When Tonks next opened her eyes, it was well into the afternoon. Remus was still sleeping peacefully, so she tiptoed as gracefully as she could manage to the hearth and put on some tea. She sat there for quite some time, watching the flickering firelight and musing about Remus and the turn their relationship had finally taken. She was startled when he placed his hand lightly on her shoulder.
"I didn't mean to frighten you, Dora. What were you thinking of?" he asked, easing himself down to sit with her on the rug.
"My 'vacation' from work is beginning to dull my senses, I'm afraid. I didn't even hear you. I was just thinking to myself how lucky you are to have me." She smiled mischievously at him and he glanced down his nose at her.
"And how lucky you are to have me! By the end of the week, between the two of us, we'll be broke, outcast, seriously injured, and on some villain or other's hit list."
"That is, if you don't die of old age first!"
"Touché. So, we ought to maybe think about feeding ourselves and checking in at the Burrow?"
"Ah, I suppose a good hot meal is probably in order, considering we haven't eaten since last night. And a debriefing with Bill and Fleur. I also owe Ginny a good heart-to-heart, since I'm sure she knows more than she's letting on about the whereabouts of the others. . ."
Remus's face contorted a bit as the realization hit him that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had disappeared on a most dangerous and unknown errand. "Yes, it is certainly about time we got back to work. There's so much to do. And I will have some unfinished business to take care of with the pack. . . I think I need to share more of what I was doing there with you and Minerva and some of the others. Professor Dumbledore had asked me to keep the mission confidential so as not to cause worry about what I was doing, but after Hagrid and Madame Maxine's unfortunate disappointment with the giants, I think I really have no choice but to redouble my efforts to prevent Voldemort from building an army. And carve out a real place for those of us who survive when this is over." He looked back at her with an inspired gleam in his eyes and drew her into a fierce embrace. This could happen, and he was at the very heart of the movement that would make it possible, with the most loyal and loving woman he could imagine at his side. He looked down into her eyes and knew that she shared his excitement. "At our next meeting in a few days, I hope to have a rather detailed plan of attack for the next phase of the war. We absolutely have to isolate Voldemort from his followers."
"Said like a true leader. We can't allow ourselves to be discouraged – if Voldemort wins, love and humanity have lost. But what of Harry? How do we find him and the others and keep them safely out of this?" Tonks asked, her mind returning to her last statement.
"Harry's behavior seems to me to mean that I'm not the only Order member keeping secrets at Dumbledore's request. His behavior reminds me of myself a bit. But the time has come for others in the Order to assist me in my task and I know Harry will need assistance, too. Harry acts like a young man carrying the weight of the world. What if he really is? If what I suspect is true, if we can remove Voldemort's power base, the more likely it will be that Harry will be able to meet him one on one and destroy him. Ginny is probably the key to us finding out where he is right now. Can you help me?"
"I'm on it. Let's go." The wheels were turning in Tonks' head. Harry's savior complex, the moodiness and brooding, the secrecy with which he, Ron, and Hermione had disappeared. . . it all made sense. They knew something the rest of them didn't know - but that Dumbledore surely had, before his death. The headmaster had been sheltering Harry, probably too much for his own good, for many years; perhaps he knew that Harry was the key to defeating the evil wizard. And Ginny would know what was going on as well, even if she had been left behind. Tonks felt a twinge of sympathy; she knew exactly how Ginny would be feeling as Harry pushed her away to ensure her safety. Remus was right, Harry certainly took after Remus when it came to being a martyr to the cause and pushing away those who loved him. . . It had taken Remus decades to come to his senses. She hoped that Harry could be a little quicker about it, for Ginny's sake!
They apparated outside the Burrow and were joined almost immediately by Minerva McGonagall. "I had rather thought you would be here soon. I think we were meant to have a chat before we talk to anyone else, don't you agree?" They looked around for a suitable place to conceal themselves and finally hid behind a tumble-down stone wall across the lane from the house. Tonks cast a strong silencing charm and Remus looked at McGonagall expectantly. "Remus, as it appears the leadership of the Order has fallen to us, I think we may want to take a moment to pool our knowledge of the intelligence and information we've been aware of over the past year. Dumbledore left many things secret for good reason, as we cannot know what may be useful to less-than-honorable ears. And the fewer who know everything, the safer we all are. That being said, Nymphadora. . ." she now turned to address the young Auror, "Should anything happen to either of us, we need a third in command to take up the leadership. Can we trust you to do this, should the need arise?"
"Me? I'm so new to the Order. . . I. . ."
"If you look around, Nymphadora, you will find that there aren't as many of us "old timers" around as you seem to think. No, you are quick on your feet and calculated in thought. Your training in defense against the Dark Arts as an Auror is superior to most in the order, save Kingsley, and you are less at risk for discovery at the Ministry, given your rookie status there. Who else would I choose? Molly? She has far too much invested emotionally in those she would lead. Arthur? We can't compromise his position at the Ministry. Mundungus? Don't make me laugh. Shall I continue? By no means am I saying that you are a last resort choice; I would still choose you above all others for your skill and intelligence. But I won't ask you to do this if you are not absolutely committed."
Shocked at the mere possibility that she would be accused of waivering in her desire to defeat Voldemort, she clenched her teeth and squared her shoulders. "Professor McGonagall, you can have confidence in me. I'm ready for the challenge."
The three discussed what they knew about on-going missions and exchanged information on a number of theories they had as to the whereabouts of Voldemort and his followers but silence followed Minerva's brief question, "Have either of you heard of something called a horcrux? Tonks felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck and she noticed Remus shiver out of the corner of her eye. The chill in the air was palpable at her words. As an Auror, Tonks knew of horcruxes in a purely academic sense but had never heard of anyone actually producing one of these evil objects. Remus, as well, had a general knowledge of their existence and function but only from having encountered a vague reference to them in the library at Grimmauld Place. No horcrux had been created, to either of their knowledge, in living memory. Why would Minerva bring up the subject, unless. . .
"Have you ever known Voldemort to balk at the depraved and inhuman? I thought not. It seems that Albus's rather horrific injury came from the destruction of such an object. In the drawer of his desk, I found the remains of a ring with a cracked stone. It seems, after consultation with his portrait and a certain amount of threatening on my part, that the ring was only one of a number of horcruxes that Voldemort has created in order to ensure his immortality. My best guess as to the whereabouts of our young runaways is that they are seeking the remaining horcruxes in order to destroy them. Finding out what they had discovered is of utmost importance in assisting them in this most perilous task."
They regarded each other nervously but composed themselves before returning to the Burrow. Giving Molly further reason to despair for the lives of the children was not going to improve their situation. Nor was hiding behind a wall, to be sure, so they removed the silencing charm and announced themselves at the door.