Note: Written in anticipation of my lack of time to write tomorrow! I shall save it and update when I get back from registration, that way you won't go a whole day without another chapter! I hope the time line makes sense...
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing.
15: Aurors and Office Workers
They were sat under the little apple tree in Teddy's grandmother's back garden, she squinting into a little compact mirror at herself rather thoughtfully, he watching her do so, lips pressed into a thin line as brown locks brightened to red.
"Make it black." he suggested, in a tone that Teddy thought wasn't very suggesting at all.
"Black's boring." Tonks grumbled, trying a rather alarming shade of orange that made her boyfriend scowl.
"I like black." Artemis informed her, turning away at her frowning at him. "Besides, that orange looks stupid."
Teddy waited for Tonks to tell him where to jump, but to his surprise she merely sighed and looked back at the mirror. A moment later, her hair was a sleek, shiny black.
Seemingly oblivious to her disappointment, Artemis got to his feet and turned to offer his girlfriend a hand.
"C'mon," he grinned, pulling her up onto her feet, catching her around the middle in a firm hug. "Let's go get some lunch!" He leant to press a kiss to her forehead, mumbling: "Beautiful!"
She finally cracked a smile and allowed him to lead her by the hand towards the back door. Teddy trailed after them as they began to talk about a upcoming party at somebody called Micky's house.
Once in the kitchen, Tonks made a beeline for the fridge as Artemis came to a halt beside the table, looking down at a small stack of papers that had been left there. As Tonks began to examine the various sandwich fillers upon the top shelf, the Slytherin asked:
"What's this?"
"I'm applying to join the Aurors!" Tonks announced excitedly, and Teddy gritted his teeth when her boyfriend sniggered.
"You're not honestly still going on about that, are you?" the blonde haired boy asked as he squinted accusingly down at the application forms.
"Well obviously I am." Tonks said as she extracted a few items from the fridge and dumped them down upon the nearest countertop. "I haven't filled those forms out for fun, you know."
Artemis' face contorted in disapproval.
"You...you do realise what Aurors do, don't you Tonks?"
Tonks did not dignify this question with an answer, so instead he asked:
"I mean...you know what the life expectancy of an Auror is, don't you?"
"Just because you don't have the balls to do it yourself." Tonks smirked as she headed to fetch the bread from the bread bin.
"Just because I'm not stupid enough to do it myself." Artemis corrected, and she stopped dead in her tracks at his words. "Only idiots apply to join the Aurors, either that or people who are suicidal!"
"Oh right. And what are you planning to do with your life, Art?" Tonks asked as she rounded on him, dark eyes wide with fury. "What are you going to do now we're out of school?"
"I dunno..."
"Exactly! At least I'm doing something, instead of sitting around on my backside all day waiting for Mummy and Daddy to give me some pocket money. Besides, I know it's dangerous, I'll be careful! I've wanted to do it for as long as I can remember..."
"Yeah, well...go for it then. They won't take you anyways."
Teddy thought Tonks looked as if he had just slapped her around the face, yet Artemis seemed again oblivious of her hurt as he shot her a grin and said: "Never mind though, eh? You could apply to Magical Law Enforcement instead if you want. They've got loads of office jobs going, Dad says. I might apply myself, actually, they've got nice offices, Magical Law Enforcement. Not like those cupboards they give to the Magical Creatures lot. Hey, if we both get in we can go to lunch together! That would be cool, wouldn't it? What...?" Tonks' gaping had barely dawned on him when Andromeda's voice sounded from the room next door, calling her daughter's hated name, and the young witch stomped off towards the door, Teddy hurrying after her.
"Dad and I are going over to visit your Grandmother tonight." A much younger Andromeda Tonks announced as her daughter came to a halt just inside the doorway. "Do you want to come with us?"
Tonks gave a shrug that her mother seemed to find vaguely irritating before asking:
"Do you think they'll accept me into the Auror programme, Mum?"
Andromeda offered her daughter an encouraging smile.
"I don't see any reason why not, dear."
Tonks frowned rather worriedly as she admitted:
"Artemis says they won't. You know...because of...of things."
Andromeda gave a huff of irritation.
"You may well be the niece of Death Eaters, dear, but any moron can see that we have absolutely nothing to do with them!" she announced rather passionately. "And if you want to be an Auror you have just as much a right to try as everybody else! Besides, half the population of Wizarding Britain is related to somebody they'd rather forget. Artemis is just the same!"
Bolstered by her mother's encouragement, Tonks turned on her heel and marched back into the kitchen, ready to relay her mother's words to the unbeliever...
Only to find him stooped over the papers upon the table, wand tip pressed to the parchment.
"What are you DOING?" Tonks shrieked, and Teddy heard hurried movement in the other room as Andromeda abandoned her chair to see what her daughter was shouting about.
Artemis hurriedly shoved his wand back into his pocket, swallowing hard as he plastered an innocent expression onto his face.
"You made a spelling mistake." he explained, attempting to smile. "I was just correcting it, don't want to send it off with a mistake on it..."
"You're a bloody liar, Artemis!" Tonks cried as she stormed over and snatched the papers out of his reach. "You're trying to ruin it! Because for some stupid reason you don't want me to apply..."
As the equally as unimpressed figure of Andromeda Tonks appeared behind his girlfriend, Artemis hurriedly shook his head.
"It's not like that! Really, it's not..."
"You always do this!" Tonks complained, backing off a few steps as if she was worried he was going to make a grab for her precious papers. "I used to think you were joking! We used to laugh about things, silly little Hufflepuffs with unrealistic dreams and pompous, arrogant Slytherins! We used to have a laugh about it! But I never thought you were being serious! Except these days you're always serious! You say things like you mean them and it's HORRIBLE! You're HORRIBLE, Artemis!"
Artemis' gaze dropped to the floor, but he dared not say a word.
"I...I tell you I want to make a difference to the world and you tell me I'm STUPID! You even tell me I LOOK stupid if I don't wear my hair how you like it! It's pathetic and it's bloody nasty! Why can't I be an Auror if I want to? Because you're too lazy and unambitious to do anything worth while with your own life? Because then I'd be better than you and you can't have a girlfriend like that, can you?"
"I'd worry about you." Artemis protested feebly, but she simply cried:
"RUBBISH! You probably don't even care if I go and get myself killed or not!" she shot her mother an apologetic look when Andromeda flinched a little. "You've been planning this for ages, haven't you? You figured you liked me because I make you laugh and you can persuade me to look however which way you like! And then you thought you'd be a manipulative little bastard and ruin everything I've worked for just so you can have a girlfriend who does what you want, makes you look good!"
"That's ridiculous..."
"You're ridiculous! You're ridiculous enough to think I'd fall for it! Well I'm not, Artemis, I'm smarter than that! And you know what? I was wrong, sometimes Houses DO matter! Because you're a Slytherin and not much else! You're just manipulative and controlling and utterly SELFISH!"
Andromeda cleared her throat rather loudly in protest at this attack upon her House, but Tonks ignored her.
"One of these days," she said, chin jutting out defiantly as her hair went from black to the brightest shade of pink that Teddy had ever seen. "You're going to be stuck in your crappy little office writing dull paperwork, and I'm going to be sat in some big fancy office across the corridor, wearing scarlet with black trim. And whilst your desk is going to just be covered with mounds of pointless papers mine is going to have a shiny sign on in that says Head Of Auror Department. And then we're going to see who is the stupid one, aren't we?"
"And I'm going to be dead proud of you." the Slytherin whispered, his shoulders hunching miserably. Teddy wondered if he was about to start crying.
"If we were mates, maybe." Tonks said, hugging the application forms to her chest defensively. "But not as we are now. I knew it was a bad idea, I knew I never should have said yes to you..." she trailed off with a sniff, reaching to dab furiously at her eyes with the sleeve of her multi-coloured cardigan.
Artemis finally looked up at her, his own eyes distinctly watery.
"Please don't start crying..." he begged, taking a small step towards her, only for a stern voice to announce:
"I think you should leave now."
Teddy had to admit that, if he himself was faced with the aristocratic fury that had flourished upon his grandmother's face, he would not have needed her to say a single word. He would have fled on the spot.
Artemis Carrow-Smyth seemed to think something similar, because he shot Tonks one last dismayed glance before turning and hurrying for the front door.
And then Teddy found himself stood in the bustling Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, following a familiar figure dressed in scarlet Auror robes through the crowds towards a bench set against one wall. A blonde haired man was slumped upon the bench, staring down at the highly polished floor. As Teddy wondered what year it was, Artemis Carrow-Smyth looked up at the woman who had come to a halt before him. Teddy gave a shudder at the sight of a more familiar, milky white eye.
"Wotcher, Artemis..." Tonks greeted, lips pursed together apprehensively. "I...I heard about what happened...the other day..."
The man's mismatched gaze dropped back to the floor, his shoulders slumping.
"I know we don't really talk anymore...it's been forever...but I just wanted to say that I'm really, really sorry." Tonks explained, raising her hand a little as if attempting to decide whether or not to pat him comfortingly upon the arm. "It was a tragic accident and..."
"They've been pulling a load of files out of the Registry recently." Artemis said suddenly, looking up at her again somewhat accusingly. "You aren't supposed to know about it, but Umbridge has a bee in her bonnet about one of the werewolves."
"Oh?" Tonks said, expression one of only mild interest, and Teddy flinched when Artemis said:
"Yeah. You've heard of Remus Lupin, haven't you?"
"Nope, never."
"Well that's real funny, Tonks, because Umbridge seems to be under the impression that you've married him."
Teddy's heart sunk sickeningly when Tonks' face visibly fell.
"She's bloody right, isn't she?" Artemis whispered despairingly. "Look at your face! She's bloody right, she just can't prove it yet...for the love of Merlin, Dora, a bloody WEREWOLF..."
"Shut up, Art." Tonks muttered as she reached to grab her ex-boyfriend by the arm and pull him somewhat roughly to his feet. "I know what's happened has been really terrible and you must feel awful..."
"You aren't even denying it! Sweet Merlin..."
"...But I really think you need to come with me and we can sit and have a chat about this..."
As the Auror continued to babble about nothing in particular, half running for the nearest door and dragging the Slytherin behind her, Teddy ran after them and was shocked when he squeezed through the door to find himself in...
A maintenance cupboard...?
The door swung quietly shut behind them and suddenly wandlight flooded the darkness...
And there stood Tonks, the tip of her lit wand pointing directly at Artemis' face.
"What are you doing?" the man whimpered, and Tonks looked somewhat regretful as she told him:
"I'm going to have to wipe your memory, Art."
"But...what...?"
"You've got a big mouth, and I don't want you to go babbling to Umbridge that you've asked me about Remus and decided that I look guilty."
"Then it's...it's true? You've married a bloody werewolf?"
"Yes. I've married a bloody werewolf. Merlin, you haven't changed very much, have you?"
Artemis' eyes widened in apparent horror as the Auror gripped hold of her wand resolutely.
"Dora..." he whispered, one hand reaching to rest upon her arm. "Listen to me very carefully. You have to leave him, get away..."
"I know you're upset about the accident, Art, but you don't have to start babbling rubbish at me like this. Besides, we're not even friends anymore, you don't even like me..."
"I do like you!" Artemis whined, teeth gritted in frustration. "I do like you! I...I LOVE you..."
"Shut up, Art." Tonks said impatiently, wand jabbing him threateningly in the throat. "I don't have time for any of that rubbish. I'm married to Remus, and I'm not going to leave him."
"You have to! You MUST!"
"I don't have to do anything, Art. You don't know what you're talking about, and even if you're right, which you're definitely not, it's a bit late now isn't it? We're married..."
"So? You can get a divorce!"
"No I can't, Art. It's too late for that, too. Anyway, it doesn't even matter what you think..."
"What do you mean it's too late to get divorced?"
Tonks sighed irritably, which seemingly gave Artemis just long enough to think the statement over and jump to a suitably traumatic conclusion.
"Oh no...no, no, no..."
"For the love of Merlin, Art, can't you just shut up?"
"YOU'RE BLOODY PREGNANT, AREN'T YOU? YOU'VE GONE AND GOT YOURSELF BLOODY KNOCKED UP..."
"Shut UP!" Tonks demanded, shoving him backwards a step, adjusting her grip upon her wand threateningly. "Somebody's going to hear you..."
And at that precise moment, the door to the cupboard was pulled open and the whole scene was flooded from light outside, a face peering searchingly into the gloom...
And to Teddy's further shock, his mother flung her arms around Artemis Carrow-Smyth, they both stumbled back into a wall, narrowly avoiding tripping over a poorly placed bucket...
And she kissed him.
Teddy's MOTHER was KISSING Artemis Carrow-Smyth!
Teddy felt as though he was about to be sick. He was pretty sure that this could not have been the incident that Remus had mentioned knowing about back in the Defense Office the previous evening. He wondered if his father knew about this too, or if not what would he have to say about it?
"What sort of behavior is this?" the wizard in the doorway cried in disapproval as Tonks leapt backwards, pretending to look startled. "I should report you to Madam Umbridge!"
"You're right," the Auror agreed with a distinctly triumphant grin. "You probably should!"
And as the door swung shut again behind the furious wizard, and Artemis opened his mouth to say something, Tonks turned her attention back to the blonde haired man and, in one swift movement, raised her wand to point directly at his face and declared:
"Obliviate!"
There was a blinding flash of light and Teddy screwed his eyes shut, hands reaching to cover them for good measure. When he finally dared open them again he found Tonks standing innocently smiling at a bewildered looking Artemis,, who looked both alarmed and somewhat delighted at the same time.
"What are we...I mean why are we...?" the Slytherin gestured around them somewhat gingerly and the Auror offered him a distinctly mischievous grin.
"Think your mind wandered off for a second there." she observed, discreetly shoving her wand back into the pocket of her robes. "That good, am I?"
The wizard simply stared dimly at her, mind desperately scrambling to make some sort of sense of the situation.
"Did you...did we just..."
"Kiss? Yeah, something like that. I have to get back to work, see you around, Art!"
Tonks made a hurried exit and as Artemis stumbled out of the cupboard after her, Teddy struggled to keep up with her long strides across the Atrium.
Grinning broadly, Tonks made her way towards the elevator, only to collide with somebody who was stood stock still just outside of the doors.
"Oops! Sorry..."
"Tonks?"
"Kingsley!"
The future Minister for Magic was stood, arms crossed firmly across his chest as he looked down at his fellow Order member with a deeply concerned look on his face.
"What's going on?" Tonks asked him as she disentangled herself from him, having resorted to throwing her arms around him to stop herself taking a tumble. "You look like you've just seen a Dementer or something."
"I was about to ask you the same question." Kingsley murmured, eyebrow raised as he glanced over her shoulder.
Tonks looked back to spot Artemis making a rather dazed approach to one of the countless fireplaces to one side of the room.
"Oh...you saw that, did you?" she mumbled, cheeks reddening a little as she hastily turned back to her friend.
"I'm not entirely sure what I saw, truth be told." Kingsley admitted, and she gave a rather uncertain chuckle before explained:
"Well I'm not that sure either, but I think I might have just started an affair with our friend Artemis over there."
"Ah..." Kingsley watched in bemusement as Artemis disappeared in a burst of emerald fire. "I see..." He stared at the fireplace for a very long moment, watching an elderly witch in the distinctive robes of the Wizengamot appear and step out into the vast room, brushing soot from her arms. "Actually, Tonks." he admitted at last. "I don't think I do see...at all."
"Well...I may have attempted to lure him into the cupboard so that I could Obliviate him..."
"Oh."
"Since he was going to snitch on me to The Toad."
"Ah."
"Except somebody walked in on us...so I just...you know..."
"I see."
"And actually I think it's turned out rather nicely. Umbridge isn't going to figure out what I've been up to if she thinks I'm too busy jumping fellow Ministry employees and dragging them into secluded broom cupboards, is she?"
"I imagine not."
"That's got to be worth at least another week before she finds out for sure about Remus and I. That's another week the Order's got me inside the Ministry."
"True."
"I reckon Remus'll be fine with it. You know, let the marriage take one for the team and so on."
"Maybe."
There was a long pause as Tonks frowned rather guiltily down at her boots.
"Don't tell him, Kingsley." she begged at last, shooting the tall wizard a warning look. "I don't think I could stand it. Not right now, anyway."
"I'm sure he would understand." Kingsley reasoned calmly, but she shook her head vigorously.
"Yes but that's the problem, isn't it? Remus is much too understanding for his own good! He'd just say oh well never mind love, and give me a hug! And then he'd sit awake all night and torture himself about it!"
Kingsley heaved a sigh, only for a voice from somewhere behind Teddy to call his name and he made to walk over to the speaker. Tonks reached to grab a fistful of his robes in her hand, eyes pleading, and he carefully pulled her hand free from the material and assured her:
"My lips are sealed."
"Thank you!"
"Now for the love of Merlin stop mucking around and go and get some actual work done. If you don't our beloved Madam Undersecretary will probably sack you for laziness anyway."
"Whatever you say, boss..."
Once again one scene shifted into another and Teddy found that he was standing before a desk in a long, narrow room, what appeared to be a small library of paper folders further inside. Artemis was sat behind the desk, his transformation to scare crow seemingly complete as he stared coldly towards the door.
"Well, well, well," he called as Teddy turned to watch Tonks approach the desk, a single piece of parchment held in one hand. "Look at you!"
"I need to pull a file." Tonks announced as if she had not heard him. "Mitchell Sanders." She slapped the parchment down upon the desk before him, and it was then that Teddy noticed that the sleeves of her scarlet Auror robes were trimmed with black.
Artemis leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest as he gazed up at her.
"Well?" he said when she simply stared at him expectantly. "Here we are, Dora, lowly office worker and Head of Auror Department! Aren't you going to point out who's the stupid one?"
"Just get the file." Tonks instructed impatiently.
"Aw, go on! You've been waiting for this for years! Don't ruin the whole experience for yourself now..."
"If you don't want to get off your lazy arse and get it, I can do it myself."
"No, no, no," the Slytherin tutted, waggling an infuriating finger at the Auror with a smirk. "Don't try and get all high and mighty with me yet! You think this makes you better than me now, don't you? Well I'll tell you this, Sweetheart, you're wrong! If you don't want to answer, I'll do it for you: You're the stupid one. You may well manage to screw up my day by complaining to the Minister that I don't do my job properly, but I can go one better than that. Oh yes, Dora, you can ruin my day but I, I can ruin your marriage!"
Tonks stepped around the desk and stalked purposefully towards one of the shelves.
"Hate to ruin this for you," she announced as she set about pulling out files to examine, "but I'm pretty sure my marriage is quite that fragile. I suggest you give up on trying to blackmail me over some random kiss you don't even remember properly that happened years ago, its getting boring and to be honest it's been a long day and I'm not sure I'm up to tolerating your crap." Pulling one file from the shelf and tucking it under her arm she moved to another shelf and, after a mere glance, rounded on Artemis with an accusing look. "Where's Remus' file?" she demanded, and the Slytherin smirked at her again.
"I'm not sure."
"Really? You do realise that loss of Restricted Documentation is a sackable offense, don't you?"
"Maybe somebody's looking at it. Been misbehaving, has he?"
Tonks stalked back around the desk and rounded on the man with an expression of complete disgust.
"You have until eight o'clock tomorrow morning to have that file on my desk, or I swear you're going to wish you'd never encouraged me to attend private dueling lessons."
He gave an infuriating shrug.
"You haven't filed an official request." he informed her, reaching to point triumphantly at the form before him. "This is only for the Sanders dog."
Tonks leaned forward across the desk, positively glowering.
"You are a very, very sad man." she hissed, grip upon the file she held tightening until the folder began to pucker and crease. "You're sad and bitter, Art, and it doesn't suit you. Just because your life hasn't turned out the way you wanted it to, doesn't mean you have to try and ruin it for everybody else. You may be shocked to hear that you are not the only person in the world to have a tough time! I don't know if you remember, but there was this terrible thing called a War a few years back. We've all suffered tragedies. We've all picker ourselves up and moved on. So give it up!" She straightened up, tucking the file back under her arm and straightening her robes. "And I know it's you screwing with Remus' file. I'm going to give you one chance to hand it to me tomorrow, as it was before you started messing us around, or I'm going to report you."
This threat did seem to have an effect on Artemis' face at last for as she turned and swept off towards the door his face fell.
"I didn't have a choice, Dora." he called, and she paused inside the doorway to look back at him questioningly. "You don't listen to me, I don't know why, surely you can see? Surely, surely you can understand...you've got a son to think of, too...I know what's going to happen to him, to you, I can't stand the thought of it, Dora...if you don't listen to me...well I've got no choice..."
"You're wasting your time. I'm not going to listen to you, and there is nothing you can pin on Remus anyway..."
"I can wait."
Tonks stared at him in silent outrage at his determination, before she finally concluded:
"You're a twisted little bas..."
"If you would listen to me I wouldn't have to get him into trouble!"
"You're talking rubbish..."
"He's going to hurt you! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it WILL happen! It will!"
"I've been married for three whole years and nothing..."
"And that boy! Your little boy! That sweet little child you've got a photo of on your desk! You know what'll happen? He'll be torn to shreds before your very eyes, and you can beg and scream all you like, it won't listen! It won't listen!"
Tonks turned her back on the room and began to hurry off down the corridor, the scraggly looking man shouting somewhat madly after her.
"It's an animal! A DARK CREATURE...you'll end up DEAD! Just like Arissa! Just like her!"
And at that moment, the scene dissolved and Teddy found himself in his father's office, stumbling back a few steps as he withdrew his face from the swirling mass of silvery memories. For a brief moment he looked around the empty office worriedly, as if expecting to find Remus waiting for him, a furious expression upon his face, but he soon felt relieved to find that he was still very much alone. He hurriedly replaced the lid upon the box, put the letter to the Headmistress on top, and made a hurried escape back to Gryffindor Tower.
Note: I'm getting to like these end of chapter notes! In case anybody is wondering about the timescale of the middle memory, it occurs around a week before the memory shown in Lies and Letters' chapter Get Rid of It. At this point Tonks has not told anybody (except Artemis!) about the baby, telling Remus took a long time! And her prediction that she could buy herself an extra week before leaving the Ministry was rather optimistic – she was forced to leave mere days later, hence her comment to Remus in Lies and Letters that it was now too dangerous for them to go to the hospital, and her waiting around for him at home rather than being at work. This is within the first month of their marriage, prior to Bill and Fleur's Wedding (probably...if I'm wrong just pretend otherwise! I suck at figuring out how this all fits together properly!) =) The last memory was a few years after the War, when Teddy was around 2 and a half years old, Tonks having just been promoted! So...Carrow-Smyth has been looking for an opportunity like the prophecy for quite a long time!