An Early Christmas Brake

Chapter 22:

"How about a carpet ride over the French countryside?"

"I heard they can be pricey."

"Well maybe one over Cornwell instead."

Tonks and Trish sat in the Starbucks on Oxford street. With only a few weeks till Christmas busy shoppers crammed into every seat possible. None of the muggles paid any attention to the two witches and their conversation. They were debating what Trish should buy her parents for Christmas.

"I still think you should just buy them, a good bottle of wine, or maybe two," Tonks said in between sips of her nutmeg flavored coffee.

"Maybe your right. What are you getting your parents?"

"A bottle of rose wine for my mum and a fire whisky for my dad."

"So you are just telling me to get my folks what you got yours. That's so unimaginative. What about your boy Remus? What are you getting him?"

A passer by looked disapprovingly at Tonks bright pick hair. Tonks stared daggers back. "Really some people are so rude," Tonks muttered.

"Deep down she's jealous. So come on spill what are you getting Remus?"

"The thing is I have no idea."

"Oh, get off it. You just buy yourself some sexy underwear. Or a bottle of good champagne for you both to share."

"I was hoping to get something that didn't evolve around sex."

"Then I can't help you there."

Tonks shook her head in disbelief. "Want to head over to Diagon Ally?"

"Yeah, let's get away from all these crazy muggles."

A man waiting for his coffee, with a cord coat over a HMV t-shirt, turned and looked at Trish, trying to make sense of her last remark.

"Trish?" Tonks reminded her friend.

"Ahh, what do they know anyway."

The man looked even more shock. Tonks scurried after Trish as she strode out of the Starbucks.

Remus Lupin sat inside the Weasley family home. The house had so many additions and afterthoughts that Remus found it hard to work out what the ordinal structure had looked like. He was also shock at how cosy it was for a place that housed all nine of the Weasley's.

"So what was it you wanted to ask about?" Molly sat down, placing two cups of tea down as well.

"Thank you," Remus said as he picked up the steaming hot tea. "I was wanting to know what your Christmas plans were?"

"Christmas? Well we would usually have all the Children home, maybe some of the extended family. But this year with the things the way they are. I'm not so sure. I'd hate to think of Harry not being with at Christmas."

"I thought you would feel that way." Tentatively, Remus took a sip of his tea. Too hot still. "Both Harry and Sirius will want to spend Christmas together, I'm sure of that."

"Do you think it would be pushy of me to invite my family round to the Headquarters?" Molly took a large sip of her milky tea.

Remus tried to cool down his own black tea by blowing it. "It probably would be pushy, but I think it would only do Sirius good to force yourselves on him at Christmas."

"So it's set, I'll insist that the Weasley's will join Harry and Sirius. I'll send Author round tonight to settle it. Should we expect you as well, or have you got plans with that rather wonderful girlfriend of yours?"

To cover his blushing Remus took a large sip of his tea, glad that it had cool enough not to scold his tong. "We might pop over later in the evening." Remus managed to get out calmly. "We're going to try lunch with her parents. Hopefully it will be a bit less strained then the last time."

"Oh they'll warm up to you. Just give it time," Molly reassured him. "My parents told me that Arthur was a no-good goof, that would never accomplish anything professionally. They were half right, but I'm still happy and that's what matters most."

Remus nodded, felling slightly better about his Christmas plans.

Flourish and Bolts was crammed packed with Christmas shoppers. There were those on there lunch break, some were mothers trying get through the Christmas shopping before their children finished up at Hogwarts for the winter, but most were the ones like Tonks. The ones that worked a nice to five and had just realized that Christmas wasn't that far away.

"Here, what'd think of this for my sister?" Trish held up a book entitled Be A Better You!: Spells, charms and potions to magic out your most bothersome personal traits. By Iris Nailbiter.

"Not really subtle is it?" Tonks pointed out.

"Well it's better then her first book it was called 'Everyone Hates You!' I'm not even that blunt."

Tonks laughed and began looking through the folk law history books, hoping to find something for Remus. The Bizarre and the Bon-fide: Vampire Crosspieces Revealed. Tonks took the book down and began to flip though it. She was surprised when it was quite interesting.

"Ok I've found it. The gift for my sister." Trish held a copy of a muggle cook book.

"You know that's for muggles?" Tonks asked.

"Yeah, well Steph loves this guy. Besides she says muggle cooking is so much more hands on. I don't get it myself."

Tonks looked away in disbelief. It was then that she noticed and scrawny looking girl hunched over in the advanced potions area. Tonks knew her. It was Emilia Whiltshed - Hennery, the girl Tonks had interviewed when she was picked up for Potion Pushing. Now Tonks was trying to track down her boyfriend Lysander.

Slowly and quietly Tonks drew her wand. She took at aim at the teenager. Trish noticed and tried to work out just who Tonks was about to curse. One small flick was all it took and Tonks had cast the perfect anti-dissipation charm.

The girl must have felt the charm hit. In seconds she had scanned the room, eyes resting on Tonks. In a flash she was out of the shop knocking over a display of discounted Magical Me. Tonks shoved the book in her hand at Trish and flew out after her.

Foolishly the girl had headed straight for an empty side street. Tonks may have been a good few meters behind the girl, but from the mouth of the side street she had a clear shoot. And that was all it took. Emilia feel flat, her oversized cloak covering her like a blanket.

Tonks ran over and flipped the girl over, making sure to grab the girls wand in the process. Emilia looked terrified. Her dark eyes flicked around, never settling. A small gash had appeared on her forehead from the fall, but it was nothing black eye, or the broken nose that appeared to be healing crocked. Those injuries were days old and were from some sort of beating.

Tonks helped the girl to her feet, leaning her on to the closet wall. Emilia didn't last long before she slid down the wall into a crumpled heap on the ground and then came the tears. More sobs then anything else. Tonks knelt down next to her.

"What happened to you?" Tonks asked curtly.

The girl sat up and looked straight at Tonks, "You have to help me!"

"You have to help yourself before I can help you?" Tonks put a reassuring hand on the girl, "Why did you send us chasing after Malcolm? It hasn't helped you."

"Mal's about the only guy I know who's stupid enough to have taken the fall. I didn't want to be the one left holding that blue ring stuff." Emilia roughly wiped her eyes. "I told Sander that I wasn't gonna hold it no more. I told him that it was over our heads, and that he should stop mixing about in it. That's when…" Emilia lifted her hand to her bruised face.

"Lysander did that to you?" Tonks asked already knowing the answer.

Emilia nodded, "He was well pissed at me."

"Some boyfriend, what are you protecting him for?"

"Well he… I don't know. I just don't know anymore." A new wave of sobs took hold of the girl.

Tonks helped Emilia to her feet and together they made there way back to the front of Flourish and Blotts. Trish stood waiting, shopping in hand. After a few words Tonks apologized to her find and made her excuses to leave. With the help of a side along apparition, Tonks and Emilia disappeared with a crack to the Auror offices at the Ministry of Magic.

A/N: hey guys you know what to do!!!!!