Annabelle returned to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes that following Saturday around 10:30 with her dad, who wanted to see the shop. For only being open for about half an hour for the day, there was a decent-sized crowd of about two dozen already shopping.
Sirius let out a low whistle as he looked around, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "You weren't kidding. It is impressive."
"Told you so." Anna grinned, her eyes scanning the shop in search of the twins. Finally, she caught a glimpse of ginger hair above the other heads in the shop. "There's Fred. Come on." she told her dad, tugging on his sleeve before moving across the store.
"Morning." she said from behind him. Fred turned around and grinned at her.
"Good morning. Hi, Sirius." he added as Anna's father appeared at her shoulder. "Come to look around?"
"Well, Anna wouldn't shut up about how brilliant everything here is, so I thought I'd check it out. Remus wanted to come along, but he's, uh, doing some stuff for Dumbledore."
Fred nodded with a mildly-serious expression. The twins had joined the Order almost as soon as they left school, much to their mum's displeasure, and Anna was planning on officially becoming a member by the next meeting. Lately, Dumbledore had been having Remus doing more secret Order work, and they had no idea what it was he was doing.
"Anyway, I'm going to give my dad a quick tour, and then you can tell me what you want me to do." Anna told Fred, stretching up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before leading her father to the nearest display.
After about twenty minutes, Sirius had seen everything and was beyond impressed, but he needed to get going soon after because he had something to do. Anna gave him a quick hug, promising to be home by 4:30 to get ready for her date with Fred.
"Okay, what do you need me to do first?" Anna asked Fred, walking over to where he was behind the register.
"Well, George's in the backroom making products. He could use some help, if you want to do that. And the Pygmy Puffs might need their water changed." Fred told her with a grin.
Anna grinned in return. "Got it."
She turned and opened the door to the backroom and slipped inside, closing it behind her. Everything looked the same as the day before, but George was sitting on a stool, hunched over one of the worktables. At the click of the door closing, George turned and looked over his shoulder. He grinned at the sight of her.
"Hey. I was wondering when I'd see you today."
"Yeah, sorry. I've been here for a little while, but my dad wanted a quick tour. He just left; he said everything was brilliant by the way." she added, to which George beamed proudly. "Anyway, Fred sent me back here to help you and take care of the Pygmy Puffs."
"Perfect. You can start working on a batch of Pimple Vanisher." George told her, shoving a large, open book across the table to the open seat next to him. "It's on page 26."
"Thanks." Anna leaned over the book, flipping to the suggested page so she could skim the directions and the ingredient list.
XXX
"Whew." Anna sighed, wiping her hand across her forehead and straightening up from where she'd been bent over a cauldron most of the day. She'd made multiple potions and products throughout the day, as well as changing the Pygmy Puffs' water.
She glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was about 4:15.
"I think I'm going to get going. Do you want me to feed the Pygmy Puffs quick before I go?" she asked Fred, who had taken George's place in the backroom a little while after lunch. Fred had told her that the Pygmy Puffs were fed two small meals a day, so they wouldn't get too bloated.
"Yes please." Fred cast her a quick glance with a smile. Anna returned it and approached the cupboard next to the Puffs' pens. She scooped some of the food mixture they'd thrown together into both food dishes in the two pens before tossing the scoop back into the bag.
"Alright, I'll get going, then. See you in about an hour." she told Fred, coming up behind him to kiss the top of his head.
"See you then!" Fred called just before she left the backroom. She waved at both Verity and George before leaving the shop and Apparating home.
At home, she showered, got dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a tight jumper, and made her dark brown hair straight. She had time to sit with Aslan and play with him for a little while before she left again to return to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. She walked in the front door of the shop to find George restocking the almost-empty shelves, a charmed broom sweeping the isles behind him.
"Back so soon?" George joked, looking over at her.
"I just missed you guys so much." she joked back, walking towards him and looking around the shop. He appeared to be the only person around beside her. "Where's Fred?"
"He just finished counting the till, and he's currently in the flat getting ready for your little date." George informed her with a grin.
"Do you happen to know where he's taking me?" Anna asked curiously. "He wouldn't tell me. I don't even know if I'm dressed right."
"Of course I know where he's taking you." George told her, pretending to be insulted. Then, he smirked. "Doesn't mean I'm going to tell you. And you're dressed fine. Honestly, you could wear rags and Freddie would still find you beautiful. He's smitten with you."
Anna blushed, shoving her hands into her jean pockets. "Oh, shut up, George."
"What? I'm just being honest!" George insisted, still grinning as he finished stocking up the Fanged Frisbees. "He needs to tell you that kind of stuff more often."
Anna opened her mouth to retort, but another voice spoke before she could.
"Yeah, I do."
Anna looked over her shoulder, already blushing at the comment. Fred grinned at her as he walked out of the backroom. He was wearing casual slacks and a black button-down with that green dragon-skin jacket.
"You look beautiful." Fred told her casually, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her close. Anna rolled her eyes, but stepped closer and buried her face in his neck
"Thanks. You smell nice." she mumbled into his shoulder. Fred and George both laughed.
"Thanks?" Fred spoke in a more questioning tone. "Is it because I actually showered?"
Anna took in a deep breath through her nose, breathing in Fred's scent. It wasn't completely the scent she always smelled in Amortentia. She still caught an undertone of the scent of gunpowder and his usual woodsy scent, but there was a new, spicier scent that she hadn't smelt on him before. It was nice.
"I don't know. You smell different. Are you wearing cologne?" she finally asked, pulling away and staring up at him.
"Possibly." Fred admitted with a grin. "I take it you like it?"
Anna nodded, her eyebrows in her hairline. Fred laughed, leaning down and kissing her cheek.
"Good. Now, you ready to go?"
"Sure, if you tell me where we're going." Anna countered.
"It's nothing that special." Fred admitted. "But I think you'll like it. Come on. Bye Georgie!"
"Bye George!" Anna added as Fred lead her out of the shop.
"Bye! Have fun!" George called after them before the door swung shut behind them.
Fred took Anna's hand and they walked at a casual stroll up Diagon Alley. "So, if you don't mind, most of our date is just going to be here in Diagon Alley. Unless you end up suggesting something we can do later."
"Hmm. We'll see how you do, first." Anna decided lightly.
Fred ended up leading her to the Leaky Cauldron, and Anna couldn't help smiling. Sure, it was nothing fancy, but that's what she wanted.
"Hey, Tom." Fred greeted as he entered behind Anna after holding the door open for her.
"Ah, hello Mr. Weasley." Tom, the old, bald innkeeper called from the bar. "I'll be right with you both."
"Thanks." Fred called back. Anna headed toward a table near the far wall and took a seat. Fred sat across from her, passing her a menu while grabbing one for himself.
"So, apart from spending the day working with your favorite people in the whole world, what did you do today?" Fred asked curiously, glancing up at Anna from his menu.
Anna grinned. "Well, I obviously had breakfast with my parents and Aslan, who was fussy this morning and threw his oatmeal at my dad's head."
Fred snorted, covering his mouth with his menu. Anna smiled widely at the memory of oatmeal in her dad's hair and dripping down his face and nose. He'd cleaned it up with a wave of his wand, but it had been a grand source of amusement to Anna and Aslan.
"And after I got ready for our date, I had some spare time to play with Aslan. He's mostly able to walk on his own. And he likes to grab whatever he can to pull himself up, including long hair." Anna stated pointedly, lifting a piece of her own dark hair. Fred, again, laughed at her.
"Would you two like anything to drink?" Tom asked, approaching their table.
They both asked for butterbeers, and when Tom came back a second time, Anna ordered a Steak and kidney pie, while Fred ordered a Roast beef.
"So, I take it you haven't heard back from the Ministry about your job." Fred guessed once the innkeeper left them again.
Anna looked down into her frothy mug of cold butterbeer. "No. But my mum said that's normal. It could take them as long as a few weeks to get back to me, and I only sent my application in a few days ago."
"True. I'm sure you'll hear back within the next week." Fred reassured her.
"Yeah, I know." Anna smiled slightly. "Anyway, what are we doing after dinner? Or is this all you had planned?"
"I was thinking dessert at Fortescue's. Then maybe we can relax at the flat. George has plans to meet up with Katie right about now," he explained with a glance down at his wristwatch, "so we'll have the place to ourselves."
Anna nodded with a slight smile, though her brows furrowed slightly with worry.
Fred understood her expression and gave her a calming smile. "Anna, relax. We're waiting until marriage, remember?"
Anna ducked her head sheepishly. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry."
"Don't be. I'm sure anyone would suspect that's what we'd do with a flat to ourselves." Fred guessed, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and making Anna laugh.
They spent the next hour eating and talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Anna told him about the last few days at school and riding back across the lake in the boats.
"I almost wish I could've stuck around just to ride those boats back across the lake." Fred noted with a grin.
They stuck around for about an hour after their plates had been scraped clean before heading to Fred's next planned stop.
"I can buy my own ice cream, you know." Anna pointed out as Fred paid for their ice cream at Fortescue's.
"I know, but this is a date. As the man in this relationship, I am paying for your food." Fred pointed out, passing Anna her bowl of peanut butter and strawberry ice cream. "Besides, this is me treating you, remember? Because business is going good."
She rolled her eyes, but smiled and followed him to a table in the corner. Looking out the window, she couldn't help noticing how different Diagon Alley looked. Sure, it looked the same, to an extent. But it felt different. It felt eerie, and a slight chilly mist had begun to form as the evening wore on. And there weren't as many people walking around.
"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Fred asked, and when Anna looked at him sitting across from her, he was also looking out the window. "This place doesn't seem as cheery as it used to be."
"I guess that's what happens when a war's looming on the horizon." Anna admitted quietly, looking down at her bowl of ice cream.
There was a moment of silence before Fred suddenly reached across the table. He dabbed his spoon against the tip of Anna's nose, leaving some chocolate ice cream there. Anna gaped at him, while he just smiled in return.
"You jerk." she laughed, grabbing a napkin off the table to wipe her nose clean.
"It got you to laugh, didn't it?" Fred returned, taking another bite of his ice cream.
XXX
Fred and Anna's date ended at Fred and George's flat, where they cuddled in front of the fire until about 10:30 before Anna Flooed home for the night. Sunday morning dawned a little too early, in Anna's opinion, when she was woken by a light tapping against her window.
Blinking her eyes open, Anna rolled onto her back and stretched her arms up over her head. She relaxed, laying there for a few moments to continue waking up. Finally, she looked over at her window and saw a Brown owl perched on her window sill. Pushing her covers off, Anna swung her legs over the side of her bed and crossed the room to the window. She pushed it open, letting the owl fly into her room.
Ariel hooted and fluffed her feathers moodily from her perch on the small, smooth tree in the corner of the room.
"Oh, be nice." Anna scolded her owl as she approached the Brown owl that had perched on her headboard. "He won't be here long."
She tried to force down her nerves when she untied the small envelope from the owl's leg. She could see the Ministry crest hanging from the owl's neck, and the stamp on the envelope. Her hands shook as she pulled away with the envelope in her grasp, not even noticing the owl swoop back out her window.
Taking a deep breath, Anna flipped the envelope open, pulled out the parchment inside, and slowly unfolded it to read the contents:
'Dear Ms. Black;
We have gone over your application and résumé for a job in the Investigation Department. Due to your accomplishments, as well as a glowing letter of recommendation from Professor Minerva McGonagall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we have decided to offer you a starting position in the Investigation Department. Please come to my office on Level 2 of the Ministry of Magic this Monday at 8:30 AM, so that we may discuss your employment in this department. If this time does not work with your schedule, please send a response in a timely manner.
Sincerely,
Fergus Johansson
Director
Investigation Department
Subdivision Auror Office
Ministry of Magic
London
Anna stared down at the letter for a long time, maybe an hour for all she knew, before she felt talons in her skin and a light weight on her right shoulder. She jerked out of her daze and glanced over at Ariel, who was tilting her head curiously as only an owl could. Anna lifted one shaking hand to pet her owl's head lightly before looking back down at her letter.
"I don't believe it." she breathed, more to herself than her owl. "I got the job."
A loud banging on her bedroom door jerked her out of her thoughts, causing Ariel to hoot in irritation and fly back to her perch.
"Anna, are you up yet?" her mother called through the door. "You can't sleep the day away."
"Mum!" Anna exclaimed, turning and bolting across her bedroom and yanking her door open, one hand still clutching her letter.
"What?" Wren had frozen in place, only a couple feet from her daughter's bedroom door. Her green eyes were wide and worried as she stared at her daughter. She was still in her bathrobe, as it was Sunday and her day off.
"Look!" Anna exclaimed, a smile growing on her face as she thrust the letter in her mother's face. Wren jerked back for a second before quickly taking the letter from her daughter, lowering it slightly, and reading it. As her eyes scanned back and forth over the letter, a smile stretched over her cheeks.
"Oh, Anna, this is wonderful!" Wren exclaimed, looking up at Anna again before pulling her into a tight hug.
"What'd I miss?" Wren and Anna pulled away to see Sirius standing in the doorway to Aslan's room, holding the nearly-one-year-old baby on his hip.
"I got the job!" Anna shouted, beaming at her dad.
Sirius grinned widely in return, stepping into the hallway to wrap his free arm around his daughter.
"Congratulations! I knew you'd get it!"
"We'll have to have a celebratory dinner at the meeting tonight." Wren decided when father and daughter pulled away. She gently took her son from her husband's arms and looked back at her daughter, though she looked troubled now. "Are you sure you want to join the Order?" she asked hesitantly.
"Mum, I want to be able to help." Anna reminded her mother gently. "If I can do just little jobs that can help, I want to. I may not want to do anything too crazy, but…I want to be able to help if I can."
Wren sighed and gave her daughter a small smile. "Alright. I understand. Now, let's go have some breakfast. This calls for chocolate chip pancakes."
XXX
Later that evening, around 5:00, Anna Apparated with her parents and Aslan, landing across the street from a familiar old house. They carefully looked around before crossing the street and going up the front steps. Sirius knocked on the door, and after a few moments it creaked open and Arthur's eye peaked out at them.
"Ah, Sirius." Arthur opened the door a bit wider, smiling at them all. "Glad you could all make it. We're still waiting for a few more people, and Molly's in the kitchen getting a start on dinner preparations."
"I'll go help her." Wren decided, passing Aslan to Sirius before heading for the kitchen.
"Fred and George aren't here yet, are they?" Anna asked, excited to tell them about her new job."
"Not yet. Their shop closes at five, so it shouldn't be too much longer." Arthur told her, heading for the dining room. Sirius followed him with Aslan, while Anna headed for the kitchen. As soon as she pushed the door open, Wren and Molly stopped whispering and turned to look at her. Anna didn't have to guess what they were talking about; Molly's expression said it all.
"Oh, Anna! Congratulations! Wren just told me you got the job!" Molly exclaimed happily, hurrying across the room and yanking Anna into a tight hug. The breath was knocked out of her, but she managed to hug her back anyway. After a few moments, Molly pulled away, though she still held Anna by her shoulders. "Have you told Fred yet?"
Anna shook her head. "No, just my parents. I was hoping to tell Fred and George when they get here for the meeting."
Just as she said that, they barely heard a loud knocking from the front door. Anna turned and hurried back the way she'd come, but her dad still beat her in opening the door.
Fred and George entered, both nodding to Sirius in greeting. Anna stood back, waiting for them to fully enter the house while she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. Fred and George saw her at the same time as Sirius closed the front door.
"What're you so excited about?" George asked, grinning in amusement.
"I got a special letter this morning." she announced temptingly as the twins approached her, stopping in front of her.
"Oh?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.
Anna bit her lip on an excited grin for a moment before she announced, "I got the job."
"What?!" Fred and George exclaimed, beaming at her. She was instantly pulled into a group hug by both twins and laughed, wrapping an arm around each of their necks.
"I told you you'd get it!" Fred exclaimed, finally releasing her so she could step away from them. "When do you start?"
"I have to go in tomorrow morning to discuss it with my future boss. I'm not sure if I'll officially start tomorrow. I'll write to let you both know as soon as I can." Anna assured them.
"You better." George told her before moving past her to the dining room, where Sirius had disappeared to again.
"You nervous?" Fred asked when his twin had left.
"Hmm." Anna shrugged, stuffing her hands into her jean pockets. "A bit." she admitted.
"You'll be fine." Fred told her, wrapping an arm around her lower back and pulling her close. She pulled her hands from her pockets and wrapped them around him in a hug, resting her head on his chest. "It's something you're passionate about. You'll be brilliant at it."
"I guess. I'm kinda curious though…"
"About what?"
"He said in the letter that McGonagall wrote a 'glowing letter of recommendation'… I just wish I knew what she said."
Fred chuckled, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
Within another fifteen minutes, everyone was gathering in the kitchen for the meeting. Anna wasn't quite sure where to sit with all the people who were in the room. It was clear not everyone in the Order was present, but there were still a lot of people. Dumbledore was sitting at the head of the table, Moody standing behind him with his magical eye zipping about. Kingsley and Sirius were sitting on either side of Dumbledore, and Wren was leaving the room with Aslan, probably so the baby wouldn't disturb the meeting. Bill was sitting next to Sirius and Arthur was sitting between Kingsley and Molly. Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, and Mundungus were seated down one side of the table. George sat at the other end of the table from Dumbledore, and Fred sat in a seat next to him. Seeing Anna standing awkwardly, he pulled out the seat between him and Tonks. Anna smiled gratefully and sat down, turning to face Dumbledore.
"Thank you all for coming." Dumbledore told them all. "The first thing I'd like to address is a possible new recruit to our cause. Ms. Black?" Dumbledore turned to look down the table at Anna, and everyone followed his gaze expectantly. "Are you sure you'd like to join the Order of the Phoenix?"
Anna swallowed a nervous lump in her throat before answering, "Yes, I would." she said with a nod.
Dumbledore nodded once in return. "Good. Then, it's official. Annabelle Black is a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Welcome. Now, I'd like to give a few updates." he continued, addressing the whole table after a brief spattering of applause, "Remus Lupin will be away quite frequently for the foreseeable future, as I've assigned him to be a spy within Fenrir Greyback's werewolf pack. This is in the hope of, not only gaining inside information, but also seeing if he can convince any werewolves to switch to our side."
Anna felt a sick bile rise in her throat at the thought of Remus surrounded by violent, dangerous werewolves who would kill without a second thought. Then, her eyes caught her cousin in the seat next to her. Dora had turned her head to glare down at the tabletop, her fists clenched. Her face was pale and her eyes red, as if she were trying not to cry.
"How long will he be there?" Kingsley asked.
"I've asked he check in at least every week. So he should check in within the next four days." Dumbledore answered.
"And if he doesn't?" Anna found herself asking quietly.
Dumbledore met her eyes calmly for a moment. "If he doesn't contact me for two weeks straight, I shall take action to check on his condition."
Somehow, that didn't put Anna at ease, and she could tell Dora felt the same by the way her fists tightened further and her brows lowered more over her eyes.
"Is there anything else anyone would like to discuss before we move onto other matters?" Dumbledore asked the group.
"What about the Minister?" Bill asked. "People have been calling for Fudge's resignation since it was announced that You-Know-Who was really back. He surely can't last much longer in office, can he?"
"Not from what I've heard." Kingsley admitted. "Many are speculating he won't last longer than another week. I give him five days, tops."
"Are there any guesses on who his replacement will be?" Sirius asked.
"A few possibilities have been mentioned." Kingsley answered. "Though the most popular is Rufus Scrimgeour, the Head of the Auror office."
"Hmm." Dumbledore hummed thoughtfully. "I know Scrimgeour. He has the potential to be a decent Minister. Of course, we'll just have to wait and see."
"You mentioned wanting to have a few people guarding Hogwarts this coming school year." Diggle pointed out.
"So I did." Dumbledore nodded. "Are there any particular volunteers for that job when the time comes?"
Dora quickly raised her hand, as did Bill and a few of the others. Dumbledore nodded once as his eyes swept the group.
"Good. We'll discuss more details at a future meeting. Now, there's one last thing I'd like to bring up. Ms. Black?"
Anna started at being addressed, and a few of the others looked at her in confusion as well. "Um,…yes?"
"There's a few things I'd like to ask of you. Your father mentioned you got a job in the Investigation Department?"
"Um, yes, I'm going in tomorrow morning to discuss the details with my boss." Anna admitted, unsure about where this was going.
"I'm not asking you to do anything specific in your new job, but it would offer a few possibilities. For example, should an Order member come up in a case, perhaps you could…ensure they aren't wrongly convicted while doing work for the Order."
Anna thought for a moment. "Well,…yeah, I suppose I could do that." she answered.
"And another thing, rather unrelated. I was wondering how you'd feel if I asked you to do some more…important work for the Order."
"Important?" Anna repeated, unsure what that meant, though it was making her nervous.
"Dumbledore, what are you getting at?" Sirius asked abruptly.
"Yes, Anna shouldn't be given any dangerous missions. She's only a child." Molly added.
"I won't make Annabelle do anything she's not comfortable with." Dumbledore assured both of them. "However, I'm sure there are a few jobs that could…benefit from our current collection of metamorphmagi."
Everyone glanced among themselves before looking between Anna and Tonks, who looked at each other.
"What kind of jobs?" Tonks asked, looking once again at Dumbledore.
"I think what he's getting at," Bill put in, "is that it would be pretty easy for you two to be spies, given you can change your appearances at will. We wouldn't have to worry about polyjuice or disguises."
"What? Like infiltrate the Death Eaters?" George asked. Anna felt her heart stop at the suggestion. There was no way she could pull something like that off!
"Nothing like that, I assure you!" Dumbledore assured them, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "We already have someone among the Death Eaters, and I wouldn't dream of putting Ms. Black in that situation. I'm not sure what I would have you do, yet," he added to Anna, "but would you be willing to consider doing something like that?"
Anna's mouth opened, but she merely gaped for a few moments. She glanced at Dora, then at her dad, Arthur, Molly, and finally looked back at Fred and George. Everyone was watching her expectantly, but with relatively blank expressions, leaving the decision completely up to her. Then, Fred reached over and rested his hand over hers, giving her a soft expression even though he didn't smile. Anna understood the look easily: he was leaving the choice up to her, and would support her no matter what.
Taking a deep breath, Anna turned back to look at Dumbledore, who was waiting patiently. "I'd be willing to consider whatever mission you ask of me." she finally answered slowly, choosing her words carefully.
Dumbledore smiled at her, as did a few of the other Order members. She noticed Molly didn't look happy, and her dad gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but no one protested her decision.
"Thank you, Ms. Black. With that, if there are no topics to discuss…" Dumbledore paused and glanced around the table, but when no one spoke up, he finished, "we'll draw this meeting to a close."
Everyone slowly began to stand up.
"Anyone who'd like to stay for dinner is welcome." Molly announced, approaching the counter and waving her wand, causing the stove to turn on and a metal spoon begin mixing something in a large pot already on the stove.
"I'll go tell Wren the meeting's over." Sirius announced, heading for the door.
"Are you staying for dinner?" Anna asked Dora as they both stood up.
Tonks looked uncertain for a moment. "Well, I should really be getting home…"
"Tonks, you live alone in a flat across town." Molly spoke from across the room, not even turning to look at the two girls. "You're staying for dinner."
Anna shrugged at Tonks with a playful smile. "The boss has spoken." she joked. Tonks smiled, but it was obviously fake. Anna's smile fell again. "How about we go catch up somewhere before dinner? I feel like I haven't spoken to you in ages!"
A slightly-more real smile spread over Tonks' cheeks and she followed Anna up the stairs to the entryway. From there they went up a couple more flights of stairs before sitting on the steps. Anna sat a step below Tonks, and they both turned sideways to lean back against the opposite walls, facing each other.
"So, how've you been?" Anna asked.
"Fine. Between being an Auror and working for the Order, I've been pretty busy." Tonks answered.
"Mhm." Anna nodded, her eyes fixed firmly on her cousin's expression. "Have you heard from Remus recently?"
Tonks stiffened, her eyes fixed downward on her shoes. "No. Why would I have heard from Remus?" she asked quietly. "Sirius is more likely to hear from him."
"I suppose. I just noticed you seemed particularly upset when Dumbledore mentioned Remus's mission." Anna mentioned carefully.
Tonks took a deep breath before lifting her dark eyes and looking up into Anna's gray ones.
"Well,…obviously I hate this mission. It's really dangerous. If Remus isn't careful, he could get himself hurt, or worse."
Anna tilted her head slightly. "I didn't know you were very close with Remus. And anyway, Remus is really levelheaded. He'll be careful."
Tonks clenched her teeth and looked away again, down the stairs.
"Alright, Dora, what else is it?" Anna asked, knowing her cousin wasn't telling her everything.
Tonks sighed sadly, looking down at her lap and picking at a stray thread in her ripped leggings. "Remus took this mission to avoid me."
Anna stared at her, completely dumbfounded for a good ten seconds. "What?" she asked. "Why would he do that?"
Tonks swallowed. "Um,…because I told him I love him?" she answered in a questioning tone.
"Wait-WHAT?!" Anna exclaimed, sitting up straight in shock. "You what? Since when? What did I miss?" she demanded quickly.
Tonks forced a small, sad smile as she looked up at Anna. "A little while, now. And he loves me, too. I know he does; he's admitted it. He's just scared of hurting me or passing on his Lycanthropy to our children."
"Children?" Anna repeated, instinctively lowering her eyes to her cousin's stomach, which was covered by her leather jacket and loose shirt.
"I'm not pregnant." Tonks told her, rolling her eyes. "Remus won't hardly touch me." she grumbled the last sentence bitterly.
Anna looked at her quietly, feeling horrible. "I'm a rubbish cousin." she stated bluntly. "I should've noticed something was going on."
"Come on." Tonks rolled her eyes again at her cousin. "You've been away at school most of the time, dealing with Umbridge and the twins' shop. The last we actually spoke was in January, before you went back to school. And that time was spent worrying about Arthur and everything. There're more important things to worry about now than my love life."
"Sure, but your love life is much more fun to talk about." Anna countered teasingly. "When, exactly, did all of this happen?"
Tonks shrugged slightly, leaning her head back against the wall and looking up. "Well,…I've thought he was attractive in a distinguished way since I met him last summer. And he was always staying here with Sirius, and when I would pop in, we'd always talk about one thing or another, and…things just sort of went from there."
Anna hummed quietly, leaning her head back against the wall. "Well,…I'm sure things will work out for the best, Dora."
XXX
Anna followed the directions Mr. Johansson, the Director of the Investigation Department, gave her after they spoke for less than an hour in his office. She soon found herself entering a large room with dozens of open cubicles. She glanced around before she saw a nameplate on one of the cubicles nearest to her. Approaching it, she peaked inside and saw a woman only a few years older than her at most. She was writing away on a sheet of parchment with a long quill, and her red-brown hair was pulled up in a bun.
Swallowing her nerves, Anna knocked lightly on the wall of the cubicle. The woman's eyes shot up to stare up at her, looking surprised.
"Oh, hello." the woman told her, standing up and holding a hand out. "You must be Annabelle. I'm Audrey Reed."
"It's nice to meet you." Anna returned, shaking Audrey's hand. "Mr. Johansson told me to find you."
"Ah, yes. Your first day of training." Audrey clapped her hands once before turning back to her desk. "I have a few cases here that we're going to work through together until you get the idea of what you're supposed to do. And I believe tomorrow you'll be shown your own cubicle and we'll go from there. Sound good?"
"Yeah." Anna answered with a smile that was part excited, part nervous. Audrey waved her hand to a second chair at the desk of her cubicle and Anna sat there with her new coworker at her side, ready to learn how to do her new job.