The Days in the Order
Episode 2: Generation Gap
"Well we'll have to find someone to blend in." complained an exasperated Nymphadora Tonks as she and the rest of the Aurors sat in Sirius Black's dining room. Arthur, Molly, Hestia Jones, Alastor Moody and Kingsley were seated on one side while Snape, Remus, Sirius and surprisingly Minerva sat on the other- and all of them looking pointedly at Tonks.
"What?" she asked, honestly lost. Her today was a purple ombre color and her youthful outfit made her stand apart from the rest of the room.
"We can't send her in, she'll do anything but 'blend'!" said Hestia Jones, her dislike for the young Auror slightly showing through.
Tonks huffed and within a split second, her purple hair morphed into caramel waves and said with the most impressive French lilt that you'd think it was her first language:
"Ez' charming to meet you, Mr. Gormac." as if she were speaking to the man at that moment.
"Don't underestimate Nymphadora on her acting skills, Ms. Hestia." Minerva said, "Having been at the receiving end of them myself." she gave the young girl a pointed look as she alluded to Tonk's time as her student. Tonks just shrugged and her purple hair returned.
"She's inexperienced! I think I should go..." Hestia continued.
"Well, you see Hestia.." Started Arthur.
"It's not that we don't trust your abilities..."Kingsley pointed out.
"But August Gormac would more likely open up to someone who's..." trailed Remus Lupin.
"Younger." Tonks finished for the three men, who didn't want to point out the real reason.
"What's this?!" Hestia cried indignantly.
"Calm down." Minerva said and managed to put Hestia in her place without so much as a yell.
"Ms. Nymphadora here is the youngest woman, and it's noted that Gormac is somewhat of a..."Minerva broke off trying to find the words.
"Lecherous git?" Tonks offered and Sirius and Lupin chuckled slightly while Snape just raised an eyebrow.
"Thank you, Yes. And since she can disguise herself at will, she is the most qualified. So stop feeling so insulted, this is important business, we're not going to sit here as you fight your age." Minerva scolded.
Hestia sat down, reprimanded but still glaring at Tonks- who just gave her a smile and a wink.
"Ms. Tonks won't be going alone, so I need one of you to go with." Minerva said looking pointedly at all of them.
"I'll go." Moody said gruffly.
Tonks shook her head voilently, "No, Not going to happen."
"What do you mean, 'Not going to happen?" he barked out.
"You're a dead give away, polyjuice potion or not- you don't know the first thing about blending into an upscale party." Tonks protested. "At least let me take Kingsley."
"Very well. I'll go." Kingsley said in his prominent Jamacian accent as he got up.
"And I'll need clothes." said Tonks.
"I've got some lovely dresses of Ginny's here, you're about the same height. "Molly concluded as she ushered Tonks out of the room.
"What sort of information should she be looking for?" Moody asked, take bite out of a biscuit.
"Gormac has connections with some of the wealthy pureblood families, being a business man. He's also very boastful, just a glass of sherry and a pretty girl next to him-" Snape paused, "And we won't need any truth serum."
"Will she know what questions to ask? Can we trust her to..."Hestia began but Moody cut her short.
"Nymphadora Tonks is my own apprentice, she may be as clumsy as a newborn troll- but when it comes to to disguise she'll play any role she see's fit, and a drunk man won't mind a pretty girl tripping into him." Moody defended his protege.
"I think she'll do great, you remember when you first joined the Order, Hestia." Lupin smoothed over, but that only seemed to be a slighty sting at her age again.
"That's right Hestia, you remember that far back?" came the deceptively sweet tone of Tonks as she reentered the room, earning a wave of silence as they saw her for the first time in a feminine outfit, rather than the punk rock looks she sported it was new to see her in a simple elegant black dress, heels, normal wavy caramel hair and subdued makeup.
Half of the males in the room had to blink twice.
"See, I told you I look strange!" Tonks called to Molly who was behind her.
"You look Lovely." Compliment Lupin rather quickly, and forgot that he was staring.
"Right...I have to get into character." Tonks said to herself. "I'm a copywriter for the Daily Prophet, and I'm looking to be a journalist. Poor sod will eat that up."
"Language." Minerva scolded. Tonks put her voice into character when she replied.
" 'm ery sorry, my Eenglish 's ery poor. you'll 'ave to 'scuze me." with a perfected French Lilt as she dropped her voice a few decibles so it sounded more mature.
"How are you so good at that?" Arthur asked.
"E'ts za geft." Tonks shrugged.
"Well we best be going." Kingsley said looking at the time.
Tonks and Kingsley both apparated away to begin their night of recon.
"Wish I could go to a nice party." Molly moped.
"Well we could all use a bit of frivolity." said Minerva as she got up to leave.
"Perhaps you should have gone, Mooney." Sirius said.
"I wouldn't fit in there." Lupin said, shaking his head and chuckling sadly.
"Oh Hogwash, at least you look like a gentlemen- Gormac is a seedy fellow, hopefully Kingsley can keep an eye on Tonks, she may have spunk but she's still a young woman." said Arthur as he helped clear the table with his wife.
"Perhaps a bit too young." Hestia snided. "I don't remember being THAT cheeky at her age."
"She'll do what she needs to do, and don't you worry about any of THAT." said Moody. "Once caught a peepin' tom in the women's showers at the ministry-" He started laughing, "She delivered him to Scrimgeour with two black eyes, a busted lip, and blood running down his nose-" Moody howled more ghosting his hands on each part of his face, "Said 'e tripped and fell! Couldn't own up to being whipped by a girl!"
Sirius, Arthur, and Lupin were laughing more at Moody's telling of the story then actual story itself.
Snape had slithered away and Minerva had long since left by the time Molly had finished with dinner.
The small group chatted quietly as they ate dinner, Hestia leaving after bidding Molly a thank you until the hour grew late and only Sirius, Lupin, Moody, and Arthur remained.
The front door to Grimmuald Place creaked open at some point past Midnight. The four men looked up from their own diversions when Kingsley quietly walked in, behind him, was a very tired looking Tonks who was still dressed up. As she slowly sank down into an armchair, her brown hair reverted to an emerald green.
The men looked at her expectantly.
"I've exhausted my French accent for the next three years." was all she said.
"Well?" Moody asked gruffly.
"You'd be proud of your protege, Alastor." Kingsley said with smile. "Had him chatting the entire night."
"Did you manage to get anything out of him?" Lupin probed.
Tonks looked at him with a tired and lazy expression, but it still caused a lump in the older man's throat.
"Quite a bit, the git was eager to let me know he had 'connections', started naming off some Pure blood families. After about 3 drinks, him feeling me up, and having to listen to him boast about the logistics of 'broommaking'- he did let it slip that rumor's been floating around 'bout a certain object within the department of mysteries." She said, focusing her eyes upward as if recalling the memory.
"Department of Mysteries?" Arthur asked again, she just nodded.
"Well it's something." Sirius said. "Thank you Tonks."
"No problem, now if you gentlemen don't mind I'm going home. I've had my share of bad dates, but being forced into one is even worse." She said as she sloshed up.
"I'll escort you home." Lupin offered.
"At last! The species of Humanus Gentlemenus is not dead." She joked, "I was beginning to lose hope in one evening."
Sirius eyed them both as they left.
"You think this information is good to go on?" Moody asked, focused on the mission.
"It's the best we've got, and if we take this to Dumbledore- he'll find a connection." said Kingsley. "But that is the LAST time I'm working with her, she's good, but unorthodox."
"Well we'll have Remus go with her next time, I don't think he'll mind." commented Sirius with a mischevious glint.