A bright morning sun greeted Tonks through the windows of the guest room at Grimmauld Place. A faint crunching from downstairs reached her ears – Buckbeak. She'd forgotten the hippogriff had found a home in Sirius' bedroom. She checked her watch – 7.50 am. Thank goodness she'd gotten up in time to head to work on time; 10 minutes wasn't much, but at least she could Apparate quickly once she'd gotten herself together. Gathering herself and her belongings, she strode over to the mirror hanging over a dresser. She quickly morphed a few blemishes from her face; the bags under her eyes were removed, her hair into a soft pink pixie. She could use a good shower, but the refreshing spells she cast on herself would have to do for now.
Tonks hurried to the door, rummaging through her rucksack to retrieve her Auror robes so she'd be presentable for work. When she opened the door, she found Remus stepping out into the hallway as well. She felt slightly embarrassed at how disheveled she felt. Although morphing helped disguise her outward appearance, she felt slightly embarrassed over her inner exhaustion that must show in her face.
Remus smiled at her, saying, "Good morning, Tonks. I hope you slept well?"
"Not the first time I got by in a someone else's bed," she quipped.
Remus looked at her, puzzled.
"Oh no! No, I didn't mean it like that at all," she stammered, suddenly realizing her poor wording. "It's just that I've been on enough missions to have slept in spots other than my own." Her face began to flush; why should she care if Remus thought ill of her personal life?
Remus gave her a sly smile, and said, "Not to worry. I am certain you're quite professional in all your…endeavors."
Tonks stood still for a moment.
"I'm just teasing, Tonks," said Remus, with a twinkle in his eyes. "I think it was just my turn to stick my foot in my mouth, for once."
Tonks relaxed, and checked her watch again – 7.57 am. "I've got to go! I'm going to be late!"
Remus looked stricken, and apologized, "Really, I'm sorry for teasing you. Please don't feel the need to hurry due to my own incompetence."
"No, it's fine, it's just work – I'll get you back next time!" she said, with a quick laugh as she ran down the steps to Apparate to the Ministry. On her way down, she knocked over the umbrella stand, prompting a fresh screeching from the portrait of Walburga Black. Remus hurried down after Tonks, who looked even more startled than she began, and he hastily closed the curtains over the screeching to avoid waking anyone else up.
With a crack!, Tonks made it near the toilets that would take her to the Ministry. She flushed herself into the gleaming black hall, ready for work. On her way to the lift to take her to her office, she mused on her interaction with Remus. She remembered Remus' stricken face with her announcement that she needed to head off to work. She realized that he might have thought she was offended by his comment. Though surprised by his playfulness, given his reserved behavior the night before, she hadn't been offended at all. In fact, she felt relieved that he hadn't taken her seriously in her comment on sleeping in others' beds.
A cool voice announced her floor, breaking her train of thought. She hurried off to the Aurors' offices to find her own cube in the middle of the floor. It was a mess.
"Tonks!" called a familiar, irritated voice.
"Dawlish! I didn't see you there," she said.
"I've got a new lead on the Black case."
"You do?" she asked. "What's the latest?"
"Shacklebolt said he'd been spotted in Tibet, so that gives us time to use your skills more efficiently."
"Oh," Tonks replied. "What do you need me for instead?"
"Scrimgeour will tell you more about it in his office. He's waiting for you."
Tonks' heart sank. Scrimgeour was one of her least favorite people, but being her boss, she had no choice to but to do what he asked of her. She walked sullenly to his office and rapped at the door.
"Enter."
"Hullo."
"Tonks. Take a seat."
Tonks sat down across from Scrimgeour. He had an expression she couldn't quite read.
Scrimgeour looked at her for a moment, and sighed. He began, "There's been increased activity near the Hall of Prophecies."
Tonks looked at him, wondering what he knew.
He continued, "I've been given a tip that certain individuals are attempting to steal a prophecy. Would you happen to know who they might be?"
Tonks stared blankly, and replied, "No, I can't think of anyone."
"What do you know about Albus Dumbledore, Tonks?"
"Headmaster of Hogwarts, of course. An…odd man, I suppose."
"Odd…yes."
"D'you think Dumbledore wants a prophecy?"
Scrimgeour's eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think, Tonks?"
Tonks paused. Her loyalty, of course, lay with the Order.
She replied, "I think it would be preposterous for the Headmaster to want to try anything with the Ministry."
"And why is that, Tonks?"
"Because the Ministry is more powerful than he is, and he knows it. Or," she lied, "he should know it by now."
"Do you believe the Ministry is more powerful than Dumbledore, Tonks?"
"Yes, sir." It took a tremendous amount of effort to keep her face straight as she lied to his face again.
"Good. The task I have for you requires your full loyalty to the Ministry."
"Of course."
"You'll be spying upon those we think are sympathetic to Dumbledore and his beliefs that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned. We have an initial list, and we expect you to uncover further names of sympathizers."
"Of course, sir. May I see the list you have for now?"
Scrimgeour handed her a piece of parchment. Tonks opened it up and scanned the names; some were familiar (Weasleys, Lupin), while others were not (Longbottom, Lovegood). The list was unsurprisingly short. Very few individuals could afford to publicly denounce the Ministry's work.
"Tonks, I request reports on each individual and their goings-on. As you spy further, be sure to include additional names that appear suspicious, and pay special attention to any wrongdoings. By anyone."
"May I ask something, sir?"
"Go ahead."
"Why am I doing this? Why can't someone from Magical Law Enforcement get this done? Wouldn't they be able to tell wrongdoing better than I can?"
Scrimgeour scrutinized her. He stated, flatly, "We have reason to believe that what Dumbledore may be plotting is not just unlawful or traitorous, but a plan to overtake the Ministry with his own forces."
Tonks stifled a laugh and covered it up with a hasty cough.
"Sir, do you mean to suggest that Dumbledore is attempting a takeover similar to what You-Know-Who attempted over 15 years ago?"
"We are uncertain. Intelligence seems to suggest so. We will have someone observing directly at Hogwarts in the upcoming school year. You will be tasked with those outside Hogwarts' grounds."
Tonks stared at Scrimgeour in disbelief. She thought that this had to be stemming from Fudge's increasing paranoia over a non-existent power grab. What a preposterous waste of time and effort.
"Will you be able to complete these tasks, Tonks? I would hate to have to question your loyalty to the Ministry," he concluded, menacingly.
"Of course, sir. You have my word."
Tonks stood up and left his office with the parchment in hand, and closed the door behind her. She trotted off to her own cube and put her face in her hands as soon as she took her seat. How on earth was she going to pretend to spy on her new friends – members of the Order – while keeping her job at the Ministry?
A familiar knocking sound down the corridor grabbed her attention. "Of course," she thought to herself. "Moody will know what to do," she muttered.
She sped off in the direction of his office, with a few raps at the door.
"Get in here, Tonks, and close the door, will you?"
Tonks stepped into Moody's cluttered office and closed the door. She heard Moody whisper spells at the door, ensuring privacy for their conversation.
"You won't believe what Scrimgeour is having me do."
"Who do you think put you up for it?" Moody asked, with an attempt at a smile.
"What?! How am I going to make believable reports about this nonsense?!"
"Scrimgeour was going to have Dawlish investigate the Order. I put your name in with the excuse that you've got the best concealment skills, even if you lack the grace to get past situations quietly," he admitted, resting his elbows on his desk.
"We'll have you work with Arthur and Remus to get believable stories on everyone. That's the least of my concerns."
"This is a gigantic waste of my time, Moody."
He rolled his good eye at her. "The reports, yes. The 'spying,' no. It'll give you a chance to work with the Order without drawing suspicion from the Ministry, under the guise of 'spying.'"
"Fine," she said, exasperated. "Just when I thought I'd get a real challenge, I get this rubbish. I didn't become an Auror to do meaningless paperwork."
Moody rested both his eyes on her. "Till Fudge accepts You-Know-Who is really back, we'll be underutilized here. Get used to it."
Tonks grumbled, but accepted her new assignment. At least she'd be able to spend more time with the Order.
…
Tonks left her office with the beginnings of fake reports on her new friends in the Order. She hated the paperwork, but she realized Moody was right. It was best for her to take on this task, however unpleasant she found it. She Apparated home to find her mother, with her hands on her hips.
"Where have you been, Nymphadora?!"
Tonks flinched at the name.
"At work, mum. Where I usually am."
"I meant last night. You didn't have the decency to send an owl to let us know where you were?"
"I was on a mission, okay?"
"Don't take that tone with me. We were worried sick."
"I'm a grown woman, mum. I'm an Auror. I can't always tell you where I'm at."
"Be that as it may, you should have had the decency to send an owl sometime today to let us know you were alright."
"'Dromeda, she's fine. Our girl can take care of herself just fine, just as I've always said."
"Thanks, dad. See – dad gets it!"
Andromeda stood in her spot, eyes narrowed on her daughter.
"Maybe it's time for me to move out," Tonks muttered.
"As if you could take care of yourself, Nymphadora. Your housekeeping skills are terrible."
"I don't need a clean house if it's my own, mum."
"You need edible food."
"Restaurants exist, you know."
"Enough of this," remarked Ted. "She's safe, and that's all that matters. Let's sit down for supper."
Tonks was thankful for her dad. Though he wouldn't admit it, she knew he was just as worried about her safety as her mum was.
"An owl came for you today, Dora."
"From who?"
"Not sure, didn't recognize the handwriting. The owl was ancient though. Barely made it here without collapsing."
Ted handed her a small letter, with her name written on the envelope in neat handwriting. She opened it to read.
Tonks,
I hope you were able to make it to work safely and swiftly today. I hoped to apologize for my remarks this morning. I do hope you know they were meant in jest, and I didn't dare mean to offend you or insult you. My sincerest apologies if my comments offended you. I can assure you, that going forward, I will be more careful with my words.
RJL
P.S. I borrowed the Weasleys' owl, Errol. He's rather old and may need a rest before returning.
"Who was it from, Dora?"
"No one, just someone I met." Tonks wasn't sure why she didn't tell them. She supposed it would have been difficult to tell them she'd met a werewolf in a secret vigilante group, or that she'd met a werewolf at all. She caught herself in this thought. He wasn't just a werewolf, he was a man. A man whose existence she wasn't sure what to do with.
"Is it a boy, Dora?" Ted teased.
"More like man, at my age," Tonks replied, growing slightly pink. "Even if it were, d'you think I'd tell you about it from just a letter?"
Tonks noticed her parents gaping at her flustered expression. Why did she still live with them, she thought. She was nearly twenty-three years old. Though it saved money to live with them, she felt unbearably stifled, suddenly, by their presence while holding Remus' letter.
"Let's eat, I'm starving," Tonks said, breaking the short silence.
Andromeda and Ted eyed each other, but said nothing as they sat to eat with their daughter.
…
By the end of the evening, Tonks had many crumpled pieces of parchment at her feet. Remus' letter had sent a surge of pity and confusion through her. She wondered why he'd bothered to write the letter in the first place, over something so trivial. Maybe Sirius had worked him up over this as a joke, she thought. Poor Remus. Feeling bad over something he didn't need to feel bad over. Though she thought of waiting to reassure him until the next time she saw him in person, she settled on writing a quick line to him instead. Several attempts later, she had a short note completed.
Remus – no need to waffle on with apologies! I'll see you around soon, I promise!
-T.
She wrapped up the parchment and brought it to Callisto, her family owl. He hooted softly and flew up into the night with the letter. Exhausted, she went back up the stairs to her childhood bedroom and opened up The Daily Prophet to start looking for flats.