldn't question why he did that because he himself did not know.
She hesitated for a moment before weakly asking, "Do you care about me, Sirius?"
He nodded firmly. "Very much."
"Then why must you be like this?"
His eyes slipped down to her midriff. "I just…I can't deal with a family."
"You have one of your own."
"Not this kind of family," he replied, gesturing to her stomach and stroking it lightly.
In silence, Silvia rolled her eyes before reaching for the door of the telephone box. "The rain's softened, I'm going to go."
Sirius placed a hand over hers. "Let me walk you," he said. "Where are you going?"
A conflicted look breezed through her eyes. She was wondering whether or not she should allow him to constantly tread close to her heart. It would only hurt more if she let him, but Silvia paused. She remembered when he was gone, completely gone from her life for over a decade. It hurt worse when he left like that, and she couldn't bear to let him go again. Silvia sighed. She'd been sighing so often. Falling prey to her lovesick heart, Silvia nodded.
"I'm heading home," she said quietly.
The door to the telephone box opened and Sirius helped her out into the sunlight. Rain was still falling but the vengeful, hell-bent nature of it was gone. It now drizzled lightly over their heads like a gently spraying mist. Glorious sunlight cascaded through thickly grey clouds, creating an odd mixture between drear and brilliance.
Sirius stepped out behind Silvia, holding her pile of papers and scrolls in both hands but touching her arm as he stood. He was hoping to avoid the matter of responsibility and the mistake they made entirely that day. Fortunately, Silvia seemed overcome with the longing to be near him that she'd agreed to let it go momentarily. Under the slowly dying rain and glorious sunlight, they walked. There was something impressive about the ambiance. Two people, conflicted and in love, walking together under misty rain and radiant sunlight penetrating the grey of late February.
"Let me walk you home," he said.
Tonks had nearly forgotten why she hated flooing, especially internationally, so much in the first place. She was quickly reminded when she fell from an eight-foot-drop at least, and landed on her backside. The next thing she realized she was doing, Tonks was coughing up ashes and gagging in a cloud of dark grey, glittering soot. Yes, she really did hate floo traveling with all her heart. Tonks rolled over, staggering and clawing her way out of the black cloud.
"There, there, Nymphadora," Remus sighed. She could feel him reaching for her and he quickly found her hand, pulling her up to her feet.
She coughed several times more and blinked many times to clear up her vision. "Bugger all. I hate flooing. No wonder Silvia didn't want to come," she grumbled and groaned as the wave of pain from Tonks' aching back hit her.
"Tergeo," said Remus, removing all traces of ash from her body.
"Come, Tonks, Remus, or we'll miss the bus," Alexis said, walking off ahead of them.
At first, Tonks was slightly annoyed by her cousin's uncaring nature but silenced when she realized that Alexis may be upset being so close to her old home and her sweet baby memories…without her parents. Before walking off, Tonks took a moment with Remus to marvel at the brilliant extravagance that was the terminal they'd arrived it. It was similar to Platform 7 ¾, but it was different as well. The windows were open and the weather really was warmer. The sunlight was natural and the entire platform was decorated with many arrays of flowers, hedges, and other plants. It was like being in a massive garden, completed with a small stream with rushing water.
"My god," Tonks gasped, walking around. She stared at the manmade stream in awe.
"It's a pity we've come here on business instead of vacation," said Remus.
"Pity indeed," Tonks gawked.
They had to hurry to catch up with Alexis who had already crossed the barrier onto the muggle railway terminus. Remus, hand in hand with Tonks, dove through the barrier without care whether they'd be spotted by muggles or not. Fortunately they weren't. A short distance later, they were still following Alexis but they'd now arrived outside onto the streets of Lyon, France. Once again, Tonks and Remus both wished that they had no troubles weighing them down and they weren't there on business. They were marveling at the beautiful and historic metropolis that was Lyon.
Emerald eyes were immediately enchanted by the massive basilica that towered over the city in gleaming white walls. It was impressive and she could have sworn she'd heard of its name once before. Remus' gentle blue eyes were mesmerized by the lively city life there with its cobbled streets and bistros and shops crowded with tourists and passerby alike.
"Hurry, Lexi's leaving," said Remus, pulling Tonks out of her beautiful reverie.
"Obviously she's in no mood for sightseeing," Tonks grumbled as she followed suit.
When they finally caught up to Alexis, Tonks and Remus saw that the reminiscent young woman was now waiting for them beside a bus stop. Several minutes later, a white and red bus came and Tonks realized that had they taken a little bit more time, they would have missed this bus. Alexis boarded then Tonks, and then Remus. They followed Alexis still and sought a seat in the far back, sitting amongst many chattering muggles speaking in very fast French.
"Do you understand them?" Tonks asked her cousin in an attempt to make conversation.
Alexis nodded. "A bit," she answered. "Get comfortable because this will be a very long ride. This is the only bus that will take us out of the city."
Tonks nodded and for the rest of the trip, Alexis was silent. Feeling uncomfortable in the bubble of silence that encased them, Tonks turned over to Remus who was staring out the window, gazing upon the many more basilicas and elegant structures that surrounded the historic city. For a while she settled herself with watching the scenery with him. When the scenery began to change from urban to rural, Tonks and Remus began talking. They spoke as they gazed out upon scenes of vast and endless green, rolling hills and trees, and massive fields of farmlands.
"I now can't decide if I prefer the city or the farmlands," said Tonks.
"Personally, I like this area," said Remus, gesturing to the window. "More space."
"Looks beautiful too," said Tonks, leaning onto him and gazing out the bright window. "But it's a bit empty, is it not?"
"Maybe a small town is more your preference," Remus smiled.
"Like my home…where mum lives," Tonks smiled. "Although a stream would be nice," she added as they crossed a small stone bridge.
No more than an hour later, they arrived at a small dirt path that looked like it hadn't been treaded upon in years. Remus and Tonks became breathless as they looked out towards the open field on the other side of the large wall of ivy they stood beside. The field was of slopping green grass, flowing in the singing wind. It was in a way, majestic. Tonks found herself staring breathless for a long time. She was only pulled back to reality when Remus gave her a gentle tap on the shoulder and a gentle nudge backward.
"Come on love," he said.
They walked to the ivy wall and pushed open a wonky gate, crossing the premise and onto a piece of land that somehow felt too warm to be of late February weather, even in France. Before long, Alexis, Remus, and Tonks arrived upon a tall and ancient two-story cottage. The cottage sat in silence, set apart from all worldly matters but holding an air of openness and freedom to it. The house made Tonks feel like a pinioned bird with clipped wings. She was able to leave it but something about it made her want to stay. The cottage was shrouded in a mysterious glamour with climbing roses and honeysuckle, its windows like eyes overlooking a radiant field of sunflowers and a small pond, lofty in their greeting, immortal in their vivid and delicate beauty. This was Alexis' childhood home.
"This is brilliant!" Tonks grinned. "You never told me your home looked like this!"
Sometimes, ignorance isn't bliss and Tonks quickly came to realize why Alexis rarely ever spoke about her life before age five. It hurt. Without her parents, the good memories only brought her pain. Remus nudged her and when Tonks turned to him, he held his index finger up to his lips and gently hushed her. She then followed Remus' finger as he pointed her attention to Alexis' distant eyes. She always had that distant look whenever she was pensive, but that time, her reminiscence was sorrowful. Looking into her cousin's dark brown almost black eyes, Tonks could see the wistful look come to a crescendo. Alexis had caught sight of splendid broken line of sunflower hills on which her baby eyes had looked some twenty-three years ago.
"Lexi, let's go," said Tonks, nudging Alexis along softly into the house. "We'll be out of here soon…then you can forget all about it if you want…."
Alexis sighed. "Come along then."
They entered the house, plunging into a tranquil coolness that drowned the interior of the cottage. All was silent and still. The inside was dark, casted in shadows with occasional glimpse of sunlight from the windows without curtains. Tonks could still remember her Uncle Marcus and Aunt Michelle. She remembered them clearly in the short time she'd known them. They were what Tonks considered, the best parents ever. Uncle Marcus was free-spirit, chaotic, and funny. Aunt Michelle brought order and rules to the family but not without a spark of brilliance of her own. Both their qualities mixed perfectly into Lexi some twenty years later.
Old, musty furniture filled the house. It looked lived in and Remus' observant eyes spotted an open newspaper lying on the coffee table beside a set of books. It looked as if the cottage's last residents had expected to return from a short trip, an expectation sadly never met. A thin layer of dust covered the higher shelves. One peculiarity that Remus' blue eyes spotted was that the rest of the house looked perfectly intact. Someone had been caring for it.
A series of clanking suddenly sounded and their attention turned to the kitchen, its black and white tiled floors glistening in the dusty sunlight. Remus was taken back and Tonks' auror instinct had her pull her wand out when they saw a very small being approach them. Alexis didn't seem surprised at all. A closer look and Remus realized that they were greeted by a house-elf dressed in an armor of pots and pans.
"Who goes there?" the elf demanded in a high, squeaky voice. "Loony warns you! Loony will not let anyone harm master and madam's house!"
"Is she one of the house-elves we're looking for?" Tonks asked.
"I believe so," Remus answered.
"Loony," Alexis called in a mellow voice. Tonks glimpsed a smile from her cousin. "Loony, it's alright," she said.
"Loony thinks it is not alright! Who are you?"
Alexis bent down on both knees and beckoned the elf over to her. "Lexi, remember?"
The tiny elf with tennis-ball-like eyes gasped. Her entire armor of pots and pans clanged to the floor and Loony ran towards Alexis, bouncing on one foot as she shook a frying pan off of her back. "Lexi! Young miss Lexi!" the elf squealed. "Oh Loony has missed you dearly!" she said, collapsing tearfully into Alexis' open arms. Her tears erupted like water fountains and Tonks saw that the elf was now sobbing with a mixture of happiness and woe. "Oh Loony has heard what happened to master and madam! That beastly woman! Loony is so happy that Lexi has come back!"
Minutes later, Alexis had settled the elf down and stopped Loony's tears from spilling over like flooding rivers. Watching the two, Tonks was mildly surprised to see that her cousin's eyes were dry and tearless. She turned to Remus who too seemed to notice. He didn't say anything however. With a wave of his wand, Remus cleared up the small puddle of tears that a weeping Loony had left. Alexis proceeded with the talking while Remus and Tonks stood quietly to the side; hands intertwined and minds wondering about the good and the bad of memories.
"Hey Loony," she began in an almost motherly way. "I heard that an old friend of yours had come to visit." Loony's eyes bulged with guilt but Alexis' gentle laughter diminished the negative feeling right away. "It's alright, I don't mind. See, I've brought people too. This is Tonks, my cousin, and Remus, a very close friend. Loony, who is your friend?"
"Loony's friend is Winky, young miss," the elf replied slowly.
"Tonks has something important she needs to talk to Winky about. Can we see Winky?"
Loony seemed hesitant but she nodded. "Loony will take you. Winky is in the kitchen." The tiny elf tenderly took Alexis' hand and led them towards the kitchen with its gleaming black and white tiles. They walked through the kitchen and into a very small room that would have been mistaken for a pantry had one not known better. They were now standing in Loony's room and Tonks saw that the elf had made a cozy little home for herself there. In the far corner, sitting beside an elf-size bed with several bottles of empty firewhiskey, was Winky the house-elf.
"Winky?" Tonks asked; taking a careful step towards the elf caught in a drunken stupor.
The house-elf hiccupped. "Are these your masters, Loony?" the elf asked.
Loony shook her head and walked over to her friend. "No Winky, these are friends of Loony's masters," she smiled tearfully. "Master Remus, Madam Tonks, you can try to talk to Winky. Loony is afraid she may be a bit drunk."
"It's alright, we'll manage," Tonks, blonde and curly haired, smiled. "Though please don't call me Madam Tonks, it's just Tonks. Madam Tonks makes me feel like my mum."
"Only you would correct an elf on how to address you," Remus sighed and came down to one knee beside Tonks and in front of Winky and Loony.
"Prat," said Tonks, smiling and rolling her eyes at him. "Anyways, Winky, you've worked for Mr. Crouch, correct?" Her auror nature took over and her tone of question was icy.
Winky nodded. Unexpectedly, she doubled over crying, her head in her hands as loud, weeping sobs sounded through the small room. "Oh my poor old master! How will he go without me? Master Crouch is already so old! My poor old master!" she wept.
Tonks pulled back awkwardly. She didn't expect the drunken elf to start balling her eyes out. "Um, err…Winky, can we ask you a few questions about Mr. Crouch?"
"Of course not!" the elf snapped in a vicious voice. "Winky will not betray master!"
"You're not betraying him," said Remus. "You may very well be saving his life."
"Saving master's life? What have you done to Winky's master?" she growled.
Remus too backed away. "We haven't done anything!" he answered, remaining civil.
"What have you done to Winky's master?" the elf demanded.
"Winky, calm down," said Tonks, pushing the elf back. She really wondered what harm a drunken elf could do but she dare not find out. "We haven't done anything, but we think we might know someone who is harming your master."
Winky paused in her stance. "Who is harming master?"
"Your master's son," Remus answered. "Barty Crouch Jr."
"No. NO!" Winky screamed. "Master Barty would never!"
"Winky, we think you know something that will help us," said Tonks. "You've seen your Master Barty come back from Azkaban, yes? What is he planning? How did he escape?"
Winky's wide, teary eyes bulged slightly and she backed away from them, shaking her head vigorously. "Winky does not know."
"You do know," Tonks pressed.
"Winky will not betray Master Barty!"
"You're a free elf!" Tonks exclaimed, becoming irritated.
"Winky will not betray masters! Winky is a free elf but Winky will not betray!"
"Winky, your master, Mr. Crouch, is suspected to be under the Imperius Curse," Remus sighed. "If you tell us what you know, you could be saving him."
"Winky will not betray Master Barty! Master Barty will be ruined!"
"For god's sake, you're a free elf!" said Tonks.
"Winky is not a traitor!"
Tonks was about to speak about but Alexis' subtle clearing of her throat silenced her immediately. From behind, Alexis stepped up and beckoned Loony over to her. "Being free is a gift, is it not?" she asked, her question directed towards a quiet Winky. "I won't deny that to tell us what you know is betraying your Master Barty…" Alexis paused and from a pocket of her blazer, she pulled out the navy blue hand-knit hat Tonks had seen earlier. "But there are times when you have to…supposedly, betray, for the good of others." Alexis placed the hat upon Winky's head and shaped it to fit the elf nicely.
A glistening smile lit up Loony's face. "Lexi has given Loony a hat!"
"Yes," Alexis smiled. For the first time that day, her smile was from the heart. "Loony is free. I'm sorry; I should have done this sooner."
"Loony thanks you," the elf said, growing teary again. "Thank you."
Tonks had to admit, she was somewhat getting tired of the teary and balling house-elves, but she knew it couldn't be helped. As Tonks rolled her eyes, Remus had shifted closer to Winky. He cautiously placed a hand on the tiny elf, looking at them all with a slight hint of fear in her eyes. Remus spoke kind and gentle words that Tonks admit anyone would listen.
"To be free and to help us won't make you a traitor, Winky," said Remus. "Mr. Crouch could possibly be under his own son's Imperius Curse. Barty Crouch Jr. is planning a scheme that if successful, could mean war upon our world. You must help us."
There was a moment's silence. Tonks turned back, searching for Alexis, but found that her cousin had disappeared somewhere, leaving in silence. Loony seemed aware, but she said nothing. Deciding to look for Alexis later, Tonks' eyes returned to Winky in hopes of hearing news that would help her case.
"Winky's master, Master Crouch, is a very kind man," Winky began quietly. "Master loves his son dearly. When Master Barty was sentenced to Azkaban, Master and Madam could not bear to let him in there. They-they broke him out." The elf suddenly gasped and began pounding herself with her own fist.
Remus quickly grabbed hold of her and prevented her from continuing to hurt herself, a possible habit from the cruel mistreatment of house-elves and punishments they are bound by. "You're a free elf now Winky. You don't have to hit yourself. Go on, please continue with what you were saying," said Remus in a velvety voice.
"Madam gave her life to save Master Barty from a life in Azkaban. When Master Barty returned, Master Crouch placed him under the dreadful Imperius Curse to make sure he behaves. Winky was tasked to follow Master Barty wherever he went, to keep an eye on him. He had to wear an Invisibility Cloak everywhere. Oh, Master Barty was not free." Winky pulled on her ears and shook her head woefully. "But Master Barty was a good boy. He listened to his father. However…Winky saw that Master Barty was growing stronger. Master Barty eventually was able to break free of Master's Imperius Curse. Master Barty could walk free! And-and Winky could do nothing because Master Barty ordered her to stay put and not tell the old Master!" She reached for a bottle of firewhiskey on the floor and emptied the last few drops of its contents into her mouth. "Master Barty did not completely leave the old Master. No, Master Barty was biding time, planning something, Winky thinks. One night, this past summer, Master Barty came home wet and dirty from the storm outside. Winky thought it odd."
She reached and searched for another flagon of whiskey. Tonks thought that since the drunken elf seemed unable to stop talking being so drunk, she'd intoxicate the elf slightly more. Tonks reached for the one bottle, half way full, that she'd found in another corner, and handed the bottle to the elf. Remus shot her a look but they allowed Winky to continue.
"Master Barty had lots of dried grass and dirt on his shoes. Winky had to clean it. Winky thought it odd—the old Master's house had a cobbled path. What was Master Barty doing in the dirt and grass? Then Winky saw. Oh it was terrible, moving by itself, squirming disgustedly. Master Barty had brought home an eye! A very blue eyeball! Master Barty made Winky hide the eye, a clump of grey hair, and a large cauldron of a very strange potion! It bubbled and looked like mud! Oh Winky wondered what Master Barty was doing with such horrid things."
The house-elf hiccupped and fell over sideways, falling asleep. Remus and Tonks pulled back, their eyebrows furrowed together and eyes deep in thought. "Crouch Jr. had Moody's magical eye!"
"If Tonks and Master Remus wish to discuss this, Loony can lead them to the drawing room," Loony offered after tucking a drunken Winky in with a quilt blanket.
"That would be nice, thank you Loony," said Remus, following the elf and leading Tonks along. The tiny elf lead them through the main living room, the small dining room decorated with a still beautiful and majestic chandelier, and into a cozy drawing room filled with many shelves of books and picture frames. There were pictures of Alexis as a baby, pictures of her just learning how to walk and staggering towards her father happily clapping several feet away. There were many pictures all around the room. Remus' first impression of the drawing room was that it was a room Alexis wanted to keep away from. "Thank you, Loony," he said as the elf left them, heading up the squeaking staircase.
"So we now know that Crouch came home with Moody's eye. That means he'd encountered Moody just before that," said Tonks.
"This was in the summer," Remus told her. "Winky said it was last summer, so it was this recent summer," he clarified. "And the potion…" He twisted his face, trying to remember Winky's exact words. "It bubbled and looked like mud." Remus suddenly looked up, realization dawning. His eyes met Tonks and she had the same look in her twinkling eyes.
"Polyjuice Potion," she said.
"Coming home with Moody's eye, a clump of hair, and a batch of polyjuice potion…of course!" he exclaimed, pacing the room. "Remember when we were following Moody—"
"Rosier," Tonks corrected. "We were following Rosier."
"Right, we were following Rosier and we came to the apothecary and found out he was buying potions ingredients—lacewing flies was a part of the list."
"That's the ingredient for Polyjuice Potion," said Tonks. "Rosier was brewing Polyjuice Potion for Crouch."
"And with Moody's hair—"
"Crouch is Moody!" Tonks exclaimed. "Bloody hell! Why didn't we see it before?"
"Crouch is Moody, Moody is Crouch—Barty Crouch Jr. is using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Moody."
"So it was that sick bastard the whole time! Moody never betrayed us."
"The question is: where is the real Moody?" Remus asked.
"Crouch must be hiding him." Tonks too was up on her feet, pacing the room in parallel direction of Remus. "Polyjuice Potion doesn't last forever. Crouch must be hiding the real Mad-Eye somewhere to get his hair."
"And don't forget access to some of his memories. Crouch needs to have access to some of Alastor's memories to have been able to keep his mendacity up for this long. He must also either be a skilled Legilimens or—"
"Or use the Cruciatus Curse."
"Yes, the Torture Curse," Remus sighed. "So love, your entire investigation has been changed once again."
"I don't care how many times it changed; I'm getting closer to the end."
"We need to find Crouch, or in this case Moody."
"Then find proof that he is using Polyjuice Potion—that should be easy."
"We must find the real Mad-Eye quickly as well. If by chance he's using the Cruciatus Curse, we can't let Mad-Eye suffer any longer."
"Of course; so we must return to London now!"
"But how are we going to meet with Moody, or Crouch…?"
Tonks paused in her pacing. Surely if they just stormed into Hogwarts, the students would question and Dumbledore would not be happy. Especially with the prospect of the Triwizard Tournament going on, simply storming into Hogwarts and creating a scene with one of its teachers, a famous ex-auror at that; would not be a wise move to make. With Harry present, the ever curious and heroic boy would get tied up in trying to help them.
"We need a distraction," said Remus. "Something that will get most of the kids out of the castle—a time we can speak with Moody alone."
"A Hogsmeade Weekend?"
"No," said Remus, suddenly grinning. For the very first time in his life, he was overly glad he constantly kept track of the lunar cycle. "March's Moon Festival is an entire week. Surely in one of those seven days, either the kids would be allowed to leave the castle or Moody would leave," he suggested.
"The Moon Festival…but Remus, that's weeks away!"
"I'm afraid we don't have another Hogsmeade Weekend anytime sooner," Remus sighed.
"During one night, it would be the full moon."
"I'll live, don't worry. Nymphadora, you case had dragged out long enough. Now that we know the real Alastor may be imprisoned somewhere, the Moon Festival is the only chance we've got at talking to the fake Moody one on one."
"Can't you think of any time earlier?"
Remus shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not."
Tonks sighed. "Guess we better let Silvia know…Sirius would want to know as well."
"Shall we get Lexi? I'm guessing she wants to leave this place quickly."
"You know, I don't really understand—"
"Memories are strange, peculiar things, Nymphadora," Remus explained in a voice soft as satin. "Often times we cannot tell which memories are good and which memories are bad. They may mask themselves and deceive us. For Lexi, her beautiful childhood memories of this place are considered bad because they remind her of her parents…who are no longer with her. My love, a reminder of something you no longer have is a rather painful reminder."
Tonks nodded, coming to an understanding with why her cousin disdained the beautiful, sunlit cottage. "I'll go get her," said Tonks softly. "You relax for a bit. You're working so hard to help me and it's not even your job!"
Remus placed a gentle and fleeting kiss upon her lips. When he pulled back, Tonks could still feel the heat of his warm lips and taste the chocolate upon her own. "I am your boyfriend," he reminded her. "I am your lover and I feel it's my responsibility to help you in any way I can."
"Moony you tosser," she smiled before pulling away from him.
Tonks was amazed at how big the house was on the inside as opposed to the deceiving outside appearance of it. She walked through the house slowly, pushing doors slightly open to peek inside, looking for her raven-haired cousin who seemed to have disappeared. When Tonks passed by a window, she looked outside into the sunflower garden and pond and found her cousin wasn't there. Alexis was still inside the house. Quietly, Tonks continued to tread through, passing what looked like her aunt and uncle's old bedroom. Their bed sheets were made—it looked as if they were expected back. She could only imagine how terrible it must feel to have such bad things happen to you so suddenly. She knew Alexis and even Sirius and Remus knew that feeling well, all too well.
"Nymphadora," Remus' voice called.
She turned around to see him standing beside her, gesturing towards another room with its door slightly ajar. "You're supposed to be relaxing downstairs."
"Curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to look around," he said. "She's in there." He tilted his head towards the door he stood beside and gestured her in.
Softly, Tonks went forward and into the small room. She was standing in what looked like a nursery and immediately realized that it must have been Alexis' old bedroom. Near the window there was a wooden crib, silent and still; untouched for many years. Small toys scattered the floor and a chest of musty stuffed animals sat in the far corner. The wall beside it was filled with black and white pictures, moving pictures full of smiling faces. The pictures were of Alexis and her parents, smiling, laughing, singing, and dancing. There were more pictures there than the drawing room had. Beside the window there was a creaking wooden rocking chair. Tonks found Alexis on the floor beside it, her fingers feebly pushing the chair, her eyes red and swollen.
"Lexi?" said Tonks in a gentle whisper.
Walking towards her cousin slowly, Tonks saw that Alexis' red eyes were still crying. Tears were falling silently from her eyes, renewing the streaks that stained her face. She stared blankly at the wall of pictures, her slender fingers still pushing the rocking chair ever so slightly. Never in her life had Tonks seen her cousin so weak and helpless.
"Lexi," Tonks said again.
"Hey."
"Hey," she sighed, coming closer and kneeling down beside her cousin so as not to block her view of the wall so full of pictures and memories.
"I was just looking around," Alexis explained in a broken, raspy voice. "To see what's happened to this place. Then I came upon this…my old room."
Alexis never spoke much about her life before the age of five and Tonks never questioned. Now, she needed not to question for this house and everything in it was enough to tell Tonks all that she needed to know. She placed a comforting hand upon her cousin's shoulder and looked up towards the open window where she finally realized a bird was perched. The bird was not real however. It was a silver, wispy and ethereal bird—a patronus. It was Alexis' swallow. Tonks finally realized that the memories Alexis always used for her patronus were memories of her late parents. Though she didn't like mentioning them, she'd never let them go.
"Surprised?" Alexis asked as if able to read Tonks' mind.
"Somewhat, yeah," Tonks answered.
"Remember when I first started living with you…and you'd always ask me if I've let them go? I was always lying, really," Alexis confessed. A wistful smile crossed her face and several more drops of tears fell from her glassy dark eyes. "Even now, I can't let them go. I've been lying to you…and to myself…the entire time."
"It's alright you know," said Tonks. "They're your parents after all."
"Yes, but I'm tired of putting up this brave, this I-could-care-less-about-the-world façade. I'm foolish enough to try to use time turners to relive these memories. I've been poking at time turners for months now."
"That's why you had a box of time turners in your room."
"Yeah," she sighed. "But I could never get them to work properly. They'd go back a few days or weeks at most…I could never figure out how to turn back a few years, even if I only intend to watch."
"Maybe…it's best to let those memories go—and cherish the new ones."
Alexis smiled again, her smile wry and wistful. "I have been cherishing every memory I've had," she replied. "I just wish to relive a certain set of them again. A Pensieve works, but it just doesn't feel the same. I can't…touch it."
Not quite sure of what to say, Tonks only tightened her hold on Alexis' shoulder momentarily. She sat with her cousin for a while longer, watching as Alexis continued to push the rocking chair her mother once sat in and stare at the wall of photographic memories her father had created.
Finally after some time, the sun began to set and Alexis pushed herself off the floor. Tonks followed suit and they came to meet Remus at the door of the room. He'd been leaning there the entire time, watching them in silence, an empathetic look on his face. He took Tonks' hand and patted Alexis' shoulder comfortingly. There was nothing either of them could say to her to appease her pain. Nothing can really console the pain of loss.
They returned downstairs and bade their farewells to Loony. Alexis had given the loyal house-elf her freedom along with full use of the house, trusting the loyal elf. Loony assured she'd been able to comfortably take care of herself all these years and will be able to many years more. After Alexis, Tonks, and Remus promised to visit when they are free, they left.
Walking away and leaving the beautiful two story cottage, Tonks said, "Let's go home."
Heading back towards the seemingly untouched dirt road through the wonky gate, they left behind the cottage, shrouded in mysterious glamour, with climbing roses and honeysuckle and windows, like eyes, overlooking a splendid field of sunflowers and pond on which a woman's baby eyes had looked some twenty-three years ago.
