Chapter 3 - Two Butterbeers with an order of Deatheaters on the Side
"Remus PLEASE be careful." Arthur implored, "And Rosemary, don't do anything that will bring attention to your, um, condition. Stay next to Remus at all times. If you get separated --"
"--Alright Dad, we get it!" amused and exasperated, Remus interrupted Arthur's lecture. "I'll have her home before curfew, I promise."
"Don't worry Arthur, we'll be fine." Rosemary reassured her neighbor.
Molly Weasley took her husband by the arm and started pulling him back towards the Burrow. "For Merlin's sake Arthur, just let them go and have a good time." she chided. "Have fun!" she called out as the car pulled away.
Rosemary shifted gears and headed towards the main road. "So, where to?" she asked her companion.
"Head towards London and I'll tell you where to go when we get there."
Two hours later they pulled into a car park in a depressed area of the city. Rosemary got out of the car and slammed the door.
"Wizard.Muggle.It doesn't matter. You're all exactly alike!" Rosemary complained with more than a hint of genuine aggravation. "What is it about men that you would all rather die than ask for directions?"
"It's not my fault!" Remus argued, "I usually only see the roads from the air. They're different when you're on the ground. And what would you have me say? 'Excuse me Mr. Muggle, would you kindly direct us to the local wizard tappy?' I got us here didn't I?"
"Finally!" Rosemary huffed. Then she stopped and put her hand over her mouth in mock horror. "Oh my God, I sound just like my mother and that is SO wrong. I think this conversation needs to stop right now." Remus smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, " Remus said as he opened the door to a nondescript tavern. "Gateway to Diagon Alley."
Rosemary surveyed the dismal little pub.
"Lovely." she commented sarcastically. Two men sitting at a table in the back caught her attention.
"Can we sit down and talk for a moment" she asked Remus.
'Oh great, she thinks I ran her all over London for the last hour to take her to a dirty little pub. Good move Moony' he thought to himself.
"Sure." Remus gulped pulling out a chair for her at a nearby table. "What's wrong?" he asked as he sat down next to her sensing her discomfort. He braced himself for the 'Remus, you're a really nice guy but..' speech that he always seemed to hear from women.
"Don't worry" he explained before she had a chance to answer his question, "This isn't where I'm taking you today. This is just how you get there. Diagon Alley is much nicer than this."
"No, no, that's not what I'm talking about." Rosemary said waving off his concerns anxiously, "When I tell you, don't turn around. Just smile like you're actually on a date and having a good time."
"You see something, don't you?" Remus was relieved that he wasn't being given orders to Apperate home immediately.
"Do you hear two men talking about you? They're seated in the corner behind us and to the left."
"No, and I have excellent hearing." Remus said, "They must have put a silencing charm and a 'do not notice' charm on their table. What are they saying?"
"Let's see, 'Look, it's the werewolf'. 'who's that with him'. 'should we take him'. 'he's not the target'. 'he's more valuable to us than the target.'" Rosemary repeated what she heard the men saying.
'Fantastic. Bloody fantastic. Deatheaters' Remus thought to himself, 'This afternoon just keeps going from bad to worse'
"There's more," Rosemary said and began to relate more information. " 'its too crowded here'.' we'll take him at the entrance to the alley'", Rosemary's eyes went wide with fear as she told Remus what they said next, " 'take the wolf alive and kill the woman'."
"Smile. Laugh. We can't hear them, remember?" Remus reminded Rosemary. He stared down at the table with a thoughtful, far away look. In a few short moments he had a workable plan for getting out of the situation.
Rosemary forced a smile and leaned into Remus whispering into his ear, "They're not talking anymore. They're listening to us. Wait.wait a minute. One of them just said that we're repulsive."
Remus responded with his first genuine laugh since they had arrived.
The bar maid arrived at their table and asked "What'll it be mates?"
Remus answered her, "Two butterbeers and the use of an owl please."
"The owl will run you an extra fifteen knuts. Local messages only." the bar maid replied.
"That will be fine, thank you." Remus answered the bar maid. He turned to Rosemary and said in a voice that was just loud enough that he was sure that the strangers in the corner heard him, "I'm going to owl the Weasleys and see if they want to join us later for dinner."
An owl arrived at the table with a small piece of parchment and a quill, followed in short order by the butterbeers. Remus wrote a message, tied it to the owl's foot and sent it on it's way.
"What do we do now?" Rosemary said quietly, trying very hard to look as nothing at all out of the ordinary was happening.
"Now we enjoy our drinks and we wait" Remus answered. They sat in awkward silence, broken occasionally by trivial small talk. Remus found himself reflecting on Arthur Weasley's position that Rosemary would be valuable to the Order. He had to admit that if everything went according to his plan she would be an instrumental part of putting two death eaters in Azkaban.
About ten uncomfortable minutes latter the owl returned and dropped a reply onto the table. The message was one word --READY.
Taking a long, last sip from his butterbeer, Remus stood up and told Rosemary that it was time to go. He threw a few coins on the table and escorted her to the back door of the pub. Remus felt her trembling with fear.
"Don't worry. We're going to be fine. Trust me."
"They're following us ."
"Good." Remus replied with confidence. He was a man with a plan. When they reached the back door he whispered "Close your eyes." He couldn't chance her seeing what was waiting for the Deatheaters in the alley and possibly giving up the surprise.
Rosemary complied and took Remus' arm for guidance. They exited the pub and walked into a small enclosure. Rosemary prayed silently that Remus knew what he was doing.
"Hello Werewolf." a greasy voice drawled behind them.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Rosemary heard the curse and opened her eyes to see a small, blue haired woman and a very large, bald black man pointing their wands at the two assailants who promptly went stiff as boards. The unlikely pair secured their prisoners after raising their sleeves to confirm the dark mark. Then they turned their attention to Remus and Rosemary.
"Oi there Remus!" said the woman cheerfully. "Who's your friend?"
"Kingsley, Tonks, this is Rosemary O'Brien. Rosemary, this is Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shaklebolt. They're Aurors."
"It's Tonks, just Tonks" the woman said as she reached out to shake Rosemary's hand.
"Pleased to meet you both." Rosemary said, "Believe me, VERY pleased to meet you both." The relief Rosemary felt bordered on exhilaration.
"Good show!" Kingsley clapped Remus hard on the back and asked in his deep profundo bass voice, "How'd you find them and lure them here?"
"Not in front of the kids." Remus replied, nodding back at the Deatheaters who were stacked like cord wood against the wall of the pub. "I'll talk to you about it later. Right now I have other plans."
"I still have other plans, right?" he asked Rosemary. Considering how the date has gone thus far he felt that it was a bit presumptuous on his part to assume it was going to continue.
"Of course." Rosemary smiled, " I've yet to see this Diagon Alley that I've heard so much about" She was beginning to find his unassuming manner attractive.
Remus heaved a sigh of relief. "Ok, just checking. I thought you might have had enough of me after I got you lost and then almost got you killed. Some women might find that a little off putting."
"You said we'd be fine and we are. It's rather like being on a date with James Bond."
"Is that a good thing?" Remus asked hopefully. He had no idea who James Bond was.
" Yes Remus. That's a very good thing."
Kingsley regarded the couple with a raised eyebrow as Remus took Rosemary by the hand and began tapping out a pattern on the brick wall with his wand. Rosemary watched in delight as the bricks shifted to reveal the entrance to Diagon Alley.
"Remus PLEASE be careful." Arthur implored, "And Rosemary, don't do anything that will bring attention to your, um, condition. Stay next to Remus at all times. If you get separated --"
"--Alright Dad, we get it!" amused and exasperated, Remus interrupted Arthur's lecture. "I'll have her home before curfew, I promise."
"Don't worry Arthur, we'll be fine." Rosemary reassured her neighbor.
Molly Weasley took her husband by the arm and started pulling him back towards the Burrow. "For Merlin's sake Arthur, just let them go and have a good time." she chided. "Have fun!" she called out as the car pulled away.
Rosemary shifted gears and headed towards the main road. "So, where to?" she asked her companion.
"Head towards London and I'll tell you where to go when we get there."
Two hours later they pulled into a car park in a depressed area of the city. Rosemary got out of the car and slammed the door.
"Wizard.Muggle.It doesn't matter. You're all exactly alike!" Rosemary complained with more than a hint of genuine aggravation. "What is it about men that you would all rather die than ask for directions?"
"It's not my fault!" Remus argued, "I usually only see the roads from the air. They're different when you're on the ground. And what would you have me say? 'Excuse me Mr. Muggle, would you kindly direct us to the local wizard tappy?' I got us here didn't I?"
"Finally!" Rosemary huffed. Then she stopped and put her hand over her mouth in mock horror. "Oh my God, I sound just like my mother and that is SO wrong. I think this conversation needs to stop right now." Remus smiled and nodded his head in agreement.
"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, " Remus said as he opened the door to a nondescript tavern. "Gateway to Diagon Alley."
Rosemary surveyed the dismal little pub.
"Lovely." she commented sarcastically. Two men sitting at a table in the back caught her attention.
"Can we sit down and talk for a moment" she asked Remus.
'Oh great, she thinks I ran her all over London for the last hour to take her to a dirty little pub. Good move Moony' he thought to himself.
"Sure." Remus gulped pulling out a chair for her at a nearby table. "What's wrong?" he asked as he sat down next to her sensing her discomfort. He braced himself for the 'Remus, you're a really nice guy but..' speech that he always seemed to hear from women.
"Don't worry" he explained before she had a chance to answer his question, "This isn't where I'm taking you today. This is just how you get there. Diagon Alley is much nicer than this."
"No, no, that's not what I'm talking about." Rosemary said waving off his concerns anxiously, "When I tell you, don't turn around. Just smile like you're actually on a date and having a good time."
"You see something, don't you?" Remus was relieved that he wasn't being given orders to Apperate home immediately.
"Do you hear two men talking about you? They're seated in the corner behind us and to the left."
"No, and I have excellent hearing." Remus said, "They must have put a silencing charm and a 'do not notice' charm on their table. What are they saying?"
"Let's see, 'Look, it's the werewolf'. 'who's that with him'. 'should we take him'. 'he's not the target'. 'he's more valuable to us than the target.'" Rosemary repeated what she heard the men saying.
'Fantastic. Bloody fantastic. Deatheaters' Remus thought to himself, 'This afternoon just keeps going from bad to worse'
"There's more," Rosemary said and began to relate more information. " 'its too crowded here'.' we'll take him at the entrance to the alley'", Rosemary's eyes went wide with fear as she told Remus what they said next, " 'take the wolf alive and kill the woman'."
"Smile. Laugh. We can't hear them, remember?" Remus reminded Rosemary. He stared down at the table with a thoughtful, far away look. In a few short moments he had a workable plan for getting out of the situation.
Rosemary forced a smile and leaned into Remus whispering into his ear, "They're not talking anymore. They're listening to us. Wait.wait a minute. One of them just said that we're repulsive."
Remus responded with his first genuine laugh since they had arrived.
The bar maid arrived at their table and asked "What'll it be mates?"
Remus answered her, "Two butterbeers and the use of an owl please."
"The owl will run you an extra fifteen knuts. Local messages only." the bar maid replied.
"That will be fine, thank you." Remus answered the bar maid. He turned to Rosemary and said in a voice that was just loud enough that he was sure that the strangers in the corner heard him, "I'm going to owl the Weasleys and see if they want to join us later for dinner."
An owl arrived at the table with a small piece of parchment and a quill, followed in short order by the butterbeers. Remus wrote a message, tied it to the owl's foot and sent it on it's way.
"What do we do now?" Rosemary said quietly, trying very hard to look as nothing at all out of the ordinary was happening.
"Now we enjoy our drinks and we wait" Remus answered. They sat in awkward silence, broken occasionally by trivial small talk. Remus found himself reflecting on Arthur Weasley's position that Rosemary would be valuable to the Order. He had to admit that if everything went according to his plan she would be an instrumental part of putting two death eaters in Azkaban.
About ten uncomfortable minutes latter the owl returned and dropped a reply onto the table. The message was one word --READY.
Taking a long, last sip from his butterbeer, Remus stood up and told Rosemary that it was time to go. He threw a few coins on the table and escorted her to the back door of the pub. Remus felt her trembling with fear.
"Don't worry. We're going to be fine. Trust me."
"They're following us ."
"Good." Remus replied with confidence. He was a man with a plan. When they reached the back door he whispered "Close your eyes." He couldn't chance her seeing what was waiting for the Deatheaters in the alley and possibly giving up the surprise.
Rosemary complied and took Remus' arm for guidance. They exited the pub and walked into a small enclosure. Rosemary prayed silently that Remus knew what he was doing.
"Hello Werewolf." a greasy voice drawled behind them.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Rosemary heard the curse and opened her eyes to see a small, blue haired woman and a very large, bald black man pointing their wands at the two assailants who promptly went stiff as boards. The unlikely pair secured their prisoners after raising their sleeves to confirm the dark mark. Then they turned their attention to Remus and Rosemary.
"Oi there Remus!" said the woman cheerfully. "Who's your friend?"
"Kingsley, Tonks, this is Rosemary O'Brien. Rosemary, this is Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shaklebolt. They're Aurors."
"It's Tonks, just Tonks" the woman said as she reached out to shake Rosemary's hand.
"Pleased to meet you both." Rosemary said, "Believe me, VERY pleased to meet you both." The relief Rosemary felt bordered on exhilaration.
"Good show!" Kingsley clapped Remus hard on the back and asked in his deep profundo bass voice, "How'd you find them and lure them here?"
"Not in front of the kids." Remus replied, nodding back at the Deatheaters who were stacked like cord wood against the wall of the pub. "I'll talk to you about it later. Right now I have other plans."
"I still have other plans, right?" he asked Rosemary. Considering how the date has gone thus far he felt that it was a bit presumptuous on his part to assume it was going to continue.
"Of course." Rosemary smiled, " I've yet to see this Diagon Alley that I've heard so much about" She was beginning to find his unassuming manner attractive.
Remus heaved a sigh of relief. "Ok, just checking. I thought you might have had enough of me after I got you lost and then almost got you killed. Some women might find that a little off putting."
"You said we'd be fine and we are. It's rather like being on a date with James Bond."
"Is that a good thing?" Remus asked hopefully. He had no idea who James Bond was.
" Yes Remus. That's a very good thing."
Kingsley regarded the couple with a raised eyebrow as Remus took Rosemary by the hand and began tapping out a pattern on the brick wall with his wand. Rosemary watched in delight as the bricks shifted to reveal the entrance to Diagon Alley.