Chapter 15 – Metamorphmagus
Her feet were cold and wet. A couple of minutes ago, her feet had been uncomfortably hot and wet. And why were her feet wet? Because she, Nymphadora Tonks, metamorphmagus and one of the youngest Aurors in service, was clumsiness incarnate and had dropped her teacup on her feet. Again. That said, considering recent events, for once she had a good excuse for her clumsiness.
After all, dead cousins did not turn up every day in the skin of big, bald, dangerous and good-looking strangers. Of course not quiet as good-looking as her cousin had been before he went to Azkaban, and certainly not even half as good-looking as Remus, but all in all it was a certain improvement on the way Sirius had looked after his escape from the wizard prison.
If he really was Sirius.
Remus seemed to believe him without reservation and so did Kingsley, but Tonks was sceptical and she was certain that Grumpy, also known as 'Old Scarface', 'Constant Vigilance', or more commonly 'Mad-Eye Moody' had his doubts as well.
Sure, he did know many of the things only her cousin was supposed to know. But still…
Tonks directed a stream of hot air from her wand to her feet and listened to the stranger's gruff, short-clipped explanation.
It all seemed so far-fetched. Unspeakables bringing him back from the Chamber of Death in the Department of Mysteries? Scrimgeour hiring him as new teacher for Hogwarts? Tonks had heard from Harry about the school's difficulties in finding new DADA teachers and the Ministry had not been very lucky either. But bringing people back from the dead was a bit extreme, wasn't it? Besides, Sirius had never been a teacher. Up to the moment of his death in the very same room, battling Voldemort's minions, Sirius had been a wanted man by the Ministry for the alleged murder of one Peter Pettigrew and quite a few Muggles. Of course, Sirius had been innocent of those crimes, but still.
If Kingsley and Old-Man-Angry didn't want to question the man, Tonks supposed that she would have to do so herself. Damn all senior Aurors and their imprudence. She really didn't want to be the one to hurt Remus' feelings. But she would not stand by either and watch as he was lied to by some impostor.
"Why would they do that?" Tonks started as she heard her own voice speaking.
All heads turned to her.
"Do what?" inquired Remus in his sweet, husky voice. Awww.
The bald wannabe-Sirius stared at her with a very knowing, male deadpan expression that made her want to hit him.
"Why would the Ministry bring Sirius back from the dead and hire him as a teacher for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? What are his qualifications? Never mind the fact that Sirius has never been a teacher, I bet there are easier ways to hire one than to bring him back from the dead! Besides, Sirius is not exactly popular at the Ministry and in the wizarding world, is he? Many people still think him guilty of the murder of Pettigrew, even if WE know he was innocent."
There, that was plain. Answer that, bullet-head. And stop staring at me like that, with those weird glowing eyes. Uh oh. He's standing up. What is he doing now? He's coming over here. And he's walking differently too. That's not Sirius. I'm sure of it! Sirius would never look at me as if he wanted to eat me for dessert. My wand. Where did I put my wand…
"Smart girl."
Tonks started at the feeling of large fingers closing loosely around her throat. She had not seen the man move. Nobody could move that fast, but somehow he was now standing behind her chair, one hand around her neck, the other effortlessly holding her wand-arm behind her back. She felt his warm breath as he bent down and…smelled her hair?
She tried to jerk her arm loose but it might as well have been petrified. The hand around her throat stroked her skin in warning. Tonks watched Mad-Eye's and Kingsley's wands point at her and met Remus' narrowed, suddenly suspicious gaze directed over her shoulder. She saw him raise his nose and test the air.
Uh. Oh. Full Moon.
"Sirius. Let. Tonks. Go." Remus' quiet voice had dropped to a menacing growl.
"Don't make me jinx you, lad," warned Moody.
Tonks felt a strong arm close around her middle and the floor suddenly dropped away from her feet. The man was using her as a shield! She nearly screamed when she felt a wet tongue slowly lick up the right side of her face. Ewwww. Pervert! That's just so wrong! I knew it. I knew that's not Sirius! Don't move, don't give him a reason to hurt you. Let Moody and Remus sort him out. He's so going to regret that he just did that.
She could not help herself. She started struggling madly. The arm around her tightened even more, the way it felt, he was nearly crushing her lungs and a low, menacing growl rumbled through the large chest pressed against her back.
"Fuck Black. He ain't in charge right now. The name's Riddick. Richard. B. Riddick. You people fucked with my head. I don't like people fuckin' with my head. Time for pay back."