A/N: This was written for The-Leaky-Cauldron's web site and their Vegas Fan Fiction contest. The challenge was to write a fanfic under 1500 words, chronicling what would happen if some Harry Potter characters ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada. My entry won first place in the Most Creative category. I think it's a little piece of Remus/Tonks fluff. Please leave a review telling me what u think.
What Happens in Vegas…Gets Reported to the Order
With a flick of willow, Tonks banished the quill, ink, and extra parchment from the rickety table. She shuffled the freshly inked letter into the stack of morning mail before leaning back in her chair and unrolling the Daily Prophet. As she began scanning the first article she couldn't help but congratulate herself; if forgery had been part of her Auror tests she would have received top marks.
--------------------------
The thud from two sets of feet hitting tile floor followed by the tinkle of a crushed Orange Fanta can announced the arrival of the 8:26 PM Portkey. Remus cracked his eyes open and swallowed against the growing nausea; he hated intercontinental portkey travel. Pointing a shaking wand at his stomach he mumbled, "ventrium relevo," and the queasiness immediately disappeared. Now recovered, he took in his new surroundings, wondering where exactly they were. He pulled the crumpled letter out of his jacket pocket and re-read it.
Remus and Tonks,
I have received several reliable tips that the Death Eaters sprung from Azkaban last week have taken refuge out of the country. The reports seem to indicate that they are hiding in the Muggle portion of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States. Because you both have far more experience with Muggles than most Order Members, I have decided you will go on a reconnaissance mission. You will masquerade as a vacationing couple while trying to gather as much information about the location of the missing Death Eaters as possible. A Portkey and a hotel have been arranged for you. Good luck.
Sincerely,
Kingsley Shacklebolt
Remus tucked the letter back into his pocket. The rock strewn, red-brown desert revealed through the windows certainly didn't look much like Las Vegas to him. He glanced over at Tonks, who was now sporting shoulder length, dirty blonde hair, and wondered if she was as confused at he was. Before he could ask, a foreign voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Good evening, folks. Ya'll here on vacation?"
It took Remus a second before he understood what the man, wearing cowboy boots and a large hat, was saying through the thick accent. He was standing in front of a large, garish sign that read: Welcome to Area 51 Portkey Center.
"We're heading for Las Vegas," Tonks responded cheerfully.
"Vegas, nice place," the man responded. "Not as nice as San Antonio, where I'm from, but nice just the same. If ya'll just follow this hallway it'll take you straight to the Apparition point. I'd walk ya'll there myself but I've got a large party coming in from Tokyo," he glanced at a bizarre, handless clock on the far wall, "in about a minute and a half."
They made their way up the corridor, levitating their suitcases along behind them. Tonks snaked her fingers into Remus's hand, causing his face to redden slightly, but he smiled nonetheless. She had been much happier since he had finally given in to her demands for a relationship after her outburst in the Hogwarts hospital wing.
"It feels nice to be on a vacation, doesn't it?" she inquired, squeezing his hand.
"It's not a real vacation," he cautioned. "We are supposed to be looking for Lucius Malfoy and his cronies." She gave him a significant look and he quickly added, "but it is nice." In the recent months he had discovered the hard way that Tonks had inherited the Black family temper.
They Apparated into the lobby of the Four Beaters hotel. Although dwarfed by the larger hotels around it, the Four Beaters offered clean, comfortable rooms with a view of the Muggle city beyond the magical barrier. Remus and Tonks stood transfixed at their window, staring at the myriad of neon signs that lit up the dusky sky.
"Really, they do alright without magic, don't they?" Remus commented. Huge signs advertised casinos, strip clubs, wedding chapels, and spectacular shows in glowing letters that changed color and even moved. He pressed a button next to the window and the view magnified so that they could almost see the people moving around on the street.
Tonks laughed beside him. "That one looks like the man who met us at the Portkey Center." She was pointing to an electrified cowboy that towered above the street, just in front of the Golden Gate Casino.
Remus chuckled appreciatively. "I suppose we ought to start on our assignment with a walk through the Muggle city. We might get lucky and run into Malfoy."
"And the Canons might win the league this year, too," Tonks quipped as she scooped up the room key.
The city turned out to be extremely exciting, even if they were surrounded by Muggles. Tonks became fascinated by a castle shaped hotel and casino, called Excalibur, and insisted they go inside.
"Not as nice as Hogwarts," Remus joked while standing under an elaborate ceiling decorated with gold accents and stained glass.
"But it does have moving staircases," Tonks laughed, rushing towards an escalator and jumping on.
"Remind me to never take you on the Underground," Remus chided when she finally got off, after riding up, then down, three times.
-------------------
Remus and Tonks had been in Las Vegas for three days, and they still had no leads on the missing Death Eaters. After their night enjoying the Muggle side of the city, they had spent the next two days walking around the Wizarding side, asking if anyone had seen anyone suspicious. They had stalked The Babylon Gate Casino, The Golden Knut, and Merlin's Palace hoping that Malfoy couldn't resist the opportunity to gamble. However, Kingsley's letter provided more information than they had been able to gather. For some reason, though, Tonks didn't seem very worried about their failure.
The third night was once again spent on the Muggle side, hopping from casino to casino, looking for individuals who were winning far more than just luck allowed.
"This is turning into a wild Snitch chase," Remus pouted as they left The Palms.
"But at least I won fifty dollars," Tonks replied, tucking the wad of paper into her back pocket.
"But you spent twenty five before you won."
Tonks shrugged and continued to walk down the busy street.
Remus suggested a new strategy. "Maybe we need to start looking into the cheap Muggle hotels, asking if they've had any odd guests lately. Death Eaters must be pretty conspicuous when trying to deal with Muggles."
A crack of thunder and flash of lightning announced an incoming desert thunder storm. "Let's duck in here to wait out the storm," Tonks suggested, pulling Remus toward the nearest building.
Remus, however, froze. The building's neon sign read, Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel. The queasy feeling he'd had after arriving via Portkey returned full force. "Why don't we go somewhere else," he tried desperately.
Tonks wasn't having any of it, though. "Oh, it's not going to hurt to go in and just look around for a bit, see what they offer."
"Offer?" Remus choked as his feet were dragged across pavement. Fat rain drops began to fall, pinging off the metal and glass that lit up the strip. Remus made one last frantic attempt at escape, turning his torso back toward the street. He had turned just in time to glimpse the back of a white-blonde head belonging to a man dressed in a very mis-matched suit, walking with a black, serpent headed cane.
"Tonks, did you see…"
"Bloody hell!" Tonks had whipped out her wand. "I'm going to blow his bloody head right off his shoulders. He's not supposed to be here, this was supposed to be my vacation!" She began shoving her way through the crowd, still cursing.
"What do you mean by he's not supposed to be here?" demanded Remus as he caught up with his furious girlfriend.
"I forged the bloody letter," Tonks fumed, turning sharply down a side alley in pursuit of Malfoy. "I needed a reason for us to be able to go on a vacation, to be alone, to just forget about the damn war for a few days. I just wanted to get you to start thinking about us as a couple, with the possibility for a future together. And that bloke has to show up and ruin my plans. I'm going to rip off his…"
Remus never learned what appendage Tonks was so keen on removing from Malfoy's body. They had come to a sudden halt, sheltering behind a brick outcropping, as Malfoy entered a small, dingy looking hotel.
"You know we need to go back to our hotel and contact the Order," Remus said softly. "If we hurry we might be able to get a team of Aurors here to apprehend the Death Eaters."
"I know, let's go," Tonks replied, now soaked and looking utterly defeated.
Remus gave her a shy smile. "And then, once we've done that, maybe we can go back and have another look at that wedding chapel."