Chapter 5 -a dark shadow-
Tonks stumbled about as she walked froward her wand clutched tightly in her hand as she wanderd the dark halls of some musty, stuffy old house her sceances on high alert as she glanced all about her sarroundings.
She sucked in a quick gasp as she dove for the floor landing hard on her belly just in time to miss a white stream of light flash past her head.
She scrambled to get up holding out her wand in the direction of the attack cursing Bill out in her head for talking her into this whole stupid idea of giving her a taste of what being an arour would be like once she enterd the force.
Her swearing became verbal as her toe snaged a lose bord and she tumbled to the ground heavily her wand rolling away from her grasp and down the black hallway.
Without her wand Tonks felt vonrable even though she was now 18 and about to leave Hogwarts but being without her wand in a situation like this ment death in a fight or deul with a dark wizard.
"Hold it! Stop Bill she's lost her wand again!"
Chalie's voice rang out and he lit the tip of his wand lighting the space around himself and Tonks and before she could pull herself off the ground Bill was at his brother's side picking up her wand.
"You'll never get anywhere if you keep being so bloody clumsy Tonksie if we had been dark wizards you'd be long since dead."
Bill's tone was anything but kind as he handed her wand to her and once it was in her grasp she quickly lit it's tip with a sigh, she was happy Bill had made time to come back over her winter break and help her and Charlie with this but whatever he had been doing in his absence had changed him, he wasn't as kind twards her or at least not as much as he used to be and she couldn't help but feel that it was because to him she was old enough to stand on her own two feet and not fall every time she took more than 10 steps and it made her feel guilty as well because she knew she was letting him down.
"Right, sorry I'll get it this time I swear just give me one more go!"
She begged looking at him than at Charlie who also looked at his brother.
"Couldn't do much harm could it Bill? She's getting better besides her two left feet that is."
Tonks gave Charlie a thankful smile glad he was on her side and Bill heaved a sigh looking at her.
"Alright but this is the last chance you'll get, after this you two need to get back to the castle before night fall."
His voice may have been cold but it was laced with consern as he looked out the borded windows of the Shriking Shack.
Tonks nodded and unlit her wand as did the brothers and as if playing hide and seek Tonks turned her back to them as they silently disapired into the dark and she began walking slowly through the halls.
After a short time she found herself jumping to the side to avoid a red blast from one of their wands and she quickly hissed a spell back hearing someone drop to the floor to avoid it then get up quickly then there was quite.
She walked ahead again clutching her wand before stoping at the top of a set of stairs to look about her and she whiped around pointing her wand down the hall.
"Stupifiy!"
She called and she smiled hearing one of the two stumble back but her pride faded as a spell was shot back at her with more force then was needed and she growled.
"Hey easy up Bill you know more powerful spells than I do!"
Tonks called taking a step in that direction but there was no answer though she could tell someone was there.
"Bill? Charlie?"
Her voice shook as she asked and when there was no answer she bit her lip lighting the tip of her wand in time to see a cloked figure wearing a mask of some kind vanish.
Tonks let out a blood curtaling scream falling back pressing herself agenst the wall terrified, hearing foot fall coming up the steps to her left she aimed her wand her hand shaking in fear ready for an attack.
Charlie's face became visable in the light of her wand and his own and he looked pale as he seen her huddled up on the floor.
"Tonksie what's the matter? Did Bill give you a scare?"
He went to her helping her up and as soon as she stood she huged him tightly shaking like a leaf.
"What do you mean 'did Bill give you a scare'? I never left your side for more than 10 seconds Charlie remember we were tag teaming her?"
Bill came up the srairs his wand lit as well and he didn't seem amused at what his brother had said but it all melted away as he seen her shaking in Charlie's arms.
"Nymphadora what happend? What did you see?!"
He demanded going to Charlie's side looking down at her.
Tonks looked up at them horror in her eyes ignoring the fact that he had called her by her first name.
"Death eater...there was a death eater here I seen it over there in the hall!"
The words tumbled out of her mouth in a rush as she pointed down the dark hallway.
"Let's get out of here, you two should get back and talk to Dumbledore about this, he'll want to know what you seen."
He didn't seem the least bit consurend about the trouble they would be in for being in the Shriking Shack at all but he was stairing off down the dark hall a growl in his throat.
"Have you gone mad Bill if we go and tell him this than we will be expelled or did you forget that we are currently standing in the Shriking Shack?!"
Tonks' voice broke Bill's leer as he turned to look at her just as surprised at she at her acidic tone.
"No I havn't but this is more important than that right now Tonks, if there was a death eater here then we have to be ready should the worst happen, worst being..."
He paused gripping his wand tighter.
"Being the dark lord isn't gone."
Charlie finished his brother's scentance for him and Bill gave a grim nod to them and with that both Charlie and Tonks left the shack without so much as a backward glance when they hurd Bill apparate himself out of the place.
The air was cold and heavy as Tonks stayed close to Charie on their walk back to the school, Bill had been right it was nearly dark now and should they be caught they'd be put in detention or expelled before talking to Dumbledore at all.
"Char, what if...what if he really isn't dead? What if your bother is right about the death eaters sturring because he isn't gone?"
She didn't take her eyes off the frezing ground trying to keep ip with his strides.
"Than we tell Dumbledore and hope to hell that it was just a freak encounter with a dark witch or wizard."
Charlie's tone was just as rigide as she felt clutching her wand feircly in her hand.
Once back at the school Tonks lead Charlie through the secret halls and abandoned halls to Dumbledore's office where they stood outside the door both nurvise to no end but Tonks had a feeling that they were worryed about two diffrent things as the doors were opened for them to enter.