Fighting
"You stunned her!" Katie's friend shrieked.
Harry stared at Katie's limp form on the ground, hoping he'd done the right thing. Her friend, now dissolving into near-hysteria, struggled in his grasp, earning his attention.
Harry took her by both arms and shook her lightly, trying to get the girl to calm down. "Listen to me, um—what's your name?"
"Le-Leanne."
"Okay, Leanne, don't worry. I sent for help. I stunned Katie because I'm pretty sure she was Imperiused."
Her dark eyes blinked, widening. "Imperiused?"
"I think so. Where did she get that package?"
"She—she came out of the girls' loo at the Three Broomsticks, and she was holding it, and she said she had to deliver it to someone in the castle, and—and she wouldn't listen to me"
Her words gave way to tears, and Harry left her with an awkward pat on the arm. He walked past Katie to the package that had fallen out of her grasp when she was stunned. It was medium-sized and wrapped in rough brown paper, which had torn upon falling. Something glinted in the hole, and Harry reached out with his foot to nudge it.
"What the bloody hell is going on?"
Harry whirled around at the familiar voice, and despite the seriousness of the situation, his heart rose. For it wasn't Cooper, for whom the patronus was intended, who had apparated to his side. It was Tonks.
It took but a second for her to take in the crying girl, the stunned one, the object on the ground, and Harry, her eyes demanding an explanation just as her voice had a moment ago.
He pointed to Katie. "That's my friend Katie. I think she was Imperiused and made to take that—"
He shifted his finger to the package. "To the castle. So I stunned her."
Her eyebrows arched at this piece of information, but without speaking she pulled out a medallion that hung around her neck. She tapped it with her wand, replacing it under her shirt after it briefly glowed blue.
"Right." She turned her attention to Leanne. "What's wrong with you?"
"She was with Katie," Harry supplied. "Her name is Leanne."
Tonks's expression softened, though a certain impatience lingered. She put her arm around Leanne.
"Leanne, I'm an Auror, and I promise you Katie will be fine. Now can you tell me exactly what happened, from the moment she received that package until now?"
Still sniffling, Leanne repeated her story.
"You didn't go to the loo with her?"
"No."
"Did you see anyone follow her in there?"
"No, but I wasn't paying attention."
"Did you notice anyone out of place in the pub?"
"No, but it was really crowded, and there are always strangers in the Three Broomsticks"
Tonks rubbed her arm. "That's okay. We'll figure it out. Harry, I—" She broke off as another familiar Auror appeared in their midst. "Coop, thank God."
She pulled her partner to one side, and they held a quiet but rapid conversation. Once finished, Cooper gave Harry a nod before twisting on the spot, disappearing in thin air.
"You lot! Stay back!" Tonks snapped all of a sudden, and the growing crowd of curious students
froze. Keeping one eye on Katie, she beckoned Harry with her head. "Harry, is there anyone over there you trust?"
He eyed the crowd until he spotted someone he knew. Of course he was here. "Yeah, that's Colin. He was in the DA."
"Oi! Colin!" she yelled, and the undersized fifth year stumbled forward, looking rather terrified.
"Hey, Colin. I need you to run as fast as you can to the castle and send the first teacher you find this way, okay? It's important. Say Auror Tonks sent you. Now go."
Colin nodded, beaming at Harry as he took off.
"Okay." Tonks looked back and forth between Katie and the package. "Okay," she repeated, clearly
thinking. Reaching an apparent decision, she turned to the still-lingering crowd of students, all watching the scene with rapt interest. "All of you, go back to the castle. Now."
Some muttered rebelliously, but her tone and expression were as authoritative as McGonagall ever was, and they soon filed past.
"Harry, I want you to levitate that package," Tonks said once everyone was gone. "You and Leanne, follow me." After conjuring a stretcher, she placed Katie on it and began to levitate her back to the castle, Harry with the package and a bewildered Leanne in her wake.
Harry did some rapid calculations in his head as they walked. If Malfoy had left McGonagall's office soon after Harry departed, he would have had plenty of time to reach Hogsmeade himself and place the Imperius Curse on Katie. Harry had no doubt the Slytherin was involved. What he really wanted to know was what was in the package, how Malfoy had gotten it into Hogsmeade, and for whom it was intended. Clearly Katie herself had been chosen at random, simply a means of transportation.
But how would she have gotten it past Filch and his Secrecy Sensors, jabbing every which way? Malfoy wasn't the most intelligent person Harry had ever met, but nor was he an idiot. Unless this was just a diversion for some other nefarious plan, a prospect Harry didn't even want to consider. Having exhausted himself on Malfoy, Harry turned his attention to Tonks in front of him. Where had she come from? His anger with her returned in full force, going beyond his irritation about the Parvati situation. Her disregard for giving him any sort of notice about her departure or return stung, for Harry thought they had moved past the casual friendship they'd shared over the years.
Professor Snape met them halfway to the castle, Colin on his coattails. "Nymphadora?"
For once Tonks didn't object to her first name, summing up the event in a few terse sentences.
"Take Katie to the Hospital Wing," she finished, again in the commanding tone that Harry now thought of as her Auror voice. "Tell Madam Pomfrey no one sees her. Make sure she's clear on that, Severus. I don't want to take the chance of someone hurting or obliviating her in case she remembers something useful. And then meet us in Professor McGonagall's office. I want you to look at this package with me."
Surprisingly, Snape merely jerked his head in acquiescence, his eyes passing dismissively over Harry as he took control of the stretcher from Tonks. "Return to your common room, Creevey," he ordered when he nearly ran into the small boy, and with a disappointed look Colin departed.
In turn Tonks took the package from Harry, and the trio took it to McGonagall's office, where they startled the teacher at her desk.
"There's been an incident, Professor," Tonks said before the older witch could speak. "Katie—" She snapped her fingers at Harry.
"Bell," he provided.
"Katie Bell was Imperiused in Hogsmeade, I think, and made to carry a package to the castle. She was stunned before she reached the gates. Severus took her to the Hospital Wing; she's unharmed. I've the package right here." She deposited it on McGonagall's desk gingerly, then nodded her head at the two students. "Leanne and Harry were witnesses."
"My goodness," McGonagall said faintly. "We were afraid of an attack in Hogsmeade, but nothing like this. Well done, Nymphadora."
"Oh it wasn't me," she clarified, pointing her thumb at Harry. "Harry's the one who recognized that she was Imperiused and stunned her to stop her. Then he sent for me. I called Cooper, and he went to Hogsmeade to secure it. They're escorting all the students back as a precaution."
McGonagall absorbed this without blinking, turning her gaze to the students. "Very well. Potter, Miss Spinks, kindly come forward and tell your stories."
Leanne spoke first, still clearly distraught. When she finished, McGonagall sent her to get a calming draught from Madam Pomfrey and then indicated Harry was to share his part. Tonks reiterated her actions and instructions, and when all was said and done, Professor McGonagall returned to her seat, forehead creased in thought.
"I don't need to tell you how bad this is," Tonks said quietly.
"Indeed you do not. I never imagined I would do this for one student stunning another, but fifteen points to Gryffindor, Potter. That was very quick thinking. When Severus returns, we shall take a careful look at this package. In the meantime—"
"No need to wait any longer." Snape swept into the classroom. He, Tonks, and McGonagall formed a loose circle around the desk, and, ignored, Harry moved to one side, trying to see what lay inside.
Tonks and Snape poked and prodded the package for several minutes, muttering to each other and themselves while McGonagall remained an observer. Snape finally slit the paper with his wand, and after more spells Tonks levitated a glittering opal necklace into the air.
"I know what that is," Harry blurted out. Three sets of eyes stared at him. "That was in Borgin and Burkes. It's cursed."
"We have determined that," Snape said curtly. "Had Miss Bell touched this, she would undoubtedly be dead."
"How do you know that was in Borgin and Burkes, Harry?" Tonks asked.
"I saw it the summer before my second year," Harry remembered. "And I wasn't the only one. Draco Malfoy and his father saw it, too. It was the day Lucius Malfoy gave Ginny Tom Riddle's diary."
"What were you doing in Knockturn Alley at the age of twelve?" Tonks inquired inquisitively.
"It was an accident. The point is—" He glanced at Snape warily before deciding to go ahead. "This could be the object Malfoy told Borgin to keep safe."
"I hardly—" Snape began, but McGonagall cut him off.
"Draco Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today. He spent the morning in detention with me."
"But he could have gone after—"
McGonagall shook her head. "He was here until half an hour ago, Potter."
"We can figure out who did it later," Tonks broke in. "For the time being, it's enough that this was intended for someone in the school. Who that might be we have three known Order members right here, plus Dumbledore, another Auror at the school all week, or even Harry."
"It wasn't meant for me," Harry disagreed. "I talked directly to Katie. She was insistent that she reach the castle."
"Fine, not you," Tonks said impatiently, waving her hand. "And this happened on a day when not only is Professor Dumbledore gone, but there was no Auror in the castle until about an hour ago. This was deliberate."
"Of course it was," Snape said caustically. "Students do not normally bring cursed necklaces into the castle as casually as they do dungbombs from Zonko's."
Tonks sent him a nasty look as she perched on a desk, settling into a contemplative state.
Eventually she jumped to her feet, pacing back and forth and nodding to herself. "Right. Here's what's going to happen. Severus, lock that necklace in your office until I can take it to the Ministry. It's evidence. Katie remains under supervision in the Hospital Wing, sedated with no visitors, until we can escort her to St. Mungo's. Removing the Imperius Curse is no easy task. And I want a list of every student that went to Hogsmeade today."
"Filch will have that," McGonagall told her.
"Have him bring it to my quarters. And then, Professor, I want to interview every single person on that list."
There was a moment of shocked silence before McGonagall spoke again. "Nymphadora, are you sure that is necessary?"
"Absolutely. I'll be damned if something like this is going to happen on my watch. Someone had to have seen something, and I intend to figure this out." Harry realized that Tonks took this personally.
"I'll need a teacher to accompany me every time unless the student is of age. And a classroom to set up my investigation."
McGonagall and Snape exchanged a look. "You can have one of the empty classrooms in the Oxford corridor on the first floor," the Transfiguration teacher said.
"Excellent." Tonks looked directly at each professor. "And I want to speak to Draco Malfoy." She smiled grimly. "I think it's time my cousin and I had a little chat."
"I thought we established there is no significant link," said Snape with a penetrating look.
"And I don't bloody care," she retorted. "Whatever is going on, he's a part of it. Make it happen, Severus, or I'll do it myself." Without waiting for a response, she headed for the exit briskly. "So: locket in your office, list of students from Filch, interviews to start tomorrow. And no one puts one toe in the Hospital Wing. Good? Good."
Rather impressed by how she'd taken control, Harry watched Tonks speed out of the room with a Snape-worthy billow of her long coat. When neither teacher glanced his way, he hurried after the Auror. She didn't so much as look up when he fell into step, and Harry eyed her curiously.
"You look horrible," he said bluntly.
"Missed you, too, darling." She glanced at him with a half-smile, dark circles under bloodshot eyes prominent in her white skin.
He chuckled. "Sorry. Do you know there's some sort of wonky stuff in your hair?"
She reached up with one hand, patting experimentally. "Dried shampoo," she explained. "I was in the shower when your patronus arrived, left in a bit of a hurry."
"I actually sent it to Coop."
"He already left, so you got me. Sorry to disappoint."
"You're never a disappointment." A long pause. "Are you going to tell me where you were?"
"Harry, can the Spanish Inquisition wait until I at least get to my quarters?" she asked peevishly.
"I've a splitting headache."
Harry relented, and as they walked he tried to figure out how Malfoy got the necklace, took it to Hogsmeade, and Imperiused Katie without actually being there. Perhaps Crabbe or Goyle, but Harry couldn't see either of them having anywhere near the skill needed to pull off the Imperius Curse, even if it had been a shoddy one to judge by her dazed state.
Tonks didn't object when Harry followed her into her room, heading straight for the wardrobe where she searched for and subsequently chugged a small vial, massaging her forehead after the potion went down.
"Much better. How was your date?" she asked absently, dropping heavily onto a small sofa and tugging her boots off to reveal bare feet.
"Where are your socks?" Harry asked curiously.
"I forgot them." Tonks stood, stripping her outer layers until nothing remained but jeans and a tight vest. "Now, how was your date?"
"My date?" Harry repeated, trying very hard not to stare.
She pushed his head away playfully as she passed him on her way to the bathroom, where she stuck her head under the tap. "Your date. To Hogsmeade. With Parvati."
"Oh, right. It was horrible, actually," said Harry. "She dumped me."
Tonks reappeared in the doorway, rubbing dripping wet hair with a towel, eyebrows arched.
"Really? Sorry, mate."
"You should be." His anger reappeared in a rush.
She paused, one finger in her ear as she dried it. "And why is that?"
"I shouldn't have asked her out in the first place," Harry snapped. "I was never interested in Parvati. I told you I wasn't interested in her. The only reason I asked her out was so you wouldn't muck around in my life."
"Harry, I didn't—"
"You had no right to get involved like that. She's my friend, and I hurt her." Harry whirled around, glowering at the mirror.
Tonks bit her lip before dropping the towel and sighing. "Harry, I'm sorry. Really I am. I only thought you needed a little nudge. I never would have followed through on speaking to Ginny, okay? I'm really sorry."
"I shouldn't have listened to you," he muttered, shooting irritated glances at her reflection. "You didn't force me. It's really my fault." The admission did nothing to relieve his anger.
"Okay," she said warily. "If looks could kill, Harry. I said I was sorry. What gives?"
"Where have you been?" he demanded more than asked.
Her eyebrows shot skyward again. "Working. In Cardiff, if you must know."
"Coop said you were due back days ago."
Her mouth hardened. "Don't ever talk to Coop about me, okay? It took longer than I planned. It's my job, Harry."
"I thought your job was to be here."
"My job is to be wherever the Auror Office tells me to go," she said, her voice dropping dangerously. "The castle was protected by an Auror with six more years experience than me, I might add. Why are you still upset with me?"
"You could have told me you were leaving," said Harry resentfully.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know I reported to you," Tonks snapped, sending him a haughty look. "I'll send you a memo next time."
Harry struggled to find the right words. "I didn't know where you were!" he finally burst out, turning around to face her. "I woke up one day and you were gone, no word—"
"It was short-notice and classified, alright? You can't—"
"And then you never came back, even Coop was—"
"Coop worries more than my bloody mother. Don't listen to him, and don't waste your time fretting about me. You have more important things to do, and I can take care of myself."
"I know you can, but I want to know you're okay!"
They stared at each other for a long time, Tonks weary and frustrated, Harry vulnerable and agitated. He struggled to sort out the conflicted feelings swirling in his mind.
Finally Tonks ran a hand over her hair, taking a few steps closer. "Listen, Harry, be angry about Parvati if you want. That was thoughtless of me. But you cannot be upset with me for doing my job or for keeping you in the dark. I can't deal with that right now." Her words tumbled out in a flood.
"I have been undercover for a week, which is very stressful for your information, I haven't slept in about thirty-six hours, I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, some nasty curses were sent my way very early this morning, I'm bloody freezing, Draco Malfoy tried to kill someone in this castle under my nose and I've no bloody proof, and to top it off I was in such a hurry when I got your patronus that I think I put my knickers on backward which is really uncomfortable!"
She glared at him, dark eyes plainly exhausted, and suddenly his anger melted away. "Tonks"
"And don't tell me you can help me fix them, either."
"I wasn't going to"
"Well, I would have said it if I were you, so you just missed a good one." Tonks managed a small smile with a glimmer of her characteristic cheek, but just as quickly it disappeared. She leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm just so tired, Harry."
Touched by her rare moment of vulnerability, his arms encircled her automatically. He couldn't think of a thing to say, so he just held her. Despite her complaints about being cold, she radiated heat in his arms, and he wondered if she was always that warm. Damp hair brushed his cheek, and a citrus scent teased his nostrils like an elusive memory. Harry took a tentative sniff, trying to figure out the origin.
Tonks stiffened, though she didn't break the embrace. "Did you just smell my hair?"
"No," Harry immediately denied.
"I think you did."
"No, I didn't."
Tonks pulled back with a teasing expression, but their eyes locked and whatever she was going to say evaporated. A lock of stray hair threatened to drift into her eye, and he was dying to brush it away. Harry's mouth once again became incredibly dry. Was this some Metamorphmagus trick, keeping him paralyzed with brown eyes and fair skin?
Damn. That hair was driving him crazier than he'd ever felt in his life. Unable to resist, Harry slowly reached up, her eyes tracking the movement though she made no move to stop him. His thumb had just brushed her temple when someone knocked at the door, and they jumped apart guiltily.
"You shouldn't be in here," Tonks muttered, hastily throwing on a hooded sweatshirt. She opened the door. "Hey."
"Hey, Tonks." Cooper walked in, taking a double check when he saw Harry. "Hi, Harry."
"Hi." Harry wiped his palms, inexplicably sweaty, on his jumper.
"McGonagall's lent us a classroom on the first floor," Tonks told her partner. "I'll change and we can set up there."
Harry beat a hasty path for the doorway, dying to escape the room. Three really was a crowd.
"Well, now you know everything, so I'll go. And I'm glad you're back."
Tonks smiled. "Me, too."
"See you later, Harry," Cooper called.
"Yeah, bye."
Harry stood in the corridor outside her room for a moment. Then, grinning to himself, he set off until he was around a corner and out of sight. "Kreacher?"
With a loud CRACK, his house-elf, currently in service at Hogwarts but still under his ownership, appeared next to him, sending a look of deep loathing even as he bowed. "Yes, Master Harry?"
"Kreacher, I need you to do something for me"
Harry wasted time in the library, hiding in a dark, rarely used alcove, trying to avoid other students. The news about Katie was sure to make the rounds, and he didn't want to be interrogated. When he decided sufficient time had passed, he made a beeline for the normally unused classrooms on the first floor, peeking into a certain one.
His timing was perfect. Tonks and Cooper were exclaiming over a platter of sandwiches and several steaming thermoses that had been waiting for them. As if she sensed something, Tonks glanced up right before he slipped away. Smiling, she made a beeline for him.
"You did this, didn't you?"
"What makes you think that?"
"Bacon sandwiches, coffee and hot chocolate blended together you are something else, babe."
"Babe?" he repeated, a slightly higher octave than normal.
Her smile widened. "We're secret lovers now, remember? And in the books, secret lovers always have secret names."
"And what about you?" he asked, feeling bold.
"Well, that's up to you," she said cheekily. "Thanks for this, truly. You're so sweet I'm getting a toothache. I'm famished and knackered to boot."
"You're welcome."
"You did smell my hair, didn't you? Creep."
"I did no such thing," he protested.
"Whatever you say, babe. I should get back to work now. We'll be pulling an all-nighter, no doubt."
"Don't work too hard. See you tomorrow."
"Harry?" He turned, and Tonks winked. "It's apple."
Harry faced Tonks with trepidation, tugging at the clothes she had provided for him. Tonight, their first session since the Hogsmeade incident, was apparently Harry's introduction into wandless fighting. And now, dressed in a similar version of her training uniform which she claimed to have
"blagged from the quartermaster", she expected him to do what?
"Tonks, I can't I can't hit you."
Tonks put her hands on her hips, smiling cheerfully. "Why not? Is it because I'm a helpless girl? The weaker sex? Worried about hurting poor wittle Tonks?"
"You're not weak by any means. It's just too weird."
"Harry. You asked me to teach you, so I am. Now, do as I say, or detention." To underscore her words, she morphed her face into a complete copy of McGonagall's, though Harry was sure the elderly witch had never worn such a grin. "In combat, getting disarmed puts you at a distinct disadvantage, and this is the best way to defend yourself." She backed off, bending her knees and rocking on the balls of her feet. "So, take me down."
Harry mirrored her posture, rushing toward her halfheartedly before stopping halfway and throwing his hands down in disgust. "I can't."
"You can if I say you can." Tonks walked toward him, and he could see frustration in her eyes.
"What's your issue? Afraid to be beaten by a girl? You've got at least an inch and a stone or two on me. I'm tough, I can take it. Hit me, Harry."
She began to shove his shoulders, first one, the other, both at the same time. Harry retreated from her flailing hands, but she followed. "C'mon, Potter, are you just going to take this?" She popped him on the side of his head before slapping both his cheeks lightly in repetition.
"Hey, quit!"
"Why? Pissed off yet? Am I making you angry? Are you going to keep letting me do this or are you going to fight back?" She shoved him harder, and he stumbled backward. Tonks bent her knees loosely, rolling her shoulders and twisting her neck. "Go on, then."
Brushing his fringe out of his eyes, Harry stared at her, trying to concentrate. She's an opponent. An enemy. Not Tonks. Adversary. But try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking of her as anyone but his dear pink-haired friend. Lurking above it all was the idea that such close contact with Tonks wouldn't be a terrible thing, though not nearly in the manner she intended. Just as he was about to call it quits, Tonks winked and beckoned her fingers in a clear 'come and get me' gesture.
Fine. If she wanted him to hit her, he would. Lowering his head, he charged. Right when his hands were about to grasp her waist, Tonks neatly sidestepped and twisted, shoving him face first into the mat. Before he knew what was happening, she fell with a knee in his back, twisting both arms behind him painfully.
"There you go," she said in approval as he struggled fruitlessly. "Now that you know you can do it, lose the anger and think clearly. Rushing me like that was sloppy and obvious. Anger will only get you so far." She assumed a combat stance again, indicating for him to reciprocate. "Now, knock me on my arse."
Five minutes later, Harry landed flat on his back as Tonks straddled him, holding each of his hands straight out to his sides. "That was good. Next time, don't hesitate. You gave me time to see what you were planning. Widen your stance and bend your knees a bit. That will lower your center of gravity and give you more stability."
"I'm still afraid I'll hurt you."
Tonks laughed. "Have I hurt you yet?"
"Not really." Harry tried to lift his arms or twist his hips, but she was stronger than she looked.
She clicked her tongue. "You'll get up when I let you. What, you don't like it when I lay you flat on your arse?"
"Actually, it's not so bad."
She threw her head back and laughed heartily, finally releasing his hands. "We'll see how much you like it when I've done it a half dozen times."
And as Harry climbed off the mat for the sixth time, feeling the beginnings of soreness, he had to admit she was right. Only once had he managed to gain the advantage, and that position left him with her bum shoved in his face. Which was quite unfair, leaving him distracted long enough for Tonks to twist away and send him sprawling on his face again.
Harry lost count of how many times he picked himself up that night. Tonks laid him on his back, on his face, twisted his arms behind him, sat on top of him, and once landed with her palm flat on his neck, an inch away from cutting off his air supply. In the end the only thing he was pleased about was that when she finally rolled away and didn't order him to stand up, she was breathing as hard as he was.
Tonks tossed him a bottle of water and an apple. "I think you're suffered enough. Let's get out of here. And don't worry, we won't spend much time on this. It's what's known as a last resort."
Determined not to have his arse kicked by a girl any longer, Harry quizzed Tonks on different maneuvers nearly all the way back to Gryffindor Tower, contemplating how to use his longer arms to his advantage when the conversation fell into a lull.
"So I hear you're going out with Hermione now," Tonks remarked unexpectedly.
"News to me." He gave her a sideways glance. "Jealous?"
"Can't you see I'm turning green with envy?" Her messy pink crop morphed a lime green. "I'm just taking the piss, babe, I know you aren't. Only it's all over school."
"How do you know what's all over school?"
"You'd be surprised what I overhear." Her voice changed to gossipy chatter, reminding him uncannily of Lavender. "Did you hear that Kate Somers found Kevin Apley and Siobhan O'Reilly necking in the prefect's bath on the fifth floor?"
Harry gasped. "No!"
"The girls got into a screaming match in Astronomy over it."
"Scandalous."
"Isn't it?" she said with relish, then frowned. "It would be a lot more interesting if I had the slightest clue who these people are." They shared a laugh. "So is it safe to assume you and Hermione aren't partaking in the horizontal mambo?"
"I think I would know if we were."
"If you're doing it right." She winked. "Any inkling as to why the school is abuzz?"
He had a good idea, but Harry hesitated before telling her, not sure if he was ready for this conversation. "Ron saw something the night Hermione waited up for us that he might have misinterpreted, and if he told Lavender, everyone knows. Also, after Hogsmeade when I returned to the common room, I went straight for Hermione. I wanted to tell her, right? And Parvati and her friends saw me."
She wrinkled her brow. "How is that any different from any other day?"
"When we broke up, Parvati reckoned there was someone else I fancy." Harry took the plunge. "And there is."
Tonks whistled. "Why, Casanova, you don't waste any time. Do tell. I promise not to get involved this time."
"I'm not telling you a word. I don't want to muck this one up."
"Go on, Harry," she begged, pivoting to face him whilst walking backward and consequently tripping immediately. "Indulge your old friend Tonks. I have no social life of my own, I need to live vicariously through you. At least tell me about the lucky lass. Does she know you fancy her?"
He pondered that. "Sometimes I think she does, but it's hard to tell. It might be her personality."
"So she's a flirt," Tonks guessed astutely.
"I wouldn't say that to her face."
"All flirts know they're flirts, Harry. No big deal. What's she like?"
He grinned, more glad than ever to be under the cloak to hide his face. "She's smart but not in a brainy way like Hermione. She's funny, and she's really confident. She makes me loosen up."
"To be fair, you are an uptight wanker."
"Hey! No comments on my private time."
Tonks laughed, the kind that bubbled up from deep down and always made Harry join in. "Nice one, babe. You have loosened up. Is she pretty?"
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Yes."
"Sounds like a catch." She came to a neat stop in front of the Fat Lady. "Go for it."
Harry muttered something noncommittal. "Hmm. Well, goodnight, Tonks."
"Goodnight, Harry," she called, walking away.
He continued to talk as he climbed through the portrait hole. "She's crazy and outgoing and stubborn and well she's you, Tonks."
Waiting. Why did so much of her job involve waiting? And why was it always in the middle of the night? Rather ironically, Tonks had grown so tired of waiting for a proper interview with Draco Malfoy that she'd taken matters (as well as Harry's invisibility cloak and that handy map) into her own hands. And here she was, waiting for him to return to his common room. She wanted to bring Harry, but there were more reasons that was a bad idea than she cared to contemplate.
Aha. Finally the map showed three black dots headed directly for her. Tucking the map and cloak back into her bag, Tonks took a position directly next to the wall the map showed led to the Slytherin common room, no longer bothering to stay out of sight.
"No, no," she called when two massive figures tried to make a hasty escape. "Go to your dorm. You aren't the one I'm looking for."
Eyeing her warily, they mumbled a password and fled without a backwards look. The lone remaining Slytherin continued his approach with a haughtily bored expression, crossing his arms.
"You again." Malfoy looked almost ill, face gray and haggard.
"Me again. How are you?"
"Splendid. Doing interviews at night now?"
"Since you seem so fond of vampiristic tendencies, avoiding sun and the like, I decided I'd accommodate your preferences. Where have you been?"
"I'm a prefect. I have rounds."
"Do prefects need bodyguards now? Things have changed in the last five years."
"What do you want?" he asked in a bored tone.
She assumed a nonchalant position against the wall. "Just a little talk, about any number of things. Katie Bell. Borgin and Burkes. Cursed necklaces. Dark Marks."
His eyes narrowed, but that was the only reaction she received. "What does any of that have to do with me?"
"Don't be so thick. I know what you're up to, Draco."
"Really? Have Potty, the Weasel, and the mudblood been telling stories about me again?"
Her eyes flashed. "Don't say that word."
He smirked. "What word? Mudblood? Don't tell me you're one, with your freakish shape-shifting?"
"My father is a Muggleborn," she told him stiffly, beginning to wonder if he knew about her at all.
"So you're half-mudblood yourself," he drawled.
Tonks pulled her wand so fast he barely had time to flinch. "Say that one more time, you little shit, and I'll hex you so badly we'll see exactly how pure your blood is."
"Go ahead." Malfoy smirked again, his momentary flash of fear gone. "Auror goes mental and attacks student. Should make a great headline."
"Here's a headline for you. Rookie Death Eater curses Auror while her back is turned." Tonks had the satisfaction of seeing her cousin's face darken. "Who do you reckon they'll believe? The Auror, all bright and shiny and heroic, or the son of an Azkaban inmate? I'd rather be half-Muggleborn than half-Death Eater. Though I suppose that's fully fledged now, isn't it?"
"You have no proof of anything," he snarled, and she saw desperation in his cold eyes. It made her uneasy. Desperate people were the most dangerous.
"No, I don't, or we wouldn't be chatting about this." Tonks stepped closer until she could practically touch him, resisting the urge to make herself taller. "But Draco? If you pull another stupid stunt like that necklace, I'll make up the proof I need."
"Here I thought you Order lot never strayed from your high and mighty pedestals," he retorted.
"Oh, I've never met a rule I didn't want to break," she said with a malicious grin. "I'll do whatever it takes to stop people like you. No problem getting my hands dirty; someone has to do it. Consider it giving into my Black side, if you will."
"What are you talking about?" he asked slowly.
She regarded him with disbelief. "You really have no idea, do you? When you go home for Christmas, why don't you ask your mother about her other sister?"
"Her other sister?" he repeated. "Aunt Bella-"
"Isn't her only big sister," Tonks finished. "There were three Black girls. Ask her about the middle one, Andromeda, who just so happens to be my mother."
"You're lying."
"I wish I was. Unfortunately I'm not. You know what that makes us, don't you?" He didn't answer.
"Too overjoyed to speak? That's okay, I'll tell you. That makes us cousins, and if I remember correctly, your father doesn't have any siblings. So that means I'm your only cousin." Tonks brushed away an imaginary tear. "What a touching moment."
"Fuck off."
"See how much we have in common? Grey eyes, pale skin, a proclivity for cursing."
He shook his head. "I don't believe you. A proper pureblood would never marry a mudblood."
Her frustration with her inability to prove anything had been simmering just under the surface, and with the addition of Malfoy's attitude, her temper boiled over. Tonks slammed his shoulder against the wall, pinning him there. "I fucking told you not to say that. Don't try my patience. It's in very limited supply."
Malfoy's hand jerked, and for a moment she thought he was going to curse her. She silently begged him to give her an excuse. Unfortunately his common sense won out, and he settled for shoving her away. Tonks took the opportunity for a deep breath, forcing herself not to lose her temper again. She'd be in deep trouble if the Ministry found out she put hands on an underage student.
"What do you want from me?" he asked sullenly. "I'd really like to go to bed."
"Maybe you should stop staying up so late," she retorted, then sighed. Tonks retreated to lean against the opposite wall, dropping any inflections from her voice and hoping sincerity shone.
"Listen, Draco. Really listen, because I'm going to give you some honest advice. You're no more my family than Hagrid. I don't like you. I think you're a coward and a bullying shithead. I also think you're what you've been raised to be, and you're old enough to make your own decisions. Though I have deep suspicions, maybe you haven't actually done anything wrong. And if you haven't, it's not too late."
"Too late for what?"
"Too late to turn around. It's not marks on your skin that define your side. It's your actions, and once you cross that line, there's no going back. So against my best judgment, I'm offering you one last chance."
"I don't need your help," he protested stubbornly.
"You need someone's help before you get in over your head." She looked at him almost pityingly.
"You know we're onto you. It's only a matter of time before you get caught. Just walk away."
They stared at each other for a long time, and feeling slightly ridiculous, Tonks actually extended her hand, free of a wand. He glanced at it before shaking his head.
"It's not that easy." And Malfoy turned his back, on her, on her offer, on his chance. Tonks watched him disappear into his dormitory, wondering if she'd have to kill her cousin someday.
Five cloaked figures, all in black, strode down Diagon Alley. It was the dead of night, past business hours for what shops remained, and the few unsavory characters that loitered quickly withdrew into the shadows. The group moved with purpose, not even sparing a glance for the petty thieves and small-time criminals. As a unit they turned into Knockturn Alley on a predetermined route. Not quite halfway down, they paused, and four of them raised their wands. The air seemed to ripple for a moment, and then all was as it had been. One stepped forward, kneeling to roll a small ball-like object down the street. Nothing happened, and apparently satisfied, the man waved his wand, recalling the ball back into his grasp.
The group continued moving quickly, stopping in front of a certain shop. The shortest figure stepped back, blending into the darkness across from their target. The remaining four approached the storefront. The tallest and the smallest assumed positions on either side of the door while the largest took a few steps back, facing it directly. The last stood right in front of the door, nodding to each of his associates before raising his wand.
The door blew inward, and the four figures poured through, each immediately pivoting to face a different direction once inside. They moved fluidly, their inherent trust in each other evident as they followed a certain path with purpose. It was over within minutes, and while two of them spoke with the frightened and angry shopkeeper, pulled from his bed in the flat above the shop, his protests silenced with one roll of official-looking parchment, the other two made their way to a second-floor window overlooking the street.
"That was easy," remarked Tonks, pulling back the hood of her cloak to reveal purple hair peeking out from underneath a striped wool cap.
Cooper gazed out at the sleeping town, removing his own cloak. "No one expected Borgin to put up a fight. He's eighty if he's a day."
"I think the true fight is yet to come," Tonks said. "Now we get to pry out any information about that necklace from the old man, and you know that's going to be a right pain in the arse."
Cooper turned his gaze to the room they occupied, grimacing at the decor, many objects clearly taken from the store's inventory. "Unfortunately you're probably right, but at least we're doing something now. I know you've been chafing at the inactivity, my impatient padawan."
Tonks grinned at his reflection in the window, but whatever she was about to say was forgotten as red sparks lit up the night's sky. "Coop! Sam's signal!"
He whirled around, and she tensed, waiting for his order. "Pincher," he decided. "Up or down?"
She grinned, vanishing the window with a swipe of her wand. "Always up. Loser buys breakfast?"
"You're on."
Tonks climbed out the window, which was luckily not far from the rooftop, freeing her cloak with a practiced yank as she did so it fluttered to the ground. Cooper gave her a boost, but as soon as she had a solid grip on the eaves, she knew he dropped to the street. Climbing to her feet, she looked around and saw the flashes of a duel far to her left. Stepping to one side of the roof, Tonks rocked back and forth on her scuffed boots a few times before pushing off hard. She sprinted to the opposite side and leaped, landing solidly on the next.
Grateful both for mostly flat roofs and tiny alleys, Tonks continued her rooftop sprint, following the progress of the duel with one eye.
Her eyes widened as she took on the next roof, shingled with a steep peak, but she didn't slow, letting her momentum propel her as far up as she could. She landed heavily, immediately dropping onto her stomach with a forced exhale. Her boots scrambled to push her up, dislodging a few loose shingles with a clatter, and she pulled herself to the top with some effort. Standing unsteadily on the ridgepole, she allowed herself one deep breath before she descended, half sliding, half running down the other side.
Unable to build up much speed, Tonks barely made it to the next roof, and her arms pinwheeled for a moment before she regained her balance and took off again. On the next rooftop she passed her target, who seemed to be slowing, and she crossed two more buildings before deciding she'd gone far enough.
Tonks spotted a drainpipe on one side and leaped over the edge with characteristic abandon, sliding down with two gloved hands. She sped to the street and then forced herself to slow, peering around the edge with caution. Her heart was pounding and her breath came rapidly, but she was aware of nothing but the small, wiry man locked in combat with Cooper.
Tonks began to jog toward them, wand in hand, trying to find the right balance between silence and speed. The two figures were moving constantly, and it was hard for her to get a lock on the Death Eater for fear of hitting Cooper. Case in point, one of his own stray curses gouged a hole in the ground a few feet from her. She wasn't quite within range when the unknown Death Eater shot a bolt of green light toward Cooper, forcing her partner to dive into the nearest alleyway, the curse missing him by inches.
That pissed her off.
"OI!" she bellowed, her jog increasing to a sprint, any thoughts of stealth forgotten. Her opponent turned around, and she recognized the balding head and toothy, malicious grin.
"Hello, little girl," said Selwyn in a rough voice, following up his taunt with a blue jet of light.Tonks deflected it toward him and spun, aiming a disarming charm at his wand hand, a deadening
hex at his right leg, and a stunner straight for his head as she crossed the street. His shields were as good as hers, and she was forced to duck quickly. They crashed into the building behind her, showering her with disintegrated stone dust.
When she looked up, a curse was headed straight for her, and she threw herself flat on the ground, sending a reductor curse as she fell.
Her aim off, the spell went astray, but she heard Selwyn swear as something else struck him. He whipped around to face Cooper, who had emerged from the alleyway. Tonks saw her chance and lunged, catching the Death Eater in the knee with a bone-crushing curse. He howled in pain as he dropped, and her partner stunned him before he hit the ground.
She maintained a ready stance, wand held defensively as she slowly spun in a circle. "Only one?"
she called to Cooper, who was confiscating Selwyn's wand and restraining his arms.
"Yes."
Tonks put two fingers in her mouth and whistled in a distinct pattern as she sheathed her wand and quickly crossed the distance to her partner. "Alright?"
"Fine. You?"
"Dirty but otherwise unscathed."
She ran one hand over her dust-covered hair, trying to catch her breath and slow her racing pulse. Cooper, standing with one booted foot on Selwyn's back, gazed at her, that look she knew so well in his hazel eyes: weary, frightened, exhilarated, and worried all at the same time.
Distant footsteps turned into loud ones as Sam made his appearance. "Heard your signal. Anyone hurt?"
Cooper nudged their prisoner with his toe. "Just this one here. Tonks got him good. Stabilize the knee and wait here."
"Alex has reinforcements on the way. Jason checked the perimeter, and if there are any others, they're well outside the wards you put up. I don't think this one had any time to call for help."
"Good job on the guard detail, Sam." Cooper patted the young mediwizard on the shoulder as they switched spots. "I'll send two Aurors to transport him as soon as they show up."
Sam nodded, exchanging a smile with Tonks as she walked away with Cooper, who threw an arm over her shoulders.
"I think I could go for a full breakfast, mate," she said. "How about you take me to that place we always go after a night at the pub?"
He looked down at her in astonishment. "Me? I believe I was the one who took him down, and I'd like pancakes."
"Pancakes, my arse," she retorted. "I blew his fucking knee up. He won't be walking for a week. Your stunner was a formality."
Cooper scoffed, and they continued their friendly argument all the way back to Borgin and Burkes, where Alex met them at the door.
"Status?"
"Suspect unconscious and in custody," Cooper reported formally. "Moncrieff has him until we can transport him. No others on the scene."
Alex nodded in approval. "Well done, you two. Who's buying breakfast?"
"He is!"
"She is!"
Alex looked between the two glaring Aurors, then sighed. "Every time," he muttered to himself.
"Okay, what happened?"
"I took out his knee with a bone-crushing curse, and that was when he went down," Tonks proclaimed with a superior look.
"Whereupon I stunned and restrained him," Coop finished.
They regarded their boss steadily, who finally nodded to Tonks. "This one goes to Tonks." She began to crow in triumph, but he shushed her with a look. "Don't get too excited. No one is getting breakfast anytime soon. We have a lot of work to do here."
Tonks glanced at Cooper glumly. Bugger. She was really hungry.
Cooper leaned his seat back far enough to rest his feet on the table in front of him. He rubbed his eyes wearily and checked his watch. Damn. Four more hours until he was relieved. Officially, they were cataloging Borgin and Burkes' entire inventory. Unofficially, and truthfully, they were extending the closure for as long as possible in order to deny access to any Death Eaters and seek out the Malfoy boy's mysterious object.
The rest of his team had left once the scene was secured, with a trainee stationed outside on watch. Tonks had begged off duty, claiming she was needed at Hogwarts more than ever. Cooper smiled fondly. His partner had the makings of an excellent Auror, a talented duelist with a knack for spying, but she had no patience for the minute banalities that made up half of their job. He was concerned that her desire to return to the castle had much to do with a certain student, but he hadn't questioned her. Tonks had made it very clear in the past that her romantic life was off limits for discussion, so he was forced to content himself with hoping she knew what she was getting into.
A flash of light in the front room interrupted his musings on the Metamorphmagus. Cooper quickly rolled out of his seat, sliding against the wall next to the door, wand in hand. Not a sound. He waved his wand silently, but the after thirty or so seconds the revealing spell returned to him. No one else was in the building.
The Auror slowly walked around the room, eyes roving in all directions and all senses attuned for another disturbance. He opened every single box, small or large, in case some Dark artifact had been activated. Passing a large cabinet, he nudged open the door with his wand just as he had everything else, expecting to see nothing. And here his search ended most puzzlingly.
On the floor of the cabinet sat a small, rotted green apple.