Return of the Unicorns, Chapter 17
Note: Thank you so much to anyone who has posted reviews on my story. It absolutely MAKES MY DAY whenever I get one. I HOPE (pun intended) you're still liking the story :).
Another Note: This story has been a ton of fun to write, as I have gotten to both re-imagine and simultaneously flesh out the character of Cedric Diggory. I got the idea to have Hope be student body VP/captain of the hockey team, because that's kinda-sorta the college equivalent of being a prefect/Quidditch captain at Hogwarts. Then, I got the idea to have Hope be interested in law school, because Cedric was incredibly fair-minded, and Hope wants to use that fair-mindedness for large-scale societal benefits. The Elle Woods Halloween Costume vignette was a spur of the moment decision. And what do Cedric Diggory and Elle Woods have in common, you ask? Well, not much, except that they are both underestimated because of their looks, determined to achieve their goals, very smart and hardworking, and extremely lovable to me.
One Last Note: This chapter will be from the point of view of Tonks. Tonks is one of my absolute favorite characters in the entire HP series and I do hope I can do her justice here.
Phew! Far too many notes for my taste! On with the story!
Nymphadora Tonks was quite used to being hassled, ordered about, and yelled at.
However, hers was NOT a Cinderella-type story and she didn't WANT it to be.
For one thing, Cinderella was beautiful. Now, as a metamorphmagus, Tonks could make herself unbelievably beautiful – and she had! – but she'd quickly learned that overwhelming beauty came with its own set of costs. In the end, Tonks realized that she'd rather be noticed for her talents than her looks. So, she presented herself as relatively attractive, but the supermodel look was so not her thing. Now, the spiky pink hair she'd magicked herself into – THAT was more her thing. Her crazy hair was just one of the many ways she expressed her personality.
For another thing, Cinderella was graceful and acted like a lady. Tonks, by contrast, was constantly clumsy. And she took great joy in being a prank-perpetuating little rascal.
And for yet another thing, Cinderella married a prince and became a princess. Sure, Tonks would be happy to find true love one day, but not at the expense of her life as an Auror. She hadn't worked so hard, just to end up quitting her kickass career to be a stay-at-home wife. The man who married her someday would be respectful of her ambitions. And heck, maybe HE might decide to be a stay-at-home dad.
Most importantly, all the hassling, ordering about, and yelling at that happened to Tonks was done to her out of love, not as an act of abuse. For instance, her mother may have been stringent growing up, but Tonks could see the way Andromeda irrepressibly grinned about her antics when she thought no one was looking.
And sure, Professor Sprout (head of House Hufflepuff – Tonks's house when she attended Hogwarts) reprimanded her frequently for her pranks, assigned her detention often, and didn't make her a prefect. But Tonks could see the joy and pride in the woman's eyes every time she scored top marks in all of her classes every single year. Also, the woman had pulled her aside at Hogwarts graduation to personally tell Tonks that she loved her pranks but simply wasn't able to admit it publicly.
And sure, Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody, her Auror mentor, was hard on her and acted paranoid all the time, but that's just how he was as a person. Moody could've chosen not to mentor her, but he DID choose to mentor her, because he needed her levity to give him some reprieve from his constant state of fear. She could tell by the way he loosened up – even just a little – when she was around that her presence was doing him good.
So, when Moody sent an owl to her cubicle at the Ministry to let her know that he needed to meet someone over dinner tonight, Tonks was curious and intrigued – and flattered that Moody thought she was ready to give advice to someone new.
It was an order, but it came with love.
So, at 7:05pm that chilly November evening, Tonks showed up to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, feeling happy and excited.
She was greeted at the door by Sirius Black and Remus Lupin – two blokes she'd admired ever since she was a wide eyed first year at Hogwarts who'd heard about all their legendary pranks. And… did they have their arms around each other?
"Are you a couple now?!" she scoffed.
"Why, yes," Remus replied languidly before laying a sweet kiss on Sirius's lips.
Golly, they were simply too cute.
And apparently, Tonks's opinion showed on her face because the two were showing her into Grimmauld Place. Knowing the place from memory, Tonks headed into the kitchen, searching for food, conversation, wine, or – hopefully – all three.
Tonks entered the kitchen at 7:07pm exactly to witness a very casual meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Everyone was chatting amiably, which had Tonks very pleased.
"You're late," grumbled Mad Eye Moody.
Tonks rolled her eyes in response, took a glass of wine from the center of the table, sat down, and took a generous gulp.
"There's no need to hassle her," soothed an unfamiliar voice.
Tonks rolled her eyes. "He's my mentor and I'm his protégé. He lives to hassle me."
The unfamiliar voice started laughing and Tonks turned her gaze in its direction. She was sitting next to a very pretty woman who was probably about 20. She had a coffee-and-cream complexion, wavy dark hair, and bright gray eyes that sparkled as she smiled softly.
The young woman looked over Tonks's appearance. "Are you Nymphadora Tonks?"
"I'll let your use of my first name slide this once, but you won't call me Nymphadora if you want to keep your head attached to your shoulders."
The young woman shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll call you Tonks, then?"
"Much better. And you are?"
"Hope. As of today, I guess I'm the newest member of the Order of the Phoenix. And you're an Auror, right?"
"Yeah, I'm the youngest Auror at the Ministry of Magic."
"So cool," sighed Hope.
Before the two could converse any further, Molly Weasley announced that dinner was ready and was serving all of them.
"So, what brought you to the Order of the Phoenix?" Tonks asked conversationally, even though it was rare – nay, extraordinary – that anyone in the Order of the Phoenix would see fit to trust someone who was basically a stranger so quickly.
Sirius chipped in before Hope could answer for herself. "She took Remus and me to Hawaii to learn lava hexes with her and then used the aforementioned lava hexes to scare a whole horde of giants out of Northern Scotland and save Hagrid."
The half-giant took a seat on Tonks's other side. "Aye," he added.
"Did we mention she's a reincarnated unicorn?" added Remus.
"What d' you mean, reincarnated unicorn?" asked Tonks.
"It means, she was a unicorn in her past life, and now that she remembers her past life, she can turn into her unicorn self again. She has special powers!" clarified Sirius.
"Blimey…" muttered Tonks. No wonder the Order was in such a rush to have her join.
"She created an entire wall of lava in the forest, and then jumped in front of a giant to save Hagrid without a second thought. And she saved Hagrid by shooting lightning out of her fingers," gushed Sirius. "She's seriously brave."
"Well, I was lucky that Sirius and Remus could help me learn lava hexes, and that Kingsley was there with me when I fought the giants. And I was lucky that we got there in time, and could save Hagrid."
"You're allowed to call yourself brave too, y'know," interjected Tonks. "Unless you don't think you're brave?"
Hope paused, choosing her words carefully. "I identify as more of a masochist, actually?"
The whole table broke down into laughter.
"No, seriously!" continued a bashful Hope. "I make excruciating life choices! What is everyone's least favorite subject in school? Math. What did I choose for a job? Statistician. I rest my case."
More laughter.
"You forgot to mention that you learned aerial skiing tricks and high diving, when you hate heights," teased Remus.
"And you do those dastardly long athletic race events, what d' you call 'em-" Sirius added.
"Marathons," clarified Remus. "They're an athletic event where you have to run a crazy long distance at one go. Just miles and miles and hours and hours of running… and running… and more running…"
"Well, if Hope's a masochist, that would explain why she decided to be friends with you two!" chimed Tonks, before sticking out her tongue in their general direction.
Hagrid, Kingsley, Mad-eye, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley burst out laughing.
"Heyyyy!" Remus and Sirius protested in unison.
"I'm not a masochist when it comes to choosing my friends!" protested Hope. "For example, Tonks, I'm getting along really well with you and you seem nice and, y'know, civilized."
Toks concentrated her powers toward her nose, transforming it into a pig snout. Then, she oinked loudly.
Even Hope joined in the laughter brought on by all their good-natured ribbing.
The conversation around them shifted to other topics – an odd mix of talk about some of the Order's ongoing missions, to more lighthearted banter (because if you were fighting the Dark Lord, regular laughter and levity were essential to staying sane).
Tonks noticed that Hope was quiet and self-contained, preferring to listen to everyone else.
"Hagrid, has that old toad Umbridge given you any more grief since you came back?"
"Not yet," he groaned.
"What is it?" Tonks whispered in her ear.
"I know who Dolores Umbridge is," Hope whispered in reply. Tonks hoped she might elaborate about how she knew about Umbridge, but Hope remained taciturn.
After dinner, Hope offered to help Mrs. and Mr. Weasley magically clear away the dishes as the latter pestered her with questions about what it was like growing up in Muggle Vermont and going to a Muggle undergraduate school and literally everything about her non-magical life in the United States. Hope seemed a tad overwhelmed by his attention, but she answered considerately and politely, nonetheless.
Meanwhile, Moody led Tonks into the parlor and plopped down unceremoniously on one of the antique couches. "So… what d' you think of Hope Marshall?" he grumbled when they were alone.
"She's quiet, reserved, and humble, but she's also very observant. She seems sweet. If what Remus and Sirius said about her is true, she'll be an incredible asset to the Order. I mean, without her, we wouldn't still have Hagrid!"
"I'm still not sure 'bout that one. She seems too good to be true. I want you to keep a watch on her."
Tonks nodded. It was a reasonable precaution, keeping a close eye on the new girl.
"She already knows she won't be staying in her prior lodgings. For her safety, for her family's safety, and also for our security."
"That makes sense," Tonks mused. "Will she keep staying in the spare bedroom here in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place?"
"No. If you can manage it, I'd like to have her stay with you."
"What, are you worried about Kreacher coming around to call her a filthy Mudblood? Where is that house elf, by the way?" Kreacher's constant griping about oh, what his poor mistress would say was noticeably absent from the house.
"Sirius and Dumbledore agreed to send him to work in the kitchens at Hogwarts."
"Thank Merlin, finally!"
"Kingsley says all right to have her stay here, but I don't think it's the best idea. The Weasleys are here sometimes, but they aren't around every night and they've got other issues to deal with. And Sirius and Remus brought her here, so they can't be counted on to watch her with an objective eye. I want Hope watched by someone objective, someone I can trust to be vigilant. Can you invite her to stay with you and keep an eye on her?"
"Just until we're sure she can really be trusted?"
Mad-Eye nodded. "For however long that takes."
Tonks shrugged and nodded. So. It appeared that she had a roommate.
Over the next couple of weeks, Tonks got used to having a unicorn named Hope staying in her guest bedroom and coming with her to Order of the Phoenix meetings.
Fortunately for her sanity, Tonks didn't have to watch Hope around the clock. After her fight with the giants, Hope had to spend a lot of time visiting her herd of unicorns in Northern Scotland. Plus, Sirius and Remus wanted her to join them on her full moon marauding expeditions. And Kingsley wanted to get to know her a bit better to see how she might be of further use to the Order. And on top of all that, she was still employed at the Ministry of Magic as a statistician, and she had to do at least some work for them.
But outside of her busy schedule, Hope found time to be a good roommate. Tonks was a naturally messy person with zero skill in the kitchen. So, it was a nice surprise to find that things just tidied themselves up a bit around her tiny cottage and the kitchen had just started having her favorite delicious baked goods and nutritious snacks in it. Although Hope never once bragged or even announced what she'd done.
A week into Hope's stay, the creaking of a door announced Hope's arrival.
"You're back late," mused Tonks.
"I was, uh, out with Kingsley. He wanted to talk to me."
"What about?" It was either Order stuff or just getting to know her, and Tonks would be shocked if the eternally-busy Kingsley Shacklebolt had time for the latter.
"Well, he'd already checked on how things were going with my herd – they're still not inclined to associate with any humans other than going Marauding with Remus and Sirius and me on full moons, by the way – so then he took me out to dinner and drinks at the Leaky Cauldron. He, uh, wanted to talk about what I studied at Wellesley and why I wanted to go to law school – before I made my way to the Wizarding World, that is."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it was really flattering, actually. He wanted to know about my senior thesis on implicit bias in the justice system and how it combined moral philosophy and statistics. He had a lot to chime in with about his own goals for the Auror Office, and how he wants to reduce discrimination in magical law enforcement, like, against Muggle borns and magical creatures. It was such a cool conversation!"
"Huh."
"What?"
"It's just that Kingsley is so busy. I'm surprised he had time."
"He said that after what I did with the unicorns, he wants to work more closely with me in the future."
"Wow."
"Yeah, I'm really excited to talk to him more. He seems like he'll be such a great mentor!"
Tonks had never known Kingsley to mentor anyone. Then again, she'd never known Mad Eye Moody to mentor anyone until he took her on as his protégé, so she supposed stranger things had happened.
Another week went by, making it the last week of November.
Tonks had nothing to report to Moody besides the fact that Hope was a sweet, kind, introverted, talented unicorn badass who made for an awesome roomie. Moody was unsatisfied with her report, but he told Tonks that he was glad to have someone keeping a watch on Hope all the same.
She was getting on with the other members of the Order of the Phoenix and Remus and Sirius seemed to have made her another Marauder after their first full moon expedition together.
After it became clear that the Giants in the north were no longer a threat (at least, for the time being), Hope started taking part in Order of the Phoenix tasks like spying outside Malfoy Manor to see if anyone was meeting there and guarding a certain prophecy in the Hall of Prophecy in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries.
One morning, Tonks came along with Mr. Weasley, Mad-Eye, and Kingsley so that Mr. Weasley could relieve Hope of her shift guarding the prophecy.
They found Hope patiently waiting for them.
"Did anything happen?" Moody asked.
"No, it was an uneventful night," replied Hope.
"I'll take over from here," said Moody.
"Thanks, Mad Eye," said Hope. And she and Mad-Eye switched shifts. Hope walked away from the Hall of Prophecy, accompanied by Tonks and Kingsley.
"Tonks, I hope you don't terribly mind if I sleep the day away," yawned Hope.
"Not at all," the pink-haired witch replied with a cheeky wink.
"Before you do sleep the day away, Hope, I hope you have time for a short detour first," said Kingsley.
"Sure, where?"
In response, Kingsley led them down a couple more halls and through a set of heavy oak doors. Those doors opened to a vast, circular room of stone that housed nothing but an elevated platform in the center that housed a stone arch. And in that stone arch hung a dark, ethereal veil. Voices whispered indistinguishable things as the veil fluttered in a breeze that must've come from another world.
This was the room of death, where wizard criminals used to be executed by being forced to walk through that veil. It was generally understood that you could only hear those voices if you'd seen death. As an Auror, Tonks had seen people die, so she could hear them. Since Kingsley had also seen death, Tonks knew he could hear those voices, too. She wondered if he and Hope felt the same shivers down their spine that she felt every time she went in here.
Clearly, they were here to see what Hope could perceive.
"What are those voices?" Hope asked before either Kingsley or Tonks could ask her anything.
"Those are-"
"Hang on, I think I can almost make out what they're saying!" Hope sprinted toward the dais in the center and for a moment, Tonks was worried she was about to run right through the veil – but she stopped 10 feet short of the veil and stared, transfixed.
Tonks and Kingsley caught up with her. "What do you hear and see?" Tonks asked.
"It's the giants in Northern Scotland," said Hope. "It's Gorgomath – he's meeting with someone with a Dark Mark tattoo on his arm."
"What?" gasped an astonished Kingsley.
"Read my mind – then you can see," insisted Hope.
"Legilimens," said Kingsley.
The spell took effect, making it look like a vast projector screen of images was coming out of Hope's head. And sure enough, while Tonks and Kingsley only saw fluttering and heard whispering, they could see that Hope was seeing the wounded giant Gorgomath talking to a Death Eater who Tonks recognized as Dolohov.
Gorgomath was telling Dolohov about the person that'd hurt him – a unicorn that'd turned into a young woman with dark skin, black wavy hair, and bright gray eyes – and how that young woman had shot lightning out of her fingers to drive Gorgomath off.
Then, the scene with Gorgomath faded and Hope was seeing and hearing snippets of random scenes – the chirp of birds and the splash of puddles in a tropical rainforest; the wind whistling over far-off mountains; the crowds of people bustling through Times Square in New York City; workers harvesting tea on a plantation in India; unknown wizards cheering on an unknown Quidditch match.
Hope turned around and Kingsley discontinued the Legilimens spell.
"Besides what happened with Gorgomath, I can't explain any of the other stuff I saw," she said almost apologetically. "Anyway, do you see something different?"
"Hope, this is the room of Death in the Department of Mysteries," explained Tonks. "People used to be executed for their crimes here by being forced to walk through that veil hanging in the arch. Then, they'd just… disappear and never be seen again. And people who've seen death – they can hear murmurs and indistinct voices from behind the veil. Kingsley and I have seen people die, so we can hear the murmurs."
"I brought you here," added Kingsley, "because if people who haven't seen death don't hear anything and people who have seen death hear murmurs, I wondered… what would a person who has actually died experience in here?"
Hope shrugged. "Now you know."
"Yes, now we know," said Kingsley. "And Hope, now that we know that the Death Eaters know of your existence, we need to discuss what that means for you and those who are closest to you. Immediately."
Tonks could see Hope gulp nervously, even as she nodded in agreement.