CHAPTER 14: A LIGHT IN THE DARK
O'Bannon sat against the wall of his tiny bedroom, his folded arms resting on his knees. Every once in a while he'd turn his left wrist to check his watch. How long before the American Death Eaters and their dark creatures arrived in England? Would Lord Voldemort use them right away? Would he continue to wait before making his move?
Maybe the Guild of the Light already found the Longathian Tunnel. Maybe those reinforcements aren't coming.
But he didn't know that for certain. For something like this he couldn't sit around and hope for the best. He had to act.
O'Bannon just had one problem. He couldn't think of a plan to save his life.
Or the lives of every witch and wizard in England.
The swoosh and rustle of a curtain opening caught his attention. He looked up.
Tonks stood at the doorway, still gripping the curtain. She had changed her hair again, making it shoulder length with a violet hue.
"Been redecorating, I see." She scanned the room, taking in the overturned cot and the shattered remains of the nightstand.
O'Bannon merely grunted.
"May I come in?" Tonks asked.
He shrugged.
Tonks smiled and closed the curtain behind her. "Rosa wanted to come in here right away to check on you, you know. I told her to give you some time, then I'd check on you."
She grabbed the cot and set it back on all fours.
"They doing okay?" O'Bannon muttered.
Tonks paused. "As okay as expected. They're all in Rosa's room right now." She sat on the cot and patted the spot next to her. "Come here and sit."
O'Bannon grunted.
"It's more comfortable than the floor. Come on."
Sighing, he rose to his feet, walked over to the cot and plopped down next to Tonks. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.
Tonks placed a hand on his back and gently rubbed. "Jimmy, you did your best."
He snorted. "Yeah. That'll count for something when we're ass deep in wendigos, reptoids and vampires."
"Look, we can't give up. We have to find another way to contact the Order."
"How?" O'Bannon turned to her. "We're stuck in here, we've got aurors and Dementors all over the school, and everyone we know with ties to the Order of the Phoenix is gone."
Tonks gave him a weak smile. "Maybe your Guild of the Light already found the tunnel and stopped those reinforcements."
"I thought about that, too. But we can't depend on that, can we? I was sent here as a back-up in case the Guild couldn't find the Longathian Tunnel. Give the Order a heads up on what was coming." He coughed out a sardonic laugh. "Did a great job of that, didn't I?"
"Then think of some other way."
"What do you think I've been doing?"
"Then think harder," Tonks urged. "Think of all the times you and the Weasley twins snuck around Hogwarts. Maybe there's a way we can get around the aurors and find a secret passage . . ."
"There isn't. Believe me, I've thought about that more times than you can imagine."
"Then think of something else. Something unique that most wizards wouldn't consider. Perhaps some Muggle way of communicating. If you put your mind to it . . ."
O'Bannon bolted off the cot. He took a few steps, then spun around. "Where does it come from, Tonks? Where!?"
"What are you going on about?" She canted her head.
"This . . . undying faith in me. What the hell have I done to earn it?" He closed his eyes and pressed a hand against the back of his skull. He drew a breath and continued. "You know, I keep thinking about all the times I stayed over at Jared's place or Rosa's place, listening to their parents tell stories about what they did during the Big War. And I always wonder, if I was ever in that situation, would I be as brave as Mister and Mrs. Diaz and Mister and Mrs. Infante? Would I be able to handle that kind of stuff? Well I guess we know the answer, don't we? No, I can't handle it. I was given one job, one simple job. Deliver a message. That's it. And I can't even do that right!"
His mouth tightened. He shook his head, his eyes locked on Tonks. "So tell me, Tonks. Why do you have so much faith in me?"
"You want to know why?" Tonks rose and slowly walked over to O'Bannon. She gently grasped his arm and stared into his eyes. "After all the time I spent with you at Salem, and after everything we've been through over the past twenty-four hours, I've learned some things about you. The biggest being you're a fighter. You don't give up. Ever. And when you know something is wrong, you don't sit back and hope someone else fixes it. You do it yourself."
Her grip on his arm tightened. She took a step closer to him. He felt the tips of her shoes touching his as she continued.
"You're loyal, you'd do absolutely anything for your friends. When you get right to it, you're a good, decent b . . . man, Jimmy O'Bannon. And we need people like you if we're to have any hope of defeating You-Know-Who."
He stood still, taking in Tonks' face. His focus narrowed to her eyes, and the confidence that radiated from them. Confidence in him. His heart hammered relentlessly. He imagined hands digging deep inside him, putting together his shattered spirit.
O'Bannon reopened his eyes. Tonks' beautiful, heart-shaped face filled his vision. Never in his life had he met someone who believed in him so passionately. Oh sure, Rosa, Jared and Artimus were as loyal as friends could be, and they'd always been there to pick each other up when need be. They had said aloud on numerous occasions how they were like a family, how they trusted and believed in each other. But it sounded different coming from Tonks. She was a few years older, and an auror. She'd probably seen more crap than he could ever imagine. Yet she believed in him. She believed that a Muggle-born hockey player from Boston actually had it in him to battle the forces of the most evil dark wizard in history.
"Thank you." He took a step back, his face muscles stiffening. "There is one idea I have."
"And you wondered why I have such faith in you." Tonks crossed her arms and smiled.
O'Bannon smiled back. He then took a breath. "We get ready to fight."
"That's it?"
"Tonks, if the Guild hasn't found the Longathian Tunnel by now, we're probably down to hours before You-Know-Who's reinforcements come ashore. If we can't contact the Order of the Phoenix, we have to be ready to fight them ourselves."
"Us and the D.A. you mean."
O'Bannon nodded. "You're the auror. You can teach them all sorts of defensive spells. And Hermione can put that big brain of hers to good use finding out everything she can about the creatures the American Death Eaters are bringing over. We need to be as prepared as possible when we face them. I know, it's a desperate plan, but it's the best I can come up with."
Tonks' body sagged. She bit her lip and looked away for several seconds. "You know, in a battle like that, no matter how prepared we are, it's going to be bloody."
O'Bannon just nodded silently.
"A lot of our friends won't make it out alive," Tonks said solemnly. "Honestly, we all might not live through this."
O'Bannon's chest tightened. Terror coursed through every vein in his body. He tried unsuccessfully to keep the realization at arms length.
He failed.
Dead. He could actually die. Bang! Zap! That's it. The end. Yeah, he believed in Heaven, but . . .
He wasn't ready. He was only seventeen. He had his whole life ahead of him. Not that he knew what he wanted to do yet, but to just have his life end, no chance to do anything.
As much as the prospect of death scared him, he found himself fearing more for his friends. Moisture welled up in his eyes as faces floated through his mind, faces devoid of life. Rosa, Jared, Artimus, Fred, George, Ginny, Mireet, Angelina, Dean, Harry . . .
Tonks.
He gazed at her. His stomach dropped when he saw the deep frown on her face. The strength she projected, so constant, so unwavering, started to show cracks.
"I always thought I'd get married and have children before . . ." Tonks lowered her eyes, not finishing the sentence.
"We're not dead yet." O'Bannon tried to sound confident, but knew he failed.
To his surprise, Tonks chuckled. "When you said that, it reminded me of the line from one of my father's favorite movies. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. All those characters saying, 'I'm not dead yet. Actually, I'm getting better.'"
"One of the greatest movies ever made." O'Bannon wished he had it in him to laugh.
Tonks swallowed. A tic formed under her right eye. "Dad. He's Muggle-born, you know. If You-Know-Who wins, you know . . . you know what will happen to him."
O'Bannon nodded. Cleansing the wizarding world of Muggle-borns had been a top priority for Lord Voldemort during the Big War. He doubted that would change this time around.
"He's one of the kindest, gentlest people I've ever known." Tonks' voice cracked. "And You-Know-Who and his bastards want to kill him because he doesn't fit their stupid view of the wizarding world. I just . . ."
O'Bannon nearly took a step back in shock when he saw a tear roll down Tonks' cheek. She started to turn away, taking a quick swipe at the tear.
He stepped over to her and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm sorry Tonks." He clenched his teeth, trying not to cry as he pressed her tight against his body. "I'm so sorry."
"I don't blame you, Jimmy. I don't." Tonks tightened her embrace. She sniffled.
O'Bannon pressed his cheek against her hair. He willed the tears to stay in his eyes.
One escaped.
Tonks sniffled again.
He kissed her on the temple and stroked her hair. O'Bannon breathed deep, inhaling Tonks' scent. He kissed her temple again.
Tonks pulled away a bit, her glistening eyes gazing into his. She shuddered as she drew a deep breath.
Their lips met. They gripped one another in a suffocating hug, pressing their bodies together. Their kissing grew fiercer, a mix of passion and desperation.
O'Bannon cupped Tonks' face. She inhaled greedily, still managing a smile. He rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs.
"You know . . ." He chewed on his lower lip, searching for the right words. "If we . . . I mean, if the worst happens . . . I'm really glad I got to know you, Tonks. You're just amazing and strong and . . . and really hot."
A warm smile creased her lips. Her hair lengthened and turned the color of a sunset.
"Jimmy, can I ask you something, and please be honest with me."
"Yeah, sure."
She paused. "Are you . . . I mean, have you ever? Well . . . are you a virgin?"
He drew his head back and swallowed. Before he could think it through he muttered, "Um, yeah. I am."
Tonks' smile widened. She pulled out her wand and cast a Muffling Charm around the bedroom. She leaned in and pecked his ear.
"You won't be after tonight."
TO BE CONTINUED