THE EASTERN SEABOARD, UNITED STATES
Continued
The girl took a step back as Tonks appeared out of thin air with a loud pop. Surprise aside, she didn't waste a second; her small blade flew from her hand with an ease that spoke of long practice.
Wand aloft, Tonks stopped the thrown knife in its tracks. The blade fell to the cracked concrete with an innocent-sounding clink, clink. When the girl reached for another, Tonks heaved a heavy sigh and muttered "Petrificus Totalus," then stowed her wand back up her sleeve. This was going about as well as when Uric the Oddball convinced himself he was a ghost and gave himself a concussion trying to walk through walls.
"Let's start over," Tonks implored, ignoring the seething energy the girl was directing her way. "Hello, there! Sorry for startling you and, er, casting a curse on you; terribly rude of me, I know. But, we can't dodge knives all day long." Tonks stepped closer, shaking off Nikolai's restraining hand on her shoulder. "We saw what happened, what those boys were threatening. We just want to talk to you."
The girl was making all sorts of rude-sounding noises through her immobile lips and Tonks sighed. Well, she was in hot water now. Snape was going to kill her. And if he didn't, the girl would. Happily. And would probably make it hurt.
Nikolai lifted his Disillusionment Charm and stood at her side, his expression tense and uncomfortable. "Dora, vis is a can of worms."
"Shh," Tonks admonished, then turned her attention back to the girl. "Listen. I've had an idea. But, I can't help you if you don't calm down. Let me just explain while you, ah, don't have anywhere else to go." Tonks grinned, ignoring Nikolai's loud huff. "We can help you. We can get you off of the streets. We help people find safehouses every day. But, we need help from you, too. We're building armies of wizards and Muggles alike, all over the world, to defeat the evil that has done this to your home. We're training in magical offense and defense, military strategy, all of these things, but we haven't considered hand-to-hand combat. And anything that takes those arseholes by surprise is worth pursuing. Will you help us?" Tonks paused, biting her lip. The girl was still glowering, her eyes full of resentment and hostility. "Okay, I am going to release you, to show you we mean you no harm." She uttered the general counter-curse under her breath and waited, pretty sure she was going to have to fend off another round of knives flying at her head.
The girl jumped up, and took off running.
Nikolai cursed. "Piz-dets (Russian: Damn it)."
Tonks took off after her.
"You make me tired, voman!"
Tonks's laugh drifted back to him and he sighed hugely, his long legs already catching up to her.
"You love it, Nik, admit it." Tonks ran as fast as she could, but the girl was about to disappear around the corner. She cursed under her breath and pushed herself harder.
"I must be crazy," Nikolai grumbled, fighting a smile.
They rounded the corner and looked around. Tonks leaned back against the wall of a dilapidated building in frustration, trying to catch her breath, pressing one hand against a stitch in her side. Nikolai closed his eyes, relieved the girl was gone and out of their hair.
After a minute, Tonks straightened and drew her wand.
"Vat are you doing now, voman?" Nikolai asked.
"I'm going to find her."
"Dora."
Tonks ignored the imploring tone of his voice and recast Silencio on her shoes.
"Dora."
She met his eyes and her stubborn chin rose up a notch.
"You can't help vis girl. She does not vant your help."
Tonks ignored him and rapped her wand against the top of her head, waiting for the sensation of the Disillusionment Charm to spread once again. "I'm going to find her. Are you coming or not?"
Nikolai replied by casting Silencio on his shoes. He grinned sheepishly as he felt Tonks squeeze his hand in thanks. After he was Disillusioned, he muttered, "Let's go, then."
They began their search nearby, but it wasn't until the following morning they spotted the girl again. They had a huge stroke of luck; they had been sharing a quiet breakfast and a thermos of coffee behind a stack of crates when she emerged from a run-down auto-repair shop across the street. Tonks' eyes lit up and she was on her feet and fixing to apply the needed charms, but Nikolai grabbed her hand as the girl used a key that had been hanging around her neck to lock up before leaving. "Vait," he whispered. "She has keen senses. Ve'll never be able to follow her without her knowing. She'll be back. Let's vait for her inside once she's gone."
"You are a brilliant, brilliant man." Tonks grinned and finished her bread in one last, large bite, then dusted her hands off.
And so, they waited. The girl strode off, her bare feet careful over the litter-filled streets and broken asphalt. When she was out of sight and there was no sign she was coming right back, Tonks and Nikolai approached the garage and cast a quiet Alohamora.
They didn't exactly expect to find two sleeping occupants curled up against each other in the corner.
Tonks' throat tightened at the sight. A sweet-looking teenage girl and a tiny little boy who was little more than a baby. Her eyes met Nikolai's and he sighed. No matter what happened now, she would not walk away.
Sam didn't find anything worth trading, not that she even wanted to see Ammon's face right now anyway. The whole thing set her teeth on edge and she was in a foul mood. Foul even by her standards. She and Beth had been up half the night before with Toot, who was fussy and irritable, but they had both been sound asleep when she left.
Beth hadn't known what to make of the witch and wizard she had come into contact with the day before. And, to be honest, Sam didn't know what to make of them either.
She didn't like confusion or odd people or strange occurrences or losing sleep or wasting time. All in all, anyone would have to be out of their minds to cross her today.
Later, she made her way back to The Hole, glaring around with cautious eyes the entire time.
The sight that met her when she opened the door and shut it behind her stopped her in her tracks.
Her face turned red and then white and then red again. She exploded. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING SERVING TEA TO THESE NUTJOBS?!"
Beth blushed and stood up from the table. She glanced at Tootie, who was still asleep in the corner.
"Sam—"
"GET OUT!" Sam was shaking with indignation, topped off with a sizable dose of fear. She hated magic. Hated it. It changed all of the rules. It ruined everything. And no one should have been able to get through their door.
"Sam, calm down." Beth approached her sister and caught her hand between her own. "They want to open a safehouse here. They said—"
"I don't give a rat's flaming ass what they said!" Sam hissed, lowering her volume only because she didn't want to scare Toot. "They're trouble." Sam's eyes cut away from Beth to the witch and wizard sitting at her table, both drinking tea. The witch was watching her with cheerful, amused eyes. It made Sam grind her teeth. "Did I not make myself clear yesterday? Am I not clear now? Why are you just sitting there? Get out!"
"I see we're going to have to work on your people skills," Tonks said brightly.
"I don't have any people skills," Sam snapped back, "and I don't want or need them. What I do need is for you," she took several steps forward, "to get the hell out."
"Sam, really, be reasonable. Just sit down and listen to what they have to say."
"I am not a reasonable person." Sam's glare darkened from habit, though she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling a bit. Damn Beth and her unearthly ability to calm her down.
Beth smiled, knowing that she had won. She gathered up a mug and their precious supply of coffee and proceeded to make Sam a cup, hoping it would put her in a better, more amiable mood. "You can sit at the table, Sam, I'll sit with Toot until he wakes up."
"I'll stand." Sam continued to glare at the couple seated at her table.
Beth handed her the cup of black coffee once it was ready and resumed her seat at the table, smiling at Tonks and Nikolai.
And so it begun. The arguing continued in circles until everyone was tired, including Toot, who had woken up during a particularly intense back and forth between Tonks and Sam. Beth now sat on his mat with him cradled in her arms, smoothing his hair and encouraging him to eat the bread and cheese Tonks had presented when he mumbled through a few yawns about being hungry. Once he finally agreed to try it, he gobbled it up and asked for more.
"We could use your help in running a safehouse here in the city, as well. We need someone on the inside, who knows these kids and can help them," Tonks was telling Sam.
"I can't help anyone." Sam just barely held back a snort. "I'm not the one, trust me."
"I'll do it," Beth said, meeting Sam's surprised gaze with a determined expression in her eyes.
"No. No way."
"I want to help." Beth smoothed back Toot's curls as he tugged on the edge of her sleeve, asking for more. 'More, Bethy, more bed (bread). Jeez (Cheese), Bethy, jeez.' Beth laughed and tried to soothe him.
Tonks hopped up out of her chair and obliged him. "Here, squirt! Please, have as much as you like." Toot's answering grin and chubby fingers reaching out for the offering melted her heart.
Toot took a bite and then hid his face in Beth's neck, in a shy mood today. He continued to eat, his head resting against Beth, taking small bites and watching the room with big eyes.
"You're not going to have anything to do with it, Beth. It's too dangerous."
Beth's shoulders tightened and she gritted her teeth, then exhaled slowly. "I can do it. And I want to help. There's so much we can do."
"Absolutely not. No. Subject closed." Sam's expression told Beth the discussion was indeed over, but she wasn't willing to give up yet.
An awkward silence filled the room. Tonks and Nikolai weren't sure they should interfere between the two sisters. Finally, Tonks changed the subject. "Sam, if you aren't the right person for the safehouse in Boston, that's fine. There's still a lot of work to do in Scotland. And it's safer there. For all of you."
Beth stared at the three of them in surprise. She hadn't considered that she might have to leave.
Sam frowned. She didn't want to help these people, but if it meant Beth and Toot would be safe...
"Wait." Beth's voice came out in little more than a choked whisper. "I want to stay here."
Beth's desire to stay made the decision easy for Sam. It was completely illogical. There was only one reason Beth would want to stay. And that was a very good reason to get her as far away from Boston as possible.
Sam said "We'll go" at the same time Beth said "I'm not leaving."
"B-but—" Beth bit her lip at the expression on Sam's face. Her face flushed and she closed her eyes for a long second. "Sam, I.…"
"It's over, it's done." Sam paused. "You're barely seventeen, Beth. I'm sorry. There is no future for you here. If I can get you out, then you are going. End of story."
Tonks stood, still unsure as to the tension in the room, but relieved her mad hare of a plan was going to work out in the end. "Lovely. Okay. Would you like to take anything with you right now? We can bring you back later to gather up anything else you need."
Beth fought back the threatening tears. Her eyes strayed to her bookcase and she took a deep breath. "I don't need anything." She faced Sam, her eyes hard for the first time in her entire life. Sam swallowed and then nodded at Tonks, who began explaining Portkeys.
"It's a bit of a rough ride, especially the first time when you aren't sure exactly what to expect. It'll be better to go in as small groups as possible, especially for the young gentleman." Tonks grinned at Tootie, who had decided to take a shine to Nikolai. Toot was inspecting Nik's beard and singing the ABC song out of order under his breath as he pulled on the wiry hairs.
Sam flat-out refused to go with Tonks, so she left with Nikolai and Toot, leaving Beth and Tonks alone.
"Can I have just a moment?" Beth asked.
"Sure, no problem."
Beth approached her bookshelves with tears in her eyes. She grabbed a pen from a cup on top of one of the crates and opened her dog-eared copy of Little Women to the inside cover. There, in careful script, she left the only message she could.
I'll come back, I promise. I'm sorry I don't know when.
Please, stay safe.
She set the book back into its place and closed her eyes.
