Back again! Yes, it's true. I've got less to say at the beginning this time, except that there'll be more characters in this chapter. Fun fun fun. And I've gotten rid of the "I"'s in this chapter. I forgot to remove the html coding, sorry about that. I did remember this time though…anyway, read and enjoy :D
Tonks woke to the sound of tapping on her window. Still wearing the large sweater from last night as well as the baggy green pants. Opening the window just long enough to let the small owl fly in, she sighed. Taking the paper from its beak and fishing around in one of the many pockets on the pants, she thought back to last night. Still confused as to why it mattered so much to her what Charlie did with other girls, she lost herself in thought. A moment later she was back in the real world, a small cut on her hand, the owl's way of reminding her she hadn't yet paid for the newspaper.
Gathering together five knuts from various pockets and the space between the couch cushions, she put them in the pouch on the owl's leg then opened the window once more to let it out. That out of the way, she grabbed her paper and flopped back down onto the couch where she had fallen asleep the night before. After having read the front page three times without taking anything in, she decided she needed a break and some fresh air.
And what better place to get fresh air than Diagon alley? Having apparated quite a ways away from the leaky cauldron, Tonks began to walk down the crowded street. Her clothes were gaining her some looks from the more respectably dressed people walking down the street. If her short purple plaid skirt, white knee socks, and black high tops weren't enough to label her someone who was not the sort of person they would associate with, her short tank top with if "you laugh alone the world thinks you're an idiot" written on the front proved it. No need to look at the short pink hair or the tattoo on her stomach of a dragon.
Not that the tattoo was real, but it gave a nice touch to the outfit. Tonks just grinned at the people who glared at the way she looked. Finally coming across the small dingy pub she stepped inside, out of the bright light. Walking straight through with only a slight pause to talk to Tom, she found herself in the alley behind the pub, facing a blank brick wall. Tapping the correct brick with her wand, she waited patiently as the arch opened, admitting the girl to the street beyond.
Walking down the street with no purpose she found herself standing in front of number 93. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. With a deep breath, one she had never had to take before going into this particular shop, she walked in. A bell rang in the back of the shop, but it was quite hard to hear over the young children filling the shop. Forcing her way to the back Tonks grinned at Verity, who was currently attempting to separate two young children who were arguing over…something. Moving to stand between the two children, Tonks greeted Verity, attempting to be heard over the noise. Verity tilted her head to the side, indicating she hadn't heard Tonks.
Tonks sighed, walking closer, but keeping a hand on one of the struggling children. "Hi." She repeated, slightly louder. "Hey." Verity greeted, her voice also straining to be heard, even though the two women were standing next to each other. Tonks, feeling that the boy she was holding onto had stopped struggling loosened her grip, still holding her attention on Verity. "Are the twins here?" Tonks asked, not really sure if she wanted to talk to them, but seeing no other choice. "I think so." Verity said, her brow furrowed, trying to remember whether her employers had left or not. "At least…they should be here. I think they're in the back. Go ahead back, just watch out. I'm not sure what they're trying to invent right now…it could be quite dangerous really."
Tonks nodded her thanks, making her way to the very back of the shop. "Fred? George?" she called, attempting to get them to come to her, instead of having to go to them. After Verity's warning, Tonks was not too keen on walking into the back of the shop to see what horrors the twins might have been cooking up. No such luck. The twins did not respond, forcing Tonks to take one brave step into the back of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. A puff of orange smoke smelling faintly of mint and vanilla met her. This isn't so bad she thought, liking the smell, and not minding the colour much either.
That was until Tonks realized what was happening to the room around her. The walls seemed to be…melting? But that couldn't be right…could it? No…walls definitely didn't melt on a day to day basis. Although it did look quite like the wall was slowly sliding down on whatever had been holding it up in the first place. Then again, that emu didn't look like it belonged there either. Tonks tried to open her mouth to ask what was going on, but she couldn't. Confused, she decided that she must be going insane and that it would all go away if she just ignored it.
It didn't all go away, but…there seemed to be two figures in the mist now. Their hair matching the haze almost perfectly. "Oh damn." She heard it, distorted through the confusion, but clear at the same time. Then, just as suddenly as it began everything went back to normal, leaving Tonks standing in the middle of a perfectly normal room, staring stupidly at Fred and George as they talked hurriedly about what had happened. "Tonks." Fred greeted. "Sorry about that." George said, "We were just testing it, and you walked in, and…it seems to work." He offered by way of explanation. Tonks, still slightly out of it, took that as a perfectly reasonable explanation and decided to say what she had come here to say.
"Your brother is stupid." She managed to force out, her feeling coming back in small bits. "I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that." Fred said. "We do have more than one brother you know." George added. "Right, sorry…what was that stuff?" Tonks asked, suddenly regaining enough of herself to wonder. "That my dear woman…" Fred started "Would be top secret." George finished. "So, which of our dear brothers is stupid? If it's Percy you're talking about, we did already know that." "Al though if it happens to be someone like, George, for example, I would have to be quite surprised." Fred added. "It's not Percy, although that is true, and it isn't George. I would have said if it was George. It's Charlie." Tonks explained.
"Charlie is it?" Fred asked, a slight grin on his face. "Always knew he'd do something stupid someday." George added, an identical grin on his face. "Well…he has." Tonks said, rather lamely in her opinion. "And what was that?" George asked. "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you." Tonks said, grinning slightly. "Hear that George? She'd have to kill you." Fred said, laughing. "I've been meaning to do that myself." Came Verity's voice as she joined the three in the back of the shop.
"It might not be so bad if George weren't around." Fred mused, before being smacked up the back of the head by his twin. "That wouldn't happen nearly as often for one thing." "Nah, I'd still do it." Verity said, unpacking a box of supplies. "See? So It's probably good that I'm alive, because then she hits both of us, instead of just you." George said. "Wow…that was almost smart." Tonks said sarcastically. "Anyway, Verity? Can I talk to you?"
Tonks decided that maybe Fred and George weren't the best people to talk to about Charlie. "What did you want to talk about?" Verity asked, once they had gotten away from the twins. "Um…I was hoping you might have some advice." Tonks said, deciding it was best just to come out with it. "Advice on what?" Verity asked, fully intrigued. "Um…actually…it's Charlie." Tonks said, the heat in her cheeks giving away her light blush. "Ah, another bitten by the Weasley bug." Verity said, smiling. "I wouldn't say it's a bug so much as a general annoyance." Tonks muttered. "Oh, so you don't like Charlie then." Verity said, still smiling. "Well…Oh I don't know! I think I do, but…" Tonks replied, attempting to get her thoughts to transfer into words. "Sounds to me like there's nothing to be confused about." Verity said, "You definitely have the bug."
Thinking back to how she had felt when Charlie had gone off with the other girl, Tonks realized with a start that Verity was right. "damn." She muttered quietly. "So what's wrong then?" Verity asked, unaware of what had happened the night before. "He went off with this other girl, and I haven't seen him since." Tonks explained, feeling a twinge of jealousy as she said it. "Another girl? And where was this?" Verity asked, interested. "A night club." Tonks said simply. Verity laughed, something Tonks had not been expecting. "Well that's alright then, isn't it." Verity said, still laughing. "No…not really." Tonks said, confused and, truth be told, slightly hurt that her friend would be laughing at something so horrible. "It is though. If it was at a night club then it won't mean a thing, will it." Verity explained. "Won't it?" Tonks asked, still confused. "Not unless the whole world has been turned upside-down it won't." Verity confirmed. "But…how can I be sure?" Tonks asked.
A ring in the back of the shop signified the entrance of another person. Verity looked around the shelf they were standing next to, then grinned. "You could ask him yourself." She suggested, as Tonks peeked around the shelf as well. There, standing as if he belonged there, which, Tonks realized, he might, was Charlie Weasley.
Right-o, well, hope you liked it. And I am quite sorry about taking so long. It's been pretty crazy here recently, school starts up again tomorrow (ugh), so I've been doing all the homework I left off to the last possible second, but it isn't all that much…Anyway, review if you've got the time, or, if you're like me and are much to busy for such things (sometimes), maybe consider reviewing later? Or whatever. Ciao then :D